A Pentecost Q & A

 

This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. I thought a brief Pentecost Q & A would be timely.

Q What was Pentecost in the Old Testament?

A It was one of the seven seasonal feasts Israel was commanded to observe: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23). Passover is in the Spring, this year it was April 6. Unleavened Bread was April 7-13. Pentecost (Feast of Weeks or Shavuot) is May 28, 50 days after Passover. Pentecost is from a Greek word which means 50. It is a harvest feast, marking the beginning of the harvest. They would bake two loaves of bread and the priest would “wave” them before the Lord, celebrating the first signs of harvest, as well as expressing faith in the Lord that there would be a full harvest in the fall.

Q What was Pentecost in the New Testament?

A "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

As Peter explains in his sermon which followed, this was a fulfillment of the promise in the prophet Joel, “I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…” Both John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus had spoken of being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This is it. The promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Q What did the apostles say about Pentecost?

A Amazingly, nothing. Not one word. In fact, Pentecost is mentioned only two other times in the New Testament and then simply as a feast day of the Jews.

Q So, what is the significance of Pentecost?

A The feasts of the LORD are God’s prophetic calendar: Passover the death of Christ, Unleavened bread the new life in Christ, Firstfruits the resurrection of Christ. Pentecost is a foreshadowing of the great harvest; two loaves speaks of two people groups to be brought in: Jews and Gentiles. The next feast on God’s calendar is Trumpets, the second coming of Christ, which takes place in September, after a summer of harvest. This is where we are on the calendar – the summer of a worldwide harvest!

Q Is Pentecost the birthday of the Church?

A This is a very popular view today, but the answer is, No. The Bible never says this. At the very least the church of Christ began during the ministry of Jesus.

Q Is this when the disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

A No. In John 20:21-22 we read: “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” Pentecost is when they were baptized with the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, received power from on high.

 Q Will the day of Pentecost be repeated?

A No. Like the cross and resurrection it was a special, significant, one-time event - the Spirit was poured out. As the old hymn says,

The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father's promise given;
O spread the tidings 'round wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
(Frank Bottome, 1890)

Q Can I experience Pentecost?

A Oh yes! Every believer in Christ is heir to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The prophets, the Lord Jesus, Peter, Paul, all spoke of this; and Peter and Paul are very clear – this is an experience you may know whether you have received or not.

In chapter 8 of Watchman Nee’s great book, The Normal Christian Life, he speaks of Pentecost then and now. He picks up on a statement the apostle Peter made on the day of Pentecost in his explanation of what was happening. He said, This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. Watchman Nee points out that our this needs to be and can be that. I think it is fair to ask, Is our ‘this’ ‘that’? What?? Yes, Is our this - our Christian experience – that which Joel spoke of and the apostles experienced? In other words, Are we experiencing all that the Gospel promises? As Pastor Chuck Smith said it, “We are seeing God’s last day outpouring of His Holy Spirit. You don’t have to beg God for this free gift, just accept it. Just say, ‘Lord, you promised it. Lord, I need it. Lord, I want it. Thank you, Lord, I accept it.’ The Holy Spirit is a free gift of God, you don’t have to continually beg God for Him, you have to receive Him by faith . . . If you want the baptism with the Holy Spirit, just take a deep breath and say, ‘God, I’m going to breathe in now the fulness of your Spirit’ and He will begin to fill you to overflowing.”

Q Ah, but what about speaking in tongues?

A What about it? Oh, you mean, “Do I have to speak in tongues to be filled?” To quote Pastor Chuck again, “Many times when someone is baptized with Holy Spirit, God will bless them with the gift of speaking in tongues . . . I’m not on a speaking in tongues kick. I thank God for what it means to me and I praise the Lord for it. But I don’t go around saying, ‘Oh, you have to speak in tongues – you MUST.’ You don’t have to speak in tongues; you can know the fulness of God and the fulness of His love without it. You cannot, however, experience a blessing quite like speaking in tongues unless you speak in tongues.” He goes on to say, “I believe the only true evidence of the filling and baptism with the Holy Spirit is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts.”


What will it be like or feel like when we are filled with the Holy Spirit? How will we know? I have briefly mentioned speaking in tongues, but here is a story from F.B. Meyer that really speaks to the point:

A woman came to her pastor and asked if she could use the church building for the day. He asked her why and she replied, “I’m going to seek God and wait on Him until He fills me with the Holy Spirit.” So he gave her permission and she went to an upstairs room and locked herself in. About supper time she came down.

“How did it go, sister? Did God meet you? Have you been filled with the Spirit?”

With much sorrow she replied, “Alas, no. I was not filled with the Spirit.”

The pastor then asked, “Tell me, sister, how is it with you and Jesus?

Her face lit up and she answered, “Oh pastor, it has never been better. He is so sweet to my soul!”

The pastor told her, “Sister, THAT is the Holy Spirit!”

 

 

Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?

Doubt

 

The Kingdom Principle of Faith – Doubt

Ah doubt. This is like that room in the house you throw everything into when someone is coming by unexpectedly. The door is shut. No one goes in. Let’s open that door.

Doubt. That sense of uncertainty; lack of assurance. There are some who revel in it. Who declare (with conviction!), "Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one” (Voltaire). They find it ridiculous when a Christian says, “I know for sure there is a God, Jesus rose from the dead, He is the Son of God, God hears and answers prayer.” There are others, Christians, who seem to give doubt a place of honor, saying things like, “Maybe faith isn’t about certainty, but learning to ask – and sit in the complexity of – good questions.”

What do the Scriptures say? Is there a “thus saith the Lord” concerning doubt? Yep!

First, there are instances of doubt and uncertainty.

Matthew 28:17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
This the first appearance of Christ to his disciples following the resurrection. We are plainly told that some were not yet sure. Then there is “doubting Thomas”, who wouldn’t believe til he saw. Jesus said to him, Be not faithless, but believing and, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (None of them are ever again said to doubt Christ.)

Acts 10:17 Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Peter was perplexed about the meaning of the vision. Then the Spirit said, “Go with them, doubting nothing.” Just go, trusting me. Faith erases doubts.

Galatians 4:20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
Paul was in doubt about the spiritual state of the Galatians.


So, there are instances of doubt and uncertainty in Scripture. But is this the norm? Nope.

Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Peter had just been walking on water! Doubt caused him to sink like a rock and Jesus chided him because of it. Doubt thrives where little faith lives.

Matthew 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
If ye have faith and doubt not. If you entertain doubt, it don’t happen!

Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
I repeat, If you entertain doubt, it don’t happen! Doubt is not healthy or helpful. Spending time in the Word and the presence of Jesus will wash your doubts away.

Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
This chapter is about Christian liberty, things not mentioned in the Word and that Christians have different opinions about. Doubt says, “I don’t know if I can” while faith says, "I am absolutely sure I can." Doubt leads to feelings of condemnation in your conscience.

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
I don’t even need to say anything.

Two final passages that compare and contrast faith and doubt.

Romans 4:17-21
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

God made an amazing promise to Abraham, that he and Sarah, though old and unable to have children, would have a son. Let’s see Abraham’s faith:

Who against hope believed in hope – this was impossible, but he believed

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb – he was not weak in faith, he did not consider his body, that is he did not factor it in, only God’s promise

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God – did not stagger through unbelief, did not doubt, but was strong in faith!

And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform – fully persuaded - Hallelujah and Amen! There’s no doubt here.

James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

ask in faith, nothing wavering - wavering is a word that is translated doubt several times. And then James gets real plain, “Let not that man, the man who doubts God will answer his prayer, think he shall receive anything from the Lord.” Doubt is, to say the least, not helpful or healthy. Or to say it like James, a man who doubts is unstable and double-minded.

“Maybe faith isn’t about certainty.” Oh but it is! Thus saith the Lord, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) Assurance and conviction. The exact opposite of doubt. Sure, exercise a healthy doubt toward the news and social media, but not concerning God and His Word. Why not toward God? He is truth itself and His Word is true. God has spoken, shall I doubt? God sent His only begotten Son, shall I remain skeptical? He raised Him from the dead, shall I remain faithless? God has promised, shall I waver?

Faith and doubt are not bosom buddies, they are not a married couple, they don’t go together like ice and sweet tea, they are not even kissing cousins. We walk by faith, not by sight. Doubt undermines that faith, turns solid ground into a muddy quagmire. Do you struggle with doubts? Overcome them by soaking your heart and mind in the Word of God!


being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform



finis

Three degrees of faith

The Kingdom Principle of Faith – Three degrees of faith

Faith, believing in Christ, believing he is able to save your soul, fill you with the Holy Spirit, answer prayer, deliver you, heal you, rescue you, and much more, is an essential kingdom principle, because the very foundation of the gospel and the New Covenant is, the just shall live by faith

I am persuaded that a study of the gospels reveals what I have come to call Three Degrees of Faith. I’m never really happy with the word degrees, so sometimes I call them the three levels of faith, but whatever we call it, I’m convinced they are there. Let’s look at them.

First Level – He is able

In Matthew 9:27-31 we read about two blind men who come to Jesus, asking for healing of their blind eyes. Jesus asked them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?

You would think every Christian always believes He is able, but this is actually where we often struggle. Think about it, they were blind! How many blind people have you seen healed? This is a big thing they are asking. Many of the situations we face or pray about are big, they are giants, and we are overwhelmed. I’m not judging or condemning anyone – they are genuinely huge!

So, when I am praying about a situation or for someone, the first question I need to ask myself is, Do I believe He is able to do this? And like these two men my answer needs to be, Yes, Lord, I believe you are able.

Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. Praise God!

Second Degree or Level – He will

In Matthew 8:1-3 a leper came to Jesus and said, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. That is, If you are willing, if you want to, if it is your will, I believe you are able to this. He believed He was able, but he didn’t know if it was his will.

Many times, when we are asking God for something, we believe He is able to do it, we just don’t know if it is His will. Is it possible to know the will of God and pray with more confidence?

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Amen! It is possible to know and pray according to the will of God. In his most excellent book, How to Pray, R.A. Torrey wrote:

“Here is one of the greatest secrets of prevailing prayer: To study the Word to find what God's will is as revealed there in the promises, and then simply take these promises and spread them out before God in prayer with the absolutely unwavering expectation that He will do what He has promised in His Word.

But there is still another way in which we may know the will of God, that is, by the teaching of His Holy Spirit. There are many things that we need from God which are not covered by any specific promise, but we are not left in ignorance of the will of God even then. In Rom. 8:26,27 we are told, "And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD." (R.V.) Here we are distinctly told that the Spirit of God prays in us, draws out our prayer, in the line of God's will. When we are thus led out by the Holy Spirit in any direction, to pray for any given object, we may do it in all confidence that it is God's will, and that we are to get the very thing we ask of Him, even though there is no specific promise to cover the case. Often God by His Spirit lays upon us a heavy burden of prayer for some given individual. We cannot rest, we pray for him with groanings which cannot be uttered. Perhaps the man is entirely beyond our reach, but God hears the prayer, and in many a case it is not long before we hear of his definite conversion.”
(ch 4 Praying In The Name Of Christ And According To The Will Of God)

Oh yeah, Jesus said, I will, and healed the man!!

Third Level – I Receive It / He Has Done It

This is the highest level of faith, it is pure faith. Jesus said:

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

“No matter how positive any promise of God's Word may be, we will not enjoy it in actual experience unless we confidently expect its fulfillment in answer to our prayer. But how can one get this faith?

Let us say with all emphasis, it cannot be pumped up. Many a one reads this promise about the prayer of faith, and then asks for things that he desires and tries to make himself believe that God has heard the prayer. This ends only in disappointment, for it is not real faith and the thing is not granted.

How does real faith come?

Rom 10:17 answers the question: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing BY THE WORD OF GOD." If we are to have real faith, we must study the Word of God and find out what is promised, then simply believe the promises of God. Faith must have a warrant. Trying to believe something that you want to believe is not faith. Believing what God says in His Word is faith. If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in the Word of God on which to rest my faith. Faith furthermore comes through the Spirit. The Spirit knows the will of God, and if I pray in the Spirit, and look to the Spirit to teach me God's will, He will lead me out in prayer along the line of that will, and give me faith that the prayer is to be answered; but in no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to get the thing that you want to get.

If there is no promise in the Word of God, and no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith, and there should be no upbraiding of self for lack of faith in such a case. But if the thing desired is promised in the Word of God, we may well upbraid ourselves for lack of faith if we doubt; for we are making God a liar by doubting His Word.” (How to Pray, Torrey, ch 5 Praying in the Spirit)



I don’t know about anyone else reading this, but I am encouraged and challenged, and not a little convicted!


Next: Doubt


You can read How to Pray here

Great Faith

 

Kingdom Principle of Faith – Great Faith

The expression great faith only occurs twice in the entire Bible, both times said by the Lord Jesus. Something very interesting about these two occurrences, they are both instances of intercessory prayer, that is, going to God in prayer on behalf of another. This is very powerful and should be of ‘great’ interest to us as we pray for others.

The first occurrence of great faith is Matthew 8:10

When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 

The whole story is found in Matthew 8:5-13

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

A centurion cane to Jesus, interceding for his servant who lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. Jesus said he would come and heal him, but the centurion said,

Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come undr my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. In other words, I understand how this works, just tell me his is healed; that’s all I need.

It is at this point that Jesus marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel then said, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. Amen and Praise the Lord!

First, marveled; Jesus is said to marvel (wonder, be amazed) twice in the Gospels: here at great faith, and in Mark 6:6 at unbelief. We can choose what the Lord marvels at or wonders about in us.

Second, so great faith; what was it about this man’s faith that Jesus said was so great or so much? All he wanted, all he needed, was for Jesus to say, “Your servant is healed” and before he saw it with his own eyes or heard a report from home, he would believe it was done. This is faith. Pure faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. “Jesus, I recognize you as having authority. When you say something is so, it becomes so. Tell me you’ve done it and I will receive it as done.” I will say a little more about this when I look at The Three Degrees of Faith.

As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee – this is the kingdom principle of faith. Amen!

and his servant was healed in the selfsame hour - Amen! Amen!


The second time great faith occurs is Matthew 15:28

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

We find this in Matthew 15:21-28

21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

A woman of Canaan – another gentile. It is possible that the centurion was a god-fearrer, that is, one who had become convinced that the God of Israel was the one true God and worshiped Him, joining himself to the Jews, yet not being circumcised; but this woman is a Canaanite, a Syrophenician by nation (Mark 7:26)

Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil – she comes interceding for her daughter: intercession is precious and powerful! You can see her faith, O Lord, Son of David. She was already convinced he was the Messiah, and as the Christ, the Savior sent from God, he could deliver her daughter from the unclean spirit.

But he answered her not a word – how utterly discouraging! She prays and makes her request known and he doesn’t say a word! But she is not discouraged or dissuaded, she came and fell down before him, Lord, help me.

When he does speak, he says, It is not meet or fitting to take the children’s bread* and to cast it to dogs. This looks like "No" to me. How would you like to pray for someone to be saved or delivered from an unclean spirit and hear the Lord say, No? Honestly, many of us, maybe even most of us, would have given up at the utter silence.

But she doesn’t give up, And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Lord, I’m not asking for the whole loaf of bread, or even a slice of bread. I’m willing to settle for the crumbs off the floor. She is desperate (my daughter is grievously tormented) and determined – I’m not going away. We spell this persistent. This is prevailing in prayer. They used to call this praying through.+

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Yes! Yes and Amen! Amen and Amen! 

The centurion had great faith because all he wanted, all he needed, was a word from Christ that it was done. This woman had great faith because she persisted and prevailed in prayer. And remember, both of them are examples of intercessory prayer. Even as I type this, I’m deeply moved thinking about the people I am praying for – O Jeff, don’t give up, don’t give in, don’t stop; pray, believing God to hear and answer your prayer. How long shall I pray believing? Until. Until I hear, "Be it done unto thee even as thou wilt."

As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee

Next: Three Degrees of Faith


* Children’s bread – salvation, deliverance, healing is the bread or blessing of covenant people; Israel in the days of Jesus, the Church now; these are the blessings we can expect to receive because we are the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For more read Divine Healing: The Children's Bread by Keith M. Bailey and The Gospel of Healing by A.B. Simpson.


+ a further word on persistent, prevailing prayer from How to Pray by R.A.Torrey / Chapter VI Always Praying And Not Fainting

“…yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” (Luke 11:5-8)

Jesus sets forth the necessity of importunity in prayer in a startling way. The word rendered “importunity” means literally “shamelessness,” as if Jesus would have us understand that God would have us draw nigh to Him with a determination to obtain the things we seek that will not be put to shame by any seeming refusal or delay on God’s part. God delights in the holy boldness that will not take “no” for an answer. It is an expression of great faith, and nothing pleases God more than faith.

Jesus seemed to put the Syro-Phoenician woman away almost with rudeness, but she would not be put away, and Jesus looked upon her shameless importunity with pleasure, and said, “O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” (Matt. 15:28) God does not always let us get things at our first effort. He would train us and make us strong men by compelling us to work hard for the best things. So also He does not always give us what we ask in answer to the first prayer; He would train us and make us strong men of prayer by compelling us to pray hard for the best things. He makes us PRAY THROUGH.

I am glad that this is so. There is no more blessed training in prayer than that that comes through being compelled to ask again and again and again even through a long period of years before one obtains that which he seeks from God. Many people call it submission to the will of God when God does not grant them their requests at the first or second asking, and they say: “Well, perhaps it is not God’s will.”

As a rule this is not submission, but spiritual laziness. We do not call it submission to the will of God when we give up after one or two efforts to obtain things by action; we call it lack of strength of character. When the strong man of action starts out to accomplish a thing, if he does not accomplish it the first, or second or one hundredth time, he keeps hammering away until he does accomplish it; and the strong man of prayer when he starts to pray for a thing keeps on praying until he prays it through, and obtains what he seeks. We should be careful about what we ask from God, but when we do begin to pray for a thing we should never give up praying for it until we get it, or until God makes it very clear and very definite to us that it is not His will to give it.

Some would have us believe that it shows unbelief to pray twice for the same thing, that we ought to “take it” the first time that we ask. Doubtless there are times when we are able through faith in the Word or the leading of the Holy Spirit to CLAIM the first time that which we have asked of God; but beyond question there are other times when we must pray again and again and again for the same thing before we get our answer. Those who have gotten beyond praying twice for the same thing have gotten beyond their Master, (Matt. 26:44). George Muller prayed for two men daily for upwards of sixty years. One of these men was converted shortly before his death, I think at the last service that George Muller held, the other was converted within a year after his death. One of the great needs of the present day is men and women who will not only start out to pray for things, but pray on and on and on until they obtain that which they seek from the Lord.

O thou of little faith

 

The Kingdom Principle of Faith - O thou of little Faith

This is an expression only used by the Lord Jesus and He used it five times. This is not a compliment, it is criticism. Let’s explore these five occurrences to learn what it is and what are the signs of little faith.

Matthew 6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

This is from the Sermon on the Mount. This entire portion (19-34) is obviously very good, but for our purposes we’ll begin with v 25

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life [don’t be anxious or stressed], what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.

He goes on to say God provides for the birds and beautifies the lilies of the field.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

This hits most of us right where we live. We spend so much time thinking about, worried about, concerned about, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, What shall we wear? This is where we have little faith. He says, Don’t live for this stuff, seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Seeking first the kingdom is faith; seeking these things is little faith.

Matthew 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

We read this in 8:23-27. He and his disciples got into a boat and a bad storm came up. The disciples, who knew these waters, felt their lives were in danger – We perish! We can’t make light of this, they knew they were in real danger. But Jesus chastises them! Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Their focus was on the waves, their faith in their ability. Fear is a sign of little faith because fear is faith in an inadequate source. They forgot Jesus was in the boat - He wasn’t worried, He was in fact sleeping. If their confidence had been in Him they would have had peace instead of fear. This is the peace of God – having the same attitude toward my problems God has.

When Mark tells us about this, he has a slight difference

4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Little faith is not weak faith, or young faith, but rather no faith. How is it that ye have no faith?

Matthew 14:31 O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

This is another time they were on the sea of Galilee, and another storm. This time they were in the boat by themselves, and Jesus came to them in the middle of the night, walking on the water (24-33).

It is probably sometime between 3 and 6 AM. They are now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary and here comes Jesus walking on the water! They were startled, but Jesus comforts them, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. There are hardly any sweeter words when we are in a great trial!

Peter jumps up, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And Jesus said, Come. Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Jesus is walking on the water, and so is Peter! This is how faith works, Peter didn’t decide to step out of the boat on his own, Jesus said Come. It was this word of the Lord that enabled Peter to believe.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Peter’s trouble began right here – his attention, his focus, what he was looking at, went from Jesus to the wind. He saw the wind. (1)

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

At this point Peter did the right thing, Lord, save me. And He does. But then He chastises Peter, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? This is . . . Peter just walked on water! Yet when he sank, the Lord scolded him, O thou of little faith. He is trying to teach Peter, seeking to strengthen and increase his faith. I plan to look at doubt next week, but I will just say now, Doubt is deadly to faith, and it will cause you to sink.

