So I want you to think back in your mind with
me to the 1980s Now some of our younger crowd
can't do that. They like my kids like to remind
me I was born in the 1900s. So it's often a topic
But the 1980s was a time when calls had to be
made from landlines Living room televisions were
these big bulky boxes on the floor and Children
knew when to come home when the streetlights
came on or at least in my neighborhood Our world
wasn't as connected as we are now We didn't learn
about world events on social media But waiting
for the nightly news or maybe a missionary traveling
through our church telling their own stories
of their travel to distant places So it was 1986
and my father was a preacher at a very small
church in a small town We woke up Oklahoma. You
may have heard of it. We had just moved there
not long before from Mississippi, and we were
still getting established as a family in this
small town. And one night, he decided to watch
an old movie based on a novel that was set in
the time period of Imperial Russia, the Russian
Revolution, and their civil war that followed.
And God used this movie to stir something in
my father's heart and change the trajectory of
his life. He began to study and learn about the
Russian people and at that time their oppression
under the communist rule. And in this time of
studying and praying, he felt God calling him
to do something, to help a people that he had
never met or a country he had never been to.
He didn't know how but he knew he was supposed
to serve in some way so he remember very small
Church pastor had no global connections. No networking,
but he began to research and seek out and he
found a Tour group that was for clergy that he
joined without knowing anyone and took his first
trip and then after that The passion stayed and
he worked diligently on the side when he wasn't
dealing with church work. And he took his first
group back in about two short years. And they
were smuggling Bibles written in the Russian
language. I remember stapling the little tracks
together myself. And he was asked to speak at
the First Baptist Church of Leningrad, the second
American pastor following Billy Graham. But that
trip was a catalyst that led him to stepping
out and developing an entire separate ministry
that led to facilitating orphanages in countries
and taking medical mission trips and countless
other outreach trips. That was a time he had
to stand on faith without any direction. And
I share that with you today. To explain to you
what informs my understanding of faith So we
are going to talk about faith today and how it
isn't just a belief that it is a spiritual practice
that we're invited to live out in our everyday
lives The everyday ordinary can be the catalyst
to enlarge your vision and enlarge your faith
Often we dismiss faith as a descriptor of our
religious views or why it outsources our part
in it. But faith, surprising to some, requires
action. It's not simply there to just be held
in our minds. It is a process of co -creation
with God. And that's what James is talking about
when he says faith without works is dead. So
depending on your background, maybe you've heard
a lot about faith growing up. Maybe you've heard
harmful teachings on faith. Or maybe your background
really didn't talk about faith beyond faith in
Jesus for afterlife salvation. But we're going
to look at ways that we can implement living
out the spiritual practice in our lives. Have
you ever encountered a time when you felt prompted
to maybe act in faith or make a decision without
what you knew would happen next? I have examples.
when I know that God was calling me to do something
and I stood in faith. A couple of those things
actually brought me to this position here. Because
this was not in my plan. Or at least in my plan
that I allowed the world to condition. When I
look back, I see moments where it was there.
Like when I was three and I would line all my
stuffed animals up and preach to them about Jonah
and the whale. Or in middle school, I would be
dissecting verses and my mom would comment, that
looks like sermon prep. But I had been around
church work my entire life and I thought, well,
I'm gonna take an easier route. And I enjoyed
children, so I went into education. And I quickly
realized I wasn't to stay there. I began searching
and found a job that allowed me to teach in different
avenues. And there I grew in organizational knowledge
and grant work. I went back and earned my masters.
And I had a boss that I loved who had created
a position specifically for me. And one year
into that position, I felt God tugging at my
heart, hey, check into opportunities at your
church. I was not excited to feel that. I tried
to ignore it. I tried to explain it away, but
after a couple of weeks of it not going away,
I made an appointment with Artie. And it's important
to note, I did not know Artie well at this time.
I had been a volunteer in his youth ministry,
but that was the extent of our connection. And
I remember it well. I came in, I sat down, said,
I really don't know why I'm here, except I'm
supposed to tell you I'd be interested in working
here somehow if it ever comes about. And here
we are 10 years later. So that was a time that
I had to listen and step out in complete faith.
