Faith for Christ

Believe, because you can!

2007-08-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Faith is merely taking God at His word and then acting upon it.

The first step is to recognise that God is truly faithful. If He has promised, then we can be absolutely certain that He will fulfil all that He has said He would do. If you need another reason to consider why it is essential to both read and understand His Word; there it is! Our capacity to accept divine revelation in our lives is shaped by our understanding of His revealed will. I yu want to know God and his will better, get stuck into His Word and apply it to your own life.

Once that barrier has been broken down, when we can see God's individual promises from His Word applying to our specific circumstances, then we can act.

If God has revealed his will about our situation, then we have not only comfort that it will all work out to the best, but we can speak and live from the perspective that our problems have already been dealt with. Not from a viewpoint that we hope to change the external problems we have encountered by pretening they are not there or wishing them away; but from a view that has already seen them dealt with in order to further God's purpose.

We can believe, not because we're hiding from reality, but because we have experienced for ourselves th inexorable reality that is forcing itself into our lives in order to bring about God's perfect will.

It may not always be pleasant, it may be frustrating - but it is guaranteed for us.

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Faith is...

2007-05-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Actually. I could just leave the sentence there. Faith is.

As an eternal reality that invades our temporal universe. Faith is more real than what we can touch, see, taste or smell. These are not false illusions. It's just that they're only one part of the bigger picture.

Without faith, we miss the full reality of what is going on. We miss the detail that matters.

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Lifting Your Morale

2007-04-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

It is an uplifting experience to realise that you are on the winning side. The disciples must have caught that excitement first when Jesus sent them out in pairs to practise what He had modelled for them.

To find that your experience of Gd's faithfulness matches your theology is far more than serendipity. It is the goal of your Bible study, your ultimate destiny.

It is this positive attitude, of confidence that the promises God has made will be fulfilled, that is at the heart of faith. A hope that relies not on external evidence, but on the testimony of the spirit.

With that unshakeable conviction, it is possible to lift the morale of those around you, to speak peace into hearts in turmoil.

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Looking forward to Pentecost

2007-04-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Easter is over. The chocolate is eaten. We have celebrated the death and resurrection of Christ. The central event of world history breaks down the barrier between us and our creator. Through Jesus' sacrifice - once for all - we now have unbroken fellowship with the Father.

But one thing remains. Jesus' promise - that we would be clothed with power from on high.

This is the message of Pentecost - this is what we will look at over the coming weeks.

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Exercising faith in your daily routine

2007-02-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all eercise faith in one way or another throughout the day. I'm not necessarily talking about faith in God here. Just the everyday assumptions we need to make about the world around us in order to function. Will this chair stand my weight? Will the power stay on long enough to get this report typed? Will I have nough time to prepare myself for the net meeting? Will my assistant not let me down?

Eercising faith in God in the same way assumes the same degree of familiarity with the spiritual dimension of live so that we are put at ease and are confident of what God is going to perform through us because we now the promises He has made and are conviced that He will act, because we know and trust Him.

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Renewing Faith

2007-02-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Feeling discouraged? Worn down by the relentless pressure to conform to the image presented by the rest of the world?

This is the time to remind yourself of the truth of Psalm 103.

In it we see a pattern, set down fo us fro be fore time. In order to experience renewal we need to enounter the One who made us, heals us, supplies all our needs.

Then, when we have this deep desire for real spirituality met, we will find ourselves renewed in spirit and able to soar over all our circumstances.

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Faith in the One who Can...

2007-02-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

"Welcome to the church. We're just a bunch of sinners and hypocrites here, so you should feel right at home. And I'm the biggest one of the lot." It was an interesting greeting from the new pastor. He went on to point out that this wasn't an idle boast, nor was it something he was proud of. But it was a fact. Without God's saving power at work in us to transform us, we were nothing but a club of self-righteous wishful thinkers.

"The Christian faith is nothing more than one beggar telling another where to find food," he would say. A no-nonsense apprach, stripped of triumphalism. There was no way we could save ourselves or sustain our spirits by our own feeble efforts. We were totally dependent on the One who Can. With Him, we could raise our aspirationsbeyond the gutter, pulling ourselves out and helping others to do the same. Without Him, we were absolutely lost in a mess of our own making.

