God did that...

Alright, we are in our / / Everybody Loves A Gift! series, where we are talking about the Gifts of the Spirit!

We’ve talked about the purpose of the gifts, that they are not inwardly focused, but outwardly focused. That God has given us these gifts for a very specific purpose, and that is because / / Someone else needs what YOU have. It’s not about us, it’s about them. It’s God’s way of saying, “Don’t ignore humanity. Don’t isolate. Don’t sit alone.” It proves two incredibly important things:

/ / Other people need YOU!

/ / You need OTHER PEOPLE!

There’s no way around that. It’s how God created us as humans. We are meant to do this thing together. And not just in community, but in community focused on God. Community designed by God. Community centered around a common goal, to follow after Jesus with our whole heart, to Love God and learn to love people like we love ourselves.

If Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and a second is LIKE it, meaning, it’s not second, it’s just as important, one can’t happen without the other, then this “Greatest Commandment” should be our primary mission!

On Friday in our Daily Bible Reading (commercial #1), we read in Hebrews 6:11, / / Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts...

This great mission we are on. This great commandment, to learn how to love. To learn how to not just get along with others, to tolerate them, but to really embrace them. To learn what it means to outdo each other in showing honor.

Is there anything more needed these days? People learning to respect and love each other?

Jesus reiterated this commandment in John 13:34 when he said, / / So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

WHOA, he just upped that. It used to be love your neighbor as yourself. Love people like you can learn to love yourself. That might be lacking sometimes, right? But NOW…Now he’s giving a NEW commandment to love each other like I love YOU. To love like JESUS loves us.

No longer love like you’ve learned to love yourself, but love how Jesus shows us how to love. And his kind of love was the walk to the ends of the earth, lay down your life for your friends, before they do anything good for you, love them anyways. / / But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

Meaning, while we were still separated from God. While we were not doing anything useful or beneficial for Him. While we were still even opposed to him. Jesus Christ died for us. No greater love is this, than that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

But here’s the thing. OK, we all know loving some people is easy. But loving some other people proves a little more difficult, doesn’t it? We all know that love isn’t always easy. Loving other people, OR loving ourselves isn’t always easy, is it?

So when Jesus says, love each other like I love you, instead of bringing this to a “you are failing if you can’t love someone like Jesus loves”, choose to hear the invitation in this - receive the Love of God so that you have the Love you need to show to others. Just as I have loved you.....THEN love others.

I believe so much of what God does is an invitation. I believe we are constantly being invited into something greater, something more, something wonderful.

1 John 4 talks about love and says this. Starting in vs 9, / / God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.

We love each other because he first loved us.

Learning to love someone else begins with receiving God’s love. And these gifts we’re talking about, they are meant to be used in a community of love. When we are talking about these gifts, remember that Paul says in Romans 12:9, / / Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.

And the more we love, the more desire we will have to serve others. When love, compassion, and empathy grow in our hearts, the desire to see the situations of others change also grows. So when I see someone hurting or in need, something happens in me that wants to respond. But if I’m calloused and hard, uncaring and unwilling to help, then the needs around me will go untouched and unserved because the part of my heart that God wants to use to respond to those things is left untouched and unmoved.

And we all know it. You know it. I know it. What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that’s there’s just too little of. What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. Not just for some, but for everyone.

So, the gifts we’re going to look at today and next week, I would call supernatural gifts, even though all of the gifts are supernatural in that it is the Spirit of God that gives them, I consider or call these ones particularly supernatural because the result of them is something we look at and say, “Wow, I did NOT do that....that was definitely God.”

When we talk about things like the gift of service, or the gift of giving, kindness, mercy. Those are actions compelled by love, but for the most part within our hands to do. I can be kind without God’s supernatural power. I can show mercy, or give a gift, be generous, or serve someone without God intervening. But some of these gifts are completely reliant on God’s grace, mercy AND power.

So, today and next week we’re going to jump into the next 3 gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12, and starting in vs 7 it says, / / A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other...

vs 9 The same spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles...

