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Sunday 06/22/25

Title: Faith & Good works Pt. 1

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Faith & Good Works

Well if you have been following this series of “Maturity & Ministry” you know that we have been investigating what the New Birth looks like in terms of our ongoing responsiblities and stewardships in the Kingdom.

These include, but are not necessarily limited to:

Love and respect for God
Being proactive about the Word of God abiding in us
Pursuing love of the brethren
Desiring and being good stewards over the spiritual gift(-s) given to us
Being faithful stewards over theministry to which Jesus, the Lord of the Body, appointed us.
Producing good works

Over the past 4 weeks we have taken a journey through the New Testament identifying specific things God calls “good works”.

This week we are beginning to look at the role faith plays in our pursuit of good works and our responsibility to encourage it in our fellow believers.

Going through these passages was “off the cuff” so I have no notes on what we covered but each of these passages we explored as the Spirit led – paying particular attention to Good Works and the role faith plays in them.

NOTE: I mention that God’s record of our lives do not contain the failures of our past once we have changed our coarse. I was working from memory and somehow blundered and said the passage was in Zecharaih and it was actually in Ezekial 18. Opps! Here is a link to that message from our series ‘Thru the Bible‘ – God sets the record straight.

Romans 2:1-8,

“(1) Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. (2) Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things.

(3) And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? (4) Or do you have contempt for the wealth of His kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

(5) But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!

(6) He will reward each one according to his works:

(7) eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,

(8) but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness.”

Hebrews 10:19-25,

“(19) Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, (20) by the fresh and living way that He inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, (21) and since we have a great Priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. (23) And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the One Who made the promise is trustworthy.

(24) And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, (25) not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.”

James 1:1-27,

“(1) James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. (2) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (5) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Blessings!

Tri

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!

Faith & Good Works Pt. 1