MEGAFAITH

Introduction

The contents of this book are dangerous – they could explode into your consciousness and blast you clear out of your comfort zone.

You are about to take a fresh look at faith. In doing so, you may lose a few illusions.

On the other hand, you may gain knowledge which is pure gold.

If you don’t agree with much of what you read – read on; you may well change your mind.

I believe that you will benefit greatly from this small book, because the teaching in it has been tested and proved – in the church I have pastored in Australia for 21 years, and on more than 30 ministry missions abroad.

To those readers who think that faith is a warm feeling or a comfortable creed: I should perhaps warn you that you read on at your own risk.

Chapter One

MEGAFAITH

The most reluctant missionary in the Gospels was Jesus himself.

But only because his Number One priority was his own people.

Jesus was outside his own area of interest when the unexpected faith of a foreigner found him. That faith forced its way through his objections with an intensity born of desperation – and gained a miracle for a little girl.

It was faith that made Jesus marvel. It was faith that would not be denied. It was the mightiest faith Jesus ever found. It was MEGAFAITH!

How would you like to be remembered for all time as the person who had faith that could only be described as MAGNIFICENT?

Faith that filled an empty silence of rejection with pleas for help that could not be ignored. Faith that stubbornly refused to take “No!” for an answer. Faith that seized words that others would have regarded as insulting, and used them as the basis for an argument that could not be rebutted.

Who was that person who was told by Jesus that she had MAGNIFICENT FAITH?

She was a woman from the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew calls her a Canaanite). She was an “outsider” who came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, who was tormented by an evil spirit. She cried out to Jesus for mercy, but he was strangely silent. Even when his disciples begged him to send her away (presumably with her request granted) he refused to do so. She was not an Israelite, and his ministry at that time was to his own people.

“Then she came and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!'” (Matthew 15:25) Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

How do you think the woman would have felt when her public pleas for help were ignored and her poor, tormented daughter was likened to a dog?

She would have had every reason to have felt hurt, rejected – wouldn’t she? Such seeming insensitivity on the part of Jesus! But did that stop this woman? No way!

“And she said, ‘Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s table’.”

What a startling statement!

The basis of the Canaanite woman’s bold request were the very words that could have discouraged her – if not insulted and offended her!

She did not approach Jesus with God’s promise to heal, because she was a foreigner, an “outsider’ to the promise. Instead, she based her argument on something that she had observed daily. When the crumbs left by the children fell from the kitchen table, the family dog licked them up quickly. She had seen this countless times.

When Jesus called healing “the children’s bread”, he meant that it belonged to those “inside” Israel, as a covenant right. The woman grasped his illustration, however, and expanded it to include her own desperate need – the deliverance of her daughter.

“O woman”, Jesus responded, “great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will it!”

It’s clear that her faith was a product of desperation, rather than God’s word. What was the result?

The woman’s daughter was set free “that very hour”! The girl was not even present with her mother – she was delivered from a distance. No laying on of hands was necessary; no personal ministry by Jesus was required. Simply a word of command, based on the Lord’s ability to perform a miracle, in response to “great faith”!

The Greek word translated “great” may also be translated “magnificent”. It is a different word from that used in the well-known account of the Roman centurion, who also had “great” faith. (Matthew 8:10)

But even better than the word “magnificent” is the original Greek word itself: megas – commonly known today as “mega”. “Mega” is used as a prefix in “megaton” and “megawatt”. In fact, anything that is so big that the word “great” just isn’t great enough has “mega’ in front of it!

Think of an explosion equal to that of one million tons of TNT – that’s a megaton bomb. Think of one million watts of electricity – that a megawatt. Now think of one million units of faith – that’s megafaith!

Megafaith is the greatest faith displayed in the New Testament. Megafaith made Jesus marvel. No wonder he delivered the woman’s daughter. Her magnificent faith, her megafaith, was released toward the Lord in one short, supercharged sentence. Her words were packed with the kind of power that Jesus was unable to resist – megafaith power!

Megafaith is not a different kind of faith; there is only one kind of faith found in the Bible, and that’s “the faith of God” – the faith that has its origin in God. (Mark 11:22)

Megafaith is a different amount of faith; it is a quantity of faith – a quantity so great that it’s called Megafaith!

My definition of Megafaith is:

“The maximum amount of faith that can be released

in one short burst – against all odds.”

Megafaith is not the quality of faith you possess – it is the quantity of faith you release.

By now, you may be asking: “How can I get Megafaith?”

You can’t.

You must release the faith that you already have, as did the Canaanite woman. You must be desperate enough to believe that anything is possible if you put your faith into action – despite the circumstances. In the Developing World, there are plenty of people who do exactly that – pagans, bound in idolatry, who tear off and fling away their magic charms, in order to have their blind eyes opened; who renounce their religious superstitions (knowing that in so doing they will be persecuted), in order to be saved from sin and from its consequences.

These “outsiders” receive astonishing miracles!

They may not know much about Jesus, but they release the total amount of faith they possess in one magnificent moment – one Megafaith moment!

The farther I have travelled from “civilization”, the more I have found Megafaith. I have not found it in those who appeared the most spiritual. Or in those who claimed to know the Bible “backwards”. Quite often, the more knowledgeable the believer, the greater the unbelief!

In contrast, the more foreign the culture and the more “ignorant” the people, the more I have found faith that I could speak of only in superlatives!

Many Christians have wondered why most of today’s miracles take place in developing countries. I can tell you that geography has nothing to do with it. I can also tell you that the great needs common to those nations, coupled with the desperate faith so often shown by people in them, has everything to do with it!

Are you a Christian – an “insider”? Then put yourself in the place of the Canaanite woman, for a moment.

She filled the silence with loud cries – do you? Or do you quit praying when your prayers to the Lord seem to fall on deaf ears?

She would not take “No” for an answer – do you? If a foreigner could find a way through refusal – you can too!

She seized words that could be seen as offensive, and used the truth they contained for her daughter’s benefit – would you? Or would you back off, thinking, Now I know that God plays favourites!

People in the Developing World push past all the “evidence” that says they can’t be healed. They ignore the many reasons why they should not expect a miracle, and reach out to Jesus in one desperate, Megafaith moment!

Their Number One priority is to get a miracle from God.

Meanwhile, here at home, long-time Christians major on minor issues.

Allow me to prove my point by drawing your attention to what took place just before Jesus encountered the Canaanite woman.

Matthew 15:1 states that certain scribes and Pharisees came from Jerusalem to remonstrate with Jesus about something they considered really serious.

“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before eating bread.”

Consider this: The last verse in the previous chapter indicates that the faith of the people who lived around the Sea of Galilee was so beautifully simple that they were healed just by touching the hem of his garment. “And as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”

It seems incredible that the religious leaders of the day were so preoccupied with religious ritual that they ignored the miraculous cleansing of the diseased and took issue with Jesus over the unwashed hands of his disciples.

Incredible, but true!

Jesus answered their question with one of his own: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?”

Then he pointed to the hypocrisy shown by those who dedicated their money to God so that they could say to their parents: “I would like to help you, financially, but it’s God’s money – not mine.”

“You hypocrites”, Jesus said, scathingly, “well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people draw near to me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men’.”

The Lord then spoke loudly over the heads of the religious hypocrites to the large crowd that had assembled.

“Hear, and understand; not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Exit the scribes and the Pharisees!

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you said?’

“But he answered and said, ‘Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted shall be uprooted. Leave them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch’.”

