the sower magazine - equipped for every good work (1st quarter 2014)

The quarterly magazine of Spirit & Truth Fellowship International®

Volume 16 Issue 1 | 1st Quarter 2014

TheSower

2 The Sower 1st Quarter 2014

Equipped for Good Works

1st Quarter 2014Opening Letter

“Kind words and good works are a universal language understood by everyone, and there are many opportunities to make a difference for someone. ”

A major theme of the Sower Magazine in 2014 “equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us that believers are equipped for every good work,

which can have a direct and profound impact on the world in which we live.

God and Jesus are working very hard to build the Church, and reports of new conversions are coming in from all over the globe—especially in areas that have traditionally been hostile toward Christianity. For example, it was just a year or two ago that one source said that more Moslems are estimated to have accepted Christ in the last fifteen years than in the previous fifteen centuries. But at the same time in which people are in great need of the love and support that will lead them to the Lord, studies also show that people are less trusting than they were in the past. That is not a surprise, especially since almost every day there is a new story in the media that builds our distrust. I was appalled this past Christmas season to hear about people even robbing the Salvation Army bell ringers just to get what little was in their red kettles.

There is a saying that “a rising tide lifts all ships,” and one of the challenges we as Christians face is that we are not immune to becoming distrustful like the world around us. Jesus clearly foretold that one of the signs of the end of the age would be an increase in wickedness and that the love of many would grow cold (Matt. 24:12). We need to guard our

hearts against becoming suspicious and bitter and cutting off our contact with people, and instead fellowship with God and others, and maintain a good attitude about people. Yes, we need to be wise in our dealings with others, but we must also be loving and welcoming toward them. This is where being “equipped for good works” makes a powerful impact.

Ironically, the very fact that the world is becoming more distrusting and more dangerous makes the work of genuine loving Christians easier for others to see. Often, it only takes a simple kind word or act to really cheer someone up. Kind words and good works are a universal language understood by everyone, and there are many opportunities to make a difference for someone. Many times all we need to do is to keep our eyes open for the occasion and have a willing heart to act. In the words of a character in the movie, “Top Gun,” we live in “a target-rich environment.” There are loads of people to help and bless. Look around and you will see that many people in the world are so absorbed in their “own stuff” that they have no inclination to help anyone. No wonder a helpful person stands out from the crowd—and, being equipped by God for every good work, Christians are that much more prepared to show the loving nature of God to a mistrusting, hurting world. Through our good words and deeds, we can make the Good News about Jesus Christ more attractive to others. What a great resolution for 2014!

John W. Schoenheit

1st Quarter 2014 The Sower 3

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CreditsPublisher Spirit & Truth Fellowship International ®Executive Editors John W. SchoenheitDan Gallagher

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. References taken from other translations or versions will be noted, e.g., King James Version=(KJV). In verses or quotations from other authors, the author has emphasized words by placing them in bold print. Words inside [brackets] have been added by the author. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™. © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

ContentsVolume 16 - Issue 1 - 1st quarter 2014

Good Deeds“Preach the gospel, and if you must…use words”

by Dan Gallagher

The Spirit & Truth Fellowship Mobile AppFor iPhones, iPads and Androids

Equipped for Good Worksby John W. Schoenheit

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Lead Article FEATURE

Have you ever considered how much of our modern world depends on mankind’s ability

to accurately measure things? As I was driving my car the other day I thought about how every part of our automobile involves measuring. Obviously, if we were not able to measure things precisely our vehicles couldn’t even exist, given the complexity of the moving parts in the engines, transmission and the myriad of other intricate parts. But even from a much simpler perspective, consider what a nuisance it would be to

drive a car without a gas gauge. In all likelihood, wherever we went we would probably see motorists stranded on the side of the roadways. Without the ability to accurately measure, we wouldn’t even know how much air is in the tires, the amount of oil in the engine, or how to adjust the volume on the radio. Clearly the need to measure is a part of our everyday life and something we take for granted.

The majority of my forty-plus-year career has been spent in the business world, mostly working as a small

business owner. I have been involved in a number of small business start-ups, their daily running, and even their eventual shutting down. It was never my experience to have a mass of people beating a path to my door or a crowd of customers throwing money at me for my goods and services. Rather, success was the result of lots of hard work and long hours applying proven principles, which included the ability to measure certain things.

