Easter Re:Verse reading–John 20:1-18 (day one)
“They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.”–v 9
It is something we say when our words are inadequate. A story isn’t funny/or scary to people who only hear about it. “You had to be there”, we tell them.
The Resurrection of Christ is the same. Words aren’t enough. Not for the disciples and not for us. Until you experience the Savior alive you cannot know that He is. A real encounter is required. Sight or Spiritual power, conviction of the conscience– We must experience His powerful presence.
Faith doesn’t mean that we believe without evidence. It means that we allow the evidence to mean what God says it does.
“Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.”–1 Thessalonians 1:5.
Happy Easter, my friends. May we know the “power of His resurrection”–Philippians 3:10
Re:Verse reading – 1 Samuel 13:1-14
The word “faith” is often misused and this causes unbelievers to turn away from exploring Jesus. People of ‘faith’ believe the impossible which is contrary to evidence. People of ‘faith’ ignore reality.
I am one of those who must see evidence to believe. Instead of using the word “faith” to talk to unbelievers, I use the word “believe” or “trust” in Jesus’ teaching. Trusting or believing in something that is in process makes more sense than telling people to have a blind faith. Trusting or believing in someone gives us the confidence and the opportunity to connect with the person in a more meaningful way.
Trust is the core ingredient in leadership and in interrelationships. When we believe in something or someone, we place our hope that things will result in a desired outcome. Believing or trusting in something or someone will give us the motivation and the energy to explore and to engage with passion and hope for the best outcomes or hope for what we expect to see. Without trust, all communications will die down. We believe and trust until evidence shows otherwise!
I don’t take faith without explanation. For me, it is hard to comprehend. I always think of faith in terms of trusting and believing in the outcomes that we hope for. The clearest definition that helps me make sense of the word “faith” is, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
I truly believe that Christian faith is not belief in the absence of evidence but about the evidence. Facts matter to those Christians I have the privilege to surround myself with. We can’t have assurance for something we don’t know we are going to get but can only hope for it. If the evidence doesn’t correspond to what we hope for, then the faith is in vain.
From my perspective, faith is a kind of knowing that results are in progress or in action. When we use the word “faith”, we need to correspond with facts and evidence. Christian faith is not a blind faith. Truth matters. Facts matter. Evidence matters. The resurrection of Jesus is the evidence of our faith in God. In God we trust.
I don’t take blind faith or take people’s words carelessly. I have the tendency to trust first until evidence shows otherwise, It is comforting to know that my view about faith is not uncommon, Pastor Don has shared his view on faith, “Faith doesn’t mean that we believe without evidence. It means that we allow the evidence to mean what God says it does”~~ Don Guthrie.
I am convinced that the next time we share Christian faith to unbelievers, we must give facts and evidence and allow unbelievers to see for themselves. Once they see with their own eyes and have a real encounter with God, they will understand better what Christian faith is about. We have faith in God because evidence God works in our lives through Jesus and the Holy Spirit is overwhelmedly shared with others around the world. God is our creator so we should trust and believe in Him. It makes sense, isn’t it?