BEING FAITHFUL:I remember going into specialty shops that sold very expensive fine China. There were signs everywhere asking people not to touch the merchandise. There were also signs everywhere that said, “You break it, you buy it”. It was a reminder to us by the store owner that the contents of the establishment were of great value and that for those who were just looking around, should be careful doing so. This is a great picture for me concerning the precious things of our Lord that He has entrusted to my care. Being faithful is “being dependable, trustworthy, true and believable”, but it also means to “handle with care”. I have moved many times across the USA and Germany. In fact I have lived in Korea, Virginia (twice), Texas, Colorado, North Carolina (twice), Nevada, Florida (five times), California, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Most of those times I packed my own belongings and moved myself. With each move I can hear my wife at some point saying, “Be careful, I am trusting that you packed those things correctly”. She was counting on my faithfulness to do the right thing. We are called to be stewards of the gifting, the talents, the possessions, and the callings which the Lord has entrusted to our oversight. I call hear His call, “Be careful, and be found faithful”. For all the Elders or Pastors in ministry I want to say that we are to be careful and be found faithful stewards with the precious lives that the Father has placed in our hands. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 ESV (1) This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. Luke 12:41-44 ESV Peter said, "Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?" (42) And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? (43) Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. (44) Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. The Lord is looking for the faithful man who will teach a faithful man who in turn will teach a faithful man. The Apostle Paul was a faithful man. He in turn taught Timothy who was a faithful man. Paul told Timothy to teach faithful men who will tech faithful men. 2 Timothy 2:1-7 ESV You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, (2) and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (3) Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (4) No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (5) An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. (6) It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. (7) Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. It is obvious that being faithful is a major teaching priority with our Lord. It is sad that faithfulness is a trait that is so lacking within the body of Christ, which reveals the need for believers to become Disciples. I firmly believe the Scriptures teach if we are faithful in small things we will get larger things, and if we are faithful in another man’s field we will receive our own field.
0 Comments
 1. Don't be faithless.
The enemy does not care if you pray, read your Bible or attend church as long as you do so without a heart of faith. We know that a heart of faith is the only way to please the Father, so the enemy wants us to be religious without faith, which is trusting totally in God and His Word. Hebrews 11:6 ESV And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Matthew 17:17 ESV And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." Romans 1:31 ESV foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 2. Don't place your faith in faith. I don't know why we have the tendency to trust in ourselves and lean on our own faith, which is knowledge by experience. I sit in a chair because of my past experience that it will hold me up, therefore I have personal faith that the chair will support me. But this is not Biblical faith. Biblical faith is trusting in God and His Word no matter how the circumstances look and how much it goes against my 5 senses and common knowledge. True Biblical faith comes not from our knowledge or experiences or lack of experiences, but comes from hearing the Word of God. 2 Timothy 2:13 ESV if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. 3. Have faith in God! Mark 11:22 ESV And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Colossians 2:12 ESV having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. END TIMES DEPARTURE:
We have said that the Greek word for apostasy means "to fall away, to revolt, to defect, and to abundant the faith." In these end times or the last of the last days many will DEPART from the faith. We cannot sin away our salvation, but what happens when we walk away from the faith? We are saved by faith and we are kept by faith. When we say someone walked away from the faith we do not mean they walked away from the church services or other Biblical disciplines. Faith is an issue of the heart. In fact, from the Biblical examples we have, I don't believe that someone who has walked away from the faith realizes that it is or has happened to them. There are 5 evidences in the Word of God that reveals a person is truly born again: 1. Biblical Evidence: This is a person's testimony of praying to receive Christ. 2. Internal Evidence: This is the witness of the Holy Spirit within the person. 3. External Evidence: This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit manifesting outwardly. 4. Fraternal Evidence: This is the love for the Christian brothers. 5. Paternal Evidence: This is the spanking of the Father if in sin. These are explained in detail in my book "THE FIVE WITNESSES OF SALVATION" https://www.amazon.com/CHARLES-W-MORRIS/e/B07SR5X3K6?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060 DEPARTED FROM FAITH: 1 Timothy 4:1-3 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, (2) through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, (3) who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. The Greek says “shall depart” means to remove, revolt, depart, desert, or withdraw self from the faith. Some would say that these were never saved, or never were in the faith. However, how can one depart from something they never had? How can I fall off a ladder I never climbed up on? The Greek says that in departing they deserted, revolted against, withdrew themselves, and removed themselves form the position of faith. If I am saved by faith, I am kept by faith. Salvation is by faith. If I get it by faith then it is kept by faith. But what happens when I develop a heart of faithlessness?
