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Christian Chronicles, November 1999 - Volume 2, Issue 48

| The Editor's Pen | Perspectives: Faith In the Word of God | Fruit of the Vine |
| The Measure of Our Faith | God Is... | Who Says Faith Is Impractical? |
| Looking Unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher | The Spirit-Filled Life | Living By Faith |

The Editor's Pen

Jesus said that if we had faith the size of a mustard seed we could move mountains. Of course, what He was saying is that we do not have any faith, not even the size of a mustard seed. If we did, there’d be all sorts of mountains moved all over the world. People would be out there moving mountains just to show that they could do it. God help the poor earth if we had such faith. Everest would be in Kansas and Pike would be somewhere else.

We do not have any faith of our own, but what faith we have is that which God provides for us every day. The faith that we exercised when we were saved is faith that the Holy Spirit imparted to us, and the faith which sustains us is that daily faith that God provides whereby we trust Him to lead and sustain us. The faith that ensures our continuing salvation is renewed in us constantly by the God who imparted it in the first place. If our eternal security were dependent upon our own faith, we’d be lost as soon as we were saved. But our God loves us, and provides fresh faith continually to assure our salvation forever.

Perspectives: Faith In the Word of God

Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen...
By faith we understand
that the worlds were framed
by the Word of God,
so that the things which are seen
were not made of things which are visible.

(Heb 11: 1, 3)

If you can hold it in your hand, you don’t need faith. If you can touch a thing, you don’t have to believe that it is real; you can know it because its reality is tangible. The evidence for it is in your hand. It has substance. The things that we believe are just as real, the substance of them being evidenced by our faith. We do not see God, but there is evidence aplenty of His existence in the things that He has made. We do not need much faith to understand that God is real. But it takes greater faith to understand that He is a loving God. From where does this faith come? Did we make a decision to trust God and then generate our own faith? Not a chance. It is by the faith that God Himself has implanted in us that we know with assurance of His love and mercy. Yet, that knowledge is as real as our knowledge of the world around us.

The worlds were framed by the Word of God. When a contractor sets out to build a house, he first lays the foundation, and then he begins to erect the skeletal framework upon which he will hang the siding and interior walls, the roof, the windows and doors. Without the framework, the rest could not stand. Whereas a contractor uses lumber to construct the frame for the building, the material that God used to frame the universe was His own Word. Every atom in the entire creation is held together by the word of God’s power. All of the power that is generated in the splitting of an atom is the release of the power of the Word of God from that atom. It is a fairly astounding thought. Mind you, it is not the power of God, but merely the Word of His power. Psalms 33:6 states: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth... For He spoke and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."

We all have heavenly hopes, and those hopes are assured by our faith. More correctly, they are assured by the faith that God implants in us, faith in the certainty of His Word. If the mere word of His power is sufficient to sustain all the atoms in the universe, then it is surely able also to sustain us and to save us.

Yet, it is not the mere word of His power that is in every Christian, but the very power itself, for it is not only the Word of God that abides in us, but God Himself dwells in us. As we abide in His Word, God abides in us.

My friends, we have no faith of our own, but the presence of God in us provides us with faith sufficient to meet every one of life’s trials with all the power of God. In every crisis, God holds out to us continually the great strength of His own faith to sustain us. We have the assurance of the same Word that sustains everything around us that God will strengthen us to meet every challenge and move every mountain. In the heart of every Christian resides more power than that which destroyed Hiroshima or lights many cities around the world. We have only to avail ourselves of that power through faith.

Fruit of the Vine

Suppose we pray together for the salvation of a lost soul, but do not believe in our hearts that that person will be saved. If he is chosen, he will, but he will not be the fruit of our ministry, but someone else’s. A faithful prayer is one that rests on the solid assurance that God will answer it. It comes from a heart that is convinced that it is not God’s will that any should perish, and that God will therefore save that person.

Before we minister to a person, we should pray for that person, and we should pray believing that God will hear and answer. We have no evidence that He will do so except for the faith that He gives us. But when we serve as priests, we may know with assurance that God hears and answers our prayers. This assurance springs only from fountains of faith. If we pray, but do not believe, our prayers will not be effective, but if we pray fervently, believing, then faith becomes the substance of our hopes, and we know in our hearts that our prayers shall be answered. As ye have believed...

