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faith and works builds bridges

James 2:16-17 (NASB) --- and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?   Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.


Faith and works is one of those struggling points that many Christians have trouble with.  Since I was young, here is what I have been taught: "It's not faith plus works. It's not faith and works.  It's faith that works."  When people can see that our faith is alive and active and doing something to us and through us, it is then that our faith is evident.  I believe and the Bible confirms that we are saved by faith alone, yet our faith ought to leave us different.

The verses above point to two different people.  One is the person who sees a need and simple says nice things.  The other is the person who sees a need and meets it as well as speaking to it.  The second is the person who has faith that works.

Servolution is faith in action, and it is what we are doing this month through The Community Fellowship.  Our people have the opportunity to serve others in all kinds of ways: laundry love (where you minister to people who are washing their clothes, collecting food for the hungry, feeding and clothing those in need, giving diapers and other baby items to parents, serving those who work in some local homes for needy people, and more).  We have asked since The Community began that our people let their faith be seen by others.

I honestly believe that people won't listen to us until they see our faith working.  Another old saying is this: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.  And that is truth.  There are many people we meet and you meet that don't know Jesus.  Many of them have been turned off by church, but when we begin to serve them, something clicks.

Last night I heard a story about a local church that has begun ministering to a family from India.  God has used that relationship to build bridges in big ways.  How are you letting your faith be seen and build bridges for people to meet Jesus?

James 3:16-17 (NASB) --- For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.


When we don't serve others, selfishness and wrong motives and honestly chaos seem to thrive.  When we loose ourselves in Jesus by serving Him through serving people around us, then there will be huge amounts of peace, mercy and people getting real enough to meet Jesus.  

Lets do everything we can to help people meet Jesus.  Lets build bridges for people to meet Jesus by letting our faith work!

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