Combating Combativeness (James 4.1)

Welcome to The Breakdown, the weekly podcast designed for growth group leaders at ⁠Soteria Church⁠ in West Des Moines, IA. Each week, we provide time-sensitive announcements to keep you in the loop and walk through the sermon study to help you lead meaningful discussions. Whether you're preparing for your next group meeting or looking to deepen your own understanding, The Breakdown is your go-to resource. Tune in and stay connected! REFLECT Is there a person in your life you respect who is more wealthy/influential than you? Why do you respect them? When does a desire for something cross from harmless curiosity or wonder to envy, jealousy, or covetousness? ENCOUNTER The believer’s internal battle with sin ripples externally in church relationships. Psalm 133:1 says, “How delightfully good when brothers live together in harmony!” These calls for peaceable living among God’s people are bountiful in Scripture. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done. Read the following passages and discuss what qualities of our godly walk are essential to holding back the chaos and toxicity that division and quarrels bring. Compare James 3:17 with James 4:2–3. How do these passages mirror each other? Read Philippians 4:2–7. Under what context is the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” being offered? TRANSFORM Read 2 Corinthians 5:19–20 and Matthew 5:9 to inform your answers in this section. James 4:1–3 shows how both conflict and unanswered prayer are the result of wrong motives in our hearts. How could remembering our role as ambassadors and peacemakers help us avoid the conflict James addresses? How should remembering these roles change our prayers so that they don’t fall into the category of a “wrong-motives-prayer”?