a vibrant faith=a growing faith… part 2
Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. (2 Corinthians 10.15)
RECAP from last week: Guard your relationship with God, and do not take it for granted. Care and nourish it, or you may discover (already?!) that it will grow stale, stagnant, and second-hand. That is why there is no evidence— Biblical or historical— of vibrant faith in Christ that is not committed to personal spiritual growth. How does faith grow? Faith comes through the Word of God… Faith comes through the Spirit of God…
Now let’s continue…
Faith comes through the praise of God (Romans 4.20f). Abraham is the classic example of faith. Abraham and Sarah were promised a child in their old age when it was humanly impossible. Nevertheless, Abraham’s faith “did not leave him, and he did not doubt God’s promise; his faith filled him with power, and he gave praise to God. He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised.” (Romans 4.21) Praise arises out of faith only to establish, expand, and enliven the very faith that conceived it!
Furthermore, faith’s victories are frequently released through praise. Consider the armies of Israel who used to go forth with their “worship team” in front of the military. They did not employ this tactic merely to illustrate the primacy of worship— they deployed their worship force to win (2Chronicles 20.20ff). Beloved, there can be no abiding assurance, no confidence, no strength, or no ultimate victory without the cultivation of a “praise life.”
Our praise of God is essential for the cultivation of faith for the simple reason that all of life is worship. History, life, and experience reveal that everyone needs a god. All men and women have, somewhere in their heart, in the center of their being, a shrine in which stands a deity whom they worship. The very composition of human life, the mystery of our being, demands a center of worship as a necessity of existence. The question is whether our life and powers will be devoted to the worship of the true God or will they be dissipated as we chase after false gods.
C. S. Lewis observed long ago:
The world rings with praise— lovers praising their mistresses; readers their favorite poet; walkers praising the countryside; players praising their favorite game— praise of weather, wine, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, and sometimes even politicians or scholars. I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it. Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that is magnificent? The psalmists, in telling everyone to praise God, are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about (Reflection on the Psalms, p. 80).
Faith comes through the people of God (1John 4.12). Every follower of Jesus Christ possesses a deep-rooted nostalgia for the early church. We long for their faith, vibrancy, power, authenticity, and evangelistic explosiveness. Yet mark this well: the first Christians constantly met together, talked together, shared together, studied together, prayed together, worked together, worshipped together, and witnessed together. Their life together was so strong and full of love that their faith grew by leaps and bounds. Multitudes came to Christ because they were attracted by the evidence of God in the midst of their gathering.
The apostle John writes, “No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us” (1John 4.12). Some years back, I received a letter from someone who had visited our church. This person commented, “One of the most wonderful things was to look at the faces of the congregation— they were so relaxed, so absorbed, so open, and content. This created the most incredible, almost tangible, atmosphere for me… All that it gave me and showed me convinced me regarding the reality of Christ and His desire to be present in my life.” Your faith will grow as you gather with the people of God because He has promised to be tangibly present whenever Christians gather in His name to worship, pray, praise, eat, and/or study.
One more thing comes to mind but I will save that for next week…