Then Jesus scolded his disciples for their lack of understanding of what uncleanness really was. Did they no know of the filth that fills the heart of man? Did they not realize that what is in the heart finds its way to the mouth?

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: these are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.”

“Then Jesus went from there, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.”

Jesus must have been disgusted with the scribes and Pharisees to have “departed” from his own country, completely. He left those legalistic leaders and their religious obsessions and walked clear out of the country!

It’s common, these days, for Christians who have travelled to Developing World countries to have difficulty adjusting on their return. Triviality is offensive to those who have only just alighted from a jumbo jet after spending two or three weeks amid poverty, sickness and squalor.

With the cries of the lost still ringing in their ears, the tired travellers are welcomed home, asked to give their testimonies, and are then asked to participate in a church picnic.

No, there’s nothing wrong with church picnics, but those who have spread their blankets on the ground in Asia feel srrange doing the same at the local beauty spot.

It’s hard to butter bread rolls when you mind is still on lost souls.

Because, inwardly, each returned traveller is wondering: To see miracles again, do I have to travel out of the country?

The answer is no. Not if the church is so inspired by what God did though its members overseas that it says: “Let’s believe for miracles to happen here, at home!”

“But will God do them here?”, you may ask.

Jesus did wonders in Israel, when the sick and the diseased reached out and touched the hem of his garment. But when he tired of religious trivia, he walked clear out of the country!

No wonder he marvelled when he found Megafaith in a foreigner!

The Canaanite woman was “unclean” – a “dog’ in the eyes of a Jew; but she manifested such desperate faith in Jesus that he could not deny her what she wanted.

Megafaith remains foreign to many of God’s people, because its origin is not in religious ritual but in the open attitudes of people with desperate needs who are determined to get something from God!

Faith that is ritualized and formalized cannot respond, as the Canaanite woman’s faith did. But Megafaith can reach out and grab a miracle in one desperate moment! Such miracles happen spontaneously!

I have seen Megafaith in action many times. More than 20 visits to Asia have shown me that whatever people lack – they don’t lack faith. In Borneo, I remember one tribal lady seeking me for a miracle from God. She had travelled many hours to shop at the market. When she heard of the miracles that were taking place, she came to us between meetings, seeking healing for her heart condition. She was instantly healed, and left glorifying the Lord!

When I lead teams into the mountains, to remote villages, people come great distances to be healed. It is clear to me that the more remote the village, the greater the faith of its people. For some of them, we are the opportunity of a lifetime!

“Are they Christians?”, you may ask. Yes, many are; but they have been exposed to the gospel, rather than to religious rules.

When you see cripples jump and run, and small children hearing and speaking for the first time in their lives – it changes you! When you compare the simplicity of villagers with the sophistication of city dwellers, and contrast the real faith of the first with the religiosity of the second – it opens your eyes.

No, I’m not suggesting that we all head for the hills; but I am saying that the creeds and confessions that enlose our beliefs can be the biggest barriers to our being able to act spontaneously, when the need arises.

The result is that we think in a formulated way about God, about Jesus, about the Bible. We stay safely “inside the square”.

Instead of crying out: “Lord, help me!” (like the Canaanite woman), we pray: “O Lord, you know that I have lived a Christian life…” Or, “Dear God, if you heal my mother, I promise to attend church/give more/pray more…”

We don’t really believe – we bargain!

The Canaanite woman had nothing to bargain with. I think that the best thing she had going for her was likelyhood that much of the “children’s bread” Jesus spoke about was rarely eaten. Bread is a basic need in life; so is healing in the life of the believer!

If you think that you don’t deserve to be healed; that you aren’t holy enough for miracle from God, let me assure you that you’re in good company – the Canaanite woman felt exactly the same…but look what the Lord did for her!

Many “insiders” – those who had a “right” to be healed missed out; but Megafaith made a way for an “outsider” to get God’s best for her daughter!

Megafaith is simply great faith in a Great Person: Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If you want to see it work, you’ll have to relax your religious rigidity; you’ll have to be bolder in your believing; and you’ll have to determine in your heart that no-one or nothing will stop you from getting your healing miracle!

But are you that determined?

That’s the Mega question!

Chapter Two

GREAT FAITH

After the Megafaith of the Canaanite woman, the Great Faith of a Roman centurion is next on the New Testament faith scale.

The Centurion was a battle-hardened, authority conscious soldier. The Jews hated their Roman oppressors, but respected this centurion because he respected their religion. When his servant became critically ill, the Jewish elders asked Jesus to heal him.

They were very religious in their approach to Jesus, saying that the centurion was “worthy” of a miracle. Why was he “worthy”?

“Because he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” (Luke 7:6)

Observe again the attitude of the Jews. No doubt the centurion had been a gracious benefactor, and the elders were appreciative of his noble act in building them a synagogue. Perhaps they felt that through Jesus they could return a favour.

But someone has said that Jesus does not heal us because we are good, or even because we are faithful: he heals us because we are sick!

What did the centurion think of his own “worthiness”?

“Lord, trouble not yourself: for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof: wherefore neither did I think myself worthy to come unto you…”

Not only did he consider himself unworthy of a visit from Jesus – he also considered himself unworthy to even approach the Lord.

“Speak the word only,” he said, “and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this one ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my servant ‘Do this’, and he does it.”

The centurion acted on his understanding of man management, which is based on submission to a recognised authority. He knew that every person who holds a position of authority must be under an even higher authority.

When Jesus heard this, he marvelled at him, and turned and said to the people who followed, “I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.”

Great Faith, then, came from the centurion’s understanding of the military chain of command. No Roman soldier dared question the order of a superior; he carried it out to the letter! He was not expected to understand the order – just to obey it!

So Great Faith is explicit faith in a word of command given by a superior. The Roman soldier had made one of the greatest faith statements ever, based on the authority principle by which he lived. He judged Jesus to be the highest authority he had ever encountered: a commander whose word must be obeyed by sickness itself!

His words made Jesus marvel, for the Lord turned to his followers and exclaimed that the centurion’s faith was Great Faith!

The result? A great miracle: the centurion’s servant was healed – “in the same hour”!

The servant was not even present when Jesus was asked to heal him – he was healed from a distance. No laying on of hands was necessary; no personal presence of Jesus at his sick bed was required. Just a word of command, based on the ability of Jesus to do the miraculous – in response to Great Faith.

There are similarities in this story to that of the Canaanite woman. Both sought Jesus on behalf of another, who was not present; both were Gentiles; both used, as the basis of their approach, things that were a part of their everyday lives. Also, both miracles took place as a result of the spoken word of the Lord. The only real difference was in the faith revealed. The Canaanite woman manifested Megafaith; but the centurion displayed Great Faith.

The Greek word translated “great”, in this case, is tousoutos, which means “great in number or quantity”. It is used many times in the New Testament, and is translated: “so much”, “so great”, “so many”, and “so long”.

Although it is marvellous faith, it is not Megafaith.

But if Megafaith is found far from traditional religion, Great Faith is found close to home. Jesus marvelled that he found Megafaith outside Israel. He also marvelled that he found Great Faith inside Israel.

But although the centurion’s Great Faith was found inside Israel, it was outside the Jewish people. In fact, it took this foreigner to show the Jews what Great Faith was!

The centurion loved the Jewish nation and religion – so much that he built the Jews of Capernaum a synagogue. Perhaps he was impressed by the Law of Moses. Certainly, he saw something unique in the lifestyle of God’s people. But although he wanted to preserve – perhaps even promote – their religion, his faith was not founded on the Word of God but on the Son of God.

It is quite possible that he had heard of the many miracles Jesus had done in Capernaum, for even the people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, had heard of them.

Remember, the whole basis of the centurion’s approach was that of a subordinate to a superior, a captain to a commander, a man under authority to a man of authority. His open recognition of that authority was described by Jesus as Great Faith – a faith that he hadn’t found “in all Israel”

Some people miss out on miracles because they are so busy in the church that they are unaware of what the Lord is doing in the lives of people outside the church.

I remember receiving a telephone call from a lady who had a strange story to tell. She had brought her mother to our home for prayer three years earlier. Did I remember them? She asked. No, I replied, I did not; but how could I be of help?

Well, it seemed that her mother had been holidaying with her, when they first came to our home. Through a person in our church, she had heard that I prayed for the sick, and that God often healed them. After I had prayed for her mother, who had suffered badly from arthritis, she had been healed, and had returned to her home in another state.

After 18 months, however, the arthritis had returned. Would I mind praying for her once again?

Not at all, I responded. The following day, both mother and daughter arrived, and were seated by my wife in our living room. Were they Christians? I asked.

“Oh, yes,” the mother replied, “I’m a Catholic!” The daughter’s answer was “Not really.”

The mother was willing to ask Jesus into her life in a new way, however, and after praying for her, I bound the spirit of infirmity in her body, and loosed her from the arthritis, in the name of Jesus Christ.

She was instantly healed, in every joint of her body! They left a short time later – the mother grateful to God, and the daughter admitting that “maybe there’s something in this, after all.”

A week passed, and I thought that probably I had seen the last of them. Then I received an unusual telephone call. The lady on the line said: “You don’t know me, but my neighbour’s mother came to you for prayer last week. I was wondering if I could bring my mother over – she is suffering from a chest complaint, and the doctors don’t seem to know what’s causing it.”

“Certainly,” I said, “bring her over. Oh, by the way,” I added, “how is your neighbour’s mother?”

“Oh, she’s gone home – completely healed. That’s why I’m ringing.”

A day or two later, the second mother and daughter combination arrived.

“Are you Christians?” I asked, feeling that I had been through it all before.

“Oh, yes,” they replied, “we’re Catholics!”

After leading them in a prayer of commitment to Christ (during which I covered just about everything I thought they may have missed out on), I prayed for the mother, and she was healed from her chest condition – instantly.

These two couples had travelled quite a distance to our home, and the Lord had healed both mothers on the spot! Neither of those prayed for had known anything about the promises of God’s word in relation to healing. From my talk with them, I could tell that they were almost completely ignorant of the basis truths of the Christian faith. Sure, they believed in Jesus. Yes, they were quite happy to acknowledge him as the Saviour. No, they hadn’t heard or read that Jesus said, “You must be born again.” But they readily agreed to accept him as their personal Saviour.

The Christian faith was not completely foreign to these ladies. Like the Roman centurion, they had great respect for the things of God. They even asked if there was a fee for my prayers! I suppose that they would gladly have contributed to the Christian equivalent of a “synagogue build fund”.

I call their faith Great Faith, because their attitude was remarkably similar to that of the Roman centurion, who, although a stranger to the Jewish religion, was no stranger to faith – a faith that made Jesus marvel!

My definition of Great Faith is: “The faith that works through what a person believes in most.”

The centurion believed in the military chain of command. He never would have reached his rank if he had “bucked the system” – disobeyed orders. As the commander of 100 tough men, he expected that his orders would be obeyed – even as he obeyed, without question, the orders that came to him from his superiors.

There is nothing to indicate that he attended the Jewish synagogue, or that he recognized Jesus as the long-promised Messiah. But he did know that Jesus had commanded all manner of diseases to depart – and they had. So the centurion placed Jesus above what he knew worked – the Roman system of military might. Then he invited the Lord to issue a command, so that his servant would be healed.

Great Faith honours Jesus for who he is: the Supreme Commander of humanity; the Authority over and above all authorities; the Superior whose word of command must be obeyed – by demons, disease and death!

Jesus said, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”

Great Faith had not been seen in the synagogue, or in the elders of the synagogue – nor even in his own disciples!

Is Great Faith in your church, in your leaders – in you?

Like Megafaith, Great Faith may be found in the unlikeliest of people.

We need more of it “inside” the Church!

Chapter Three

LITTLE FAITH

In a Christian’s like, faith is something that grows, from a seed to a tree. And the tree, from first root to ripe fruit, is in the seed of faith.

Someone has said that an oak tree is just an acorn that held its ground. Is your faith like that? Or is it Little Faith?

Jesus scolded his disciples on four occasions for their Little Faith. I wonder how they felt when he commended the Canaanite woman for her Megafaith and the centurion for his Great Faith?

Little Faith is low on the descending scale of faith. The Greek word used in each case for “little” is oligos, and in each of the four references it is linked to pistos, the Greek word for “faith”, forming one word – oligopistos.

Jesus first mentioned Little Faith in the Sermon on the Mount, when he spoke to the multitude on the subject of God’s provision for humanity. This, Jesus said, is seen in his care for the world of nature.

“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass (lilies) of the field…shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30)

The second time Jesus spoke of Little Faith was after he stilled the storm that had threatened the boat in which he and his disciples were travelling. While Jesus slept in perfect peace, they were wide awake with fear. Finally, unable to cope with the thought of themselves drowning while their Lord slept, they panicked and woke him, accusing him of neglect.

Jesus immediately calmed the storm by transferring his internal peace to the external forces. Then he said, “Why are you so fearful, O ye of little faith?”

Jesus spoke again of Little Faith when he and his disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee on another occasion, and they realized that they had forgotten to bring enough bread. Jesus began to warn them about the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Saducees, likening it to yeast. Jesus was warning them not to allow into their lives the slightest amount of hypocrisy. But they failed to understand.

“Ah!” they reasoned, “Jesus is saying this because we have only one loaf of bread.” (Mark 8:14)

But Jesus wasn’t reducing the doctrines of the religious leaders to the equivalent of a loaf of bread. He was saying the reverse: that even in small amounts, legalism, like yeast, is all-pervasive – “one loaf” of it might affect all 12 of them. But as usual, the disciples related their Lord’s words to their limited circumstances.

“O ye of little faith,” Jesus scolded, “Why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand…?” (Matthew 16:8,9)

Then he drew their attention to the two occasions when he had supplied their need for bread miraculously. It seems to me that he was saying, “Why are you reducing my spiritual words to the size of your empty stomachs? Don’t you think that I could take that one loaf you have and multiply it?

Jesus mentioned Little Faith once again, after Peter had walked to him on the water, but had got his eyes off Jesus and on to the circumstances – and had begun to sink. (Matthew 14:30)

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ “

Worry. Fear. Wrong thinking. Doubt. All four negatives unmistakable signs of Little Faith. Worry about what to eat, what to wear. Fear that their Lord was indifferent to their safety. Wrong thinking as to the meaning of his words. Doubt that the word that got Peter out on the water would be able to overcome the conditions he was encountering on the way.

But before thinking critically of the disciples because of their Little Faith, we should think about how we might have behaved in the same situations. Or how we react to difficulties and shortages today. Take Peter’s attempt at walking on the water, for instance. Peter started out right. After hearing that Jesus really was out there on the water, Peter prepared himself to go overboard. (How else to be an overcomer?)

“If it is you,” he shouted, “bid me come to you on the water.”

