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Faith
Agnosticism
G.K.
Chesterton once said that it is often supposed that when people stop believing
in God
they believe in nothing. Alas
it worse than that. When they stop
believing in God
they believe in anything. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Faith
In Paduka
Kentucky at Mt.
Faith
One of the criticisms you hear of American companies
these days is that they are afraid of taking risks for failure may kill a
career. Well
now USA Today reports
that some companies are trying to change that by rewarding failure. So Resources of Canada gives away the
Order of the Duck - it's a duck's head mounted on a toilet plunger. Terry Owen of Champion Products has a
plaque for the worst buy of the year - a reward for that warehouse full of
three-inch wide paisley belts he bought.
One executive explains all this by saying
"You know
if you don't
go to the plate and swing hard
you're never going to hit a home run." What's true in business is so true in
the Church. Let's take more risks
for God. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Doubt
To
believe is to be ‘in one mind’ about accepting something as true; to disbelieve
is to be ‘in one mind’ about rejecting it. To doubt is to waver between the
two
to believe and disbelieve at once and so be ‘in two minds’.— Os Guinness
Faith
Faith is the gift of God.
So is the air
but you have to breathe it. So is bread
but you have to eat it.
So is water
but you have to drink it.
So how do we accept
this gift? Not by a feeling
for “faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the
Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to
come upon me with a strong feeling of some kind. Rather
faith comes when we
take God at his word. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Childlike Faith
When a father picks up his
little daughter and tosses her all around in the air
she laughs and enjoys it
for she trusts—has faith in—her father. Even though she finds herself in unusual
situations
like being upside down four feet above the floor with nothing
supporting her (normally an uncomfortable circumstance)
she does not fear
for
she trusts her father. That is the sort of faith we should have toward our
heavenly Father
too. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Childlike Faith
Faith is a little boy who
ties a rope swing onto a tiny sapling’s branch. Then
noticing that the seat of
the swing rests on the ground
he goes to get the garden hose and begins to
water the sapling. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Childlike Faith
Five-year-old Jessica
became a bit frightened as lightning flashed and thunder cracked just as she
was stepping out of her evening bath. The lights began flickering as she was
getting into her pajamas. She remembered the other times the electricity had
gone out and they had lit candles. Now she asked if she could “please sleep in
Mommy’s room” because of the storm.
Before kissing her
parents good-night
Jessica prayed: “Dear God
I hope it doesn’t thunder and I
hope the lights don’t go out.” After a brief pause she continued
“But I
thought it over
and you can do what you want. In Jesus’ name
Amen.”
What better way to
say
“Thy will be done”? ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Content of Faith
It was the great Augustine
who said
“If you believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you don’t
like; it is not the gospel you believe
but yourself.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Content of Faith
Many ethnic groups decorate
eggs for special events
especially
Easter. In some cases the decoration is so much work that to preserve it the
egg is first emptied of its contents through small holes in both ends. When you
see the eggshell it looks perfectly normal. But
although it is beautiful
it
is not a real egg. For what would happen if you tried to make a cake
or
cookies
or egg nog with one of those beautiful “eggs”? Of course
it wouldn’t turn
out right because the egg was empty of content. Like an egg
the real value of
faith is its content. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Definition of Faith
Suppose there is a fire in
the upper section of a house. As the people gather in the street below
a child
is seen at the window of a room next to the fire. The fire trucks are at least
five minutes away and so will be too late to help. How is the child to escape?
Now suppose that in
the neighborhood lives a large man
well known for his strength and athletic
ability. He arrives at the scene and shouts to the child
“Drop into my arms.
Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you.”
It is one part of
faith for the child to know that the man is there. It is another part of faith
to believe that the man is strong and able to catch someone. But the essence of
faith lies in his dropping down into the man’s arms. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
Faith is central to all of
life. For example
you go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce and whose
degrees you have never verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read.
You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen before. He gives you a chemical
compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill according to
the instructions on the bottle. All in trusting
sincere faith! ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
At a burning building in
New York City’s Harlem
a blind girl was perched on the fourth-floor window.
The firemen had become desperate. They couldn’t fit the ladder truck between
the buildings
and they couldn’t get her to jump into a net
which she
of
course
couldn’t see.
Finally her father
arrived and shouted through the bull horn that there was a net and that she was
to jump on his command. The girl jumped and was so completely relaxed that she
did not break a bone or even strain a muscle in the four-story fall. Because
she trusted her father completely
when she heard her father’s voice she did
what he said was best. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
The story has been told of
a man who was crossing a desert in the days of the pioneers. He ran into
trouble and was dying of thirst when he spotted a pump near an abandoned shack.
He had no water to prime the pump
but he noticed a jug of water near the pump
with a note attached. It read: “There is just enough water in this jug to prime
the pump
but not if you drink some first. This well has never gone dry
even
in the worst of times. Pour the water in the top of the pump and pump the
handle quickly. After you have had a drink
refill this jug for the next man
who comes along.”
What would the man
dying of thirst do? To follow the instructions and prime the pump without first
taking a drink would be an exercise of the kind of belief the Bible speaks of.
Biblical belief requires that one stake his life on the truth of the promise.
If the man follows the instructions
he takes the chance of pouring out all the
water and getting none to drink if the pump fails. So he must trust that the
message is right. He must act in belief
without first receiving
and must
trust in the truth of the promise. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
Near the end of World War
II
members of the Allied forces were often found searching farms and houses
for snipers. At one abandoned house
which had been reduced to rubble
searchers
found their way into the basement. There
on a crumbling wall
a victim of the
Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. Beneath it was written the words
“I
believe in the sun
even when it does not shine. I believe in love
even when
it is not shown. I believe in God
even when He does not speak.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Lack of Faith
A man was walking along a
narrow path
not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he
slipped over the edge of a chiff. As he fell
he grabbed a branch growing from
the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn’t hang on for long
he called
for help.
Man: Is anybody up
there?
Voice: Yes
I’m
here!
Man: Who’s that?
Voice: The Lord.
Man: Lord
help me!
Voice: Do you trust
me?
Man: I trust you
completely
Lord.
Voice: Good. Let go
of the branch.
Man: What???
Voice: I said
“Let
go of the branch.”
Man: (After a long
pause) Is anybody else up there?
──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Law and Faith
Rabbi Shammai
in the third
century of the present era
noted that Moses gave us 365 prohibitions and 248
positive commands in the law. David in Psalm 15 reduced them to eleven; Isaiah
33: 14~15 made them six; Micah 6:8 binds them into three; and Habakkuk 2:4
reduces them all to one
namely
“The just shall live by faith.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
The degree of faith that
one places in a given object is directly proportional to one’s knowledge of the
object. For example
consider a man terrified of flying. When he first arrives
at an airport he buys insurance at those coin-operated insurance-policy
machines. He has his seat belt buckled twenty minutes before take-off and is
sure to listen carefully to the routine “Emergency instructions.” He has no
faith in the ability of the plane to get him to his destination. But
as the
journey progresses
this passenger begins to change. He first unbuckles his
seat belt
then has some lunch
and pretty soon is talking to the person next
to him and joking. Why the change? What happened? Is there more faith at 36000
feet? Of course not. The more he learned about the object of faith
the plane
the more faith he exercised in that object.
Sot it is with
believers. The more we learn of the Lord
the more faith we can place in him. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
During an earthquake some
years ago
the inhabitants of a small village were generally very much alarmed
but they were at the same time surprised at the calmness and apparent joy of an
old woman whom they all knew. At length one of them
addressing the old woman
said
“Mother
are you not afraid?”
