Posted on

Everyday Faith

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

By Jeff Foerster

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14–17)

Faith will present itself. It happens simply by living. If we sit in a chair, we have demonstrated faith in the power of the chair to lend its support. If we swallow pills from the pharmacy, we demonstrate faith in the pharmacist and the manufacturer. Just the opposite is true as well. If we refuse to sit in a four-legged chair that only has three stable legs, our faith is revealed as lacking. Likewise, if we notice packaging that’s been tampered with, we may refuse the medication, thereby also revealing a lack of faith.

Faith for the believer in Jesus engages salvation, and salvation works itself out with fear and trembling. In other words, saving faith will continue to produce good fruit, or works, in the believer’s life; actions will tell the tale of faith. These actions are like the bloom of a flower: the bloom does not create a flower, but its existence signals that it came from one.

Flicks and Faith

Faith exhibits itself when I choose entertainment. Take movies for example. If I take care when choosing, by using information on a site such as Plugged In or even considering the MPAA rating system, then my concern shows faith that God has set limits on me and, by extension, the entertainment I enjoy. If, on the other hand, my attitude is, “I’m adult enough to see a movie without being negatively affected by it,” then I likely am unaware of, or do not have faith in, God’s Word, which says I can be deceived by my own heart, my own desires. Faith is grounded in truth, and truth is found in the person and character of God revealed in the Bible.

Trying Traffic

So what happens when driving down the road and some “jerk” cuts in front of me and slows down, almost causing an accident? (I’m not saying that’s ever happened to me.) What does faith have to do with it? Well, faith remembers that Jesus suffered unjustly at the hands of sinners. Faith remembers that I am to be like Him, suffering wrong and not seeking vengeance for myself in the form of aggressive driving or gestures not-quite loving. No, I am not equating crucifixion with rush-hour traffic; my attitude is symbolic, a representation of the attitude of Christ, forgiving others apart from their deservedness. When we remember Jesus and seek His ways, that’s acting in faith.

Money Matters

Confronted by a stack of bills or maybe just thoughts of them, I am facing a faith issue. Will I let worry over due dates and available funds plague my mind and keep me from praising the God who saved me? Or will I recall the words that tell me I am worth much more to God than many sparrows, whom He provides for consistently? What shall I choose? Will I place faith in my Provider or in the provision of my own hands? Where will my faith be revealed?

Identity Instigator

There is nothing more precious than the lilting voice of a child . . . until that child says, “I hate you!” And what takes place next? Do I react out of my woundedness? Does my faith in my identity, founded on being liked, being valued by others, form my reaction? However, if I am saved from my sins, I am a new creation. Can I tell myself the truth that God has told me and choose to live out of and love from the identity I have from being a son or daughter of Christ? Do I really have faith that I have been adopted into His family and that adoption is reality?

What to Do?

Unforeseen events. Long lines. Complicated circumstances. Have you ever had one phone call turn into two more, resulting in waiting on a return call that won’t seem to come? And that was only one of the dozen items on the must-do section of your to-do list—today? When my plans don’t produce fruit, does anxiety or anger become the next item on the list? What does that tell me about my faith and whom—or what—it’s placed in? Can I recall that God’s Word tells me that He is working all things in my life to produce good fruit? Will I let this truth be where my faith is found?

“Nice Ride”

Installing a new battery in my nearing “vintage” car, my neighbor rolls by in a beautiful 2019 Envy (made by Ford, I think). Again with the choices. Do I recount how I work harder, attend church more, pray harder, give more, blah, blah, blah, than my neighbor, so why can’t I have pretty things too? Or, I could recall the truth spoken through the apostle and savor the eternal glory I’ll share with the Father: “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

I could go on . . . and on . . . and on . . . until your eyeballs bleed. For where we are, I am convinced, is a land of faith. It can be faith based in what we experience, what we feel, and what we see and think, or we can look beyond—to a world that transcends our five senses, to things unseen. Faith ultimately comes back to and begins in a person: Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and our Master, our Savior and our Teacher. Faith in Him means valuing Him above all else, seeking Him above all else, and listening to Him above all else. We walk by faith, not by sight. Faith acts as a reset, a recalibration of reality to conform to the truth. And knowing the Truth will set you free!

Views – 121
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow
Posted on

Going with Church

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

by Jeff Foerster

How many times did you go with church last week, last month?

“Oh, I go to church usually once a week, sometimes twice. And, by the way, you made a grammatical mistake in that question you asked.”

Actually, I didn’t. We go with church when we cross the street to visit a neighbor. We go with church when we share barbecue with a believing friend at Po-Boy on Meridian. We go with church when we interact with local librarians, store employees, police officers, and DMV workers. We go with church when engaging with homeless folks. We go with church when visiting those in the hospital. We go with church when we go out into the world. We go out into the world when we do so with purpose, from a position as God’s fellow workers by grace through Jesus Christ. We do so with purpose when our desire is to share the love Christ has given us with others in our community, with current believers, and especially with those who don’t yet know Jesus.