The word “bid” is better translated “command”. Peter was asking for a command from an authority higher than himself. He was learned this principle from the centurion, and had known the result. The Lord Jesus was Peter’s master – with an authority recognized by the centurion, whose words, “I say unto this man, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes”, still rang in Peter’s ears.

If the spoken word of Jesus could command the healing of the soldier’s servant, then it could enable Peter to walk on water!

“Come”, Jesus commanded, and Peter went overboard. He walked on the water. He was doing quite well, until he started sightseeing!

First, it was the wind – boisterous!

Then it was the waves – wild!

Then it was Peter – wavering!

“Lord, save me!” he cried, as he began to sink.

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ “

The word “doubt”, used here by Jesus, is different from that elsewhere translated “doubt” in the New Testament. It can be translated “think twice” or “have second thoughts”. So Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why did you have second thoughts?”

My definition of Little Faith is: “The faith that sinks in the face of circumstances.”

The trouble with Little Faith is that it is enough faith to get you into trouble but not out of it. It has been said that “a little knowledge can be dangerous” – so can a Little Faith!

“But surely I must start somewhere”, you may say; and that’s true: we do have to begin with the faith we have. But where we invest that faith is what counts.

Jesus scolded his disciples because they displayed Little Faith when they should by that time have displayed a lot of faith. You may wish you had Megafaith or Great Faith, but remember that it’s not how much you have that counts – it’s what you do with what you have that matters.

“To every man is given the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)

That measure is like the “nest-egg” you have in your bank savings account. It’s not much, at first, but after a while it becomes too much to leave in a low interest account. So you must decide where you will invest it. How do you go about it? Well, you search newspaper advertisements for a higher interest rate, coupled with good security. When you find it, you withdraw your money from the low interest savings account and invest it in the high interest account, where your money can grow.

Likewise, you need to watch for ways to invest your faith. You may have an opportunity to share your faith with someone – an excellent investment! Or you might pray for that friend or neighbour who is sick. There’s nothing like a miracle of healing to make your faith grow!

But once you’ve invested your faith – don’t withdraw it! Peter withdrew his faith prematurely, and for a moment looked like getting no return!

Peter’s first thought was to leave the ship and walk on the water to Jesus. It was a bold thought, a courageous thought, an inspired thought.

Peter’s second thought was, “What have I got myself into?”

His first thought made him an overcomer. His second thought made him an undergoer!

Your first thought will enable you to walk above your circumstances, but your second thought will make you sink beneath your circumstances. First thoughts are daring; second thoughts are dangerous!

Your first thought is to do something for the Lord. If the Lord tells you to do it – step out in faith. But once “out of the boat” – committed to a course of action that makes you dependent on a word from God – don’t think twice!

First thoughts are positive, and can bring you into new experiences of God’s power and blessing. Second thoughts are negative – they negate what God put into your mind to do. When the Lord tells you to do something – never think twice! Don’t give thought to anything but what he has said – if you do, you’ll go under!

Faith enable Peter to walk on water. Little Faith caused him to start to sink beneath the surface. That “sinking feeling” is a sure sign of Little Faith.

Don’t be an undergoer – always undergoing something or other; be an overcomer – always walking by faith.

Jesus was not the only man to walk on water – Peter did too, and so can you. You can do anything the Lord commands.

Don’t let Little Faith stop you!

Chapter Four

UNBELIEF

“Why doesn’t it happen at home?”

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Flying home from Manila after my first trip to Asia, I asked myself what most Christians ask when returning from an evangelistic mission to a developing country.

I had seen the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dumb speak…all the miracles you hear so much about from those who return from such trips.

But this time it was me who was returning, and the inevitable question that would be asked when I arrived was one that I knew I couldn’t answer.

Although no stranger to the miraculous, I had been stunned by the great number of miracles that had taken place, and the apparent ease at which the sick were healed.

“If only our people had more faith,” I said to myself.

“Not more faith: less unbelief,” said a “small voice” in my spirit.

“But doesn’t more faith mean less unbelief?” I questioned. I received no answer, but made a mental note to follow up that thought when I arrived home.

We don’t need more faith: we need less unbelief!

That was the firm conclusion I reached , after studying the scriptures on my return. First, the Lord led me to read Mark 16, verses 9-17.

I found that the disciples “believed not” when Mary Magdalene told them that Jesus had appeared to her. “Neither believed they” the two disciples whom Jesus had walked and talked with on the road to Emmaus.

“Afterward he appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”

The disciples were not rebuked for their lack of faith but for their unbelief! Jesus had to rebuke them, because he was about to commission them!

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

So the fate of the world hung on whether it would believe or not believe. But how would the world believe, when the disciples would not believe?

“And these signs shall follow them that believe…” (verse 17) Signs follow believers. They do not follow believers who refuse to believe!

Might not the reason for the world’s lack of faith be laid at the feet of unbelieving believers? Just as the disciples, rejected the witness of those who had seen the risen Lord Jesus?

When Thomas said, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe”, he was not just lacking in faith – he was filled with unbelief!

Many of us have equated unbelief with lack of faith. We have thought: If only I could get more faith, then I would have less unbelief.

But in Matthew 17:20, Jesus stated that faith “as a grain of mustard seed” would move a mountain. I once thought that Jesus meant that the seed of faith, after being planted, would ultimately become fully-grown faith, which could then move mountains.

But Jesus was not referring to the growth of the mustard seed (as he had done in the parable of the kingdom). He was simply stating that the smallest amount of faith can move the biggest problem. He could have spoken of a grain of sand and made the same point.

Let me repeat: it was not the growth of the mustard seed that was the subject – it was the disproportionate power of minimal faith!

The disciples once asked, “Lord, increase our faith.” 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.’ ” (Luke 17:5)

It’s not how much faith we get, but what we do with the faith we have, that matters!

If you have faith; if you possess faith – and according to Romans 12:3, we’ve each been given the measure of faith – then it’s not so much a matter of increasing what you have, as using what you have.

“But faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” you might say. Sure it does, but more faith doesn’t mean less unbelief.

Faith is a positive force, but unbelief is a negative attitude!

Unbelief is Thomas saying, “Unless I see…I will not

believe. Note the part his will played in his attitude.

Thomas was in a locked room when Jesus appeared to

him. It seems to me that that to get through to Thomas, Jesus had to get through a locked mind!

Unbelief is like that: it locks a person into an attitude – an attitude of unbelief!

The disciples refused to believe Mary Magdalene. They refused to believe the two disciples who told of their encounter with Jesus on the Emmaus Road. Thomas refused to believe what the other disciples told him. Jesus had to appear to them, physically, before they would believe. It couldn’t be said that they then had faith: they simply could not deny the reality of his physical presence in their midst.

Jesus said, “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

From the account of the demonized boy in Mark 9, we can see that, previously, Jesus had rebuked all who were present at the scene.

“O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?”

The boy’s father cried, “If you can do anything…”

“If I can do anything? If you can believe!” Jesus rejoined. “All things are possible to him that believeth.”

The literal Concordant New Testament translates this passage: “Why the If? You can believe.”

It’s obvious from the scriptures that, when it comes to believing, “the ball’s in our court”. And when unbelief is directed toward Jesus, we soon discover that he has a powerful “backhand”!

The father of the child recognized that there was a wide gap between what he believed and what he wanted to believe.

“Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief”, is an honest confession, and contrasts sharply with the words of Thomas: “Except I see…I will not believe.”

The disciples later approached Jesus privately, asking the question: “Why could not we cast him out?”

