The old saying "actions speak louder
than words" may be cliche but it’s also very true. This axiom defines the
problem Christians have had in reaching non-Christians with the message of Christ. It is
much easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk, isn’t it? Unfortunately, our
Christian walk (or lack of) has more of an impact than our
Christian talk. Always has…always will.
You have to admit, we can talk a great talk.
It’s because we are taught so well. At no other time in history has the Church had
such an abundance of teaching material. A few hundred years ago, God’s Word, the Holy
Bible, wasn’t available to the common man. A couple hundred years ago you were
greatly blessed if your family owned a bible. Then there was only one translation
available—the King James Version. Now there are many good, easily understood
translations of the Bible available to anyone.
Modern technology has played a powerful part in
accelerating the proliferation of God’s Word. Now you can get the Bible on cassette
tapes. You don’t have to waste time reading. Just pop in a tape and listen to a
dramatic presentation of the scriptures; also available in many versions. The Bible is
available on computer, too. You can buy Bible software for your desktop computer or buy a
compact self contained Computer-Bible just barely larger than a calculator.
Along with the various representations of
scripture you’ll find tons of materials to help you understand the
Bible—concordances, commentaries, study guides, handbooks and bible-dictionaries.
There must be a zillion books, written by the greatest scholars in history, devoted to
teaching us the truths about the Bible. There are bookstores devoted to selling only
Christian teaching materials.
We are taught the Good News of God’s Word
two or three times a week at church and bible studies. We hold great crusades, revivals
and conferences. There are Christian radio and television stations that teach God’s
Word. There are scores of Christian magazines and newspapers and, lest we forget, this
newsletter.
We are a greatly blessed generation. Yet, we
must ask ourselves…how is it, with all that is available to us,
Christians are, for the most part, failures at doing what the Bible says? We are so poor
at following the instruction of God given in scripture that even the heathen (people who reject and refuse to study the scriptures) can
point out our shortcomings. The Holy Bible is the world’s all-time, best-selling
book. Why is it not having the effect God intended…even among those who read and
study it?
The answer is found in the book of James. Half
way through the first century James dealt with the same problem. People were getting sound
instruction (though nothing like we have available to us today) but they were still missing the mark. James nailed the problem on the head with
chapter one, verse 22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says."
Hearing the Word is great but it will have
no effect on your life until you do what it says. And, even more so, it will have no
positive effect on the lost and hurting around you. We must apply the Word to our actions
to get results.
Let’s say you purchased a box of miracle
laundry soap. This stuff is good! You’ve seen it demonstrated and it comes as close
to a miracle as laundry soap can. You take the box home and put it on the shelf in your
laundry room. When you wash your clothes, if you want to receive the benefits of this
miracle soap you must apply it to your wash load. You can read the directions on the box,
but until you apply the soap you will not benefit. You can tell all your friends about the
miracle soap you found for washing clothes, but until you apply the soap, you will not
impress your friends. In fact, you’ll become known as a liar.
Having a knowledge of God’s Word is
wonderful, but it will be of no benefit to you until you apply it - that is, until you do
what it says. Hearing the Word will build up your faith (Romans
10:17) but even faith will not benefit you until you put your faith
into action. Concerning God’s Word, James said the person who doesn’t forget
what he hears, but does it - "will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25)
In the second chapter,
verse 14, James deals with the Christians who talk a good talk but walk a terrible walk.
He said "What good is it, my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no
deeds?" Here’s my paraphrase: "So, you claim to be a Christian. Big
fat hairy deal! You sure can’t tell it by the way you act."
James continues on in verse 19 with the biggest
put-down in the Bible. James puts his readers on the same level as demons by saying: "You
believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and
shudder." Here’s my paraphrase: "Saying you ‘believe’ in
God is good. But if that’s the extent of your commitment, give it up. You’re no
better off than the demons. Demons believe in God, yet merely professing a belief in God (offering impotent lip service) won’t do them any
good either."
In verse 18 James said "I will show
you my faith by what I do." James was simply saying his outward actions were an
expression of his inward faith in Christ. In the same way, your outward actions are the
perfect measure of your faith. Not merely what you profess to have…but what really is
there. If there is little or no outward demonstration of your faith, there is, no doubt,
little or no real faith in God.
When the subject of being doers of God’s
Word is taught, it is often combined with a message of how we must do more for our fellow
man. We must increase our deeds of generosity. In essence, to show love and kindness to
others is a tangible demonstration of our belief in God.
The doers of the Word lesson is also
often used to get folks to conform to a set of behavioral beliefs. The logic is
simple…if you truly believe in God you will act the right way. (i.e. quit smoking, be
in church every Sunday, stop cursing, dress a certain way…etc. etc.)
