Interlake Faith

06/23/2026

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat 7:21-23 KJV)

I read a commentary on Matthew 7:21-22, which said, “We have prophesied - We have declared the mysteries of thy kingdom, wrote books; preached excellent sermons: In thy name done many wonderful works - So that even the working of miracles is no proof that a man has saving faith.” Although this is true, it goes deeper. These lost souls did not come before the throne/judgment seat of God seeking mercy; rather, they came before Him with their works. It is as if the Lord were obligated to them for what they deemed good and godly works. They have substituted their faith for works. In verse 23, the Lord issues a solemn judgment, declaring that He never knew them and identifying the works they claimed to have performed “in His name” not as righteous deeds but as works of iniquity.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:10). This verse implies that our works arise from our relationship with our Lord Christ Jesus. The works of those souls in Matthew 7:21-22 stem from an obligation to the law, with an expectation of remuneration for services rendered. The works of those souls referred to in Ephesians arise from a relationship with the Holy Spirit and are inspired by the Holy Spirit. It seems that Matthew 7:22 is not proof of faith but rather a sign of where their heart is.

When we stand before the Lord on that day, will we be focused on the works we have done in His name or on the love and mercy He has bestowed upon us? Are we more concerned with the works we believe we have done for the Lord, or are we overwhelmed by what He has done for us through His sacrifice?

06/11/2024

The Value of Words

I once heard a sermon that referred to the following verse in Revelation:

Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come. (Rev 4:8, CSB)

In the sermon, I came to understand that these creatures’ sole purpose was to praise the Lord God. They were to do this day and night and forever non-stop. What are they praising the Lord God for? The minister went on to say that the creatures were receiving a new revelation of who God was, who God is, and who God will be and these revelations never stop, never. The minister then said that this is what the word “awesome” applies to, any other use of the word except in reference to God is the wrong use of the word.

After this I have not used the word “awesome” in reference to anything or person except God. I also began to look at other words as well, like “good.”

Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Mat 19:16-17)

Here Jesus was implying that the word “good” is to be used for God as well. There are many more words that should be used exclusively for God. A good place to start is to look for these words and check for the words that describe God. In Revelation 4:8 (above) we can find at least two, “Holy” and “Almighty.”

Why should we reserve these words for God? First, by using these words in our regular communications with others we begin to devalue these words, and by doing this we devalue God. We bring God down to our level.

Second, when Jews write the name of God, they don’t write the vowel in His name, YHWH had the ‘a’ and ‘e’ removed. When we write about God, pronouns and His names have the first character capitalized. Why do this? Reverence and worship. If we reserve these words exclusively for God, these words become part of our reverence and worship of God. When we set these words apart from other, they become Holy onto God.

04/22/2023

12/14/2020

Here's a video I made for my Church's Christmas eve service. My little christmas gift to everyone in a way. Was an interesting creative experience. The ac...