Do you touch anyone or are you an Island?
James 2:14-18 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can't save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"-but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." I say, "I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds."
Man has been corrupting the word of God from the beginning of man's existence. We can look at the start of the Bible where God laid down only one rule, do not eat of the tree of life and man/woman decided that it was ok to eat of the tree of life. Sadly just like in Genesis every time man corrupts Gods word it causes trouble and many times condemns souls to hell. So many Christians quote: Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. This one scripture has found itself among one of the greatest corruption's of the Word of God. The Saved by Grace or saved by Works doctrines. Both of which in my humble opinion are wrong and right. Yes actually if one opens their mind and studies the Word of God both doctrines are partially right and both are partially wrong. The saved by grace group ranges from those who almost get it right and those who are totally wrong. The biggest problem with the saved by grace doctrine is that it has created a group of Christians that focus only on the grace of God and very little else. The saved by works group are the same. But let's take a look at the Word of God and go from there. In the above scripture from Ephesians taken out of context we understand that we do not need works because they will cause us to boast. All we need is God's grace. Partially correct partially incorrect. If we read all of chapter one and two of the letter to the Ephesians we realize that Paul was trying to Glorify Jesus. Paul was trying to get it across to the Ephesian Christians that they were not the reason for their salvation. Paul was just restating what Jesus is quoted as saying in John. John 6:44 (ASV) 44No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. Jesus knew that we cannot even enjoy the grace of God for salvation through His Son unless we are Drawn by the Father in Heaven. Think about it my friend when you reached your personal epiphany that you needed a personal Savior, you did not know what was drawing you, or what had pierced your heart. You only knew you needed something and someone had just told you it was Jesus. That is what Jesus meant by being drawn by the Father. That is what Paul meant by being saved by the Grace of God. But, you my friend had to take the next step, that action to answer the call. If you had ignored the call and stayed in your sin, it would not matter how much grace the Father in Heaven extended to you, you would still be doomed to an eternity in Hell!
Ok, so I got a little side tracked but, I needed to show you that we are not saved by this overwhelming grace without some action on our parts. It is the same with works. If every Christian just sat in their pew or were satisfied with their current state nothing would happen. It is by works that we reach the world. Every Christian, get that every Christian has a job to do. Jesus is finishing up His sermon on the mount. He has gone through the blessed are's, to our job descriptions. We are to be salt to season the earth and light to light the earth. How are we to do this. Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV) Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (emphasis added) By our works, oops there is the evil four letter word work! The Greek here gives the full scope of what Jesus is trying to tell us. hñãïí ergon er'-gon From hñãù ergo (a primary but obsolete word; to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act:-deed, doing, labour, work. Jesus used an obsolete word that meant simply work and there could be no other meaning. Jesus was trying to explain that just like we need to have worldly jobs to exist in this world we have heavenly jobs to do in this world. Don't believe me? Matthew 16:27 (KJV) 27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Here Jesus is talking telling us that our rewards in Heaven are based on our works. Opps we do need works! Here the Greek is a wider term. ðñOîéò praxis prax'-is practice, that is, (concretely) an act; by extension a function:- deed, office, work. Thayer's definition implies that here Greek indicates "The doings of the Apostles". If we look at the base Greek, it implies something we do repetitively, or practiced.
Something that is repetitive or practiced is just that. Not a one time gesture. Back to James's words, " Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"-but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. " But let's take it one step further and look at the picture of judgement that Jesus gave us. Matthew 25:31-46 (KJV) 31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Now you need to notice that we have two groups, the sheep, followers of Jesus and the goats, followers of the devil. But, the most important thing you must see, this is the key to the grace verses works doctrine. What does Jesus use to judge the sheep and goats on? Works! Does Jesus say that "you accepted salvation by my Father's grace"? Does Jesus say " you sat in church mildewing to your pew for me"? Does Jesus say "you came forward in church accepted me and never changed your life?" Does Jesus say " You embraced everyone in the name of love and never preached truth?" Does Jesus say "you kept the law and the Sabbath?" Does Jesus say "you had the gift?" NO!!! Jesus indirectly say's "you were the salt and the light to the earth?" Jesus said you did these works for me. You showed the world you were from me. This is why Jesus' half brother James said "Now someone may argue, 'Some people have faith; others have good deeds.' I say, 'I can't see your faith if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.' "
Back to my original question, Do you touch anyone or are you an island? One thing Mary and I have learned through the years is that a little kindness goes a long way to opening the gospel to others. Just look at Jesus life. Did Jesus first preach the gospel to people or did He first heal them? When the 3000 were saved by Peters preaching. Did Peter first preach the gospel to them or did the power of the Spirit come down and the Apostles spoke in tongues, then Peter preached. When those saved in Joppa were saved did Peter go and preach the gospel. NO! He went to raise Tabitha from the dead. After she was raised from the dead he preach the gospel and many were saved.
Are you wondering why your church is not growing? Are you feeling far away from the Lord. Do you miss the company of the Holy Spirit. Then go out into the world and do some good deeds in the name of Jesus. My Friends if we, the Body of Christ, did what we were supposed to do there would be no need for welfare. There would be no starving. But, America is the richest country in the world, we have the highest per capital income. But, where does our money go? Not to God, did you know that the average Bible believing professing Christian gives less than 3% of their total income to spreading the gospel. Which side will you be on, on judgement day? The sheep or the goats? You can take this one to the bank, if your are relying totally on God's grace to get you on and keep you on the sheep side you, my friend will be in for a surprise. We must be about our Fathers business. Get off your pews and get into the world and show them the good works that Jesus did. Love them, help them, feed them, clothe them, freely give to them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The world will be a better place because of it and you my friends will have great rewards in heaven.
