Actions and Faith

 Actions and Faith

In the book of James we read,

“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.” James 2:14-17

James makes it very clear 

“faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

So my question to you is. Is your faith alive or dead?

Please think about it.

Doing God's work

  Doing God's work

Jesus 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.'” Matthew 25:34-40.

Are you doing God’s work? 

I am part of a church that encourages people to volunteer. We have both a food bank and an outreach to those who are homeless living on the street.

For those who volunteer it is a very rewarding ministry. Not only are they feeding those in need but at the same time they are showing the Love of Christ by their actions.

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and when necessary use words.”

                                     Francis of Assisi.

So my question to you the reader is; Are you showing the Love of Christ by your actions?

Please think about it.

What will He say to you?

  What will He say to you?

Jesus said,

“Many will say to me  on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  

Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:22,23.

I look around North America where I live and particularly in the United States I see the so called Christian nationalist mixing their religious beliefs with their politics. Never a good thing. A wise man once wrote,

“Mixing religion of any kind with politics is like mixing gasoline and water. The gasoline is unusable and the water is undrinkable. And the whole mixture is explosive.” Anonymous.

A true Christian is an alien in this world. The apostle Peter writes,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

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 2:9-12.

Peter makes it clear Christians are alien to this world. And that we are to preform “good deeds and glorify God...”

The apostle Paul tells us,

“We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.”  2 Corinthians 5:20.

We are God’s representatives on earth. 

While we may be citizens of the country we were born in. The moment we accepted Christ into our lives we were held to a higher standard. God’s standard. Thus everything we do should be for the glory of God. To draw people to Christ.

Sadly there are many men and women who upon standing before Christ will here the words,

“I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

They will here those words because they mixed there faith with their politics and other things.

Therefore if you consider yourself a Christian do what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy,

"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" 2 Timothy 2:22

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  2 Timothy 2:15.

Please think about it.

How far we should go

  How far we should go

Jesus speaking of Himself said,

“For the Son of Man came not to be served 

but to serve, 

and to give his life a ransom for many” 

                                                       Mark 10:25.

Do you serve? 

I am part of a Church where people love to serve and are encouraged to do so. There’s a call to help with the food bank, a homeless and street ministry, children’s ministry, music ministry, the list goes on and on. 

Years ago when I was just new to the faith while attending another church. I remember a man who was in his mid to late fifties, who by his actions taught me to serve. He was on our church board.

I met him one day in the church nursery just after the service. He was holding a young baby who had just thrown up on him smiling and rocking the child gently. 

He wasn’t suppose to be on that particular day but they were short staffed and he offered to fill in during the service. That man was the vice president of a major Canadian bank. A man who firmly believed in serving God and his fellow man in whatever way he could.

As Christians we are called to follow the example of Jesus who came to serve.

Think about it the very person who created the heavens and the earth, entered the world He created in the form of Christ Jesus to point us to heaven. 

Jesus showed in very human terms how far He would go to show us the way to heaven. 

The apostle Paul echoed what Jesus is quoted as saying in Mark 10:25 when he writes,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

That’s how far Christ would go for us. And I believe should the circumstance require it, it’s how far we should be willing to go to show someone the way to heaven.

Please think about it.

It's not Luck. It's God

  It’s not luck It’s God

In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

                                                                          Genesis 1:1.

Can you imagine wining a lottery in which the odds are an astronomical 700 quintillion (7 followed by 20 zeros 700,000,000,000,000,000,000) to 1 against you. That’s what Discover magazine suggests is the odds of a planet anywhere in the universe having life as we know it on it.

Some scientists tell us that we got the winning ticket. Christians say it was God that designed the universe for us.

Even Stephen Hawking one of the brightest minds of the twentieth century noted,

“The universe and the laws of physics 

seem to have been specifically designed for us” 

                                                             Stephen Hawking.

Lord William Kelvin Noted for his theoretical work in thermodynamics,

“If you study Science deep enough and long enough, 

it will force you to believe in God”

                                 Lord William Kelvin

Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics Nobel prize in physics said,

“The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,

but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you” 

                                                                   Werner Heisenberg 

William Philips Nobel prize winning Physicist stated,

“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it”

                                                                            William Phillips

All of these are distinguished all agree there is a God. So my question to you is, Do you have the faith to believe in God, because the writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.

Please think about it. 

Are you looking for this?

  Are you looking for this?

The Apostle Paul writes,

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...”2 Timothy 3:1-4.

I hear from the pulpit and other reliable Christian sources that it is widely believed we are in the “Last Days”. The days just prior to Christ coming and the ultimate judgement of mankind. And I have no reason not to believe it. And besides we technically have been in the last days since Christ ascended to heaven. 