“No
” said the
woman. “I rejoice to know that I have a God who can shake the world.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
Faith is only as good as its object. A small boy in England was asked by
a scientific team to be lowered down the side of a cliff to recover some
important specimens. Though the scientists offered to pay him greatly
the boy
said no. They tried to persuade him further and he consented finally
but only
on one condition—that his father would be the one to hold the ropes by which he
would be lowered.
──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
The object of man’s faith is more important than the amount of his faith. For example
you
might have a tremendous volume of faith in the ability of a well-known general
to fly you across the Atlantic Ocean
even though he has never flown before.
Yet—even with all this faith—if you enter the plane and he does the flying
you
will probably end up very wet
or even drowned. The problem with you faith was
that the object was not reliable in that particular area. Conversely
you might
have only the minutest faith in the ability of an unknown twenty-year vet with
29000 hours of flying time
yet he would get you where you wanted to go
because now the object of your faith was reliable in the area of your concern. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
The power of faith rests in the reliability of its object. After the
first cold week of a Northern winter
I might go down to the shores of the
nearby lake and with the utmost confidence begin to stride across the newly
formed layer of ice. Unfortunately
I would receive only a cold
wet shock for
my trouble. As long as the ice was thin
my faith would be meaningless. But let
the winter progress and the cold wind do its work
and eventually the ice will
become several feet thick. Imagine that I return to the lake. Now
though I may
be frightened because of my previous experience
even the smallest
most
hesitating step will be rewarded by the solid feel of firmness underfoot. Faith
can now accomplish its task
because its object is worthy. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
Faith is an essential element of life
but the faith must be in God. Sir
Donald Malcolm Campbell
the British car-and boat-racer and holder of several
world speed records
lost his life while racing a fast boat on one of the lakes
of Scotland. The boat exploded and rapidly sank. The only thing that ever
surfaced was a toy stuffed animal
Campbell’s “good luck
charm.” It was powerless to help him in the final and fatal crisis of his life.
Faith is only as good as its object is able.
Object of Faith
The comic Steve Martin once said
“It’s so hard
to believe in anything anymore…I guess I wouldn’t believe in anything if it weren’t for my
lucky Astrology Mood Watch.”
No
one believes in nothing. Everyone has faith. The only differences are in the
object of our faith and its intensity. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
World’s Definition of Faith
In the classic movie
Miracle on 34th Street
Santa Claus utters what much of the world
thinks faith is: “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not
to. In other words
faith is irrational
contrary to experience
logic
and
knowledge
and is so even at the most common sense level.
Of course
the Bible
knows of no “common sense” that is not sensible enough to recognize that God
exists and can do anything. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Faith
In
Paduka
Kentucky at Mt.
Faith
One
of the criticisms you hear of American companies these days is that they are
afraid of taking risks for failure may kill a career. Well
now USA Today reports that some
companies are trying to change that by rewarding failure. So Resources of Canada gives away the
Order of the Duck - it's a duck's head mounted on a toilet plunger. Terry Owen of Champion Products has a
plaque for the worst buy of the year - a reward for that warehouse full of
three-inch wide paisley belts he bought.
One executive explains all this by saying
"You know
if you don't
go to the plate and swing hard
you're never going to hit a home run." What's true in business is so true in
the Church. Let's take more risks
for God. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Childlike Faith
When a father picks up his
little daughter and tosses her all around in the air
she laughs and enjoys it
for she trusts—has faith in—her father. Even though she finds herself in
unusual situations
like being upside down four feet above the floor with
nothing supporting her (normally an uncomfortable circumstance)
she does not
fear
for she trusts her father. That is the sort of faith we should have
toward our heavenly Father
too. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Childlike Faith
Faith is a little boy who
ties a rope swing onto a tiny sapling’s branch. Then
noticing that the seat of
the swing rests on the ground
he goes to get the garden hose and begins to
water the sapling. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Childlike Faith
Five-year-old Jessica
became a bit frightened as lightning flashed and thunder cracked just as she
was stepping out of her evening bath. The lights began flickering as she was
getting into her pajamas. She remembered the other times the electricity had
gone out and they had lit candles. Now she asked if she could “please sleep in
Mommy’s room” because of the storm.
Before
kissing her parents good-night
Jessica prayed: “Dear God
I hope it doesn’t
thunder and I hope the lights don’t go out.” After a brief pause she continued
“But I thought it over
and you can do what you want. In Jesus’ name
Amen.”
What
better way to say
“Thy will be done”? ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Content of Faith
Many ethnic groups decorate
eggs for special events
especially
Easter. In some cases the decoration is so much work that to preserve it the
egg is first emptied of its contents through small holes in both ends. When you
see the eggshell it looks perfectly normal. But
although it is beautiful
it
is not a real egg. For what would happen if you tried to make a cake
or
cookies
or egg nog with one of those beautiful “eggs”? Of course
it wouldn’t
turn out right because the egg was empty of content. Like an egg
the real
value of faith is its content. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Definition of Faith
Suppose there is a fire in
the upper section of a house. As the people gather in the street below
a child
is seen at the window of a room next to the fire. The fire trucks are at least
five minutes away and so will be too late to help. How is the child to escape?
Now
suppose that in the neighborhood lives a large man
well known for his strength
and athletic ability. He arrives at the scene and shouts to the child
“Drop
into my arms. Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you.”
It
is one part of faith for the child to know that the man is there. It is another
part of faith to believe that the man is strong and able to catch someone. But
the essence of faith lies in his dropping down into the man’s arms. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
Faith is central to all of
life. For example
you go to a doctor whose name you cannot pronounce and whose
degrees you have never verified. He gives you a prescription you cannot read.
You take it to a pharmacist you have never seen before. He gives you a chemical
compound you do not understand. Then you go home and take the pill according to
the instructions on the bottle. All in trusting
sincere faith! ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
At a burning building in
New York City’s Harlem
a blind girl was perched on the fourth-floor window.
The firemen had become desperate. They couldn’t fit the ladder truck between
the buildings
and they couldn’t get her to jump into a net
which she
of
course
couldn’t see.
Finally
her father arrived and shouted through the bull horn that there was a net and
that she was to jump on his command. The girl jumped and was so completely
relaxed that she did not break a bone or even strain a muscle in the four-story
fall. Because she trusted her father completely
when she heard her father’s
voice she did what he said was best. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
The story has been told of
a man who was crossing a desert in the days of the pioneers. He ran into
trouble and was dying of thirst when he spotted a pump near an abandoned shack.
He had no water to prime the pump
but he noticed a jug of water near the pump
with a note attached. It read: “There is just enough water in this jug to prime
the pump
but not if you drink some first. This well has never gone dry
even
in the worst of times. Pour the water in the top of the pump and pump the
handle quickly. After you have had a drink
refill this jug for the next man
who comes along.”
What
would the man dying of thirst do? To follow the instructions and prime the pump
without first taking a drink would be an exercise of the kind of belief the
Bible speaks of. Biblical belief requires that one stake his life on the truth
of the promise. If the man follows the instructions
he takes the chance of
pouring out all the water and getting none to drink if the pump fails. So he
must trust that the message is right. He must act in belief
without first
receiving
and must trust in the truth of the promise. ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Example of Faith
Near the end of World War
II
members of the Allied forces were often found searching farms and houses
for snipers. At one abandoned house
which had been reduced to rubble
searchers
found their way into the basement. There
on a crumbling wall
a victim of the
Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. Beneath it was written the words
“I
believe in the sun
even when it does not shine. I believe in love
even when
it is not shown. I believe in God
even when He does not speak.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Lack of Faith
A man was walking along a
narrow path
not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he
slipped over the edge of a chiff. As he fell
he grabbed a branch growing from
the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn’t hang on for long
he called
for help.
Man:
Is anybody up there?
Voice:
Yes
I’m here!
Man:
Who’s that?
Voice:
The Lord.
