As JLM worked through the book of Acts blueprint at the beginning of this year, I noticed a recurring ingredient in the early Church that we needed to examine more closely. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." That sounds like a vital ingredient for the Church. For the past three weeks we've examined faith and taken a closer look at our personal faith levels. Some interesting questions have come out of this series, and we're asking these questions no matter how painful the answer.
Part 1: How to Measure Your Faith - What's your faith level? What past hurts or disappointments have lowered that level? Are you believing in and trusting God more or less than when you first believed in Him?
Part 2: How to Build Your Faith - Now that you realize your faith level is not as high as it should be, it's time to rebuild your faith. It's time to get your hopes up again. Asking God to do something only He can do will help rebuild your trust in Him. Serve God with no plan B. Ask of Him, and don't make a back-up plan.
Part 3: Faith That Impresses God - A man with no prior relationship with Jesus Christ had faith in Jesus that caused Him to marvel. After all your experience with Jesus, how marvelous is your faith? Do you believe Jesus has the authority to solve your problem, heal your sickness, just by speaking a word? Wouldn't you love for God to look at your faith level and see "So great a faith..."
Part 4: Faith That Crosses Over - In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8, Jesus tells His disciples to get in a ship and "go over to the other side." There was a promise in that command: You will make it to the other side. It's sometimes hard to remember those promises when the storm begins and the waves pummel the ship, when it seems like God isn't paying attention to you. But Jesus didn't say, "Let's get in the ship and sink." He promised the disciples they would cross over. Is your faith causing you to cross over to where God is calling you? Or are you holding back and staying on shore because of fear of sinking? One look at the faithful leaps of trapeze artists reminds us: "What you're holding on to is not as trustworthy as He Who wants to catch you."
Part 5: Faith That Wins - Are you tired of losing faith? How about loser faith? You want to ask God, and receive from God. You want to see your faith win. The prophet Elijah wanted this, too. So he entered Jehovah in a "God Contest" against Baal. He was not afraid to trust in God instead of the altars of dependency that others built. What non-God are you waiting on for a reply? Who or what are your altars of faith built to? If you're hoping in anything more than Jesus, tear down those altars and put your faith in the One Who will win the God Contest. You've got to have faith to ask God to be THE God of your life. And He will respond.