At the end of every year, businesses “close the books” and take a final tally to

by Dan Gallagher

Good Deeds —“Preach the gospel, and if you must…use words”


FEATURE Lead Article

see how things have gone. Their “day of judgment,” so to speak, has arrived and it is time for the records to tell the story of how they did. The time of “would have” and “should have” is past, and now the business must face the reality of the success or failure of their operations. The bottom-line purpose (pun intended) of a business is to make a profit, which in its simplest terms means that you are retaining more money than you spend. To determine that, every business must answer two very essential questions: “How are we doing?” and “What are we basing our answer on?”

The day of measuring is coming for everyone

Measuring is not only an integral part of our physical world, it is also something that takes place in the spiritual realm too. The reality is that there will be a time when every human being will be “measured” by the King.

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God has no desire that the Day of Judgment would surprise anyone. He is not like some drill sergeant who wants to catch his boot camp recruits unaware by having a surprise night inspection. There was a period of time when I owned an abatement firm, which is a business that specializes in the removal of hazardous materials, including asbestos, a very hazardous cancer-causing substance. Since we dealt with some very dangerous materials, every aspect of our work was

highly regulated and we were also subject to surprise inspections from a multitude of government agencies. Everyone in the industry hates the idea of the random inspections, mostly because they always seemed to come at the most inopportune times and also because fines for violations are very expensive, running as much as $25,000 per violation. The good thing, though, was that everyone knew exactly what was going to be inspected. We all knew how we were going to be measured, and if we did things right then there was nothing to fear. Similarly, God has told all mankind that there will be an exam, and He even informed everyone about how they will be measured. Taking a lesson from the business world, it would be very helpful for all followers of Christ to stop and ask ourselves, “How well am I doing in following Jesus?” and, “What am I using to measure my effectiveness?”

How will we be measured?

Getting a good grip on how well we are doing in our spiritual walk is really not a hard thing to do. Measuring ourselves from a spiritual perspective may seem somewhat vague or intangible, but it really isn’t. First and foremost, every true follower of Christ must always keep in mind that they have already passed the salvation exam.1 What a fantastic relief it is to know that there is no threat whatsoever of flunking out on salvation, and we have absolute assurance of it; or, to paraphrase the Apostle Paul, when it comes to our salvation, the “deal has been sealed.”

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21) Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.

22) He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

We must always think of ourselves as sons, not sinners. We have the RIGHT to view ourselves the way God does, which is as sons of God, because that is what we are! We must never forget that, so when we speak of measuring ourselves it is only from the perspective of being able to get a true sense of how well we are responding to God’s gift of life everlasting. Hearts that are truly thankful will respond in very tangible and measurable ways.

You know the tree by its fruit

We will never know the true answer to the question, “How well am I doing at following Jesus?” if we are not using the correct standards to measure our effectiveness. Jesus summarized the measuring concept in a masterful way when he said, “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matt. 12:33). But we must remember that when it comes to people, there are many different types of fruit trees and they can all have good fruit. We are not to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, as doing so would be like a pear tree being upset that its fruit didn’t taste like an apple tree’s. Measuring ourselves by using others as the standard can lead us

“People may misunderstand our words, but they almost never misunderstand our good deeds!”


in two sinful directions: inadequacy on the one hand or self-righteousness on the other. When comparison with others persists long enough it often gives way to envy or contempt and those always lead to division. We are only to measure ourselves against ourselves, with the standard being, “Am I doing my best?”

The Scriptures clearly identify particular hallmarks of the genuine disciple, which include prayer, reading and meditating on God’s Word, being with and serving others in the Body of Christ, being ready to testify about our faith in Christ, and being full of good deeds. Some members in the Body have strengths in these various areas, which is also why I am not to measure myself against others. When it comes to witnessing or the study of God, the evangelist and teacher are gifted in these areas, so of course they should excel. It hardly seems fair that I should be denied rewards if I am not praying as much as someone who has an intercessory gifting, or conversely, that they would not be held to account for praying like someone like me who is not gifted in that area. However, of all the various qualities of a disciple, the one area that everyone seems equally qualified for is good works.