“Because of your unbelief”, Jesus answered. (Matthew 17:20) The father of the boy had recognized the unbelief present in himself, but the disciples had to be told that it was present in them!

Unbelief is such a limiting factor in our lives. Exactly as it was in the lives of the people of Nazareth, almost 2000 years ago. Jesus could there do “no mighty work…because of their unbelief”. (Mark 6:5) Hometown attitudes of familiarity and jealousy formed a barrier of unbelief that severely limited their ability to receive miracles.

Minor cures took the place of major miracles – because of their unbelief!

Unbelief is not just a lack of faith: unbelief is an attitude! For example, a new Christian has a lack of faith, in the sense that his or her faith has yet to grow to its fullest extent. But unbelief is not usually a new believer’s problem. Why? Because unbelief is an attitude which takes time to develop, and is found in a person who hears the word of God, but rejects its powerful possibilities.

It is an amazing fact that both the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15) and the centurion (Matthew 8) had a quantity of faith that made Jesus marvel. Both we “outsiders”!

It is an appalling fact that the people of Nazareth had a quantity of unbelief that made Jesus marvel. They were “insiders”!

What Nathaniel, from Cana, thought about Nazareth – “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” – the people of Nazareth thought about themselves. They could not – would not – believe that their small village was the hometown of the Messiah.

Unbelief is an attitude. Faith is a force, but unbelief is an attitude that hinders the faith that “cometh by hearing…the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

“Why doesn’t it happen here at home?”

Because of unbelief.

“But if we only had more faith -“

All the faith in the world can be negated by unbelief in the heart of believers.

Like dirt in the fuel line of a vehicle, it can be sucked up into the system and bring all forward movement to a standstill.

We don’t need “more faith” – we need less unbelief.

So, let’s change our attitude, so that what we have seen overseas – the thousands saved, healed and set free – can happen here at home!

Do you believe that our attitude can be changed?

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes’!

Chapter Five

RHEMA FAITH

From magnificent Megafaith to downright Unbelief – what a decline!

You may have been shocked to learn that Megafaith was found in a foreign land; that the Greatest faith in Israel was found in a foreigner; that Little Faith was displayed by the disciples of Jesus; and that Unbelief was shown by them after he rose from the dead.

It’s now time to learn how to receive Rhema faith from God.

We all know that faith comes from God; but how does faith come?

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

There was a time when I shortened that to “Faith comes by hearing the word of God.” That was, until I read that Jesus told his disciples that they were to let his sayings sink down into their ears. (Luke 9:44)

I wondered how words that were spoken horizontally could “sink down” into their ears.

Later, I realized that the Lord was speaking about their “inner ears” – their hearing hearts. Then I understood that everyone has a hearing heart: an inner capacity to receive knowledge. In actual fact, most people hear very little of what the Lord is saying to them.

This, in turn, explained to me how so many can go to church, sit under good teaching from the word of God, and leave none the wiser.

The verse just quoted is from Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The words “so then” tell us that a conclusion is being reached, a conclusion that will be the result of a logical sequence that began at verse 13.

“For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Verse 14)

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Verse 15)

The sequence is: Sent-Preach-Hear-Believe-Call on-Saved. But even though the preacher is “sent” to “preach” and the people “hear” – not all of the hearers “believe”; and only a few “call on” the name of the Lord and are saved.

So, despite the promise that “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” – many are not saved. Why not?

Because “they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ “

When we turn to Isaiah 53:1 (the Old Testament text from which this quotation is taken), we find that Isaiah is prophesying of the coming Messiah – of his rejection and horrible death.

Yet the Jews who knew that verse so well crucified their Messiah!

What matters is not how often you go to church or how many sermons you listen to – it’s how much you hear with your heart – the amount that “sinks down into your ears”!

Faith comes by hearing – hearing with the heart – and hearing (itself comes) by the word of God.

“Have they not heard? Yes truly, their sound (the sound of the preachers) went out into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world.” (Romans 10:18)

The point I am making is that all heard the message, but not all accepted it. Only those who heard in their hearts and obeyed were saved by calling on the name of the Lord.

So faith – even that first saving faith – comes into the life of a person who has a hearing heart..

Romans 10:17 may be translated, “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by a word from God. There is a difference between the word of God that everyone hears, and a word from God that only those with a hearing heart can hear.

A word from God is a rhema word – a word which God is speaking to a hearing, listening heart. The word of God is the Bible – from Genesis to Revelation. A word from God is a specific message which God is speaking to the hearing heart of a believer.

Those with hard hearts hear sermons, but don’t hear God’s rhema message.

Rhema words are special words!

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

Or, as The Amplified New Testament puts it: “For with God nothing is ever impossible, and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”

No word of God is void of power. In fact, every word of God is full of power! The virgin birth of Jesus hung on the message that Gabriel gave to Mary. Within those rhema words was the life of God by which Mary conceived!

Rhema words have within them the power to create what they describe.Once spoken into a believing heart, they make things materialize! Nothing is impossible when a rhema word finds its home in the human heart.

I live by rhema revelation! Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) In the original Greek, that’s every rhema word! Rhema words come from the mouth of God to the hearts of his people. But only sensitive hearts hear them.

Each rhema carried within it the faith that enables the person who hears it to do what the word says. The faith is not the rhema – the faith is in the rhema.

Years ago, I received a rhema while reading a missions magazine, when a paragraph “leaped” off the printed page and found a home in my heart. It came with such power that I went into another room immediately and prayed about what the lord had said. The result? In the years that followed, I made more than 20 visits to the Philippines – often leading teams from our church.

I never had to struggle to work up or pray down enough faith for the task – all the faith I needed for it came with the rhema. What a relief! I prayed much about the project, of course, but never for the faith to complete it. That faith came by hearing, and hearing by a rhema from God.

One word of warning: Don’t try to duplicate someone else’s rhema. If the other disciples had attempted to follow Peter out of the boat, when they saw him walking on the water, they would have sunk like stones!

Peter alone asked for and received a word from the Lord – a command to “Come.” In that command was the ability to walk on water. The other disciples had no such command, and therefore no such ability.

Suppose that identical twins, females, suffering from the same sickness, were sitting in the same church, listening to the same message. Suddenly, one receives a rhema that promises her immediate healing, if she “steps out” for prayer.

The other twin follows, thinking, We’ve always done everything together, so I’ll be healed, as well.”

But only one of the twins is sure to be healed. The other may be healed as a result of the laying on of hands, or through the gift of healing – but not through the same rhema.

A rhema is a very personal word from the Lord – go get your own!

How do you get a rhema from God? Only by reading the logos – the entire word of God. Don’t sit around waiting for rhema revelations – open your bible! Read God’s word. Study it daily.

As you allow God’s word to “sink down into your ears” you will become sensitive to the voice of God. You will develop a hearing heart. God’s vocabulary, the ways he puts things, his ideas, are in his word.

Then, one day, God will speak to your heart through a scripture text. Perhaps it will “leap off the page.” Or perhaps during a quiet time in prayer with the Lord, he will give you a word. When he does, you will recognize it as a rhema, because faith will rise in your heart to do what he has told you to do.

Another way to recognize a rhema is that it is harder to doubt what the Lord has told you than to believe it. In fact, it’s almost impossible for you to doubt. You feel as though you really are standing on the word of God. “Let God be true, and every man a liar” is the operative word!

That’s what makes a rhema so special.

Right now, you should really want one!

Chapter Six

STRONG FAITH

What does your faith do for you?

Abel’s faith made his name a memorial. Enoch’s faith translated him with a testimony. Noah’s faith gave his family a new start in a “new” world.

