Wednesday, December 10, 2008
More than ourselves
So ever since last Wed. night my brain has been running !! Every wed. night my band, our wives/girlfriends, and the youth pastor at our church and his wife meet for "Life group." We've been doing a study on the book of James. In James 2:14 it says "My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them?" There's a lot more after that verse, but that's where I want to stop for now. Jason (The youth pastor of our church) asked us a question that really made me think. He asked us if people have faith, but do nothing to demonstrate it, are they saved? Well, he didn't even have to ask us because the bible asks us pretty clearly, and i didn't even see it. Now, I'm not going to say that people who believe in Christ and have confessed that He is Lord are not one of his children. I guess it makes you think that if they truly do have a faith in Christ and a love for Him, that you'd see a product of that according to this verse. So then....I thought, well....am I showing this faith? I'm surrounded by a BUNCH of people who are great at giving. My wife is one of them! Personally, I'm horrible at it! I think the thought of giving is awesome! But when it comes down to it, I'm very selfish, and when I do give, usually it's because I get some kind of pleasure out of it. When we give it shouldn't be to get a good feeling for ourselves, it should be a product of your faith and obedience. Jason also told a story of how God convicted him to give in obedience. When a homeless man asks for money, is it our responsibility what he does with it if God tells you to give it to him? Someone in life group pointed out how we as Christians tend to just throw money at needs instead of helping the situation ourselves simply because we don't want to deal with it. I also thought that maybe if Christians were to tithe biblically we wouldn't have the financial crisis that we're in, because we could be helping others in need in stead of worrying about our 4 walls. I'm not writing to step on toes, just to trigger your thought process. I want God to change my heart to see people the way He sees them.
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6 comments:
I've become a giver. But I think God is taking me deeper. Getting involved in people's lives, feeling their pain, and wanting more for them. I think that's why I cried my eyes out today. Good word, Zach!
Great word, Zach. There's also a verse in 1 Cor. that talks about giving cheerfully, but not out of necessity. We're not supposed to give because we might get something in return. You're right about the financial crisis too. If we were taking care of the Church the way we're supposed to, we might not be in the mess we're in.
Faith is the foundation through which salvation is obtained. Without it no one can be saved. It takes faith to believe in an unseen creator. It takes faith to believe that Jesus is the son of this God, and faith to believe that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven 3 days later. Faith and salvation go hand in hand.
With that said, here is the question that I've asked, pondered, and concluded to be true. Can someone who accepts and believes Jesus to be the Son of God truly be saved on that basis alone? What about Lordship? I know, I know...John 3:16 right? Can someone just simply say they believe Jesus died on the cross and be saved? John 15 talks about the vine and the branches. The branches not bearing fruit are cut off. What does that mean?! They are cut off and thrown into the fire according to verse 6. Verse 10 says that if we obey His commands we will remain in His love. I do not believe that someone that simply says they believe Jesus died and rose again is saved. I think without having made Him the absolute ruler of their lives and without bearing fruit you cannot be saved. Check the fruit. If there isn't any, that person really should reflect and ask themselves if they've made Him LORD and Savior.
I think that this giving revelation that you have had (not just giving money but giving of yourself) goes hand in hand with people not just believing with their head, but with their heart. If we really act as the body of Christ and don't just toss our money at people with needs, but we love and serve them, then they will believe with a whole heart.
I think that is the problem. We, as Christians, are showing that we can do good deeds and fix some material problems for people, but do we really show love and a God who can give the kind of water where they will thirst no more?
This is really great for me to hear and I hope that I apply it to my own life.
I think you should blog since it's your birthday....
i'm playing connect the people and i found your blog. I enjoyed your word bro.
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