We were created in Christ to do good works

God intended that the message of salvation be followed by good deeds. A person receiving salvation that is not followed up by good deeds is like a bucket with a hole in the bottom; it is not working the way the bucket maker intended.

Not only are good deeds something that every Christian can do, it is one of the very purposes for which God created us.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God

prepared in advance for us to do.

The Word of God is unmistakable; the purpose of our salvation—why we are created in Christ Jesus—is so that we do good works. Jesus said that the light we have is to shine in such a way that men see our good deeds (Matt 5:16). And Paul tells us we are to be “rich in good deeds,” which includes being “generous and willing to share” (1 Tim 6:18). Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, states,

“When we committed ourselves to following Christ, we also committed to living our lives in such ways that a watching world would catch a glimpse of God’s character—His justice, and mercy—through our words, actions, and behavior.” 2

Good deeds are like a flashing neon billboard advertising, “Come here, world, and check this out!” God tells us that it is His kindness that leads men to repentance, and one of the primary ways people experience His kindness is through us. Since we all can easily do a good deed, that means that no one is limited in his or her ability to participate in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

How are we measuring up?

When it comes to good deeds, if we are going to be truly honest about how we are doing collectively as the entire Body of Christ, then the record does not appear to be very good. In 2012 it was reported that there was a total world population of close to 7 billion people, and of that, 2.2 billion, or 31.5%, claimed to be Christian. Now surely, if almost one-third of the world were really disciples of Christ and were doing the good works that he instructed his followers to do,

then we should rightly expect the world to look drastically different than it does.

One of the problems with statistics like those above is that we know they are including people who call themselves “Christian,” but really aren’t because they have never confessed Christ as their Lord. As harsh as that may sound, the results of surveys and numerous studies indicate that there are many people nowadays who think that being “Christian-ish” is good enough. Astoundingly, the harsh reality today is that as many as 6 in 10 of those in the “millennial generation” who are raised in the Christian faith end up walking away, and yet many of them will still refer to themselves as being a “Christian.” Recently a friend of mine told me about a conversation he had with a young woman who said she was a Christian despite the fact she didn’t believe in Jesus or his works. Her rationale: her family was Christian so that made her one too. This is why the reality is that the 31.5% number is inflated. Furthermore, a significant number of people who really are saved are not actively following Christ. Being a true follower of Christ is not about a one-time confession but a lifetime of walking in his footsteps.

In many ways little has changed through the generations since the first-century Church. Now, just like then, being a true disciple of Jesus is not as much about what we think or say but about what we do. For years I always thought of my being an “ambassador for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20) in terms of speaking the gospel news to others.

The reality is that being an Ambassador for Christ is not just the words we speak but also very much about the things we do, which must be good deeds. This is what

Saint Francis of Assisi meant when he said, “Preach the gospel always; when necessary use words.” When we do good deeds motivated by a heart of love, kindness, and gentleness, the world will stop and take notice. Our good deeds



will stand out like a beacon of light to the lost traveler in a world of darkness, and especially so as the days grow more evil.

Good works—it is a big part of how you will be measured

Some of the dominant themes of Scripture have to do with God’s heart for the poor, the weak, the defenseless, and the less fortunate members of society. He even showed His care and concern by making it part of the Law that debts were to be forgiven on a regular basis and instructing people to harvest their crops in such a way that the disadvantaged members of society could gather the “gleanings” (Lev. 19:9, 23:22). One of the most fundamental things Jesus confronted the religious leaders about was that their teachings were more concerned about religious rules and standards of outward behavior than about good deeds that included justice and mercy, which they neglected (Matt. 9:13; 12:7).

Like the Pharisees, it is easy to ignore the needs of others, especially when the world is so distracting and conditions us to think of ourselves instead of others. It requires mental preparation to have

a heart that is inclined towards others so that each of us is a “giver” instead of a “taker.” Doing good deeds is not something that comes “naturally,” at least not for me. It always helps and inspires me when I read of the unselfish acts of others. Perhaps this is why the Scriptures instruct us to help one another in this area.

