STEP FORWARD – 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” Mark 3:3 NKJV
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? James 2:14a NIV
Over the past week we prayed about going forward. Prayerfully, you made a fresh commitment to lay aside what is hindering you, and to trust that God sees before you, that He comes behind you, and that He goes beyond you. This week, we are going to focus on stepping forward and putting our faith into action.
To be very clear, salvation is not based on any work that we do. “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 NIV). Salvation is a gift; it is not something that we earn or something that we can lose. It is however, a work so great in us, that it should naturally be expressed.
True, saving faith is evident.
In James 2, James is saying just that. True, saving faith is evident. It is accompanied by action. Faith that does not evoke action is dead. If someone says they are a Redskins fan but they don’t know anything about the team and they never watch the games, would you say they are a true fan? Probably not. True love and true loyalty are demonstrated.
In what ways are you living out your faith? If others looked at your life, would they be able to tell that you are a Christian and that Christ has done a new work in you? How so?
May we allow our faith to overflow into our actions! May we step forward in what we do, in what we say, and in what we feel, so that others may see and know how great our God is.
APPLICATION
– Spend some time praying that your faith would be more influential than your fears. Ask the Lord to give you boldness in living out your faith before others.
– Pray for your brothers and sisters in the Liberty family. Pray that they too would boldly live out their faith. Pray that as a church, we would be known by our loving actions toward others.
– Pray that God would show you a specific way you can step forward in the community. If you haven’t already signed up for Liberty Loves Hampton Roads, decide to take part today. If you have a neighbor or friend who does not know Christ, invite them to your Connect Group this week.
– If you were in a service on Sunday, you received a Forward commitment card. Begin praying now over what the Lord would have you commit to this initiative at Liberty.