02/02/2012 - THE SAME FEAR

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I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Galatians 4:11

I have worked tirelessly for almost four decades of my ministry and I have witnessed great miracles performed by the Lord. One of them, by the way, is to see our country being transformed by the power of God. When I converted, we were few in number but today the national average of evangelicals is around 30% of the population. Some speak in a higher rate than this, but I have to admit that the same fear Paul had also exists in my heart.

The instrumentality of that apostle led him to win the Galatians to the Kingdom of God; however, instead of having an encounter with the Lord they became religious zealots, believing in teachings given by people who did not know the Most High. But this is dangerous because it is much more than doing what the Word forbids: it is to deny Jesus, the Son of God, as Lord of their life.

The same may be happening to you: faith was revealed to you so that you became a mature servant, who pleases your God, but once you start keeping days, months and years, for instance, then you depart from the Lord. These traditions serve only to keep the hands of the enemy firmly clasped upon these people who practice them! If the Son makes us free, we are free indeed (John 8:36).

The spiritual childishness is a sign that those who adopt this stance is not yet in the fullness of faith. The heavenly Father wishes that with each passing day we may attain the stature of His Son (Ephesians 4:13). In fact, God does not want us to continue to be limited in our service to Him, therefore we need to grow in grace so that the lost will see that the path appointed by the Lord to man – the Gospel – is the only option through which we can enjoy the blessings that have been achieved for us.

That does not mean we should avoid those who think otherwise in that it is our duty to support the weak. He who learns more of Jesus has an obligation to live as He lived. The world expects more than positive speeches. We have the Word that created the Heavens and the Earth, which will turn us into people like our Master. Every worker of the Lord must work for a fruitful end. Therefore, be thriving in faith, and in so doing you will give us the joy of seeing that we have not labored in vain.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares