Devotional Guide

For the week of November 17, 2002

Doing our faith

How we have right words but wrong works

To Read: Matthew 19-21

To Know:

“I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” (1 Corinthians 4:14-16)

We were singing a song of praise that said we were standing in the presence of the Lord. As we sang these words we sat. One person in the congregation felt the contradiction and stood up. One by one the rest of us followed the example. We did the right thing although not a word was spoken. Doing right is a powerful force for leading others in the way of righteousness.

Increasingly the church is following, not leading, the culture. Many of our words are right, but too often our works are not. Those who survey us report that there is nearly no difference between the behavior of those who have faith in Christ and those who know him not. Divorce statistics, numbers of abortions and the dearth of Bible knowledge differs little between the church and the world.

To Do:

What happens when one church or even one person stands up for Jesus Christ? Jesus was one person. He set out on his mission to save the world all alone. One by one Christ called men away from their work and their world to follow him. Before long multitudes of men and women were receiving his words. After twenty centuries Christianity is still a wildfire spreading across Africa and Asia. At Byfield Parish we give to India Bible Literature that distributes 70,000 Bibles at day. You are one person. We are one church. No one can predict what fruit our faith will bear when we are uncompromisingly his.

To Ask:

Father, You have planted your church in the world in order to grow the fruit of the Spirit. Make us the most fruitful congregation that you have ever raised up.