October 2015
Good morning,
When speaking to audiences, I will often use the terms thick book items and thin book items to distinguish between critical issues and nonsensical matters. And then I’ll list a sample of thin book titles to illustrate the difference. Here are some thin book samples:
· The Mike Tyson Charm School Catalog
· Things I cannot afford by Bill Gates
· The Joys of Old Age by Dr. Kevorkian
· The Amish Telephone Directory
· Things I Love About the Democrats by Rush Limbaugh
Thick books, on the other hand, have more substance and credence.
Faith is a thick book item.
In fact, faith is the one measuring stick God uses to determine our effectiveness.
After all, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” And, “Whatever is not fromf aith is sin.” We can’t even get saved without faith. “For by grace you’ve been saved through faith…″
But what exactly is faith? And how is it measured?
Interestingly, the Bible lists six different kinds of faith:
· Worthless faith—mentioned in 1 Cor 15, but most clearly demonstrated in 1Kings 18. The Prophets of Baal put all their chips on a fake god. Theirs was a real faith, and they sincerely believed, but it was placed in a worthless god.
· Weak faith—listed in Romans 14. The Church of Rome had turned vegetarian because the local market only sold meat that had been offered to idols. The superstitious and weak believers assumed that eating it would bring a curse upon them.
· Dead faith—James chastised the church for having a faith that did nothing. It just laid there like a corpse. Philip exemplified dead faith when he answered Jesus’ question about how to feed the 5,000. “500 denarii won’t feed this mob.” Translation: “Jesus, you’re really good in religious matters, but you don’t know a thing about the real world.”
· Little faith—used by Jesus in John 6 when an excited Andrew retrieved a kid’s sack lunch. “I found five barley loaves and two small fish … but what are these among so many?” Andrew’s faith peaked when it hit a roadblock. In fact, every time Jesus said, “Oh you of little faith,” He was talking to a disciple—the very guys who should have known better. After all, they had seen Him raise the dead, calm the sea, and a myriad of other miracles.
· Great faith—spoken only twice, both in the book of Matthew, and both times to Gentiles—the Canaanite woman in chapter 15, and the Roman Centurion in chapter 8. And in each time, Jesus marveled at the size of their faith.
· Enlarged faith—spoken only once and used to describe the church at Thessalonica. The Greek word for enlarged is huperauxano, and meansbeyond measure. Despite their afflictions and persecutions, they loved and served one another with immeasurable faith.
But how does faith beyond measure play itself out?
Probably not the way we normally think. After all, His thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His. Translation: there’s nothing ordinary about our God, or what He does and how He does it. Therefore, when He calls us to trust Him by faith it isn’t in ordinary ways.
For instance:
· Immeasurable faith believes in a God who defies human logic. Abraham barely had strength to blow out his 75 birthday candles. Yet when God told him that his sixty-five year old wife would bare a son, he believed … even though it didn’t happen for another twenty-five years. That’s faith!
· Immeasurable faith believes in a God who appears counter-productive. Moses was told to stand before Pharaoh and “perform all the wonders which I have put in your power.” Then God trumped those powers by hardening Pharaoh’s heart, who then refused Moses. And yet Moses didn’t flinch. That’s faith.
· Immeasurable faith is never governed by what’s seen. After all, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” The terrified armies of Israel saw Goliath, and their cowardly faith determined, “You can’t hit a giant!” Meanwhile, David’s faith only saw an obstacle. He determined, “You can’t miss a giant!” That’s faith!
It’s faith He’s looking for. And it’s faith He’s requiring. That’s what will produce those welcoming words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant … enter the joy of the Lord.”
Blessings,
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