Impossible Faith

 

    The Bible is full of things that are impossible to believe, but to have faith you do believe.  You know that anything is possible when God is involved.  Just because it is impossible for humans or logically does not mean it did not happen and will not happen.

    Some things are impossible.  God cannot lie.  He does not evil.  He cannot allow evil into Heaven because He declared it and cannot lie.  You know it is true if you understand God's character.  God is loving and just.  His justice makes many unhappy, but His justice is unbiased and can't be manipulated.

    Humans are sinful by nature.  The first sin revealed that truth and the fact that no one has stopped sinning since has confirmed it.  Sin was invented by Satan, but nothing happens without God's permission.  That means God allows us to be influenced by out sinful nature, but He never wanted you to sin or made you sin.  It is your choice to sin or turn away.  God allows it or there would be no point in free will.  The battle of purity versus sin is the battle between God and Satan.  You were never meant to be in it, but Satan wanted to hurt God through you, me, and everyone else.

    When sin feels like it is consuming the world or you, remember that God is stronger than sin.  He told you to flee, so flee from sin.  He will always give you options.  You may not like the options, but you do have options.  If you choose to follow Jesus faithfully, then your options become a little more clear.  They are not easy, but they are simple.

    God is love, just, and righteous.  He gives you the ability to be all these qualities too.  The closer you move toward Him the further you get from your sinful nature.  God is merciful to those that come to Him, but there is no mercy on judgment day for those who rejected Him.  God has to judge sin because of who He is.  

    Sin is missing the mark or being ethically wrong.  Basically it is falling short of God's standards either by rebellion, or transgression.  If you refuse to obey even one command, then you are a sinner.  If you wrong someone else, then you are a sinner.  If you knowingly do not do what is right, then you are a sinner.  If you do not believe, then you are a sinner.  If you betray trust, then you are a sinner.  If you chose your desires over God, covet, lust, or hold hatred in your heart, then you are a sinner.  Who has never sinned?  Jesus.

    When you meet Jesus, you are in an impossible situation because you can't escape sin without Him.  You will never be able to walk away from your sinful nature.  It has to be rooted out and you can't find the roots without the Holy Spirit.  It normally starts with asking questions to seek understanding.  Then a person may visit church, look into Biblical literature, listen to Christian broadcasting or songs, and/or seek fellowship.  

    Salvation is a one time decision, but ridding yourself of your sins takes a lifetime.  You repent and chose faith over logic.  You are cleansed and all your sins before that moment disappear from existence.  After that you can never lose your salvation, but you do need constant spiritual cleaning or renewing.  You get to start over, but you are still human with a sinful nature that has to be starved and destroyed.  It becomes a life long journey, but with hope and new understanding.

Deuteronomy 32:1-4, 1 Kings 8:22-24, Psalm 9:13-16, 25:4-7, Jeremiah 31:3-6, Matthew 12:33-37, John 3:16-17, 15:9-17, Romans 5:6-11, Ephesians 2:4-7, Hebrews 11:1-6, James 2:12-13, & 1 John 4:13-16

Available Faith

 

    Faith is available for everyone.  Not everyone will accept the opportunity.  Faith is not automatic.  It is a choice that becomes a lifestyle.  God is holy and good.  He makes those that chose faith holy and good.  That means if you are a true Christian that you are set apart in the world.  

    You are God's most prized possession.  He enjoys blessing you and having fellowship.  However, He will not force Himself upon you.  If you choose to rebel, then He will allow you to but you will also face the consequences.  When you face consequences you can't blame God.  He set boundaries and you chose to cross them.  It was your choice, so your consequences are all on you.  Sin will never be allowed to enter Heaven.

    God is perfect.  He choses you in your imperfection and sinfulness to have a relationship with you.  He pursues you.  You don't start pursing back until you accept faith.  This is why it is impossible to make it to Heaven without Jesus.  

    Human nature is rebellious.  No one is without sin.  It doesn't matter what the sin is, you have sin that needs to be rooted out and destroyed.  Sin is what separates us from God.  It doesn't matter if you see yourself as a good or moral person.  Unless you accept salvation, you are still lost in your sin.  Sin is not defined by people.  God has told you what sin is and you chose to accept it or not.  

    Jesus is the proof of God's love for you.  Jesus communicated what righteousness and God's justice is.  He lived and died to display God's love for you.  This made salvation available to you and everyone else.  Faith is available.  It is your choice to accept the gift or reject it.

Psalm 86:8-17, 94, 99:1-5, 130, 139:1-16, 145, Isaiah 6:1-7, Romans 3:9-18, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:5-11, Titus 3:3-7, James 4:17, & Revelations 1:17-18

Faith in Discipleship

 

    The Great Commission lays out what is expected out of discipleship.  It is repeated in a few places, but it is short.  There is a reason it doesn't go into great detail.  Jesus lived his life with those men for three years.  He was with them day and night.  He had taught them how to disciple during that time.  The Great Commission is just the commandment not to stop and teach others how to continue until he returns.

