Loyal
1Cor 3:9 For WE ARE LABORERS TOGETHER WITH GOD: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. (KJV)
2Cor 6:1 . WE ARE WORKERS TOGETHER WITH GOD So we beg you: Don't let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. (ERV)
What does this look like? In what way am I working together with God? What exactly is my work, and what exactly is God's work? Being a “co-worker” with the creator of all things sounds like fun to me! Surely, we are laboring together toward a “common” goal. It can not be the Lord is doing his own thing, while we are doing our own thing. Jesus said.....
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working."
Jesus, the Son of God was co-working together with his Father on this earth in exactly the same way I am to co-work with God. I am the kind of person who wants to know what my responsibilities are in this working relationship.
God will not do my part even as I can not do his part!
What God my co-worker does depends on what I do! Jesus gives insight into what this work is...
John 6:27 Do not WORK for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which then Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."
John 6:28 Then they said to him, "WHAT MUST WE DO, TO BE DOING THE WORKS OF GOD?"
John 6:29 Jesus answered them, "THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE HAS SENT."
The WORKS of God that we are supposed to be doing is “believing in the one God has sent”, which is Jesus Christ the WORD of God” This is why Christians are called “believers”
To “believe” is to have “faith”. To have faith in what? The Word of God. This sounds way too good to be true, and far too easy to accomplish.
Having faith in the Word of God is not as easy as we think it is. It takes “WORK” to believe!! (the WORK of God is to BELIEVE in him) The human “mind” does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, as it considers it “foolishness” because it can NOT see, feel, hear, taste, or touch spiritual things. The rebirthed human heart has no problems believing. The Apostle Paul said, " it is with the heart that man believes" It is our un-renewed physical mind that always gives us trouble. Overcoming this takes WORK, by using “spiritual” weapons that are able to destroy the thoughts that try to exalt themselves against the revealed “knowledge” of God!!!
2Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds
2Cor 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST;
My WORK as a Christian is simply to have faith in the Word of God. Doing anything else is going beyond what I was told to do.
If my WORK is to believe in the Word of God, then what is God's WORK, since we are co-workers together? God's WORK is to perform what man has faith in him to perform!!!
Man's WORK is to believe, God's WORK is to do. Since God is the Word, having faith in his Word causes the Word to work for me!!
Php 2:13 For it is God which WORKETH in you both to WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure.
Abraham learned this, as it was vital to his faith. It caused him to “walk” perfectly with his God. He did not “stagger” at the promises of God in his walk, he simply believed every Word of God that was spoken to him! What did Abraham learn?
Rom 4:20 He (Abraham) STAGGERED not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT, WHAT HE HAD PROMISED, HE WAS ABLE ALSO TO PERFORM.
Abraham learned that his faith (which came by hearing the Word of God) in the Word of God could only be performed by the one who promised it!!!
Think about it, God gives us his faith so we can believe in him, and then he performs that faith for us who simply made the decision to accept it.
Nobody can believe in what they did not first choose to believe! Faith is NEVER the problem, the problem is in our lack of choosing to believe it!
Being a “doer” of the Word is directly connected to my faith in the Word. God is the only one who can perform the WORKS OF my FAITH.
If I do the works of faith, then we are doing God's part, which is not our work, but his! “Faith only works by love” (Gal 5:6) God, by himself alone, is “love”, and he is the only one who can do the WORKS of our faith!!!
You can not have “true” faith without works, but you can have WORKS without faith!!!
When a man does the works of faith he really does not have true faith! Jesus called this “iniquity”!
Math 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Math 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have WE not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Math 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.
Notice, who was doing all these WORKS? They said. “, have WE not prophesied in thy name?.......” Even when it comes to being a "doer" of the Word of God, it must only be done when the Spirit of God is doing them through us! God works through those who have faith in him, and not in ourselves!
Gal 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
When God hears our faith which we speak out of our mouths, he (God) works miracles among us by His Spirit!!!!!
Who were doing these works that Jesus said were "iniquity"? What did Jesus say they were doing? “iniquity”!!! Our obedience is in our believing, not in our doing. Certainly, God does works through us while we are having faith in him to do them. Jesus said......
Mar 16:17 And THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Jesus did not say these signs shall follow them the do these things. He said these signs shall follow them that believe!
How did Jesus work together with his Father? Jesus said this about himself.....
John 5:30 I CAN OF MINE OWN SELF DO NOTHING: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Can you believe this statement? Jesus, the Son of God claiming his inabilities to do anything on his own? Jesus was 100% man and 100% God, he was a God-man. The human part of Jesus was unable to perform the WORKS of God on his own. He needed his Father who was dwelling within him to perform the miracles. Jesus the man had total faith, and trust in His Father to do these things through him!!!!
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but THE FATHER THAT DWELLETH IN ME, HE DOETH THE WORKS.
Every word that came out of Jesus, came from his Father. Every miracle came forth from within himself where his Father dwelt. It flowed out of him. This is our perfect example of how we are to be workers together with God. Man's work is to believe in God's Word, and God's Work is to perform man, 's faith in His Word!!!
Anything else would be called "iniquity" even though it might look holy, and just in the eyes of everyone else around us!