Man:
Lord
help me!
Voice:
Do you trust me?
Man:
I trust you completely
Lord.
Voice:
Good. Let go of the branch.
Man:
What???
Voice:
I said
“Let go of the branch.”
Man:
(After a long pause) Is anybody else up there?
──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
World’s Definition of Faith
In the classic movie
Miracle on 34th Street
Santa Claus utters what much of the world
thinks faith is: “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not
to. In other words
faith is irrational
contrary to experience
logic
and
knowledge
and is so even at the most common sense level.
Of
course
the Bible knows of no “common sense” that is not sensible enough to
recognize that God exists and can do anything. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
A pastor I know
Stephey Bilynskyj
starts each confirmation class with a jar full of beans. He asks his students
to guess how many beans are in the jar
and on a big pad of paper writes down
their estimates. Then
next to those estimates
he helps them make another
list: Their favorite songs. When the lists are complete
he reveals the actual
number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses
to see
which estimate was closest to being right. Bilynskyj then turns to the list of
favorite songs. "And which one of these is closest to being right?"
he asks. The students protest that there is no "right answer"; a
person's favorite song is purely a matter of taste. Bilynskyj
who holds a
Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame asks
"When you decide what to believe
in terms of your faith
is that more like guessing the number of beans
or more
like choosing your favorite song?" Always
Bilynskyj says
from old as
well as young
he gets the same answer: Choosing one's faith is more like
choosing a favorite song. When Bilynskyj told me this
it took my breath away.
"After they say that
do you confirm them?" I asked him.
"Well
" smiled Bilynskyj
"First I try to argue them out of
it." ──
Tim Stafford
Christianity
Today
September 14
1992
p. 36.
FAITH
Faith in
God makes great optimists. Over in Burma
Judson was lying in a foul jail with
32 lbs. of chains on his ankles
his feet bound to a bamboo pole. A fellow
prisoner said
"Dr. Judson
what about the prospect of the conversion of
the heathen?"
with a sneer on his face. His instant reply was
"The
prospects are just as bright as the promises of God." ── The Presbyterian Advance.
FAITH
When I was
research head of General Motors and wanted a problem solved
I'd place a table
outside the meeting room with a sign: Leave slide rules here. If I didn't do
that
I'd find someone reaching for his slide rule. Then he'd be on his feet
saying
"Boss
you can't do it." ── Charles F. Kettering
in Bits & Pieces
Dec
1991
p. 24.
FAITH
David
a
2-year old with leukemia
was taken by his mother
Deborah
to Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston
to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating
children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was
devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits
the blood tests
the intravenous drugs
the fear and pain--the mother's ordeal
can be almost as bad as the child's because she must stand by
unable to bear
the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room
and although his
friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him
he hustled in
ahead of his mother with a smile
sure of the welcome he always got. When he
was three
David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It
was explained to him that
because he was sick
Dr. Truman had to do something
to make him better. "If it hurts
remember it's because he loves
you
" Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to
hold David still
while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost
over
the tiny boy
soaked in sweat and tears
looked up at the doctor and
gasped
"Thank you
Dr. Tooman
for my hurting."── Monica Dickens
Miracles of Courage
1985.
FAITH
One night
a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father
stood on the ground below with outstretched arms
calling to his son
"Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life.
All the boy could see
however
was flame
smoke
and blackness. As can be
imagined
he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump!
I will catch you." But the boy protested
"Daddy
I can't see you."
The father replied
"But I can see you and that's all that matters."
FAITH
Here
is a similar illustration:
During the terrible days of the Blitz
a father
holding his small son by the hand
ran from a building that had been
struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as
quickly as possible
the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for
his son to follow. Terrified
yet hearing his father's voice telling him to
jump
the boy replied
"I can't see you!"
The father
looking up against the sky
tinted red by the burning buildings
called to the silhouette of his son
"But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped
because he trusted his
father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death
not because
we can see
but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the
answers
but that we are known.── Donner Atwood.
FAITH
The
following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old
pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and
seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right
as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five
years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the
white rock I buried a bottle of water
out of the sun and cork end up. There's
enough water in it to prime the pump
but not if you drink some first. Pour
about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest
medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry.
Have faith. When you git watered up
fill the bottle and put it back like you
found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the
water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold." ── Keith Miller and Bruce Larson
The Edge of Adventure.
FAITH
Faith
honors God and God honors faith! A story from the life of missionaries Robert
and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored
faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of
encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert.
Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of
continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post
however
brought great
grief to this devoted couple
for they felt sure that God was in their labors
and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed; and
for a year or two longer
darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England
sent word to the Moffats that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what
they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work
Mrs.
Moffat replied
"Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be
needed." God honored that dear woman's faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon
the hearts of the villagers
and soon a little group of six converts was united
to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England
was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of
the Lord's super in Bechuanaland
the set arrived.── Unknown.
FAITH
The
African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of
greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an
enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they
cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we
cannot see
and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that
only fear allows to entrap us.──
John Emmons.
FAITH
In April
1988 the evening news reported on a photographer who was a skydiver. He had
jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as
they fell and opened their parachutes. On the film shown on the telecast
as
the final skydiver opened his chute
the picture went berserk. The announcer
reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death
having jumped out of the
plane without his parachute. It wasn't until he reached for the absent ripcord
that he realized he was freefalling without a parachute. Until that point
the
jump probably seemed exciting and fun. But tragically
he had acted with
thoughtless haste and deadly foolishness. Nothing could save him
for his faith
was in a parachute never buckled on. Faith in anything but an all-sufficient
God can be just as tragic spiritually. Only with faith in Jesus Christ dare we
step into the dangerous excitement of life.── Unknown.
FAITH
When
Hudson Taylor went to China
he made the voyage on a sailing vessel. As it
neared the channel between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of
Sumatra
the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened
it
and there stood the captain of the ship. "Mr. Taylor
" he said
"we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are
heathen
and I fear they are cannibals." "What can I do?" asked
Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for
wind." "All right
Captain
I will
but you must set the sail."
"Why that's ridiculous! There's not even the slightest breeze. Besides
the sailors will think I'm crazy." But finally
because of Taylor's
insistence
he agreed. Forty- five minutes later he returned and found the
missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now
" said the
captain. "We've got more wind than we know what to do with!"── Unknown.
FAITH
A
precocious young man was taken to visit Albert Einstein. After a short visit
they walked out onto the porch and the young man pointed to a tree. "Dr.
Einstein
do we know that tree is there?" "Only by faith" he
replied.──
Leadership
IV
3
p. 108.
FAITH
Sir
Wilfred Grenfell
medical missionary in Labrador
found himself adrift on an
ice flow
headed out to sea. He mercifully killed his dogs
made a coat out of
their hides
put up a distress flag
and lay down and slept. Later he said
"There was nothing to fear. I had done all I could
the rest lay in God's
hands." ──
Donald Campbell
Daniel
Decoder of Dreams
p. 20.
FAITH
My
husband
Ron
once taught a class of mentally impaired teenagers. Looking at
his students' capabilities rather than their limitations
Ron got them to play
chess
restore furniture and repair electrical appliances. Most important
he
taught them to believe in themselves. Young Bobby soon proved how well he had
learned that last lesson. One day he brought in a broken toaster to repair. He
carried the toaster tucked under one arm
and a half-loaf of bread under the
other.──
Edna Butterfield.
FAITH
When a
traveler in the early days of the west
came to the Mississippi
he discovered
there was no bridge. Fortunately it was winter and the great river was sheeted
over with ice. But the traveler was afraid to trust himself to it
not knowing
how thick it was. Finally with infinite caution
he crept on his hands and
knees and managed to get halfway over. And then he heard--yes he heard singing
from behind. Cautiously he turned
and there
out of the dusk
came another
traveler
driving a four-horse load of coal over the ice
singing as he went!── Unknown.
