Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
IMPT NOTE:
The important thing in this lesson is to help members effectively identify Objective:
At the end of this lesson, you
ways they could have showed favoritism and deal with it in a biblical
will be able to:
way. We will learn about God’s view of favoritism and why it is a
problem. 1. Discover 5 common ways
in which we show
favoritism.
Explain to members that if we cannot see how we have showed
favoritism, we will not be able to deal with it. 2. Identify 3 problems with
Tell members that God wants us to be more like Him: to not show showing favoritism.
favoritism. Therefore, we need to learn how to cure this common 3. Apply the prescription
disease in our lives. We want to reflect God’s glory in our lives. God has given us for
Favoritism is incompatible with that. overcoming favoritism.
4. Memorize James 2:8-9.
Remember that we must do what God says in order to be blessed by
the bible from the previous lesson. Take this time to review your
member’s application from the previous lesson on “how to be blessed by
the bible”.
Share with members that our society idolizes beauty and hates
ugliness. Sometimes, we judge others by their ancestry (language,
race, nationality) other than outward appearance. We may even judge
others as being too young or too old for us to learn from, whether at
home, school, work or church. In our society, we gush over winners and
forget about the losers. James points out that the most common basis
we judge others by is their wealth. We often seek to associate with or
feel proud to be with people of greater economic wealth, status and
achievement.
11For God does not show
Add that Jesus didn’t say that there’s anything wrong with wealth but
favoritism.
we should not show favoritism. Rom 2:11
yourself."
Gal 5:14
3) We sometimes show favoritism to the rich for different reasons. It
may be for them to do something for us in return. This verse tells us 20If anyone says, "I love
that God’s logic can be very different from our logic or what the society God," yet hates his brother,
he is a liar. For anyone who
teaches us. To God, it doesn’t matter whether we are rich or poor.
does not love his brother,
Thank God that our salvation is not based on our economic wealth. whom he has seen, cannot
love God, whom he has not
4) Lawbreakers are those who does not do what God says. Jas 2:8 says seen. 21And he has given us
if we love our neighbor as ourselves, we are doing right. But when we this command: Whoever loves
show favoritism, we break God’s command for us to love our neighbor God must also love his
in both 1 Jn and James. Jas 2:9 calls favoritism as sin and those who brother.
show favoritism as lawbreakers. V10-11 tells us that even when we 1 Jn 4:20-21
break only one law, no matter how small a sin we see favoritism as
compared to murder, we are still lawbreakers. By not loving others and
showing favoritism, 1 Jn says that it also shows that we do not love God
because whoever loves God must also love his brother (v21).
IV. The Prescription For Overcoming Favoritism 7Accept one another, then,
just as Christ accepted you, in
The problem with favoritism is that it is unchristian, unreasonable and
order to bring praise to God.
unloving. So how should we treat other people? Rom 15:7
1) Encourage those who are not practicing this to share their reason.
Bring them back to our first question where they shared how they felt
when they were not welcomed. We don’t want others to feel the same
way as we did.
Ask those who are practicing already to share what motivated them.
Encourage them to share also how God has changed them if they had
not been originally practicing this to encourage the rest.
Member’s Notes
Page 2 of 3
DEVELOPING A FAITH THAT WORKS YOUNG ADULT CELLS NOVEMBER 2006
Member’s Notes
Page 3 of 3