Don’t Be a Hearer Only
James 1:22-25 says “but be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like to a
man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholds himself, and goes his
way, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was. But whoso looks into the
perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. You have to manifest what
you hear, God told Joshua “this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth,
but you shall meditate therein day and night that you may observe to do according to
all that is written therein; for then you shall make your way prosperous and then you
shall have good success”.
Some Christians hear the gospel every week, but stop there. We are commissioned
by Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) “and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all power
is given to Me in heaven and earth. Go you therefore and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever, I have commanded you, and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the world”.
We are told to be an imitator of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1), Jesus came to seek and that
which was lost. Jesus said “verily, verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me the
works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I
go to My Father” (John 14:12).
Let’s examine ourselves, Paul asked certain disciples “have you received the Holy
Ghost, since you believed? And they said to him, we have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2). Jesus said “and I say to you, ask and
it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
For every one that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it
shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give
him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall
ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask Him? (Luke 11:9-13). Have you asked for the Holy Spirit?
Jesus commanded His disciples that “they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father which, says He, you have heart of Me. But you shall
receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be
witnesses to Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judae’a and in Samaria, and to the
uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:4,8).
If you believe that Jesus is the way the truth and life, and He can change the lives of
all who hear? Why not tell somebody. The Bible says “we have the same spirit of
faith according as it is written. I believed and therefore have I spoken, we also
believe, and therefore speak” (II Corinthians 4:13). Jesus gave us all power (Luke
10:19) “behold I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. And He gave us
the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19) “and I will give to you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. We
have heart it, now let’s be a doer of the word. Exercise your authority.
Jesus shows us how in Mark 11:22-24 “have faith in God, (the God kind of faith).
For verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain (problem), be you
removed, and be you cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall
believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have
whatsoever he says. Therefore I say to you, what things so-ever you desire, when
you pray, believe that you received them, and you shall have them”. Speak to the
mountain (problem) and don’t talk about the problem. Remember you have what you
say. Romans 4:17 says “as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations,
before Him whom he believed, even God, who makes alive the dead, and calls those
things which be not as though they were”. We see this working in the creation story
(Genesis 1-2) God said, and God saw. People are saying what they see in the
natural, but James says we are to look into the perfect law of liberty (the Bible), and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed. Activate your faith, faith is invisible, however your
works shows your faith.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: January 1, 2008
James 1:22-25 says “but be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like to a
man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholds himself, and goes his
way, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was. But whoso looks into the
perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. You have to manifest what
you hear, God told Joshua “this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth,
but you shall meditate therein day and night that you may observe to do according to
all that is written therein; for then you shall make your way prosperous and then you
shall have good success”.
Some Christians hear the gospel every week, but stop there. We are commissioned
by Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) “and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, all power
is given to Me in heaven and earth. Go you therefore and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever, I have commanded you, and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the world”.
We are told to be an imitator of Jesus (Ephesians 5:1), Jesus came to seek and that
which was lost. Jesus said “verily, verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me the
works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I
go to My Father” (John 14:12).
Let’s examine ourselves, Paul asked certain disciples “have you received the Holy
Ghost, since you believed? And they said to him, we have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:2). Jesus said “and I say to you, ask and
it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you.
For every one that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it
shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give
him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall
ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask Him? (Luke 11:9-13). Have you asked for the Holy Spirit?
Jesus commanded His disciples that “they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father which, says He, you have heart of Me. But you shall
receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be
witnesses to Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judae’a and in Samaria, and to the
uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:4,8).
If you believe that Jesus is the way the truth and life, and He can change the lives of
all who hear? Why not tell somebody. The Bible says “we have the same spirit of
faith according as it is written. I believed and therefore have I spoken, we also
believe, and therefore speak” (II Corinthians 4:13). Jesus gave us all power (Luke
10:19) “behold I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you”. And He gave us
the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:19) “and I will give to you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. We
have heart it, now let’s be a doer of the word. Exercise your authority.
Jesus shows us how in Mark 11:22-24 “have faith in God, (the God kind of faith).
For verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain (problem), be you
removed, and be you cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall
believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have
whatsoever he says. Therefore I say to you, what things so-ever you desire, when
you pray, believe that you received them, and you shall have them”. Speak to the
mountain (problem) and don’t talk about the problem. Remember you have what you
say. Romans 4:17 says “as it is written, I have made you a father of many nations,
before Him whom he believed, even God, who makes alive the dead, and calls those
things which be not as though they were”. We see this working in the creation story
(Genesis 1-2) God said, and God saw. People are saying what they see in the
natural, but James says we are to look into the perfect law of liberty (the Bible), and
continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed. Activate your faith, faith is invisible, however your
works shows your faith.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: January 1, 2008
