A Faith that Works is More Than Just What You Feel
Faith that Works • Sermon • Submitted
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We are on Part 3 of the Lord’s Series about “The Faith that Works”— This series is from the letter of James [half brother of Jesus]
Previously from this series, we learned that “A Faith that Works— Perseveres”
We should be happy even in times of adversity
When our faith are tested, it produces perseverance
And that “perseverance” will lead us to spiritual maturity
Perseverance spells the difference between Success & Surrender
Last Sunday we heard that “A Faith that Works is More than just Words”
Though our righteousness and good works cannot save us— our genuine faith will produce good fruit
And though we are not award-oriented, the Lord will reward everything that we do for Him
A Faith that Works— Perseveres
A Faith that Works is more than Just words
And today let me tell you that “A Faith that Works is more than just what we Feel”
James asked this question
15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
John also said something closely similar to what James said
17 But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him—how can God’s love be within him? 18 Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. 19 Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God’s side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord.
Dr. Luke recorded another statement made by John early on when he was preparing the way for the Lord
When he talked about bearing fruit, the crowd asked him what then should they do— this is how he answered..
11 “If you have two coats,” he replied, “give one to the poor. If you have extra food, give it away to those who are hungry.”
Yes, we feel for them— we emphatize with their situations— but that should only be the beginning of your faith that works
there’s got to be something to take place after that— there’s got to be some action produced by that emotion
Compassion without action is not compassion at all
After all, James said
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
No matter how small your faith is, if it grows— it can move even mountains
The only time that your faith will not produce any action is when it doesn’t grow— yes!
Anything that is healthy— They Grow! On the other hand, anything that is unhealthy— They Die!
Let’s watch this short video clip
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
God Himself planted the seeds of faith in you— with time and care that faith will grow
When it blossoms, you will inspire others
Your life becomes a beautiful reflection of the Creator
Together, our faith can change the world
Our body may age, but our faith is everlasting
Creating new seeds which will impact generations to come— inspiring new growth
And reaching out the lost— by planting strong faith within others
How will you share the faith planted in you?
One day a demon-possessed boy was brought to Jesus because his disciples cannot heal him— so the Lord rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “why couldn’t we drive it out?”— Here’s how Jesus replied...
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
I always remind everybody that whenever you encounter conjunction words in the passage you’re reading, you have to slow down and think harder
Each time you see the word “IF”, it connects two parts of the sentence— first you’ll see the ‘condition’, and then you’ll see the ‘completion’
In this instance Jesus said— if you have faith, even as tiny as the mustard seed, you can move mountains— this is a hyperbole to say, “noting will be impossible for you”
ILLUSTRATION: ACTION STARTS WITH A VISION
Five (5) years ago, Agape received a vision from God— when we re-wrote our church’s constitution and by-laws— these are the words that came to us | SHOW VISION
"To Glorify God by building communities that are spiritually healthy, morally upright, physically fit, mentally alert, emotionally happy and financially stable. To share His love to the un-churched, un-loved, un-inspired, un-motivated and especially to the believers of Jesus Christ.”
GLORIFY GOD! SHARE HIS LOVE!
That vision was then translated into a mission— and here’s the language how we then were able to put the words together, to make it easier to remember and execute | SHOW MISSION
“Making disciples to save the lost. Planting churches to share the gospel. Sending disciples to do the same.”
