faith

Real

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1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  1 John 1:1-3

Christianity is concerned with what is real. Among the realists and materialists of my community there is a steady fear of religiosity composed of spiritual mumbo jumbo or far out stories or a cult of secret knowledge. I share that fear. However, I also believe our danger is to construct meaning from our achievements with a short-sighted view of life that excludes eternity.

John, the author of this letter, believes reality has a facet that must be  revealed. He treats the life, message and identity of Jesus of Nazareth as an undeniable reality. He writes to the churches of Asia Minor in the last decade of the first century affirming the message of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Life. Jesus is the reality. For John, the Word of Life proclaimed to the churches was a matter of historical reality. The apostles where declaring Jesus, whom they had

heard,

saw,

observed with interest, and

touched.

John says, Jesus was real. Having been with Him, John believes Jesus Christ came from the communion of the Father and Spirit to make the life of God knowable and accessible to us.

Faith and Friendship

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22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.  James 2:22-23

 

Abraham believed God. This was enough.

 

Faith is the quality of relationship with God that is active, trusting, and reliant.

 

Its a quality God loves to see.

 

He counts us as friends.

 

To get the rest of the story on Abraham read Genesis 11 – 25.

Its How We Live.

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5Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:5-9

 

 

Start by faith.

Live by faith.

Finish by faith.

 

Faith is the means by which we enter into God’s blessings.

Its the way Abraham entered in.

Its the way we enter in.

 

So we enter into friendship with God just as Abraham did, on the basis of what God has done, is doing, and says He will do.

 

Faith is active trust.

 

The object of our faith is personal and real, most dramatically revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. He gives us HIs Spirit when we enter in “by faith” in the Gospel we have heard.

 

We can say with Paul, “…the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

 

Joy is ours in this grace by faith in the finished work of Jesus at the Cross. Peter notes that faith does not require “seeing as believing.” He writes,

 

8Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:8-9

 

John describes this faith as a reliance on the love of God shown to us through Jesus Christ. So our faith has its reasons.

 

15Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  1 John 4:15-16

 

The writer of Hebrews notes that “without faith, its impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6

 

By faith. This is the way God has called you to live.

 

Jesus didn’t write a book.

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17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.  Matthew 4:17-22

Jesus didn’t write a discipleship book. Instead He invited people to put their faith in Him. Instead He called disciples to be with Him. And in the process, the Scripture He inspired speaks to us today. We can truly say, Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) For He is the subject of our faith and He is the one who animates our faith for His glory.

But it starts with the invitation to be with Him. Discipleship is in relationship. All the reflective processes are engaged and the Spirit of God brings change. Discipleship is not just about knowledge. Its about the adjustment of obedience generated by Jesus in our lives.

Jesus called disciples into relationship:  Follow me.

Jesus promised to change them: I will make you…

And Jesus promised to engage them in His Kingdom mission: I will make you fishers of men.

So, when we read His book, the Bible, our ambition is to get to know The Author… the author and perfecter of our faith.

 

How Much Faith?

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Mustard Seed

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. Luke 7:5-6

Jesus prevents a lie from taking root in the disciples’ hearts. It goes like this: Hey if I only had more faith, then I could do more and see more dramatic things happen.

Jesus stops that in its tracks.

“If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed…”

When it comes to that, I just need a little faith.

The issue must be in the one in whom I am trusting.

The issue must be in what I am expecting.

The issue must be in what motives I am having.

Hold this thought: Awesome Jesus! + My Small Faith

What are you trusting Him for today?