Faith

golfjack · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:10 am Post subject: Faith

Does anyone have a good definition of faith? I can think of two. One definition would simply be Believe. Another would be Now. Yes, faith is now. Hope is future. You see, We first believe in our hearts, and release faith by the words of our mouths. We can speak God's Word, which is in our hearts, and start speaking God's Word.

We see in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God. We have the Bible story of the centurion who Jesus said had great faith. Did he believe now? Yes. Did Jesus use His Word? Yes. The servant was healed. Can we apply this principle today? Of course.

I would like to hear from others about this subject. Give me your experiences about this God-kind-of-faith. This is a big important subject, which should be understood by Christians.

Peace, Golfjack

45degreeN · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:42 am Post subject:

faith is (A)ction (B)ased upon (C)onfidence that What God says is true. The ABC's of faith.
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JonMarie · Grizzly Bear Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 737 Location: Pa.

45, I never heard that before, but will adopt it now. thanks.

In addition, I recall the incident when Peter jumped out of the boat, his desire for faith exceeded his actual acheiving, at that point in his life.

Matt 17:20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

faith is the power of God

pastor2022 · Moderator Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 768

45degreeN · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:16 am Post subject:

Pastor2022 I disagree. The same identical thing that saves us is what is expected of us continually. Maintaining that confidence in God's word and basing the choices we make on the content of that word.

"saving faith" is just when we first come to gain confidence in God's word and living faith is merely maintaining it. The problem comes when God in His desire to make us more mature, asks us to do things that are harder and harder, which requires us to trust Him more and more.

"Saving faith" will be just a beginners trust in God, whereas mature faith means complete and practiced trust no matter what comes our way. But ultimately it is the same thing.
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golfjack · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:19 am Post subject: reply

Pastor, Faith is faith. I really don't see a need to differentiate here. And, what do you mean by Christian Living faith? I believe Christians need to be desparatelly taught about faith. We have two many doubters. I am a Word of Faith Minister and I should know what I am talking about. Below, I will give you one problem I see in Christian faith.

Many times I have seen Christians who happen to be sick, say in their prayers, Oh Lord, Could you please heal a poor Ole sinner like me. Well, that is not a faith prayer. When we go to the throne of grace we should be confident and bold to declare our healing in the Name of Jesus, because Jesus has already purchased our healing.

The Prayer of faith is given to us in Mark 11:23-24. Notice it mentions sayeth three times. This tells me we must speak faith words, and not be so timid about it. A christian goes through many mountains in life, but by faith we can remove these mountains of sickness, poverty, and anything the devil throws our way. One of these ways is to use our authority to use the name of Jesus.

Peace, Golfjack

45degreeN · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:14 pm Post subject:

It seems that some preachers make faith into a "success doctrine" filling demands we can make from God. There are no material objects that are worth the same thing as spiritual things.

God never promised us wealth. Check out Hebrews chapter 11, none of those prophets ended up with wealth most of them lived in caves and wore animal skins. In fact in the eyes of the world they could easily be accused of being failures, yet those same people are recommended to us as human examples for us to emulate. Far from the success doctrine of some WoF preachers.
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golfjack · Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:27 pm Post subject: reply

45, To put it bluntly my friend, you have no idea of what you are talking about. My Bible tells me I have been redeemed from the curse of the Law, and one of those cursess is poverty, sickness, and spiritual death.

Peace, Golfjack

nobody important · Young Wolf Joined: 16 Nov 2006 Posts: 517

Faith.... acceptance and trust despite lack of/imperfect belief?

ragman13 · German Shepherd Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 325

JonMarie · Grizzly Bear Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 737 Location: Pa.

Phil 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

JonMarie · Grizzly Bear Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 737 Location: Pa.

Golfjack:

45degreeN · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:36 am Post subject:

Sorry Golfjack but I'm with those poor prophets living in caves rather than the rich pharisees in town.

The BS that comes out of the groups promising wealth is of Satan, not God's message anywhere, anyhow.

The wealth that is promised, is in heaven not here on Earth. Those who like such messages have itching ears and they get their reward here on Earth and remain with it while the true sons of God go with Him and celebrate in heaven with all the saints that have gone one before.

Wealth is an entangling mass of dung that at its best requires great wisdom to handle, and at worst will drag its holders down to hell. Keep it away from me. Just give me my daily bread because that is something that God has promised to us.
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golfjack · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 9:09 am Post subject: reply

My friiends, again, you have no idea what you are talking about. What is the curse of the Law? The only way to find out is to go back to the Law. The expression the Law as found in the New Testament usually refers to the Pentaeuch, the first five Books of the Bible. As we go back to these books, or the Law, we find that the curse, or punishment, for breaking God's Law is threefold: poverty, sickness, and spiritual death.

Let' see what 1 Timothy 4:8 says. Some people would have us believe that we don't have any promise of any blessing, material or otherwise, but this scripture emphatically declares that we do.

According to Deut. 28:15-17, 38-40, the curse of poverty was to come upon God's children if they disobbeyed Him. It was a curse that would come upon them because they failed to observe to do all His commandments and His statues.

But Paul said, writing to the Church at Philippi, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus ( Phil. 4:19). All your needs would include your financial, material, and other needs. In fact, in this chapter, Paul is talking about financial and material things.

Jesus Himself said, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you ( Matt. 6:33). These things that shall be added unto you are material things in life, something to eat, something to wear, and so on.

Some people seem to have the idea that if a person is a Christian, a believer in God, it is a mark of humility, a mark of godliness, for him to live in poverty and not have anything. They think you ought to go through life with the top of your hat off, the soles of your shoes out, and the seat of your pants worn out, just barely able to get along.

But God didn't say that. First, let's ask this question: Is that the truth? Did Christ speak the truth, or was He lying? I believe it is the truth, don't you? Now notice that He said, shall men. God is behind it, but He said shall men give it into your bosom.

Peace, Golfjack

JonMarie · Grizzly Bear Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Posts: 737 Location: Pa.

Golfjack, are you a member of the cult based in NC headed by Jane Whaley?

There is nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself. Money when used as directed by God can do wonderful things.

1 Tim 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Matt 6:
24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (mammon, being the pursuit of wealth)

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Golfjack, do you disagree?