Faith Stew

”Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”  – Saint Augustine

How do I know if my faith is growing?

If someone asked you that question, how would you answer it? It is an ageless question with no easy answer. In Sunday’s sermon we made a statement: Being right with God comes by faith in Christ. I would like to talk about faith from a somewhat different perspective. Faith, as defined by the Bible, has two components: 1) a belief in something that is historically true and 2) a subjective trust in that fact. It is similar to gravity. Once you understand the concept of gravity, you change your life to accommodate that knowledge. For example, you don’t jump off the roof of your house. Faith has the same effect on your spiritual life.   

Back to the question – how do I know my faith is growing. As Christians, we want to keep our faith strong and to also increase it. We believe that the Lord is calling all of us who love Him into a deeper relationship with Him. He doesn’t want part of us, He wants all of us. We want to be mature today if possible, tomorrow if today is not practical. Faith is a gift of God. But there are times during seasons of doubt that we often feel it is difficult to have faith. Because we start encountering this messy thing called life, with its doubts, missteps, and sin. And together the messy parts of life are not a puddle that we can step over or around. No, we step into it. We start to wonder if our faith is shrinking rather than growing. At best, our faith is stagnant. So how can you increase your faith when you see no evidence for it?

This tendency to get discouraged and doubt the process happens to all of us at one time or another. The problem is that we want results quickly, we want change overnight. We don’t want the trip to take several weeks, we want to jump into hyperspace jump light speed (Star Wars) or warp factor 9 (Star Trek). We can’t microwave our faith. Faith is a stew that needs to be marinated and cooked, low and slow. After all, Jesus used the mustard seed to talk about the kingdom advancing. I’m not a expert, but I know enough that you don’t throw a seed in the ground, add some water and you have a tree the next day. Faith takes time. It takes patience. It takes persistence. It takes prayer. We put ourselves in the best position to see God grow it by exposing ourselves to God’s Word, involving ourselves in the local church, praying for our faith to grow.   

If you wonder if your faith is growing, just stay the course. God will grow His people. God will grow your faith. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Discussion Questions:

1. Faith is not something you can manufacture. Agree or disagree? Why?
2. A faith journey often gets worse before it gets better. Agree or disagree?
3. What challenges have you experienced after taking a step of faith?
4. Is there a step of faith you need to take this week?