Is this some sloppy or ethereal notion of “church” I am foisting upon you? In ancient Israel, God revealed Himself in the Holy of Holies, in the inner part of the Temple, to one person, on one day each year, and that only after a great amount of purifying ritual was performed. In our present age, we are given access to God through Christ Jesus. And more than that, each follower of Jesus has been given the Holy Spirit to dwell within them, 24/7 and 365 days a year—constant access. We are each members of the body of Christ, the Church, and where we go, He goes with us; God dwells in His church.

Going out, we bring the church to the world. We bring freedom to those in slavery. We bring light to those living in darkness. We bring the very presence of God to dwell alongside those without hope in this world. We are to be on mission—every one of us.

But we can go into the world choosing to clothe ourselves so as not to be seen. We can avoid scrutiny by blending in and valuing an average American lifestyle of comfort and selfish preoccupation. But that is not who followers of Christ are. As Brian Sharpe reminded us this last Sunday, we are lights made to shine ever more brightly in a world growing dim.

Going anywhere with church this week?

Views – 145
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow
Posted on

My Peace I Give You

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

By Jeff Foerster

The secular symbol for peace is a broken upside down cross bound in a circle. Rather than spend valuable time investigating its origins, I’d rather consider the brokenness of the cross of Christ. This brokenness enables us entrance into God’s household and adoption into His family. The cross brings brokenness to our spirit and allows humility to reign in our hearts and upon the soil of our lives, producing a harvest of righteousness, of peace with God and of peace toward one another.

When salvation comes to a person, that person has seen themselves as they truly are—helpless to save themselves, broken from recognition of sin and inability to correct it, let alone to atone for what has already taken place.

When peace flows from a person, that person has seen others in the same light—helpless and in great need of forgiveness. Just as your Father has forgiven you, so forgive one another. Pity was taken on us, so extend the same. Simple, right?

It ain’t rocket science.

Quite frankly, rocket science is easier—or at least less costly. Launching projectiles is simple physics—perform this action get this result. You’ll need millions or possibly billions of dollars to break Earth’s gravitational pull. We can do this without divine intervention, by following laws set in place . . . by God . . . sustained by Him . . . ugh, there goes my illustration. Our dependence on Him is more pervasive than may appear to the eye. Being a person of peace requires relationship with God and frequent submission to Him, for unlike aeronautical engineering, the heart is in play.

Peace requires pursuits be in place.

First, seek the presence of God in prayer and remembrance historically and presently. Remember what God has done throughout history to reach out to mankind, loving him graciously. Presently recall what God has done in your own life and the lives of those around you—ask others to help you think on this as well. Why bring these to mind? Because it is necessary to be a recipient of peace before one can be a giver of peace. One has to genuinely possess something before it is offered to another. Otherwise, it looks a lot more like fraud. Fraud with “good” intentions.

Secondly, choose to focus on others, rather than yourself, as they face difficulties from within and difficulties from without. Choosing to see them in this light helps clear the fog of personal drama and desires, and it stokes the heart to love like Jesus.

These guidelines are just that: a guide to channel the working out of salvation, the Spirit of God in the believer. True peace cannot be manufactured by human will. Peace can only be shared from the abundance of it, granted from God.

Views – 132
If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow
Posted on

Knowing Jesus!

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

by Jeff Foerster

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

From the “love” chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, this verse teases a taste of heaven—to know and experience fully. What a joy it is to ponder these things! We experience Jesus, His love for us, through our being born again, and we are given much to help us know about Him, through Scripture.

Jesus was born of a virgin.

Essential to the Christian faith, this reveals Jesus as unique among men. This singular event in history is the communion of divine and human. God become man—three words that tell it well.

Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus existed as a member of the trinity before any part of creation was brought to exist (by Him). Jesus is therefore self-existent God, not a creation of any kind. When He came in flesh as a child placed in Mary’s womb, it was in accordance with His own will—no one else can claim that. Jesus submitted to the Father’s plan that He should come, through the “overshadowing” presence of the Holy Spirit upon the virgin Mary, to be a ransom for many sinners.

Jesus came in the flesh.

The mystery of humiliation, Jesus who created all things joined His creation in the most intimate and fragile of ways, becoming a baby boy.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

And resurrected, Jesus remains with a physical body as He made known to many, including Thomas and the other disciples.

Jesus has no sin.

Spotless. Unblemished. Holy. Perfect Lamb of God. This is Jesus. In contrast to our sin nature, Jesus had no sin nature. Sinless was He though He faced temptation as we do. Jesus was simultaneously fully man and fully God (“hypostatic union”), therefore sin has no place in His being. Jesus committed no sin while here on Earth (or after His ascension, for that matter).

Jesus is eternal life.

Important is the fact that Jesus is man because by His living perfectly the commands of God, He brings a life acceptable to God. No one else has ever done this. His humanity provided Him the setting to live a perfect life; His divinity accomplished it. This is the basis for our forgiveness of sins (He had none to pay for Himself) and our adoption as sons and daughters of God Most High! As Peter proclaimed by the Spirit, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

I urge you, brothers and sisters, speak often of the mystery and wonder that is Christ Jesus!

