FAITH

Faith is an interesting word in Christianity. It is used 270 times in the NIV translation alone. The New Testament Greek word for faith is PISTIS which can simply mean faith, trust, and belief. It is a word with power and great potential, but because we toss it around so frequently in the Church I think sometimes it loses the power that God intended it to have for His people. God desires that we have a greater faith than what I see in the Church of the 21st Century. Our faith has been deduced to attending Church instead of believing in God for His movement in our lives and in our circumstances.

We have sinned with our lack of faith perhaps. We do not believe in God for big things or for movement in our lives like He desires. Hebrews 11:6 in the NIV says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." A famous verse that we have learned to quote, but have forgotten its power. Faith is expectation and it is action. It is giving all situations to the Lord concerning our Church and our families. It is being detailed in seeking him with regularity and an expectation that He will move in those situations. It is a boldness that comes through believing that He is going to move in the situations that we lift up to Him. Our problem is that we sometimes become discouraged because God answers differently than what we envisioned in our finite minds. The Church and its people need to admit this an need to move beyond this type of thinking.

I have come to believe through my study in the Word of God lately that God indeed wants His people to trust and believe in Him for great movements in their lives and in their Churches. We have become timid and comfortable with our packaged Christianity that we have left little room for God's movement and have supplemented that with a great amount of knowledge. Where is the great revival of our day? Where are those being set free from things that hold them in bondage as Christians? Where is the emotional healing in families right inside the walls of the Church? Is God waiting for something from His people? I believe He is! I believe that He is waiting for a faith that seeks Him continually and is bold in that seeking. I believe that God is looking for those who trust in Him and are willing to wait upon his movement with a belief that He is going to move in the situation that they give over to Him continually. It is time for the Church to have a greater trust in the Lord and a greater sense of seeking their God. I believe that faith matters! What do you believe?

NEW LIFE

Easter Service for our Church this year was presented at the local High School gymnasium. The Church has done this in the past, but skipped it last year being between Ministers. When the Worship Director and I decided to step out on faith and try this service again for our first time we were a bit nervous. Sometimes through the process of planning I remember thinking "is it really worth our time and effort to do this service?" There was a committee of course that was formed for this event and all of them were competent leaders. The service we came up with was very different for all of us and it had in mind reaching those who are lost or who had fallen away from the Lord.

This past Saturday afternoon we began set up for Easter Service at the High School. We set up about 415 chairs. We had been praying not so much for numbers, but that God would bless this service by filling up the chairs with people who are lost. We assumed that our regular attenders were coming, but our focus for the service was for those outside of Christ. The entire service centered around the theme of "Being Prepared." The sermon I preached was from Matthew 25:1-13 about the 10 virgins and how only 5 of them were prepared for the bridegroom. The sermon was a bit more narrative than usual, there was a game about being prepared in the beginning of the service, and we even did a contemporary skit. At the end of the service during the invitation time not one person responded. I kept wondering if anyone among this large crowd who was lost had been penetrated by any facet of this service.

When all of the lights came on as people were making their way out of the gymnasium I noticed one of our Elders and another man talking with a granddaughter of one of our regular attenders. This woman is 27 years old and comes to church occasionally when she is in town to visit her grandmother. She was asking questions about the process to becoming a Christian. I stood by as one of the Elders began to explain to her the Gospel as he flipped through scripture and began to read to her various passages with a gentle smile on his face. As this was happening she became more emotional with each passing moment. At the end of the conversation she told us that she wanted to be baptized. We all headed back to the Church were we heard her profess her faith in Christ and then was baptized. This woman and her grandmother were both highly emotional and weeping. This was a wonderful moment for this family and those of us fortunate enough to witness this new life from God.

All through this process of building up to this service we kept saying in the Elder meetings that "if only one person was saved then all of the effort, time, and money was well worth it." God revealed Himself to us on Easter Sunday by creating new life when we were least expecting it. Our efforts, prayers, and time matter to God. We forget He is moving sometimes, but when His people do as they are told He reveals Himself to them. All Glory to God!!!

Lessons From Billy

Since I was a small child (born in 1970) I always remember there being a Billy Graham TV special on. I never really cared what Billy had to say because I was a little on the crazy side as a child and teenager. When I was in my 20's and still far from Christ I thought for some reason that Billy Graham was pentecostal and just wanted people to send him their money. It's funny how quick we judge others without knowing anything about them. When I became a Christian at the age of 27 I finally tuned into Billy one night and discovered a man who has a genuine heart for the lost. While I am not affiliated with any Baptist Denomination I have enjoyed reading books by Billy Graham through the years and have always been intrigued by his life.

Several weeks ago I received an issue of the 50th anniversary of Christianity Today which had an article about Billy Graham. I had not read the article immediately since there were other things I wanted to tackle in that issue. This past weekend I opened up the article which reflected on the life, ministry, and character of this renown Evangelist. I discovered 2 very significant things from that article. The first think I discovered was that Billy Graham started Christianity Today 50 years ago with the intention of having a solid publication that reached and touched the lives of Christians. When I read that I remember thinking "why did I never know about this?" Starting a major Christian publication is not an easy task, but it can be done when someone has a good heart and the right intentions.

Going through the article on Graham I discovered the most significant thing was that Billy stated he had wished he would have studied more. This grabbed at my heart in a very significant way. It hit me right between the eyes you could say. It was a gentle rebuke from an older preacher that I had needed for some time. I needed to hear this from a fellow Preacher because I realize that sometimes I go through seasons where I do not study like I should. When I do not study I become dry because I stop growing. Those who spend a good amount of time studying the word and growing through solid Christian writings always have something to share about God with others and always have enough spiritual food to get them through the dry seasons. I do not feel obligated to study the Word and to study about the Word because I am a Pastor. I feel obligated to spend time in study because I am a Christian who wants to experience God in greater ways each day of my life. Psalm 111:2 says "Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them." Thank you Billy Graham for that reminder this past week of what one of my Christian duties are.