James series – “The Litmus Test for life”

James 5:19-20

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Each week James has given us spiritual tests of faith. He started his letter like this: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” Consider it joy when God tests your faith. Why? Because He tests your faith so that you can know that it’s real. He tests your faith so that you will patiently endure till He calls you home. He tests your faith in order to make your relationship with Him complete and full and lacking nothing. But how often do we sound like the elementary school student complaining to their teacher? “Teacher, why do we have to have so many tests?” Or, “My teacher’s mean they give us too many tests.” Why does the teacher give tests? To make you secure in the lessons they have taught you. Why does God give tests? To make you secure in the faith that He’s given you. Over the last few months as we’ve taken these 12 tests of faith you may not have gotten the results you were hoping for. In fact, I don’t know anyone that has gotten all A’s. That’s why we need God’s grace. And through God’s grace, He’s given us each other for the purpose of remediation. As we come to this last test, “The Correction Test” we will see that God intends for us to encourage and spur each other on to passing His tests. Sadly, most of us never connect the tests in the context of community. We only see these tests in the context of self and so we miss the serving. As a result we use the tests primarily to promote our image and how we look instead of to lend a helping hand. So, when we pass a test we want to brag about it and parade around instead of looking around at who we need to come alongside and help. We end up using tests to look down on others instead of to lift them up. As we look at this last test together is there anyone you need to call and encourage?