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THE PLACE OF FAITH IN SPIRITUAL WORK.

BY  A. F. BEARD



The faith which saves men is not given to societies; it belongs to every man as if he were the only man. The divine indwelling is not communal, but is personal. Only a personal faith can lay hold on God and administer his love for man. It alone can be stirred with the divine compassion which
yearns for the lost. It alone can be a witness and an interpreter.

There may be benevolent care, merciful humanities, noble philanthropies, ethical and social enterprises, which are not the offspring - the result - of this personal faith in God. But the help which goes to the sources of degradation and misery, the redemption of souls from that which brings the evil, calls for an energy which is not of man. The recuperative power for the world's
permanent good is only in the saving grace of God. This comes through personal experience and service. It does not belong to communities, nor to organizations.


Let this have our consent first of all. It does not disprove the fact that faith in God - when it is united with faith through Jesus Christ in agreement with God's will, gains efficiency. Though one may have faith to remove mountains, the faith of two is more than that of one. 

Mutual dependence and influence is one of God's methods. It is he who teaches us that discipleship means fellowship of one kind or another. Spiritual growth must follow faith. This introduces us to the Christian church. 


The church - is made up of those who are true Christians. The Church (meaning the people, not the building) is divinely ordained to collect faith. It brings together those who believe. It concentrates faith. It organizes the varied gifts of persons. It combines units and brotherhood is stronger than a brother. This concentration is both prudence and spiritual influence. The churches are reservoirs of faith. The church also diffuses faith. "That they all may be one; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me," was the prayer of Christ. A right union of faith in a needy world can speed the gospel better and more than independent faith. And this can happen in a church, if that Church is truly organized using the principles and guidelines that are in the New Testament and Not rooted in the fads and marketing gimmicks that abound in our time. 




For these reasons of how strengthening a Mature local church Can be, it is not hard to see that the Spiritual enemies of the Sacrifice and Resurrection (atonement) of Jesus have a vested interest in confusing individual believers in all ways so that the power of the Church will be greatly reduced. The antidote to this is so simple that many of us have hardly used it: we must become personally familiar with the contents of the New Testament. We must read those books IN the Bible, rather than only books About the Bible. 


When Christians actually pray to understand God and know Him better, when Christians pray to WANT to know God more, and when Christians spend time reading their New Testament, they become familiar with God. They come to have a better understanding first of the Love of God, and of the Unconditional love that God has for them. Those who spend time in building their relationship with God also come to have a better understanding of the ideas that God approves of, and those that are simply the efforts of men. Pastors are approached dozens of times every year, in magazines, at conferences, at seminars and by Church Consultants, in order to sell those pastors different kinds of formulas that - supposedly - will make their church a "success".

It is important for Pastors and Laymen to remember - that the test of the success of the Church is found in the spiritual walk of those who attend that Church. Spiritual Depth, knowledge of God, and an understanding of the deeper doctrines of the Bible that gives Spiritual Strength, THOSE are the basis for evaluating the success of any Local Church congregation. 

We can only hope and pray that many more people will wake up to the dangers of the Purpose Driven life Model. We would encourage you to visit our webpage to learn how you can contribute to this discussion by sharing your stories and experiences with us at this page.