"See, I am giving you a choice," the preacher quoted. "And look, the Good Lord even goes so far as to tell you which of the two to choose - choose life!"

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Just Believe

2007-02-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Bible is not a dusty old antique, containing heart-warming stories of how a poerful Go used to act. The same Lord who spoke face to face with Moses, who answered Elijah with fire and raised the sick and the dead through the hands of the Apostles is alive today.

He has not changed, and truth be told, strip away our veneer of sophstication that wants to be independent of Him, we have not changed either. Within all of us is a deep need to know Him.

There is nothing complicated about beginning or deepening our relationship with our Creator. It starts with belief and ends there full-circle in a relationship of trust.

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Faith for service

2007-01-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

"What do you really want?"

Always a dangerous question. Even more so when the one you are talking to already knows what's bubbling under the surface of your consciousness. This time I thought carefully.

I want my ministry to be successful. I want people to have their lives impacted positively by what I preach and do.

"Do you believe that your ministry can do this?"

Suddenly, the light switched on. The first step in seeing my heart's desire fulfilled was faith. If I didn't believe I was going to have an impact through my words, then why should anyone else. On the other hand, it gave me something positive to fix my attention to. I was transformed. I could see my words having an effect on those who heard me - before I'd even uttered a single syllable. I had a firm conviction that what I was going to share would be powerful. I could confess my thanks out loud to my loving Father for what I knew He was doing through me to glorify His name...

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Faith to Minister to Others

2007-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

By faith...

It was one thing to believe for something for myself. To experience healing, to receive revelation to enable me to achieve what I had been called to do. It as another thing to be faced with the challenge of believing that my faith could move mountains in other people's lives.

It looks so easy. You pray for someone or prophesy over them. And then...

What?

If it doesn't work out, you blame their lack of faith? That's why they come to you in the first place!

This is one reason why we're ehorted not to lay hands too hastily on someone. What does the Holy Spirit want to accomplish through your laying on of hands? Discuss it with Him. When you are convinced of what God will do, then, in faith lay hands and pray.

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A Living Faith

2007-01-04T05:15:00.000-08:00

A life of faith is not a static state. You grow and develop in it.

When you ere a child, you probably learned about the characteristics of living things. Little would you suspect that those same principles learned amongst piles of dusty books and racks of test tubes would have a spiritual application today.

Living things grow. What you can do with your faith tomorrow will be far greater than those dreams you have now. Just learn to exercise what faith you already have.

Living things need to be fed. Your faith needs feeding. Read your Bible regularly, systematically - not just a few familiar passages when you feel like it - you need a balanced diet.

Living things reproduce. Your faith will also reproduce itself in the lives of those who you influence. That is why it is so important to have an authentic faith. Otherise, what you will pass on will suffer from the same flaws of your own.

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Have Patience! - An Essential Partner to Faith

2007-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hebrews ch.6 v.12 puts it well - we inherit the promises of God through exercising faith and patience.

It is a difficult lesson to learn - particularly for a generation used to instant everything. We want instant spirituality, sanctification, spiritual growth. If we can't wait more than 8 seconds for a web page to load, what chance has answered prayer got?

Fortunately, our Loving Father has made it quite clear to us that He is not a Heavenly vending machine - push in a prayer, out comes the answer (or you give it a good kick to try to jolt it into doing what you want).

He loves us enough to sustain us through times of waiting. If you feel you have no strength of your own left, good. Once you reach the point of surrendering your self-sufficiency, He can step in to work through you to see His vision come to pass.

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Faith for complete healing

2007-01-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

There is more to being healed than the removal of the symptoms of disease. That, however is a starting point. There is nothing much more bizarre than a person who claims that he has been healed of his sickness, it's just the symptoms that remain.

It is essential that we distinguish between the genuine work of God in healing and people 'just feeling a little bit better'. The Lord of the Universe is not a God of half-measures. Of course, for some, it is part of the process of developing faith, learning to see what God can do. But it is not a final state. It is a provocation to experience more of what the Good Lord is able to do.

I keep thinking - I wouldn't be writing like this if I was currently in ill health. It is one thing to type about the fact that it is God's will for people to be healed completely - from the inside out - that we should not be satisfied with partial healing, but look to the author of all miracles to finish His work through whatever needs to be restored within us. It's another thing however to have to put one's own words into practice.