FAITH
Olympic
gold medalist Darrel Pace was to give an archery exhibition in New York City's
Central Park
and the event received coverage by all the news stations.
Shooting steel- tipped hunting arrows
Pace punctured bull's-eyes without a miss.
Then he called for a volunteer. "All you have to do
" said Pace
"Is hold this apple in your hand
waist-high." ABC correspondent Josh
Howell took a bold step forward. He stood there
a small apple in his hand
a
larger one in his throat. Pace took aim from 30 yards away as we all held our
breath. Then THWACK-a clean hit that exploded the apple before striking the
target behind. Everybody applauded Howell
who was all smiles--until his
cameraman approached with a hangdog look. "I'm sorry
Josh
" he said.
"I didn't get it. Had a problem with my viewfinder. Could you do it
again?"──
Bob Teague
Live and Off-Color: News Biz.
FAITH
During an
especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission
Hudson Taylor
wrote to his wife
"We have twenty-five cents--and all the promises of
God!──
W. Wiersbe
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers
p. 242.
FAITH
To
illustrate dead faith
"It is that kind of faith which would lead a man to
take a bottle of medicine from his medicine cabinet. Looking at the
instructions on it
he says
'I'm sure they're correct. I have all confidence
in the source of the medicine. I know who wrote these directions. I believe
everything about it. I know this will relieve my headache
if I just take it.'
But he takes the medicine bottle and puts it back on the shelf. He doesn't lose
his headache. It continues on. Yet he can say I believe that medicine. I
believe all about that medicine. But still he won't take it. That's dead
faith." ──
James 2:20 - Dr. Harlan Roper
Tape on James
Dallas
Texas.
FAITH
In 1853
when young Hudson Taylor was making his first voyage to China
his vessel was
delayed near New Guinea because the winds had stopped. A rapid current was
carrying the ship toward some reefs and the situation was becoming dangerous.
Even the sailors using a longboat could not row the vessel out of the current.
"We have done everything that can be done
" said the captain to
Taylor. But Taylor replied
"No
there is one thing we have not done
yet." There were three other believers on the ship
and Taylor suggested
that each retire to his own cabin and pray for a breeze. They did
and while he
was at prayer
Taylor received confidence from God that the desperately needed
wind would be sent. He went up on deck and suggested to the first officer
an
unbeliever
that he let down the mainsail because a breeze was on its way. The
man refused
but then they saw the corner of the sail begin to stir. The breeze
had come! They let down the sail and in a short time were on their way!── W. Wiersbe
Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers
p. 240.
FAITH
Three
elements of personality are involved in making a decision to become a
Christian
or in making any significant decision for that matter. They are the
emotions
the intellect
and the will.
For example
a young man meets a young
woman. They are immediately attracted to one another. They both say to
themselves
"Now there is someone I'd like to marry." At that point
if the emotions had their way
there would be a wedding. But the intellect
intervenes
questioning the impulsive emotional response. Would we be
compatible? What is she really like? Can I afford to support her? Both conclude
it would be better to take some more time and answer a few questions before
they proceed. So the two begin spending more time with each other. He
eventually concludes that she is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the
outside. Now his intellect has sided with the emotions on the idea of marriage.
But the final and heaviest vote
remains to be cast -- that of the will. It stops the march toward the altar
with the questions
"Am I willing to give up this lifestyle for another?
What about my freedom -- is it worth the trade? Am I willing to assume the
added responsibility?" The marriage will occur only when the will finally
agrees with the emotions and the intellect. And so it is in coming to Christ.── Jim Peterson
Living Proof
NavPress
1989
p. 170.
FAITH
In 1893
engineer George Ferris built a machine that bears his name--the Ferris wheel. When
it was finished
he invited a newspaper reporter to accompany him and his wife
for the inaugural ride. It was a windy July day
so a stiff breeze struck the
wheel with great force as it slowly began its rotation. Despite the wind
the
wheel turned flawlessly. After one revolution
Ferris called for the machine to
be stopped so that he
his wife
and the reporter could step out. In braving
that one revolution on the windblown Ferris wheel
each occupant demonstrated
genuine faith. Mr. Ferris began with the scientific knowledge that the machine
would work and that it would be safe. Mrs. Ferris and the reporter believed the
machine would work on the basis of what the inventor had said. But only after
the ride could it be said of all three that they had personal
experiential
faith.──
Unknown.
In college I was asked to prepare a
lesson to teach my speech class. We were to be graded on our creativity and
ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of my talk was
"The Law of the Pendulum." I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the
physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum
is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it
was released. Because of friction and gravity
when the pendulum returns
it
will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes
less and less of an arc
until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is
called the state of equilibrium
where all forces acting on the pendulum are
equal.
I attached a 3-foot string to a
child's toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard with a thumbtack. I
pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where I let it go.
Each time it swung back I made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the
top to complete its swinging and come to rest. When I finished the
demonstration
the markings on the blackboard proved my thesis. I then asked
how many people in the room BELIEVED the law of the pendulum was true. All of
my classmates raised their hands
so did the teacher. He started to walk to the
front of the room thinking the class was over. In reality it had just begun.
Hanging from the steel ceiling beams in the middle of the room was a large
crude but functional pendulum (250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands
of 500-pound test parachute cord.).
I invited the instructor to climb up
on a table and sit in a chair with the back of his head against a cement wall.
Then I brought the 250 pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge
pendulum just a fraction of an inch from his face
I once again explained the
law of the pendulum he had applauded only moments before
"If the law of
the pendulum is true
then when I release this mass of metal
it will swing
across the room and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no
danger." After that final restatement of this law
I looked him in the eye
and asked
"Sir
do you believe this law is true?" There was a long
pause. Huge beads os sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly he nodded
and whispered
"Yes." I released the pendulum. It made a swishing
sound as it arced across the room. At the far end of its swing
it paused
momentarily and started back. I never saw a man move so fast in my life. He
literally dived from the table. Deftly stepping around the still-swinging
pendulum
I asked the class
"Does he believe in the law of the
pendulum?"
The students unanimously answered
"NO!"──
Ken Davis
How To Speak To Youth
pp 104-106.
Even back then I was searching for
hard evidence of God as an alternative to faith. And one day I found it--on
television
of all places. While randomly flipping a dial
I came across a mass
healing service being conducted by Kathryn Kuhlman. I watched for a few minutes
as she brought various people up on the stage and interviewed them. Each one
told an amazing story of supernatural healing. Cancer
heart conditions
paralysis--it was like a medical encyclopedia up there. As I watched Kuhlman's
program
my doubts gradually melted away. At last I had found something real
and tangible. Kuhlman asked a musician to sing her favorite song
"He
Touched Me. That's what I needed
I thought; a touch
a personal touch from
God. She held out that promise
and I lunged for it. Three weeks later when
Kathryn Kuhlman came to a neighboring state
I skipped classes and traveled
half a day to attend one of her meetings. The atmosphere was unbelievably
charged--soft organ music in the background; the murmuring sound of people
praying aloud
some in strange tongues; and every few minutes a happy
interruption when someone would stand and claim
"I'm healed!" One
person especially make an impression
a man from Milwaukee who had been carried
into the meeting on a stretcher. When he walked--yes
walked--onstage
we all
cheered wildly. He told us he was a physician
and I was even more impressed.
He had incurable lung cancer
he said
and was told he had six months to live.
