The Book of James

[Guest]

I recommend the book of James is a good one for non believers to read. It's short, very wise and summarizes the teachings of Christ. I think it's brilliant. 

Would fellow Christians agree? Which other book would be good to encourage non believers or new Christians to begin reading? Just to encourage. 

[Guest shiloh357]

1 minute ago, Melinda12 said:

I recommend the book of James is a good one for non believers to read. It's short, very wise and summarizes the teachings of Christ. I think it's brilliant. 

Would fellow Christians agree? Which other book would be good to encourage non believers or new Christians to begin reading? Just to encourage. 

I would use the book of John as it best presents the Gospel to non-believers.   James is good for new believers, but it doesn't present the Gospel.  

[Fidei Defensor]

The Book of James needs to be read by nonbeliever who has already read the Gospel of John, Romans, 1 John, Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians. A nonbeliever needs to be educated in grace before they read the works James speaks of or else they might confuse the fruit of salvation (works merely are Testament a person has already embraced faith in Jesus) with meriting salvation. 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Fidei Defensor

[Neighbor]

1 hour ago, Melinda12 said:

I recommend the book of James is a good one for non believers to read. It's short, very wise and summarizes the teachings of Christ. I think it's brilliant. 

Would fellow Christians agree? Which other book would be good to encourage non believers or new Christians to begin reading? Just to encourage. 

Hi,

Though I would not recommend  a book of the Bible for any unsaved person to read, as the Holy Spirit enables understanding, without which all of the Bible is just so many words beyond comprehension or interest; plus I believe each saint is commanded to personally share of the Gospel of Jesus, and how it has been a life changing call from God the Holy spirit.

None the less, I do have personal appreciation of the Book of James even though it was written for an  audience of informed Jews, ones that had awareness of Torah as well as rabbinical customs and histories of the prophets. A Sunday school class I attend has been going through the book of James even today.

Seems to me telling an unsaved person to go read a book of the Bible is a  bit of a timidity, if not an actual cope out. For each saint is to present the gospel of Jesus to an unsaved world, not ask a pastor to do it, and certainly not suggest an unsaved person just start reading Bible passages without encouragement and prayer asking of the Holy Spirit to enable revealing of Jesus to the specific unsaved person.

 While most when asked about what they first read and remember of the Bible will answer the Christmas Story, my own is Job. Hey what can I say the Holy Spirit  used a relative and a goofy tv preacher house party tv show to get me to open the Book of Job. -Yes that is all about me, I share of it as simply an example, one that confirms for me that God will move the way God wills, when God wills.

There just is no one book, no one passage, and especially no one verse, that is best. For verse-ifaction of God's word is an invention of man, devised long after God's inspired writings for man shared the reveal of Jesus from In the beginning, on to, the Grace of God be with you, Amen.

I'll boldly state that IMO God is more pleased with the stumbling heartfelt testimony of any saint about the gospel of Jesus and how it has affected the saint sharing of the gospel than He is with any Cliffnotes type  tract,  or telling someone go read John, 1 john, James, or even the book of Job. God gives specific instruction for the saint- You share of the gospel of Jesus. If doing that includes reading from James then read from James.

Just my impression of course.

May God bless your every effort, no matter how you honor Him in sharing of our Lord with those not yet knowing of a salvation unto eternal life with God.

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Neighbor

[Sower]

55 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

Seems to me telling an unsaved person to go read a book of the Bible is a  bit of a timidity, if not an actual cope out. For each saint is to present the gospel of Jesus to an unsaved world, not ask a pastor to do it, and certainly not suggest an unsaved person just start reading Bible passages without encouragement and prayer asking of the Holy Spirit to enable revealing of Jesus to the specific unsaved person.

Seems to me, brother Neighbor, the poster Melinda is trying to find advice from more mature seasoned Christians, such as yourself, as to your favorite book that  you would recommend to a non believer to read. I sense her earnest desire to witness and to be more prepared, by asking fellow believers advise. She is in the arena, doing something, trying. I am  personally encouraged to see people (who are trying to witness out there) come to our forum, seeking this understanding, without being intimidated/criticized by fellow believers. Give her a break. Yes, one on one probably is better. Faith comes by hearing. Deaf people can get saved, too. ....
I tell many lost people I may never see again, to get into the word. I advise all believers to stay in the word.
It is not our eloquence in witnessing that saves. It is the word, of God.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Gary Lee

[Guest shiloh357]

1 hour ago, Fidei Defensor said:

The Book of James needs to be read by nonbeliever who has already read the Gospel of John, Romans, 1 John, Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians. A nonbeliever needs to be educated in grace before they read the works James speaks of or else they might confuse the fruit of salvation (works merely are Testament a person has already embraced faith in Jesus) with meriting salvation. 

Until an unbeliever is born again, anything outside the plan of salvation is going to be too difficult to understand.   They need to get saved before they start reading through the New Testament.  James should only be read by believers as it was only written to believers.   Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians were written to the Church, not to nonbelievers.  

