What is Faith

I got this article from a friend of mine when we were so casually talking about my Christian life and whatnot. She shared to me this article which I feel like sharing with you all as well. I hope you enjoy its meaning as much as I did.

What is Faith?

So, where am I with all this...? Where has this journey taken me, and how should it impact my life? I intellectually believe that certain things happened in history, but what does that really mean for my life today...?

What is belief? What is faith?

Although the Christian faith is not based purely on evidence, it is definitely supported by evidence. Faith is not about turning off the brain and merely relying on the heart, or squashing reason in favor of emotion. No, Christian faith is about seeking and knowing Jesus with all facets of the human character. It's not a "blind faith" as I once thought... It's a "calculated faith" based on a preponderance of the evidence. Well, I've collected the evidence, and I've put it on trial... After a number of months in the jury room, I have returned with my personal verdict... Jesus Christ is who he claims to be... the Son of God who came to this earth about 2,000 years ago to offer true and lasting hope for mankind.

OK, now what...? I intellectually believe, by a preponderance of the evidence, that God exists, that the Bible is true, and that Jesus is his Son... How does this affect me? What is faith, as far as it concerns me?

I love the metaphor of a chair... Find the chair closest to you. Look at it closely. Examine its design. Is it structurally sound? Is it sufficiently engineered? Will the materials chosen by the manufacturer support your weight?

Most likely, you picked a chair that you believe will support you. That's belief. You applied logic, knowledge and experience to make an informed intellectual decision.

Now sit in the chair... That's faith! At one point, intellectual assent only goes so far. True living requires that we put our beliefs into action. Intellectual belief without actionable faith is hollow and meaningless...

Have you ever heard about the guy who walked a tight rope across Niagra Falls? Many people watched him do it. To them he asked, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls?" They all replied, "Yes." They had already seen him do it.

Then he pushed a wheel barrow on a tight rope across Niagra Falls. When he completed the feat, he asked the onlookers, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow?" To that they replied unanimously, "Yes." Because they saw him do that too.

Finally, a buddy of the tight rope walker climbs into the wheel barrow and the tight rope walker pushes him across the Falls. Wow, what a daring feat! When they finished, the tight rope walker asked the crowd, "Do you believe I can walk a tight rope across the Falls pushing a wheel barrow with a person in it?" To that they exclaimed, "Yes!" For they were now believers in this guy's awesome abilities.

Then he looked at the crowd and asked, "Who's next?"

There you have it... Belief vs. Faith...!

Ambassadors or Embarassments?

Are we an ambassador, or an embarrassment of Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:20 speak of us Christians as being Christ’s ambassadors. This passage revolves on the premise that 1) we are foreigners on earth and belong to Christ’s kingdom and 2) we represent Christ, our king, who has sent us.

From those premises let me expound on two prevailing ideas: our Christian citizenship, and our Christian diplomacy.

Christian citizenship is based on the fact- fact based on our faith- that we belong to the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Our kingdom is the one that God has set apart for us. As ‘citizens’ of Christ’s kingdom, our way of life is the way that Christ has asked us to lead, and Jesus himself has shown the way. The Bible spoke so many times of Christ’s compassion (Matthew 14:14, Matthew 15:32, Matthew 20:34, etc.), his humility (Matthew 4:8-10, Matthew 17:24-27, Luke 23:34), his forgiveness and mercy (Matthew 21-35, Matthew 9:2-8, John 8:3-11, Luke 7:44-50, John 18:15-18, 25-27, 21:15-19, Luke 23:39-43) and his call to righteousness (based on many accounts in the gospels, most notably when he drove out cheaters and vendors from the temple). The gospel is treasure-filled with how as Kingdom-Citizens we should live our lives. The Beatitudes gives an excellent guide:

The Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus himself made this call. Our saviour has given us instructions, truths and promises of reward for us to be ‘responsible citizens of the Kingdom of God’. Our Heavenly Father, no less, commanded us to listen to Jesus’ words: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

So now that we have an idea and understanding about the way we should live our lives as Kingdom-Citizens, how then do we live our life in this ‘foreign world?’

