RESURRECTION FAITH

“On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days… ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give You whatever you ask.’”  (John 11:17, 21 NIV)

This one statement reveals two types of faith.

The first is what I call preventative faith… Preventative faith believes God can keep things from happening. So we pray for traveling mercies or a hedge of protection around our children. And while there is nothing wrong with that, there is a second dimension of faith that believes God can actually undo what’s been done. I call it resurrection faith. It’s a faith that refuses to put periods at the end of disappointments because God can make your impossible possible. Even when the application is denied or the adoption falls through or the business goes bankrupt, don’t put a period there…

What needs to die in your life so that it can be resurrected? So that God can reveal more of His power? So that God gets all the glory? You need to bury it. Then if it’s resurrected, you know God did it.

It takes courage to end an unhealthy dating relationship, but you won’t find Mr. Right as long as you are dating Mr. Wrong. It takes courage to quit a job, but it might be the difference between making a living and making a life. It takes courage to change majors, but it’s better to fail at something you love than succeed at something you hate. Maybe you need to bury the relationship, bury the job, or bury the major. Then you need to wait for Jesus to show up.

“Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”  (John 11:43-44 NIV)

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible”

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FAITH BELIEVES, TRUST RESTS – Part 2 of 2

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11:1) “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”  (Psalm 56:3)

Faith and trust are like two sides of the same coin, yet they move differently in the life of a believer.

Faith is what we believe about God -- His character, His promises, His power. Faith says, “God can.” It is the conviction that He is who He says He is, even when our eyes may see nothing but uncertainty.

Trust, however, is what we do with that belief. Trust says, “Because God can, I will rest in Him.” Trust is faith lived out -- faith applied to real fears, real delays, real disappointments, real unknowns.

Faith is the foundation. Trust is the follow-through. Faith is the seed. Trust is the fruit. Faith says, “I believe God will lead me.”  Trust says, “So I will take the next step, even if I can’t see the path.”

Jesus invites us into both. He calls us to believe in Him and then to place the full weight of our lives into His hands.

Where is God inviting you not just to believe in Him, but to trust Him -- practically, personally, completely -- today?

Lord, deepen my faith so that my trust becomes steady and strong. Teach me not only to believe Your promises but to fully rest in them. Help me place every fear, every plan, and every step into Your faithful hands. Amen.

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™

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FAITH BELIEVES, TRUST RESTS – Part 1 of 2

What is faith? John Patten (1824 -1907) traveled to New Hebrides (a group of islands in the Southwest Pacific) to tell the tribal people about Jesus. The islanders were cannibals and his life was in constant danger. Patten decided to work on a translation of John’s Gospel, but found that there was no word in their language for “belief” or “trust.” Nobody trusted anybody else.

Eventually, Patten hit upon the way to find the word he was looking for. One day, when his native servant came in, Patten sat back in his chair, raised both feet off the floor, and asked, “What am I doing now?” In reply, the servant used a word which means “to lean your whole weight upon.” This was the expression Patten used. Faith is leaning our whole weight upon Jesus and what He has done for us on the cross.

It all starts with God’s love for us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  [As a result of our sin,] we all deserve to “perish.” God, in His love for us, saw the mess we were in and gave His only Son, Jesus, to die for us. As a result of His death, everlasting life is offered to all who believe. 

-- Nicky Gumbel in Alpha’s “Questions of Life: A Practical Introduction to the Christian Faith”

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BLIND OBEDIENCE

“’Go,’ Jesus told the blind man, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.”  (John 9:7 NIV)

Like many of the miracles Jesus performed, this one comes with a set of instructions. Jesus tells the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. While we don’t know the exact distance he traveled to get to the pool, it was a hike…

So why would Jesus send this blind man on a scavenger hunt? Why not just heal him on the spot? A trip to the Pool of Siloam seems unnecessary, doesn’t it?

I recently heard a story by an Episcopal bishop named William Frey. As a young man, he volunteered to tutor a student who was blind. The student had lost his sight at the age of thirteen in a chemical explosion. He felt like his life was over. The only thing greater than his self-pity was his hatred toward God. For six months after the accident, all he did was feel sorry for himself. Then one day his father said, “John, winter’s coming and the storm windows need to be up – that’s your job. I want those hung by the time I get back this evening or else!” Then he pretended to walk out of the room, slamming the door. John got good and angry! In fact, he was so angry that he decided to do it. He thought, “When I fall, they’ll have a blind and paralyzed son!” But John didn’t fall. He discovered that he was capable of doing more than he realized. Even with blind eyes. Only after completing the job did he discover that his dad was never more than five feet away. He shadowed his son to make sure he was safe, but he knew that helplessness was a far worse curse than blindness.

I’m not entirely sure why Jesus had this blind man go and wash, but I’m guessing that he had lived a relatively helpless life. He depended upon everybody for everything! So Jesus didn’t just heal his blind eyes. He restored his dignity by rebuking helplessness… And that’s one secret to experiencing the miraculous: most miracles require an act of blind obedience. 

-- Mark Batterson in “The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible”

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THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

“One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized Him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are My dearly loved Son, and You bring Me great joy.’”  (Mark 1:9-11 NLT)

In the Greek language, Mark’s Gospel uses strong words to describe what happened when Jesus was baptized. The translators of the New Living Translation of the Bible describe the event this way: “He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him.” Mark is the only Gospel writer to use a Greek word that doesn’t just mean “open” but “tear.” Mark wants us to know that God “ripped open” heaven and sent His Spirit to descend upon Jesus. This was a cosmic event of epic proportions even though it was happening in nowhere Israel under the ministry of an insignificant, self-appointed prophet named John. Things would be different in the universe after this event, according to Mark.

What happens next defends Mark’s position. The ancient Rabbi’s taught that when God speaks, “the daughter of His voice,” or “the echo of His voice,” is heard. But Mark does not record God’s voice in this way. Instead, Mark says that the very voice of Jesus’ heavenly Father spoke words of approval over His Son. “You are My dearly loved Son, and You bring Me great joy.”  John’s baptism of Jesus serves as a declaration to the world across time that Jesus was and is the Son of God.  

-- Jorge Acevedo in “Everybody Needs Some Cave Time: Meeting God in Dark Places”

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