Those are the three gifts we are going to look at over the next 2 weeks. / / The gift of Faith, the gift of Healing & the gift of Miracles.

And each of these gifts I believe are given, but also work together, and they require a constant reliance on God’s grace and power. So, today, let’s talk about:

/ / 1. The Gift of Faith

The first thing we need to understand about Faith is that Faith is something we all NEED. So even though Paul says that a spiritual gift is given to each of us, and even in this verse from 1 Corinthians he says, The same Spirit gives great faith to another… implying some obviously DO receive that gift, others maybe don’t receive it. We must understand that we all have been given faith, the bible is clear on this.

Romans 12:3, which we have read a few times in this series already, Paul says, / / I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

The ESV says it this way, / / ...but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

And the NIV says, / / ...but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

So, God has given us faith, a measure of faith, and maybe for some that is more than for others. This is why love is so important, because love brings understanding, understanding that each of us has lived a different life. Each of us has a different journey in this life. Yes, we’re all on the same journey of following Christ. We’re all on the same path in that sense. But my life is and has been very different than your life hasn’t it?

We have a saying, / / Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.

Meaning, what is difficult for some may be easy for others, and what is easy for some may be next to impossible for others. We’ve all been given different measures of faith, different measures of fortitude, it seems for different things.

I love that Paul gives us all a level playing field when he writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7, / / So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh...

I don’t know what that thorn was. He doesn’t tell us. But it’s something. It’s something that is a struggle, a road block, something that is personal to Paul’s life. I don’t expect anyone to understand my struggle with addiction as I struggle with it. The substance of my abuse has been sugar and carbs and it has been a thorn in my flesh for many years. And trust me like Paul, who says just a verse later, / / Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away...

Three? …wow, ya, more like 3,000 times I’ve begged the Lord to take this away. But the response is the same. 2 Corinthians 12:9, Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

Wow, regardless of the situation, regardless of the scenario, God’s grace is what we need to endure what we need to endure, and that takes Faith!

We know the bible says it’s impossible to please God without faith. So faith is necessary for our walk with God. Even our salvation is dependent on faith, or believing. Ephesians 2:8 says, / / God saved you by his grace when you believed [faith]. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. The ESV says, / / For by grace you have been saved THROUGH FAITH.

So, if we all need faith, if we all have faith, why is there a gift of faith that some have been given specifically by God for the purpose of encouraging others? 1 Corinthians 12:7 / / A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

/ / The gift of faith, like all of these gifts, is for helping others.

And sometimes what people need help with, is believing.

Another thing we read this week in our Daily Bible Reading (commercial #2) was from Hebrews 2:1, it says, / / So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

None of us want to believe we’ll wake up any day and have a hard time believing, but we would be lying if we said that wasn’t a reality, right? Some days are easier than others. Some days are difficult. It’s easier to believe when things are going our way, when things are working out. But when things are difficult it can be a little more difficult to believe.

Hebrews says Faith is absolutely necessary, right, impossible to please God without it, BUT, contrary to what some may have been taught by the church in the past, God does not punish us when we struggle with it.

If you grew up in the church you probably know the story of Thomas all too well. Thomas was one of Jesus’ closest followers, one of his Twelve Disciples that he personally invited to teach and lead while he was on the earth. But, I grew up calling him / / “Doubting Thomas.” What a title, right? But as I’ve grown up and read that story over and over, I see it a bit differently now.

The story is in John 20. Jesus has been crucified, and raised from the dead, and he’s appeared to a group of his disciples, which remember, the world disciple simply means someone who is learning. We are all disciples, learning and being taught to follow the way of Jesus. But Thomas, who was one of those twelve closest disciples, wasn’t there that day. So, when his friends tell him, “We saw Jesus! He’s alive!” he says, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

John 20:26 says, / / Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

See, like I said, I grew up calling him / / “Doubting Thomas”. And because he was given a bad name, I grew up thinking I couldn’t question things. Believing I wasn’t allowed to ask questions. If I didn’t believe 100% right out the gate I was wrong, or there was something wrong with me. Whether that was how it was taught, or whether that’s how I heard it and understood it, I grew up believing that to ask questions and to make statements like Thomas was not allowed and showed a lack of faith, or doubt, and God would not be pleased.

