Hebrews 11: 1 (ESV)
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
This is the scripture we all quote to each other. But for me this writing creates more questions than answers. Even more difficult to fathom are the two quotes of Jesus: Luke 17: 5-6 “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘increase our faith!’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” And Matthew 17: 19-20 “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out (the demon)?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
In my pantry I have a small shaker of mustard seeds. My guess is that there are thousands of seeds in that jar. They are that small. So, what was Jesus saying to us? I can only guess that true faith is so strong and powerful that it will move mountains. Next question, how do we get ourselves to the place where our faith grows to the size of a mustard seed?
My friends, please hear what I have to say. It is here where we need each other more than in anything else. Our unity is imperative! Faith is something we share with each other. My faith will grow when you share your faith with me. I always will need your help to trust God’s faithfulness more. Your victories are proof that the Holy Spirit is still moving through Christ’s Church. He is still helping us. He is still bringing peace to us. He is still working holiness into our lives. If you don’t share, how can I grow my faith? Jesus never intended for us to do this alone.
My recommendation is that we bring back testimonies to the Church. A few churches still have them, but I’ve noticed a trend towards sitting there and listening to part of a series each week. That’s all well and good but I want to hear what God did in your life this week! That will help build my confidence as I prepare myself for next week. It’s not up to the pastor to help grow our faith. It’s up to us to do this together.
A caution about testimonies, they should always glorify God. They should not take the form of bragging as if you are more special to God than others. Christ paid the exact same price for each one of us. Our value is equal. A testimony should be given with the desire to encourage and help. As we boast of God to each other, our prayers will take on a new vitality. Our trust in God will strengthen. And our love for each other will bring us unity. We will walk strong as one body!
Let me give you an example; When I was a teenager, I was quite involved in our church youth group. We met every Friday night for hours to worship and share. I think we were pretty close to how things should be. Our youth pastor was around 24 years of age. He and his wife loved kids but were unable to have children. One night Lloyd seemed extremely downhearted. When asked, he told us they had just come from the doctor and all attempts were finally crushed for them. We loved Lloyd and Peggy so much and just didn’t feel this was fair. So being kids and still believing in prayer, we laid our hands on Lloyd and took to our knees. There was love and conviction in our voices. We prayed to a point where all at once we stopped and looked around at each other with a bold confidence in our eyes. That was my one real experience with “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” Nine months later Lloyd and Peggy had twins! In total, they ended up with five children and seventeen grandchildren. We had gotten our faith to the size of a mustard seed that night. But we did it together in unity.
Faith can be attained, and it can grow. But to do so, we must share the goodness of God with each other continually. Let’s take some time in our gatherings to give glory to God for His bountiful blessings. Only we can start the change. God is waiting!
Amen?
One more thing: Remember what David said about Goliath. 1 Samuel 17: 37 "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Faith begets more faith!
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