What Type of Book Are You? (A Happy Ending or a Horror Story?)

People are always reading us, so what kind of book are you? A Bible study on James 1:23 and being a doer of the word, not a hearer only. Steve and Chris of The Neighbour Please Podcast talk to the Christian who goes to church but rarely opens the Bible, anyone turned off by Christian hypocrisy, and anyone who has been judged by their cover. Most of us can say "I believe what the Bible says" while our own book reads a little bit different. We hear a sermon on Sunday, say "I needed that," and by Monday the traffic, the kids and the boss have wiped it clean, just like the man in James who looks in the mirror and walks away forgetting what he saw. Steve and Chris get honest about what that does to the Christian testimony: church folks who never read their Bible, the after church crowd that is rude to the waitress and the store clerk, the polished Sunday cover with nothing alive on the inside, and the habit of reading two pages of somebody else's story and deciding we know the whole book. The answer is not to scrub the cover before you open the Book. Check the mirror of God's word, judge yourself first, fix chapter one by making sure you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and then give your neighbour the same grace God is giving you, because nobody is a finished book and the Author is still writing. SCRIPTURES REFERENCED James 1:23-24 KJV 1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV Matthew 5:16 KJV 1 Corinthians 10:12 KJV James 4:6 KJV Hebrews 12:2 KJV CHAPTERS 0:00 Never Judge a Book by Its Cover Steve and Chris open with a simple idea from Phil Robertson: love God and love your neighbour. It is proven, it comes from God's word, and we still will not do it. Then Steve shares the audiobook that proved his first impression wrong. 3:07 People Are Always Reading Us You are an open book whether you accept it or not. Chris explains how most people only read the cover, and how his friendship with Steve only exists because they both read past it. Mystery, drama or fiction: what kind of book are you? 5:21 The Mirror of God's Word James 1:23 and 24 describes the man who sees his face in the glass and forgets what he looked like. Steve explains mirrors in Bible times and why the King James Bible shows us who we are with no filter. 7:44 When Our Book Reads a Little Different 1 Corinthians 13:12 reminds us we only see part of the picture. Steve's diet illustration exposes the gap between what we claim and what people see, and Chris explains why the Christian testimony is suffering because of it. 12:02 Check the Mirror and Fix Chapter One Adjust your view by God's word, judge yourself, and pick one thing this week: your temper, your tongue or your phone. Start with salvation, and do not try to clean up the cover before you open the Book. 16:36 Nobody Is a Finished Book Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and He is still writing your neighbour's story too. Being on chapter three gives you no right to look down on someone finishing chapter one. You do not know the whole story. 22:00 Be a Book Worth Reading Rude church folks at Sunday lunch, the after church crowd Chris served at work, and the Christian who reads like fiction. Are you a true story, or only loosely based on one? 27:03 Let Your Light Shine and This Week's Challenge Matthew 5:16 sets the goal: when people read us, they should see Jesus. Chris closes with the challenge to read your own book, edit the chapters you do not like, and let God's word show you how. KEY TOPICS COVERED Being a doer of the word and not a hearer only The Bible as a mirror that shows us who we are Christian hypocrisy and a damaged testimony Judging people by their cover Salvation first: opening the Book before cleaning up the cover Grace for your neighbour because nobody is a finished book Letting your light shine so people see Jesus CONNECT AND SUPPORT Listen, watch and connect on every platform: https://neighbourpleasepodcast.carrd.co/ Listen on Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2bf... #NeighbourPleasePodcast #ChristianPodcast #BibleStudy #KJV #DoersOfTheWord