But now
tonight
he believed God had healed him. He was walking for the first
time in months. He felt great. Praise God! I wrote down the man's name and
practically floated out of that meeting. I had never known such certainty of
faith before. My search was over; I had seen proof of a living God in those
people on the stage. If he could work tangible miracles in them
then surely he
had something wonderful in store for me. I wanted contact with the man of faith
I had seen at the meeting
so much so that exactly one week later I phoned
Directory Assistance in Milwaukee and got the physician's number. When I dialed
it
a woman answered the phone. "May I please speak to Dr. S_____
" I
said. Long silence. "Who are you?" she said at last. I figured she
was just screening calls from patients or something. I gave my name and told
her I admired Dr. S_____ and had wanted to talk to him ever since the Kathryn
Kuhlman meeting. I had been very moved by his story
I said. Another long
silence. Then she spoke in a flat voice
pronouncing each word slowly.
"My...husband...is...dead." Just that one sentence
nothing more
and
she hung up. I can't tell you how that devastated me. I was wasted. I
half-staggered into the next room
where my sister was sitting. "Richard
what's wrong?" she asked. "Are you all right?" No
I was not all
right. But I couldn't talk about it. I was crying. My mother and sister tried
to pry some explanation out of me. But what could I tell them? For me
the certainty
I had staked my life on had died with that phone call. A flame had flared
bright for one fine
shining week and then gone dark
like a dying star.── Philip Yancey
Disappointment With God
Zondervan
pp. 38-40.
There was a tightrope walker
who did
incredible aerial feats. All over Paris
he would do tightrope acts at
tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it
blindfolded
then he would go across the tightrope
blindfolded
pushing a
wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a
letter to the tightrope walker
saying
"Tightrope
I don't believe you
can do it
but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of
money
besides all your transportation fees
I would like to challenge you to
do your act over Niagara Falls." Now
Tightrope wrote back
"Sir
although I've never been to America and seen the Falls
I'd love to come."
Well
after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up
many people came
to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the
American side. Drums roll
and he comes across the rope which is suspended over
the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across
easily. The crowds go wild
and he comes to the promoter and says
"Well
Mr. Promoter
now do you believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do.
I mean
I just saw you do it." "No
" said Tightrope
"do
you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do
you just did
it." "No
no
no
" said Tightrope
"do you believe I can do
it?" "Yes
" said Mr. Promoter
"I believe you can do
it." "Good
" said Tightrope
"then you get in the wheel
barrow."
The word believe
in Greek means
"to live by". This is a nice story...makes you ask
how often do we
say that we believe Christ can do it
but refuse to get in the wheelbarrow?── Unknown.
As a young man preparing to go to
China
Hudson Taylor determined to learn to live by faith alone while he was
still in England. His resolve was "to learn before leaving England to move
man through God by prayer alone." He worked for a doctor and was paid
quarterly. When the time drew near to receive his salary
Taylor was disturbed
that his employer said nothing about it. Taylor had only one half-crown piece
but he determined not to break his resolution and ask for his salary. While
visiting a needy home on the Lord's Day
Taylor felt led of God to give his
last coin to the needy family. The next day he received an anonymous gift
through the mail
four times what he had given to the poor! The following
Saturday
the doctor finished up his work and said
"Taylor
is not your
salary due again?" Taylor told him that it was and became disappointed
when he learned that the doctor had forgotten about the salary due and sent all
his funds to the bank! He prayed about the matter (for he had bills of his own
to pay) and left it with the Lord. That evening
the doctor visited him and
said that one of his richest patients had come over after hours to pay his
bill! He gave the money to Taylor
who rejoiced. He had learned he could trust
God and therefore go to China as a missionary.── W. Wiersbe
Wycliffe
Handbook of Preaching & Preachers
p. 240.
A man fell off a cliff
but managed to
grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:
"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes
Lord
I believe. I really believe
but I can't hang on much
longer."
"That's all right
if you really believe you have nothing to worry about.
I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause
then: "Is anyone else up there?"
── Bits & Pieces
June 24
1993
p. 3.
Agnosticism
G.K.
Chesterton once said that it is often supposed that when people stop believing
in God
they believe in nothing. Alas
it worse than that. When they stop
believing in God
they believe in anything. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Doubt
To believe is to be ‘in one
mind’ about accepting something as true; to disbelieve is to be ‘in one mind’
about rejecting it. To doubt is to waver between the two
to believe and
disbelieve at once and so be ‘in two minds’.— Os Guinness
Faith
Faith is the gift of God.
So is the air
but you have to breathe it. So is bread
but you have to eat it.
So is water
but you have to drink it.
So
how do we accept this gift? Not by a feeling
for “faith comes by hearing
and
hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It is not for me to sit down and wait
for faith to come upon me with a strong feeling of some kind. Rather
faith
comes when we take God at his word. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Content of Faith
It was the great Augustine
who said
“If you believe what you like in the gospel and reject what you don’t
like; it is not the gospel you believe
but yourself.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Law and Faith
Rabbi Shammai
in the third
century of the present era
noted that Moses gave us 365 prohibitions and 248
positive commands in the law. David in Psalm 15 reduced them to eleven; Isaiah
33: 14~15 made them six; Micah 6:8 binds them into three; and Habakkuk 2:4
reduces them all to one
namely
“The just shall live by faith.” ──
Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》
Object of Faith
The comic Steve Martin once said
“It’s so hard
to believe in anything anymore…I guess I wouldn’t believe in anything if it weren’t for my
lucky Astrology Mood Watch.”
No
one believes in nothing. Everyone has faith. The only differences are in the
object of our faith and its intensity. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Understanding is the reward of faith.
Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe
but believe that
thou mayest understand.── Augustine.
Faith has to do with things that are
not seen and hope with things that are not at hand. ── Thomas Aquinas.
FAITH & WORKS
Faith and works should travel side by side
step answering to step
like the
legs of men walking. First faith
and then works; and then faith again
and
then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and
which is the other.──
William Booth in The Founder's Messages to Soldiers
Christianity
Today
October 5
1992
p. 48.
FAITH
God our
Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have
everything
and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.── Martin Luther.
FAITH
Faith for
my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means
whether I am visibly delivered
or not
I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only
learned in a fiery furnace.── Oswald Chambers in
Run Today's Race.
FAITH
A man
lives by believing something
not by debating and arguing about many things.── Thomas Carlyle.
FAITH
Faith
understands that God intervenes in the natural course of events; on the other
hand
if the natural course of events should happen to answer
prayer--that which we call a coincidence--faith still believes God is present.── Brett Blair.
FAITH
The true
living faith
which the Holy Spirit instills into the heart
simply cannot be
idle.──
Martin Luther.
FAITH
God does
not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason
but the very limits of
our reason make faith a necessity.── Augustine.
FAITH
The more
we know of God
the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our
progress in theology
the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.── J. G. Machen.
FAITH
Faith is
not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ.── John Calvin.
FAITH
Faith does
not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that
which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.── George Muller.
FAITH
Faith is
to believe what we do not see
and the reward of faith is to see what we
believe.──
Augustine.
FAITH
Live in
faith and hope
though it be in darkness
for in this darkness God protects the
soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do
not think that He is leaving you alone
for that would be to wrong Him.── John of the Cross.
FAITH
Little
faith will bring your soul to heaven
but great faith will bring heaven to your
soul.──
Unknown.
FAITH
The steps
of faith fall on the seeming void and find the rock beneath.── Whittier.
FAITH
Faith is
to believe what we do not see; and the reward of this faith is to see what we
believe.──
Augustine.
FAITH
Faith is a
voluntary anticipation.── Clement of
Alexandria.
FAITH
Faith is
not merely your holding on to God--it is God holding on to you. He will not let
you go!──
E. Stanley Jones.
Definition of faith: Hebrews 11:1.
"What is faith
unless it is to believe what you cannot see."
(Augustine)
Faith is derived from the Word of God: Romans 10:17
Faith's demand: Hebrews 11:6
Faith's design: 2 Corinthians 5:7
The dualism of faith: Hebrews 4:2
Faith's duty: Romans 1:17--live by it.
── Richard Mayhue
Divine
Healing Today
Moody Press
p. 100.
To live by faith is to live joyfully
to live with assurance
untroubled by doubts and with complete confidence in
all we have to do and suffer at each moment by the will of God. We must realize
that it is in order to stimulate and sustain this faith that God allows the
soul to be buffeted and swept away by the raging torrent of so much distress
so many troubles
so much embarrassment and weakness
and so many setbacks. For
it is essential to have faith to find God behind all this.── Jean-Pierre de Caussade
1675-1751
in Discipleship Journal
issue 40.
The Bible recognizes no faith that
does not lead to obedience
nor does it recognize any obedience that does not
spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.── A.W. Tozer.
The N.T. never says that a man is
saved on account of his faith
but always that he is saved through his faith
or by means of his faith; faith is merely the means which the Holy Spirit uses
to apply to the individual soul the benefits of Christ's death." ── J. Gresham Machen
What is Faith
p. 180.
God delights to increase the faith of
His children...I say
and say it deliberately--trials
difficulties and
sometimes defeat
are the very food of faith...We should take them out of His
hands as evidences of His love and care for us in developing more and more that
faith which He is seeking to strengthen in us.── George Mueller.
Important lessons are given by this
alternation of the two ideas of faith and unbelief
obedience and disobedience.
Disobedience is the root of unbelief. Unbelief is the mother of further
disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission within a person's own power. If
faith is not exercised
the true cause lies deeper than all intellectual
reasons. It lies in the moral aversion of human will and in the pride of
independence
which says
"who is Lord over us? Why should we have to
depend on Jesus Christ?" As faith is obedience and submission
so faith
breeds obedience
but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion. With
dreadful reciprocity of influence
the less one trusts
the more he disobeys;
the more he disobeys
the less he trusts.── Alexander Maclaren.
Important lessons are given by this
alternation of the two ideas of faith and unbelief
obedience and disobedience.
Disobedience is the root of unbelief. Unbelief is the mother of further
disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission within a person's own power. If
faith is not exercised
the true cause lies deeper than all intellectual
reasons. It lies in the moral aversion of human will and in the pride of
independence
which says
"who is Lord over us? Why should we have to
depend on Jesus Christ?" As faith is obedience and submission
so faith breeds
obedience
but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion. With dreadful
reciprocity of influence
the less one trusts
the more he disobeys; the more
he disobeys
the less he trusts.
Alexander Maclaren.
You never know how much you really
believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and
death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are
merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a
precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted
it?
C.S. Lewis
A Grief Observed.
In college I was asked to prepare a
lesson to teach my speech class. We were to be graded on our creativity and
ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of my talk was
"The Law of the Pendulum." I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the
physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum
is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it
was released. Because of friction and gravity
when the pendulum returns
it
will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes
less and less of an arc
until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is
called the state of equilibrium
where all forces acting on the pendulum are
equal.
I attached a 3-foot string to a
child's toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard with a thumbtack. I
pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where I let it go.
Each time it swung back I made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the
top to complete its swinging and come to rest. When I finished the
demonstration
the markings on the blackboard proved my thesis.
I then asked how many people in the
room BELIEVED the law of the pendulum was true. All of my classmates raised
their hands
so did the teacher. He started to walk to the front of the room
thinking the class was over. In reality it had just begun. Hanging from the
steel ceiling beams in the middle of the room was a large
crude but functional
pendulum (250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands of 500-pound test
parachute cord.). I invited the instructor to climb up on a table and sit in a
chair with the back of his head against a cement wall. Then I brought the 250
pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge pendulum just a fraction of an
inch from his face
I once again explained the law of the pendulum he had
applauded only moments before
"If the law of the pendulum is true
then
when I release this mass of metal
it will swing across the room and return
short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger."
After that final restatement of this
law
I looked him in the eye and asked
"Sir
do you believe this law is
true?" There was a long pause. Huge beads of sweat formed on his upper lip
and then weakly he nodded and whispered
"Yes." I released the
pendulum. It made a swishing sound as it arced across the room. At the far end
of its swing
it paused momentarily and started back. I never saw a man move so
fast in my life. He literally dived from the table. Deftly stepping around the
still-swinging pendulum
I asked the class
"Does he believe in the law of
the pendulum?" The students unanimously answered
"NO!"
Ken Davis
How To Speak To Youth
pp 104-106.
An American scientist once visited the
offices of the great Nobel-prize-winning physicist
Niels Bohr
in Copenhagen.
He was amazed to find that over Bohr's desk was a horseshoe
securely mailed to
the wall
with the open end up in the approved manner (so it would catch the
good luck and not let it spill out). The American said with a nervous laugh
"Surely you don't believe the horseshoe will bring you good luck
do you
Professor Bohr? After all
as a scientist -- " Bohr chuckled
"I believe no such thing
my good friend. Not at all. I am scarcely likely
to believe in such foolish nonsense. However
I am told that a horseshoe will
bring you good luck whether you believe in it or not."
Bits & Pieces
September 17
1992
p. 6.
It hurts more to have a belief pulled
than to have a tooth pulled
and no intellectual Novocain is available.
Elmer Davis.
People refuse to believe that which
they don't want to believe
in spite of evidence. When explorers first went to
Australia they found a mammal which laid eggs; spent some time in water
some
on land; had a broad
flat tail
webbed feet
and a bill similar to a duck.
Upon their return to England
they told the populace of this
and all felt it
was a hoax. They returned to Australia and found a pelt from this animal and
took it back to England
but the people still felt it was a hoax. In spite of
the evidence
they disbelieved because they didn't want to believe. cf. J.
McDowell
Answers to tough questions
under "miracles"
"Understanding is the reward of
faith. Therefore
seek not to understand that thou mayest believe
but believe
that thou mayest understand."
Augustine.
"We are inclined to believe those
whom we do not know because they have never deceived us."
Samuel Johnson.
Believing things 'on authority' only
means believing them because you have been told them by someone you think
trustworthy. Ninety-nine percent of the things you believe are believed on
authority. I believe there is such a place as New York. I could not prove by
abstract reasoning that there is such a place. I believe it because reliable
people have told me so. The ordinary person believes in the solar system
atoms
and the circulation of the blood on authority--because the scientists
say so. Every historical statement is believed on authority. None of us has
seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. But we believe
them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us
about them; in fact
on authority. A person who balked at authority in other
things
as some people do in religion
would have to be content to know nothing
all his life.
C.S. Lewis.
Saving faith may thus be defined as a
voluntary turning from all hope and grounds based on self merit
and assuming
an attitude of expectancy toward God
trusting Him to do a perfect saving work
based only on the merit of Christ.
L.S. Chafer
True Evangelism
p. 55-6.
Of unchurched Americans
two-thirds
believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and that he was resurrected from the
dead. The belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth someday is held by 62
percent of all Americans. Of the total American adult population
nearly half
believe in creationism
and 37 percent believe the Bible to be the actual word
of God
to be taken literally
word for word. One-third of church members
believe that a homosexual cannot be a good Christian or Jew. Two-thirds of all
Americans think their chances of going to heaven are "good."
George Gallup
"Religion in America"
Leadership
Fall
1987.
"In 1963...65 percent of
Americans said they believed in the absolute truth of all words in the Bible.
Within 15 years
by 1978
the proportion of the population holding this belief
had declined to 38 percent. The current figure of 32 percent represents a new
low in literal belief in the Bible" (PRRC Emerging Trends (January
1992):1). The same thing has happened in England. The proportion of people who
believe in a personal God has declined from 36 percent in 1981 to 31 percent
today. Those who believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God has fallen from
52 percent in 1981 to 48 percent today (International Christian Digest
(July/August 1992)).