Hebrews 10:24 “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ”

A few years ago I was confronted head on with a pretty humorous situation about my own heart and good deeds. Early one morning I was having some quiet time praying, asking the Lord to help me to be a bigger giver and of more service to others. Within seconds of praying that prayer, my wife Lori called out from another room asking if I could come and help her with something. Without hesitation I called back to her, “In a minute, honey…I’m busy praying.” Instantly I was confronted with the irony of the situation: there I was, praying for occasion to help others, but I almost missed the very first opportunity because it was not on my terms. It was a great lesson that I have no doubt the Lord

wanted me to learn that morning. Jesus is clear; whatever we do for

others, we do for him, and who among us would not stop what we were doing to help him in a time of need?

Matthew 25:34, 40 “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

As important as the lessons and sermons we teach and preach are, how we treat others tells people much more about what we believe than anything we could ever say. People may misunderstand our words, but they almost never misunderstand our good deeds!

Notes:1. For purposes of this article, a “true follower of Christ” is defined as someone who has confessed Jesus as Lord and believed God has raised him from the dead, and has therefore received the gift of salvation. (Romans 10:9,10). 2. Richard Stearns, “The Hole in Our Gospel—What does God expect of us?” (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2009), p.3.



The Contender FEATURE

One of the questions that Christians should be asking constantly is: “God, what do

you want me to do now?” But the Bible asks us to test ourselves as well.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.

It is one thing to be saved, it is another to be “in the faith,” that is, walking in harmony with the Christian Faith; doing what the Bible says that Christians are supposed to be doing.1 But when we examine ourselves, when we test ourselves, what are we looking for? What should we see in ourselves? How do we know if we pass or fail the test?

Being SavedThe obvious first test everyone

must pass to be “in the faith” is to be saved. People who are not saved, not born again, cannot be “in the Faith.” It is vital to understand this point, because the term “Christian” is not properly understood in our culture, something that is easy to see just by looking up the word, “Christian” in an English dictionary. Biblically, the word “Christian” does not refer to someone who is a member of a church, or is generous, but to someone who has confessed Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior and believed that God raised him from the dead.

Romans 10:9 (ESV) because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Growing in KnowledgeOnce a person is saved, being “in

the faith” consists of living in obedience to God, which includes both growing in our knowledge of the truth, and growing in our godly actions, that is, how we apply the truth that we know.

Correct knowledge is the basis of correct action, and so we should start with God’s will concerning what we know. God wants His children to not only know the truth, but know it well.

1 Timothy 2:4 (Amplified Bible)Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to

perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] truth.

God wants us to know the truth for a number of reasons. One is that truth has value in and of itself. Why believe something false about anything? It is a simple but powerful reality that if something is not true, it is false. We all know how uncomfortable it makes us when people believe things about us that are not true. But if we are created in the image of God, can we honestly believe that it does not matter to God or Jesus if people believe falsehoods about them? Truth matters to us and to God. Furthermore, the Devil uses falsehood to hurt people. Most of us have been hurt by falsehoods people say

by John W. Schoenheit

Equipped for Good Works


and believe about us. Sadly, the biggest hurt will come on Judgment Day, when many people will be hurt because of the lies they have believed. The Bible speaks about the deceitfulness of sin, and we need knowledge to keep from being hurt and deceived.

The Goal of KnowledgeWhile it is important to have a

knowledge of the truth, it is more important to make sure we are applying the knowledge we have. Having knowledge without action leads to being puffed up.

1 Corinthians 8:1 (ESV) Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

This verse has been grossly misunderstood in some Christian circles, to the point that some groups look down on those people who ask a lot of questions or work to accurately learn what the Bible says. But the phrase “knowledge puffs up” is not a universal truth, as if everyone who had knowledge was puffed up. Like every other verse in the Bible, this verse must be understood in its context and in light of the scope of Scripture. The context of 1 Corinthians 8:1 concerns people who knew it was not a sin to eat food that had been offered to an idol but went ahead and ate it without considering that weaker Christians were being hurt by their actions (cp. 1 Cor. 8:9-13).

What 1 Corinthians 8 is saying is that knowledge that is used without love puffs people up, but knowledge applied in love is powerful. There are examples of this all over the Bible. For example, Numbers 12:3 says that Moses was the most humble man on earth, yet it is also clear that Moses

also had more knowledge of God and the Word than anyone else living on earth at that time. So we can have great knowledge without being puffed up if we, like Moses, focus on acting in love based on the knowledge we have.