What does your faith do for you?

Abraham’s faith enabled him to see a city in Revelation from a tent in Genesis. It also made him a father at the age of 100! Sarah’s faith made her the miracle mother of a boy named Laughter.

What does your faith do for you?

Does it invigorate you? Does it stimulate you? Does it energize you? Does it rejuvenate you?

Faith is one of the most important subjects in the Bible. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith the life, death and resurrection of Jesus mean little. Faith has been preached, probed, professed and prayed about – but too little practiced.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

The substance of faith makes things real. The evidence of faith brings conviction. When God spoke to Abram, saying, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them…so shall thy seed be,” Abram’s legs could have buckled. After all, he was 75 years of age – and childless!

But he “believed in the Lord”, and God credited his faith to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5,6)

Looking up into that starry sky, Abram saw millions materialize, and got a twinkle in his eye!

“You can do it, God! I know you can do it!”

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead (as to the possibility of becoming a father)…neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:19-21)

Note the relationship between unbelief and weakness; and between faith and strength! If he had considered his condition, his faith would have faltered, his knees would have knocked, and Satan would have said, “You’re just seeing stars!”

Instead, his faith gave him the strength to father a son. Abram was strong in faith. The word “strong” is better translated “invigorated”!

What does your faith do for you?

Does it invigorate you? Does it strengthen you to do your part in bringing the promise to pass? Remember, the supernatural happens when the “super” touches the “natural”. In other words, God did his part as the couple did their part – in faith.

The Old Testament book of Numbers gives an amazing example of the invigorating power of faith – and the debilitating effects of unbelief. When Israel rebelled against God, and refused to enter the promised Land, they were condemned to “wander in the wilderness” for 40 years. And while they wandered, they were to “bear their iniquities” – the burden of their sinful unbelief.

“Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness…from 20 years old and upward,” said the Lord. (Numbers 14) Those under 20 were not held accountable. But they too would have to wander in the wilderness, waiting for their elders to “die off” so they could enter the Promised Land.

When I read, “Your carcasses shall fall…” I thought, That’s an odd way to put it; a carcass is a body that has already fallen! The same expression is used in the New Testament book of Hebrews, where it says that their “carcasses fell in the wilderness.”

So the unbelieving Israelites were “dead” while they were alive!

They were alive in their bodies, but dead in their relationship to God. Once condemned, they were history! They had no future, no expectancy, no hope. They would never see the snow-capped mountains or lush, green valleys of the land they had slandered. They would never know satisfaction; they would never be fulfilled. Their potential would never be realized.

And all because of their unbelief.

When I worked in the Outback, as a young man, I ring-barked hundreds of eucalyptus trees by cutting a narrow band of bark from the trunk of each tree with an axe. From the moment the bark was removed, the tree was doomed, because the branches were separated from their life-source. It took time for the tree to die completely, but it was as good as dead the moment the axe-head bit into the bark.

The moment God pronounced judgement on unbelieving Israel, they were cut off from their life-source. They were doomed. It would take 40 years for the last of them to die, but their generation, “ring-barked” by unbelief, would “fall” in the wilderness – just as surely as those hollow, dead trees finally fell.

What does your faith do for you?

Consider the case of the “average” 20 year old Israelite, who knew that, because of his unbelief, he would never see the land of his dreams. Moreover, he knew that his life expectancy was, at most, 40 more years. And he knew that those years would be spent wandering aimlessly through the desert.

He was a “carcass”, awaiting the time when he would “fall” – along with his family and friends. During his remaining years, he would bear the burden of his unbelief – a burden that would sap him of his strength.

Now consider Caleb and Joshua, the only two men over the age of 19 who made it through to the promised Land. Caleb was 40 when God condemned Israel. He was 85 when he asked Joshua for permission to capture his promised mountain inheritance from a family of giants!

The young man Joshua went “from strength to strength” – and led his people across Jordan. He led his army into battle again and again – at well over 60 years of age. Take note! These two men ate the same food, drank the same water, walked the same distance, brushed off the same bugs, and endured the same heat and hardship as everyone else.

They not only survived, but grew stronger with age, until they entered their inheritance, overcame their enemies, and fully possessed what God had promised!

Take a good look at yourself. Are you strong in faith, bounding out of bed each morning? Or weak through unbelief, battling to make it to breakfast?

Is your life inspired – or just plain insipid?

Your faith should make you fitter, revitalizing your body, expanding your vision, renewing your mind! It should stimulate your interest in your inheritance.

The Promised Land was a land of promises. Each tribe had a title; each Israelite had an inheritance; and each person a promised portion.

It has been said that there are 7000 promises in the Bible – more than enough to keep every Christian busy for a lifetime. You can possess many of those promises – if you have faith!

Just as each allotted portion of the Promised Land was occupied by enemies, so each promise in God’s word can be claimed by evil powers.

You may never get your healing, if you allow sickness to claim it. You may never prosper, if you allow poverty to remain in possession of your promise!

If sickness has claimed your health, poverty your prosperity, bondage your freedom – these must be dispossessed, before the promises of God can be possessed. (Numbers 33:53)

The fierce fight of faith begins when you hear what God has for you in Christ, and you determine that, whatever it takes, you will “enter into” your inheritance.

You can be strong in faith. Or you can be weak in faith. If you are weak, then you will wander. If you are pessimistic, you will perish. But if you are strong, you will succeed! Young, old, or in between, you can be strong in faith – age has nothing to do with it.

What does your faith do for you?

Does it do what Abraham’s faith did? Does it do what Caleb’s faith did?

Be a winner – not a wanderer.

Be a fighter – not a failure.

Don’t consider your condition – confess your faith!

Don’t stagger in unbelief – be strong in faith, giving glory to God!

Go after what God has given you. Dispossess the thing that claims it – fight it with faith!

Serve notice on sickness. Run poverty off your prosperity. Go forward into freedom. Find out what your faith can do for you – that’s where your future is!

Because when you do…

You’ll never be the same again!

Chapter Seven

FAITH THAT SAVES

Sozo (pronounced sudso) is not a brand of washing powder – it’s a word of saving power! In fact, sozo, an ancient Greek word, is one of the New Testament’s most meaningful words. Sozo means to save, make safe, make whole, preserve from danger or loss.

Among the New Testament’s many accounts of individuals being healed and forgiven, remarkable faith is seen in the words and actions of four individuals who reached out to Jesus – and were well and truly “saved”!

One such person was a prostitute. When she knew that Jesus had entered the home of a Pharisee, she followed him inside, clutching an alabaster jar of oil. (Luke 7:37)

“And stood at his feet, behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”

In those days, the custom was to recline while eating. This enabled the woman to anoint Jesus as she did.

“Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him; for she is a sinner.”

Jesus quickly discerned his host’s thoughts, and dealt with them by contrasting the prostitute’s broken-hearted repentance with the Pharisee’s cold indifference. In a parable of two debtors, the Lord linked love shown to debts forgiven, asking the Pharisee to judge which of the two debtors would love most – the one forgiven little or the one forgiven much. Not for a moment did the Pharisee realize that his judgement would reveal the state of his own heart.

To the woman, however, Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” As those present wondered at his words, Jesus added, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

“Your faith has saved you.”

The personal faith of a well-known prostitute had saved her!

Faith That Saves is personal faith in Jesus. The woman had entered the house a prostitute, but through faith was sozo-forgiven. She left the house a new woman!

When Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you”, he might just as well have said, “Your faith has made you whole”, because the word sozo means both “saved” and “made whole”.