Both of these approaches have some merit.
However, I don’t believe that was the main point James was trying to get across.
Those who only apply James 1:22 to acts of human kindness and simple behavior modification
are missing the message of faith James was preaching.
If you hear the Word of God and do not do what
is says you are deceiving yourself. The Word tells us to be kind to those who are in need.
It gives us guidelines for our behavior. But it also gives us instruction for living a
wondrous life filled with great exploits of faith. In the very passage that James is
talking about the need to have outward actions to verify your faith, he uses Abraham as an
example of what he is talking about. (James 2:20–24) He points out how Abraham offered Isaac on the altar. "You see that his
faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he
did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God and it was
credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend." (v. 22,23) In the next verse James uses Rahab the
prostitute as another example.
The examples James uses are not examples of
helping the poor or going to church on a regular basis. He is talking about extraordinary
risks of faith. In believing God, Abraham put everything on the line. In most cases,
feeding the poor is not a great effort of faith.
Most have missed the true essence of
James’ great faith message because in verses 15–16 he says this: "Suppose
a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him,
‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his
physical needs, what good is it?" We’ve looked at that scripture and
interpreted it as saying if you see someone in need and don’t help them it shows you
have no faith in God. But James wasn’t using this as an example of how we
demonstrate faith. He used it as a metaphor. The dictionary defines a metaphor as: a
figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily
and primarily used of one thing is applied to another.
In verse 17 James wrote: "In the
same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." The
key to this statement is "in the same way". What James is saying is if
you wish someone well and yet are unconcerned about their obvious needs your actions prove
you really don’t care how well they are. In the same way, if you claim to have
great faith and yet you never do anything that requires great faith, your actions prove
you really don’t have great faith.
I want you to be challenged by this article to
consider the Words you have heard and have not acted upon. What parts of God’s
Word that require a stretch of faith have you heard over and over again and still not done
anything about.
Living a moral and pious life is not a great
display of your faith in Christ. Every serious non-Christian religion has its code of
righteous living, and, in many cases, they do it better than us. Does that mean they have
more faith in Christ?
What was it about the New Testament believers
that made them prominent figures of the day? Was it because they were Bible scholars? Was
it because they lived moral lives? Was it because they gave to poor people? They did all
these things, but that is not what set them apart from the crowd. The distinguishing mark
on their lives, that turned the world upside down, were the signs and wonders they did by
faith in the name of Jesus.
I believe Jesus, Himself, would have gone
relatively unnoticed if all He did was live a moral life and spout scriptures. It was the
miracles that made Him a prominent figure. His identity as the Son of God was linked to
the signs and wonders that dominated His ministry. Jesus said "Do not believe me
unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me,
believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in
the Father."(John 10:37–38 ) In John 14:11 He went on to say "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and
the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."
Jesus set the example for all believers.
Just as Jesus’ identity was linked to the miracles of His ministry, I believe, our
own identities as Christians should be linked to the supernatural evidence of faith in our
lives. Jesus said to believe on the evidence of the miracles in His life and then, with
his very next breath (John 14:12), He said "I
tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Are you merely
a hearer of this word…or a doer?
How about this word — Jesus said that
those who believe will lay hands on sick people and the sick will get well (Mark 16:18). This is God’s Word. If we merely listen
to it and don’t do what it says we are deceiving ourselves. If you say you
believe in Jesus; certainly you believe what He said. If you believe what He
said…that is, if you have faith in Him…your faith will have a corresponding
action. When you encounter someone who is sick your actions tell everyone what you
believe. Is your first thought to pray for the sick person; believing that they will be
healed?
Often people will say to me, "but we
don’t believe that way…that’s not the way we were taught." Which
brings us back to the issue of this article—are they merely hearers of the Word. Are
they placing their faith in God’s word or the word of some preacher/teacher.
Healing is just one example of the supernatural
evidences of faith that Jesus said would be demonstrated by believers. When we
begin to walk by faith, with tangible evidence, as the disciples did in the New Testament,
we will have the same kind of impact on our communities that they did.
No other generation has had such an abundance
of teaching and materials. Let’s not take God’s Word for granted. Let’s not
be only hearers of the Word. Let’s add credibility to our faith by allowing our lives
to demonstrate our belief; by being doers of God’s Word. Remember, your actions speak
louder than your words. What are your actions saying?
© 1998 Victorious Faith Ministries
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Victorious Faith
Ministries
219 State Street, Algoma, WI 54201
Phone: 920-487-5775