The Power Of Faith Series

For the last several weeks, we have been looking at the concept of power in the Christian life. And there are two kinds of power that are available to us.

• The first kind is the power to see change within ourselves, as we are being transformed, more and more, into the likeness of Christ. We’ve heard what the Bible tells us about the power of God to strengthen us, and purify us, and enlighten us, and give us joy; the power to love one another and to resist Satan. That kind of power comes from the Holy Spirit who lives within us, the Spirit of Christ who indwells every person who has placed their trust in Christ.

• The second kind of power is the ability to act as a catalyst for change outside of ourselves, in the people and circumstances all around us. Because the Christian life isn’t only about us. It’s also about working and praying to see our world being changed, and people being blessed and saved, by the power of God.

When Jesus sent out the disciples in the beginning of the book of Acts, he told them this:

“8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

When Jesus commissioned the disciples, he promised them power through the Holy Spirit. And the task that he gave them was not only to see change in themselves, as they became effective witnesses to the gospel, but to take action to change the world: starting in their home base, Jerusalem; then continuing to the larger region around that city, Judea and Samaria, and finally, extending out to the furthest reaches of the globe. If Jesus were making that statement to us today, he might say that we will be his witnesses in our towh, and country, and state, and then to every continent, including North and South America, Europe and Africa, and Asia.

And if all that sounds a bit grandiose, consider that this church actually has had, and is having, a global influence. For example, we have ministered to hundreds of children through the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, which are distributed to countries all around the world. I remember those being stacked up so high on the platform here last November that I could barely see over them. Not only that, but several members of this body have gone out into the world to spread the gospel. So our church has been active in fulfilling the Great Commission, both in far-off lands and also in our own community, through many different kinds of outreach. For example, just this month, we hosted the community meal, and next Saturday we are presenting the Easter Story at the park.

But just as the changes that God is making in here, by the power of his Holy Spirit, are often difficult, because they are resisted by the sin that remains in us, so also the changes that God desires to make out there—in our town, and county, and state, and in all the countries of the world—those changes are also difficult, because as we saw in First John a couple of weeks ago, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Satan resists the work of God and the progress of the gospel, whether that work is taking place within a short walk from this building, or whether it is taking place on the other side of the globe. Satan resists the work of the gospel, no matter where it is taking place. And therefore, when we are seeking to take the good news of Jesus Christ to our neighbors and to the world, we need God’s power.

This morning, I want to talk about one of the keys to unlocking God’s power to change the world, and to change our world, and that is faith. Faith not only to see changes in ourselves, but also to see changes in our church, and in our village and in our state, and in every nation under the sun. Here is how the author of Hebrews defines faith:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Two of the key terms in this definition are “confidence” and “assurance”. Faith is not a vague wish or desire; instead, it is a strong belief, even a certainty, that everything in this Book is true, and that therefore God’s promises to us will be fulfilled. Even though it isn’t always apparent how that is going to happen. Another key term from this definition of faith is that it concerns “what we do not see”. Faith has to do with things which we cannot perceive with our senses, or that God has told us are real, but which are still future. For example, we don’t always know where God’s provision and protection is going to come from. We can’t envision all the steps between where we are and where God is taking us. We can’t foresee how everything is going to work out. That’s why they call it “faith”, rather than “sight”. Yet we still trust and believe.