Christian Principles for Living #2 Deeds

Christian Principles for Living #2 Deeds
James the half brother of Jesus states,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.
There are many Christians who will tell you, you are saved by faith. That is true. However James here make it clear our faith needs to be accompanied by works. Good deeds.    If we indeed have true faith in Jesus it well spur us on to good deeds. Simply believing in God should never be enough for the believer in Christ Jesus. We need to put our faith into action.
Jesus made this clear when he said,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46.
If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus are you putting your faith into action?
Please think about it.

The Christian Ethic

The Christian Ethic
Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
The apostle Peter writes,
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11,12.
Piliny the younger writing to the Roman Emperor said of the early Christians he examined,
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind...”Piliny the younger.
It seems the early believers in Christ Jesus lived good lives. They were known for their good behavior. The book of acts speaking of the early believers in Christ, records,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47.
We as believers in Christ Jesus are known by our deeds be they good or bad. It is also through our words and deeds that others will see Christ Jesus.
Charles Spurgeon said,
“The Bible is not the light of the world, it is the light of the Church. But the world does not read the Bible, the world reads Christians! “You are the light of the world.”” Charles H. Spurgeon.
It is therefore to my way of thinking imperative that we as believers in Christ Jesus live as good a life as possible, that we may point people to Christ and the eternal life He offers.
Daily we should remember the words of Francis of Assisi who said,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                       Francis of Assisi.

Please think about it.

Word and Deed

Word and Deed
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus speaking to his disciples as saying,,
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5: 14-16.
Over the years I’ve heard many sermons on this passage of scripture. Most of them focussed on the fact that believers in Christ Jesus are the light of the world. That it is their job to take the message of salvation into a dark world.
There is however less emphasis on how believers in Christ are to take that message to the world. Many Christians assume that it is by word of mouth that the gospel message is to be preached.
While that is true, it is most definitely not the only way. In the last sentence from the above quot by Jesus, Jesus states,
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:16.
As Christians we must present the gospel message in word and in deed. The apostle Peter states,
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11,12.
Francis of Assisi wrote two things believers in Christ Jesus need to consider. He wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and 

when necessary use words.’

                                                    Francis of Assisi

and

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                       Francis of Assisi.

If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus, what are your deeds telling the world about Jesus?
Please think about it.

Your LIfe

Your Life
Ben Zion Bokser
"The man sweeping the synagogue paused for a moment.  He looked at the flowers lying about in disorder, ‘What waste!’  He said too himself.  Those roses had adorned the pulpit at a wedding aan hour before.  Now all was over and they were waiting to be discarded.
The attendant leaning on his sweeper was lost in thought when suddenly he heard a strange sound.  One of the roses replied to him.
‘Do you call this a waste?” the flower protested, ‘What is life anyway, yours or mine, but a means of service?  My mission was to create some fragrance and beauty, and when I have fulfilled it my life has not been wasted.  And what greater privilege is there than to adorn a bride’s way to her beloved, what greater privilege than to help glorify the moment when a bride and groom seal their faith in each other by entering the covenant of marriage?’
Our little flower paused for a moment too watch the man’s face, and then continued her discourse.
‘Roses are like people.  They live in deeds, not in time.  My glory was but for a brief hour, but you should have seen the joy in the bride’s eye.  I like to believe that I had something to do with it, by creating a suitable setting for the moment of her supreme happiness.  So don’t grieve for me.  My life has been worthwhile.
Having spoken her little piece, the rose was once more silent.  The attendant, startled from his reverie and a little wiser, pushed the sweeper again and continued with his work."
                                                                                                              Ben Zion Bokser
Does your life have meaning? What will your deeds tell about you?
Not so long ago I was at the funeral of a young man who’d died before his thirtieth birthday. To my wife and I this young man was respectful and pleasant to be around. He had an eight year old daughter and girlfriend that loved him.
By all accounts sadly he was an alcoholic who couldn’t give up the bottle. He was also I’m told a mean drunk frequently getting into fights.
It was a fight that ultimately killed him. He died as the result of a series of punches or kicks to the head that caused him to bleed into his brain.
In the end his father told me he was expecting a call telling him his son had died a violent death. That it was easy to see how his end would come.
Sadly along with being remembered as a good father he will be remembered as a person who when drunk used his fits.
There are many in the Christian community that will be remembered in a similar way to that young man.
O they won’t be remembered as an alcoholic or someone who used their fist in a physical way.
They will however be remembered as a good parent and spouse. Sadly they will also be remembered as someone who’s actions turned people away from Christ saving grace.
You don’t have to throw a punch to hurt people. Standing with a placard in front of an abortion clinic or court room to oppose same sex marriage is in many ways similar.
When we as Christians protest any legal activity in a secular democracy, even if we consider it morally wrong it is in itself wrong. It can and dose turn people away from Christ.
The apostle Peter writes,
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority,  or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  
          For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.  Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  
Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” 
   1 Peter 2:13-16.
The apostle Paul confirms this saying,
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  
Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” 
                                                                                         Romans 13:1,2.
The early church lived within Roman laws. They respected even though they may not have agreed with the laws Rome passed.
Those same early Christians presented the Gospel of Christ so effectively that in short order the word of God had reached every part of the Roman empire.
Those early Christians were remembered for their courage under persecution. They were remembered for their faithfulness to Christ.
My question is what will those claiming to be Christians here in North America, that are demonstrating against the rights of others be remembered for?
Christians should not be demonstrating against abortion clinics. They should be providing an alternative well publicized alternatives to abortions.
They should not be protesting against law the secular government passes that does not restrict the rights of Christians or others.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 
Hebrews 12:14 
Christians should be remembered for living at peace and living holy lives. For it is only by doing this that we can reach people for Christ.
Please think about it.