No one could tell me what laid ahead because
they didn't know. I remember a conversation with
my dad when I was moving from teaching to my
former position and he was trying to encourage
me to stick it out because parents don't like
when their kids change careers one year after
college. And I said, Dad, I have no idea what's
to come, but I know it's going to be great. And
I didn't. Sometimes the people who are examples
of faith may not understand the path that God's
calling us to. That's why we cannot depend on
the opinions and the perceptions of others. That's
why we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, that
only God can see what we can't. So let's explore
this idea a little deeper that faith is not passive.
It's not just intention But that it is a practice
of that co -creation with God walking with him
listening responding Too often we treat it like
a wish. Oh, I have faith that I'll get a better
job But we don't do our part to grow ourselves
and prepare for that or we may say that we have
faith God will cover situation, but we don't
open our hands and our hearts with how we may
help with that provision. So, how are we working
with God to move in faith each day? Well, let's
begin with scripture. In the New Testament, we
see Jesus heal time and time again, and he says,
it is your faith that has healed you. Faith wasn't
something that they held privately. It moved
them to act, to reach out, to see beyond their
current circumstances. And there are only two
times in the Gospels where Jesus is described
as being astonished. Do we know? One time is
the centurion's faith in Jesus' authority to
heal from afar. The other time, is he's astonished
by his hometown's lack of faith in him. The people
who couldn't see beyond what they thought they
knew about him. So the question becomes, which
kind of faith astonishes Jesus in us today? Are
we living in ways that reflect a deep trust in
him, or staying safely in what we know? If you'll
turn to me, with me, If you have your Bibles
or your Bible app, to Hebrews 11 .1. And I'm
reading from the Passion Translation. It says,
now faith brings our hope into reality, our hopes,
and becomes the foundation needed to acquire
the things that we long for. It is all the evidence
required to prove what is still unseen. If you'll
turn to verse six. And without faith living within
us, it would be impossible to please him. For
we come to God in faith knowing that he is real
and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately
seek him. I decided to add one more. It's not
on the slides, but it's in Ephesians three. I
have this verse on my whiteboard in my office
and I look at it every day. It says, then by
constantly using your faith, the life of Christ
will be released deep inside of you and the resting
place of his love will become the very source
and root of your life. These verses remind us
that faith isn't just about eternity. It's about
now. So how do we begin to live out that kind
of faith? It starts with a vision. Faith begins
with a vision. Before we can step forward in
faith, we need to be able to see beyond what's
currently in front of us. In Proverbs 29, 18,
it says, where there is no vision, the people
perish. But vision, it doesn't mean having every
detail mapped out. It often begins with a spark,
a burden, a curiosity. When my father felt the
burden to serve people that he didn't know, he
didn't have a complete roadmap. He simply had
a small vision, and he held it with an open hand.
That posture of surrender, It allowed God to
fill in the gaps that only he could see from
above. Here at Christ Community, we talk often
about living in the kingdom of God now, not just
waiting for afterlife salvation. So ask yourself,
when we pray on earth as it is in heaven, do
you have a picture in your mind of what you envision
that to be? Maybe it looks like peace, peace
within yourself, with others at work. Maybe you
envision joy, a deep contentment radiating outwards.
Maybe when you hear those and pray those words,
you imagine justice and provision, ensuring that
everyone has everything that they need to survive
and thrive. Whatever your vision is when you
pray that prayer, Hold to it in your mind, see
it, and then do your part every day to live that
out. If you envision a more peaceful, interacting
world, start with peace within yourself and those
that you interact with. What do you long for?
Do you have a vision for your life? Scripture
speaks of the new self. We hear about this often.
Every day, Every day we are made new in Christ,
but do you believe that today sitting there?
Do we live as though that's true? Maybe there's
a habit or a mindset that you're trying to move
past First you have to begin to imagine and envision
what you would be like without that mindset or
habit Well, what does the new version of you
look like without that pattern And then you speak
that vision over yourself and see it, and then
take the daily steps towards it. Have faith that
you are becoming the new version, even when your
eyes see the fruit of the past, because you are
becoming. This is where the transformation happens.
