The Revelation of the Mind:
Must follow these Scriptures and teachings in order to see the progression of FAITH. Upon Andrew finding Simon, he proclaimed that he had found the Messiah which is the Christ. This is in John 1:41. Then Andrew brought Simon to our Lord Jesus Christ and I want us to see the words spoken by our Lord. Remember these words because we will see them again. Joh 1:41-42 (ESV) He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). Basically, our Lord knew that Simon's revelation was only that of the mind. Jesus said.. "You are, but you shall become." This is the call to us as we first realized that there was a man called Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. "We are, but we shall become."
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I have done three studies on moving from faith to faith so far.
But in learning to grow or mature in faith we need to understand the Law of Faith. What exactly is faith and how does it work. If I am to grow in it and mature in it and use it to touch the hem of the Master's garment, I need to know exactly what faith is and the Laws that surround its operation. We all know what faith is but how can we activate it? How can we make faith work for us, in us, and through us. In case you need a refresher about faith I have a few points for your consideration. Faith is trust: Faith is assurance: Faith is substance. Faith is believing that you have what you asked God for before you actually see it in the natural. LAW #1: Faith released by the spoken word carries power to bring forth the invisible. Faith is not wishful thinking or just hope. It is actually receiving a promise in your heart and mind and walking out as though you already have it physically. It is seeing the invisible. In the Scriptures we see that faith is substance and evidence. Hebrews 11:1 ESV Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. We also see that salvation was made real and complete through the confession of faith through the mouth. Romans 10:9-10 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Also it is important to see that God formed everything through the spoken word. Speaking the Word of God has the same power as if God Himself is speaking it. The Father stands behind His Word and it cannot return void. Hebrews 11:3 ESV By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. There is a lot of teaching about prayer that in proper prayer we learn to accept the hand that was dealt to us. They would say that in prayer God is not moved but our heart is changed to accept the current circumstances. maybe sometimes this is true, however it is not the norm in what we see in Scriptures. Proper fervent effectual prayers of a righteous man avails much. The spoken Word of faith has creative power to change the current situation, instead of just accepting it. Why did God change the world in Gen.1:2 before forming man? He changed the current circumstances and situations to make the world a more desirable living space for mankind before He formed man of its dirt. Genesis 1:1-3 ESV In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (3) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:9 ESV And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. Genesis 1:24 ESV And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. We need to recognize our responsibility to seek to understand and to stand in active faith. Teach me Lord to trust You today for the possible and the impossible so that You would be glorified. We all have at some time in our lives prayed for "MORE FAITH."
So the question is this: "What is more important, a lot of faith in a small God, or a little faith in a big God?" It is a no-brainer that all we need is a little faith in a big God to move mountains. However, in order to trust God for both the possible and the impossible we need to grow or mature as the disciples did in their faith. It does not necessarily mean "more faith" as it does "strengthened or mature faith." The disciples went through a growth time which I call their PROGRESSION OF FAITH. It is where they moved from FAITH TO FAITH in their walk with our Lord. Faith was not instantaneous with the followers of Christ. They started out just like us. They heard Jesus speak and they began their walk of following Him. In these series of studies we will learn how to move from faith to faith. In study Part 1 we said that the first step was when our Lord Jesus came on the scene and two of the disciples of John the Baptist leaves John to follow our Lord. This happened when you were saved. In order to come to Jesus as Savior we had to leave something. We had to leave the world and our own lives in order to receive His life. The second step from study two was the moving in faith in cleaving and following. The disciples not only left John the Baptist but they joined themselves to Jesus and followed Him. This is the doctrine of leaving and cleaving. In the third step of moving from faith to faith we find the disciple Andrew going out and telling his brother, Simon about Jesus. It is a witnessing encounter. However, what Andrew shared and what Simon heard was more mental assent than a heart change. It was a revelation of the mind. We will see in later studies that Andrew and Simon really had no deep understanding of who Jesus Christ really was. They had to grow in their understanding about the Messiah and Savior of the world, as we do. They had to grow in their understanding that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He was God. He was 100% man but not mere man. He was 100% God and although He was 100% man, He was never less than God. Although Andrew had limited knowledge of the fullness of Jesus Christ, he shared what mental knowledge he had with his brother Simon. We don't need to be saved for 40 years to start witnessing. We don't need to have 100 Bible verses memorized to share Jesus with our family and friends. We just need to share what we know and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. We all need to start out in our faith with a revelation of the mind about the Lord Jesus Christ. I had a head knowledge about Jesus Christ long before anything else. And God used it to move me from faith to faith. John 1:41 ESV He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). With the disciples there was a PROGRESSION OF FAITH.
Faith was not instantaneous with the followers of Christ. They started out just like us. They heard Jesus speak and they began their walk of following Him. In these series of studies we will learn how to move from faith to faith. The Word also teaches us how to move from grace to grace and glory to glory, but those are for another time. For now, we are moving from faith to faith. In study Part 1 we said... FIRST: Our Lord Jesus came on the scene and two of the disciples of John the Baptist leaves John to follow our Lord. SECOND: We find that the doctrine of leaving and cleaving. Leaving and cleaving is the first command God gave Adam and Eve as a marriage command. The command was to leave the parents and to cleave to one another. This was a shadow of the substance in the spiritual when we are called to leave the world, leave the law, and leave anything that would cause divided devotion and to cleave to the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the disciples that left John the Baptist to follow our Lord Jesus was Andrew. He left the teachings of John the Baptist, who was pointing to the light to cleave to the Lord Jesus Christ who was the light. Too many believers have left the world and sin but they are cleaving to a denomination, to a building, or to a creed or code of moral ethics. Jesus said one command to these young believers, "Follow me." After over 2,000 years the command remains the same. "Follow me." John 1:40 ESV One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. With the disciples there was a PROGRESSION OF FAITH.
