Title: Faith is strength. (Hebrews 11:6)
Contents
♣ Introduction
It is the second Sunday of Advent. This is the third time in a series of thoughts on Advent, to think deeply about Jesus. In this time, we would like to hear God's word about 'active faith', the source of the greatest power of Christians.
Wilma Rudolph There is a story about a female athlete. Born into a devout Christian family in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, Wilma was crippled by birth. From a young age, I had to rely on crutches, and I couldn't even walk properly. Faithful parents said, "Son, believe in God. If you believe in God, God will heal you."
The child took his parents' words to heart and believed that God would allow him to walk without using crutches. Wilma practiced walking without crutches. On her twelfth birthday, Wilma walked without help. Neither the parents nor the doctors could be trusted. Wilma took the school's basketball player selection test, and was able to join the basketball team with difficulty because of the basketball coach who said it was impossible. Wilma became the best player on the team with more practice and effort than others, and started running in athletics at the recommendation of a referee who was watching her closely at the basketball championships.
Shortly thereafter, he became the Tennessee State Championship holder in track and field, and at the age of 16 he became an American prospect. At the Australian Olympics, he won a bronze medal for running as the last runner in the 400m relay event. He also participated in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and set world records in the 100m, 200m, and 400m relays. That year, he received the Sullivan Award, which is given to America's most outstanding amateur athlete, and became an American figure that year.
All of this was made possible by Wilma's faith.
Faith is essential to the Christian life. As the main text of this time says, faith is a must in order to come to God. In other words, faith is the key to entering the kingdom of God. Moreover, faith is the basis of all activity for Christians.
The Apostle Paul said in Colossians 2:6, "Therefore, since you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him." With what have we received Jesus Christ? Of course, I received it by faith. How can we walk in Christ? It is also possible with faith. The Christian's spiritual life is based on faith.
By the way, many people think of faith as abstract. In other words, we either store our faith in our head and think of it as intellectual, or we think of it as a spiritual mystery. But faith is the basis and reality of the Christian life.
How, then, can we get faith to work in the Christian life?
1. The object of faith must be clearly defined.
The object of faith is, 'What do I believe and whom do I trust?' Everyone in the world has their own object of faith. The object of the Buddhists' belief is Buddha, the object of the Confucian's belief is Confucius, and the superstitious people have numerous objects such as the universe, animals, and plants. Even the atheists who believe in nothing have their own object of belief. Money, power, fame, knowledge, power, oneself, etc. Everyone is implicitly showing faith. When driving, when using transportation, when walking on the street, when working, in relationships with people, such as friends, relatives, neighbors, etc.
We Christians, too, exercise faith in all areas of our lives, consciously or unconsciously. When you are suddenly faced with a difficult task, or when you engage in a religious act, you will think about faith. When we are sick, when we have an accident, when we meet a certain crisis, when we meet at any church or when we do religious activities.
But every day you wake up, eat, wash your face, brush your teeth, walk or drive around, meet people, touch your hair at a barber shop or hair salon, work at work, handle tools, go to bed, etc. We have faith implicitly. When you eat, do you suspect that each and every item contains poison? Do you suspect that person will hurt you when you touch your hair? Or do you suspect that the earth will go out or the sky will fall as you walk? We live in peace because we have faith in all of them.
A Christian's Christian character is that his faith is not in roads, people, animals, or any other natural phenomenon, but in Jehovah God, the Creator. Because we have God as the object of our faith, no matter how dangerous, dark, and difficult the world is, we can overcome it without despair or despair.
Let's read together. Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, have saved us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I can't stop."
The God who knows us best and who most certainly guarantees life lives in us. In other words, God is the object of my faith, who is always with me wherever I am and whatever I do. Are you sure?
How can we get faith to work in our Christian life?
2. We need to know the truth about God, the object of our faith.
One day, a mother went to the beach with her 10-year-old son. This boy, who studied the Bible diligently, looked at the sea and, out of his mind, hurriedly ran towards the sea. Water fills your knees, your waist, and your chest. Nevertheless, the boy continues to go deep. The terrified boy's mother called for rescuers to rescue him. Fortunately, the boy was rescued without any serious injuries.
"Why did you go into the water without fear?" mother asked her son. "A church teacher said that nothing is impossible for those who believe. And Moses also parted the Red Sea and passed by the sea road. I was just experimenting to see if that could be the case." The wise and faithful mother said, "Son, your convictions are great, but there are a few things you have misunderstood. First of all, are you Moses?" “And did God tell you to part the sea?” “Moses parted the Red Sea with the power of God in obedience to the word of God, but you were doing something that God didn’t even tell you to do to put God to the test, and you almost lost your life.”
The young boy's actions were not his faith in God, but his own. And because they didn't know God well, they did something reckless.
In Matthew 22:23 and below, there is a scene where the Sadducees, who claim that there is no resurrection, are testing Jesus. 'A woman married her eldest son to a house with seven sons. But the eldest son died without children. According to the custom of taking criminal charges, the second married a brother-in-law. The second died without children. So the seven sons all married the same woman. The Sadducees asked Jesus. Then whose wife will she be in the resurrection?' Jesus answered. "You have misunderstood because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:29,30).
Many Christians struggle with a false belief in God. They expect God to answer prayers and work in some specific way. We expect God to speak directly with his voice, or to respond with a vision or some miraculous experience. And if they don't respond in the way they think, they will be disappointed, frustrated, or even turn away from God.
This does not mean that God limits our faith. It is ourselves that limits our faith. In other words, the more we know about God, the more our faith grows and manifests itself.
How can we get faith to work in our Christian life?
3. You must put your faith into practice.
There is an old saying, "A bead must be pierced even at the beginning to become a treasure". If you have faith enough to move mountains, but don't use it, what's the use? As the words of the book of James say, faith that is not put into practice is dead faith and has no meaning. Faith is not for the decoration of saints. Many believers say they have faith, but they are worried about life, anxious, and frustrated.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:31,32, "Therefore, do not be anxious and say, "What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? All these are what the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." You know," he said. The apostle Paul also said in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
A faith that is put into practice works miracles even if it is as small as a mustard seed. Are you sure? If so, take an active part in what God wants to accomplish through you. Do what is set before you by faith.
When Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000, there were only two small fish and five small barley loaves. A really humble lunch box brought by a small child was the basis for the miracle. Even things that are insignificant in our eyes work miracles when we act with faith. Because it is God in me who works in faith.
Faith is power. But if it's not put into practice, it's nothing. Only faith that is put into practice in life is power. I hope that the door of faith will be wide open so that the Lord who dwells in us can work. Therefore, I bless you in the name of the Lord that all that we think or ask may be done in your power.