It's not in the dramatic moments, it's in the
mundane. everyday choices where faith is quietly
formed. Our world is a world of resistance, but
it's in that resistance, the space of who we
are and who we're becoming is where faith is
working. It's that same tension between the brokenness
that we see in the world around us to the healing
that we hope for. Faith is the ability to see
restoration before there's evidence of it. And
Jesus modeled this for us. He saw people whole,
healed, set free before anyone else did. And
that's how he sees you today. Sometimes faith
isn't about big bold decisions. Sometimes it's...
Being present to see the extraordinary in the
ordinary. Maybe it's a simple conversation you
have, a book you read, a song you hear, maybe
a prompting at the store. When you feel that,
don't brush it off. Listen, respond. That is
faith at work. And in these moments when we feel
it and we feel kind of odd, And we kind of get
stuck and freeze. It's so important to remember
that our God is a God of abundance, not of scarcity.
When we get stuck in our scarcity mindset, we
forget that he sees enough, he is enough, and
he will provide. Romans 8 28 says, we know that
in all things, God works for the good for those
who love him. But do we live this out each day
in the everyday moments? It's really easy to
forget. So today we are going to compare the
process of faith to a seed. And in your notes,
there's a small comparison chart. Jesus gave
us agricultural metaphors in the New Testament
because it gives us such rich, relatable visuals.
Life reflects nature, and nothing in nature is
in a hurry or forces growth. Think about when
you plant a seed. You dig your hole, you put
the seed in, you cover it back up. You don't
come back every day to check if it's growing,
right? You trust that it will grow. You don't
dig it up to see are the roots forming. Somehow
we understand how to apply that to farming and
agriculture. But when it comes to less tangible
ideas like a dream, a new habit, we often lose
patience. We don't trust the process, as they
say. Mark 11, 24 says, believe you have received
it and it will be yours. But that kind of belief
means Seeing before it is there when the seed
is still in the soil So when you have a seed
Look into my it's been in a dormant state a resting
or a sleep state Now this represents the hidden
potentials within us maybe that we aren't even
aware of yet And then the seed with the right
conditions wakes up with oxygen and water and
warmth So that is when God stirs something within
us and wakes it up. The next step is when the
seed coat breaks. This is often a painful looking
process. But this is where the life happens,
the life from the brokenness, the letting go
of the old identity. To become the plant, it
can no longer be the seed. Then the root emerges.
It goes down into the soil, begins to absorb
the nutrients and anchor the plant to the ground.
This is the deep spiritual work that happens
within us in our private lives, in the times
in the dark where we don't feel like it's happening.
Our prayer life, our studying, it's the trust
in the dark. Then the shoot pushes through the
soil. We reach towards Christ. We continue to
pursue even through the resistance. And then
finally, leaves grow and the plant begins to
form. Now, I added the apple tree stages and
this was very interesting. I knew I was going
to talk about If we stop, maybe even at the green
cluster, if you were planting an apple tree thousands
of years ago, you're told this will give you
an apple tree, but you're told nothing about
timelines or anything else, and that happens,
what are you going to think? It's not working.
You gave me the wrong seed. If you stop at the
green cluster, and even with fruit trees, almost
every fruit tree blooms flowers first. Once again,
you're gonna think what in the world? This isn't
it Too often when we have a burden or an idea
and we start to work on it And then we stop at
one of the beginning stages and we give up When
God's saying it's not finished Keep working at
it patience and faith because then You get to
the fruit And this is not just for yourself.
