Social Restoration - Phase 2: Social Action, Part 1

We all want to see change we can post on social media. We can protest we can put models on our teachers, but in less there's one thing that we practice. I assure you there will be no social restoration. What's that one thing that's today living on the welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with children Living on the Edges of daily discipleship ministry Christians live like Christian.

Here's a question.

It sounds a little bit like a joke really is not what's the difference between a social club and the church. The answer less and less research tells us that culture is pressing the church and the differences between the two are becoming less and less sort of serious minded believers due to countercultural pressure and not give up their positive Christian influence chips invited his son Ryan to answer that question by sharing his message called social action will be here in studio to add his thoughts after the teaching let's join Ryan Ingram now for his talk from James chapter 2 in the midst of social injustice and social unrest. Our hearts are longing our nation's longing is this how do we experience social restoration like how do we experience where the brokenness in the fracture newness of her society and the brokenness and the fracture nest of what the evils of racism, the evils of prejudice the brokenness and the fracture nest of of one week.

Go to the extremes and we just pass people and categories. How do we begin to see restoration and healing and wholeness and I think there is actually another question for those of us who are followers of Jesus, that's that.

We have to ask is how do we bring about social restoration. You see, you see, the church was never intended to be a social club we've turned into that I go. I am a part of this I get my community not enough we are to be up people to bring out a social revolution in the name of Jesus.

That is our purpose on this planet to bring the gospel, which changes hearts and lives in healing and wholeness.

While how do we bring about social restoration. In fact James, the half-brother Jesus.

He is the pastor of the church in Jerusalem that was undergoing their own social upheaval that they experience intense persecution they were scattered. They were in unrest. They were disappointed emotionally trying to figure out how to navigate life, and he's going to give us four phases in which we are to engage in to experience or to bring about social restoration.

Social restoration begins when followers of Jesus embrace. There is no social distinction. Now listen among followers of Jesus there is to be no favoritism there is to be no prejudice there is to be no racism. It has no place among the people of God.

The apostle Paul would say it this way, that there is neither Jew nor Greek, is neither slave nor free, there's new, male nor female but all are one in Christ, where we embrace that as followers of Jesus. The first appetite. There is no social distinction a distinctive mark of the first followers of Jesus and the followers today is to be that there is no social distinction were looking at phase 2 social action memo that question how do we bring about social restoration.

If we want to experience social restoration followers of Jesus need to engage in a very specific social action and James is going to unpack it for us in James chapter 2 verse 14. If you got your Bibles would you open up and dive in with me today were talking all about social action, and here's what James is what good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deed. What good is it, what good does it do if I believe in certain things but I don't do what I say I believe, and then he ask another question. Can such faith save them.

Can such a faith help them what kind of faith does that producer. What does it do doesn't do anything at all, and then is going to give us an illustration. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes. Here's the picture that is painting. Suppose you're walking around but if you've come across someone you don't like, man, this is someone I know someone I love that this is a brother or sister in Christ. Suppose you come across them in there without clothes literally in the Greek it's neck. It is suppose there naked. This is the picture he's painting and they have no daily food, if one of you says to them go in peace, which is just a typical farewell. Have a good day maybe would say it this way.

Take care, like like like take care you should you need, taking care and and he says this keep warm and well fed, which is actually the person commanding them.

You should get some clothes.

You should get some food. You really need to take care of that but does nothing about their physical need another question. What good is it and the answer you know and I know no good at all. It does them no good if if I just have good feelings, good intentions, good.so I'm just gonna send you good thoughts only know what that means I'm gonna send you good thoughts, but I do nothing good then it does no good at all. This is what James is saying. And now he's bringing a home is in the same way. In like manner, listen to this faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dad, faith by itself, if not accompanied with action is useless or worthless. See, he's saying if we want to experience social restoration followers of Jesus need to put their faith in to action. He's calling you and I to have a faith that works the faith that gets to work. See, it's one thing to talk to talk and we all know this is another thing to walk the walkie St. practice what you preach.

Put it in to action. See what James is addressing here is something that it has become like the way we've started to engage as followers of Jesus in America see what is it you addressing with these early followers is a type of mentality that we can have what some of called a fire insurance faith right. It means I believe certain things I say certain things.