Charles W. Colson
The Body
1992
Word Publishing
p. 336.
Late faith is unavailing. There's
little use accepting arks once the rain begins to fall. Death is such an
instant storm that by the time you reach for an umbrella
you already need your
water wings.
Calvin Miller
The Valiant Papers
p. 20.
I would recommend you either believe
God up to the hilt
or else not to believe at all. Believe this book of God
every letter of it
or else reject it. There is no logical standing place
between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the
deeps of divine revelation; a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is
poor faith at best. It is little better than a dry-land faith
and is not good
for much.
C.H. Spurgeon.
C. H. Spurgeon claimed that 98 percent
of the people he met-- including the criminals he visited in England's
prisons--told him that they believed the Bible to be true. But the vast
majority had never made a personal
life-changing commitment to Jesus Christ.
For them
"believe" was not an active verb.
C.H. Spurgeon.
The content of belief is important:
Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man
"What do you believe?" "Well
I believe the same as the
church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well
they believe
the same as me." Seeing he was getting nowhere
Whitfield said
"And
what is it that you both believe?" "Well
I suppose the same
thing."
Jonathan Whitfield.
Studies show that sugar pills
or
placebos
can alleviate many symptoms if a sick person believes he is getting
treatment. Current research reveals that 1 in 3 people find such medication to
be helpful--even when they are told they are getting a placebo. This
illustrates the power of mind over body. It also shows that a belief may be
temporarily effective
even when it isn't true.
Forget what you learned in elementary
school--the earth is flat as a pancake. All that stuff about the earth being
round and the sun being the center of the universe is a big joke
insists C.K.
Johnson
president of the International Flat Earth Research Society
a group
that takes great pleasure in poking fun at "globites." The
organization
backed by 1400 members from around the world...or rather
from
across the plane
gets scads of mail from dedicated teachers and students who
blast it as a group of kooks and charlatans. Maybe it is
but Johnson claims
the society's largest single group of members is doctors. Then come lawyers and
other professional people
like engineers and architects. The Flat Earthers
dismiss modern science as a club for sun worshippers and write off the American
and Russian space programs as multi-billion dollar hoaxes. "The moon walk
was done in a Hollywood set. All faked
" says Johnson
a former airplane
mechanic. Furthermore
he and his followers insist the sun is not stationary
and does not set. They figure it to be a gigantic spotlight
32 miles across
that moves in an ellipse just 3000 miles ablve the center of the earth. The
other stars are just a lot of tiny holes poked in a huge canopy covering this planet.
Do Flat Earthers believe in anything? "We believe the Earth is flat.
Everything else is pure conjecture
" Johnson replies.
Campus Life
December
1979
p. 15.
DEGREES
OF FAITH.
Ⅰ. No faith. “ How is it
that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40).
Ⅱ. Little faith. “ O ye of
little faith” (Matt.16:8).
Ⅲ. Great faith. “ O woman
great is thy faith” (Matt.25:28).
Ⅳ. So great faith. “ I have
not found so great faith” (Matt.8:10).
Ⅴ. Full of faith. “ Full of
faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:5).
Ⅵ. Weak in faith. “ And be
ye not weak in faith” (Rom.4:19)
Ⅶ. Strong in faith. “ Was
strong in faith
giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
FAITH.
Faith in God
may be compared to many things.
Ⅰ. Faith is the hand that
receives the gift of God
and makes us rich (John 1:12).
Ⅱ. Faith is the eye that
looks into the unseen
and beholds things which are beyond human ken
(Heb.11:1).
Ⅲ. Faith is the heart’s
response to the call of the Lord (Rom.10:10).
Ⅳ. Faith is the soul’s
reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ (11. Timothy 1:12).
Ⅴ. Faith is the link that
connects with Christ and God (Heb.10:22).
Ⅵ. Faith is the wire along
which the electricity of God’s power runs and communicates itself to us
(Gal.3:5).
Ⅶ. Faith is the operator
which causes the feet to run in glad and swift obedience
as is illustrated in
Israel’s marching round Jericho according to the Divine direction (Heb.11:30).
Obedience is the proof of faith. Where there is no obedience there is no faith.
Therefore if we would triumph
we must obey.
“ To trust and obey
There is no other way.”
Or to put it
more correctly
“ To trust is
to obey.”
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》
Living By Faith
INTRODUCTION
1. An important aspect of being a Christian involves the element of "faith"... a. The gospel to which a person responds in becoming a Christian is called "the faith" - Ju 3 b. Those who obeyed the gospel have been "faithful to the Lord" - Ac 16:15; Co 1:2 c. Christians are called referred to as "the household of faith" - Ga 6:10 2. Indeed
"faith" is the underlying principle of all the Christian's conduct... a. It is fundamental to our salvation in Christ - Ro 1:16-17 b. It is central to the life we now live in Christ - Ga 2:20; 2 Co 5:7
3. Yet the nature of faith and its importance in the life of Christian... a. Are often misunderstood b. Are often neglected [As we continue to examine "The Significance Of Being A Christian"
wetherefore wish to emphasize that it means "Living By Faith"! What thatentails may be clearer as we first define...] I. THE MEANING OF FAITH
A. INVOLVES THE IDEA OF BELIEF... 1. The certainty or conviction that one has in some truth or proposition 2. E.g.
believing in things concerning Jesus and His kingdom - Ac 8:12 3. Such faith
or conviction
comes from the Word of God - Ro 10:17; cf. Jn 20:30-31
B. INVOLVES THE IDEA OF CONFIDENCE... 1. The willingness to place one's trust and reliance on someone else 2. E.g.
placing our trust in God
that He is reliable - Ro 4:3
20-22
3. We are to have similar trust in God - 1 Pe 4:19 C. INVOLVES THE IDEA OF FIDELITY... 1. That one is loyal
committed
and can be trusted 2. E.g.
a faithful steward is one who is reliable - 1 Co 4:2 3. Our faithfulness (commitment
trustworthiness) is to last even to the point of death - Re 2:10
13 [A faithful Christian
then
is one who believes in the Word of God
hehas confidence in the Person of God
and is himself loyal and trustworthy in the service of God. Now let's take a look at what canbe said about...] II. THE LIFE OF FAITH
A. INVOLVES CONFESSING OUR FAITH... 1. I.e.
acknowledging our belief in Jesus Christ before others 2. Something we must do as a condition of salvation - Ro 10:9
10 3. Something we do throughout our lives - Mt 10:32
33; 1 Jn 4:15 -- The life of faith is never ashamed to admit that one believes in Jesus Christ B. INVOLVES LIVING BY FAITH... 1. I.e.
conducting one's life with trust in Jesus Christ - Ga 2:20
2. Trusting in the works of Jesus
not our own; that His death was truly for our sins - 1 Co 15:1-3; Ti 3:5-7 3. Trusting in the words of Jesus
and living accordingly - e.g.