Doing Good WorksOne of the clearer teachings in the

New Testament is that Christians are to do good works. There are dozens of verses that teach this. In fact, to learn about doing good works we can start by looking up the phrases, “good work” and “good works” in the King James Bible and we find twenty-eight occurrences. But there are also dozens of verses that speak of doing good without using the specific phrase, “good works.” With so many references to doing good works in the Bible, we can see that God is very concerned that we do them.

Jesus said that when we do good works we are allowing the light in us to shine into the world, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). The epistle to Titus contains another good example of a verse that exhorts Christians to do good works:

Titus 2:14 (ESV) [Jesus Christ], who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are

zealous for good works.

This verse sets forth the attitude that Christians are to have toward doing good works. We are not just to do them so we can “check them off the list of things to do,” but we are to be zealous, eager, to do them. People are always watching Christians, and the good works we do out of our love for Christ and humanity are a testimony to how wonderful God and Christ are.

Beyond the general exhortations to every Christian to do good works, there are many specific commands to different groups about doing good works. For example, 1 Timothy 6:18 says that people who are rich are to be “rich in good works.” 1 Timothy 2:10 says that women who profess godliness are to adorn themselves with good works. Paul wrote to Titus, a leader in the Church, that he was to be an example of good works.

Titus 2:7 (ESV) Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,

Those of us who claim to be leaders in the Body of Christ should work hard to set an example when it comes to good works, to help the people who follow us to prioritize their lives and also to do good works.

“We are not to store up treasure for ourselves here on earth,

but in heaven, and a significant way we do this is by extending

ourselves to help others.”


The Word Equips Us to Do Good Works

One of the great purposes of the Word of God is to equip God’s people to do good works.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (ESV)16) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17) that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

These verses are very powerful when combined with 1 Timothy 2:4 which says that God wants us to come to full knowledge of the truth. The Word, when used correctly in teaching, reproof, correction, and training, equips believers to do good works. We are not to get knowledge from the Word and then do nothing with it, or worse, compare ourselves to people who have less knowledge. It is always tempting to compare ourselves with others whom we think are somehow worse off; people have been doing this for thousands of years, but it is wrong.

2 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV)Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we are to see how we can apply ourselves to help people who are in need. Thankfully, as 2 Timothy 3:17 says, the Word equips believers for every good work.”

Religious teaching that is not

based on the truth of the Word, far from being a blessing and equipping us for good works, becomes a burden and a hindrance to godliness. This is very apparent in the Four Gospels, which show Jesus constantly butting heads with the religious leaders and their interpretation of the Law. One important example deals with the religious leaders’ misinterpretation of Sabbath law. The Jews, misreading the Law, forbade healing on the Sabbath. So when Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath who had been a cripple for eighteen years, instead of rejoicing, the ruler of the Synagogue was indignant.

Luke 13:14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

It is tempting to look back on the Jews and think, “How stupid!” But the same kind of thing goes on today. A modern example of how false beliefs lead to hurtful practices can be found among those Christian groups that teach that when a Christian dies there should be celebration, not a somber or sad time for grieving. Years of study on the subject of grief show us that it is not only natural, but important for mental health, for a person to go through a period of grieving after a tragedy. In the Old Testament a typical period of mourning after a death was thirty days (Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:8). Yet some Christian groups, because of their erroneous teaching that a Christian is with the Lord the moment he dies, encourage rejoicing and a celebration when a Christian dies, and some even

go so far as to teach that mourning is selfish.2 Yet the Bible is clear that death is an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), and our feelings of grief, pain, and loss are both natural and godly. If we are going to do good works, they have to be based on the truth of the Word.

The Role of the Gift of Holy Spirit

From 2 Timothy we learned that one of the great purposes of the Word of God was to equip us for good works. The other vital ingredient we need in order to consistently do all the good works we are capable of doing is the gift of holy spirit. Certainly the gift of holy spirit gives us the spiritual ability to do good works such as healings (1 Cor. 12:9), and praying for people by speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:15-18). However, when it comes to consistently doing good works, the ability to hear from the Lord via holy spirit and allow him to direct us is vitally important as well.