An apple tree doesn't eat apples. It's to bless
others. So, we know we should work to live lives
of faith, but we also know it is so hard. So
we're gonna look at a few barriers to living
lives of faith. When we think about what gets
in the way of a life of faith doubt is obviously
a major one and it is real James 1 6 says When
you ask you must believe and not doubt or else
you're like the waves of the sea being tossed
and blown away But I want to look at some more
or less obvious but equally powerful barriers
to faith today one major barrier especially in
modern life, is over controlled lives. We know
our whole life's map. In fact, we have like our
career plans, our financial goals, you know,
retirement timeline, and these things obviously
are not bad. They are wise. But do we hold them
with an open hand? Do we allow room for the spirit
to interrupt our plans and say, Look over here.
Why don't you help in this situation? Take a
step there. Sometimes abundance can disguise
our need for faith. We think we have every angle
covered. We're tempted to rely only on ourselves
instead of walking in step with the Spirit. The
more that we've been given, the more important
it is for us to practice faith. because it's
easy to forget that we need it. Another barrier,
resistance to change. Even those of us who like
change find it hard when it's personal or uncomfortable
or uncertain. So if you have a personality that
craves predictability, it's even more important
that you listen and become aware when the spirit
nudges you towards something new. Growth always
requires change. And faith means trusting God
enough to step into that unfamiliar, even when
you don't have the full picture. And finally,
fear. Fear of disappointment, of the unknown,
of what others will think. Fear keeps us small
and from stepping out. But here's the thing.
Both fear and faith They ask us to believe in
something that we can't see. The difference is
what are we choosing to believe? What do we choose
each day? So how do we practice living lives
of faith? It starts with our identity. What do
you believe deep down about yourself? Do you
believe that you're accepted, that you're loved,
forgiven? what we focus on grows. And if we dwell
on our mistakes of the past and our failures,
we're more likely to keep repeating that pattern.
Why? Because our attention is here. What we resist
persists, because when you're resisting something,
you're giving it your attention. But instead,
you shift your focus. So my example is when you
change your diet, your way of eating. If you
think about all the foods that you're not allowing
yourself to have all day long, what do you think
about? Or what do you want? Those foods. Pop
in a piece of candy. But if you change your identity
to, I am someone who eats nourishing foods, I
am someone who moves regularly, you begin to
live out that identity because your focus and
energy changes. That old pattern? it falls away,
not because you're resisting it, you're no longer
giving it the attention. You are focused on who
you are becoming. So maybe a daily practice for
this might be daily remind yourself of who you
are in God's eyes through scripture and affirmation
and prayer. The next step is living a life of
surrender. If you've been in church long, you've
heard this term. So often it feels like it loses
its meaning. But what does it really mean to
surrender? It doesn't mean to sit back passively,
waiting for God to do something. It does mean
releasing control. It means relaxing in to hear
the present moment. Not striving, not forcing.
But walking in step with the spirit with open
hands and a willing heart Something you could
try daily is reflect what am I trying to control
today and then pray a prayer of surrender and
finally Authenticity living as the person God
created you to be uniquely without comparison
or apology. We all get caught up in trying to
fit into these other boxes that weren't made
for us. Living a life of faith, it isn't about
having all the answers, not struggling, but it
is about showing up fully known, fully surrendered,
and fully yourself. Maybe a way to practice that
is look for opportunities where you could act
honestly and really show What it is that maybe
that you feel about something or act in a way
that is true to you without being uncomfortable
So as the worship team comes forward I want us
to take a minute and think about An area that
maybe God is calling us to practice faith Maybe
for you, it's choosing to believe in His goodness
during a very difficult situation. Maybe you're
starting a new career path with uncertainty that
lies ahead. Maybe you have a situation with your
child that you need to surrender to God and have
faith that it will be okay. Lastly, how are we
practicing faith together as a community? What
does it look like to do this? We carry faith
for others in their seasons of trial. We speak
hope and vision and truth into each other. Our
words shape how we live and what we believe about
ourselves. So are your interactions speaking
life and truth into each other? As we come to
the communion portion of our service, if you're
visiting, you're welcome to partake with us.
We start at the front, we come down, and then
follow the line back to our seat. And during
this time, we remember, he had given thanks,
and he broke it and said, this is my body, which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me in the
same way He took the cup after supper and said
this cup is the cup of the new covenant of my
blood Do it as often as you drink in remembrance
of me