#1514. To ‘Go up’ requires faith and action (12/5/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we begin a short series in celebration of our church’s 150th anniversary. 

God works through people, so let’s be responsive and take action in harmony with our faith. 

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

As we celebrate our church’s 150th anniversary, let’s be inspired by a previous generation who, through faith and sacrifice, started a work in Putney and eventually purchased land and built the beautiful building we enjoy today. We can only imagine the inner challenge, concern, and persevering prayer it took to leave a comfortable church and step out to establish this new work in Putney.

They were following the example of Moses and God’s people, who were called to “go up from here” — to leave Mount Sinai and move forward into the Promised Land.

A work of God can often be approached in three ways:

i. We wait for God to act: We sense a call to reach an area, start a ministry, or serve someone, and we simply pray and wait for God to do it.

ii. We rely on planning and organisation: We form a committee, develop a strategy, and put it into action.

iii. We prayerfully plan and obediently act: We seek God, make wise plans, and then step forward in faith as He leads.

It is this third way that best reflects the heart of Moses in Exodus 33. The first approach can drift into passivity, forgetting that God calls His people to act in faith. The second can drift into self-reliance, where we move forward but risk doing so without His presence and leading.

Only the, third option, is really going to be effective. 

The first negates the truth that God works through us and our faith needs to become action - like the Israelites, we need to leave Sinai and ‘go up’.

The second option, is man-centred and proud. No true work of God can be carried out without God’s presence - we are simply building a golden calf!

The third option - faith and prayerful action - is the only option! God’s work is God’s work, but He normally (with some rare exceptions) works through people of faith. God has good works for us to do, personally and as a church, but it requires God’s presence and our following Him. 

Faith and action are to be in harmony - true faith acts! 

If you approach the River Thames in Putney, you cannot cross it by simply believing a bridge is there. You must walk across it. In the same way, faith in God is revealed by obedience to Him. If we believe God has spoken and called us, that faith will be seen not just in our words, but in our response.

What James writes is helpful:

And that is what we see in that previous generation who planted what is now Community Church Putney (formerly Putney Baptist Church). They were not simply people of ideas—they were people who responded in faith. They “went up” in obedience to what they believed God was calling them to do.

Response

Today, let’s be both humbled and encouraged: are our faith and response - our conviction and actions - in harmony?

Is your need for salvation and forgiveness, marked by your faith in Christ and your resting in Christ for salvation?

Is your daily life - and your faith in God - marked by a prayerful trust?

Are sacrificial choices arising from your faith and the call of God? 

True faith is never only believed—it is lived.

To watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:

Community Group Study

Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.

On Sunday, we celebrated 150 years since the founding of Community Church Putney in 1876. 

A text that has really spoken to us in recent years - the text that is at the heart of our devotions this week - is Exodus 33:15-16. 

Please read Exodus 33:15-16 and discuss:

• Personal Reflection – What brought you to Community Church, and what has really encouraged you during your time here?

• What is at the heart of Moses dissatisfaction with God’s offer? 

• What does it mean to be distinguished by God’s presence, and how can we seek to be such a church?  

SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

• From our text, what do we learn about God’s presence and our effectiveness in mission? 

• Sharing Stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.

• Practical Next Steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?

Let’s Pray Together

Let’s pray for one another in light of what we’ve studied and bring any other needs before God.

• Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.

• General prayer: From our study, or from personal needs, how do people want prayer?