OUR TEXT
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, it is dead, being alone.”
James 2:17, KJV
INTRODUCTION
Now, we all know that faith without works is dead. A dead faith is not in agreement with the realities of heaven. Thus, if we seek to live a lifestyle that represents the realities of heaven, our faith in God will be actively drawn upon. It is in this active faith that we find our position of love.
The reality of heaven is that we are not working for love; we are working from perfect love—GOD. For God is LOVE. We are living from this truth – that we are being perfected by perfect love. The continual renewing of the heart and mind in the love of God leads us to cultivate a passion to see the truth of the Kingdom and the love of the Father throughout the world, and consequently, live a life of faith with good works.
WE NEED TO BE PURGED
As we dismantle the spirit of legalism through working from perfect love Himself, we usher in the Holy Spirit that brings the fullness of His presence, the power of His authority and the guidance of His will. We take up the revelation of 2 Timothy 2:20-21, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
THE NEED FOR SANCTIFICATION
We have been sanctified in the holiness of God, making us holy vessels that the Father is pleased to use for His good workings of the Kingdom. Through the process of sanctification we have been separated from the influence of the world and the lusts of the flesh, so that we are no longer prone to returning to the old nature, but we are living from the birth of our new life in the Spirit. To embrace this heavenly reality, we position ourselves to be sanctified vessels through fellowship with God.
Our position in the Kingdom is finalized; we are holy vessels destined to make the realities of heaven become the realities of earth. With this revelation at hand, the affections of our hearts and minds turn to radical intimacy with the King of Glory.
THE FULFILLMENT OF FAITH
Our will becomes the catalyst for the in filling of the Kingdom of God. As our will conforms to the will of God, we move from cultivating faith to releasing the good works that we have been destined to accomplish. Faith leads us to make the realm of possibilities our new reality. We are positioning ourselves for a breakthrough of heaven on earth; we are working from the Kingdom and for the Kingdom.
Again, to have faith without works is an incomplete Christian lifestyle (James 2:14); a lifestyle of faith will thus supernaturally lead to a lifestyle of good works. Good works then become the external expression of the internal workings of faith – a fulfillment that releases the workings of faith into the daunting circumstances of the earth.
The Lord Jesus was One who worked from the Kingdom for the advancement of the Kingdom. His workings came from His heavenly anointing, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release of the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
As the Lord Jesus read these words, He was declaring that the Father had anointed Him for the good works of the Kingdom – to speak the good news of the Kingdom of God; to proclaim release to anyone captive to physical, psychological or spiritual bondage; to heal the physical bodies of God’s people; to give clarity of sight; to set free those that are downtrodden; and to declare that this is the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus performed work after work that demonstrated the superior reality of the Kingdom of God.
He was anointed for good words, and He has commissioned us to do greater (John 14:12). The Spirit of God has anointed us, and He has appointed us to release the good works of the Father.
CONCLUSION
Faith is spelled “r-i-s-k,” and this risk is manifested in the doing of the good works that releases the Kingdom. Once our hearts are internally grounded in the love of God, we find ourselves positioned to release the growing measure of the Kingdom through our actions.
Our faith is not one that looks for the comfort of being, but rather dwells amongst the devil’s strongholds, aiming to disarm the power of darkness through the resurrected authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have been given the authority of the Lord Jesus, and He is calling forth His majestic army to do God’s will on earth. We are the army that shall preach the gospel, cast out demons, speak in new tongues and heal the sick (Mark 16:15-18).
We live on the front lines of heaven coming to earth!