  • Ponder these things in your heart.
  • Take one aspect of Christ and share Him with your children on each car ride you have together.
  • Make Jesus the discussion over dinner.
  • Comfort the children entrusted to you with Jesus as you tuck them into bed at night.
  • Talk with a friend about how great a Savior we have!
  • Make Jesus the source of encouragement you give others.
  • Proclaim the true, historical Jesus to the lost and the hurting.
  • Praise Jesus to His face in prayer!

Views – 130

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow
Posted on

Power

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

By Jeff Foerster

“God’s power is our birthright.” If this phrase evokes images of eagles, apple pie, and baseball, you’re not alone; you’re a red-blooded American patriot. You’re also missing the point.

This power and this “birth” did not take place at infancy and in geography, but at a time of mystery, a time of wonder, a time of power, in which we were lifted from a position of helplessness, having been enslaved to sin, and placed securely in the arms of God. It was this marvelous power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And this power was given to us in the Spirit, who dwells within all who place their hope in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The power of God was not only a “one-time-for-salvation” power. The believer can say, “God has saved me, is saving me, and will deliver me.” We are experiencing the “is” moment. Because the Holy Spirit lives within each believer, God is sanctifying, making holy, that which belongs only to Him.

The power of God is evident—it gets results. By it we put to death the deeds of the flesh. It does not mean we will not face temptation, but that temptation need not overpower us. It does not imply that ungodly desire will retreat permanently, but that where the Holy Spirit dwells, sin is not welcome. And where the Holy Spirit dwells, there is power.

In more specific terms, we grow to value others more, and we focus upon self less. We will grow in truth, both in speaking it—avoiding lies and being honest in word and deed—and in rightly accepting God’s proclaimed truth in Scripture. We will continue to have future goals, dreams, and plans, but where we face interruptions to these, trust in God’s goals and God’s plans will bring about peace.

Unannounced visits, unexpected expenses, delays in schedules and changes in plans—none of these are cause for alarm when the Holy Spirit is ruling the heart and the mind of the believer. Is your heart and mind in step with the heart and mind of Christ? If so, praise Him! If it is not, cry out to Him! In all things, and by His power, submit yourself to His truth, to His holiness, and peace will be your constant companion.

Views – 134

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow
Posted on

Pray without Ceasing

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow

By Jeff Foerster

 

 

 

Pray without ceasing. What? This instruction blows my mind, my one-track mind. I don’t multitask. I don’t multitask because if I attempt it, something gets broken or someone gets hurt. For me, to “pray without ceasing” means becoming a monk and giving up driving a car, washing laundry, or even cooking a meal. I have about as much chance at successfully obeying this command as I do with “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Prayer is relational conversation.

Praying without ceasing makes a lot more sense when I consider that God is with me. He is with me as sure as a friend sitting across from me at a café or sharing a good meal at a restaurant. What do you talk about with others? You talk about how you’ve been spending your time, what happened while at work, what made you upset, that you couldn’t believe that guy in that car who did that thing or that woman in that place who said what she said—imagine her nerve! You sit around recalling that time that thing happened and you laugh ‘til tears stream down your face and your gut cries out for mercy. You share what makes you sad and what brings fear to your heart. You listen to what the other person thinks is important, and you wrestle with ideas and plans and hopes and dreams. You are in relationship.

What do you believe?

What do you believe about prayer? Not what you think—what you would tell me you believe. What do you actually believe? Do you know? To know, you must look to your actions, your “fruit.”

Here’s another way to say the same thing: How is your relationship with Jesus? I didn’t ask for your theology—what you think about Him, or what you believe about His sacrifice, as important as these are. I’m not asking you if you have prayed to receive His forgiveness, though without it there is no relationship. I am asking if you are close to Him, or if “distant” would be a more apt description. Is He called when you need something, when other avenues fail? Or do you talk to Him about everything? Do you share the triumphs and failings of the day as well as listen for His response, His questions, His leading? What would happen if you stopped talking with your spouse or your best friend for a day? A week? A month? Distance would grow, and your relationship would wither.

God is much more than any person you are connected to. He cares for you with greater passion and greater wisdom, and He knows you better than even you do. He is more than a resource for you to employ. He is heaven itself, in a person. To pray without ceasing means to lean into relationship with Jesus, with the Spirit, with the Father. Brian Sharpe spoke of A.C.T.S. in the Sunday sermon as a tool to help engagement in prayer, conversation starters. These concepts are found in the Scriptures—sometimes referred to as God’s love letters to humanity. In these, God woos us with His undying love with which He died for us. Time and again His message is one of control—He’s got it and I can let it go. The plan was formed long ago before the first of us were formed from earth. We are His beloved creations to whom He has endowed the right to become His children. God has engaged us; He made the first move, but an intimate relationship requires 100% from both—what will you do?

Views – 158

If you liked this post, say thanks by sharing it.
Email, RSS Follow