Free Indeed  — Belief is a noun and Believe is a verb.  They are the same word , however, the intensity of your actions reflects the level of your Belief. This is supported by the fact that the Greek word for commit and believe is the same word.  Commit: the word "commit" ( episteuen ) is the very same word "believe" (episteusan) ( John 2:23).  An example of this is a person has belief in God so they come to church.  And if that’s all they do is come to church, they have demonstrated a low intensity in their believing.  They will not generate any fruit because of the low intensity of their believing.  There is no commitment attached to their Believing.  They will never reach their full potential in God nor fulfill the purpose God has ordained for their life with the gifts given unto them. Read Matthew 25:15-30.  But when your belief is in Jesus Christ, than you have intensified your level of belief in God, you now moved beyond the ordinary thinking of the world that there is a God and accepted the truth about God.  This gives a picture of saving faith; of what genuine faith is—of the kind of faith that really saves a person.  1John 5:4-12,   Romans 10:8-11

Discussion Point   Looking at the three servants in Matthew 25:15-30, let’s examine the level of believing and commitment. Who has the highest level of believing (commitment), who has the lowest level of believing (commitment?)

Give some examples of believing (commitment) for each example in the text as it relates to today’s society.

 Saving faith is not head knowledge, not just a mental conviction and intellectual agreement.  It is not just believing the fact that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.  It is not just believing history, that Jesus Christ lived upon earth as the Savior, just as George Washington lived upon earth as the first President of America.  It is not just believing the words and claims of Jesus in the same way that a person would believe the words of George Washington. Saving faith is believing in Jesus, who and what He is, that He is the Savior and Lord of life.  It is giving yourself over to the knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ without any doubt or question in your mind.  It is the complete mindset of giving and turning your life over to Jesus.  Casting yourself upon Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Saving faith is commitment—the commitment of a man's total being and life to Jesus Christ.  It is a man's commitment of all he is and has to Jesus. He gives Jesus everything; therefore, it involves all of your affairs and substance in this world.  This person trusts Jesus to take care of his past (sins), his present (welfare), and his future (destiny).  He entrusts his whole life, being and possessions into Jesus' hands. He lays himself upon Jesus' keeping, confiding in Him about his daily necessities and acknowledging Him in all the ways of life. He follows Jesus in every area and in every detail of life, seeking His instructions and leaving his welfare up to Him. It is simply commitment of a man's whole being, all he is and has, to Jesus. John 4:50; Hebrews 5:5-10.)

There is the step of mental agreement. A person must agree that the message is true, that the facts of the case are thus and so. But this is not enough. Just agreeing does not lead to action. Many people know that certain things are true, but they do not change their behavior to match the knowledge. For example, a man knows that eating too much harms his body, but he may continue to eat too much. He agrees to the truth and knows the truth, but he does nothing about it. A person may believe and know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and yet do nothing about it, never make a decision to follow Christ. This man still does not have faith, not the kind of faith that the Bible talks about. Read James 2:14-26

There is the step of commitment. When the New Testament speaks of faith, it speaks of commitment, a personal commitment to the truth. A man hears the truth and agrees that it is true and does something about it. He commits and yields his life to the truth. The truth becomes a part of his very being, a part of his behavior and life.

 Now let’s look at Andrew, a man that hungered for the Truth. John 1:35-42)

Andrew— Seeking Christ— Invitation: this was Andrew's critical hour. For it shows the great eagerness of Jesus to reach men. Jesus longs for men to come to Him and He longs to reach out to help them in their coming. Note: Jesus was walking some distance away and Andrew and his friend were following behind Jesus. Jesus did three things that demonstrated His great eagerness.

1.Jesus turned to face them. This was a clear demonstration of His open arms, His willingness, and His eagerness for them to join Him. He knew their hearts had just been stirred to reach out to Him and to follow Him, so He immediately turned around to face them and help them.

2.Jesus asked the basic question of life: "What seek ye?" He did not ask, Whom seek ye? but "What seek ye?" What are you after? Are you seeking• meaning, purpose, and significance in life?• deliverance from trials and trouble and suffering?• approval and acceptance of God?• blessings from God, His care and provision and security?

Note what Andrew and his friend asked: "Rabbi...where dwellest thou (pou meneis)?" They had never met Jesus before, yet they called Him Master or Teacher, acknowledging His position as their Teacher. They were not asking for a simple conversation by the side of the road. They were asking to join Him in the quiet of His home, to open and pour out their hearts to Him and for Him to become their teacher. They wanted Him to meet the crying need of their heart, and to do such in the quiet confines of His dwelling.

3.Jesus extended the invitation: "Come and see." The invitation was immediate: it was while Andrew and his friend were attracted to Jesus. They were invited to Jesus while they sensed their need. Jesus did not postpone their request nor leave them hanging.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28).

 (1:39-40) Decision: there was Andrew's great decision. He "came and saw" and "remained" with Jesus. There are three significant facts here.

1.Andrew "came" to Jesus. He accepted the invitation. He walked up to Jesus and walked along with Him in order to see just where Jesus did dwell.

2. The word "see" (opsesthe ) was a promise: "ye shall see." Jesus was talking about much more than just seeing where He lived. He was talking about seeing the truth and learning of Him. Andrew was being assured, if he would come, that he would most definitely see and learn the truth of life. The Lord guaranteed it.

3. Andrew and his friend "abode with him," that is, by Jesus' side, in His presence. They received of Him and He met their needs. Note a significant fact: this confrontation with Jesus changed their lives forever.  Andrew and his friend committed their lives to Jesus.

(1:41) Witnessing— Family: Andrew's first concern was his brother Peter.  Immediately, as quickly as he could after discovering Jesus for himself, Andrew rushed to find his own brother, Simon.

1.Andrew had met Jesus personally, and Jesus had met the crying need of his heart. Andrew could not contain the peace and joy; he just had to tell his loved ones immediately. He wanted them also to experience the love and joy and peace of Jesus.

2.Andrew was a great witness, a great personal worker for the Lord. He was always seen bringing someone to Jesus ( John 6:8; John 12:22).

    3.(1:42) Witnessing: Andrew's fruit, Simon, was reached for Jesus and reaped. Andrew saw his brother Simon come to Jesus.