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Faith in Christ - a key to good health?

2007-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

We believe that Christ died - once for all, that when He gave up His perfect life on a cross for us, he not only took on Himself the punishment for all the things we have done wrong, but also the consequences of that punishment. All sickness and disease has therefore already been dealt with through His sacrifice on our behalf.

It is therefore no longer a case of wondering whether we will be healed, but reckoning ourselves already healed through His power. The same power that raised Him from the dead is at work in us now, bringing about a transformation in our bodies.

All we need to do is believe - our faith is a gift from Him too.

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Faith to Commit

2006-12-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

In an uncertain world, it is a comfort to return to the One who loves us supremely and has given us hope, vision, purpose for the future.

At one time we had no hope beyond what we could do for ourselves - constrained by all that could befall us. We had no vision or purpose that did not in some warped way ingratiate ourselves and massage our own pride despite how lofty and altruistic we could make it sound, we knew deep down inside that we were lying to ourselves.

Now, through the revelation given to us, we can see that there is a reason to get up tomorrow, to declare that we will persevere and see through the job we have been given until we see its completion. For our Father is faithful and can be counted on to stand beside us, prompt us, ead us and even carry us if the going becomes too hard for our feeble faith. For it is His work that He has begun in us, and He will not see it fail.

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Your Faith has Power!

2006-12-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

As small as a mustard seed...

If you have ever seen one, you il know why Jesus said this. They're tiny!

Yet, packed inside that insignificant capsule is a tremendous souce of power. The same is true for you. Your faith has poer beyond what you see or experience. It may seem insignificantly tiny in proportion to the challenge you face. But the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is standing ready to glorify that same Jesus through energising you, transforming your circumstances and bringing about miraculous change.

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Building faith for life

2006-12-26T06:16:00.001-08:00

Why exercise faith?

Why believe?

Why not?

By spending time disciplining your thought-life, feeding your mind, soul and spirit: educating yourself in the laws of the spiritual dimension of your life, deepening your relationship with the Father, gaining an understanding of how He has dealt with others in the past; you build up a lifestyle tat will have a positive impact on yourself.

You will know who you are.

You will know what you want.

You will know you have an Eternal Father who loves you immensely, who is looking out for you and who will bring you to a position where you can fulfill your destny.

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Building faith for life

2006-12-26T06:16:00.000-08:00

Faith, the final frontier..

2006-12-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's a corny pun. But there is a great deal of truth in it. We are used to dealing with a material universe. If we can't experience it, touch it and see for ourselves, we're instantly sceptical. Into this dimension, Jesus calls us to live a lifestyle of faith.

More succinctly, He exhorts us to accept the Kingdom (God's rule in our lives) like a child.

What does this mean?

We accept the reality of faith with eager anticipation. Rather than acceping unquestioningly, we are curious, we want to investigate - to see it at work; we talk of it as reality - now. We don't think about how stupid we will look if it doen't come to pass we dn't start picking apart motivations and agendas to find an illusory 'real' reason to explain what's happening.

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Faith in what at Chistmas?

2006-12-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

For some, Christmas is a time of reaffirmation of faith. There is certainly much to support this. We are reminded of the power of the almighty God, who reached down to Earth, delling amongst us to demonstrate that a life of faith was not only possible, but necessary for us.

But it is important to see the trappings that come with the festival for what they are. Just baggage. Traditions are important. They remind us of things that we might otherwise neglect. But if a tradition gets in the way of the truth - if it obscures what it was originally meant to promote, it's time for a rethink.

If carols and Chistmas cake help you reach out to people looking for the Christ, then give yourself to promoting the festival for all you're worth. But remember, Frosty the Snowman did not die for your sins; Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer is not the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit, and Santa Claus does not sit at the right hand of the Father.

If you need wisdom - just ask. You will receive. If you're stuck for the right words to explain what the real Christmas means to you, remind yourself of the promise tht the Holy spirit Himself would speak through you. Yo are privileged to have an opportunity to share your faith in the source of all that is good about Christmas, and as you share your faith, the Good lord will bless you further, give you greater insight into the destiny He has for you - in this world and the next.

