Doers, Not Just Hearers or Onlookers

Feedback

Dear Patheos Friends; My heart is flowing with gratitude and appreciation. The feedback from the last post on “Beware of Spiritual Abuse” struck a cord. Many of the feedback are stories upon stories of God’s people that have experienced one form of spiritual abuse at the hands of those they trusted with their spiritual lives. It is evident there has been an awakening in the church collective. We are now awake! And as God continues His work among His people, the church collective will stay alert, prayerful and awake. We will do exactly what the scriptures says in Ephesians 5:11 (MSG), “Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them.”

In His Steps

That leads to this short post- doers of God’s Word and not just hearers of the Word or onlookers of the work of God. The times we are in are perilous as the Bible tells us. A time, when it is much easier to be a hearer of God’s Word or an onlooker of all God is doing. A time of deception in all forms. These are perilous times. In 1896, Reverend Charles Shelton published In His Steps, and promoted the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do” which became a household slogan in the 1990s. The idea behind the slogan, was to ignite a desire in followers of Jesus Christ to model Christ-likeness.

Doer of the Word and Work

Where are the doers of God’s Word? We have enough hearers and onlookers. In a recent conversation, someone mentioned perhaps the reason why we have more hearers and onlookers is that many in God’s church collective are yet to experience transformation that comes through repentance and faith in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Each one will answer to God directly. And for every follower of Jesus Christ that know first hand the transforming power of God, being a hearer or an onlooker is not an option. God is calling the doers of His Word- may His people answer. James 1:22-25, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”