This is confirmed by the account of the woman who had haemorrhaged for 12 years, and who pushed through a crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. When she did, she was instantly healed.

Jesus said to her, “Your faith has made you whole.” (Luke 8:48)

When healing in response to faith, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.” When forgiving in response to faith, Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you.”

But in every case, whether Jesus said “saved you” or “made you whole”, sozo was the word he used.

To the leper who returned to Jesus to give thanks (after being cleansed but before a priest had confirmed it) Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.” (Luke 17:11-19)

To Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who refused to be silenced but “cried so much the more”, Jesus declared, “Your faith has saved you.” (Luke 18:42) Mark’s account of the same incident has: “Your faith has made you whole.” (Mark 10:52)

“Made you whole” is the best translation when healing is the subject; and “saved you” is the best when forgiveness is the subject. But in every case, sozo is the word used.

“Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven” – sozo does it all!

The prostitute was sozo-forgiven! The haemorrhaging woman was sozo-healed! The leper who returned to give thanks was sozo-healed! Bartimaeus was sozo-healed!

The prostitute’s Saving Faith was seen in her great love for Jesus.

The hemorrhaging woman’s Saving Faith was felt in her desperate touch.

The returning leper’s Saving Faith was shown in his gratitude.

The faith of Bartimaeus was heard in his loud and ceaseless cries.

Jesus Christ saves “to the uttermost” every person who believes in him! He saves from sin, sickness, demons, bondage and oppression – from every thing that is not God’s will for our lives!

Thank God that the blood of Jesus has reconciled you to God! But remember, being saved is more than healed, more than set free – more than provision or preservation!

Salvation is the whole plan of God for your life, a plan that includes every need you will ever have.

Your personal faith in Jesus Christ will save you again and again – in every way you need to be saved! Thank God for Faith That Saves…

Thank God for sozo!

Chapter Eight

FAITH THAT GROWS

From time to time there is controversy over “hyperfaith” teaching, because of the extreme teaching of a few well-known hyperactive tele-evangelists.

It is generally understood that any truth carried to extreme ends in heresy. The result of the “hyperfaith” controversy was that “hyper” became a dirty word in most Christian circles.

Which is a pity, because, although “hyperfaith” is extreme, “hypergrowth” is not. In fact, “hypergrowth” is quite scriptural. “Hyperfaith” is very questionable, but “hypergrowth” is scriptural without question.

Exactly what does the Greek word “huper” (which we know as “hyper”) really mean?

In the New Testament, it is used as a prefix, to boost certain words to new heights. A good example is the Greek word nikao, which means “overcomer” or “conqueror”. Hupernikao means “more than conquerors”! (Romans 8:37)

These days, “hyper” is attached to English words for the same reason. For example:

Media hype is now a common expression, and means that in boosting a trivial story too high, the media is making “a lot out of nothing”.

Many parents of young children wish that they had never experienced hyperactivity.

A Hypermart is a giant superstore; and hypertension is a well-known medical syndrome.

The apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, thanked God for their hypergrowth.

“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, and rightly so, for your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other abounds.” (2Thess. 1:3)

The Greek word translated grows exceedingly is huperauxano. Although huperauxano is used only once in the New Testament, the word auxano is used many times – always in relation to growth.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow…” (Matthew 6:28)

“I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (1 Cor.3:6)

“When your faith is increased…” (2 Cor. 10:15)

Hypergrowing faith is flourishing faith, not hyperfaith! Your faith can grow exceedingly without becoming extreme, just as you can be a hyperconqueror without becoming elitist.

Remember that Paul coupled faith that “grows exceedingly” with love that “abounds”. (2 Thessalonians 1:3) Hypergrowing faith and abundant love go together – they grow together!

The Christians at Thessalonica were the “good soil” that Jesus spoke of in his parable of The Sower.

“But he that receives seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23)

The faith of the Thessalonians grew exceedingly. The hypergrowth mentioned by Paul in his second letter to them was the result of their ready acceptance of the gospel, as preached and demonstrated by Paul. It was also due to their willingness to turn from idols to the living, true God. (1 Thess. 1:10) Their faith in God was so well known that Paul heard of it wherever he went! That faith grew because the Thessalonians were actively sharing it.

If you faith is growing, but not exceedingly, then you would do well to follow the example of the Thessalonians, as recorded in Paul’s first letter to them. In fact, the first two chapters of First Thessalonians give a graphic account of their hypergrowth.

“And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also your faith in every place is spread abroad, so that we need not say anything.” (1 Thess. 1:6-8)

Their faith grew exceedingly – so can yours! Forget so-called hyperfaith – get into hypergrowth!

“How can my faith grow?” you ask.

There is only one kind of faith in the Bible – “the faith of God”. That is, the faith that has its origin in God. (Mark 11:22, margin) Many people say, “I have faith!” as though having faith was special or unusual. But every Christian has faith! (Romans 12:3)

“Faith” is a term for the precious commodity that God gives to us – much the same as “money” is a word for the notes and coins that make up our currency.

What we do with the faith we’ve been given determines whether or not it grows. To continue the faith/money analogy: the more we put our money to work, the more it grows. But if we leave it idle, it will soon lose some of its value – especially if the inflation rate is greater than the interest rate.

Money left sitting in a low interest account will eventually disappear. Whose fault will that be? The bank’s? Partly; account fees will not have helped. The bank will profit nicely, thank you, from your poor money management. They’ll have invested your money at a far higher interest rate, and will be more than happy to pay you next to nothing for the use of it.

No, you will not be able to blame the bank; you will have to blame yourself for not putting your money to work.

Amazingly, many Christians who are good money managers are poor faith managers! Having received their measure of faith, they don’t put it to work. They allow it to remain idle. Meantime, galloping sickness and circumstances make inroads into it. Then they wonder where on earth their faith went!

Some even blame God for their loss of faith, not realizing that although faith is a gift from God, what is done with it is up to us!

To the woman who touched the hem of his garment, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.” (Matthew 9:22) Her faith was not Megafaith, or Great Faith. It was simply faith. But the woman exercised her faith – she put it into action! That made her a believer! A person who believes is one who uses the faith he or she has. “Faith” is what he have; “believe” is what we do with what we have.

The word “faith” is a noun, which is “a naming word”; “believe” is a verb, which is “a doing word”! Belief grows when faith is used. Unbelief grows when faith is not used. Hypergrowth is the growth-result when faith is acted on continually.

If a Canaanite woman could display Megafaith, and a Roman centurion could display Great Faith, then a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit and acting on God’s word should have far greater faith – faith that grows exceedingly!

Hypergrowth is the unmistakable evidence of a truly flourishing faith!

Chapter Nine

FAITH THAT STANDS

There are two kinds of people in life: those who make it to their feet; and those who don’t.

Those who make it to their feet are people who experience the power of God in their lives.

Those unable to stand are people with no such experience. They may know the Bible religiously, but it has never gripped their hearts to the degree that it has lifted them to a new level of living.

The Bible is no religious storybook: it is a powerful spiritual force – one that can lift us out of our limitations.

The New Testament book of Acts records the healing of two crippled men. The first received healing through the faith of another; the second arose in the power of his own faith to be healed.

Both cripples were healed, but in entirely different ways.

The first account is found in the third chapter of Acts, where we read that “a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.”

For more than 40 years, this man had been a dependant. He was a daily burden – carried by others to a place where his condition would prick the consciences of those who were on their way to worship.

