New Hope Notes

Faith & Works
Making A Difference

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
August 25, 2002 - W0234

"Dear brothers and sisters, whatís the use of saying you have faith if you donít prove it by your actions? That kind of faith canít save anyone." (Jas. 1:14)

When I played sports in junior high I was a sideliner. Everyone else was better than I was. And to top it off I was the shortest guy on our basketball team. When I was finally able to play, I was afraid of the ball. I passed it off as quickly as I got it. I would even position myself to avoid getting a critical pass. Though I was playing, I was still a sideliner at heart.

Maybe youíre a sideliner too. Are you afraid to fail? Maybe youíre afraid that your performance wonít match up. So you position yourself in such a way that you wonít get the ball. Youíre a part of the game, but youíre still a sideliner. Often the sad result of attempting to avoid failure is to do nothing at all.

Q1: Do you consider yourself a sideliner or a participant? Why or why not?

Sometimes weíre like that. We look like a player because weíre in the game, but weíre still sidelining. How do we get off the sidelines and really participate? That answer will also reveal the difference between works and faith. Here are three ways to get our faith to work. The first is:

1. TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO ACT.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)

"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." (Jn. 13:17)

God created you to do something good. But it requires taking initiative. Heís already created us for good works, all we have to do is "walk in them." Just start!

So often we say, "I donít know if I can" or, "I donít know if I really should because I might fail." Be careful because that could be a symptom of the first of three diseases of a sideliner:

  • SIDELINERíS DISEASE #1: FALSE PIETY.

"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin." (Jas. 4:17)

There are a lot of things we can say to get out of doing things that sound pious and humble but are far from it: "I donít know if Godís leading me that way," or "Iím not good enough. I donít have any training." And we justify not doing what God might be asking us to do.

The subtle danger is that weíre hiding apathy or insecurity behind false piety. We hide behind what "God told meÖ" This sideliner disease may go the other extreme as welló "This project isnít good enough for my involvement" or "This project isnít big enough." Sometimes pride and self-righteousness can hide behind piety too. You see the devil doesnít care what side of the boat we fall off, as long as we fall off.

I remember when I was in Hilo and we met at the Hilo Boysí & Girlsí Club. There was a house next door that held parties day and night. They would even blast their music during Sunday morning service. One day as I was driving by I saw two guys from the house pushing their stalled car. "Good for them!" I said under my breath.

But the Lord said, "No, not good for them, good for you. Now you have an opportunity to put your faith to work. Stop and go help them." At first I thought, This is beneath me! Iím a pastor. Itís not worthy enough of my involvement! But the Lord insisted anyway. I guess my false piety didnít impress Him for a second. So I pulled over to go help them.

One of todayís greatest tragedies is not the sins that we commit, but all the opportunities for life that we miss. Sometimes we can put so much emphasis on avoiding evil (false piety) that we become blind to opportunities for doing good. Then, like the Pharisees, we begin to define ourselves by what we separate ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to. And it keeps us from loving others to Jesus.

Q2: If youíre already involved in ministry, how has your faith grown because of it? If not, what do you feel God is prompting you to get involved with? Whatís preventing you from taking action?

Q3: Have you been touched by someone in ministryórefreshments, parking, ushers, greeters, etc.? What was it & how did that person(s) make a difference in your life?

Avoid false piety and take the initiative to act. God tells us that without putting works to our faith, we have no faith. We can have nice religious beliefs but we will have no faith because "faith without works is dead." How do we get beyond that? The first step is simpleójust take the initiative to act. The second step in getting our faith to work is to:

 

2. START WITH SOMETHING SIMPLE.

"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ëGo in peace, be warmed and be filled,í and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" (Jas. 2:15-16)

The Lord will present us with opportunities for very practical needs. A need can be for food, clothing, your time or even some friendly conversation. Some of the most spiritual actions are simply filling practical needs.

I remember when Hurricane Iwa devastated the island of Kauai. We took the first flight out and just passed out food for a week. No big crusade, no evangelism outreach, we were just there to give out food. When I returned to the church office, someone asked me, "Did you preach? Did you win a bunch of people to the Lord?" "No," I said, "I just handed out food." He looked a little upset and asked, "ButÖ Didnít you give them the Gospel?" I said, "No, I just gave them food." Iíll never forget his response. He said, "What a waste!"

The Bible says, "Why give them the gospel when they are hungry?" At that moment those people just needed food, they were just trying to survive. Sometimes people just need to have their basic needsófood, shelter, loveófilled before we can share the Gospel with them.

We can miss tremendous opportunities to put our faith into action when we believe the project isnít big enough or spiritual enough. We then endanger ourselves of catching a second sideliner disease:

  • SIDELINERíS DISEASE #2: NOT SPIRITUAL ENOUGH.

"And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (Jas. 2:25)

The Israelites had come to Jericho to spy out the land the Lord was giving them. When the enemy officials heard this, they went to Rahabís house to find them. However, she hid them from the officials and sent them out another way. It was just a practical thing, but Scripture called that faith.