Through out the years we say that Agape is a “Church with No Walls”
We’ve been dreaming to acquire a permanent place that will provide shelter to our church, but it didn’t happen
Until it became very clear to us that God is leading us to something else— God doesn’t want to confine us within the four corners of a church building because that will be very limiting and prohibitive
God is leading us back to how it was before when the church of Jesus was born after Peter [enabled by the Holy Spirit], delivered his very first sermon where around 3,000 were added to their number that day
The church evolved from Christians meeting in their homes— they do not have “buildings”— the temples you read in the Bible belongs to the Judaism religion, and not to the church of Jesus Christ
Over the span of 2020 years, the church developed so much traditions that people misunderstood the true meaning of the word “church” [Ekklesia in Greek]They were made to believe that the church is a building, which was a total mistake
A church is not a place to go to— it’s not an event to attend at— it is a family to belong with
The Bible is very clear when it said that our bodies, is the temple of the Holy Sprit [1 Corinthians 6:19]
Jesus was so clear when He said that, two or three gather in his name, there he is with them [Matthew 18:20]
God is omni present and no one can keep him in a box, much more in a building
I became convinced that we must “build our people before we build our steeple”
Our focus shifted to where it was supposed to be— to our people
Almost 2 years ago we started our Online Ministry— Since we said that our church is a “Church With No Walls”— we felt the need for a “bridge”— a gateway to the world
With the evolution of technology— getting the Word out did not just become accessible, but it became very affordable
We took advantage of the Lord’s gift of technology, and used it for the ministry
My daily devotional study of the Bible dubbed as “THE MESSAGE” is live on Facebook, YouTube and our church website www.agapechurchofsandiego.org, from Mondays to Fridays, for almost 2 years now
It consistently gained followers that led us to many doors opening for ministry
Until we felt the need to create an Online Church on Facebook to gather all these followers [show snapshot of ACO]
It became our springboard to establish Online Life Groups and Home Churches [show photos of Life Groups and Home Churches]
We started several Home Churches in the Philippines and in the Middle East particularly in Dubai And since then, we continue to receive applications to qualify as Agape Home Churches
Overseas Filipino Workers is the front and center of our mission because we see them as the Filipino Diaspora [Diaspora is a term used to describe the scattering of the Jewish people]
We hold on to the promise of God that He will gather His people
Cases of families breaking apart is high on OFW’s, and it continues to grow [Pastor Manny saw it first hand]
Despite of our very meager resources— with very limited funds, no staff, and very few volunteers— we managed to keep the mission going through the mercy and grace of the Almighty
There was not a day that passed that I did not pray for this vision and mission that we received from the Lord
Until Covid-19 came— it was, and still is the great confirmation that our mission to plant Home Churches is on the right track—It is what the Lord wants for His church going forward
Covid-19 is very obvious and compelling— God wants His people to gather in Homes
Due to extreme poverty in the Philippines, people skip going to churches because they don’t even have money to pay for their fare— If they cannot come to church, let the church come to them!
OFW’s on the other hand could afford to get themselves to a church, but most of where they are at, are places with no Christian churches
The Lord gave us the vision— translated to a mission
The Lord gave us the passion— to start our Online Ministry
The Lord gave us the confirmation— through the closing of churches because of Covid-19
And then the Lord gave us the affirmation through the LB CHARITABLE Foundation
And now it’s waiting for our action— FROM VISION TO ACTION
Let me tell you the story briefly— One day Sis. Loida told me about the possibility of receiving grant from LBCF— she asked me just to submit a request and pray and see how their board might consider the merits of our request
I put together a request based on the felt need of our Online Ministry and Home Church Planting Mission
I figured that if God will give my family some form of income replacement, I could stop Uber & Lyft driving, and I can devote more time to the Lord’s work
I submitted the request that I made to our Finance Team for their review and approval— days after, they submitted our request to LBCF
It has been my long time prayers to go full time in the ministry— though understandably, our church family is not big enough to fully support a full time Pastor
It was indeed with great joy to hear on June 29 that LBCF has granted our request for grant
It was very early Monday morning, after my Daily Devotional Study live on Facebook that I usually check my incoming emails— and one of the emails was this letter [show Letter from LBCF]
I was in tears, overwhelmed by how the Lord answered my prayers— I was later joined by my wife, and we prayed together thanking God
There is no better time than now to spread the Good News about Jesus— with this Covid-19, more and more people are loosing hope— Jesus is the only source of our true and living hope
With this grant, we can do so much for the next 12 months— And we want to assure the LBCF that every penny will only go to where it was originally intended— it will go to the works that the Lord entrusted to us
We shall submit periodic accomplishment reports to LBCF as part of our responsible stewardship
On behalf of my family and our church family here in Agape, we wish to thank the godly men and women behind LBCF
It’s time for us to turn our vision into action— let’s put action to our compassion because...
