Faith, as we see in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus’ usage of them, is much closer to our words “trust” or “confidence” than it is about believing doctrines to be true.
—Richard Rohr.
This Sunday we’ll continue our exploration of Strange Stories in the Bible. This week’s story discusses having enough faith to move mountains.
Have you ever moved a mountain with your faith?
No?
Me either…
Does this mean we don’t have enough faith? Or does it mean Jesus is trying to teach us something else about the meaning of faith?
Sometimes we confuse faith with believing the right things. For example, I could say I’m a person of faith because I believe in the Bible or because I believe in God. All good things, but the way Jesus speaks of faith is a bit different.
Jesus speaks of faith as having trust and confidence in God.
To have faith in God moves us beyond simply believing God exists to trusting that God is at work in the world.
Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” (Matthew 17:20)
Jesus does not intend for this statement to make us feel guilty about our lack of faith (i.e. “I’ve never moved a mountain with my faith!”)
Rather, Jesus wants this statement to be an encouragement about what is possible when we trust in God.
Do you see how a proper understanding of faith moves it away from the self (my personal amount of faith) to God (trusting in God’s ability)?
To grow in faith is to grow in the amount of trust you have in God. When you have a high level of trust in God, you’re able to live with more love, grace and peace.
So…how confident in God are you at this moment in time?
Do you trust that God can move the mountains of your life?
The Christian journey is about learning to trust God more each day. Everyday is a new opportunity to grow in your confidence of God’s ability to act.
We’ll explore this concept more on Sunday because there’s a lot to unpack. Invite a friend and join us at 9:30 or 11 am.
See you on Sunday!
—Pastor David
P.S. Artisan Church is hosting an awesome art show this Thursday, Sept. 1, at 6:30 pm in Lincolnton. The artist, Esther Moorehead, painted the picture of our church that hangs in the Gathering Area. I got a sneak peak of the show this morning and was blown away. Hope to see you there! Details found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/749245242991573/
