Faith That Works

Scripture Baseline: James 2:17 (NIV)

_"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."_

**Outline:**

1. Intro: What is Faith?

2. Big Idea

3. Examples of Faith in Action

4. Conclusion

Today, I am going to talk about something really important our faith and what we do with it. The verse I want to key in is James 2:17, which says, "In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." This means that just believing in something isn't enough. We also have to act on it.

Think about this: Faith is like believing a chair can hold you. But it's only when you actually sit down that you show you trust it. That's what God wants from us to not only believe in Him but also to live out that belief in our everyday lives.

The big idea today is: Real faith shows up in what we do.

All through the New Testament, we can see Real faith show up in what we do. Lets take a look at Jesus. Jesus gave us, the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). A man was hurt and needed help. Two people who should've known better walked right by him, but a Samaritan, who wasn't expected to help, did. He took care of the hurt man. Jesus told this story to show us that our actions speak louder than our words. It's not enough to say we have faith. We need to show it by being kind and helping others.

So, how can we put our faith into action? It can be as simple as being a good friend, helping someone in need, or standing up for what's right. Every time we do something good for others, it's like we're showing a little piece of Jesus' love to the world.

I want to tell you a quick story. Imagine a small plant. Believing it will grow is good, but it really grows when we water it and give it sunlight. Our faith is the same. It grows when we do good things, like helping and caring for others.

In wrapping up, remember our key verse. Our faith isn't just about believing. It's about doing. This week, let's all try to do at least one kind thing for someone else. It could be anything, big or small. By doing so, we're not just talking about our faith; we're living it.

Real faith shows up in what we do.

Let's pray that God helps us to be kind and to show His love through our actions every day. Amen.