How Great is your Faith
By Bishop Dr Perry Edison Newton Sr
Word of Faith Tabernacle
Word of Faith Church
Nassau, Bahamas
There are many ways that one could define faith. But the Bible gives only one definition of Faith. In Hebrew chapter 11: 1 we fine the Bible or God’s version of what faith is. God says: “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” (Authorized King James Version) The Living Bible states: “What is Faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” The New International version gives the following rendition: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
How great is your faith? Do you need great faith to receive from God? My friends we do not need great faith to receive from God; But we do need faith.
The Bible records Jesus as saying or telling some of his disciples the kind of Faith that one needs. And obviously it was not a great Faith. Let us review the following scripture: “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man kneeling down to him and saying, Lord have mercy on my son for he is a lunatic and sore vexed; for often he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I besought your disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said oh faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said unto them because of your unbelief (little faith) for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, Ye shall be able to say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:14-21)
From that scripture we may note that Jesus’ description of the size of Faith one needs, is equated to a mustard seed. I have never personally seen a mustard seed, but it is said that a mustard seed is small. Yet when it is planted it produces a large tree.
Christ is saying to us that if you believe, and hope for something, it will not come to fruition until you do something. If a mustard seed sits idly on a desk top, and is not planted in the ground, it will not come to life; it will not grow. Jesus qualified this idea as he spoke to Philip and other disciples; Let us review: “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came to Philip which was of Bethsaida of Galilee and desired him saying Sir we would see Jesus. Then Philip cometh and telleth Andrew and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them saying the hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily I say unto you, except a wheat of corn fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:20-24) In other words Jesus says, in order for a mustard seed to reproduce it must be planted. It will not germinate until it is planted. Like wise, no matter what the size of our faith or more specifically, the things we want of God, nothing will happen until we release or activate our faith.
Faith is activated by action. James in his General epistle gave us a vivid account of faithless faith and productive faith. Let us review. “ If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith if it hath not works is dead, being alone. Yea if a man says, thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works.... For as the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:15-18, 26)
So we see that Faith must always be accompanied by work. Faith that is not acted upon is dormant faith. On one occasion Jesus ask the disciples: “Where is your Faith” Let us review the occasion on which Jesus made this statement. “Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them let us go over unto the other side of the lake (let us go over) And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him and awoke him saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered one to another, what manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. And they arrived at the country of the Gaderenes." (Luke 8: 22-26)
Jesus was disappointed, that his hand picked friends had not been able to grasp the idea of knowing that the journey was to be completed upon launching forth.
There is evidence of little faith and great faith in the bible. Some men and women in the bible were aptly described as having great or little faith.
I wish to point out that the word faith is not used much in the old Testament. The word Faith was used only two times in the Old Testament. Those occasion were as Follow: “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very forward generation in whom is no faith” (Deuteronomy 32:20) “ Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
The things which the Old Testament Saints did; their actions, even though in the old Testament was not called faith, in the New Testament it is vividly described as acts of immense faith. Abraham was only described as the Father of the faithful in the New Testament.
So the question how great is your faith is one that you must ponder. You must survey your life and see how you have measured up in terms of acting on the aspirations that God placed in you. What have you done for Christ or in his name lately? Has it been all for me? And later for you God. The measure of our faith must be looked at not merely from a physical or secular view; it must be measured by a spiritual yard stick. How we respond to what God word tells us. How we are to act in difficult times or even in good times.
Let us return to our topic. "How great is your Faith."
We know that there is great faith and little faith. Jesus himself on more than one occasion chided his disciples for what he called little faith, faithless; and he applauded ordinary citizens for what he described as Great Faith. Let us review.
“ There fore I say unto you, take no thought for you life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat and the body more than raiment. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?...Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no though saying what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or where withal shall we be clothed?” Matthew 6:25-26,30-31
And His disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us: we perish, and he said unto them, why are ye fearful, o ye of little faith…” Matthew 8:25-26
“And Peter answered him and said Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried saying Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretch forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?...Matthew 14:28-31
“Then Jesus said unto them take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves saying is it because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye bought no bread…” (Matthew 16: 6-8 )
Then of course there were times when Jesus out rightly labeled some of his followers as having no faith at all. “And he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow: and they awoke him him, and say unto him, master carest thou not that we perish? And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, why are fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?...( Mark 4: 36-40)
“Then Jesus answered and said O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither. (Matthew 17:17)
Jesus also identified great Faith. Let us review.
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum there came unto him a centurion beseeching him, and saying Lord my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 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. I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this one come and he cometh; and to my servant do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it he marveled and said to them that followed, verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith no not in Israel.” (Matthew 8: 5-10)
“Then Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast and cried unto him saying, have mercy on me o lord thou Son of David: my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him saying; send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then she came and worshipped him saying Lord Help me. But he answered and said it is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs. And she said truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which falleth from the master’s table. 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 that very hour.
How then is faith measured? Faith is measured not by what we think, but by what we do. We can only operate in faith if we understand God’s word.
The Bible says: “So then Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
Faith is measured by how much of the word we have in us and how we respond or act upon that word. When we act upon God’s word and trust what he says then faith is released.
Jesus spoke about Little faith, great faith, mustard seed faith and he also intimated always that it was people’s faith that made them whole.
“ And it came to pass on a certain day as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by which were come out of every town of Galilee and Judaea and Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And behold men bought in a man who was taken with palsy and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before him. And they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the house top, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith he said unto him, man thy sins be forgiven thee…Luke 5:17-20
This demonstrates clearly, that we can hold faith for others. The men who bought this paralytic came by Faith; they acted on what they believed and they were rewarded.
Again we see how the Syrophonecian women came on behalf of her daughter and her daughter was made whole.
"And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went and he went into the Pharisees house, and sat down to eat meat and behold a woman in the city which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisees house bought an alabaster box of ointment and stood at his feet behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and did wipe them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment…and they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, thy faith hath saved thee go in peace..." (Luke 7:36-38, 49-50
We can come to Jesus on our own faith. This woman came for herself in appreciation for what God hath done for her.
Jairus came on behalf of his daughter; the woman with the issue of blood came on behalf of herself.
Let us read. “And it came to pass, that when Jesus was returned the people gladly received him: for they were waiting for him. And behold their came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the Synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet and besought him that he would come down into his house: for he had one only daughter about twelve years, and she lay a dying but as he went the people thronged him and a woman having an issue of blood twelve years which had spent all her living upon physicians neither could be healed of any. Came behind him and touched the border of his garment and immediately her issue of blood staunched. And Jesus said who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said master, the multitude throng thee and press thee and sayest thou who touched me and Jesus said someone touched me for I perceived that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him she declared unto him before all the people for what caused she had touched him and how she was healed immediately, and he said unto her, daughter be of good comfort thy faith had made thee whole."
She came and she received.
My friend how great is your faith?
Well, I wish to say that faith with out works is dead. And your faith is measured by the degree of your circumstances; by the size of you expectation. If you expect little, then you need only little faith; if you expect much then you need much faith.
Jesus Said, whatsoever you desire when you pray, believe that you have them and you shall have it. Mk 11:23
If you have faith and doubt not you shall have whatsoever you ask for.
How great is you Faith
The 11th chapter of Hebrew is the Book of Faith with in the book of faith.
Patter yourself after men and women who exercised great faith and let your name be written in the book of faith.
