PATHWAYS TO FAITH: Return To Doing The Good Works!
I believe th e time has come for the local church to get back to doing the good works we are created to perform for the Lord. We must get back to the good work of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a dying world. The Holy Scriptures clearly tells us that one of the main purposes God created us was for us to perform “good works” for the Lord. Look at what Paul wrote at Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” At Colossians 1:10 (NKJV) …“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” These passages make it very clear that the Lord’s desire for our lives is that we who profess to be Christians are actively engaged in doing the good works. Many people believe in God and intellectually have accepted theof Christ as a Savior, however, as the Apostle James warns us that “faith without works is dead.” (See James 2:20) A true and dynamic faith leads to eternal life with Christ.
Unfortunately, many of today’s church people believe that if they put forth a good public show and appear to do things in the name of Jesus, that will in someway satisfy God’s will for our lives. I would invite all such believers to study and note what the Lord says to the religious performers of His day. (See Matthew 7:21-23) (NKJV) Jesus clearly tells these people to “depart from me”. Jesus is not interested in the religious show but rather He is looking for those who are working to fulfill the royal law, “love thy neighbor as thyself.” (James 2:8) (NKJV) At this point some are probably wondering just what are the good works that will cause us to hear the Lord say in that Day of Judgment “… come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (See Matthew 25:34-36) (NKJV) We find our answer to this burning question in Matthew 25:35-36 where we are told that when Jesus comes in His Glory to judge the nations and He says to us that you have done the good works: He says
“for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me.”
Clearly Jesus is laying out the basic good works we must do along with fulfilling the great commission to “make disciples of all men”. We are warned to be “…steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) (NKJV) When the King returns with His rewards, He will give them according to your works. (Revelations 22:12) (NKJV) Let’s get to work now doing the things that God has ordained for us to do since the foundation of the earth. When Jesus spoke to the seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation, He warns the church at Ephesus to “ …repent and do the first works…” (See Rev. 2:5) We must do likewise. Have a glorious day in service to the Lord.
Dr. Holley is the Senior Pastor at Pathways Christian Fellowship in Bradenton, Florida. Contact Dr. Holley at Wholley777@aol.com. WWW. PathwaysChristian-Bradenton.com.
