The Things That Make You Effective 5 Faith & Love

1 Cor 16:9 A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. NKJV

A Mega door called effectiveness has been set before me. There is much warfare and many enemies in opposition, but I'm pressing on. Kent Angeloff Translation

Jesus sets before us doors of opportunity; wide open doors that will give us success and make us effective.

We are doing a study on the Greek word that is translated "effective" in order to find out what the bible says is behind that great door called effectiveness.

1. The Authority Of God.

2. The Holy Spirit & His gifts.

3. The Word Of God.

4. Prayer.

The Greek word that is translated effective is, "Energeoo, Energee". It is the word we get our English word, "energy" from. Energy is, the exertion of power, it is the capacity to perform a work.

The fifth place we find this Greek word "Energeoo" is in,

Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working = [energeoo] through love. NASU

Love is huge subject, but I felt like the Lord wanted me to say some things about it.

I must admit that it is not easy to love people all the time. And I'm not so sure that God demands us to in every situation. Like when a man beats or rapes a woman, or a pedophile has attacked another child. When there is a serial killer on the loose, or when a terrorist kills innocent people, the love of God is not really flowing from my heart for those evil people.

My purpose in saying this is that sometimes we may feel like we are not very loving people. Our love may be more for the victim than the perpetrator. Is there such a thing as righteous anger? I think there is. In certain situations "repent" is our only message.

I am not challenging Jesus message, to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus was challenging the practice of, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Jesus wants His people to stop taking their own revenge.

He was telling His people to stop being petty. Jesus said, "Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." [Don't make a big deal out of it] "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also." [It's only a shirt.] "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Don't love just the people that love you." How hard is that?

The bible says that God is angry with the wicked every day.

Ps 7:11-14 God is a judge who is perfectly fair.

He is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword;

He will bend and string his bow.

13 He will prepare his deadly weapons and ignite his flaming arrows. NLT

Never take revenge; let God work out His justice. No hate, pray for people that are in dark evil to repent and to be released from their sin. Love one another.

Now back in Galatians 5:6 the Apostle Paul talked about two powerful ingredients that work together to make a person effective; faith and love. When these two powerful forces are mixed together they become a greater force than you can imagine.

There are things that by themselves do not have much power, or can be somewhat powerful, but when mixed together they become extremely powerful.

How many nuclear scientists do we have in the room? Nuclear fusion is the fusion of a lightweight atomic nuclei, as of tritium, into a nucleus of heavier mass, as of helium, with a resultant loss in the combined mass, which is converted into energy; the principle of the hydrogen bomb.

More simply stated, the center of one atom fused to the center of a heavier atom, resulting in the release of tremendous energy; the principle of the hydrogen bomb.

Faith and love are like the center of these atoms.

The greatest, or the heavier of these two is love. When they are fused together there is a release of tremendous energeoo that will make you effective. Two forces coming together that will shake the planet for Jesus.

Faith is a powerful force, but if a person tries to operate in faith without love it can actually cause a negative result in peoples lives.

Love never fails and love is the ingredient that activates faith to cause positive affects in peoples lives.

Gal 5:6 For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love. MESSAGE

In Christ our most painstaking religious acts mean nothing. When our relationship with God and our worship is nothing more than religious acts that we have learned through tradition and repetition, it amounts to nothing.

Then on the other hand there are Christians who take pride in how

un-religious they are. They think they are pleasing to God because they do not take place in any religious activity, or join any religious organization. That does not impress God. The bible teaches us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That's where your love grows and is tested the most.

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 " By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." NASU

God looks at the heart. He looks at what is inside the man not all the things that he can do, or not do to show his devotion for Him. God looks for faith and love, those are the things that count in God's eyes.

God wants something deeper than religious activity. He wants true intimacy and love for Him and that we love people as ourselves.

Gal 5:6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. AMP

Faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love counts for everything.

Faith activated by love will make you effective.

Faith is such a vast subject and there has been so much great teaching on it.

We all know that we need faith to see sick bodies healed and demon spirits cast out of people. Faith can move mountains and enable us to do the works that Jesus did.

Heb 11:30-35 [Tells us that] By faith the walls of Jericho fell down... by faith kingdoms were conquered, [God's people] performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight, and received back their dead by resurrection.

Faith will make you effective.

Faith that is activated by love will cause you to be a world shaker.

God wants us to be compelled by love for the lost, to help the hurting and poor. To minister truth to the sinner and to be a light in the darkness. He wants us to love people the way that He does.

The power that is in faith will be activated when the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Faith is activated and energized and expressed and is made effective through love, that's what really matters and that's what God holds in high regard and counts for everything.

Let us pray that the love of God will be poured out in our hearts and that love and faith will be fused together to release a greater power than that of a hydrogen bomb, to shake our world. The adversaries that are in your way will be blow to smithereens and creative power will be released to help the needy.