Doers Not Just Hearers
When that heartstring is plucked by something someone says, what are you going to do about it?
I am in vacation mode. As those in my class know, I leave for Columbus, Ohio, tomorrow with my son for the Origins game fair convention for a week. My mind raced this morning, and I got up early, not able to shut things down. I have a lot to do today, starting with this.
In class on Sunday, we talked about having deep roots in Jesus as individuals. It is important for us to do this because, as the branch from His vine, we cannot bear fruit continuously without the nourishment from the main plant, Jesus. Oh, we can bear a season of fruit, but like a branch broken off from the tree, once that fruit is gone, there is no more because we are cut off from the source. This is being “temporary” rather than constant.
18“Hear then the parable of the sower.
19“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
20“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
Matthew 13:18–21 (NASB95)
Once we are firmly rooted in Jesus, growing in His love and ways, we begin to bear fruit as He did. This is walking in Him.
5For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
6Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Colossians 2:5–7 (NASB95)
When we walk in the spirit of Jesus, as He walked, we do the things He did. But Jesus tells us in scripture that we will do far more than that. The idea of me doing more than Jesus did boggles my mind, but it is what He said.
9Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
11“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
12“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.
John 14:9–12 (NASB95)
The words of James become more poignant to me as I consider Jesus’ own words about what we will do if we believe and have faith in Him.
19This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
20for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:19–22 (NASB95)
That “doers” part is tough. It means acting on the implanted word. It means taking on the hard tasks. Even if the tasks aren’t difficult, they are more than we are doing today, and we all have very full lives as it is. Taking on more seems daunting. But we make time for the things that are important to us, so what do we make time for today?
Regardless, as a spiritual soul trapped in this limited fleshly body, some days just taking on the day takes all the energy some people have. In those cases, how do we even approach being doers of the word and not merely hearers of the word, deluding ourselves? As someone in class pointed out, it is because we don’t rely on just our own strength.
10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:10–13 (NASB95)
We hear that passage a lot, I can do all things through Him (Jesus/God/The Holy Spirit) who strengthens me. It bears repeating, multiple times a day sometimes. But what’s the point? The point is that the flesh is weak and needs help. God knows this and is there to help, but He also promised us rest because He knows all things.
9So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
10For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
11Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.
12For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
13And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Hebrews 4:9–13 (NASB95)
That passage kills two birds with one stone. It details that God has rest waiting for His faithful, obedient servants who are doers of the word, not deluding themselves. That passage also answers a question I was asked in the gathering time and then after class: “Does God really know everything?" That wasn’t the actual question. It is the spirit of the question. The actual question was, “Is God all-knowing, or is God always learning, or some combination?”
It cannot be some combination. Either God knows everything, or God doesn’t and is learning things about His creation all the time. From a purely scriptural standpoint, there is nothing God doesn’t know, which means there is nothing for God to learn because in order to be able to learn something, you can’t know it first. Something learned is unknown by definition, and verse 13 of the Hebrews scripture above clearly outlines that nothing is hidden from God. Here’s another one.
18Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
19We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
1 John 3:18–20 (NASB95)
Note that John addresses those who have to learn that God knows everything as “little children.” Let’s not be children about God. Let us put on mature clothing to go about mature tasks and accomplish mature labors on behalf of the Creator of the Universe. When we stuff God in the box of human understanding, we limit Him with human weaknesses God doesn’t have. It is our failing that we do this because we cannot fathom knowing everything, since there is so much we individually don’t know. That’s why we need the church, the Body of Christ, and the myriad gifts possessed by the members of the body. What I don’t know, someone else does. What you don’t know, someone else does. When we gather as the Body of Christ, the church-universal, there is someone there, that hive-mind if you will, that knows what is needed to advance the cause, whatever it is.
The fact that I don’t know everything and someone else does is fantastic news, too. That means I don’t have to do everything. It means you don’t have to do everything. When we admit we don’t know everything, it means we cannot be tasked with doing everything. It means we get to rest as someone else who does know how to do the thing being asked about takes up the burden for us. We get to rest, until the burden returns to something we are competent in, and do know about. In our idleness, we rest, but we also encourage those in their labors, knowing our turn will come. When our turn does come, it is time for those others to rest and encourage us. These are the many branches abiding in the vine, feeding and drawing strength from the Body of Christ, walking in His ways. This is how we demonstrate that we are not deluded, but doers of the word and not hearers only. God bless and Godspeed.
15“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
16“Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.
17“For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
18“So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
Luke 8:15–18 (NASB95)