Faith Without Works (Part II)

By Odon Bulamba (15 November 2002)

One day at Auckland Airport I asked a lady who worked there where the information desk was, she then asked me where I was from. So I said I was from heaven, she looked at me and said, “heaven, black like you?” I asked her if there were only white people in heaven, and after that she kept quiet. Then she asked me, “What do you want”? I said that I only want to know where the information desk is, but she refused to tell me. A few minutes later another lady came to her and asked the same question, and without delay the lady (worker) directed her.

I persisted to get my information however, I then showed her my immigration card and told her that I worked for them, then her attitude changed a bit. I asked her if she was a Christian, she said “yes, I’ve been a Christian for 30 years”, so I said, because of my card you consider it more than me even though I am a person? Is this card worth more than a human? She asked me to forgive her. Form time to time we do things that oppose the Word of God. Christ means anointing, Christ means the Word and whoever opposes this Word is antichrist. If you oppose the Word of God know that you also oppose Jesus. People think the antichrist has horns, tails and is something mighty, but the antichrist is living among us today because our deeds manifest the works of the antichrist in our lives.

The way we react towards people shows that the antichrist is working in our lives. It is not about having a stamp on your forehead with 666 on it, but because the Holy Spirit seals you, demonic power also wants to seal you. If I ask Peter to show me the seal of the Holy Spirit in his life maybe he won’t be able to show it. When the Bible talks about 666 it is not about receiving a stamp on your body, but it is a spiritual mark and we must understand this message.

It is impossible to grow a plant without a seed. Small deeds help make a plant grow. If our works are good then the plant of God will grow, but if they are not good and they contradict our faith, you as the plant will be burnt. We must practice good things.


Hebrew 11:31; by faith Rahab the Harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

If you can welcome people you are good enough before God who does good works. When my son was in Congo New Zealand immigration sent an insane-looking Ethiopian man to get him. Immigration thought that if they sent this man to Congo nobody would bother him. So I rang my family in Congo to prepare for his arrival. One day a lame man who hadn’t brushed his teeth knocked at their door, and he said to my family he was sent by New Zealand immigration to pick up a child. My brother told the lame man that he was mistaken and sent him away.

My family received a shock because they didn’t expect someone scruffy but they expected a professional. They thought that someone from New Zealand would be clean and white. When they saw the lame man they didn’t welcome him, so the man left Congo and came back to New Zealand. This is why it took an extra two years for my son to come to New Zealand. So because of one day my son lost two years. When the man came back to New Zealand he said my family didn’t welcome him even though he had the papers. So I rang my family and told them that the lame man was the one, but still they said it was impossible because he was an Ethiopian.

Welcome people when they come to your place so you can receive something great for your spiritual life. Many women don’t know how to welcome people. First of all they will ask who is there? Secondly they will send a child to the door to see who it is, and when they know it is Odon for example they will tell the child to tell Odon we are sleeping. But when Michael knocks at the door with his promise of $400 to them they run to the door with great joy and smiles. This is not a good deed.

Ladies, sisters or mothers try to welcome people into your homes because when you do this you are welcoming angels, don’t be like Sara who crossed her arms and let her husband do all the work. Our faith needs deeds. Don’t make any comparisons between people, put your-self in other people’s shoes. If someone is sick for example and the person says they are suffering, don’t just say lie down and rest because tomorrow it could be you. Maybe all they need is a simple prayer or some medicine. Do you think that your friend will be close to you tomorrow if you weren’t close to him yesterday?

Sometimes we do things without knowing whom we do it to, because one day you might meet that person later on. God can use anyone. We will never die if our works are good, but if we make mistakes or have bad works it will kill our faith in the Lord.

Romans 15:1-2 says, we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

At all cost we try to please others so we can grow in the faith. To please others is not for you as a Christian to gain something from this world like money etc, but we must know what is useful for the faith. Do not live to please yourself, if you always say I want this and that, remember that one day the Lord will say I want that. Also give others the chance to be listened to so it can help them know that they too are Christians or human beings. Although they are weak and have less ability, help them to grow in the faith. Our deeds will help them.

One day my son was playing with Kennedy (a baby). As they were playing he could smell that Kennedy needed changing, so because the smell was terrible he pushed Kennedy away and went to his room. He then called Kennedy’s mother and she changed him. As soon as she changed the baby, my son continued to play with him. Sometimes as Christians we act like this. When a Christian is in a sin, friends etc will flee from you until you have solved your problem.

Example: Peter is a church member but has a problem with stealing money. Word gets back to Peter’s Pastor so he decides to excommunicate Peter. To help Peter in his weakness he could have told Peter that what he did was not good, then told him to repent to God and to people, then ask for forgiveness. This will encourage Peter.

Jesus gave us an example; He always went to the sinner and comforted them. But Christians today don’t accept weak Christians. Everybody wants to be Benny Hinn or Billy Graham’s friend because they are on top, but a simple Christian is neglected. In Christian life we must help each other. If someone is in a sin we can’t leave him or her in that sin, we must do something. If you are in hospital and no one comes to visit you, how will you feel? Sick? Miserable? It is the same thing with the Christian. If a brother commits a sin we are not like newspapers or TVs that tell everybody, but we must go and see him or her to help and comfort them. We must remember that in everything we do, we will be paid back. If you reject people you also will be rejected. Today you may do something good but tomorrow you may do something bad.

Good drivers can have accidents and die, so as Christians we can’t say that we are always strong, maybe today you are strong but yesterday you were weak.

Hosea 14:5-8 says I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 7They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. 8Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. 9Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? Prudent, and he shall know them? For the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

The Lord wants us to get closer to Him so we can blossom. If you have faith without works, ask God to accept you and help you do good works. If you have good works but no faith, ask God for the faith because every tree must blossom both in physical and spiritual activities. It is time to go to God and ask Him to help you.

“Lord help me not to have a dead faith, I don’t want my faith to be killed because of my bad actions, transform me Lord completely so I will have good works for You and man, and that my testimony will be good where ever I go. I also want the devil to testify before You about my good works”.

Pray for yourself and then for the whole group so that we will have good works in our lives until Jesus comes back. Ask God to help those who are not present so that their works will be good as well. May the Lord transform our weaknesses into strengths.