“The Faith that Works is More than Just What We Feel”
Let’s throw in some action to that emotion— enough of just saying, we love you with the love of the Lord— you’ve said that countless times already!
Besides, this is what John said about the love of the Lord..
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
John calls for practical love— meeting the needs of those within the Christian family, and by extension to all people
In John’s mind, he may be have specifically referred to other churches in need
And going back to James— after exhorting about anger management, not to merely listen to the word, be quick to listen and slow to speak— he said these words
BOOK
BOOK
26 People who think they are religious but say things they should not say are just fooling themselves. Their “religion” is worth nothing. 27 Religion that God accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence.
LOOK
LOOK
SAY THINGS THEY SHOULD NOT SAY ARE JUST FOOLING THEMSELVES
What are the things that you should not say?— Things that you do not mean
Don’t say it! If you don’t mean it!— It is a lot easier to say I love you, than to show how I love you
THEIR RELIGION IS NOTHING
Let me talk to you a little bit about religion because as Christians, we always say it’s not about religion, but rather it is about relation
But why the word “Religion” appeared 5 times in the NIV?— Let explain that and what it means
To better understand, I have to take you to the Greek word originally used when this verse was written
The Greek words used was thrēskĕia, which means worship— the activity of showing love and devotion to a deity
It also involves the necessary knowledge concerning beliefs and practice to be able to participate in worship
So in other words James said, your “worship” [display of love & devotion] is nothing if you say things you do not mean!
I have to clarify this to prevent confusion because the secular world instilled in peoples’ mind a different meaning for the word “religion”
When people are asked about their religion, they thought they’re being asked what faith or Christian denomination do they belong— It’s partially correct, but not entirely!
CARING FOR ORPHANS OR WIDOWS WHO NEED HELP
Not to be taken literally— in that generation, the most deprived sector of their communities are the orphans and widows
James most likely used them to illustrate that the true way of worship acceptable to God is the one that cares for the ‘most needy’
Care is Compassion— an emotion that needs action
James further said that...
KEEPING YOURSELF FREE FROM THE WORLD’S EVIL INFLUENCE
In the words of Paul he said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world” ROMANS 12:2
This has a very broad meaning
What are those things that you are not to conform?— You have to deal with it each time a case presents itself
TOOK
TOOK
THREE WORLDLY THINGS THAT I MUST NOT CONFORM TO
I WILL NOT SAY THINGS THAT I DON’T REALLY MEAN
You don’t just say what you feel, you must must mean what you say
33 “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. 34 You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
MY RELIGION IS NOTHING IF I AM NOT SERVING
The final parable of Jesus in Matthew looks ahead to a time of judgment
When shepherds brought in their flocks at the end of the day, they typically put the goats in a sheltered area while leaving the sheep in an ope-air pen
This parable of separating the sheep from the goat is a preview of the Lord’s glorious return— while seated on His throne, all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people from one another
In the parable Jesus said, He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the his left and the king will say to them...
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and fed you? or thirsty and gave you something to drink? or a stranger and shown you hospitality? or naked and gave you something to wear? when did we ever see you sick or in prison and visited you?
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
I WILL KEEP MYSELF FREE FROM WORLDY INFLUENCE
There are countless things that this world influences how we shall live our lives
The world says “get”, the Lord says “give”
The world says “be served”, the Lord says “serve”
The world says “gain power”, the Lord says “surrender to the supreme power”
If you feel like you want to get more, you should give more
If you feel like you want to be served more, you should serve more
Peter said that the time is near when all things will end, so we must think clearly and pray— he went on and said these words…
8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
APPEAL
APPEAL
The faith the works is more than just what we feel
We must not say things that we do not really mean
And we shall keep ourselves from the worldly influence
Our religion is nothing if we are not serving
I know that the word “serving” is too broad— it’s extent is limitless— let me give you a short list on how you can serve
A short list on how you can put action to your compassion
A short list of action in line with our vision
Be a Mentor
Facilitate your own Life Group
Join our Online Ministry
Open your Home as a church
Volunteer to distribute free food weekly