Faith Without Works is Dead

Faith Without Works is Dead

While listening to a talk show the other day a caller called in to speak to the host. He identified himself an evangelist. The talk show host issued a question to his listening audience. The question basically was, “Where is the outrage by the Christians for recent decisions made by the Obama administration against the Christian church.” The caller’s answer to the question is that Christians are doing something. They are going into their prayer closets to pray. They are enacting the power of God over the current situation to allow God to handle it. As I pondered the caller’s answer I realize the problem we have today with the Christian church.

First, most Christians are not going into their prayer closets to pray. It would be my guess that most “Christians” do not even pray for meals, let alone pray in a “prayer closet.” Jesus spent hours in prayer. He devoted himself to speaking with the Father daily. He went to secluded spots to be alone with God. However, Jesus did not retreat to pray. Jesus advanced to pray so that he might advance the Gospel to the world.

This brings us to the second problem of the American church. Americans retreat to prayer and they never reappear to advance on the enemy. The worst words of the American church when asked to help in a given situation are, “Let me pray about that.” Ninety-nine percent of the time that means, “No, I don’t want to help, but I can’t think of any other way to avoid the question.” The Church uses prayer as an excuse for no action. 

When Jesus cast the spirit out of the boy with convulsions he said believers should pray, but that was followed by the action of getting out of the prayer closet and going out to where the enemy was to pray for the boy (Mark 9:14-32). Peter and John devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42), but then they left their prayer time to go where the enemy was and pray for the lame man at the Temple gate and preach the Gospel. 

Colossians 4:2- 4 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Being watchful requires an action. Being watchful requires one to get off of one’s knees and get up on the wall. When the watchman sees danger he is not to run back to the prayer position, he is to shout, “THE ENEMY IS COMING, THE ENEMY IS COMING!”

Prayer requires action! The action is to advance to the prayer room and then advance to the where the enemy is. The battle is won by action. For too long the Christians of America have been content to watch the battle rather than to fight it.

Please do not misunderstand this message. I believe in an all-powerful God who will fight for me. Nevertheless, it has never been God’s mode of operation for believers to cower in prayer while he does all of the work. Noah had to build the ark, Moses had to go to Egypt, Joshua had to take the troops to Jericho, Peter had to preach in hostile territory, Paul had to go to Rome and Jesus had to carry the cross. After all of the praying, there was an action that was done for the freedom of the Gospel to be preached. 

James 2:17 says, “Faith without works is dead.” If you have no works, you have no faith. If you have faith you will work. You are not saved by your work, but if you are saved you will work. That includes advancing to the prayer room and continuing from prayer to the battlefield.

Freedom Comes From Within

What Is Your Work Schedule?

           

            Have you ever left someone after a conversation with a saying, “Don’t work too hard”? This is bad advice. Laziness brings poverty. Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” Many people say something like, “I wish I was Donald Trump” or “Bill Gates sure is lucky!” But the truth is they were willing to work harder than the average person to gain their wealth.

            Proverbs 12:27 says, “The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.” If you look at the poor’s houses, many have junk everywhere. But they have very little of value. On the other hand, the rich have many possessions in some semblance of order with much value. The rich realize that if they do not take care of the possessions they will have to replace them and use money that could have otherwise been used elsewhere. That is one way wealth is created.

            Proverbs 26:15 says, “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.” This glutton has sat around on the couch all day and fallen asleep with his hand in the chip bowl.

            Ecclesiastes 10:18 says, “If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.” Again, not maintaining what you have leads to the destruction and loss of property.

            Heard enough to get the point? Giving advice to “not work hard” only leads to laziness and poverty. Perhaps you are thinking, “Rick, it is only a saying.” That is true, but words are what change lives. The “sayings” you use can affect people in a negative or positive way. Why not leave someone with, “Make a lot of money” or “Work now so you can take off later”?

            Words cannot be taken back! If they are said enough times people begin to believe them. How do you talk to your children? Do you uplift them or tear them down. Do you assure them they can be whatever they want to be or tell them they are no good?

            Words lead to a good or bad work ethic for those around you. I used to work for a boss who reminded me every day I could be fired. One day I told him, “No I can’t, because I quit!” The work environment most want to work in is a positive influence on their lives.

            Those who work at a place that encourages relationships and positive motivation see less turn over than other workplaces. Upon exit interviews recently it has been discovered that the main reason for people leaving one job for another was not money. It was that they felt like they didn’t matter. The job did not promote a positive influence in their lives.

            Your attitude affects your performance as well as those around you. If you don’t like what you are doing, get another job that will make you happy. If that is not an option then get happy in the job that you have. Happiness is a state of mind. You can be happy in your current circumstance if you choose to.