Faith was not instantaneous with the followers of Christ. They started out just like us. They heard Jesus speak and they began their walk of following Him. But, they had to grow from faith to faith, just as we do. Let's look at their progression of faith and see if we can apply it to our walk. FIRST: Our Lord Jesus came on the scene and two of the disciples of John the Baptist leaves John to follow our Lord. Therefore, we have example number one. We are not to focus our attention on the messenger, the one who speaks about the light, for that person is not the object of our faith. The purpose of the messenger is to take us to the light, or in this case, the Lord Jesus Christ. In our first Progression of Faith we turn our focus from church, the preacher, or a TV evangelist and set our faith on Christ and start following Him. John 1:35-39 ESV The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, (36) and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (37) The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. (38) Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” (39) He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: Should I go and be with the Lord or should I stay and continue to help you in the faith. Paul encouraged and challenged the believers to continue to grow in the faith. We said earlier that Paul wrote to the Philippians to encourage them in the faith. This means that although Paul was not with them physically he was still able to encourage them. He challenged them to continue to make progress in their faith. This means there had to be a way to measure spiritual growth. Paul was torn between two desires. He desired to leave earth and be with Christ or stay around and continue maturing the saints. Notice in Phil.1:25 that Paul equates their progress in maturing in the Lord with having joy in the Lord. Philippians 1:23-25 ESV (23) I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. (24) But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (25) Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, Paul encouraged the Philippians that even though they are to walk in a attitude of rejoicing they also need to remember that it is not a time to set back in a relaxed mode. This is the message I speak every opportunity I get. The times we live in are perilous times. There has only been one other time in the history of man that the world as a whole was like it is today, and that was in the days of Noah right before the flood. The gospel message needs to be communicated everywhere by all believers. It is important to remember that we need not be sidetracked with matters that are worldly in nature and we are not to fear the circumstances surrounding world events. We are to be sure that our light is still shining in a dark and perverse world. We are to grow in the Lord, in faith, and in JOY. Philippians 2:14-17 ESV (14) Do all things without grumbling or disputing, (15) that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (16) holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (17) Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ABRAHAM'S PROMISE FROM GOD:
Abraham had received a promise from the Father of a seed that would bless the nations, ( Read Gen.12:1-3) but up to this point, no son. Abraham prayed, Lord what wilt thou give me"? Genesis 15:1-2 ESV After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” (2) But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Abraham has been waiting and waiting for years for the fulfillment of the Word of the Lord. How long have you been waiting? Abraham thought that he would help God along by offering his servant Eliezer to God as the fulfillment of the promise of a son. (Read Gen.15:2-3). How many times have we asked God for something, felt like we had received a Word from the Lord and waited and waited, until waiting was not longer an option and we decided on a "plan-B" that would assist the Lord in the fulfillment of His promises? Of course true prayer is the Father speaking and our listening. He informed Abraham that "plan-B" was unacceptable and that the seed was coming from the bowels of Abraham and it will out-number the stars in the sky. Has God ever reaffirmed a promise to you that in doing so it was overwhelming? Think about how Abraham felt. He was asking God "What will You give me?" concerning the fulfillment of ONE promise of ONE son and God assured Him that he would get his son and his seed would be greater than the stars. Okay God, I have having problems with just one. (Read Gen.15:3-5). Here is where faith entered the picture of the prayer. Abraham believed God and it was COUNTED BY GOD. Genesis 15:6 ESV And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. By the way... The answer to Abraham's prayer is found in Gen.21:1-8. The next time you want to start a prayer "God, what will You give me?" make sure you have heard from Him first about what He wants to bless you with and then in faith...P.U.S.H. (Pray until something happens). A "MUCH MORE" Scripture to ponder on:
1 Peter 1:6-7 KJV Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being MUCH MORE PRECIOUS than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: "Much More" in the Greek is "polos" (pol-oos'), and it means "many, largely, abundant, far surpassed, and great." "Precious" in the Greek is "tim'-ee-os," and it means "valuable, costly, honored, esteemed, and beloved." By the action of fire gold is separated from all alloy, and is proved to be gold by enduring the action of the fire without losing any thing of its nature, weight, color, or any other property. So genuine faith is proved by adversities and trials. "Though it be tried with fire" gold will bear the action of the fire for any given time, without losing the smallest particle of weight or value. However even gold will wear away by continual use. One day the earth shall be dissolved, but all who did the will of God and remained in the faith shall abide for ever, and his faith shall then be found to the praise of God’s grace and the honor of Christ. God the Father will praise such faith, angels and men will hold it in honor, and Christ will crown it with glory. God's design in trying or testing His people is for their advantage and not their ruin. Someone asked me what is the best meaning of a trail. A trial, as the word signifies, is a search made upon a man by some form of affliction, to prove the value and strength of his faith. Our status in Christianity depends upon our faith. If we have no faith then we are not Christians. Our Lord Jesus Christ prays for the apostles, that their faith might not fail. If faith remains supported and strong through the fire, all the rest of the Christian walk will stand firm. In 1 Pet.1:6-7 we see that a tried faith is much more precious than tried gold. Gold is the most valuable, pure, useful, and durable, of all the metals. Likewise, faith is the same as gold within the Christian's life. In both gold and faith, the fire brings about a purification and a separation of the dross. Gold does not increase and multiply by trial in the fire, it rather grows less. However, faith is established, improved, and multiplied by the fire and trials of oppositions and afflictions that it meets with. |
AuthorCharles Morris. Founder and Senior Pastor of RSI Ministry, RSI School of Ministry, and RSI Publishing L.L.C.. Archives
March 2021
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