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The Nature and Working of Faith
“To have faith in the Word, Scripture must not grasp us in our critical thought, but in the life of the soul” (Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit p84).
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Month 2 classes
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Class 1: How Faith Works
Class 2: Application of Faith
Class 3: Meditation on Faith
Class 4: Listening Prayer
Class 5: Journaling on Faith
Class 6: Listening Prayer
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Teaching - The Nature and Working of Faith
What is faith?
“Faith -
Faith is the basic orientation and commitment of our whole being—a matter of heart and soul. Christian faith is grounding our lives in the living God as revealed especially in Jesus Christ. It’s both a gift we receive within the Christian community and a choice we make. It’s trusting in God and relying on God as the source and destiny of our lives. Faith is believing in God, giving God our devoted loyalty and allegiance. Faith is following Jesus, answering the call to be his disciples in the world. Faith is hoping for God’s future, leaning into the coming kingdom that God has promised. Faith-as-belief is active; it involves trusting, believing, following, hoping.”
From the United Methodist Church website http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2310045/
“Faith depends upon one thing—upon your understanding of the nature of God” (Cooke, Hiddenness and Manifestation p13)
Q: Can you think of instances in the Bible that talk about faith?
-Jesus says ‘your faith has healed you’ or ‘let it be done to you according to your faith’ quite a bit.
-Jesus cannot do miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith (Matt 13:58)
-Faith in Jesus’ name makes people well in the book of Acts (Acts 3:16)
-People can be full of the Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 6:5; 11:24)
-God purifies our hearts by faith (Acts 15:9)
-We are sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18)
-The righteous live by faith (Rom 1:17)
-We receive God’s grace through faith (Rom 3: 21-26)
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Rom 3)
-Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith (Rom 4:9)
-We gain access to God through faith (Rom 5:1-3)
“1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
-“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)
-We function in our gifts according to our faith—our faith determines on what level we function (Rom 12:6)
-Everything that does not come from faith is sin (Rom 14:23)
-Faith in God changes our identity (Slave to Free) (1 Cor 7:22)
-Faith is both a requirement and a gift (1 Cor 12:9)
-“For we live by faith, not by sight”. (2 Cor 5:7)
-Faith is not static. It can be weak, strong, and even grow (2 Cor 10:15)
-We are justified by faith in Jesus (Gal 3)
-We receive the Holy Spirit through faith (Gal 3:2)
-We receive God’s promises through faith (Gal 3:14,22)
-We are children of God through faith (Gal 3:26)
-“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:6)
-Faith is the vehicle of our salvation (we are saved ‘through’ grace). It is how we receive anything from God.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8)
-By faith we understand (Heb 11:3)
-“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb 11:6)
-Our faith is tested in order to produce perseverance in us (James 2:3)
-Our faith in God shows itself in how we live. Our faith is made complete by our actions. The two are inseparable. Faith without deeds is dead (James 2:18-26)
-Prayers offered in faith can make people well (James 5:15)
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1)
Meaning, in order to have faith in something, you can’t actually prove it exists. We have faith in God’s future promises to us because we already know what God is like. You could even substitute the word ‘confidence’ in for ‘faith’. We have confidence that God’s promises to us will come to pass. Once the promised thing happens, I no longer need faith for it—I have it. I don’t need to be confident that it will happen—it did happen.
Absolutely everything in the Christian life is based off faith. We understand after we believe. We receive God’s grace through it. We come into his presence through it. We are justified through it. We receive God’s promises through it. We pray through it. Faith is the plate off of which everything in the Christian life is eaten. Without the plate, you can’t go through the buffet line. More than that, we have faith in something in particular, namely the nature of God. We have faith in what he is like and what he has done for us on the cross.
It’s the basis of everything we will do in this class together. Why do we pray and then listen expecting God to respond? Faith. In the Bible, God says that we know his voice. It says that he desires to have relationship with us. It says that we are the priests and prophets to this world. It says we are the saints of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what he did for us. Because we believe the Bible is true, we use it as the basis for how we will live our lives, not our circumstances. You may not feel like a saint but you are. You may not feel righteous (and you may not be acting righteously) but in Christ you are. You may have never heard God before in prayer, but the Bible says you can; more than that, it says you already do.