God led Jesus via holy spirit, and so being led by the spirit is following in Jesus’ footsteps. No wonder the Bible says, “For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14 REV). Jesus received the gift of holy spirit right after he was baptized by John, and walked by the spirit, obeying the revelation he got from God. Jesus made it very clear that what he did was not on his own, but what he had heard from God (cp. John 5:19, 30; 6:38; 7:16; 8:16, 28, 29; 12:49, 50).

Each of us has limited time, energy, and resources to help people, and the world is screaming for help. Volunteer organizations almost always need more helpers and more money. Furthermore, besides the organizations that help people, there are literally millions of individuals on the planet who could use a hand. How

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are we to know where and how to best offer our services? Although God does not always tell us who and how to help, He often does. He knows the hearts of all people, and can tell us, for example, if the guy on the street corner holding a cardboard sign saying that he needs gas money is a sham or is genuinely in need of help we can give. God tells us over and over to do good works, and He will help us to obey Him.

Get Busy Doing the Works

Once we know that God commands us to do good works, and that the light we shine to the world by doing them helps people to see God and come to Him, we should be, as Titus says, “zealous for good works.” We should be aware, however, that doing good works can be like giving money to the Church: if you wait to see how much money you have at the end of the month, you will never give, and if you wait to see how much time

you have “left over,” you will usually not get around to doing many good works. While there are good works that have to be done on the spur of the moment, many others require planning and preparation, and a significant investment of time and resources. But like Christ said, we are not to store up treasure for ourselves here on earth, but in heaven, and a significant way we do this is by extending ourselves to help others.

We started this article with the verse, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5 ESV). Now we have a couple of good ways to do that. One is to ask, “How extensive is our knowledge of the Word? Is it growing and is it helping us to be more godly in what we think and do?” Another way we can test ourselves is to take stock of our lives and honestly evaluate the good works that we are doing. If we are giving of our time, energy, and resources to help others, then we pass that test too, and are “in the Faith.”

Notes:1. The Greek word en, usually translated “in,” has what grammarians refer to as a “static use.” We know what it is to be “in” a room, for example, but what does it mean to be “in” something you cannot be “in,” such as “in Christ Jesus,” or “in the Christian Faith?” In those examples, the word “in” defines a relationship, which can be anything from a loose connection to a union together. Being “in” the Faith is being in harmony with the Faith, which occurs when we live in obedience to God.2. The true teaching of the Bible is that when a Christian dies he is in the grave until he is raised from the dead by Jesus. See, Is There Death After Life published by Spirit & Truth Fellowship.

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sending this! Much needed!

Fred F.

STF-USA Community e-mail Feedback

Hallelujah! Thank you brethren for the great news. Our Father God may continue to bless all of our activities and plans. Praise YAHWEH for the sale of Camp Vision and other things. It was indeed a wise move. YAHWEH bless us all.

Edgardo G.

Feedback for post on Homosexuallllity

This is an awesome teaching. Grace and truth are what we Christians need. It’s what everyone needs!

Mariesa H.

TruthorTradition FacebookI ran into your “Retelling the

Christmas story: What the Bible actually says about the birth of Christ” and I loved it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Akemi M.

Editor’s Note: For further information, visit: Facebook.com/TruthOrTradition

Feedback for “The Birth of Jesus Christ According to the Bible”

Thanks for this excellent information.

Tariq S.

Feedback for new website layout

The new TruthorTradition.com website looks wonderful.

Andrew K.

Editor’s Note: To check out the new layout, visit: TruthOrTradition.com

Feedback for our Podcast “Healthily Processing Anger”

I and my husband Lou were listening to one of your teachings called “Healthily Processing Anger” through the podcast and I remembered how much this teaching helped me way back in 2003.

The reason we were listening to this particular title is because we are dealing with many angry situations and my area is not so clear how to deal with it, so we want to clear our minds to deal with these things as a better way to start the New Year. And we were glad that we did!

Mina H.

Editor’s Note: For further information, visit: STFonline.org/podcast

Spirit & Truth Fellowship International 180 Robert Curry DriveMartinsville, IN 46151-8076888.255.6189 or 765.349.2330Hours: M-F 9 to 5 (ET)

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the sower magazine - equipped for every good work (1st quarter 2014)

Documents

good words

good news

good attitude

good works1st quarter

great need

loving nature of god

jesus christ

quarter 2014thesower2