FAITH

Jam 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

 

This seems so simple and yet it is one of the hardest things to grasp in the Christian life. My actions declare my faith. So what do I tell people when I am not speaking to them about Christ? Here are just a few thoughts I have on this subject.

1. I cannot say that I am a man of faith without being a man of action. You will never believe or receive my confession of faith if my life does not demonstrate that faith. You have faith and I have actions. I can say but what do you see? I have faith in the Prince of Peace as I act angry and worried? I have faith God is compassionate and kind as I am hateful, hurtful, and rude? I have faith that God can supply all my needs as I complain about not having enough or tell everyone about my woes? Faith is not a vocal confession but a lifestyle.
   
2. My faith comes out whether I want it to be displayed or not. I get into a stressful situation and default into worry and self-reliance. What does that say I believe about God? People of faith rest in God. Sure they may pray and even weep but their initial worry (concern) is God directed not inwardly directed.
   
3. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. My actions tell you what I think deep within my heart. If I am a forgiving person, then I know forgiveness and believe that God forgives. If I tithe without thought it is an indicator I believe God can do more for my life on 90% than I can do with 100% of the 100% He gave to me.
   

I would love to see comments on some of the things you see as demonstrations of your faith. I have confessed some of my faults. You can give some of your positives or just things you think of as you read this.

From Score International

BIGNESS IS NOT BAD

Some people do not like a BIG church!  At what point is a church TOO big?  Can you have too many volunteers to work at the church?  Did you ever hear your pastor put a cap on the number of people who came out for visitation?  Do you think the church ever had too many people bring too many turkeys for the homeless Thanksgiving meal?  Did your pastor ever instruct the parking attendants to send people down the street to another church when your church parking lot was full?  Did the ushers ever give your offering back when the plates were full?  On Thanksgiving Day, did you reach your limit?  Does your company turn away business or do they hire "more workers"?  Do we really practice discipleship or do we want to restrict the number of followers?  Have you ever thought 5,000 worshippers are ENOUGH?  Then why do we keep adding more services in our mega churches?  Were you ever in a church when….too many people got saved?

 

Just thinking…..

 

WE NEED MORE MEN

Five years ago, 20 men went to the Dominican Republic to do missions through baseball.  People were saved and participating men were spiritually touched.  A year later, 45 men went, followed by 90 men on the third year.  Last year, 163 men went on the same outreach.  This year was another year of fantastic growth as 256 people traveled to do missions work in the Dominican during our Baseball Outreach.

 

Would you believe there are some people who feel this ministry has become "too big"?  A few have said that we are taking too many people.

 

I have been asked to answer the question, at what point is "too many"?

 

Here are a few thoughts:

 

First of all, Jesus said that "the harvest is great and the workers are few".  Then, Jesus commanded believers to pray that MORE (not less) workers would be called to go.  Therefore, I am compelled to follow Jesus, obey His word, and pray for MORE, many MORE, workers to go and do the work to gather His harvest.

 

Secondly, organization is the key!  This year we organized our 256 people into five different groups.  We placed leaders in each group and sent these groups to five different locations.  By doing so, we were able to ACCOMPLISH FIVE TIMES the amount of work that we did five years ago with only 20 men.

 

Thirdly, we can impact many more Americans by engaging them in being on mission with God.  We also see our group pray, cry, fellowship, confess, and receive Christ.  We sing, shout, and see God work corporately in our lives.  We experience renewal and revival.  This must be shared by MORE men.  Is it right for anyone to LIMIT what God is obviously doing?  Shame on us who think so.

 

The Dominican Baseball Outreach has become a HUGE ministry.  The devil attacks what God ordains.  Some critics even suggest it is a money-making effort by SCORE.  (For those I suggest, GET AN AUDIT and see the FACTS).  The truth is that many men come free!  Thanks to spiritual men who give scholarships, we bring a lot of minor league players who cannot afford to pay.

 

Next year, our goal is to have more than 300 men!  We plan to grow, and grow, and grow until we reach every soul.  We want to evangelize the entire Dominican Republic and we need your help.  Don't listen to anyone BUT Jesus.  He said in Luke 10:2 that the "harvest is huge and we do not have enough workers."  Then he told us to pray for God to send us MORE workers.

 

Let's choose to listen and obey Him.  Bring MORE!

'til the nets are full,

Ron Bishop
Executive Director

The Law: Living or Dead?

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Gal 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Gal 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

Gal 2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

 

Am I crucified with Christ, by the law? This is a hard question to answer on a daily basis. Often I find that I am alive and well to the law. I am trying through some merit of my own strength to meet the demands of the law. I even create new laws to help me live within boundaries that stifle my life and the joy that a spirit filled life brings. I then try to impose those on others. Those are good days compared to the ones when I meet someone who has a stricter definition of what is righteous. So whether being imposed upon or imposing, I find a lot of the times my actions are one of rule keeping rather than faith living. I have never been able to obey the law and I know that I cannot be justified by the law so why do I pursue the aspects of the law so fervently? Why do I return to that which has never been able to perfect the conscience of the believer?

The law stated that I must die. I have sinned many times in my life. I will not enumerate those sins here in this writing. Accordingly, in the most God-honoring act of obedience known to man Christ died on the cross, and I enjoy the benefits of that act of obedience. This is why I am able to be dead through the law, and now live to God. However, does Christ live in me? Is my life in the flesh a reflection of faith in the Son of God? I have thought about this often and I am not sure of all the truth these verses hold. I am inclined to think, today at least, that this means I am to live in a demonstration of confidence in Christ, and not in a demonstration of meeting the expected norms of my culture. Let me see if I can expand this thought?

Jesus, did things that the religious culture of His day deemed sin. The priests declared that He was a sinner for healing on the Sabbath. The priests said His followers were sinners for plucking corn on the Sabbath day. In fact, they were consistently finding new definitions of how He was wrong. Through an overzealous attempt to live righteous lives, they failed to be righteous, for the just live by faith. So, I ask myself (and by proxy of writing, you) this question: Am I confident my actions are in line with God and His guidance for my life? I know that they may be against the desires of some friends and loved ones but are my actions in line with Christ? Am I living as Christ would have me live or am I living as man would have me live?

I am not saying take your uniforms off and go to work/school in a wrong manner. I am not advocating disobedience to parents (Christ was subject to His until about the age of 30). Christ only did that which was against the norm when the norm limited His worship of God. Laws of our land, work, and school generally do not limit our worship of God. Work itself can be a form of worship. My purpose here is to ask questions like: Is what I am listening to, watching, reading, and wearing, in line with God's direction for my life? Am I living in the spirit of Christ's command "Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
For he that is not against us is on our part."?

 

The challenge: I need to let go of my perceptions and preferences in order that someone else might grow in their walk with Christ.