2Cor 6:1 . WE ARE WORKERS TOGETHER WITH GOD So we beg you: Don't let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. (ERV)
What does this look like? In what way am I working together with God? What exactly is my work, and what exactly is God's work? Being a “co-worker” with the creator of all things sounds like fun to me! Surely, we are laboring together toward a “common” goal. It can not be the Lord is doing his own thing, while we are doing our own thing. Jesus said.....
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I am working."
Jesus, the Son of God was co-working together with his Father on this earth in exactly the same way I am to co-work with God. I am the kind of person who wants to know what my responsibilities are in this working relationship.
God will not do my part even as I can not do his part!
What God my co-worker does depends on what I do! Jesus gives insight into what this work is...
John 6:27 Do not WORK for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which then Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal."
John 6:28 Then they said to him, "WHAT MUST WE DO, TO BE DOING THE WORKS OF GOD?"
John 6:29 Jesus answered them, "THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE HAS SENT."
The WORKS of God that we are supposed to be doing is “believing in the one God has sent”, which is Jesus Christ the WORD of God” This is why Christians are called “believers”
To “believe” is to have “faith”. To have faith in what? The Word of God. This sounds way too good to be true, and far too easy to accomplish.
Having faith in the Word of God is not as easy as we think it is. It takes “WORK” to believe!! (the WORK of God is to BELIEVE in him) The human “mind” does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, as it considers it “foolishness” because it can NOT see, feel, hear, taste, or touch spiritual things. The rebirthed human heart has no problems believing. The Apostle Paul said, " it is with the heart that man believes" It is our un-renewed physical mind that always gives us trouble. Overcoming this takes WORK, by using “spiritual” weapons that are able to destroy the thoughts that try to exalt themselves against the revealed “knowledge” of God!!!
2Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Cor 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds
2Cor 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST;
My WORK as a Christian is simply to have faith in the Word of God. Doing anything else is going beyond what I was told to do.
If my WORK is to believe in the Word of God, then what is God's WORK, since we are co-workers together? God's WORK is to perform what man has faith in him to perform!!!
Man's WORK is to believe, God's WORK is to do. Since God is the Word, having faith in his Word causes the Word to work for me!!
Php 2:13 For it is God which WORKETH in you both to WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure.
Abraham learned this, as it was vital to his faith. It caused him to “walk” perfectly with his God. He did not “stagger” at the promises of God in his walk, he simply believed every Word of God that was spoken to him! What did Abraham learn?
Rom 4:20 He (Abraham) STAGGERED not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT, WHAT HE HAD PROMISED, HE WAS ABLE ALSO TO PERFORM.
Abraham learned that his faith (which came by hearing the Word of God) in the Word of God could only be performed by the one who promised it!!!
Think about it, God gives us his faith so we can believe in him, and then he performs that faith for us who simply made the decision to accept it.
Nobody can believe in what they did not first choose to believe! Faith is NEVER the problem, the problem is in our lack of choosing to believe it!
Being a “doer” of the Word is directly connected to my faith in the Word. God is the only one who can perform the WORKS OF my FAITH.
If I do the works of faith, then we are doing God's part, which is not our work, but his! “Faith only works by love” (Gal 5:6) God, by himself alone, is “love”, and he is the only one who can do the WORKS of our faith!!!
You can not have “true” faith without works, but you can have WORKS without faith!!!
When a man does the works of faith he really does not have true faith! Jesus called this “iniquity”!
Math 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Math 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have WE not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Math 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.
Notice, who was doing all these WORKS? They said. “, have WE not prophesied in thy name?.......” Even when it comes to being a "doer" of the Word of God, it must only be done when the Spirit of God is doing them through us! God works through those who have faith in him, and not in ourselves!
Gal 3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
When God hears our faith which we speak out of our mouths, he (God) works miracles among us by His Spirit!!!!!
Who were doing these works that Jesus said were "iniquity"? What did Jesus say they were doing? “iniquity”!!! Our obedience is in our believing, not in our doing. Certainly, God does works through us while we are having faith in him to do them. Jesus said......
Mar 16:17 And THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Jesus did not say these signs shall follow them the do these things. He said these signs shall follow them that believe!
How did Jesus work together with his Father? Jesus said this about himself.....
John 5:30 I CAN OF MINE OWN SELF DO NOTHING: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Can you believe this statement? Jesus, the Son of God claiming his inabilities to do anything on his own? Jesus was 100% man and 100% God, he was a God-man. The human part of Jesus was unable to perform the WORKS of God on his own. He needed his Father who was dwelling within him to perform the miracles. Jesus the man had total faith, and trust in His Father to do these things through him!!!!
John 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but THE FATHER THAT DWELLETH IN ME, HE DOETH THE WORKS.
Every word that came out of Jesus, came from his Father. Every miracle came forth from within himself where his Father dwelt. It flowed out of him. This is our perfect example of how we are to be workers together with God. Man's work is to believe in God's Word, and God's Work is to perform man, 's faith in His Word!!!
Anything else would be called "iniquity" even though it might look holy, and just in the eyes of everyone else around us!
