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Do you live by the faith of others? Or do you contribute to Kingdom work with your own faith?
I once had a young man ask me to buy him a car. When I protested that I didn’t have enough money to buy him a car, he said, “Where is your faith?”
I responded to him saying, “You are asking me to buy you a car with my faith. You should buy your car with your own faith.”
With my children – I loved having them at home, I provided everything. All of them are over 30 now, not living at home, and providing for themselves.
Success!
They now pay for their own food and lodging and sometimes take my wife and me to dinner. When we go on a family vacation, we all participate in the expense.
They have their own faith and are not living from what my faith provides.
In the American church of 2019 – let’s say in a church of 1,000 – 30 percent of the people gave most of the budget and did most of the volunteer work. The 30 percent have faith, sacrificing for the church, while the other 70 percent lived under the faith of the 30 percent! The 70 percent did not live by their own faith.
Hmmmmhhhhmmm … do you live by your faith or by the faith of others?
The distractions of 2019 have been shaken in 2020. Can you believe no college football? I love making disparaging comments about Michigan during sermons. What am I going to do this year?
What will the church of 2021 be like? In 2020, God is re-aligning the church with issues of justice, stewardship, and devotion.
I want my faith. Inherent in faith is calling and gifting. If you live by the faith of others you won’t find your purpose. The fruit of faith is peace. Faith destroys anxiety and fear by revealing God’s will to you.
In Mark 4, in the Old Guy Version of the Bible (OBV):
Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern of the boat. A storm arose of gale-force winds that threatened to swamp the boat. Jesus was still sleeping!
The disciples started shaking Jesus. They were telling Him, “Teacher do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus got up and said to the sea, “Hush, be still!”
Instant calm. Jesus then turned to His followers and said, “Why were you afraid? Do you not have faith?”
In that storm, Jesus wanted His followers to have their own faith. He wanted them to calm their own storms and then preach the good news to the lost, pray for the sick to be healed, and bring release to those held captive.
Jesus is teaching us to calm the storms of 2020 by our own faith.