This is also a question that Jesus asks each generation of His Church, including you and I, today! This question provokes me to examine myself, as a believer of over thirty years, every time I read it and every time the Lord brings it to mind, which is very regularly! Am I doing what He (The Word) tells me in all areas of my life?
Sadly, I very often fall short, but praise God there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, and I am availed, by this self-examination, the opportunity to repent and confess my sin before Him and move on and be more and more conformed to His image as I work out my salvation with fear and trembling as Paul instructs, under the power of the Holy Spirit!
Now, getting back to what Jesus is telling us further in the parable of the ‘Wise and Foolish Builders’ from Luke 6:47-49, let’s examine what wise and foolish is to us as born-again Christians – His Church!
In the above verses, the Lord describes two types of people!
The one type, the wise ones, hear His words and puts them into practice. The other type, the foolish ones, hear his words but do not put them into practice. Today we are able to both hear and read His word – bearing in mind that Jesus is the Word – the Bible.
When we put the Word into practice and act upon it to change our lives in accordance with His will, God considers us to be wise and tells us that the foundation of the Word (Jesus) is the only foundation that we can build on as Christians and in this way, we will never be shaken no matter what comes against us – Jesus is our sure foundation, the cornerstone upon which everything holds firm.
When we don’t put the Word into practice and don’t act upon it, God considers us to be foolish, we have no spiritual foundation on which to stand and hold firm and we will be washed away by what the world throws at us through the evil one! Our hearts will become hardened and anaesthetised to sin. This the Bible refers to this as falling away!
The Bible encourages us to not just be readers of the Word but doers of the Word as well – faith without action is no faith at all.
The Bible tells us to be imitators of Christ yet if we do not obey the Word and put it into practice we will never be conformed to Christ’s image – we will never be able to imitate Him !
If we are to be imitators of Christ and be conformed to His image, then we need to be serious about obeying God’s Word and practicing God’s Word in our everyday lives. If we fail to put God’s word into practice, then we are at great risk of falling away.
We should be working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Working out our salvation doesn’t only mean repenting of our sin and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour, it also means being doers of the Word and being obedient to it in every way and in this way allowing ourselves to be more and more conformed to His image!
Sadly, I walk among many people who consider themselves to be mature Christians but still swear as part of their everyday speech – this is contrary to God’s Word. They still get drunk and go out and party as the world does – this is contrary to God’s Word. They still hold unbelief and unforgiveness in their hearts – this is contrary to God’s Word. My brothers and sisters this should not be – friendship with the world is enmity with God.
Let us daily renew our minds through the washing of the Word!
Dear brothers and sister in Christ, I implore you to receive the abundant life that God has promised you in Christ Jesus. Read and study the Bible and put its teachings into practice in your life and be continually filled with the knowledge and presence of Jesus and be energised and empowered by His Holy Spirit! Do not become a friend of the world, it will have a disastrous outcome for you – do not become a lukewarm Christian, for a lukewarm Christian is no Christian at all!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit this day and everyday and help me to be a doer of the word and not just a reader. Help me, Lord, to separate myself from the love of worldly things in every way. I recognise Lord Jesus, that apart from you I can do nothing. Change me Lord to be like you, do not let mw become lukewarm and fall away! Amen.
Philippians 2:12 (AMP)
So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].
Now, getting back to what Jesus is telling us further in the parable of the ‘Wise and Foolish Builders’ from Luke 6:47-49, let’s examine what wise and foolish is to us as born-again Christians – His Church!
Luke 6:47-49 (NIV)
47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
In the above verses, the Lord describes two types of people!
The one type, the wise ones, hear His words and puts them into practice. The other type, the foolish ones, hear his words but do not put them into practice. Today we are able to both hear and read His word – bearing in mind that Jesus is the Word – the Bible.
John 1:14 (NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
When we put the Word into practice and act upon it to change our lives in accordance with His will, God considers us to be wise and tells us that the foundation of the Word (Jesus) is the only foundation that we can build on as Christians and in this way, we will never be shaken no matter what comes against us – Jesus is our sure foundation, the cornerstone upon which everything holds firm.
Isaiah 54:17 (AMP)
“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.
This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (AMP)
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens [outsiders without rights of citizenship], but you are fellow citizens with the saints (God’s people), and are [members] of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. 22 In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
When we don’t put the Word into practice and don’t act upon it, God considers us to be foolish, we have no spiritual foundation on which to stand and hold firm and we will be washed away by what the world throws at us through the evil one! Our hearts will become hardened and anaesthetised to sin. This the Bible refers to this as falling away!
Hebrews 6:4-8 (AMP)
4 For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted and consciously experienced the good word of God and the powers of the age (world) to come, 6 and then have fallen away—it is impossible to bring them back again to repentance, since they again nail the Son of God on the cross [for as far as they are concerned, they are treating the death of Christ as if they were not saved by it], and are holding Him up again to public disgrace. 7 For soil that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces crops useful to those for whose benefit it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it persistently produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
The Bible encourages us to not just be readers of the Word but doers of the Word as well – faith without action is no faith at all.
Luke 11:28 (NIV)
He (Jesus) replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
John 13:17 (AMP)
If you know these things, you are blessed [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them].
James 1:22 (NIV)
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 2:26 (AMP)
For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.
The Bible tells us to be imitators of Christ yet if we do not obey the Word and put it into practice we will never be conformed to Christ’s image – we will never be able to imitate Him !
Romans 8:29 (NIV)
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
If we are to be imitators of Christ and be conformed to His image, then we need to be serious about obeying God’s Word and practicing God’s Word in our everyday lives. If we fail to put God’s word into practice, then we are at great risk of falling away.
We should be working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Working out our salvation doesn’t only mean repenting of our sin and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour, it also means being doers of the Word and being obedient to it in every way and in this way allowing ourselves to be more and more conformed to His image!
Sadly, I walk among many people who consider themselves to be mature Christians but still swear as part of their everyday speech – this is contrary to God’s Word. They still get drunk and go out and party as the world does – this is contrary to God’s Word. They still hold unbelief and unforgiveness in their hearts – this is contrary to God’s Word. My brothers and sisters this should not be – friendship with the world is enmity with God.
James 3:9-10 (NIV)
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
James 4:4 (AMP)
You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Colossians 3:6-10 (NIV)
7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Ephesians 5:18-19 (NIV)
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
Let us daily renew our minds through the washing of the Word!
Romans 12:2-3
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Revelation 3:16 (AMP)
So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust].
In order for us as born again Christians to call Jesus Lord, we must do what he says!
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit this day and everyday and help me to be a doer of the word and not just a reader. Help me, Lord, to separate myself from the love of worldly things in every way. I recognise Lord Jesus, that apart from you I can do nothing. Change me Lord to be like you, do not let mw become lukewarm and fall away! Amen.
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no excuse for you not reading and studying the Bible for yourself. My words are fallible - the Bible is not!
Last update: 24 March 2024.
R
Your work is always a treasure of many to be found inside myself, Thank you, Brother!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you brother Ray for a most extraordinary teaching!! God Bless You Abundantly my friend!
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