THURSDAY February 16, 2023
Obedient Faith
Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied
greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests
were obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7
There were wonderful consequences when the Apostles prayed and waited on the Lord to place only Spirit-filled men in positions of leadership. Delegating church responsibilities to these men allowed the Apostles the necessary time to study and preach the Word. In turn, this caused God’s Word to spread, and the number of disciples multiplied. There was much fruit from their labor, so much so that even the Jewish priests were being saved!
With this same principle in place in our church, it has allowed me the same freedom to prepare my heart, study, pray, and preach the Word. I have been able to go all over the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love it! In the past, we had a pastoral school. Young men and older men attended and made the commitment to study for two years. Once they completed their training, these men were equipped to go out and start new works where there were no Calvary Chapels. It has been a continual multiplication. This is the right way to do it––fully and completely.
There are two applications I see here. First, are you helping spread the Word of God by coming alongside the pastor to assist in the ministry? Ask the Lord to show you where you can serve. Second, if you do not know the Lord personally, listen to the Gospel message and respond in obedience to it. Obeying the Gospel message by repenting of your sin and asking forgiveness will set you free from sin’s consequences:
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18).
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
Do you see the eternal benefits of becoming a Christian by faith?
Faith is only real when there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