            Try this exercise for one week. If you don’t like it you can always go back to being miserable. Wake up in the morning and say out loud, “I love my job and today is an awesome day.” While you are at work smile and tell everyone how good it is to see them. After one week see if your outlook has not changed. The next week will be even better and soon you will truly love your job. You have actually talked your mind into believing it to be reality.

            Work is something that has to be done. Even the pauper has to get out of bed eventually. Why not make something of yourself in the process.

            You are victorious! You are an achiever! Everything you work at is a success! It is God’s plan for you to prosper in your work. So prosper! Stop allowing others to dictate how you will live your life. If they want to fail, let ‘em! You however, will succeed. Strangely enough, many of those who might have been failures will change their life around as well by watching your life. Positive influence or negative influence, that is up to you.

There is Power in the Gospel of Christ

There is Power in the Gospel of Christ

Acts 19:1 – 12 says:

            While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”. . . When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Sometimes the power in my life is weak. Nevertheless, there have been times in my life when Jesus has used that weakness. He has used it to heal and to bring others to Christ. He has used my weakness to pray for the healing of others and see Him work through my prayers.

We have access to a power that is denied by us on a daily basis. We deny that power in our lack of faith and lack of trust in what God has promised us. We do not believe that we can do what has been done in the past because the men and women of the Bible had power. We are told by some that power has died after the first century and is still dead in the 21^st century. We cannot expect to do the miraculous works that have been done by apostles. The absurdity of that type of thinking dwells in the following passage.

Jesus said in John 14:10-14:

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I have seen God do miraculous things in my life, perhaps because I was ignorant to the fact that they were not supposed to happen. Now, since I have heard that they are not supposed to happen any longer, God can still work in my life because I have past experiences to prove that He still works just as He has done for centuries.

Even though you may have heard that God is not in miracle business anymore, I can tell you that is 100% wrong! God’s power is the same today as it was 2000 years ago. God’s power is the same as it was when He created the universe.

Not every time the apostles prayed did someone get healed or miraculous things happen. Sometimes we pray for someone to be healed and God chooses not to do it. I do not know how to distinguish why and when God will heal. In fact, it is not necessary for me to know, because God is the healer not me.

The Spirit that dwells in us today is the same as it has always been. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

God is waiting for us to discover the faith and trust that will put His Spirit into action.

The narrative from Acts 19:1-12 explains that Apollos was a disciple of John. Even though he accurately taught about Jesus, he did not understand about baptism. He was still teaching a baptism of repentance. Evidently disciples of John knew about Jesus, but did not understand the fullness of His message.

Matthew 11:1 - 4 says:

After Jesus had finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask Him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: . . .  

Acts 19:1-2 implies, even though this was many years after Jesus’ crucifixion, these men had not been evangelized. These men did not even know there was a Holy Spirit.

            There is a question, “were they saved?” Maybe they had not even heard the Gospel, and they were still looking for a Messiah. Some say, No! They had not accepted Christ as their Lord. They believed in a Messiah, but had not made Jesus Lord of their life because they did not know that they needed to.

            Others use this passage to prove that there is an additional “something” that comes after one is saved. They call it a Baptism of the Holy Spirit and this is an example of said baptism. However, at the moment we are saved, Jesus’ Spirit comes into us. Possibly, as Paul lays his hands on them, he explains the power of the Holy Spirit and his purpose.

            We will not discuss the gifts at this juncture other than to say that our focus should never be on the gifts. Our main focus must always be Christ. Our focus is on Christ and the power of His Gospel. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: . . . (Romans 1:16).”

            Possibly, they did not know about the power within them to proclaim the Gospel. God tells us that we have the power of the Gospel indwelled in us (Romans 8:9 – 11). Paul refers to the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Christ synonymously. So, the Spirit that dwells within us is the Spirit of Christ. Therefore, when you accept Jesus, you also are filled with the Spirit. Possibly Paul had to ask the question because he did not see the fruit of the Spirit in them. Or, possibly they had not been told of what they had access to in the Spirit.

Acts 19:6 says when Paul placed his hands on them they received the power of the Holy Spirit as evidenced in Acts 1:8. The knowledge of the Holy Spirit was awakened.

As new converts come into this church, they need to be told that they have been cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus. They need to understand that it is the Holy Spirit that gives them the power to change. That in fact, it is the Spirit of Jesus that will change them from the inside out if He is allowed to do so.