To the people of Jerusalem, he was a reminder of the ugliness of life at the gate Beautiful.

On this particular date, however, the cripple “seeing Peter and john about to go into the temple asked an alms.”

“Peter, fastening his eyes on him with John, said, ‘Look on us’. And he gave heed to them, expecting to receive something from them.”

This cripple had an expectancy – he believed that he was about to receive. What he didn’t know was that he was about to receive a miracle from God.

When Peter said, “Look on us”, he was saying, “Get your eyes off goodwill gestures – look to us for the real answer!”

By this time, Peter had the cripple’s total attention.

“Silver and gold have I none,” Peter said, “But such as I have give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

Then “he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up. And immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”

First, the man looked. Then he was lifted. Then he leapt! Notice that Peter “lifted him up” – that was the key to his healing. Because the man expected money, Peter diverted his attention to himself and John. That done, Peter released his faith through the name of Jesus.

But only when Peter lifted the cripple to his feet did the man’s feet and ankle bones receive strength; and only then was he able to leap out of his limitations!

We see here a principle by which many are healed: the “looking to others” principle. Those who say that people in need “shouldn’t look to others, only to God” are unrealistic. Those who don’t know the word of God or the power of god must look to those who do!

And it’s our responsibility to see that they aren’t left begging.

Those who have no power in their lives need to be lifted. And it’s our job to lift them – in the name of Jesus, through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we do our part, the Lord does his part He confirms the word with signs following. He does the miracles, as we lift people to their feet, in his name.

“And all the people saw him walking and praising God. And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened to him.”

Glory to God! Instead of a lame man outside the temple, they had a leaping man inside the temple! Suddenly their religion was real! When the lame man got a lift – they all got one!

The account of the second cripple’s healing is found in Acts 14, where we read that “there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked.”

An identical case. Ask yourself: Why does the book of Acts record the healing of two men with the same condition? My answer is that God wants us to compare the two cases, and learn something.

This second cripple sat and listened to Paul, and as he listened, faith rose in his heart. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The word of God, preached with faith, produced faith in the heart of the hearer – the man who had never walked.

The man began to expect something from God. A voice from within seemed to say, “I believe. I believe! I believe!” If only his body could express it!

Suddenly Paul was silent. Looking intently at the man, he saw beyond the crippled hopes, the crippled relationships, the crippled living – he saw a faith man, struggling to find his feet. He saw that inside the crippled body was a whole man, struggling to rise above his circumstances.

“Stand upright on your feet!” Paul commanded.

His command activated a faith that was already at flash point. That faith, ignoring the man’s physical limitations, leapt to its feet! His body somehow – how, he would never know – followed! He was healed. He was healed! He was healed!

How had he been healed? The word of God had healed him! Coming from an anointed preacher, it had created faith in his heart. When Paul’s command raised faith to its feet, the man literally leapt out of his limitations!

Here we see the principle of being healed by your own faith. The crippled man’s faith had the potential to make him whole. All it needed was something to activate it. That “something” was Paul’s inspired command.

The difference between the two crippled men is the difference between those who know the word of God and those who don’t.

Those who know the word, and who allow it to flood their hearts, have within themselves the faith to be healed. The explosive potential needs only a command to ignite it.

You may hear a message that stirs your heart. You may have faith to be healed. But there must come a command that ignites that faith, causing it to explode you into action. Paul’s message was for everyone that day, but only when he fastened his eyes on one man, at one moment; only when he saw that man’s faith; only when he spoke the word of command, was that man healed!

What kind of “cripple” are you? You might not be crippled in your body but in your thinking.

These days, whole families depend on the goodwill of others to lift them out of their circumstances. The changes in society, brought about by changing technology and a global economy, have created a dependent attitude in countless millions.

Like the impotent man at the gate Beautiful, they depend on goodwill handouts that ease the consciences of passers-by. This is not to criticize those who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves dependent on social welfare, as a result of sudden economic changes, over which they have had no control.

Increasingly, the church has found itself in the role of a compassionate benefactor, its conscience touched by the plight of those who have been reduced to dependency.

Like the thousands who passed by the crippled beggar on their way into the temple, churchgoers have given regularly, for conscience sake.

Meanwhile, the helpless have developed a dependent attitude. They have come to expect handouts from those who give with their relationship to God in mind.

But when Peter and John walked up to the gate Beautiful on that particular day, things were about to change. Asked by the man for money, Peter suddenly felt the anointing of God rising within himself.

“I haven’t got what you want, but I’ll give you what I’ve got!” he declared. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

This is the true role of the church. It’s not wrong to give to the needy – the Bible commands it. But it’s wrong to maintain them in a state of dependency, when God has given his people the power to lift the poor out of their poverty.

What power does the church have that can lift the helpless out of their condition? The has the power of faith! Faith for salvation. Faith for healing. Faith for prosperity. Faith for the restoration of torn relationships. Anyone can given money to maintain the helpless who sit on the sidelines of society. Only God’s people, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, can actually lift them up and out of their condition!

“Such as we have, we give…” It’s significant that Peter and John had no money. That placed them on the same economic level as the beggar. In fact, he may have been better off, financially, for all we know. But the anointing of God makes a Christian rich in the ability to change lives.

There’s enough supernatural power in the church to lift the whole world to its feet!

But there’s an even better way. That way is to minister the word of God with such an anointing that faith will rise in those who hear it – to the degree that they will want to rise up out of their circumstances.

There comes a time when that faith becomes visible. The word preached builds faith in those who hear it and believe it. Faith is then at flashpoint. The boldness of the preacher may then be expressed in such a commanding way that the faith in those listening ignites, exploding them into action, and a miracle takes place.

The name of Jesus Christ on the church’s lips has the power to lift people to a new level of living. That’s wonderful. But the word of God has the power to create in all who believe the kind of faith that will enable them to rise up and out of their helplessness.

Those with no spiritual expectancy have to be lifted; but those with faith rising in their hearts can be commanded to stand – in faith!

If my words have ministered faith to your heart, then you have within you the faith to rise above your present level of living.

You have faith to be healed. Faith to be blessed financially. Faith to stand on your own feet!

Do you have faith? You do? Then rise up – leap to your feet on the inside! Let your faith carry you to a new level of living. Don’t stay ‘down’ – the word of God now working in you is a powerful force.

Say, “Yes! I will rise up in the name of the Lord! No longer will I submit to sickness! No longer will I live in this condition! I will stand on my own feet!

Is faith rising in you right now? It is? Wonderful! Then, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to stand!

LAST WORDS

The so-called Third World is no place for theories.

Small children die like flies from diseases. Tidal waves sweep away thousands. Earthquakes rip cities apart. Volcanoes spew molten lava and hot mud, drowning towns and altering landscapes.

Life is cheap, unless it’s yours.

Developing World disasters that made only the small print is beamed worldwide in Real Time – death live on television.

But where hope seems almost gone, Megafaith is always found, because Megafaith is a product of desperation.

Some Christians may take issue with my claim that the Megafaith of a foreigner can put to shame the little faith of a longtime believer. Or with the idea that people “outside” our churches here at home can display Great Faith, while those “inside” battle with Unbelief.

But why is it that pastors who rarely see miracles of healing in their own churches see countless miracles overseas?

Two explanations are possible: either the greatest faith is found there; or the greatest unbelief is found here. I think both explanations are correct.

One thing is sure: the church needs a paradigm shift: a change in the way we see things that will change the way we do things.

If this short book can be a part of that change, then the time spent writing it will be worthwhile.

Peter Barfoot