Work of Faith
Labor of Love
Patience of Hope
Work of Faith
Faith as a saving faith, is faith in God that Jesus died for my sins. Not just faith in anything.
Faith looks back. “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone” John Calvin wrote. Faith looks to the past, when we accepted the Lord, when we were Born Again. Faith looks to the Cross and answered prayer.
Labor of Love
We should have Love for “one another” or those around us, without which love, we cannot claim we know God. Love is for the present. So we should have love for God and love for man, since Jesus said all the law and prophets hang on those two commands.
Patience of Hope
The Hope here is a certainty, it is a known certain event, like the Return of Jesus, that gives hope, not a hope that an event may occur. The Hope of Salvation, the Blessed Hope, looks to the return of Jesus with certainty to the future.
The Grace that does not change your life, will not save your soul.
The ‘Work of Faith’ looks to the past.
The ‘Labor of Love’ looks to the present.
The ‘Patience of Hope’ looks to the future.
“God hasn’t appointed us to the day of Wrath, the Great Tribulation. It is a time of judgment and the church is not going through it because Christ bore our judgment. Perhaps you were saying ‘McGee do you think you were good enough to be taken out in the rapture?’ No, I’m not even good enough to be saved. But God save me by his grace, and when he comes to take his church out of this world, I’m going along with all the Super Duper saints – because of the grace of God. But to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. God has not destined us for wrath for the Great Tribulation but for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Pastor J Vernon McGee
We are told of battle armor, then given battle orders or command-ments for the battle in the Bible.
In the military, sleeping while on watch is so serious, it is punishable by death. Likewise, Gods Word warns us not to spiritually sleep while on watch for Jesus, and while others need the Lord so badly.
Jesus died for us that whether we are alive or have died, we will live together with Christ.
Commandment #1
Comfort yourselves together, or encourage one another in the faith.
Commandment #2
Edify one another, which means ‘to build up one another’.
Commandment #3
Recognize those labor among you and are over you in the Lord.
Commandment #4
Those who labor among you, esteem them very highly in love for their works sake.
Commandment #5
Be at peace among yourselves.
Commandment #6
Warn the unruly.
Commandment #7
Comfort the faint hearted.
Commandment #8
Support the weak.
Commandment #9
Be patient toward all men.
People who love the Word of God, appreciate the teachers who spend years teaching them the Bible.
God became one of us, so that He might speak to us, as one of us.
God became one of us, so we could understand His Words, and we could hear His voice.
What are the ways Christians should hear from God?
The Bible
The Pulpit
The Voice of God
What are the ways of Christian should not hear from the Lord?
From the history channel or discovery channel.
Listen to someone who was blessed to listen to music.
God is good, all the time.
We often only see the fruit produced by a good testimony, and we don’t see the test, the years of severe trials, tests and tribulations, that came before the blessings.
We often accept forgiveness from Jesus, without being aware or concerned with how much it cost Jesus to save us.
In witnessing, let God’s love swallow your fear about sharing.
Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.