“…and you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you.”” (Ezekiel 11:12, ESV)
Faith. Pastors preach about it. Sunday school teachers exhort their students to have it. Scholars debate what it means in specific circumstances. Worship is filled with the word, faith. Faith, of course, is a belief in God that doesn’t quit. It implies an absolute trust in God. However, there is an aspect of faith that is often missing in the mind of the faithful. Faith implies an ACTION. Faith demands you REACT. Id you notice in the last two sentences, the response to faith involved an ACT? Faith isn’t simply sitting in a pew and agreeing with God or realizing your sin. Faith demands you do something in response to your belief in God. Faith expects some kind of action on your part. Otherwise, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17).
In the book, Drawing Near: Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith, the following words are included to instruct all Christians:
“Hell is undoubtedly full of people who did not actively oppose Jesus Christ but simply drifted into damnation by neglecting to respond to the gospel. These are the kinds of people the writer challenges in Hebrews 2:1–4. They were aware of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, but they weren’t willing to commit their lives to Him. As a result, they were drifting past the call of God into eternal disaster.
The Word of God always demands a response. Any effective teacher of it must do more than just dispense facts; he must warn, exhort, and extend an invitation. He may have impressive knowledge of the truth, but if he doesn’t have a passionate concern for how people react to it, he is not a worthy representative of Jesus Christ.” (John F. MacArthur, Jr., p. 365).
All my meditations expect a response on your part. They purposefully demand your action, your prayer, your time, your commitment, your doing something! That is because, true faith implies an action to God’s work. Faith demands you do something if you believe in Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the gospels was Jesus ever happy with someone who just listened or just heard. He blessed those who responded with confession, obedience, faithful acts, good works, or repentance.
When Jesus healed a man who couldn’t walk, our Lord said to him, “Go, and sin no more, that nothing worse befall you!” (John 5:14). Jesus told a rich man who wanted to be faithful, “sell what you possess and give it to the poor, then come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). When the Gerasene man filled with demons was freed from possession, Jesus said, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” Responding with deep faith, the healed man proclaimed the gospel “throughout the whole city” (Luke 8:39). Jesus even warned His disciples that their faith would require they do righteous acts like heal the sick and cast out demons (Luke 9:1). Over and over in the gospels, Jesus didn’t see faith as an end in itself but as the beginning of a godly life filled with holy actions.
Today, there is a deeply sinful expression taking root in many Christian churches. It is the saying, “God loves you the way you are.” This statement implies to many that God loves every person who comes worship or responds to God “just the way they are”. This statement implies no change, no response from the hearer, no action out of reverence for God. If God loves you the way you are, why change? Why repent? Why do anything? Do you see the error in this commonly used saying?
Jordan came to a worship service on a special day. An evangelist from India was coming to speak at his church. At the end of the service, the evangelist asked anyone willing to commit themselves to Christ raise his or her hand during the closing prayer. Jordan was moved by the worship service and raised his hand. The evangelist prayed for all those who raised their hands. Then, the service was concluded.
Eight years later, that same evangelist from India came to speak at the Jordan’s church. Jordan was excited to meet the man who “made him a Christian”. After the service was concluded, Jordan waited until the evangelist was alone. Then, Jordan went up and shook his hand and said, “I came to Christ the last time you were here. I want to thank you.”
The evangelist, excited, asked the man, “Tell me what God has done through you in the last eight years after you accepted Christ?”
Jordan responded, “I came to church almost every week.”
The evangelist responded, “And?”
Jordan replied, “I figured my going to church was enough.”
The face of the evangelist turned sad as he said, “Friend, didn’t you ever feel Jesus calling you to do something outside the walls of the church… ever?”
Jordan replied, “Nope. Not once. I don’t feel any need to be a missionary or anything like that.”
The evangelist then said, “Let’s pray together. I believe there is much more to your faith. You need to find not only where Jesus wants you to be but what Jesus needs you to do.”
The two prayed a good while together. And something was stirred in Jordan. He felt several things. He felt closer to God, but he also felt a strong urge to do a few things. He needed to talk to his brother-in-law about a recent argument they had. He felt the need to take over some extra Thanksgiving food to a needy family. He also resolved in his heart to help his elderly mother more often.
Years later, Jordan told his pastor, “I came to Christ with a visit by an evangelist. I became faithful after we prayed the second time for Christ to do works through me.”
The scripture for today from Ezekiel were preached by the prophet Ezekiel at a time when the people of Israel were being faithless. Their actions showed that they “acted according to the rules of the nations around them” (Ezekiel 11:12). They did not show obedience to God. They did not respond with holy works. They acted faithlessly. God wanted the people to act differently. God warned the people of Judah and Israel that they were sinful. God wanted them faithful.