[Neighbor]

4 hours ago, Gary Lee said:

Seems to me, brother Neighbor, the poster Melinda is trying to find advice from more mature seasoned Christians, such as yourself, as to your favorite book that  you would recommend to a non believer to read. I sense her earnest desire to witness and to be more prepared, by asking fellow believers advise. She is in the arena, doing something, trying. I am  personally encouraged to see people (who are trying to witness out there) come to our forum, seeking this understanding, without being intimidated/criticized by fellow believers. Give her a break. Yes, one on one probably is better. Faith comes by hearing. Deaf people can get saved, too. ....I tell many lost people I may never see again, to get into the word. I advise all believers to stay in the word.
It is not our eloquence in witnessing that saves. It is the word, of God.

Here I thought I not only gave  a break but also encouraged the individual so that they would not worry at all which book they might share from, nor what testimony they might be led to give, and even prayed that God would bless whatever would be done in effort to share of our Lord Jesus and of salvation to eternal life with God the Father.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2018 by Neighbor

[Neighbor]

3 hours ago, shiloh357 said:

James should only be read by believers as it was only written to believers

"James a servant of God to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting"   James wrote to Jews his letter opens with that statement.

Might it not be especially effective a sharing even today, just as God intended it to be when He inspired James to write it? If I share of James today, I might be sharing with someone, as  I am led by the Holy Spirit, that will indeed have a history of knowledge of Jews or be a practicing Jew, even though I do not know that at the time. Might that sharing of James along with a personal sharing  of testimony of the gospel of Jesus be the very leading by the Holy Spirit?

Seems to me that in combination with a personal testimony of Jesus as Lord God  and savior some  will be especially moved by James.

It might be that the Holy spirit does want a saved person to use the inspired writing of James today. The person using James may not even know why they are led to do so, but the Holy Spirit will.

So personally I don't think it wise to say not this book but instead that one. As I have stated many times the Holy Spirit had a witness use Job along with their testiomy, and I was soon finding myself born again. That saint was led by the Holy Spirit and had no idea why they were presenting Job at the time.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Neighbor

[Neighbor]

Some more "all about about me". I did read Bible. I did listen to Bible reading, and to funeral sermons. I did even share Bible verses and Bible passages for nearly 20 years in my capacity as an arrangement director and memorial park sales representative. I also worked with  local representatives of several religions . I spent nearly a year working with  a local Jewish congregation  to establish a Jewish cemetery, for which I had to prepare by learning much that I would be taught by Jews at that time.

YET I did not believe in God, any god at all.

I was efficient. I was successful at my task  of working as many as five funerals a day  too. I selected music for people's funeral services, i knew perhaps a couple hundred hymns.  I selected  Bible passages for family's burial markers. Yet I did not believe at all! 

Many debated God with me, many pastors, many lay persons too. But I was never moved at all. I was quite content in my atheism.- Until God took me away from my life's career, my home, my family life as I knew it,  and planted me in a disastrous situation 2800 miles away. It was then that God used puffy haired tv preachers on tv, a  hotel Gideon Bible, and newly born again hyper enthused saint, a family member, to share of the gospel of Jesus with me.  he fumbled he bumbled but he was also determined that  I needed salvation too.

His insistence  led me to challenge a stunt of the puffy haired tv preacher to just  let a Bible part open and plunk my finger on the page and I would find the answer to my need. I did so.  it opened to  between 11 and 12 Job, whoppie - Job. God used Job and a newly saved witness to bring me to my own turning about along with  an angel that stopped my further debating the existence of God. I share that resisting the demand of an angel is nor something i was up to- least it seemed it would be the height of foolishness to me. So I repented of my sin against God and turned with the lead of the Holy Spirit to Jesus.

All that to conclude and to share that  God will use what word he wills and who he wills, when He wills. James John  or Genesis or even Job. What I believe he demands of the saved saints is that they share their testimony with enthusiasm, and not to pass that  command off to a pastor or a tract or a book to read. God is pleased by the testimony, it need not be the least  eloquent.

Further, I have always been struck by the ineloquent presentation of the gospel by the most famous evangelist of our time, if not of all time, in regard to shear numbers of people that heard the gospel and received it,- Billy Graham. I was with about 84,000 people that were moved it seemed all at once by the Holy Spirit even before Mr. Graham could present his prepared message in it's entirety. He had been delayed some to start with because he was at that time on the phone with a country singer's family when the singer was suffering greatly and nearly sick to death. He was shortening his prepared work and testimony,  when the Spirit took over and many thousands came seeking more of what was moving them. I was literally propelled out the gates of the stadium by the swirling of the Holy Spirit and the moving crowd. It was like there was a sudden drop in barometric pressure and an urging for thousands to get up all at once and ask for Jesus.

Eloquence is not needed even the prepared word is not needed. The Holy Spirit is. Worry less about the words and pray for leading by the Spirit is my own thought.

Edited September 17, 2018 by Neighbor

[Blood Bought 1953]

 

I think the most important thing for the unbeliever to learn is that he is a sinner that needs a Savior.The first couple of chapters in Romans should convince anybody that they are lost. Subsequent chapters will reveal the remedy for being lost.Until one sees that he isn’t as “ good” as he thinks he is , understanding Christianity is impossible— it’s just another religion.