Acts:Facts

Are you more concerned with the acts or the facts? Seems like an interesting question right...let me explain.

I will start with an example that most of the people who reads this will understand. Students, I want you to think about the beginning of the school year. Every professor will pass out a syllabus on the first day. It's basically the rules and how the class with function throughout the semester. The information on the syllabus is accurate pretty much every time. As a student you have the ability and have access to that syllabus whenever you want to look at it. It's right there for you at the palms of your hands. Nothing in the syllabus will ever be accomplished without the teacher. The teacher orchestrates how things work out, and dictates how much you actually learn. To conclude this example-the syllabus is good and you need it, but without the teacher, what are you actually accomplishing?

I want you to think about your faith this way. We have the Bible. It's always there for us. It's the truth. Everything in there is 100% accurate and nothing has ever been proved wrong. It's factual information. How many times though do you get caught up in just the facts and not really pay attention to what God is doing in your life?

An interesting thought I might say...

You can pray, read a devotional, and read your bible everyday but until you are actually realizing what God is doing in your life are you even exercising your faith? I challenge my myself with that question all of the time, I have gotten in a really good habit of doing those things, but am I actually growing on a deeper level? Not just a factual one?

Check out these words from Paul: "So again I ask does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? (Galatians 3:5)

People still try to get closer to God by following the rules. While certain disciplines and service help us grow, they use not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends themselves.

The Holy Spirit gives Christians great power to live for God. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. The tedium of everyday living leads them to conclude that something is wrong spiritually. Often the Holy Spirit's greatest work is teaching us to persist, to keep on doing what is right even when it no longer seems interesting or exciting.

Do you understand what I am trying to encourage you with this evening? I want you all to keep doing those little disciples every day and you will become more and more aware of what God is doing in your life. When you intentionally sit down and have Jesus time you are bound to experience the Holy Spirit's presence more and more. God is so real, and I can't put it into words how it feels to know he is always there.

The little things, lead to the big things. With time, with discipline, and with accountability you will live out your faith and be aware of the things God is doing in your life. You might argue and tell me that you don't understand what God wants from you right now...or why things are the way that they are. We were not created to know every answer to every question. There is no element of faith required if we knew everything that was going to happen in our lives. The most important part is understanding that God is right there no mater what. He is there and he is present. We might not understand what is going on, and that is okay.

Understanding and feeling God's presence is a key element to our faith. Without that understanding we are nothing.