When we pray in this class and listen for a response, we are not entering into presumption. We are stepping into the promises of God by faith. We are coming boldly before the throne of our heavenly Father who is madly in love with us. We come respectfully, but we make no apologies because Christ’s work on the cross is complete. We do not need to crucify him anew every time. Your ability to hear can be hindered but not God’s ability to speak. The noise in your head and heart can drown out God’s whisper to you. Much of this class will be learning to settle your mind and your heart and learn to listen. There are ways you can increase your ability to listen. You can fast and pray regularly. You can fill your mind with good, pure, and holy things. You can read your Bible regularly. You can practice listening.
In that, your ability to hear God’s voice is almost like a muscle. Rather, your faith is like a muscle. If you use it continuously, it will grow strong and work well; your ability to interact with the Holy Spirit will increase. If you do not use it, it becomes weak and does not work well; your ability to interact with the Holy Spirit decreases. Doing your devotions, praying regularly, reading your Bible—those are not means to earn anything from God. They are a means of increasing your ability to have a relationship with the God of the universe.
So, how are we going to exercise our faith in this class? We’re going to learn how to discern the voice of the Lord in prayer. Sometimes we will journal. Sometimes we will pray over others. Sometimes we will listen for his word to us as we read the Bible. And sometimes, we’ll get it wrong. That’s part of learning.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13)
“Faith: is the required response (agreement with God’s Word and Spirit) in our partnership with God that results in His power being released into the natural realm. It includes the living expectation of the supernatural that calls the future into the present. Our faith grows as we understand who we are in Christ and the authority we have in Christ. It results in the breakthrough of God’s power for our heart, body, ministry and the release of His favor on circumstances (finances, open doors for harvest/personal) and removal of Satan’s resistance.
Hope: is confident agreement with God’s future plans and our ultimate victory. This is the message of eternity (establishing heaven on earth) and the End-Time drama (that prepares for it).
Love: is intimacy with God and being like God (character: Sermon on the Mount lifestyles). Love is the greatest of these three because it continues and expresses God’s eternal character. He who loves most, wins and succeeds most before God. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the primary question that the Lord will ask us is, “Did you learn to love?”
Faith is the way to release the gifts of the Spirit. Love is the purpose of them. Faith is how the gifts function. Love is why they function. The hope message stabilizes us (keeps us focused and in peace without fear). We need to be strong in faith, anchored in hope and walk in love.” – (Bickle, Pursuing Spiritual Gifts: Faith that Works by Love)
“Faith -
Faith is the basic orientation and commitment of our whole being—a matter of heart and soul. Christian faith is grounding our lives in the living God as revealed especially in Jesus Christ. It’s both a gift we receive within the Christian community and a choice we make. It’s trusting in God and relying on God as the source and destiny of our lives. Faith is believing in God, giving God our devoted loyalty and allegiance. Faith is following Jesus, answering the call to be his disciples in the world. Faith is hoping for God’s future, leaning into the coming kingdom that God has promised. Faith-as-belief is active; it involves trusting, believing, following, hoping.”
From the United Methodist Church website http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2310045/
“Faith depends upon one thing—upon your understanding of the nature of God” (Cooke, Hiddenness and Manifestation p13)
Q: Can you think of instances in the Bible that talk about faith?
-Jesus says ‘your faith has healed you’ or ‘let it be done to you according to your faith’ quite a bit.
-Jesus cannot do miracles in his hometown because of their lack of faith (Matt 13:58)
-Faith in Jesus’ name makes people well in the book of Acts (Acts 3:16)
-People can be full of the Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 6:5; 11:24)
-God purifies our hearts by faith (Acts 15:9)
-We are sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18)
-The righteous live by faith (Rom 1:17)
-We receive God’s grace through faith (Rom 3: 21-26)
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Rom 3)
-Abraham was considered righteous because of his faith (Rom 4:9)
-We gain access to God through faith (Rom 5:1-3)
“1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God.”
-“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)
-We function in our gifts according to our faith—our faith determines on what level we function (Rom 12:6)
-Everything that does not come from faith is sin (Rom 14:23)
-Faith in God changes our identity (Slave to Free) (1 Cor 7:22)
-Faith is both a requirement and a gift (1 Cor 12:9)
-“For we live by faith, not by sight”. (2 Cor 5:7)
-Faith is not static. It can be weak, strong, and even grow (2 Cor 10:15)
-We are justified by faith in Jesus (Gal 3)
-We receive the Holy Spirit through faith (Gal 3:2)
-We receive God’s promises through faith (Gal 3:14,22)
-We are children of God through faith (Gal 3:26)
-“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:6)
-Faith is the vehicle of our salvation (we are saved ‘through’ grace). It is how we receive anything from God.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8)
-By faith we understand (Heb 11:3)
-“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb 11:6)
-Our faith is tested in order to produce perseverance in us (James 2:3)
-Our faith in God shows itself in how we live. Our faith is made complete by our actions. The two are inseparable. Faith without deeds is dead (James 2:18-26)
-Prayers offered in faith can make people well (James 5:15)
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1)
Meaning, in order to have faith in something, you can’t actually prove it exists. We have faith in God’s future promises to us because we already know what God is like. You could even substitute the word ‘confidence’ in for ‘faith’. We have confidence that God’s promises to us will come to pass. Once the promised thing happens, I no longer need faith for it—I have it. I don’t need to be confident that it will happen—it did happen.
Absolutely everything in the Christian life is based off faith. We understand after we believe. We receive God’s grace through it. We come into his presence through it. We are justified through it. We receive God’s promises through it. We pray through it. Faith is the plate off of which everything in the Christian life is eaten. Without the plate, you can’t go through the buffet line. More than that, we have faith in something in particular, namely the nature of God. We have faith in what he is like and what he has done for us on the cross.
It’s the basis of everything we will do in this class together. Why do we pray and then listen expecting God to respond? Faith. In the Bible, God says that we know his voice. It says that he desires to have relationship with us. It says that we are the priests and prophets to this world. It says we are the saints of God, not because of anything we did, but because of what he did for us. Because we believe the Bible is true, we use it as the basis for how we will live our lives, not our circumstances. You may not feel like a saint but you are. You may not feel righteous (and you may not be acting righteously) but in Christ you are. You may have never heard God before in prayer, but the Bible says you can; more than that, it says you already do.
When we pray in this class and listen for a response, we are not entering into presumption. We are stepping into the promises of God by faith. We are coming boldly before the throne of our heavenly Father who is madly in love with us. We come respectfully, but we make no apologies because Christ’s work on the cross is complete. We do not need to crucify him anew every time. Your ability to hear can be hindered but not God’s ability to speak. The noise in your head and heart can drown out God’s whisper to you. Much of this class will be learning to settle your mind and your heart and learn to listen. There are ways you can increase your ability to listen. You can fast and pray regularly. You can fill your mind with good, pure, and holy things. You can read your Bible regularly. You can practice listening.
In that, your ability to hear God’s voice is almost like a muscle. Rather, your faith is like a muscle. If you use it continuously, it will grow strong and work well; your ability to interact with the Holy Spirit will increase. If you do not use it, it becomes weak and does not work well; your ability to interact with the Holy Spirit decreases. Doing your devotions, praying regularly, reading your Bible—those are not means to earn anything from God. They are a means of increasing your ability to have a relationship with the God of the universe.
So, how are we going to exercise our faith in this class? We’re going to learn how to discern the voice of the Lord in prayer. Sometimes we will journal. Sometimes we will pray over others. Sometimes we will listen for his word to us as we read the Bible. And sometimes, we’ll get it wrong. That’s part of learning.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13)
“Faith: is the required response (agreement with God’s Word and Spirit) in our partnership with God that results in His power being released into the natural realm. It includes the living expectation of the supernatural that calls the future into the present. Our faith grows as we understand who we are in Christ and the authority we have in Christ. It results in the breakthrough of God’s power for our heart, body, ministry and the release of His favor on circumstances (finances, open doors for harvest/personal) and removal of Satan’s resistance.
Hope: is confident agreement with God’s future plans and our ultimate victory. This is the message of eternity (establishing heaven on earth) and the End-Time drama (that prepares for it).
