Faith

From Pagsangkap (Equipping Your Flock) by Pastor Noel Alkuino. (C) 2007

FIVE TRUTHS ABOUT FAITH:

I. Faith calls those things which are not as already there (Faith Assures)

Faith is trusting that the things you have been hoping for will happen, even if you have not yet seen it with your physical eyes (Hebrews 11:1). True faith “calls those things which are not as already there”. This is the kind of faith we need so we could claim the things we have been asking from God. Believing it’s already there even if we do not see anything yet. (Mark 11:24).

We are called to walk in faith and not through our physical eyes (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our faith is based on our hope (Hebrews 11:1). This hope is based on God’s promises that He impresses on us when we give time to pray and to meditate on His words.

II. Faith trusts in the ability of God (Faith Trusts)

There are problems that God allows to happen in our lives, so we will depend on Him instead of ourselves. This kind of faith brings us to:

1. prayer and asking (2 Corinthians 1:10-11)
2. asking of guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6)
3. the power of God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

III. Faith is acting upon (Faith Acts)

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:17

Faith without deeds is like a body without a spirit, dead (James 2:26). Even Satan and his demons believe that there is one God, however this kind of faith is not accompanied by obedience to God’s principles (James 2:19). True faith shows actions. This kind of faith leads us to:

A. Real Salvation and Righteousness (James 2:14; 23-24)

We cannot be saved by human effort but only through faith, but we must understand that real faith produces good works. This is the faith that saves. It means if we are truly “saved or have faith” it will be clearly seen in our fruits. If we are attached to the vine, we will really bear good fruits (John 15:5).

We need to note that bearing fruits is not instantaneous but gradual. So we must be careful not to judge others who do not have as much fruits as we have. There are changes that we already experience but have not been experienced yet by others, or it may be the other way around.

B. Helping the needy

“¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, ’Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James 2:15-17

C. Giving God what he desires (James 2:20-22)

Abraham sacrificed his only son to God even if this is against his will. Because of his faith he was willing to sacrifice anything for God.

D. Service & accomplishment of great things before God

“³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. ³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escape the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”

Hebrews 11:31-34

IV. Faith endures and perseveres (Faith Perseveres)

“³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. Thy wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. ³⁹They were all condemned for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”

Hebrews 11:35-39

True faith enables us to endure and finish the race.

V. Faith based on the power of God (Faith Experiences)

“So that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

1 Corinthians 2:5

Real faith is not based on doctrines of men but on the power of the Living God. If our faith is secured in God, He will start to reveal to us. There are three ways God reveals Himself to us:

A. He speaks to us

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

John 10:4

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

Revelation 2:7

God will not only hear us but we too can hear Him if we take time to listen to and recognize His voice.

B. He will reveal Himself through His presence

“¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enables them.”

Acts 2:1-4

The early Christians did not only preach the scriptures but they made the presence of God visible to and felt by the new converts (Acts 8:14-18).

C. He will perform miracles in us and through us (Hebrews 2:4)

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they pick up snakes with their hands, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Mark 16: 17-18

Have faith!


KENNETH