It has zero impact about my daily life like I'll go to church on Sunday but has no impact on Monday, but because I believe the certain things I hold to these propositional truth, then my eternity is secure. Though it has no impact on my earthly reality and he's confronting that type of engagement from followers of Jesus, and he set them up. The calling for you and I for one experience social restoration is a faith that works for the gifts to work a faith that does the work. Faith what is faith and I wanted to find this force because as I think we over spiritualize faith right and so becomes this like very abstract concept and yet the reality is every single action that you take is preceded by faith in you.

We live and operate by faith I mean when you turn on your car. That was an act of faith, trusting that all the things are going to work on. You know the way they built that machine it would work to turn on and take you somewhere. We do these step-by-step all the time so only give you definition of faith. Faith is a strong confidence in, and reliance upon someone or something like I have confidence in you and so I'm going to rely or trust or bank on you or someone that is a means to believe. To the extent of complete trust and reliance that, for example, in the giving example of this.

You go to the doctor. The doctor gives you a diagnosis and maybe you have some sort of infection and you've been going through this and then they give you antibiotics is fantastic faith is trusting the doctors diagnosis that you have confidence in reliance upon that medicine that they gave you and so you take that pill you take the antibiotics to get well what James is saying is it's great to say I have confidence in the doctor, it's great to say I have you know this pill right here.

These antibiotics fantastic.

But if you do not take the pill. What good is it for you know good at all solicit then turned us of what is biblical faith that faith is the confidence in that God is who he said he is, his character, and he will do or accomplish what he said he will do, meaning then I will bit begin to take what I cognitively believe about God and who he said he is and what he said is true, and put that into practice in my daily life. I, John Norberg said it is that faith is coming to believe with my whole body. What I say I believe was my mind. Faith is coming to believe with my whole body. What I say I believe with my mind and so to trust Jesus is to believe that he was right about everything. He was right about how we should go about life. He was right about the best ways of life. He was right that he is life itself, and that no one can come to the father except through him and to follow Jesus is to follow step in life, no, for some your wrestling with and wonder about. Okay Ingram what happened to salvation by faith alone.

Right. Okay this faith and works.

Still, what happened to salvation by faith alone are our like Paul and James in conflict here and are they contradicting each other now they're not contradicting each other. In fact there complementing each other see the apostle Paul and and James are addressing two different groups with two very different issues at hand. Paul is addressing legalism and how to enter into the family of God, and you had legalism saying you have to do acts amount of work to be accepted by God and this is who Paul is addressing aunt James is addressing those already in the family of God, who say you know what he's talking about activity in the family got out of get into the family got the activity in the apostle Paul is addressing the root of salvation or the root of faith. James is addressing the fruits of faith. And if you read the apostle Paul carefully you'll recognize. He understands this to affect the famous passage and if you're still fallen along in in the book James got your analog by well just flip over a few pages over you go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse eight, and here the apostle Paul. This is our salvation by faith alone tax that that we hold so dear exist, for it is by grace you have been saved through faith and that is not of yourself. It is a gift of God not by works.

You can't do anything to earn the gift of God. You can't do anything to make yourself right with God so that no one can boast this by faith in his grace okay but then notice what Paul says in verse 10 we often stop at verse nine for we are God's handiwork, his masterpiece. His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to help me out here to do good to do what to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. See you are not saved by good works, but you are saved for good works, see your good works will never earn you any merit before God.

But if we understand and recognize the grace of God and what it means to be in his family. We recognize that that our faith in action. We are created in Christ Jesus to do good works right now the calling of James and of Paul is a faith that were like a Dallas Willard said it said grace is not opposed to efforts, we confuses grace supposed earning earning isn't attitude effort is an action will then let why is this faith that works so very important.

What's the big deal about all of this was why does James seem to think this this is what is going to take to help bring about social restoration what was going to give us three reasons why this is so incredibly important in the first thing he's going to say to us is your behavior reveals what you truly believe how you behave reveals what you actually believe, not just what you say you believe he says this. Some will say you have faith and I have deeds or you know it you have the face side and I do the deed side, you know, we can all do the same and he says that show me your faith without deeds I will show you my faith by my deeds.

And then he goes on to say this you believe that there is one God right for you. I could see them just gotten nice awesome even the demons believe that in shutter the Mrs. so check this out. Doctrinal correctness is incredibly important. But if all you have is doctrinal correctness with out a life that lives it out says it doesn't differentiate you from the demons seek your behavior reveals what truly listening to LVH with Chip Ingram and Ryan Ingram's teaching is from his serious social restoration right will be back with part two of his message at our next program. But chips here now with some thoughts about what you heard today before he gets to that.