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Building Faith at Christmas

2006-12-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

Advent is a time of preparation. An opportunity to remind ourselves of the hisortical reality that our faith is grounded in. Whether we like it or not, it is inescapable. The same Jesus who was born as a vulnerable human being two millennia ago is the author and source of the entire universe.

For the Almighty to humble Himself to the point where he dwells amongst us, not only to demonstrate how a life of faith should be lived, but to empower us to be able to reign victoriously over our circumstances and see His vision of a world whose inhabitants are in a right relationship with Him come to fruition - this may seem blasphemous to those whose concept of God is deficient, where their idea of deity is constrained by a transcendence that renders Him ultimately impotent. But this scandalous grace is precisely what we have come to experience in our lives.

For us to deny this reality would be to narrow our minds and ignore the transformational power of the resurrection that has already made us into completely different people.

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Faith to Multiply

2006-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Faith is infectious. You will have seen it before, a man with confidence who can speak boldly and with clarity to calm the nerves of those around him. As a student, I learned this from my pastor, who would remind me of what was truly important and focus my attention on the positive when all I could see was a single negative obstacle.

The same is true of fear - it is our choice. We can decide what we would like to mutiply in the lives of those around us.

We can produce believers, who will pass their faith on to others. All it takes is a change of direction in how we see ourselves, a realignment so that we work with God's Spirit in bringing about positive change instead of reacting to the circumstances around us.

There is a cost, of course. But what price is too great for the One who bought us with His own blood? With that perspective, our hardships pale into insignificance and the benefits leap into prominence.

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Renewed Faith

2006-12-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Faith is not a one-time that's-it or it's never going to happen type of experience. You exercise faith, then live in the benefit of it - it's a lifestyle choice.

In another post, I'll say more about the important ink beteen faith and patience.

However, right now it is worth focussing on the fact that once you 'see' with the eye of faith, you will need to feed that perception of the reality that God has shown you, to allow yourself to focus more clearly on seeing His will come to pass.

Reminding ourselves of the vision God has given us is not an exercise in pointless navel-gazing. Rather it is an essential time of renewal of faith, an opportunity to remind ourselves of our ultimate goal.

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Faith in Faith?

2006-12-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

Faith is not some magical force that will do things for you that you should do for yourself. Faith is trust, it is an integral part of a real relationship with a loving God.

To see faith merely as a spiritual force to be believed in and be manipulated is to miss the point entirely. We believe because we have come to know the Father fr ourselves and have come to the conclsion that He is faithful loving, just and all-powerful. Faith grows naturally from this relationship. It doesn't have to be forced by an exercise of the will or imagination.

On the contrary. A true faith teaches us that the source of our power is entirely dependent on focusing on Him, not on the by-products of our relationship. It would be as nonsensical to have faith in faith alone as it would be to assume that possessing an autographed photograph of a celebrity enables us to act on their behalf with their authority devoid of a relationship with them.

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Building Faith?

2006-12-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

Two quick questions:

What did you do to build your faith up today?

Read a devotional book
Study your Bible
Talk to someone to receive encouragement

What did you do to build up someone else's faith today?

Send an encouraging email
Pray with a friend
Choose not to spread damaging gossip

Please note, Paul wrote: 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ' for a purpose. Even if you answer, "Well, actually, I did none of those things." You still are in His arms, He still loves you just as much, He still has a plan for you to prosper. You didn't disqualify yourself from receiving His grace, instead He wants to empower you right now so that you will have a better story to tell tomorrow.

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A living faith

2006-12-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

There is a dynamic to exercising faith. It is not enough to look at the past. We should neither be discouraged by past failures, or be limited by our past successes. We have been called to a life where the One who called us is able to do far more than we could ever ask or imagine.

But to do this He must be allwed to breathe life into us continually. Our lives changed at a once for all event when He changed our nature and took up residence in us. But that was not the end of the story. It was merely the beginning.

Now He calls us to allow Him to work through changes on a daily basis so our lives grow to more fully reflect Him, His power and grace. To help us with this, there are a number of promises He has made which we can confidently put our trust in.

