FAITH
FAITH, “WORTH CONSIDERING” 7/22/20 From Ken<>< (5 months till Christmas)
Faith: (Across my desk this morning from Texas.)
“…When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith…” (Matthew 8:10, NIV)
What God Marvels At
When a Roman officer came to Jesus and said, “One of my employees is very sick, but you don’t have to come to my house. Just speak the word, and I know he’ll be healed,” Jesus marveled at his faith. In Mark 6, it says that Jesus also marveled at the unbelief He was met with in His hometown. What’s interesting is that the people who doubted were the religious people. They were in the synagogue every week. The Roman officer wasn’t a religious person. He hadn’t been indoctrinated to think that it couldn’t happen. He simply believed that Jesus was the Son of God. When God looks at you, what does He marvel at? Why don’t you come over into faith? You may think that you’re not religious enough, that God would never help you, but God is not looking for religion. He’s looking for people who simply believe in Him, for people who know that He can do the impossible.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for being the God of miracles and that You’re still on the throne no matter what the doubters say. Help me to believe big, dream big, pray big, and think big. I want to be one of the ones who always believes that You can do the impossible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Ken’s Comments:
Actually, this is a very key verse on faith. The Roman had the best faith that Jesus had found to that point in HIS ministry. There is individual faith and there is the “Unity of the faith in the bond of peace.” And we truly can grow in faith. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” So time in the Bible, builds faith. Time in the world, destroys faith. Jesus could not do many mighty works in Nazareth due to their unbelief. Nathaniel when hearing about Jesus quickly replied, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth.” None of the religious leaders even asked Jesus, where was HE born as they all KNEW he was born in Nazareth…. NOT!!! So much of what we have been taught in the institutional theater church is really vain traditions and has made the Word of God ineffective as it teaches on faith. Paul had this to prophesy about the latter day church: 2 Tim. 3:1-6: “ But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. 3 [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. 4 [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God. 5 For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. 6 For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate silly and weak-natured and spiritually dwarfed women, loaded down with [the burden of their] sins [and easily] swayed and led away by various evil desires and seductive impulses.
And Jesus prophesied this in Rev. 3;14 about the last church: 14 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God’s creation: 15 I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth! 17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see. 19 Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me. 21 He who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant him to sit beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne. 22 He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). Please notice with this last church that Jesus is standing outside knocking to get into supposedly HIS own church.
Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy, Ken<>< www.trinity-aloha.org
(To Add or delete e address: ken@trinity-aloha.org, Link to back issues “Worth Considering” homepage)
Great Message : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SqtghhpQLY
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