I want to share with you what the Lord has stirred up in my heart, where i believe Christians have lost the mark and i believe that God wants to correct by taking us back to the truth of the scripture and precise meaning of the writer(s). I encourage you to be open minded and look around you because i believe that a mind that is full of things will never learn but a mind that is emptied will absorb more knowledge.

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After i shared the following sermon (The faith that Precedes from the throne of God) Thapelo Lefifi had this to say “The word of God calls us to obey his commands and to have faith in him, and that means having the fruits of the spirit in us, we cannot say we are faithful of God yet lack love and unity, then it means he cannot trust us to keep his commands or to emulate him” (last Wednesday after the sermon).

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THEME: FAITH THAT PRECEDES

FROM THE THRONE OF GOD

ACTS 5:33-39

“WHEN THEY HEARD THIS, THEY WERE FURIOUS AND WANTED TO PUT THEM TO DEATH. BUT A PHARISEE NAMED GAMALIEL, A TEACHERS OF THE LAW, WHO WAS HONORED BY THE PEOPLE, STOOD UP IN THE SANHENDRIN AND ORDERED THAT THE MEN BE PUT OUTSIDE FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

THEN HE ADDRESSED THEM: ‘MEN OF ISRAEL CONSIDER CAREFULLY WHAT YOU INTEND TO DO TO THESE MEN. SOME TIME AGO THEUDAS APPEARED, CLAIMING TO BE SOMEBODY, AND ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED MEN RAILED TO HIM. HE WAS KILLED, ALL HIS FOLLOWERS WERE DISPERSED AND IT ALL CAME TO NOTHING. AFTER HIM JUDAS THE GALILEAN APPEARED IN THE DAYS OF CENSUS AND LED A BAND OF PEOPLE IN REVOLT. HE TOO WAS KILLED, AND ALL HIS FOLLOWERS SCATTERED.

THEREFORE, IN THE PRESENT CASE I ADVISE YOU: LEAVE THESE MEN ALONE! LET THEM GO! FOR IF THEIR PURPOSE OR ACTIVITY IS OF HUMAN ORIGION, IT WILL FAIL. BUT IF IS FROM GOD, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP THESE MEN; YOU WILL ONLY FIND YOURSELVES FIGHTING AGAINST GOD.

INTRODUCTION

Today I want us to talk about faith from the book of Acts

Those that always come most especially when I get such a wonderful opportunity to share the word of God know that I love Luke the physician, I adore how he exposes truth and in this book I like how he plays with the thought of ‘Faith’ and how it united the saints, and brought them peace and love while they were being persecuted for their faith and at the same time the same faith (their persecuted for) spreads by the power of the Holy Ghosts through them.

           

NB

HENCE THEIR CREED (STATEMENT OF BELIEF) STATES THAT THEY BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER (WHO LEAD THE ISRAELITES) , THE SON (WHO LEAD THEM)  AND THE HOLY SPIRIT (WHO WAS ABOUT TO LEAD THEM AND ALSO WHO IS LEADING US), WHICH THEIR FAITH ORIGINATES FROM, THEY MADE IT CLEAR ACCORDING TO HOW THEY LIVED, THAT FAITH PRECEDES FROM THE TRONE OF GOD.

Luke now takes us on a journey where he exposes their Acts (the apostle’s acts) and how the Holy Spirit used them, to spread the faith of unity, love, and peace.

So many people around the world have something or someone they put all their full trust and confidence on, even though there is not logical proof.  ‘NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THE THINGS HOPED FOR AND THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEE’ HEB 11:1.

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BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE VERY ESSENCE OF OUR BEING, THE VERY ESSENCE OF OUR EXISTANCE IS CENTERED ARROUND FAITH.

We need something or someone to believe in, it might be anything tangible or spiritual. We are what we are today because we choose to put our faith on the teachings of Jesus.

Today I want to speak about that faith, the faith that precedes from the throne of God:

1.      The faith that heals

2.      The faith that unites

3.      The faith that loves

4.      The faith that encourages spiritual growth

5.      The faith that is centered on Christ Jesus, Paul says in him we breathe we live and we have our being, Jesus is the subject and object of our ‘Faith’.

NB

SOME MAY BE WONDERING WHY I AM CONNECTING FAITH WITH LOVE, PEACE, AND UNITY:-

F.F. BRUCE, YOUNGBLOOD, AND HARRISON CONTEND THAT “FAITH IS A BELIEF IN OR CONFIDENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOD, INVOLVING COMMITMENT TO HIS WILL FOR ONE’S LIFE”

YOU CANNOT SAY YOU ARE FAITHFUL WHILE LACKING LOVE, PEACE AND UNITY BECAUSE THAT IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US.

Stephan Joubert contends “Looking for structures, buildings, positions and titles as the most eminent characteristics, we forget that relationships initially motivated and drove ‘ekklesia’ even while it grew missionally. The fingerprints of these Christians did not show up in buildings, offices and religious orders, but on each other’s lives.”

OUR FAITH IS MOTIVATED BY RELATIONSHIPS, BOTH WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER; WE CANNOT SAY WE ARE FULL OF FAITH WHILE LACKING LOVE, PEACE AND UNITY.

NB

PAUL SAYS “THEREFORE, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THROUGH WHOM WE HAVE GAINED ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE IN WHICH WE NOW STAND”

WE CAN NEVER BECOME MORE THAN CONQUERORS IF OUR FAITH DOES NOT CONNECT US IN LOVE, PEACE AND UNITY.