    Discipleship begins with leading someone to salvation.  The next step is forgiveness.  God forgives you for all your transgressions at salvation, but you have to learn how to forgive too.  You have to learn how to forgive like Jesus to be able to be a disciple.

    Discipleship is acknowledging God's authority over you, willingness to go out into the world in Jesus' name, teach others about Jesus, and live life with the Holy Spirit in you all the time in all ways.  It comes down to telling the world that Jesus is the only way to God and eternal peace.  Forgiveness is offered to everyone, but not everyone will have forgiveness.  It is a personal choice that no one can make for anyone else.

    Part of discipleship is learning your Bible.  You study it.  You find the connections for yourself.  You work through doubts, confusion, and life questions.  You memorize Bible verses that will help you in your daily life and to lead others to Jesus.  It comes down to making yourself available for God to use and investing in your relationship with Him.

    Discipleship requires true faith in Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and his appending return.  Jesus is the only way.  There are no alternative routes to eternal peace.  This truth should give you urgency to be a disciple in the world today.  

    Discipleship is going to where the lost are not expecting them to just show up where you are.  You go to them and meet physical and emotional needs, so you have a door to meet spiritual needs.  You want them to want and seek a relationship to their true provider.  

    You have to devote time to the lost just as much as you do investing into your personal relationship with Jesus yourself.  Otherwise you are vulnerable to fall into trap and lose your witness.  Show the lost that Jesus is loving, warm, and welcoming not aloof, standoffish, or an unattainable thing that only a select few get.

Matthew 7:13-23, 28:18-20, Luke 9:21-27, John 3:16-17, 8:31-32, 13:31-35, & Philippians 4:10-14

Faith for the Lost

 

    How do you reach people in your life that are lost?  You can't do it on your own.  You need to pray for them, live out your faith unapologetically, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you.  You need to remember the life you had before your leap of faith.  What drove you to Jesus?  What did your have to give up of your own life to follow Jesus?

    Living life without Jesus is fun, but it doesn't go anywhere.  It leads to momentary satisfaction, but never fills your soul with peace.  For the people who do not want to let go of their fun time, you have to show them that Christians know how to have a good time too.  It just looks a little different.  

    Some people may not even realize that they are lost.  They are living a good life thinking that they will go to Heaven or don't care about eternity.  Everyone is lost until they are not.  Even after you become a Christian it is easy to fall off the path.  You have to walk hand in hand with Jesus and trust the path that he laid out for you.  If you don't you are a Christian, but your faith has no fruit.

    You can't force anyone to be a Christian.  All you can do is tell them the truth and pray.  The Holy Spirit will do everything else.  However, faith is a personal choice.  If they reject it, then they will have to live with the consequences.  Their choice may hurt you, but it is their choice.  One of God's greatest gifts is free will.  Do not try to take that from anyone.

    If a person admits that they are lost, then you have a window to introduce them to Jesus.  Do not over think this.  If you know the person, then you know how to talk to them.  Do not go through a check list or try to be perfect and go by some exact plan.  Be natural.  Be yourself and follow the Holy Spirit's guidance.

    Do not assume that a lost person is stupid.  Many are highly logical.  It is their logic that works against them.  Meet them where they are.  Use intellect to counter their arguments.  It may get through or it may not.  All you can do is what you are directed to do by the Holy Spirit.  You can then walk away with a clear conscience.

    It may be tough to talk to strangers, but if the Holy Spirit directs you then you need to try.  People need help in life.  If you don't step up, then you never know if anyone else will.  Salvation may be confusing for some people, so take the time to invest in your testimony and how it happened for you.  Keep it simple.  Make sure they understand that salvation is free, but following Jesus can cost you everything.

    Avoid confusing talk.  Don't go too deep into the Bible.  The faith journey is a life journey.  You can't get everything on the first day.  Take it slow.  It is a life long race not a marathon to get a prize.  Show them what really matters in life and then eternity because salvation starts here and now.  You don't just wait until you die to enjoy it.

    Part of discipleship is to teach them how to follow Jesus after salvation.  It is teaching them how to prioritize God.  You teach them how to search for God's truth, promises, and love on their own.  You teach them the urgency to share God's Word without being perfect.  You teach them to use what they have and be grateful.  

    Teach them how to deal with discouragement, waiting, prayer, and not always getting the happy ending they wanted.  Success looks different on everyone, so teach them no to compare themselves to you or anyone else.  Celebrate the victories where you find them and let go of the disappointments.

Isaiah 41:8-10, Matthew 11:25-30, Romans 10:1-4, & 2 Peter 3:8-10

Saving Faith

 

    Faith is the only way to redemption with God.  Redemption with God is the only way to salvation.  Jesus became human to form real relationships with people.  He became the bridge for people and God.  He sacrificed His perfect existence to live among people who hate Him to give you the opportunity to have eternity in perfection with Him.

