This is my last blog post regarding the role of good works in the Christian walk. Note I Corinthians 12:13 - "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body..." The first point I wish to make clear is an important one; one that some professing Christians have not yet learned. When you become born again by the Spirit of God, the same Spirit that gives you power to become a son (or daughter) of God is the same Spirit that baptizes you into the body of Christ, which is the church. When a person is saved, they are not just SAVED FROM something, but they are SAVED TO something. Although it is an Old Testament verse, Deuteronomy 6:23 illustrates this very well - "And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in..." In that verse, the writer is speaking of the people of God being brought OUT OF Egypt and being brought INTO Canaan. It is a great picture of the New Testament teaching of people being brought OUT OF sin and INTO the church. Of course, when I refer to the church, I am not speaking of a denomination or an organization. I am not speaking of joining a specific church or group of people. I am referring to being baptized into the church of Jesus Christ by God's Spirit. I am not talking about filling out a card and having a clerk put your name in a church book. I am talking about you repenting of your sins, making Jesus Christ Lord of your life, and as a result, the angel keeping the book will write your name in the Lamb's book of life. So, as you can see, when you get saved, you are part of a body of believers. You are part of THE CHURCH. You are not your own; you are bought with a price. In order to help make us what we ought to be, Christ makes us part of His body on this earth - the church.
Some have not yet understood this. I heard a song sung in church a few months ago, and I couldn't stand it. It said, "Me and Jesus got our own thing goin'; We don't need nobody to tell us what it's all about." That's two lies. You and Jesus do not have your own thing going, and yes, you need someone to tell you what it's all about. We need the church. I need the prayers of the saints. I need to be preached to, and taught. I need to try to be a blessing to others who are trying to serve God. Those in the church need one another.
In various parts of the world, true Christianity is illegal. In China, true believers are meeting underground, risking imprisonment or even death, to assemble together. Why the great risk? They know better than us Americans that they need one another. They need to hear one another's testimonies. They need each other's prayers. They are willing to risk their freedom and life to get what they need to grow in the grace of God.
In America, however, professing Christians have freedom to go to church, and some of us will go one service a week, if we don't have a headache. If we're not too tired, we may go to prayer meeting. We'll even stay for the whole prayer meeting, as long as it's over before our television show comes on. America is so drunk on pleasure. Our society is being wrecked in front of us. Many of our leaders are trying to destroy our godly heritage. The Christian church is being mocked more and more in the public, and Christians are half-hearted as ever. If ever we need to be built up, or EDIFIED, it is in this wicked hour. The closer we get to the coming of the Lord, the less we get together and let the Spirit of God move among us. Hebrews 12:25 teaches us this: "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." But the professing Christian in America sees no harm in forsaking the assembly of God's people. Those Christians who do not attend a strong, Bible believing church are the WEAKEST Christians that there are (generally speaking). They blame God when things do not go their way. They can't figure out why they have no victory. They can't understand why they can't seem to make ends meet. They never witness (they have little to witness about). Those who go to strong churches are stronger Christians.
In I Corinthians 12, Paul writes concerning the gifts of the Spirit, which are gifts that the Spirit of God gives to the church. I believe in all of them. I believe that all of them are for the church today. I believe many of them are misused, abused, and over-used, but I still believe in them. Paul explains in the 12th chapter of I Corinthians that we are part of a body, and in order to make the body as strong as it should be, gifts have been given. In chapter 12, Paul clearly names the gifts and explains their role in the church. In chapter 14, Paul gives clear rules for how to use the gifts of the Spirit in the local assembly. In the chapter between these two, chapter 13, Paul gives the proper ATTITUDE of anyone using any gift - that attitude is CHARITY, or love. I am not to use the gifts of the Spirit to display how spiritual I am. When I see a member of the body of Christ suffering, I am pray that the Lord help that person, and be willing for Him to use me to do so. This is where the gifts come in. Any good works wrought by the gifts of the Spirit are wrought to EDIFY, or build up, the church. Please note - I am speaking generally, not exhaustively.
In conclusion, I do not maintain good works to get me saved or keep me saved. I maintain good works to get Christ glorified, to get sinners justified, and to get the church edified. Titus 3:8 sums it up well- "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
Some have not yet understood this. I heard a song sung in church a few months ago, and I couldn't stand it. It said, "Me and Jesus got our own thing goin'; We don't need nobody to tell us what it's all about." That's two lies. You and Jesus do not have your own thing going, and yes, you need someone to tell you what it's all about. We need the church. I need the prayers of the saints. I need to be preached to, and taught. I need to try to be a blessing to others who are trying to serve God. Those in the church need one another.
In various parts of the world, true Christianity is illegal. In China, true believers are meeting underground, risking imprisonment or even death, to assemble together. Why the great risk? They know better than us Americans that they need one another. They need to hear one another's testimonies. They need each other's prayers. They are willing to risk their freedom and life to get what they need to grow in the grace of God.
In America, however, professing Christians have freedom to go to church, and some of us will go one service a week, if we don't have a headache. If we're not too tired, we may go to prayer meeting. We'll even stay for the whole prayer meeting, as long as it's over before our television show comes on. America is so drunk on pleasure. Our society is being wrecked in front of us. Many of our leaders are trying to destroy our godly heritage. The Christian church is being mocked more and more in the public, and Christians are half-hearted as ever. If ever we need to be built up, or EDIFIED, it is in this wicked hour. The closer we get to the coming of the Lord, the less we get together and let the Spirit of God move among us. Hebrews 12:25 teaches us this: "Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." But the professing Christian in America sees no harm in forsaking the assembly of God's people. Those Christians who do not attend a strong, Bible believing church are the WEAKEST Christians that there are (generally speaking). They blame God when things do not go their way. They can't figure out why they have no victory. They can't understand why they can't seem to make ends meet. They never witness (they have little to witness about). Those who go to strong churches are stronger Christians.
In I Corinthians 12, Paul writes concerning the gifts of the Spirit, which are gifts that the Spirit of God gives to the church. I believe in all of them. I believe that all of them are for the church today. I believe many of them are misused, abused, and over-used, but I still believe in them. Paul explains in the 12th chapter of I Corinthians that we are part of a body, and in order to make the body as strong as it should be, gifts have been given. In chapter 12, Paul clearly names the gifts and explains their role in the church. In chapter 14, Paul gives clear rules for how to use the gifts of the Spirit in the local assembly. In the chapter between these two, chapter 13, Paul gives the proper ATTITUDE of anyone using any gift - that attitude is CHARITY, or love. I am not to use the gifts of the Spirit to display how spiritual I am. When I see a member of the body of Christ suffering, I am pray that the Lord help that person, and be willing for Him to use me to do so. This is where the gifts come in. Any good works wrought by the gifts of the Spirit are wrought to EDIFY, or build up, the church. Please note - I am speaking generally, not exhaustively.
In conclusion, I do not maintain good works to get me saved or keep me saved. I maintain good works to get Christ glorified, to get sinners justified, and to get the church edified. Titus 3:8 sums it up well- "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