The Measure of Our Faith

For I say, through the grace given to me,
to everyone who is among you,
not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

(Rom 12:3)

There is no measure of God’s grace, but there is a measure of faith. Some have more faith; others have less. But it is not our faith. It is God’s faith, dealt to each of us by measure. We have no reason to be proud of our faith, but every reason to be humble. To whom much is given, of him shall much also be required. Jesus said this. Those who have been granted a larger measure of faith will also be granted greater trials. No Christian is given trials that are greater than the faith that God makes available to him. We often see Christians who are beset by great problems, and wonder why it is so. There is a reason.

If the circumstances of your life seem especially trying, and you seem not to handle them well, it is because you are not exercising the faith that God gives you. If others’ lives seem especially blessed, it may be because He has given them a smaller measure of faith, but it may also be because they are using the measure of faith they were given, amongst trials greater than you realize. While you may be more greatly troubled, you have a measure of faith available to you that can turn your trials into fruitful lessons in ministry, and blessings amidst the trials. We are to trust God in every situation, knowing that He is always preparing us and molding us for every good work. This is why we are instructed to rejoice in everything. If our trust is in God and not in our circumstances, faith is easy.

God Is...

Borrowed from: Mike Hilson,
Vista Magazine

His goal is a relationship with ME! He will never leave me nor forsake me; never mislead me, overlook me, and never cancel my appointment with Him. When I fall, He lifts me up. When I fail, he forgives. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am lost, He is the Way. When I am afraid, He is my courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I am hurt, He heals me. For everybody, everywhere, every time and every way: He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine. My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world. And so, if you’re wondering why I feel so secure, understand this: He said it, I believe it, and that settles it. God is in control, I am on His side, and that means that all is well with my soul."

Many, many thanks to Mike and Vista Magazine for this wonderful article. How very appropriate it is in an issue that deals with faith. Ours is a wonderful God, One who can be trusted with everything we have, including our lives, ministries, possessions, hopes, fears, families, friends, sorrows and joys. There is no other god like our God, nor can be. If you cannot trust the Christian God, then you have no hope whatsoever. Keep the faith!

Who Says Faith Is Impractical?

Jesus said, "As you have believed, so let it be done for you" (Mt 8:13). Too often do Christians lead unproductive, unfruitful lives, not because God will not bless them, but because they do not believe that God will bless them. Real born-again Christians often subscribe to worldly notions when it comes to using the faith that God has already imparted to them. They calculate the odds. They attempt to determine the chances that whatever they wish might or might not come true. And what their reason tells them, this they believe. This was the attitude of the Sadducees. They didn’t really believe in a personal God, One who would hear and answer their prayers no matter the odds.

Faith runs counter to reason. Most of the time, acts of faith are those that seem the least reasonable. Many scientists reject faith for that very "reason." Real Christians don’t really have a problem with faith when it comes to their salvation, for they know that no matter how hard they try to be good, they remain sinners, in need of God’s grace. Getting to heaven on one’s own merits is an insoluble problem, so that faith is fairly simple in that regard. But applying that same faith in the routine circumstances of their lives seems a foreign notion to many Christians.

In counseling, one of the most frequent questions is, "What do you think I should do?" The answer is usually, "Nothing." We do not need to resort to manipulation and trickery in our dealings with friends, enemies or loved ones. The course of faith generally involves waiting for God to do what we have proven ourselves unable to do. The world demands action, something non-passive, something that might move the situation along in favorable directions. This is the counsel that people most often want, and it is almost always wrong. Faith means looking beyond reason, to God. Not "proactive," but patient.

We pray, "Lead us not into temptation..." The word in the Greek that is translated temptation has a dual meaning. It means trials that come into our lives from the outside, and temptations that arise from our own sinfulness. The Scofield Bible carries the marginal reference to this duality in the phrase "test/tempt." A footnote at James 1:4 reads:

The concept of testing or temptation is expressed in both the OT and NT not only by the words translated "test" or "tempt," but also by the words rendered "provoke," "snare," "trials," etc. (e.g. Gen 22:1; Ps 7:9; 11:5; Lk 22:28; Jas 1:2; 1 Pet 1:6; cp Job 31:27; Prov 22:25; Isa 3:8). The primary meaning is usually that of proving by testing, or testing under trial. Less frequently the sense is that of enticement or solicitation to evil (e.g. Jas 1:13-14; Gen 3:1-6; 2 Cor 11:3-4).