    The only way to find salvation is to believe.  Salvation gives you regeneration as a new pure soul that lives in the same beautiful body God created.  When the Holy Spirit moves in, it changes your heart and you begin to see the world differently.  

    Repentance and faith is the only path to true grace.  Repentance must be genuine because God knows your heart.  You can't lie to or fool Him.  God's grace gives you justification for your past and the ability to start fresh with Him.  The relationship gives you inner peace and favor with God.

    The salvation experience gives you sanctification.  It starts with regeneration of your life.  It sets you apart from the people of the world that are following their own drives that are led by Satan.  You are now led by the Holy Spirit.  The two do not mix.  When you try it causes confusion, pain, and anguish.  Your morals will start to transform to motivate you in new way of living.  

    Glorification is your life as a Christian.  It leads to blessings here and now, but the ultimate gift is eternity in Heaven.  It all starts with faith.  Saving faith separates you from your sin.  It gives your restoration.  It makes you holy.  In time as you invest in your relationship with God, you will discover wisdom in how to live out the laws in a way that serves God and helps other people.

    Salvation requires you to see your sin for what it is.  You come to agree with God about sin and you decide to submit to His authority in love.  You submit because you know He loves you more than you will ever be able to love Him.  He loves you in a way that is beyond any kind of love another person could give you.  His love with your faith makes you righteous.  This is saving faith.

Matthew 19:16-30, John 3:16-17, Acts 16:31-34, Romans 2:1-16, 3:23-26, Ephesians 2:8-10, & James 2:14-17

Forgiving Faith

 

    Faith requires the ability to forgive.  Forgiveness is one of the hardest things you have to do in life, but God forgave you when you did not deserve it.  As a Christian you need to learn how to forgive for your own heart, walk with Jesus, and peace.  Forgiveness is to let go, to leave, to leave behind, and to remit.

    The ability to forgive also makes it where you are more likely to be forgiven by other people.  People hurt people.  No one is without fault.  No one is without the need to be forgiven.  To forgive does not insure the relationship being fixed.  It removes the animosity, the hurt, and the doorway for Satan.  It is a doorway for boundaries that could fix the relationship over time.  

    Forgiveness opens the doors to blessings.  It can't be faked.  You can't pretend with God.  Forgiveness can remove judgment.  Jesus' forgiveness gives you salvation.  Forgiveness renews you and keeps you from becoming a bitter person.  

    Forgiveness from sin can only come from God.  The closer you get to God the more you see sin for what it is.  You have to deal with your own sin before you can call anyone else out for their sin.  Your job is not to be the judge.  Your job is to help other people see their own sin by their own coalition.  

    Salvation is free, but walking with God after salvation will cost you everything.  Pride is the first thing you have to break down.  It is what will keep you from forgiving other people.  People need to see the Holy Spirit working in you to see their need for salvation.  That means when you repent you can't do it in secret.  You have to live a transparent lifestyle.  That does not mean everyone is invited into your personal space.  It just means you are living a much like Jesus as you can.  Your ability to forgive could bring other people to Jesus.  

Matthew 6:14-15, 26:27-30, Mark 1:4-6, 2:1-5, 13:12-13, Acts 5:29-32, 8:20-23, & Romans 3:23-26, 4:4-7

Faith's Journey Continues

 

    Faith requires obedience. Obedience comes from love and self-discipline.  When you are obedient to God, then you are a witness.  If you are a witness, then you have a testimony.  If you have a testimony, then you can tell people about Jesus and invite them to have a relationship with their creator.

    Faith comes down to what you believe and having a heart of submission.  Faith is a journey because not all of life's questions are answered immediately.  You have to work through your human perspective getting a clearer vision of God's perspective to decide on some aspects of life.  Other aspects like how to get to heaven, who God is, and sin are cut and dry.  You will mature in your understanding, but at the end of the day your opinion doesn't matter.  What God says is and it will not change because you want it to.

    Sharing your faith takes sensitivity.  You don't want to sound like you are apologizing for what you believe, but you don't want to push the person away either.  You need time to have them really hear you and see that your heart is not judging them.  

    Faith's focus is on Jesus.  Jesus will transform you from the inside out.  All you have to do is allow the world to see you.  If they really look, then they will see aspect of Jesus in you.  It will either attract them to you, make them angry, or make them avoid you.  Don't take it personally.  It is the affect Jesus has on people. 

    Your part in faith is to have conversations with people that you know are not believers.  The Holy Spirit will do the work behind your words.  Do not put so much pressure on yourself that you never talk to people.  If the person comes to faith, then you take them under your wing to disciple them or introduce them to someone else that may be a better fit to disciple them.  Do not turn your faith into work.  It is a part of who you are.  Let it become natural.

Psalm 23:3-6, 32:8-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:28-31, Matthew 11:25-30, Romans 8:26-30, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Colossians 2:6-7, & Hebrews 11:1-3