Saved by Faith by Phil Kinney
Being good doesn’t get you saved, only by Faith through the Word can you be saved
Coming to church is a good thing. Giving tithes and offerings and being generous towards other people is a good thing. Praying is a good thing. Fearing God is a good thing.
These are all good things – but none of them will get you saved!!!! None of them will get you into heaven. How do I know – because the Bible tells me so!!
Cornelius (Acts 10) was devout man (which means he was reverencing God, pious, religious). He went to the synagogue as much as he could.
• Cornelius gave tithes, offerings and he gave to those in need.
• Cornelius prayed to God regularly.
• Cornelius even feared God.
But Cornelius was not saved. He was on a one way trip to hell, because he had not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. All of his actions made a way for God to reach him, but it was only upon Cornelius hearing the gospel and believing it that he was saved. As his family heard the gospel they too believed and were saved.
• There are a lot of people going to church – but they haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour
• There are a lot of people giving to charities and giving to churches but haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour
• We are told 87% of Australians pray at least once a week. They believe there is a God out there and they pray to Him, but they have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
It doesn’t matter what you have do or are doing. It doesn’t matter how good you are, how much you give, how much you pray – none of this will get you saved.
(Illustration on power point from Foundations)
You see there are even another lot of people who I call the barely saved. They are looking to enter the Kingdom of God by the skin of their teeth. Cornelius and his family jumped into the Kingdom of God with everything they had. They accepted Jesus unconditionally and were filled with the power of the Holy Ghost with signs and wonders, speaking in tongues. They weren’t using their past theology to rationalize why this and that shouldn’t happen – they were hungry for everything God had for them. And so they unconditionally surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, got totally filled with the Holy Spirit and God moved powerfully through them. They became a witness to the surrounding people as to the wonder and power of God. This is a pattern seen in the early church. They surrendered themselves totally and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully through them and people in the community around them wanted to be a part of the group because of the miracles and signs and wonders done. This is power evangelism, but it takes total salvation and self denial – choosing to live for Christ. It takes confessing our sins and turning from them. It takes facing up to our insecurities, our past, our stuff, our baggage and allowing the Holy Spirit to deal with us. It takes losing our cynicism, our critical attitudes and truly seeking to build and encourage others. It takes not caring what everyone else thinks, but rather choosing to live totally for God.
Discussion questions