MADE VOID OR CANCELED OUT THE FAITH: Romans 4:13-16 ESV For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. (14) For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. (15) For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. (16) That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. In verse 14 the Greek “to make null or void” means to make empty, abase, neutralize, falsify, or cause faith to be in vain. We will see that we are not boast that we were grafted in to the branch because we were grafted in by faith, and if we no longer walk in faith then we will be cut off. Romans 11:17-22 ESV But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, (18) do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. (19) Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” (20) That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. (21) For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. (22) Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. We said in previous studies that there is no evidence within Scriptures that supports a believer being able to "sin away" his salvation. However, there is a "falling away" from the faith which we are covering in these studies.
We in the first two studies that apostasy was a falling away or defection. The Biblical Greek explains it this way a-pos'-ta-si, a-pos'-tat (apostasia, "a standing away from") It is a falling away, a withdrawal, a defection. Used twice in the New Testament, in the Greek original, to express abandonment of the faith. I know that many are emotionally tied to their church doctrines either because it was the church were they were saved or it was the one which their parents brought them up in. However, it is of no benefit to embrace doctrines that have so many "embarrassing Scriptures" that teach otherwise. I have found that people will believe anything you teach as long as you teach what they already believe. I embrace the doctrine of "the eternal security of the believer." But I do not embrace the doctrine of eternal security or "once saved, always saved." When some approach a lot of the salvation Scriptures such as Jn.3:16 they read it like the "believing" is eternal. No, the life is eternal. The believing is conditional. We will be covering many examples within the Scriptures of those who walked with our Lord Jesus Christ and then walked away from the faith. However, if your mind is made up to embrace your denominational teaching over the Word then your heart is unteachable. Why do I teach this? Because the Scriptures relating to falling from the faith is a great warning to the church. If you embrace the "once saved, always saved" doctrine, or perseverance of the saints then you cannot embrace Revelation chapter 22 as God's Holy Word Revelation 22:18-19 ESV I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, (19) and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Some would say that our Lord is speaking to lost people here. But the lost don't have any part of the tree of Life, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who has done any reading of God's Word at all knows that we cannot sin away our salvation. If this could be remotely possible we need to ask the hard questions.
1. Which sin is so much worse than all other sins that God would pull His salvation away from us? 2. How many times do we need to sin before God pulls His salvation away from us? We are not saved by works or our ability to be good or bad. We are saved by placing faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Let's look at the word apostasy which means, the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief, an act of refusing to continue to follow, obey, or recognize a religious faith, and an abandonment of a previous loyalty. It is a falling away or defection. Middle English apostasie, taken from the Late Latin apostasia, which was taken from the Greek, literally meaning to revolt. The Biblical Greek explains it this way a-pos'-ta-si, a-pos'-tat (he apostasia, "a standing away from") It is a falling away, a withdrawal, a defection. Used twice in the New Testament, in the Greek original, to express abandonment of the faith. Paul was falsely accused of teaching the Jews apostasy from Moses and the teachings of circumcision. Acts 21:20-21 ESV And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, (21) and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. There are those who teach that only lost people can commit apostasy. Again, it means to revolt and fall away. How can someone fall off a ladder he has not climbed, and how can someone fall away from, revolt against, or defect from a faith or relationship he does not have? More later... |
AuthorCharles Morris. Founder and Senior Pastor of RSI Ministry, RSI School of Ministry, and RSI Publishing L.L.C.. Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed