Grow Up Your Faith Series

GROW UP YOUR CHRISTIAN FAITH!

Heb 11:1-6

Today, I will tell you stories about faith, more exactly “growing faith” that helps us to follow Jesus. We all have faith in Jesus and in God (John 14:1). However, we need to grow up our faith to make sure that we will follow Him faithfully to the end. Growth and maturity is also very important in our lives, either spiritually or physically. Many problems, mistakes, and failures in our life come from our immaturity.

FIRST STORY

There were a young man who grew up happily in a family with loving parent. One day, one of his neighbor friend told him the man whom he called father was possibly NOT his biological father! Therefore, he want to test DNA to see whether his dad is his biological father or not. Now surely can we predict how much that idea and the DNA test would hurts his father. And I tell you even in the case of the result confirming his father is biological father, he can say no more he trusts him as his father but he knows him. The test result will definitely change his parental relationship from trusting to knowing.

According to the Bible, faith is to rely on things that does not need proof. The Bible says that faith is the guarantee of what you hope, the proof of what you do not see (Hebrews 11: 1). That means no need to prove what you believe in (parent, love, God) though you may have (indirect) evidences.

Christian faith has three characteristics. It must be living, trusting and growing.

SECOND STORY

James chapter 2 says we must have a living faith:

14 My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them? 15 A brother or sister in Christ might need clothes or food. 16 If you say to that person, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you do not give what that person needs, your words are worth nothing. 17 In the same way, faith by itself—that does nothing—is dead. (NCV)

In Hebrews chapter 11, we were told that many heroes of faith demonstrated their believing deeds. Many times, their deeds look strange, fool or out of mind: Noah made a boat on a mountain, Abraham sacrificed his only son - Isaac (Gen 22:16-18), Joshua and his people walked around Jericho many times, etc... Some demonstrations of faith may put Christians into trouble.

Paul taught us: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)

This confession is sometimes paid for by our lives. Historically, those who persecute Christianity often asks Christians to confess their beliefs and they may die for their claim. In 156 SC, the church bishop of Smyrna (now Turkey) was taken to the arena and forced to defame God if he wanted to be spared. He confessed: "Eighty-six years I have served him, and he never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" The result of that confession is that he was burned alive.

THIRD STORY

Charles Blondin, a famous French tightrope walker. His greatest fame came on September 14, 1860, when he became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet (over a quarter of a mile) across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat.

He walked across, 160 feet above the falls, several times... each time with a different daring feat - once in a sack, on stilts, on a bicycle, in the dark, and blindfolded.

One time he even was pushing a wheelbarrow holding a sack of potatoes. Then a one point, he asked for the participation of a volunteer. Blondin addressed his audience: "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?"

The crowd enthusiastically yelled, "Yes! You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. We believe!"

"Okay," said Blondin, "Who wants to get into the wheelbarrow."

As far as the Blondin story goes, no one did at the time!

The crowd watched these daring feats. They said they believed. But... their actions proved they truly did not believe. This unique story illustrates a real life picture of what faith actually is.

Christian faith must be a trusting faith. Believe is accept that one is true and trust is an act of reliance based on who we believe in. James pointed out: “You believe there is one God. Good! But the demons believe that, too, and they tremble with fear.” (2:19). Demons believe there is one God, but not trusting or obeying Him. Then, it is not considered as a Christian faith.