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Faith to listen

2006-12-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

If we believe that the Almighty is, a priori, a God who speaks; and that He is no respecter of petty human rank- that He will speak to the outcast beggar as well as the great ruler; then the question we should ask ourselves is not, "Does God speak today?" but: "What is He saying to me, now?"

It therefore becomes our responsibility to determine if there is anything that would be a blockage or hindrance to prevent us from hearing God clearly.

A starting point, of course is to read what He has already said, asking Him to reveal insights to you to help you hear Him more clearly.

An essential key is to act on that revelation.

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Other Weblogs...

2006-10-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

A few other weblogs of mine that you might enjoy:

Inspirational Bible Verses

Bible Colleges

Bible Study for Small Groups

Another time, I'll post a similar short list of other people's blogs that you might want to look at.

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faith

Teaching Faith

2006-10-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

I dscovered a useful, short free email course that gives some interesting tips on how to improve the way you teach the Bible to groups.

The course author is Glenn Brooke. I recommend taking a look at his eblog too. On his website, he also sells a more in-depth ebook on the subject. Click here for more information on both the free course and the $29 book.

When you join his email list, you get access to a few other useful resources too.

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In proportion to your faith...

2006-10-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

There is a fascinating passage in the Letter to the Romans: In chapter 12, the Apostle Paul exhorts his readers to exercise the individual gifts they have each received.

It is an essential topic - for the church is not desined to become an arid cloister of spiritual clones. Instead, its calling is to be a vibrant, colourful community, where a patchwork of ministries dovetail together in harmony to serve all who come to it.

Hoever, his advice is tinged with a subtle warning - eah is to serve in proportion to their faith. Not to think too highly of themselves, lest they should be a vitim of presumption; neither should they afflict themselves with that pernicious false modesty, that - irony of ironies - takes a special pride in being of too little use to anyone else.

This lays another equally important question before s - what is this proportion? How do we know whether we're over-estimating or underestimating the level of faith we have?

The answer is simple enough - do you have peace? A driven overachiever or a guilt-ridden worm won't.

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Faith in a nutshell

2006-10-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

We have seen that verse before: Hebrews ch.11 v.1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.

There is more to this statement than meets the eye. In fact, that's the whole point. The evidence of faith overrules what the eye sees. We may not be able to perceive the hand of God in a situation, but if we have heard His voice, if we deep down in our hearts know that He has already acted on our behalf. If we have written evidence in the Bible that guarantees His intervention on our behalf, and have accepted it by faith.

Then it will come to pass. No matter how big or how small. If the Almighty has already spoken, the matter is settled - all that is needed is for the reality we live in to come into line with His inexorable will. We have a part to play in this. Not to force His hand - as attempts to do this are foolish; but to get ourselves in line with His revealed will first and foremost - to be the person transformed by a life of faith.

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A Faith with a Purpose

2006-10-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

They formed an angry, threatening crowd. They were going to throw him over a cliff. Why? Because his claims were so preposterous! What did he mean, "These scriptures have been fulfilled - today?" That could only be true if he was the Messiah!

He looked through them and walked straight past the mob. He was right, a prophet is not welcome in his home town...

There's an old saying. Familiarity breeds contempt. Sometimes we overlook precious Bible truth because we have grown up with a scripture.

It is easy to memorise and quote Ephesians ch.2 v.8-9 "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast." - but what about the verse that follows?

This is the passage that answers the big question - why?

Why does God give salvation freely - why are there no preconditions? What does God get out of this?

The answer is simple. Each of us has a destiny that only we can fulfill. By receiving that gift of faith, it opens the door to exploring that purpose - but note the order. We are saved to do good works. We do not do good works in order to be saved.

In fact, the whole point is that without experiencing that freely available, life-changing grace through the gift of faith, we would be unable to achieve those good works. In essence, that is the heart of legalism - trying to do good in our own strength, and failing - so we hedge ourselves with more rules to safeguard whatever we can, and fail more...

But by faith, we can achieve that purpose - not because we have to, but because we want to, it's in our nature - to do otherwise would be to deny the reality of what we have become - not by our own efforts, but through His Spirit transforming and empowering us.

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Faith's Textbook

2006-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Faith comes by hearing the message...

We know where to go to find faith. It's not as if we live in a generation where the word of the Lord cannot be found. It's the world's best seller!

