Matthew 7:21
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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
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Having faith that Christ Jesus is the ascended Son of God is what evangelism works towards all over the world to this very minute. It is the foundation of belief for many, alive and dead. But when belief is not acted on, that faith is like having eyes but keeping them closed.
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James 2:26
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As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
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Belief in Jesus as the ascended form of the Son of God means you recognize that he is the authority over all authorities, and has the ability to bring this authority into works that do the will of God through his spiritual family. If a servant is told by their master to treat others as they would have themselves be treated, the servant, acts on their master's authority, and treats others how they would have themselves be treated.
The purpose of acting on faith is to bring the will of God into manifest. If our faith instead is secondary to our own will, the authority of Christ is not working in us. What that means is, we are not open to the Kingdom, which is the Holy Conscience of God. Our belief in Christ's authority leads us to deny ourselves in order to have holiness come through us in this humbled state. Only then do the true acts of holiness come through us.
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Galatians 5:22-25
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
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gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
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Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
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Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
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These qualities of the power of God, are qualities of the Holy Spirit that are in heaven. The Holy Spirit grants these qualities to come through us because of the faith we have. We deny ourselves the reactions we would normally have to act on our faith. And what replaces these human reactions is these holy qualities. This is what taking faith and serving with it means.
Once we hated, now we put that hate aside to be loving. Once we acted on our lust, now we put aside that lust to show self control. Once we were evil in our acts, now we sent that evil so by our faith we can have goodness come through us. Once we took vengeance, now we seek in faith to have peace with our enemies. Once we were driven with bitterness because of our place in life, now our faith supplies joy that others will witness and not understand. Once we were cruel and harsh to show we had strength, now we deny ourselves this pettiness and are gentle with those who are at our mercy.
It is through faith that all these unseen qualities of God can manifest through us. And this is the key to our role as the individual parts of the body of Christ. Our acts of selflessness separate us from the world, because they honor the Father through the authority He placed in His Son.
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Matthew 22:10-14
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So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
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“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
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He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
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“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
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Is belief enough? When we have holiness come through us because we denied ourselves for the love we hold to, we are learning and earning our place in the body of Christ. We are becoming what God intended us to become, a part of Him through His Holy Authority. See?
If all we do is say we believe yet do not act on it, we are naked and without understanding. Meaning our belief was simply based on our desire to gain eternal life, not to be a part of something we love.
There is a very important aspect that must also be recognized. Faith is based on love. If you truly love the Father, you want to do the work He set out for us. The work of the Father is to believe in the one He sent. If you truly love others, you want to treat them as you would have yourself be treated. And that means you would have yourself be acknowledged with holiness, because holiness is what comes through you for others.
God is love. Love is the foundation of Truth and all the unseen qualities of the Spirit. Faith itself is a quality of this love.
In summary, belief in Jesus as the ascended form of the Son of God must be recognized with obedience to his authority in order for holiness to come through you. Under his authority there are two commandments; Love the Father and love one another. You cannot say you truly believe if you do not serve in this way.
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