If you are faithful, your actions will show your faith. Faith without works is dead. Faith without concrete actions is meaningless. The wrong kinds of actions expose faithlessness. Faith implies a godly reaction on your part. What kinds of godly actions have you done lately? What responses to faith might God wish to see from you this week?
In the book, Drawing Near: Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith, the following words are included to instruct all Christians:
“Hell is undoubtedly full of people who did not actively oppose Jesus Christ but simply drifted into damnation by neglecting to respond to the gospel. These are the kinds of people the writer challenges in Hebrews 2:1–4. They were aware of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, but they weren’t willing to commit their lives to Him. As a result, they were drifting past the call of God into eternal disaster.
The Word of God always demands a response. Any effective teacher of it must do more than just dispense facts; he must warn, exhort, and extend an invitation. He may have impressive knowledge of the truth, but if he doesn’t have a passionate concern for how people react to it, he is not a worthy representative of Jesus Christ.” (John F. MacArthur, Jr., p. 365).
All my meditations expect a response on your part. They purposefully demand your action, your prayer, your time, your commitment, your doing something! That is because, true faith implies an action to God’s work. Faith demands you do something if you believe in Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the gospels was Jesus ever happy with someone who just listened or just heard. He blessed those who responded with confession, obedience, faithful acts, good works, or repentance.
When Jesus healed a man who couldn’t walk, our Lord said to him, “Go, and sin no more, that nothing worse befall you!” (John 5:14). Jesus told a rich man who wanted to be faithful, “sell what you possess and give it to the poor, then come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). When the Gerasene man filled with demons was freed from possession, Jesus said, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” Responding with deep faith, the healed man proclaimed the gospel “throughout the whole city” (Luke 8:39). Jesus even warned His disciples that their faith would require they do righteous acts like heal the sick and cast out demons (Luke 9:1). Over and over in the gospels, Jesus didn’t see faith as an end in itself but as the beginning of a godly life filled with holy actions.
Today, there is a deeply sinful expression taking root in many Christian churches. It is the saying, “God loves you the way you are.” This statement implies to many that God loves every person who comes worship or responds to God “just the way they are”. This statement implies no change, no response from the hearer, no action out of reverence for God. If God loves you the way you are, why change? Why repent? Why do anything? Do you see the error in this commonly used saying?
Jordan came to a worship service on a special day. An evangelist from India was coming to speak at his church. At the end of the service, the evangelist asked anyone willing to commit themselves to Christ raise his or her hand during the closing prayer. Jordan was moved by the worship service and raised his hand. The evangelist prayed for all those who raised their hands. Then, the service was concluded.
Eight years later, that same evangelist from India came to speak at the Jordan’s church. Jordan was excited to meet the man who “made him a Christian”. After the service was concluded, Jordan waited until the evangelist was alone. Then, Jordan went up and shook his hand and said, “I came to Christ the last time you were here. I want to thank you.”
The evangelist, excited, asked the man, “Tell me what God has done through you in the last eight years after you accepted Christ?”
Jordan responded, “I came to church almost every week.”
The evangelist responded, “And?”
Jordan replied, “I figured my going to church was enough.”
The face of the evangelist turned sad as he said, “Friend, didn’t you ever feel Jesus calling you to do something outside the walls of the church… ever?”
Jordan replied, “Nope. Not once. I don’t feel any need to be a missionary or anything like that.”
The evangelist then said, “Let’s pray together. I believe there is much more to your faith. You need to find not only where Jesus wants you to be but what Jesus needs you to do.”
The two prayed a good while together. And something was stirred in Jordan. He felt several things. He felt closer to God, but he also felt a strong urge to do a few things. He needed to talk to his brother-in-law about a recent argument they had. He felt the need to take over some extra Thanksgiving food to a needy family. He also resolved in his heart to help his elderly mother more often.
Years later, Jordan told his pastor, “I came to Christ with a visit by an evangelist. I became faithful after we prayed the second time for Christ to do works through me.”
The scripture for today from Ezekiel were preached by the prophet Ezekiel at a time when the people of Israel were being faithless. Their actions showed that they “acted according to the rules of the nations around them” (Ezekiel 11:12). They did not show obedience to God. They did not respond with holy works. They acted faithlessly. God wanted the people to act differently. God warned the people of Judah and Israel that they were sinful. God wanted them faithful.
If you are faithful, your actions will show your faith. Faith without works is dead. Faith without concrete actions is meaningless. The wrong kinds of actions expose faithlessness. Faith implies a godly reaction on your part. What kinds of godly actions have you done lately? What responses to faith might God wish to see from you this week?