FAITH WITHOUT WORKS

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS
James 2 (New King James Version)

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
Excerpts from a 1997 sermon
by Most Rev. Dr. Robert M. Bowman


Is there anybody here who doesn’t know how to swim? Living here in Florida, with the ocean and the river, and every other house with a swimming pool, we’d think it pretty unusual not to know how to swim. But there are millions of people who don’t. Many of them have never been near enough water to even try.
Pretend you’re one of those people. The most water you’ve ever been in was in a bathtub. Now you decide you want to learn to swim, but the only pool available is ten feet deep everywhere; there is no shallow end. I think you’d be a little reluctant to just dive in.
I could tell you that the water would support you, that you would float. I could show you in an encyclopedia that the density of the human body is ever so slightly less than that of water. I could explain Bernoulli’s laws and Pascal’s laws, and Archimedes’ principle, so that you would become intellectually convinced that your body would float.
... Now are you going to jump in? Probably not. You believe me when I tell you that you can float. But you’re not ready to act on it yet.
You can tell me that you have absolute faith in what I have told you. You can quote back to me all the scientific details. You can study books on swimming, and quote them back to me word for word, chapter and verse. You can tell me how much you love swimming. But until you get wet, it doesn’t mean a thing. Faith without works is dead.

Finding this sermon gave me one more reason to be grateful that God has planted me in a church that is rich in works, a church with a serious commitment to the Great Commission. In addition to the “On-Going Ministries” listed below, we have individual members with very intensive ministries. There is truly a focus on faith and works here.

On-going Ministries
*Community Prayer
Every Monday at 6pm
*Bible Study
Every Monday at 6:30 pm
*Sunday School Preparatory
Monday 7:30pm
*N/A Meeting-Every Tuesday 7pm
*Sisterhood - Second Thursday at 6:30pm
*Two By Two - First Wednesday at 6:30pm
*Food Bank Distribution-Friday 4:00-5:30pm
*Bible Explosion for Youth - Friday at 6:30pm
*Commodity Distribution-every other month (call
941.799.0445 for schedule)[starting 2/6/10 at 9am]


Please feel free to come and explore with us the glory of a ministry of faith and works.

God is truly alive in this church.

May God be a Blessing in Your Life!!!