But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:22-25
By Donald Lee
There is a hurting world out there, not just in the church, but outside of the church — the body of Christ — and that world is in dire need of some ready saints to go out and witness to it.
In order for this to happen, the people in the church should take kingdom business seriously.
Church should never be looked at, especially by those who it comprises, as a “social club.” Yeah, though you “join church,” you don’t “join the kingdom.” In other words, the saints should have a church that they are a part of, and I’ll dare to say a “home” church where they assemble, be it brick and mortar or teleconference, that they connect with for spiritual growth.
The “kingdom” is God’s way of doing things. It’s His dominion here in the earth, His jurisdiction. Kingdom living is just what it is, living a life that gives glory to the King of kings and lord of lords. That means sharing the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ beyond the walls of a physical building; it means allowing the Spirit of the Lord within your heart to lead you as you minister to others in the work place and wherever else there are people.
A kingdom lifestyle is the conscientious and subconscious practice of doing things God’s way, being God’s expression here in this earth, being compassionate toward others, being understanding toward others, demonstrating wisdom and understanding that boggles natural minds.
When you do godly deeds conscientiously consistently and with a willing heart over a period of time, you will then find yourself doing those deeds subconsciously. In other words, doing godly deeds, for the right reasons, I must add, goes from “These are the ‘acts’ I do” to “This is who I am.” It’s going from ritual to lifestyle; from religious to spiritual.
Too many people are caught up in rituals or “religious” acts and shun kingdom lifestyle, as in the “acts” being mere “expressions” of who you are and your undying, everlasting commitment to the Lord Jesus the Christ.
James 1:22-25, But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
What the Word calls for each of us to do is to take the message we hear in church service and then go out and put it into practice by sharing it with as many people in our communities as we can possibly reach.
We must understand that to go to church or call a teleconference line and hear a powerful Word from God and to be inspired but to not do anything with what we hear does a disservice to God. But to hear that Word and then go to our places of employment and share what we’ve heard is pleasing to God. I’m talking about places of employment, because much of our time is spent in the workplace, at our jobs. Yet in no way is this to suggest that the workplace is the only location we are to share the Word.
Know, friends, that I do understand that your place of employment — “they say” — is no place to share your spiritual beliefs. “They say” prayer is to be left out of the schools and that one shouldn’t impose his personal spiritual (or religious) beliefs on others.
But we have to remember that our heavenly Father has each of us on assignment, and that if He has to have us to go into places as “undercover evangelists” to set the captives free from spiritual bondage which transfers into this natural sphere of existence, then we have no choice as saints of God but to do what our Father says. We trust that He gives His angels charge over us and He gives us favor to do what we do.
As an “undercover evangelist” in the workplace, you may have a colleague who may be going through a bitter divorce through no fault of his (or her) own. This person could be a nervous wreck, and it causes their work to suffer, thus putting them in a dangerous situation as it relates to their job security.
But, as an “undercover evangelist,” a prayed-up man or woman of God, you can have confidence in knowing that the Lord has placed a Word down on the inside of you to share with that person that would change his (or her) whole outlook on his (or her) personal storm.
People go through so much in life. They need to hear that there is a God who loves them and who loves them so much that He’d send His servants to their rescue, to share a word of edification or exhortation with them. Sometimes, we’re called to witness in less-than-ideal settings. But with the Holy Spirit as our Guide, we have the power to speak a word that would translate tears of agony into tears of joy.
Doing this doesn’t require the quoting of scriptures, but demonstrating them through your compassionate personality.
Donald Lee, an author and freelance journalist, is founder-pastor of Kingdom Living Christian Center, based in the Dallas area. He can be contacted at 225.773.2248 or leedonaldj@gmail.com. Also, visit http://www.DonaldJLee.com.