But listen to how Jesus handles the situation. He says quite the opposite. First of all, he makes zero mention of being upset or disappointed with Thomas, instead, he invites Thomas to do the very thing that he had said would convince him. “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side...”

And then he invites him to believe, not by faith now, but by experience. “Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

Faith is for what we have not yet seen, what we have not yet experienced. Faith is for those things that we can not define yet, have not experienced yet. Our salvation in Jesus Christ is by His Grace THROUGH Faith, why? Because we won’t know until we die, or until Jesus comes back like he said he would. It’s the only way to truly know that what the bible says about our eternal destiny is true, to be in eternity, on the other side of death, standing in front of God, in heaven. So, until that time, we live by faith. We receive by faith.

And faith is a gift, and it’s available to everyone.

See, I don’t doubt my salvation. I don’t know why, I don’t know how. I don’t know if it all makes sense every day. But I know that I know that I know that God is who He says he is, that Jesus is God in the flesh, died on a cross, rose again three days later and by the gift of HIS amazing grace I am saved and have received eternal life. I don’t doubt it at all!

And I think that’s part of the measure of Faith that God gives us, to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus actually said in John 6:29, / / “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

And the bible says that God has equipped us for every good work. So I believe that God gives the gift of faith in measure to believe in Him. And if you doubt…simply ask!

Because those who have a gift of faith, believe easier. See, Thomas had a hard time believing, but he WANTED to believe. He just he wanted to see it. And Jesus didn’t give him a hard time for that. In fact, what he says is this, / / You believe because you HAVE seen me. Blessed are those who believe WITHOUT seeing me.”

I think he’s talking about us. Imagine if we all took the same posture as Thomas. Not gonna believe it til I see it. And meanwhile Jesus ascended into heaven 2000 years ago and it’s just not gonna happen. We NEED faith. But there’s a blessing in it.

Jesus says, Blessed are those who believe without seeing. The original text in greek, uses a word that yes, means blessed, but means happy, or happier.

Jesus is saying, Sure, you’re happy because you’ve seen me and it’s easy for you to believe because you’ve seen me. But those who have not seen, need faith, and that faith will make them even happier.

I believe faith is for what we have not yet seen, but when we’ve seen it, we simply believe. Thomas no longer needed faith because he had seen.

/ / Faith for the unseen becomes transformed to belief in the seen.

And that is then an opportunity for our faith to grow because what we have now seen does not require faith, and we can have faith for more.

The more I SEE God do in my life the more I BELIEVE God can do in my life!

Because my faith grows.

So, three things as we wrap up the Gift of Faith:

/ / If you lack faith, ask.

Ask for faith. Paul tells us to earnestly seek these Spiritual Gifts. Ask God to build your faith, to give you a faith you don’t understand.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, / / Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

That’s faith right there. To not have doubt, to not worry, but to believe God is who He said He is and will do what He said He will do!

So ask God for a faith that brings peace in knowing that He is God and a faith that exceeds anything you can understand. That’s faith. The ability to believe WITHOUT understanding, it’s when you aren’t able to say, “Yup, this is exactly how it will work, and that’s WHY I believe.” no, it’s knowing that you believe even when you say, “I don’t know how this works at all...”

And make this a part of your daily routine. How many know we can worry pretty often? It’s not so difficult to get worried about things, is it? OK, so if we’re encouraged to NOT worry, but instead pray about everything, then how often should we be asking God for the faith to believe? Pretty much non-stop. In every area that I have worry, it simply means I have doubt. And that is something that can get fixed by asking God to remove it.

We are learning this, right? / / We don’t get over things by focusing on the problem, we get through things by focusing on the solution! The solution is relying on God for faith. It’s not trying harder, it’s not making ourselves believe, it’s praying and asking God for the faith to believe.