We tend to lose sight sometimes of the fact that God is intimately involved in our lives. Because we do not commune with God every moment, we tend to feel that He pays us no more attention than we pay Him. But this is not the case. Every breath that we take is released by the conscious will of God (see Job 9:18; 12:10; Isa 42:5; Dan 5:23; Acts 17:25). When a hair falls from our heads, He notes it carefully (see 1 Sam 14:45; 2 Sam 14:11; 1 Kings 1:52; Mt 10:30). One of the responsibilities of an angel named Palmoni (Lit: Numberer) is to keep a running count of the hairs on the heads of every saved person, reporting to God the Father each time one falls out. Of course, God already knows of it, but He keeps records also. We go through our lives believing that chance events befall us randomly, and begging God to get us out of this scrape or that trouble. There is little faith in any of that sort of thinking.

James counsels us to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (Jas 1:2). How are we to do this? Why should we? It is because the trials of our lives are each and every one orchestrated by God to test our faith or to teach us some valuable lesson. Calamity befalls us all at various times in our lives, but faith tells us that God is still in control. How often we run helter-skelter in search of some quick fix when the better part of wisdom is to sit quietly, with calm hearts, trusting God to work His purposes in our lives, showing us fleeting glimpses of the magnitude of His glory in the resolution of our trials; showing us the superiority of His wisdom over our reason. We panic, forgetting about the hairs on our heads or the breath in our lungs; forgetting that our God is a stronghold. He is steady at the helm.

Often, our faith is not tested by crises, but by opportunities. The opportunities that God presents are not likely to be found in the "sound" reasoning of the world, but in that still, small voice in the heart that says, "Do this," or, "Don’t do that." More often than not, what we are led to do or not to do has nothing to do with anything reasonable, but runs contrary to what seems wise. More often than not, we are required to step out on faith when that action seems wholly unreasonable. The story comes to mind of the seminary president who wished to build a new student center and bookstore on campus. He didn’t do a bunch of feasibility studies. He didn’t seek the approval of the trustees or ask the bankers if it were possible. He prayed. How fervently he prayed. And then he contacted the architects and contractors and began to move forward. He had not yet sought funding, for the whisper of God in his heart was that he should proceed on faith alone. And so that is what he did. Before the first brick was laid, before the foundation was poured, God began to answer his prayers. Unsolicited donations began to increase, and the building went up on schedule. It stands today at Dallas Theological Seminary as silent testimony to the faith of John Walvoord.

Another story comes to mind of a small Bible study group that was growing too large to manage with individual studies. It seemed necessary to begin to organize a local church. None of the members of the group had any experience in church administration. None of them had the money to fund such an undertaking. They agreed to go forward anyway. Every week, there was only enough money in the box to meet the needs of that week. There was no surplus, no cushion, no safeguard against failure except the faith of those few souls. But then, an unreasonable thing happened. Many people began to be saved as the gospel of grace was preached. No mention was made of money on any Sunday. No letters begging for contributions were mailed. But everyone gave as they were moved by God, and a church was formed and grew and flourishes today. It is the story of a single church, but it is the story also of every church where faith is found. When a church looks to its own resources rather than to God for its providence, it is bound to either fail or become worldly. And it is the story, not only of churches, but also of Christians. We are to look to our God for everything, and He will provide in accordance with our needs, not according to our demands or reason. Faith is about trusting God; first, foremost and only.

In times of trial, God often does not act until we have given up. As long as we are striving to make things happen, we generally find ourselves increasingly frustrated. Things get worse and worse until we finally come to the conclusion that there is no hope. Then God acts, usually suddenly and very effectively. As long as we think that we can resolve whatever the difficulty may be, God will let us try. But He will also allow us to fail at every step. Then, when we realize that we aren’t wise enough, He acts in such a manner as to ensure that He gets the glory. If we were able to resolve our problems without Him, we’d quickly become too proud to be of any use to God at all. He keeps us humble so that we can see where true glory lies when He does what we have shown ourselves to be unable to do. It is truly a remarkable process in the lives of God’s children, and one that engenders greater trust in Him. Our God is long-suffering with us in our weakness of faith, but He leads us inexorably down the pathway to His own glory. The more we see His wisdom today, the more able we become to trust Him in the heat of the next trial. Part of spiritual maturity comes in learning that we do indeed have a God whom we can trust to bless us if we keep the faith. The more we see it, the easier our faith.

Blessings always follow faith. As we mature spiritually, and learn that we can trust God, the crises seem to become much more critical. But He also provides faith sufficient to meet the new crises. At some point in the growth of every Christian, we realize that no matter how deep the crisis, we may still remain steadfastly calm, not worrying over the details, but trusting God to lead us. At some point we learn that we can always say with a true heart, "I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, for You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversity, and have not shut me up into the hand of my enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place" (Ps 31:7-8). Though the world may see us as boxed in hopelessly, our hope is not in the world, but in a God who is our refuge, and a fortress of defense to save us. When we trust in God in times of trial, He always blesses us in the end. We may rest in complete assurance that He will make us stand because we have called upon Him, and because we are called by His name. But without faith, it is impossible to please God. Blessing always follows faith. When we know we are His children, and trust Him, God always blesses us.

One of the reasons that many Christians have a hard time trusting God is because their God is too small. At least, in their own reckoning. A tiny God isn’t much comfort, but a God who is able to keep up with the hairs on the heads of every living Christian, One who is able by the word of His power to sustain the entire universe and every atom in it; this God is One who may be trusted to attend to our affairs surely and without error. A God who releases each individual breath to each and every Christian is One who is able to figure out our problems. A God who is eternal in the heavens is not worried about tomorrow or afraid of the unknown. He sees the future far more clearly than we see either the present or the past. We cannot know what tomorrow will bring, but God has already seen it, and has known from the ageless reaches of eternity what the very best solution to every problem is. He knows our yesterdays, todays and tomorrows better than we know ourselves. We cannot judge what the best course might be, because we do not know what a day may bring forth, but our God knows everything, and has already promised that all things work together for good to everyone who loves Him, who is the called, according to His purposes (See Rom 8:28).

My friends, if God is blessing you today, rejoice. Be glad that He loves you. But if you are in some crisis, rejoice. Be glad that He loves you. We do not often see our crises as blessings, but they surely are. No matter where we are in life, faith is practical. It is always practical to trust in an omniscient God. Though the world may think you crazy, order your life along faithful lines, and God will bless your faith. Do not be discouraged if He does not resolve your problems according to your schedule, but recognize your own lack of wisdom in light of the greater wisdom of a God who sees the future. Faith is not only about believing that Jesus paid for your sins on the cross at Calvary. It is about letting God lead your every step, lighting your pathways with the wisdom of His Word, trusting Him to truly be your Rock of refuge in good times and bad. It is about stepping out when the world says that you are a fool. It is about remaining calm in crisis, rejoicing in trials and knowing that He is not going to put any problem in your life from which you will not be the direct beneficiary in ways that neither you nor the world can understand until after the crisis has passed. Every time the Pharisees "reasoned among themselves," they were wrong. Faith almost always runs contrary to reason, but then, reason only produces a deeper crisis, whereas faith is the resolution of every crisis in the Christian’s life. When someone is troubled and you tell them to keep the faith, be sure that you are keeping it yourself, for therein is blessing to be found in their lives and yours.

Looking Unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher

Jesus said a lot of amazing things about faith. He said that with faith in Him we could move mountains because with Him nothing is impossible. James added that we could have wisdom if only we believed. That’s all fine and it’s the truth, but how do I believe? How do I move beyond doubt to faith? If faith is the answer, how do I obtain it? We can find some answers to these questions in the story of the official’s son found in John 4:46-54.

When we read this, one of the first things we learn is that faith is born out of need. In John 4, the official’s son was sick and dying. Out of sheer panic and fear, the man begged Jesus to heal his son. Here was a man in desperate need, and it was because of his desperation that he was ready to trust in Jesus’ ability to heal his son. If you, like the Pharisees, have no need to believe, you’ll not believe.

A lot of Christians say they believe in the perseverance of the saints, meaning eternal security, or the doctrine that once we’re saved, we’re always saved. Yet, when you look closer you discover that some don’t really believe that. I said I believed in eternal security for a long time, until one night I realized how bad I really was, how little I deserved, and I panicked. It was out of that need that I’m learning to really believe. It’s a paradox but the difference between strong faith and weak faith is need. The strongest Christian really is the Christian who knows how weak he or she is.

God is in the business of putting His children in holes so deep that they can’t possibly get out without His help. What is your need right now? Whatever it is, rejoice. That’s God’s hole and while you’re in it, He’s going to teach you how to trust Him.

John 4 also teaches us that faith is nurtured in Christ. Whether or not your faith grows depends on the object of your faith. If it’s anchored in the wrong object, faith will sink and drown. So when you’re in a hole, reach out to Christ. Are you hurting? In doubt? Struggling? Go to Him. That’s how your faith will be nurtured. I know it’s almost a truism but it’s one a lot of Christians miss: Faith will not grow unless the object of that faith is Jesus Christ.

The final lesson about faith from John 4 is this: Faith is matured in fact. The mature believer is the one who has seen God act in direct and specific ways, whose faith cannot be shaken - ever - because it is built on fact.

How do we get to faith? We have a need; we invest our trust in the proper Person; then the Father acts in ways that leave us speechless. Paul said it right, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20).

A faithful Christian is not one who says, "Lord, zap me with faith so that I can do the mountain bit." The faithful Christian is the one who has gone through the process of need and Christ-centered help.....and has seen God’s faithfulness. May we all look more and more to the Author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, and less and less to our own fears and faithlessness.

The Spirit-Filled Life

A newborn baby is totally dependent on its mother. As we grow up in this world, as we grow in relationships with family, friends and neighbors we find our life depends on trust. As we get to know and have a relationship with God, our Father, we understand that we need to put our trust in Him alone.

It always seems to amaze me that most of us have a trust for a friend or trust for our brothers but seldom do we trust the God who made us and them. God is not only a Person, but the Supreme Person upon whom all our faith should rest. That is why to know Him is to trust Him and to trust Him is to begin to know ourselves.

The Spirit-filled life is a life of faith. It starts with faith and is maintained by faith. It is faith from start to finish. But what is faith? Faith believes that God will indeed do as He has promised. It is not a power but a process of believing in our Creator, our Savior. Paul knew faith in God when he penned, "...and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20)

One of the best illustrations of faith in the Bible is the story of David and Goliath. The armies of Israel were lined up on one side of the valley and the Philistines on the other. Every day Goliath, a giant bigger and stronger than all the men in both armies, walked down the valley and taunted the Israelites. Then David came on the scene, the man after God’s own heart. He saw Goliath as an enemy of God and not just an enemy of Israel. By his faith in God, David knew Goliath would fall. David was not the best soldier or the most trained fighter but the Object of his faith was. God would not fail. Goliath did indeed fall with only one stone and a slingshot showing us that when God is for us, who can possibly be against us! His love is abounding and He desires our trust in Him.

Living By Faith

Four times does the Bible say, "...the just shall live by faith..." (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). Notice that it doesn’t say that the just should live by faith, but shall. It isn’t something that is optional. Every Christian will certainly live by faith. However, neither does the Bible say that the just do live by faith, but that they shall. No one who is newly regenerated even understands what living by faith means, and how can they do it? We have eternal life by grace through faith, but we do not yet live by faith. As we grow in our Christian experience, our faith grows also. One who is spiritually mature might declare that he lives by faith, for many do. Paul himself declared it to be so when he said, "...it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

It was so easy for the Apostles to live by faith. After all, they endured such great trials. It is hard for us to live by faith, for we haven’t the trials that those stalwarts faced. That’s right. Faith does not weaken in the face of trials, but grows stronger and more dependent upon a powerful God. It is not during those extended periods of relative ease that we are blessed, as many suppose. The great blessings in our lives come in the form of trials. We almost always fail in some way in every trial, but our God never does. In every crisis, if we look to God and find our strength in Him, and acknowledge His hand (whether it be the hand of wisdom or of discipline), there will be faith aplenty to face the crisis, whatever the outcome of it may be. That is a life of faith.

It is much, much easier said than done. It takes almost a lifetime of shucking off the wisdom of the world, and being savaged by the world for your arrogance, only to see the glory of God at the end. It takes passage through many crises for a person to actually understand and believe that, no matter the crisis, God knows what is going to happen and how his child is to benefit. Ours is not to understand but to trust. The price of wisdom is high, yet,

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (Jas 1:5). There is no reproach in being tried; there is great recompense in being found faithful.

It is as we are forced by circumstances to trust God, and then we see His glory in the outworking of those circumstances, that we begin to learn that we really can trust Him. First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear — that is the rule. We grow by fits and starts; that long and treacherous road to a life of faith is paved with the stones of heartache and stress, pain and suffering.

In what percentage of his crises do you suppose the Apostle Paul trusted God? He sinned often, but he could say that he lived by faith because he knew that well or ill, alive or dead, he belonged to God and God has promised to take care of His own. The middle verse of the Bible declares, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man" (Ps 118:8).

However, living through crises often leads to times of relative ease. If crises teach us how to live by faith, times of ease teach us how not to. A spiritual Christian will be faithful in times of crisis, but a spiritually mature Christian, like Paul, knows "...how to be abased, and ...how to abound. Everywhere, in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Phil 4:12).

In the bad times, Paul learned patience; in the good times he learned perseverance. In all, Paul, and every other Christian has lived and shall live by faith, by degree now, and perfectly thereafter when we receive at last the great Object of our hope, being received by our Groom. By trusting God in all things we learn we can trust Him, and as we learn, we do.

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