Peter’s faith was in response to Jesus’ “Come.”
Peter’s failure was a sight problem, “he saw the wind boisterous” (2)
Also, did you notice “O thou of little faith”? This is the beauty of the KJV. Thou, thee, thine are second person singular; ye, yours are second person plural. In this case Jesus was addressing only Peter.

Matthew 16:8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

This is found in Matthew 16:1-12. Jesus had just had a run in with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, then He and His disciple got in a boat (again, the sea of Galilee!) and crossed over to the other side. But the disciple had forgotten to bring bread. When Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, they assumed He was talking about bread. It was here that Jesus exclaimed, O ye of little faith. Their thoughts were only on carnal things, bread; they had already forgotten that the Lord had fed the multitudes, five thousand with five loaves and four thousand with the seven loaves. He wasn’t worried about bread. It is so easy to be absorbed with matters of this life, Do we have enough bread? that you can’t see the big picture. This is little faith. This results in us being dull in spiritual matters – we quickly forget what He has done for us and around us, and we don’t understand spiritual things.

Luke 12:28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

We are ending on nearly the same note we started on. This is found in Luke 12:15-28. Jesus is teaching, and it is a powerful teaching!

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

He tells the story of a foolish rich man and his application is

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them…
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

This must be a real problem for us, a temptation we often give in to: worrying about the carnal and material things of life, food, clothes, house, car. The Lord tells us that being anxious about these things is to be of little faith.


What is little faith?

+ taking our eyes off Jesus, and instead seeing the circumstances; we invariably sink like a rock

+ having our thoughts occupied with material things, which causes anxiety and stress; Jesus says trust God and seek first the kingdom

+ being obsessed with material things, consequently we become dull in our understanding of spiritual things

+ forgetting Jesus is in the boat with us in the storms of life, as a result we become afraid

Remember:
Fear is faith in an inadequate source.
The peace of God is having the same attitude toward our situation that God has.

Next week: Great Faith


(1) Others saw the giants, Caleb saw the Lord;
They were sore disheartened, He believed God's word;
And that word he fully, fearlessly, obeyed--
Was it not sufficient that the Lord hath said?

I will never leave thee;
Go in this thy might;
One shall chase a thousand,
Two put ten to flight.
(Caleb Saw the Lord; Anna E. Richards / Mabel J. Camp)


(2) Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
(Helen Lemmel)

How do I get faith?

 

The Kingdom Principle of Faith - How do I get faith?

In this series I’ve already looked at Faith and Believe in the Gospels and answered the question, What is Faith? I ended my last post with this summary and question: Faith, believing in Christ, believing he is able to answer your prayer, save your soul, fill you with the Holy Spirit, deliver, provide, heal you, rescue you, and much more, is an essential kingdom principle, because “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

If faith is so important, How do I get faith?

This is an important question and one that is slightly complicated. Why? Because some people have never considered it, others have different answers than the one I’m offering, and I have to condense my answer to fit a short post(!).

What are some other answers given to the question, How do I get faith?

Some say, and I’ve heard this from pulpits before, “We must ask God for faith.” After all, the father who came to Jesus concerning his son who had a dumb [or mute] spirit, said to Jesus, if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus answered, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:22-24) Clearly, he prayed and asked for help concerning his faith. The only problem here is what we read next: When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. When He saw a crowd gathering and a spectacle in the making, He simply spoke to the spirit and cast it out. This is not a precedent which establishes a principle of asking for faith.

What about Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. The Lord had just taught them, 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Their response was, “This is so hard! We need more faith.” What was His answer to this request? 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you, followed by an illustration of a servant, which ends, 10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:6-10) Instead of increasing their faith, He basically tells them, Just do it.

Then there are many who teach that faith is a gift from God. How do I get faith? God gives it to me. He either gives it to me and I have it or He doesn’t and I don’t. They primarily base this on Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: I can positively and emphatically declare the “gift of God in this verse is not faith but salvation itself. I encourage you to read my blog post from January 18, 2016, “Is faith the gift of God” where I deal with this in detail (You can read it here)

As I quote in that post:

“Not only is the theme of salvation the overall context of the first three chapters of Ephesians, but the immediate context of Ephesians 2:8-9 is of salvation, not of faith. These two verses thoroughly document how a person is saved, not how a person believes.

Salvation is by grace.
Salvation is through faith.
Salvation is not of yourselves.
Salvation is the gift of God.
Salvation is not of works.”

So, if I don’t pray to get faith, and it’s not just given to me by God, How do I get faith? I’m glad you asked, for the Bible has the answer!

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, the promise of God, the voice of God. Faith is always a response, so, if I as a believer feel I need faith or more faith, I need to get in the Word. It of course would help if I was regularly in and under the teaching of the Word because the Word builds me up in grace and knowledge and faith. At the very least, find a promise relating to the situation. This is why whenever we are ministering to others and praying with them, we always want to give them a promise from God.

But the Scriptures are not just a catalogue of faith building promises. There are promises, but as we immerse ourselves in the Word, we learn about God, what He’s like and how He works. This builds our faith! We read what He’s done for others, how He saved, healed, delivered, rescued, answered prayer … Come and see the works of God (Psalm 66:5). All His mighty works inspire faith in our God! 

Oh what a joy and blessing it is to also be full of the Holy Spirit! For He often brings to mind the Word and promise of God which brings faith. Sometimes we know it and He quickens it to us. Other times we have read it but forgotten it and He brings it to mind. Sometimes He speaks it to our spirit when we didn’t know it and later on we find it. I recently heard the testimony of a Muslim man who said he had a strange encounter in his room – the room was filled with light and a voice said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me.” He had no idea what was going on. He mentioned this to a Christian friend who excitedly showed him John 14:6. Shortly after this he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ!

I believe the Holy Spirit speaks to us in other ways that build our faith, and I have personally experienced this. He may give a word to our spirit, perhaps a dream. He may give us a word from another believer. There have been times when I was listening to a sermon or a teaching and the Holy Spirit moved mightily in me, sometimes even saying, “This is for you.” And I responded with faith, “Yes, Lord! I receive it!” Hallelujah!!

What about the people in the Gospels of whom we read things like: Great is thy faith and according to thy faith and as thou hast believed be it done unto thee? I don’t know that we can quote a promise they were claiming. What stirred them to believe Jesus was able to heal them?

It was Jesus Himself. As they were hearing the testimonies of His mighty works and miracles, they began to feast on them and faith grew in their hearts – He can do this for me! When you need to be saved, and you look around and see people being saved, faith grows; when you want to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit and people you know are being filled, faith grows; when you are sick or held captive and people are being healed and set free around you, behold faith grows; when you hear people testify, “He answered my prayer”, faith grows - He can do this for me, too! This is why it is helpful to listen to Christian music, read stories of saints who have gone before, and why testimony time at church is so helpful.

Draw nigh to Jesus and He will draw nigh to you. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. (1 Chronicles 16:27) Immerse yourself in the Word and Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. (Colossians 3:16) Be filled with the Spirit. Soak up the testimonies of those who know God and have experienced His grace. And in this way your faith will grow and increase.

One final practical suggestion. In your devotional time, enter His presence with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; ask the Spirit to speak to you as you read the Word; and as you read, let that Word and the Spirit direct you in your prayers – you will be amazed at the faith and joy you will have in your prayers!

It is no secret what God can do
What he has done for others
He'll do for you
(Stuart Hamblen)


Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 72:18-19)

Next: O thou of little faith

What is Faith?

 

Faith and Believe in the Gospels - What is Faith?

Yesterday we looked at Faith and believe in the gospels and saw the power of faith. I concluded, “I want to be clear, this is not a matter of faith in faith, no, this is faith in Jesus Christ. We’re not talking the power of positive thinking, either. No, this is the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, available to us and released to, in, and through us as we believe Him.”

Faith is clearly a kingdom principle. Faith is not only a kingdom principle, it is an essential and central principle of the kingdom. Why?

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

How essential is faith? Absolutely vital!

So the question is, What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This is faith, this is what it means to believe; and it involves assurance and conviction.

In other words, to believe is to accept as true the Word and promises of God; to believe in Jesus is to be persuaded that he is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, who came into this world, ministered and taught, was crucified, died, and rose again, and to trust Him to save your life. Belief is simply that which we have believed: that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be Savior, Healer, Deliverer.

Faith is another way of saying the same thing. Faith is what we have believed. To have faith is to believe, and a person who believes has faith. I hear people all the time saying, “We trust God by faith” and “By faith we believe in Jesus.” It’s unnecessary and repetitive. To believe is to trust, to trust is to have faith. Belief and faith are really interchangeable. They’re the same side of the coin, the other side being believe. Belief and faith is that which I have believed. When we encourage folks to “Have faith in Christ” we simply mean, “Believe in Christ, trust Him.” 

Let’s look at example of how this works from Matthew 9:27-29

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

Before this Jesus had healed a leper, a man sick of the palsy, a woman confined to bed and sick of a fever, many that were possessed with demons, calmed a raging storm on the Sea of Galilee, cast demons out of two men desperately possessed, healed a paralyzed man, raised a little girl who had recently died, healed a woman with an issue of blood twelve years.

It’s at this point that these two blind men come to Jesus, crying, “Have mercy on us.” They were asking him to heal them, restore their sight. Jesus asked them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? Are you persuaded and confident that I am able to do this? They’d been hearing wonderful things, amazing things of Jesus’ power and grace - “Do you believe I am able to do this for you?”

They answered, “Yes, Lord. We believe you can do this. We believe you are able to restore sight to our blind eyes.” This is big! They were blind and were confident He could heal them. They were believing him to heal them, trusting him to do it.

The blind men didn't say, “It would be really neat if you did this.” or, “We would really like you to do this.” or, “We wish you could.” No, they believed he was able to do it; they were persuaded he could and were confident he would. The leper, the man sick of the palsy, the man whose daughter was lying dead in bed, the woman whose daughter was possessed with a demon, the woman with the twelve year issue of blood, they all believed that he could heal them and that he would if they could just get to him. This is faith. A confidence, a persuasion, that what he'd done for others he was able to and would do for them if they could just talk to him or touch him. This is faith. This is faith.

According to your faith be it unto you. They were healed by faith. Well, they were healed by Jesus Christ, but it was their faith that received the power of Christ to be healed! According to your faith, as you have believed, what you believed for. This is the kingdom principle of faith.

Faith, believing Christ is able to answer your prayer, save your soul, fill you with the Holy Spirit, deliver, provide, heal you, rescue you, and much more, is an essential kingdom principle, because Without faith it is impossible to please God.

If faith is so important, How do I get faith?

Faith and Believe in the Gospels

  

The Kingdom Principle of Faith - Faith and Believe in the Gospels

A couple of weeks ago our pastor preached on Mark 7:24-20 (Matthew 15:21-28), where we read about a Canaanite woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit. Jesus said to her, O woman, great is thy faith. This reminded me of a Bible study I did several years ago on The Kingdom Principle of Faith. His message stirred me up in a couple of ways, one of them was I wanted to present this teaching again, for as we shall see, faith is an important value for life in the kingdom. Here is what I plan to cover: Faith in the Gospels; What is faith? How do you get faith? Little faith; Great faith; Three degrees or levels of faith; and Doubt.

I begin with a journey through the gospels, taking note of what the Lord Jesus said about faith. But first, How frequently does faith and believe occur in the gospels? (I’m using the KJV)

Matthew Faith 12x / Believe 11x
Mark Faith 5x / Believe 16x
Luke Faith 12x / Believe 11x
John Faith 0x / Believe 111x

A few observations:
• faith and believe are both English translations of the same Greek word family
• many of the occurrences in Mark and Luke are the same account as Matthew
• John uses believe more than the other three combined, but most of these refer to believing in Christ for salvation, and while this is obviously important, kingdom living is more than being saved

Now, let’s begin! I know that what follows is just one verse after another, but I encourage you to read through them slowly and deliberately, noticing the role of faith in kingdom living. Dare I say, the power of faith? In saying it that way, let me hasten to add, there is no power in faith itself. The power is in Christ; but He clearly, definitely, repeatedly says that faith is the switch that releases His power in our lives and circumstances!

Matthew
8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 
[The man was also healed!]

9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

9:28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

13:58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mark
1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. [How essential is faith in the kingdom? The preaching of the kingdom begins with faith!]

5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 
[His daughter was raised from death!]

6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Luke

7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
[The centurion's servant was healed!]  

18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?


This is amazing!! Did you see what I see?

· as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee

· according to your faith be it unto you.

· thy faith hath made thee whole

· If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

· Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

· And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

· All things are possible to him that believeth

· And he marvelled because of their unbelief

I want to be clear, this is not a matter of faith in faith, no, this is faith in Jesus Christ. We’re not talking the power of positive thinking, either. No, this is the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, available to us and released to, in, and through us as we believe Him.

These are some pretty big promises - you like my theological language here? How about: amazing! remarkable! wonderful!

Now the question is, What is faith?

Be not afraid, only believe