Acts 2:41 “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; .. “.
Receiving God’s Word includes more than merely hearing it! HIS WORD MUST BE OBEYED. We must DO what God says.
Carefully read James 1:18-27 and note how important it is to DO GOD’S WORD.
- It was through His WORD that we were brought forth into His family!
James 1:18 “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
- Those who gladly receive God’s Word are careful to listen so that they can live right!
James 1:19-20 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
- In order to be able to receive God’s Word we need to lay aside all sinfulness!
James 1:21 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness [Meekness is an attitude of humility that does not argue with God’s Word – it simply obeys it!] the implanted word [When God’s Word is received with meekness it becomes implanted in us. It becomes part and parcel of our lifestyles!], which is able to save your souls.” [As a result the saving work of Christ becomes deeper in us!]
- This will help us to become DOERS of the Word!
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
James 1:24 For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
- Doers of the Word are blessed people!
James 1:25 “But he who looks [this is what the hearer does] into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it [this is what the doer does], and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, THIS ONE WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES.”
- Doers of the word get involved in practical Christianity!
Some people are theologically accurate but not practical in their lifestyles.
James 1:26-27 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue [controlling our tongues is part and parcel of basic Christianity] but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
You couldn’t be more practical than this!
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Lord we pray, asking Your Wisdom, for been able to proactively act & do