Romans 1:16 says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

            The power is in the Gospel. Too many want to have the power themselves. It becomes an issue of pride. Some say, “I have the gift of healing, or miraculous powers or tongues, etc.” When in fact the greatest gift we have is the gift that changes lives. That gift is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 This discussion is not to belittle the power of tongues or any other gifts. Unfortunately, many focus on the tongues part of Acts 19. However, it is more important to focus on the power that one receives when one comes to Christ. That is not to say that I do not believe in any of the gifts. I DO!

Mark 16:18 says:

“. . . they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

In one of my previous books I told the story of Eva, but it is worth repeating just in case you have not read The Power We Leave On the Table.  

In the weeks prior to Eva’s incident I had been preaching on the power of God. The power that is still available to us. The week before Eva’s incident I had been preaching specifically on Mark 16:18. I was communicating the literal interpretation I believe that is in Mark 16:18. (Perhaps it should be stated that I do not believe one should tempt God by seeking out poisonous snakes and handling them. God is stating that we should not fear poisonous snakes over the power of God).

A few days later, Eva came running into the house proclaiming to her mother that she had been bitten by a snake. Her mother, Meaux, could already visually see the swelling that had encompassed Eva’s ankle and foot. Meaux quickly gathered her other three children, picked up some oil, placed them in the car and started for the hospital. Meaux and her children anointed Eva with oil and prayed the prayer of faith over her. Approximately half way to the hospital, Eva told her mother the swelling was subsiding.

By the time they arrived at the hospital the swelling was gone. When the doctor inquired as to the time frame of the actual bite to their arrival at the hospital, Meaux informed him that it was about thirty minutes. The doctor told her that it was impossible. She must have been mistaken. Does the Scripture still apply in the twenty-first century? Absolutely!

1 Corinthians 12 tells of the gifts that He gives to those who will have faith in Him. They are still alive and well today; operating in all who will allow the Holy Spirit to use them for the glory of God. I have witnessed many of the gifts myself through my hands and the hands of others.

In verse eight, Paul preached in the synagogue, but some refused to believe. However, the power of the Gospel changed the lives of many and the church grew. In verse eleven through twelve God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways in my life I have a hard time remembering all of the blessings.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day. I was explaining how I had sprained my knee by playing with kids at our AWANA (Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed) program. I told him that I had done the same thing when I was about twenty three. I was playing baseball and while trying to catch the ball in right field the first baseman was coming toward me with the same goal. When I realized that he was not going to stop I had to. Unfortunately, we collided and he fell directly down on my knee.

The pain was excruciating. A believing friend was on the field with me. I couldn’t move my leg. While someone was going to call 911 (Being pre-cell phone days) he prayed that the Lord would heal my leg. In a few seconds the relief started at the top of my knee and followed to the bottom of my foot. The pain went away. I told the one running for help to wait a moment. I stood to my feet and was able to play the rest of the game. Until I sprained the other knee, I had forgotten what God had miraculously done for me years prior. You have the same power of the Gospel that Peter, Paul and the other disciples had. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Romans 8:11 says:

            And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

If the same Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, why would you not have access to what the apostles themselves had?

James 5:13 - 16 says:

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

The above passage says that we can pray and expect God to answer our prayers.

            In other words, Elijah was one of the most powerful Prophets of the Bible. Nevertheless, he was a man just like us. What was the power of Elijah? The power of God! God made His power available to Elijah and to James: why not us?

Mark Kelly writes in SBC Life:

            The motivation and power for evangelism arises out of spiritual awakening,’ said Paige [Patterson], who is completing His second term as SBC president. ‘I keep going back to Acts 1:8, which says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And when we have been stirred by God’s Spirit, we reach out to the lost and God draws people to Himself.

There is power in the Gospel of Christ to change lives. I have heard it said that only a wicked and perverse people need a sign. Is there any more wicked times than we see today. The Greek and Roman debauchery had nothing on what we see in western civilization today. 1 Corinthians 14:22 says that tongues are a sign for unbelievers. Why then would they have stopped? Do we have no unbelievers today? 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 is used as an argument that there are no more miraculous gifts today.

1 Corinthians 1:22 – 24 says:

            Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The argument, at least in part, is since the Jews have rejected Christ as a nation, signs are no longer needed. Nevertheless, God still cares for the Jews and it is not His will that any should perish but all have eternal life (2 Peter 3:9). That would include the individual Jew. Would that not predicate the need for signs to continue if only to convince the chosen people of God?

Paul, James and Peter were ordinary people, just like us. God will use us if we will let Him. If we don’t, He will use the next person who has the faith to know that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! If we will recognize the power that God has given us we will be able to build our relationships, live in unity, encourage one another, exude the fruit of the Spirit and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world in power and great glory.

When we take the focus off of us and place it on Christ, we will be able to do a great and mighty work. We will walk in victory and the abundant life as outlined in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”