/ / If you have a gift of faith, speak.

The gift of faith activated in the community of believers is the ability to encourage others to believe.

Romans 10:7 says, / / So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. or as the ESV says it, / / ...and hearing through the word of Christ.

If you have faith, talk about Jesus. Talk about the fact that you believe. If you are with someone that has a hard time believing, tell them WHAT you believe and WHY you believe. Tell them THAT you believe, share with them, encourage them in THEIR belief, in THEIR faith. And get to know your bible so you can speak the word of God. (commercial #3 on Daily Bible Reading!)

Someone comes to you, I’m just having a hard time believing right now. OK, I understand that, it’s not easy believing sometimes. You’ve been through a rough time. But God is with you. The bible says he never leaves you, he will never forsake you. The bible says that nothing can separate you from his love. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised he would never leave. I know it might not feel like it right now, but you’re not alone, and I believe with you. I believe for you.

Your gift of faith can be the very thing that brings someone else faith as well.

/ / Don’t stop believin’....

Or, another way to say that and I would say even more importantly, / / don’t stop growing. Whether you have a strong gift of faith, or some days you struggle to believe, the best thing you can do is to continue asking God to grow in you this gift of faith.

In one of Paul’s letters to one of the early churches, the church in Corinth, they’re having some issues. They’ve had a few people come through and teach them about Jesus, and they end up arguing over who they are now following, him or another guy named Apollos. And Paul writes them a letter, it’s 1 Corinthians in our bible, and he’s trying to help them in their faith. And he says:

/ / After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News [pisteuo - to have faith]. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

First of all, this a great / / lesson in the gifts of the Spirit and the body of Christ. Paul says, I planted the seed, Apollos watered. But I like that he says, / / Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

Paul doesn’t see it as a competition about who did the better work, or who did the first work, or who did more work. He simply sees it as each of them doing their part in what God has given them to do. This is why he talks so much about the Body of Christ in his writings, each of us having a part to play, because he understood that none of us are going to get this whole thing done ourselves. It’s impossible. The same is true in this scenario, he says, I did my part, and Apollos did his. But more importantly, he then directs them to the real reason it works…he says, / / ...but it was GOD who made it grow.

See, regardless of how or why we believe, / / the gift of Faith comes from God… AND it is something that can grow.

See, wherever your faith is at. However you believe; big, small, easy, difficult, we are all on a Journey of Faith and there’s two really really amazing things here.

/ / We are a PART of each others journey.

Paul says, Listen, I planted a seed of faith in you. I helped you with the idea that God is real and that God is for you and that Jesus died for you and there is salvation for you. And then Apollos came along and watered that seed. Helped you believe even more. Shared even more things for you to grab a hold of. We each had a really great opportunity to work with you to see you grow in your faith.

/ / God does the real work.

And he finishes with, But it was God who made it grow. What? What’s he talking about growing? The belief. He said in vs 6, We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News…we’re talking about belief, the word that means to have faith. So he’s making a direct connection between our faith, it’s ability to grow, and that it’s GOD who does that in our lives.

And he reiterates that by explaining further. / / It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

So, / / we understand that we are reliant on God for our faith, and for our faith to grow. AND that we are given an opportunity as the body, as the community, to help each other, and encourage each other to grow in our faith.

Again, we have all been given gifts for what, the purpose of benefiting each other. The gift comes from God himself and his desire is that we use it to help each other.

If you have been given a gift of faith, and how do you know that? You believe and it’s easy to believe. You just know that you know, you don’t doubt, you’re solid in it. Then share that with those around you. Talk about it.

And if you struggle with belief, learn to lean on me… when you’re not strong… I’ll be your friend… I’ll help you carry on…

Let’s learn to lean on each other. To recognize the gifts each of us have been given, and be vulnerable enough to say, “I need your faith right now. I need to just sit and listen to you talk about how good you know God is. Because right now I’m going through it. Right now I’m having a hard time believing, and you just seem to get it. I want that.” Let’s be the body of Christ, the gifted ones, for each other!