Sometimes God will ask you to do something that will so simple that it wonít seem spiritual at all. In fact, it may be a normal, practical thing. Nevertheless, listen because Godís true working might elude you if you donít. The simplicity of the task may just belie the extraordinary nature of a greater mission at hand. God often hides the extraordinary in insignificant tasks. Thatís what happened with Rahab. And because of that simple act, she married an Israelite and became the great, great grandmother of King David and was eventually tied to the lineage of Jesus Christ. Through a simple act, this foreigner was grafted into the lineage of the savior of the world.

Q4: Have you ever been asked to do something so simple it almost seemed "unspiritual"? What was it? If you did it, what were some of the results of your obedience?

If weíre not careful we can miss the extraordinary because it hides in the simple. In order to grasp the extraordinary and get your faith to work, first take the initiative to act. Second, begin with something simple. And, finally:

 

3. BE OBEDIENCE-ORIENTED, NOT RESULT-ORIENTED.

"Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son 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." (Jas. 2:21-22)

As God commanded, Abraham was about to bring down the knife on his son Isaac. Just as he finally relinquished his desire to keep his beloved son, God intervened. You see, God didnít want Isaac, He wanted Abrahamís heartóto be detached from Isaac and reattached to God alone. There was no guarantee an angel was going to stop him, but Abraham was obedient anyway. As with Abraham, our faith will also be "made complete by what we do."

As a brand new youth pastor, I remember the Lord asking me to start a Bible study. I was so excited and invited a bunch of boys to come. The first week, seven showed up. The next week only three showed and I was a little discouraged. By the third week, it was just Jesus and me.

I had obeyed but I couldnít see any results. I was so mad because nobody came. I grumbled to the Lord, "This is the most unsuccessful Bible study Iíve ever done! Itís fruitless! I donít like it, I donít feel goodÖ Thatís it, Iím done!"

The Lord answered, "Did I ask you to do this, Wayne? If so, then I didnít ask you to be successful, I just asked you to be faithful." That was a hard lesson to hear as a young buck, but I caught itóI wasnít to be result-oriented, I was to be obedience-oriented.

Q5: Recall a time when you poured your effort into something and didnít experience immediate results. Looking back, can you see the long-term outcome? How has that experience helped you to grow in your faith?

Itís easy to obey God when you see a positive outcome. Itís harder when we donít receive immediate results. Yet no matter what the results may be, we must be obedience-oriented. Because if weíre not careful, not only will we fall victim to false piety and skip activities we think are not spiritual enough, we will struggle with the final sidelinerís disease:

  • SIDELINERíS DISEASE #3: PERFORMANCE OVER HEART.

Some of us shy away from turning faith into action with this statement: "My performance isnít good enough." God answers, "I just want your heart." "Well," we continue to protest, "I donít know people really need me." God says, "I want your heart." "But," we continue, "What if people donít like what Iím doing?" God says, "I just want your heart."

God doesnít say we need to be recognized by others or become spiritual celebrities. He doesnít only love us if weíre successful. God just wants us to obey. All He wants is our hearts. Why? Here it is. If you miss everything else, catch this:

Faith is like water to a thirsty, dying man. The water is the substance that will give him lifeóJesus. But you still need a delivery system, like a cup, to take it to that person. That "cup" is your heart and your person. You need both the water and the cup so the man will live.

Our faith is the substance and works (in the form of activity, action, contribution, involvement) is the delivery system. We can have faith, but if we donít have the delivery system to get it out, itís useless. If we donít take action we cannot be of help to anyone even though we may have the substance of faith. As the Bible puts it, "Faith without works is dead."

Does it have to be a fancy cup? No. Remember, the Pharisees tried to do that. They were so caught up in their religious image that when the Lord looked in the cup it was empty. There was no substance, no faith. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the activity (although activity is very important) that we forget that the substance is the heart of God. Action is the carrier or the method of delivery. Faith is the substance.

When she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Theresa said it this way: "What we do is not something great. It is only a drop in the ocean, but without that drop, the ocean will be less. Even if we cannot do a great deal, it is not a justifiable excuse to do nothing at all. We do not do great things. We do small things, but we do small things with great hearts. Thatís what makes me do something beautiful for God."

"He who has My word and keeps them, he it is who loves MeÖ" (Jn. 14:21)

God is saying itís time for us to get out of the church and into the world even in simple ways. It could be just helping someone down the street. It could be some small activity in the church. Itís out of obedience that you do what God asks you to do. Then God starts to fill your faith to finish and accomplish it. You may run into a few windstorms as you start delivering the heart of God, just wait for the wind to pass. Donít stop. Then you will begin to grow and learn to resolve problems as you give. When you get tired, ask God to refill you and then get going again. Then your faith is perfected in works.

As an Olympian runs the distance with the lighted torch to inaugurate the games, he does so protecting the flame as he runs. Like that Olympian, you must protect your flame. Donít keep running without it. Sometimes we run not realizing that weíve lost our heart. What do we do when that happens? How do we light the flame again? Go back to the throne of God often and ask God to restore your heart. You are a courier, let Him fill you with His heart, and then go and deliver it until all the world knows.

Q6: Looking back at each of the Sideliner Diseases--False Piety, Not Spiritual Enough, & Performance Over Heart--Which one are you most susceptible to? How can you defend against it?

Final Q: What most impacted you about todayís lesson? How will you make a difference because of it?

Mahalo NUI to volunteer-writer Rhonda Pang for pressing faith into work!