Faith Without Works Is Dead.

Mark 11: 22-24
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

If you believe the next person that knocks your door is bringing to you a very lucrative contract, you will jump up and run for the door the very minute you hear the door being knocked. Now that's faith. Faith works through corresponding action.

Some of us have taken this scripture to isolate and neglect the ACTION part of faith.

James 2:14-26
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Let us look at two miracles performed by jesus. The wedding in Cana where he turned water into wine and also where he fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. In each case, Jesus commanded them to do something. He asked for pots to be filled with water and for the water to be drawn and served at the wedding. He asked that the crowd be seated on the grass as he blessed the food and he gave the food to the disciples who gave the food to the crowd.

Imagine if the men at the wedding had refused to fill the pots with water or refused to serve it! Imagine if the multitude had refused to sit on the grass or the disciples had refused to give the food to the crowd!

You can read about the wedding in Cana & Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 in John 2:1-10  & Mathew 14:13-21.

Faith ALWAYS has a corresponding action. For God to bless the works of your hands, you had better be working in the first place.

Faith without works is dead. FAITH WORKS because there is a "works" part to faith.

Confessions work . . . Only with corresponding action. If you confess for 24 hours daily for 10 years without action, guess what your results will be . . . ZERO . . . NADA.

The Truth on Tithes & Offerings.

A lot of people tithe and give offerings so as not to be cursed or in other to be blessed by God or for both reasons. This should not be so because Jesus broke the curse of the law when he died on the cross and every blessing in Christ belongs to us as a result of us being in Christ.

God wants to bless lives through us and we should tithe (out of a free will and without compulsion IF WE CHOOSE TO) and give offerings as channels of God's blessings and not because we want Him to bless us or because we do not want to be under a curse. The blessings of Abraham was promised to Abraham and to his seed, Christ. That very same blessing remains in us.

Hebrews 10:9-14 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (KJV)

2Co 9:6-9 6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor:his righteousness remaineth for ever. (KJV)

We should give as we purpose in our heart and without grudge or of necessity.

If the church will receive tithes and offerings from the people, the least that can be done is to ensure the people learn how to earn before they give.

We need to also help each other to earn more than enough to fend for ourselves by teaching and showing each other how to even as we tithe and give our offerings. That I believe is a "WIN-WIN" situation.

Above all, we all should sit with the Word of God to find out what God says concerning tithes & offerings for ourselves.

Those Who Are Well Have No Need Of A Physician.

Mark 2:13-17  "Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Luke 5:29-32 "Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus is such a wonder. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. He reached out to sinners and brought them back to repentance even before he died on the cross. Such was his lifestyle on earth. Are we emulating this by reaching out to sinners and calling them to repentance or we have become the modern day Pharisees that do nothing but complain and find fault in what others are doing?

Yes, we are the righteousness of God in Christ but we shouldn't just sit back in the comfort of that reality and do nothing. We need to do as Jesus did while on earth by reaching out and calling sinners to repentance. At least we know Jesus did not come for the righteous but to call sinners to repentance.

Our time on earth is but for a while; let's spend it wisely.

Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

LET US THINK AND ACT ON THESE WORDS.