Even in the days of Jesus, learned men in his community had access to scriptures that pointed cearly to Him as the long-aaited Messiah. But possession of those scriptures was not enough. Reading them was no guarantee of eternal life. It was applying those words by faith that made a difference.

The faith offered was a gift, paralleled by the words - one without the other is of no use - it either leads to a loveless legalism or credulous antinomianism. Either way, it falls short. But in partnership, fiath brings the word to life and applies it to our circumstances, lifting us above the mundane and bringing us into the presence of the Almighty.

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Beginning Faith's Journey

2006-10-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

Faith is a gift. We can do nothing to earn it. This gives us immense relief, for if it could be earned, then we could be certain to do whatever we could do that would disqualify us from receiving it.

It comes to us purely because God is good. We do not understand why He calls us and bestows this gift on us, laying Himself vulnerable for more hurt. But we can experience and appreciate this gift for what it is and what it does.

There is one thin e can be sure of though. He does not give his gifts merely to make us comfortable. His gifts come with a practical purpose. Faith empowers us. We are no longer the helpless recipient of unmerited favour. Now we are an integral part of the solution He has mapped out - we become an agent of God's grace in ourselves - extending his favour to others that they too might be drawn to Him and experience a life of faith.

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What is Faith?

2006-09-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Pilate asked, "What is truth?" The question came in a fit of pique. He was frustrated. For those who find their lives blocked by circumstances outside their control, a similar question arises out of sheer desperation, when they are told to 'have faith'.

What is faith? Or, how is it that what I call 'faith' turns out to be pretty ineffectual in sorting my problems out?

We have a definition of faith in Hebrews ch.11 - it is not merely an intellectual assent to a set of spiritual facts. It points to a reality that transcends the evidence of our material universe; a certainty that has its roots in the revealed will of the Creator and Sustainer; the One we have the temerity to call Father.

Faith in Whom?

2006-09-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Show us the Father..." It was a reasonable enough request. Jesus' followers understood what they were asking for. The Messiah was destined to usher in an age where the presence of the Almighty would be a tangible reality.

His reply shook their concept of divinity to the core. To see Jesus was to see the the Father. If you wanted to know what the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe would be like were He to take on a body of flesh and bones, then you needed to look no further - He was the image of the invisible, the unapproachable made accessible.

Now it all made sense. His claim of Sonship. If humans beget humans, then what does God beget? But with these astounding claims comes a heavy decision. What will you do with this information?

What can you do for such a being? What works can you perform to win their favour? How do you cope with the realisation that among you stands One who has absolute power over your eternal destiny, who knows how much of your outward act is an empty show.

Fortunately for us, there is no great act that we can achieve. If there was something we had to undertake, no matter how small or simple - the nature of sin within us would mean that we would be ultimately doomed to failure. Insted, the work that God requires of us, is to put our trust in the One He has sent - Jesus Christ. And even that process of believing in Him and the power of His sacrifice on our behalf is only possible through a gift of faith through the work of His Spirit.

Faith for What?

2006-09-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

"Lord, I do believe. Help me with my unbelief!" The cry was heartfelt. I came from the lips of a father desperate to see his son made whole. It came in response to a statement that sounded preposterous, unless you knew the person who said it well enough to appreciate its profound truth.

You can read the full story in Mark ch.9 - around verse 24.

The words that provoked this outburst were: "All things are possible to him who believes." They were said by Jesus.

He said it to make a point. A very specific, clear one. He had been approached by this family, saying, "If you can do something..."

IF?!?

You come towards the Lord of the Universe, its Creator and Sustainer, who holds all power over all things and suggest that it might be possible that He can possibly improve the boy's situation, but you're not too sure - it may be too big a job?

IF?!?

A perspective of faithlessness makes us arrogant in the face of the Almighty. Fortunately for us, He puts up with our failings and gently brings us rund through His goodness to see things His way.

Jesus healed the boy. But the point was made. He modelled it for us. A life of faith is not bound by man-made barriers. It transcends them to fulfil the purpose it was destined for. The story raises questions. And so it should, because a life of faith does not slavishly assent to mere information. It wrestles with issues that challenge a believer to their very core, so that they can stand at the end and declare God's victory.