Since God created the heavens and the earth, He has never commended anyone for anything done except, the faith exercised by the person.
Cornelius has the best credential for “work” well done than any other person in the Bible; his faith was on God but, it was misplaced. Faith must be only in Christ who is the only gateway to God.
Without faith no man has ever pleased God and no man will ever please Him.
The sprinkled Blood of Jesus is accessed only by faith. Faith accesses the only thing (Blood of Chrsit) that can clean the heart of man; no other action can ever, ever do!
There are only two kinds of life on the earth; righteous and unrighteous. God authored the first and Satan the second. There is no middle ground.
When, we can detect who we are more righteous than, it is a discovery that we are unrighteous. Righteousness is a life received and lived by faith.
To receive of the Spirit of Christ (God’s gift of salvation) by grace through faith and refuse to treasure it is treachery and ungratefulness.
Human actions can only be righteous by reason of faith in Christ. Good actions done not by faith in Jesus Christ are filthy rags.
Discovering from God, by faith, why your wife is your wife and your husband is your husband is the beginning of wisdom, peace and joy in marriage.
True Wisdom: At the end of the life of the wise, the totality of his achievements is summed up like this: I gained Christ! How? By faith!
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36). Think!
It is very easy for man to turn every beautiful gift of God to his own means for achieving his own selfish desires and it always leads to sincere errors and misplacement of priorities fostered by misinterpretation of God’s word that is perfect and well capable of converting the soul and keeping it in the straight and narrow.
The extract below from George Warnock’s book ” Beauty For Ashes Part 4” -Chain Reaction in Realms of the Spirit- Chap 6, being lead by the spirit: sheds helpful light to bear in mind as one desires to be lead by the spirit of God.
“Let us not emphasize this matter of being led by the Spirit, in the context of things temporal or geographical. These are important too, but if we are faithful to be led by the Lord into living truth, and into realms heavenly and spiritual, then I am sure we will find ourselves doing the right things regarding the temporal, and being in the proper place geographically. If we are moving in the Spirit, and walking in God’s will, we will always discover that we are in God’s place at God’s time. I believe all this is a vital part of Jesus’ promise: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
One of the things the lord has been teaching me over the years and which I am still learning day by day is that all of his business is inspired and accomplished by His spirit. So desiring to fervently join oneself to Gods’ business as He inspires it will always mean readiness to hold His admonition in Rom 12:3-8 also fervently.
Close attention to Rom 12:3-8 above reveals the following:
[a] It is admonished to every member including those who have been gifted with any of the five-fold ministries and the elders in Christ’s body in the context of a local assembly.
[b] It is the responsibility of each member of the body of Christ at a local assembly to be faithful to think soberly according to the measure of faith and grace God has given to him in such a way that honours God.
[c] It is not the responsibility of anyone else to enforce upon another.
[d] It forbids that any man should assume or be assigned a responsibility beyond his measure of faith and grace.
[e] It also means that none should be depraved or suppressed to function to the measure of faith and grace given to him or her by God.
These understanding shows that if one thinks of himself with more than the measure of faith and grace already existing in one’s life at a particular time, the person dishonors God and it shows itself in the way it generates schism or disrupts the fellowship of the gathering of saints.
Also, if one thinks of himself with less than the measure of faith and grace already existing in his life at a particular time, he dishonors God and robs the gathering of saints the blessing God intents to flow out from him as a vessel or temple. So thinking more highly or less of oneself is dishonoring God. Treating any vessel of God more highly or less as needed is also dishonoring God and creating room for the enemy to attack that vessel and consequently the Church.
Paul was almost tempted to boast because his authority (measure of faith and grace) was challenged unduly. Also, Paul and Apollos was at one time looked upon more highly than they ought not to be and they resisted the brethren from such mindset that dishonor God and put them in danger. It also occurred when Barnabas and Paul was almost worshiped as deity by some pagan oriented community that was freshly embracing the message of Christ.
Everyone in Christ is either contributing positively or negatively to God’s business on the earth. You and I need to withdraw often to examine our lives closely in the light of the above exhortation. The body of Christ must be given fervent attention but not in and with the fleshly mind.
I believe we’re once again in a time of great opportunity to be used by God to demonstrate His love and power to the dying world and to His discouraged sheep that are fast being swept away by every wind of doctrines.
There is a returning to our first love for one another that I believe God is waiting on us for that will usher in an incredible response to our prayers for demonstration of His power in us to heal, do miracles, signs and wonders at a pace, magnitude and depth that will not only equal what we read in the early Church but even more as prophesied by Joel and confirmed by Jesus Christ.
As we keep drawing close to the time of God, the need to obey God’s instruction on how to build His temple will be more urgent and needed.
One instruction that stands out is the instruction not to quarry the stones of the temple in the temple house but to do it at the site where the stone is- shaping it to fit its place at the temple house (1 Kings 6:7). By interpretation, every stone (each believer) must at their private place give God chance to shape them into what He intends to use them for in His house (church-gathering of saints). It is time for brothers that tends to work together and those working together to love themselves deeply and know themselves not just after the manner of flesh but more importantly after the spirit as God have known each vessel.
Private disagreements must be seen as private and settled fast in sincerity privately without making it the Church’s issue and then dragging others into it because of the influence (measure of faith and grace) God has given us. All God given faith and grace is for building up not for religious politics. Thank God He has anointed the ears of His sheep with ear salve to enable them hear His teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteous conducts and love. The warning for us is to be wise and fear God who remains a consuming fire even in our dispensation of grace.
May the Lord continue to multiple His mercy and grace to His Church that in all things, in thought, words and deeds; we might please Him as He weighs the intentions and actions of each lively stone in His house.
