30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 3-6 Faith and relationships 07 Faith as a mustard seed
📖 Luke 17:3-6
03Jul2020 - *Faith as a mustard seed* - _Luke 17:3-6_ - FAITH AND RELATIONSHIPS – Bible reading: _Mark 9:23-24_
The Lord set a high standard of rebuking in an attitude of forgiving, before the disciples. _Luke 17:3-4 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. (4) And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."_
When the disciples heard this expectation related to rebuking in an atmosphere of forgiving, they were shaken. They knew that within them they did not have the capacity to rebuke in an attitude of forgiving. This is when they ask the Lord to increase their faith.
_Luke 17:5 And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."_
We have been considering faith with regard to relationships but when we touch on the matter of faith, we need to stop, for our relationship with God is based out of faith in Him. So, faith in God is not just about enabling us to build the body of Christ. Faith is foundational in our relationship with God.
_John 6:28-29 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"_ This question from the people shows who we are. We want to do or act out of our flesh to please God. Pleasing God is only by faith in Him. It is in being cast entirely on Him and not in operating out of our flesh. _(29) Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."_
We began our relationship with God by faith. We stopped trusting in our own ways, we repented of our sinful ways, we sought His forgiveness and we invited Him into our lives to be our Lord and our Saviour. He did and we began our journey with Christ and we now call ourselves as, ‘believers’.
The deception that we fell into, subsequently is to think that we now need to do certain things to please Him. We have come up with methods, activities and disciplines, which we have imposed on ourselves and on others as the essentials, in our journey with God. None of them is wrong in themselves but our relationship with God is by faith. It is no more I but Christ. _Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus._
Our spiritual activities have become a priority for us and we give intellectual concurrence to faith in Jesus. We have stopped trusting God. Life is now being lived based on our spiritual activities and programmes.
This is where the Jews blundered and stumbled. _Romans 9:31-32 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. (32) Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone._
How do we experience faith? For, though it is foundational in our relationship with God, the self is so deeply entrenched in us that we are not able to let go of our grip and control over our lives. It is too terrifying for us to let go of our lives and surrender it completely to Christ, to be led by His Holy Spirit. Where and how do we begin this journey of faith in Jesus?
The experience of the father, whose son was possessed by a mute spirit but the disciples could not drive it out, will help us walk with Jesus by faith. _Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."_
This was the response of the despairing father, which gives us a clue to living by faith in Jesus.
_Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"_ This father is making an inconsistent statement. He says he believes and at the same time, he also says that the Lord should help his unbelief. We must confess to Jesus that we do believe Him but in our everyday life situations and very importantly in our relationships, we are not able to believe Jesus, for we are prone to operate in our flesh.
This confession is our faith in Jesus as a mustard seed. This is all that is needed for us to be launched into the journey of faith in Jesus. _Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you._
*Thought to ponder*
```Are you prepared to be launched into a journey of faith with Jesus?```