I hope you'll take a second to go online or tap share and encourage others to join us for this series to social restoration is complicated, even with the best of intentions, well-meaning people get themselves into trouble. So how do we make a difference and bring light not heat leaves messages from Ryan Ingram bring a lot of clarity to the question. He looks at our current circumstances with the gospel vision of community, and provides biblical solutions for limited time, resources for social restoration are discounted and the MP3s are always free to order your copy or to send it to a friend visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for additional information. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003 that's AAA 333-6003.

Which of the series from Ryan is certainly timely one as you guys talked about it.

I know one of the things that was important is that there's a ton of rhetoric being thrown around today, but not a lot of practical help and so not only do we have these programs but Ryan's put these messages into a little booklet so people could read it on their own and insured with others, absolutely days and as Ryan and I talked. He pastors a church obviously right here in the San Francisco Bay area.

A very progressive part of the country where social justice and the kind of issues that are rocking our world and our country and you know if you want to see macro change you can talk about it you can put on a T-shirt you can say this is what's wrong, but at some point in time, you have to take steps you have to have very specific steps and so it has booklet social restoration wears a start and what must we do Ryan will give us some very specific biblical steps to move from words to actions in our own worlds so we can begin to move as followers of Christ as agents of blessing. The bring healing to our fractured world really helpful will not only is it a print copy but were also making this little booklet available as an e-book. Either way, you can choose a free copy when you go to your website. LivingontheEdge.org Special offers on the app or give us a call at AAA 83336003 that's AAA 333-6003. We love to get it into your hands and then have you pass it on when you're done. It's a great little conversation starter with the bonus of God honoring solutions request your free copy of social restoration@livingontheedge.org special offers on the app or by calling us at AAA 83336003. Hope you'll do it today as we wrap up today's program. I'm still thinking about something. Ryan said that I think would be easy to miss. I need to get our minds around it, to let it really take root in our souls and let it motivate our attitudes and I think it will change everything if you really grasp it. He said we are not saved by good works. We are saved for good works, and then he had a line I love. I'm not sure where he got this, but we've talked about a lot his father and son and pastor to pastor and it's this. Your behavior reveals what you really believe and I hear people and myself say all the time. I believe this or I believe that at the end of the day if you want to know what you believe about anything. Your behavior reveals your real beliefs at my generation so much of the emphasis has been we are not saved by our good works right. It's by faith through grace that we are say that's not of ourselves. It's a gift of God not a result of works, lest any man should boast. I just quoted Ephesians 2 verses 89 and in my generation, we pounded that home but I think we might've pounded that part of the two strongly without verse 10 that says that we are his workmanship, created for a good work that God ordained that we should walk in.

I think were living in a day where people actually think I believe in Jesus, I can sing some songs. I intellectually agree with the right doctrines. Everything must be okay but then you look at their behavior or look at yours or I look at mine and you say am I serving anyone anywhere will not really does my money go to meet the needs of the poor, the orphan, the widow, those that are hurting do I give regularly of my time to I really care about people will not really somehow posting something on media or saying I believe certain things are going to a concert or singing little songs about Jesus.

We have deluded ourselves into thinking that although we really are believers were really followers the fact of the matter is we are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works, and if there is not a habitual pattern of kindness, love, sacrifice, care patients, holiness and concern for other people than we need to pause when you ask ourselves what do I really believe, or am I like this passage where it says the demons believe intellectually in Jesus. They believe he is Lord. They had not submitted to his Lordship, so this is a sobering question and I want you to think about all day.

Where are you at in your relationship with Jesus Christ. What does your behavior say about what you really believe and for those of you who would lean back and say you know I know without a doubt that I'm a part of God's family, then I would say do you have a pattern of good works.

Beginning in your family, your neighborhood where you work in your church and are we doing that in a way where our good works are literally shining brightly and letting people understand there is a God who deeply loves them, if not, let's make a difference together. Let's love people, let's do good to everyone. Even though we vehemently disagree with and watch what God does. As we wrap up I want to say thanks to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support. Your gifts help us create programs purchase airtime and develop additional resources to help Christians live like Christians know if you've been blessed by the ministry of Living on the Edge. Would you consider sending a gift today. You can call us at AAA 333-6003. Tap the donate button or donate online at http://livingontheedge.org your support is greatly appreciated will be sure to join us again next time when we continue our series social restoration so venomously saying thanks for listening to this edition of living all the