That being said my wife ever the book worm was given some old books One book entitled "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, could have been written yesterday.

It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:

"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.'"

Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 

Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency, courage."

This is exactly what the apostle Paul was talking about in his letter to Timothy. Sadly especially were I live in North America, there are many claiming to be Christians who are simply religious men and women saying they are Christian. 

While the true Christian message of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is lost. 

Paul Gallico and many others are looking for true Christianity. A life style fashioned on Love for God, and one’s neighbours.

Jesus when asked,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40

Please think about it.

Watch out for false prophets

  Watch out for false prophets

Jesus said,

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:15-16.

This warning from Jesus is sadly not listened to a lot of the time where I live here in North America. Many people see and follow some self-proclaimed man of God and don’t check out what he is saying against biblical teaching.

These men and women sound like they are teaching the word of God truthfully but are not. Most are in it for the money and prestige.

They are charlatans leading people astray.

As Christians we need to question pastors, priests, evangelist, and Christian teachers. We need to hold them accountable for their words and deeds.

Please think about it. 

The house of mourning is better?

  The house of mourning is better?

In Ecclesiastes we read,

“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2.

I fully agree with this statement. Being in a house were someone has passed away should give us pause to consider our mortality.

I remember some years ago going to the funeral of my wife’s youngest brother. He was only 41. The funeral was held in his favourite bar. While there was a heaviness in the air. Most of his friends were quite up beat. The pastor gave a simple but good salvation message, but I think it fell of deaf ears. Most of those hearing the message had never gone to church and seemed to accept that one day they would die. What happened after that didn’t seem to matter to them. Their motto seemed to be “live for today. For tomorrow we die”. How sad.

I think at some point in our life we need to think about were we will spend eternity.

The apostle Paul wrote, 

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The apostle John wrote,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1John 1:9-10.

The apostle John also wrote,

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12,13.

Please think about it. 

A Strong Bulwark

 A strong Bulwark

In Ecclesiastes we read,

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

Abba Hillel Silver wrote,

"Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority." Abba Hillel Silver.

Abba Hillel Silver is right. It is only when men realize that ultimately there is a God they must answer to that society becomes a better place.

If memory serves me correctly Abba Hillel Silver wrote those words during the dark days of World War Two when millions we dying in the concentration camps. Concentration camps set up by evil men who did not recognize God.

The same thing is happening today in some countries around the world. It is also happening in some of the so called democracies of the world where people are putting political leader ahead of God while turning a blind eye to the evil being done.

Ultimately God will judge everyone. It is therefore imperative that we who truly believe in the gospel of Christ Jesus present His saving grace and the love He shows to all people to all we come in contact with.

Please think about it. 

Use Wisdom

 Use Wisdom

In the book of Colossians we read, 

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:3-6.

Jesus said,

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16.

When I look at these two portions of scripture I see a cautionary note. We are called to proclaim the Gospel. While at the same time we are called to be cautious. 

There are people out there that don’t want anything to do with Christians or God. Some are outrightly hostile to the gospel message, as such we need to be cautious around them.

When we present the gospel we need to be respectful. We need to respectfully listen to them and answer their questions. Pointing them to the saving grace of God through Christ Jesus.

If you consider yourself a Christian is this how you proclaim the gospel message?

Please think about it.

That you may also have fellowship with God

  That you also may have fellowship with us.

The apostle John writes,

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  

The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  

We write this to make our joy complete.” 1John 1:1-4.

The apostle John here tells why he is writing to the church of his day and by extension to us. He tells us that he heard, he seen, he touched “that which was from the beginning”. From the creation of the world.

John and all the apostles truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God, the Creator of the world.

        So the question becomes was he telling the truth or lying?

Please think about it. 

I have not seen God but...

  I have not seen God but...

The Psalmist writes,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 

                                                   Psalm 19:1.

I am an unabashed creationist. I believe God created the heavens and the earth. Whether that took millions of years and started with the big bang is unimportant. God is God and He could have done it either way.

Ben Zion Bokser wrote,

“I have not seen the robin but I know he is there because I heard him singing through my window from the tree-top outside.

I have not seen God.  But I have looked at my child’s eyes, and have been overwhelmed by the miracle of unfolding life.

I have watched the trees bedeck themselves with new garbs of green in the spring, and have been stirred by the miracle of continual rebirth.

I have looked at the stars, and have been overcome by the miracle of the grandeur and majesty of the universe.

I know that God exists, because I have heard the song of His presence from all the tree-tops of creation.” Ben Zion Bokser.

To my mind the earth and indeed the universe is fine tuned so that like as we know it can exist and the one that fine tuned the universe is God.

Please think about it.