Mt 6:33
34; Lk 6:46-48 -- The life of faith is one that seeks to live in harmony with the teaching of Jesus C. INVOLVES BENEFITING BY FAITH... 1. I.e.
enjoying the blessings that come from a life of faith 2. Such as joy and peace
hope and power - Ro 15:13 3. Through our faith in Jesus Christ
we can receive such blessings - Ep 3:12; Ph 4:6-7
13 -- The life of faith does not go unrewarded in this life
even though its primary concern is the life to come D. INVOLVES MAINTAINING OUR FAITH... 1. I.e.
remaining steadfast in the faith we have in Christ 2. There is a need to stand fast
for faith can turn into unbelief - 1 Co 15:1-2; He 3:12-19; 4:1-2
11 3. To maintain faith
we must add to it other things such as virtue
knowledge
self-control
etc. - 2 Pe 1:5-11; 3:17-18 CONCLUSION
1. A Christian is one who should take his faith very seriously... a. It is essential to salvation (both being saved and remaining saved) b. It is essential to life (to receive blessings now
and in the life to come) 2. Are you "Living By Faith"? a. Do you believe what has been revealed about Jesus Christ? b. Do you have confidence in Him
that He can deliver on what He promises? c. Are you a trustworthy disciple of Jesus
someone He can count on to be faithful? Unless we can answer in the affirmative to such questions
we have yetto appreciate that "The Significance Of Being A Christian" includes"Living By Faith"!
－－《Executable
Outlines》
Building On Faith
INTRODUCTION
1. In the introductory lesson
we noted that growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ... a. Involves the development of eight Christ-like graces b. Developed in conjunction with each other c. Requiring all diligence -- Thereby creating an octave of spiritual harmony best exemplified in the person of Jesus Christ 2. We observed five reasons why we ought to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ... a. Grace and peace are multiplied b. All things pertaining to spiritual life and godliness are provided c. Spiritual myopia and amnesia are avoided d. We will never stumble e. An abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord -- Certainly sufficient reasons to spur development of a Christ-like character in ourselves! 3. In this study
we shall take a closer look at the first of these eight graces: faith... a. The foundation of our spiritual development b. Upon which all other graces are to be "added" [Developing a Christ-like character is therefore built upon faith. Butone might ask: "What is faith?"...] I. THE DEFINITION OF FAITH
A. THE GREEK WORD IS PISTIS... 1. The definition given by Greek scholars: a. "a firm persuasion
a conviction based upon hearing" (Vine) b. "conviction of the truth of anything
belief" (Thayer) 2. Used primarily in two ways in the NT: a. Subjectively (the faith we have) 1) Such as our faith in God a) "the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things
the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ" (Thayer) b) Used this way in He 11:6 2) Such as our faith in Christ a) "the conviction that Jesus is the Messiah
through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God" (Thayer) b) Used this way in Ga 2:16 b. Objectively (the object of our faith) 1) "the substance of Christian faith or what is believed by Christians" (Thayer) 2) Used this way in Ju 3 -- We are focusing on subjective faith (the faith we have) in thisstudy
B. AS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF HEBREWS... 1. Faith is "the substance of things hoped for" - He 11:1a a. The NASB reads "the assurance of things hoped for" b. The NIV reads "being sure of what we hope for" c. Faith is being confident that God will give us what is promised
and for which we hope - cf. Abraham's faith
He 11:8 2. Faith is "the evidence of things not seen" - He 11:1b a. The NASB reads "the conviction of things not seen" b. The NIV reads "certain of what we do not see" c. Faith is having trust or confidence in things unseen by the human eye - again cf. Abraham's faith - He 11:9-10 -- Faith is therefore that confidence or trust in God and Christ
regarding things promised or things not seen
C. FAITH IS NOT CREDULITY... 1. Credulity in the sense of "blind faith"
trusting for no good reason 2. Many have this misconception of faith a. That faith is believing in something without evidence b. As one person said
"You just have to have faith"
rather than provide reasons for such faith 3. Yet we shall see later that faith... a. ...while trusting in things not seen
with a conviction regarding things hoped for b. ...is a trust and confidence based upon strong evidence! [With this understanding of faith
one might also ask: "Is faith reallythat important?" Yes! Consider how faith is demanded of us...]
II. THE DEMAND OF FAITH
A. IT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD... 1. Without faith
it is impossible to please God a. We must believe that He is - He 11:6 b. God has no pleasure in those lacking in faith - He 10:35-39 2. Faith is the underlying element in our salvation and service to God a. The key that unlocks the way to salvation - Jn 1:12 b. The motivating force behind our life of service - Ga 2:20 -- Without faith
we can't even get started in our relationshipwith God!
B. IT IS THE CATALYST FOR POWER FROM GOD... 1. There is power available to those who believe - Ep 1:18-20 2. It is power beyond our imagination - Ep 3:20-21 a. Power that enables us to overcome - 1 Jn 5:4-5 b. Power that we should be careful about limiting - 2 Ti 3:1-5 -- Growth requires power from God
and faith is required for suchpower!
[Can we appreciate why Peter starts with "faith" in defining it what itmeans to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ? It is the veryfoundation upon which to build a close relationship with God and Christ!But here is another question: "How can we have faith?"...] III. THE DEVELOPMENT OF FAITH
A. DEVELOPING OUR FAITH... 1. Remember
faith is not credulity (blind faith with no evidence) a. Instead
faith is based upon the Word of God - Ro 10:17 b. The Word of God provides evidence to produce faith - cf. Jn20:30-31
c. Besides the testimony regarding the miracles of Jesus
other evidences include: 1) Fulfilled prophecy concerning nations and the Messiah 2) The scientific foreknowledge of the Bible 3) The high moral standard it contains 4) The continuity of the Bible despite it various sources -- While we may "walk by faith
and not by sight" (2 Co 5:7)
itis not truly a "blind faith"
2. Since faith (i.e.
trust
confidence) comes through the Word of God... a. We must be diligent in reading the Bible b. Only then will our faith become stronger -- Do we appreciate the value of the Word of God in producing thefaith that pleases Him?
B. MAINTAINING OUR FAITH... 1. We must guard against the sin of unbelief - cf. He 3:12-14 a. Many people lose their faith
especially when young b. Faith is maintained through constant reading or hearing of the Word 2. We can also maintain faith through Paul's threefold directive - 1 Ti 6:9-12 a. Flee materialism - undue concern for things of this world undermine our faith b. Pursue faith - this we can do by feeding on God's word c. Fight the good fight of faith - the best defense is a good offense; be active in propagating the faith - cf. Ju 3 -- The nation of Israel in danger of losing our faith during our sojourn?
[Finally
a thought or two about how faith in God manifests itselftoday...] IV. THE DISPLAY OF FAITH
A. THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO THE GOSPEL... 1. The gospel of Christ requires obedience a. Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him - He 5:9 b. The gospel Paul preached leads to obedience - Ro 1:5; 16:25-26
c. Fearful consequences come to those who do not obey it - 2 Th1:7-9
2. How does one obey the gospel? By obeying the commands of the gospel: a. The command to believe in Jesus - Mk 16:15-16 b. The command to repent of sins - Ac 2:38; 17:30 c. The command to confess Jesus - Mt 10:32; Ro 10:9
10 d. The command to be baptized for the remission of sins - Ac2:38; 22:16
-- Have you displayed faith by "obeying from the heart" thedoctrine presented in the gospel of Christ? - cf. Ro 6:17
B. THROUGH LIVING FOR JESUS... 1. Trusting in His words a. Seeking first the kingdom of God 6:33
b. Doing what He says - Lk 6:46 c. Observing all that He commanded - Mt 28:20 2. Trusting in His promises a. That He is preparing a place for us - Jn 14:1-2 b. That He will return one day for us - Jn 14:3 -- Are you setting an example of one who walks by faith in Jesus
and not just by what they can see with their eyes
or accomplish on their own strength?
CONCLUSION
1. Faith is a simple concept
but a crucial one... a. It is simply trusting in God and Jesus b. Regarding things not seen yet hoped for 2. Without faith
it is impossible to... a. Please God
for we must believe He exists
rewarding those who diligently seek Him b. Grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ
for it is the basis upon which growth is built May we allow the evidences of God's Word to produce a faith that trustsand obeys a wonderful Savior
who in turn provides "exceedingly greatand precious promises" as we grow in our knowledge of Him!
－－《Executable
Outlines》