The hearing of faith.

Believers, the gospel of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is not at all like motivational seminars where we hear a speaker and have to apply his "Seven Steps to Success" in order to obtain results. It is not at all about PERFORMING or DOING. Our Abba Father blesses us via HEARING.

This was the experience of Cornelius the Gentile when Peter visited him under the directive of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10. Peter told him about the events in Judea: from John the Baptist to the arrival of our Saviour; how He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil because God was with Him; how He died and was raised from the dead by God; how He commissioned His disciples to preach the Good News and that "He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name.” v.43

What happened in the very next verse?

44"While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God."

No threats. Nothing to do. No Seven Steps to follow. No "women who wear make-up and trousers will go to hell." Simply by HEARING about the love of Christ in whom we have forgiveness of sins. As Christ is being unveiled, repentance (change of mind about God) is taking place. And the Spirit flows, transforming the hearer to the image of the Lord's glory, from glory to glory! 2 Corinthians 3:18. You can imagine what it is like to be transformed in this manner by the Spirit. You will go and sin no more!

Believers, our Abba Father blesses us via HEARING, as it is written in Galatians 3:5-

"Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—"

This "hearing" is in the present continuous tense in the original Greek so it is a constant hearing. We see Peter tell Cornelius in Acts 10:37 "You know what happened throughout Judea,..." Cornelius had been hearing about Jesus.

Please bear in mind that "the hearing of faith" does not include preaching that people must obey the Ten Commandments in order to get right with God; God's word says "the law is not of faith" and without faith, it is impossible to please God. In fact, trying to keep the Law in order to get right with God is how to get cut off from Christ says Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Believers, beware of Christ-deniers (anti-Christ pastors and leaders) who profess Christ yet preach that YOU have to PERFORM the perfect work that our Saviour has accomplished for you all over again. Christ was made sin for us to make us righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:19) but such point you to your obedience to the Law for your righteousness, an impossible feat according to Romans 3:20- 

"For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." 

These ones aim to cut you off from Christ.

Also, Galatians 3:13 says Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, (every curse, including generational curses) but these deniers of the finished work of our Saviour diagnose generational curses and such and then ask people to go and DO a list of things in order to be free, e.g go home and do stuff with their childhood photos for deliverance without which they will remain under the curse. This is another spirit of bondage to fear!

So much more. Believing our Lord Jesus Christ is not a matter of saying one is a Christian, doing good things, going to church and attaching His name to the end of each prayer point. Many who do this are not saved and don't even know it. Believers, by God's grace, let's not be found here.

Believing Jesus encompasses believing His finished work in making us 100% righteous apart from our works; redemption from EVERY curse and that through Him, we reign in life - reign over oppression, depression, sickness, disease, every earthly ill. It is about changing our minds (repentance) towards God- knowing Him as our Abba Father whose desire is to see us prosper and be in health and not as a hard Taskmaster who is just waiting for you to fail so He can punish you😊 as many proclaim Him to be.

Once you believe Jesus (believe all that He has accomplished for you and that you are eternally righteous not by your own works but because Christ took your place on the cross,) you are saved. Ask the Lord to lead you to a church where you can hear "the hearing of faith." Continue hearing the "hearing of faith" and you will SURELY experience the continuous outpouring of the Spirit and miracles by our Abba Father.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.