Love: is intimacy with God and being like God (character: Sermon on the Mount lifestyles). Love is the greatest of these three because it continues and expresses God’s eternal character. He who loves most, wins and succeeds most before God. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, the primary question that the Lord will ask us is, “Did you learn to love?”
Faith is the way to release the gifts of the Spirit. Love is the purpose of them. Faith is how the gifts function. Love is why they function. The hope message stabilizes us (keeps us focused and in peace without fear). We need to be strong in faith, anchored in hope and walk in love.” – (Bickle, Pursuing Spiritual Gifts: Faith that Works by Love)
Application - The Nature and Working of Faith
“To have faith in the Word, Scripture must not grasp us in our critical thought, but in the life of the soul” (Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit p84).
On of the aspects of “living a life of faith” is trusting in the nature of God rather than focusing on your current circumstances. One of the ways we do this is through reminding ourselves of what God is like and what his promises are to his people.
Today, we’re going to create a list of such promises. After we’ve run out of ideas, I want you to pray over the list and get an inkling of what Scriptures God is speaking to your heart and what He wants you to trust him for.
As a class, brainstorm aspects of God’s nature.
-Find scripture references.
As a class, brainstorm God’s promises to his people.
-find scripture references.
On of the aspects of “living a life of faith” is trusting in the nature of God rather than focusing on your current circumstances. One of the ways we do this is through reminding ourselves of what God is like and what his promises are to his people.
Today, we’re going to create a list of such promises. After we’ve run out of ideas, I want you to pray over the list and get an inkling of what Scriptures God is speaking to your heart and what He wants you to trust him for.
As a class, brainstorm aspects of God’s nature.
-Find scripture references.
As a class, brainstorm God’s promises to his people.
-find scripture references.
Meditation - The Nature and Working of Faith
Today we are going to meditate a bit differently. Often in this class we will meditate on the Bible but today we are going to focus more on our own interpretation of the Bible. In order to help you get more out of our times with Scripture, it’s first important for you to reflect on how you’re reading and interpreting the text. Reading the Bible is great; it’s a good book. However, reading the Bible doesn’t mean you are actually letting God speak to your heart. There are plenty of unbelievers who know the Bible.
Remember, meditation is simply the art of thinking deeply. So, when we meditate on our question today, we are going to reflect on, contemplate and think deeply about that question and what the Lord wants to say to us through it.
Directions
Use the passages below to think on and inspire reflection for the following questions. Journal your responses. Just like talking, sometimes forcing yourself to write out the answer actually helps to clarify your thinking on a subject. Often in a time of questioning like this, we will come face-to-face with our own inadequacy. The proper response is repentance and asking God to fix your heart—not self-pity or condemnation. Don’t shy away from something just because it’s painful. If the Lord brings something to mind that hurts, it’s because he desires to bring healing and wholeness to that area of your life.
Quotes:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)
“To have faith in the Word, Scripture must not grasp us in our critical thought, but in the life of the soul” (Abraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit p84).
“When our mind is fixed on God, our heart is fixed on him” (Graham Cooke, Beholding and Becoming p27).
Questions:
Remember, meditation is simply the art of thinking deeply. So, when we meditate on our question today, we are going to reflect on, contemplate and think deeply about that question and what the Lord wants to say to us through it.
Directions
Use the passages below to think on and inspire reflection for the following questions. Journal your responses. Just like talking, sometimes forcing yourself to write out the answer actually helps to clarify your thinking on a subject. Often in a time of questioning like this, we will come face-to-face with our own inadequacy. The proper response is repentance and asking God to fix your heart—not self-pity or condemnation. Don’t shy away from something just because it’s painful. If the Lord brings something to mind that hurts, it’s because he desires to bring healing and wholeness to that area of your life.
Quotes:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40)
“To have faith in the Word, Scripture must not grasp us in our critical thought, but in the life of the soul” (Abraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit p84).
“When our mind is fixed on God, our heart is fixed on him” (Graham Cooke, Beholding and Becoming p27).
Questions:
- Are you reading the Bible in a way that allows the Holy Spirit to speak to you? If not, what needs to change?
- What needs to happen in your life in order for you to say “I have faith in the Word”?
- What would it look like in your life to have your mind ‘fixed on God’?
- Do you want this?