As we Transition to subject of faith, we cannot ignore what Gamaliel says to the Sanhedrin.

Gamaliel was a Pharisee who probably dint wants to see the Sadducee's win any victories. He was a scholar highly esteemed by the people, rather liberal in his application of the law, and apparently moderate in his approach to problems.

When he died the Jews said the glory of the law ceased and purity and abstinence died. Gamaliel counsel was unwise and dangerous.

NOW

Gamaliel might have made a wise statement, yet if you study what he said you will notice that he compered Jesus to two rebels which means he considered Jesus to be one of the people who tried to overpower the Romans (HE DINT SEE HIM AS LORD), he also thought that the followers of Jesus Christ will scatter the same way others scattered he also thought God is not the side of the disciples. 

HE DID NOT CARE WHAT SOEVER ABOUT THE DISCIPLES

It is said that faith is an imperative thing to possess in Christianity but my question has always been do we know and understand what faith is? how faith unites people and bring love.

We have limited faith in Hebrews 11:1 that we forgot how faith unites, how faith motivates and inspires love, how faith brings peace in people and motivates them to grow.

And my other question has been, how far will we go for that faith?

Years before our generation emerged, there were a group of people who were called the Roman Catholic Church, there you find the Papacy of Heresy (Popes), those popes had scholars who would investigate among the Christians who was preaching something wrong and if they found him they will kill him, where is the unity, love and peace? Even though the scholars were wrong, they have made their theology a god that they began to destroy the men and women of God. THE CHURCH BECAME AN ENEMY TO THE CHURCH!

Even though faith has been over exaggerated throughout the years, I have learned that nothing can kill the power of faith.

1.      People die because of what they believe,

2.      people suffer because of condemnation they are getting from other beliefs or religious views, might be

a.      Nelson Mandela who was willing to die for a freedom,

b.      Martin Luther King who was interested in peace and tranquillity, and 

c.       Polycarp the martyr (who was a church father) and died because he refused to renounce his faith and belief in Jesus Christ ‘the man who said away with the eithiest in the time of the eithiests’. The man who stood up against the killing of the saints. His death made a difference and people got saved.

3.      People die for their faith; even more Christians were beheaded and crucified before the time of Constantinople.

4.      Many Christians have suffered because of the hatred of the world.

5.      Even others who left the church because of other Christians who were condemning them.

We have forgotten that Gods meaning of faith for us was not just to hope for the things not seen but to unite us in love as the body of Christ.

1.      We have used our sacraments to divide than unite each other,

2.      We have used clothing or appearance to divide us,

Forgetting that the faith that we receive from God should unite us in love and peace so that we can be the body of Christ.

NB

IF ONLY THE 21^ST CENTURY CHRISTIANS KNEW THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANS, HOW THEY SUFFERED SO THAT YOU CAN BE WHERE YOU ARE TODAY, HOW THEY DIED TOGETHER IN UNITY, WHILE WE LIVE IN HATE AND NO RESPECT TOWARDS EACH OTHER. We have nothing in this world but our faith, while Christians are dying around Africa and the rest of the world there is nothing that connects us to them but our faith. Faith is not just a mere hope for things not seen but it is a connection that we have as saints so that we can be one the body of Christ approaching the throne of God.

NB

WE DO NOT JUST HAVE THIS FAITH BUT IT PRECEDES FROM THE THRONE OF GOD, IT COMES FROM GOD AND WITHOUT THIS FAITH WE ARE USELESS.

WE NEED TO BE THE GENERATION THAT STANDS FIRM IN OUR FAITH TODAY SO THAT OUR YOUTH TOMORROW MIGHT STAND DUNAMIS OF PARACLETE (THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT).

1.      OUR FAITH TODAY DETERMINES THE CHRISTIANS WE ARE RAISING FOR TOMORROW.

2.      OUR FAITH TODAY DETERMINES THE KIND OF LEADERS WE ARE RAISING TOMORROW.

3.      OUR FAITH TODAY SHOW US THE POWER OF GOD WORKING THROUGH OUR YOUTH TOMORROW.

NB

LET YOUR FAITH WEEP FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR CHILDREN,

LET YOUR FAITH SHOW THE FRUITS OF LOVE, PEACE AND UNITY SO THAT THE CHURCH TOMORROW MIGHT BE STRONGER THAN THE CHURCH BEFORE.

APPLICATION

GAMALIEL MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS MOCKING THE DESCIPLES WHEN HE SAID IF IT IS FROM GOD, ONLY TO FIND THAT THE FAITH OF THE DESCIPLES PRECEDS FROM THE THRONE OF GOD,

GOD WAS GIVING THEM

1.      UNITY

2.      LOVE AND

3.      PEACE.

THE DEVIL MIGHT CLOSE ALL DOOR AND THINK THAT YOU ARE LOCKED IN LIKE A RAT BUT GOD INFUSING FAITH INSIDE OF YOU.

YOU MIGHT BE LOCKED IN BUT GOD IS OPENING DOORS THROUGH THE FAITH HE GAVE.

GREAT IS THINE FAITH

1.      FAITH THAT UNITES

2.      FAITH THAT HAS LOVE WHEN PEOPLE ARE HATING

3.      FAITH THAT HAS PEACE WHEN SITUATIONS ARE TOUGH

4.      FAITH THAT ENDURES WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS NO HOPE

5.      LIKE THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD REACH OUT TO GOD BECAUSE HE IS POURING OUT FAITH, TO MAKE IT IN THIS LIFE TO THE NEXT.

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(Please ignore the syntax error, hence it was a sermon i preached last week)