Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me, Pastor Jordan, for some Fine Points from Sunday’s service and message “Working Faith”.
Something is working when it is doing what it is suppose to or designed to do. A refrigerator for example is working if it is keeping things placed inside it cold and fresh without making a mess or fuss. If a refrigerator ceases to perform in this matter, it may still be a refrigerator but it has become useless for what it was made and designed for.
Faith likewise must work in order to be useful and accomplish its purpose. Faith that doesn’t work is dead as a body without any breath. James message is addressed to all who would-be Christians who believe just saying, claiming or believing they have faith is enough. James points out to the contrary that faith involves actions or what he calls works.
And not any old works will do. The actions must demonstrate a belief in the promises of God. They must demonstrate a reliance on God. They must demonstrate an obedience to God. Just to believe there is a God is not working faith. All the devils believe and know this. Working faith causes people to act in a way that reflects their desire to be with God and to trust God for salvation.
People with working faith do things for the kingdom of God. Their faith works them by changing them into what God created and ordained them to be. And they work their faith by applying it to help increase the kingdom of God.
There is a saying in the church that “prayer is the key to the kingdom and faith unlocks the door”. Unlocking is an action, not an idea, concept or label. Jesus was known to say to those who were delivered from their troubles that it was their faith that saved them or made them whole. All of them acted in a way that demonstrated they believed without proof.
We must not try to convince ourselves or others that God is before believing and having faith in him. Faith is not required for something that is proven. The righteousness of God is not with proof, but of faith. People will be justified before God because they believed God and their actions or work demonstrated that they did.
I have yet to see a dead person who is still breathing. But if they are breathing there will be a way to tell by observing their chest area, hearing the sound of air moving in and out their nose or mouth or feeling the motion of air moving over a hand place at their mouth or nose.
Likewise, if our faith is alive, there will be a visible sign that it is working to both bring about changes within our own lives and changes within the lives of others.
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Pastor Jordan