We know ourselves as belonging to Christ’s kingdom and that in fact, our life on earth is but a life in a foreign place. But realistically, and physically, this world is where we live. Like a foreigner in another country, we are citizens from another ‘land’, but residents of this one. How then should we respond?

2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Indeed. We are Christ’s ambassadors, with the ultimate mission of reconciling the world to our Heavenly Father. This brings me to the other idea: our Christian diplomacy.

Our Christian diplomacy is exemplified by Christ as well. Just look how he, the Son of God, through whom all things were made, came to earth as humble law-abiding citizen! He paid church taxes (Matthew 17:24-27), got baptized himself (Matthew 3:13-16), and even subjected himself to corporal punishment to be a mediator for us to the Father. So as not to be an embarrassment of Christ, we follow the laws of the land we live in, since by our actions we represent Christ himself, while maintaining to obey the laws of our kingdom and fulfilling our mission of bringing people to God.

But of course, some may say that Christ is the exception rather than the rule. And indeed there were cases when Jesus went against tradition (but only to prove the point that it is not man’s tradition that matters but following the Word of God). Nonetheless Jesus gave specific instructions on how we are to act as his ambassadors on earth. Matthew 18:14 teaches us not to look down on others: “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven….your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” Jesus also mentions the important matters of the law- justice, mercy and faithfulness. And most importantly, Jesus called us to love one another (John 15:17).

Our Christian life involves the way we deal with God personally and the way we deal with others. For who can say he loves God but does not love his brother whom God loves? We are both Kingdom-citizens and Christ’s ambassadors. We live a life that is for God and by the way we live our lives we send a message to the world of His love.

On judgment day, the King himself will separate his good ambassadors, from the embarrassment. Matthew 25:31-46 when the Son of Man comes in glory he will judge every nation. So are we living our duty as citizens of the kingdom of God? By our actions, are we being good ambassadors of Jesus Christ? Let us strive to remember the duty that Christ has called us to, so that when the day comes that we face our Lord, we are confident that we have not been his embarrassment, but his faithful ambassadors to the world.

Food For Tought

Food For Thought

It has been a long time since I last posted on my blog. What actually got me back was how inspired I was with the Campus Ministry's own blogging habits. I realized how passionate they are in putting up their entries. So if you brothers and sisters from Campus are reading this, I salute you all for a job well done.

Which leads me to my next inspiration by the way. I have been having great bible study eversince I decided to take my quiet time more seriously. I am following this bible study program that I might just share with you all when I get the excel format done. So from all the awe-inspiring bible studies I have had, I made a mental-note to possibly put up on my blog some of the lessons I have learned. So here I am now.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT is gonna be like Chicken Soup for the Soul except the stories are not from 21st Century but events that happened as far back as when the concept of 'century' had not even been invented yet. In short, stories from the Bible. The picture by the way is care of a sister who had the vision of finding the image of me eating sotong balls to be her idea of 'graphic art.'

Genesis 14

Story:

Abram defeats the armies of Kedorloamer to save his nephew Lot. With only 318 trained men, Abram chases after his enemies and routs them. Afterwards, Melchizedek, king of Salem told Abram that it is God Almighty that brought him victory.

Lesson:

We should never forget that it is God who gives us victory over our enemies. Our enemies may be different in form, but we are all struggling against the evils of this world and the works of the devil. Some of us struggle against our career, those who persecute us, and even our own selves. But God delivers us and gives us victory as He did with Abram. With only 318 trained men, he defeated a much larger army of soldiers who are probably much more trained than his.

Also, like Abram, we should also equip and train ourselves so that the Lord may use us as when He pleases. The 318 men that went to battle where not amateurs who picked up the sword to face a much bigger enemy. Indeed they were trained men who fought for a righteous cause. In the same way, God delivers our enemies into our hands, when He knows we have armed ourselves with His Word and His Spirit and when our reason for battle is righteous.