IS YOUR FAITH ALIVE OR DEAD?

Anchor Scriptures: James  2:13-26; 2 Timothy 3:1-7

In today's Christianity,  materialism is fast helping the growth of individualism by which the orientation of the "people of God" is now to self, and self alone. This Satanic orientation has led to many twistings and re-twistings of many Bible passages to suit the twisters and their followers.

However, one beautiful fact Christians must not lose sight of, even in this perilous times, is the fact that we exist for one another. God frowns at people who do not make it their businesses to uplift others, but despise them instead (Psalm 40:1; Prov. 14:21, 31; 17:5).

We all know what faith is (Heb. 11:1). And our faith in the Lord also expresses our firm believe in Him that He is our God. However, because our God is not an individual God, but the God of all, our Bible reading posits that "faith without work is dead."

Wait, brethren, don't get it twisted just yet as it is done every time I hear this passage read. The work being spoken of here is not our daily individual jobs that we do for a living, but our individual service to God via our fellow humans, especially the people of God around us (Gal. 6:10).

Brethren, in our Bible reading, mention was made of Abraham and Rahab and their works. We all have read how father Abraham entertained angels and how Rahab saved the spies. In Acts of Apostles 4:32-end, we read how believers like us held nothing back from their fellow believers. Even some of them sold their inheritances just to make provisions for those that lack among them. At the end, the Bible says "none was lack among them." We are equally aware of how Esther saved her people from the destructive plans of Hamman, not only risking her position as Queen, but also, her life. What about how Apostle Paul daily spent himself? All these were Christians like us, who had a LIVING FAITH.

No matter who you are, if you are not given to helping others, your faith is dead. Fast for as long as you like. Pray for as long as you like. You may even become an encyclopedia of the Bible yourself. Sleep inside the church or even turn yourself to the Church building and let people be coming to worship inside you. If with all these, you don't know how to help others, your faith is DEAD!

To those of us that believe that fasting is the ultimate expression of our faith and that with fasting, every mountain can be moved, please read Isaiah 58:1-7.

As I round off today, let every Christian know that our service to humanity is our service to God, Almighty. That is why He expressly tells us in 1 John 4:20 that "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

Brethren, may His unending and wonderful grace keep us in Him. Amen.

Till we meet again, keep keeping on in Him!