I was recently watching videos of church services where many of the pastors were of the younger generational trend who promote the dynamics of services we see today. What I noticed was many of them presented messages that were exceptional in the aspects of biblical exhortation.
As they used scripture to tie together the message they were ministering the message itself was most often about life dramas or living in a world filled with emotional reactions to life situations like financial issues, relationships, or social dramas people go through in life. So ministering on these various issues is relevant to believers every day living.
However, I saw something was missing, it was there was no practical biblical teaching on applying any faith in them. To start with we need to acknowledge that there are various levels of faith in the body of Christ and that those who are learned of faith hold onto it expressing an acceptance of the faith messages that came along in the late ’60s on into the 80s.
Those who are in poverty of truths only see faith as a means to believe in Christ, revealing that a marginal dexterity of doctrine has been learned. And there are those who have never heard a real message on faith so we can assume they are somewhere between faith and doubt.
What makes faith important to a believer? God factors faith into everything He does and expects us to do. Thus, there is the importance of it being in His creation of males and females to ensure they align with His will. It is the governing factor of scriptural truths the Holy Spirit reveals concerning receiving, growing, and using faith.
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Believers are to be taught to have faith that perceives God as the source of all they will ever need, and that there are principles associated with a process that by faith obtains whatever is needed. Faith is not something believers make happen on their own it is a result of the spiritual blessings of God for every believer living a righteous life in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Since faith is necessary to trust God it comes from Him and is connected to His supernatural realm of power, which makes the word the only means for the revealed truths that increase its working in believers.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
For anyone to receive and correctly fulfill their part in His plan living in this New Covenant there must be a dependence upon God being the resource for all things both spiritual and natural.
Everywhere in scripture especially where spiritual blessings are concerned the emphasis is on His multiplying them for a purpose of bestowing benefits upon others, He sees in need of what they will provide. This is an important principle the body of Christ needs to have a perception of so that its purpose will be fulfilled in the way God intended in the beginning.
However, when it comes to faith many define it to only operate to the degree enabling what they seek, which often is a prosperity of finances and health for themselves. These blessings are available by faith but why are so many of His children not abundantly wealthy and/or healthy and highly effective in spiritual matters?
I believe, it is because, for every area of God’s blessing, there is a spiritually perceived purpose that one must know concerning not only how to receive the blessing but how to be willing to distribute it. Prosperity, for example, is a principle that requires faith in God, the same kind of faith He applies to himself, and has revealed to us in everything He does. When faith works, this principle will not only bring prosperity to the spirit and soul but also financially.
3 John 1:2 (AMP)Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
God’s will is we prosper in all things, but prospering and being in health is associated with a soul that’s healthy. And it is not just about blessings of wealth, riches, and health, it is also about the needs to be met with whatever is required to fulfill them.
Faith is the key principle used in this process and it is paramount to everyone receiving anything from God. But concerning money, there are many caught up in its ability, and not in the ability of their faith in God to provide it for them. Thus, they end up spending life seeking financial increase but void of its blessings, revealing a craving for riches to the point of lusting after it is not a part of the faith in the processes of God.
If we look at the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, we can see there is something different than what is traditionally imposed. His understanding about being prospered was for spiritual purposes, in that his prayer request was not so he could do what he wanted with the blessing, but do what God wanted.
Rom 1:9-11 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
His thinking of prosperity coming from God was to provide blessings that he could use to help deliver spiritual encouragement and strength, thus revealing and establishing righteousness in those he witnessed to. So, Paul understood the principle of faith, in that beyond his personal needs which God would meet, was a spiritual purpose that the Father was focused upon and he was faithfully confident God’s blessings were sufficient to do it.
Another key thing is, a blessing of the Lord making one rich, in a spiritual sense, means anything we do by any laborious effort of our own will add nothing to it.
Prov 10:22 (AMP) The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].
The faith every believer has is secured in the supernatural realm of God undergirded by spiritual laws He put in place. And His placing faith in each believer makes them fully capable of obtaining the spiritual results He seeks.
Though faith is not a natural part of us when birthed into this earthly realm, when used in some natural means, it increases by the word of God to bring forth supernatural forces that are like no other on earth manifested for the one being blessed for spiritual purposes God ordained to occur by the one applying faith. However, it is possible that whatever spiritual purposes God determined to occur may not be fulfilled through you if you are not applying principles of faith outlined in scripture.
Today’s churches constantly place uncharacteristic burdens on the faith of those who attend seen in the effort leadership puts forth for a continuance of tithes and offerings. Here the method of request conflicts with God’s principles for giving since they are often made not for spirit-led works of faith, but for an economic prowess that actually hinders the purpose of faith.
Many congregations have no idea of the financial burdens they are being asked to faithfully fulfill. But they typically respond to the offering time expecting what they give to be used in the right manner regarding the church’s ministry and liabilities because they are told doing so brings more. This is a process out of character with many of the principles God operates by, as each member complies with a so-called spirit-led effort that is more worldly than not.
I know you are saying so what if the Church uses an economic system to operate, how else can it be done? I assure you there are principles God has that if applied to His tithes, and offerings would bring an open window of heaven’s abundance of blessings you cannot imagine.
Mal 3:10 (AMP) Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Christ never intended for the Church to be built on economic indebtedness that’s according to a worldly Babylonian system. Economics for the kingdom operates on principles of spiritual perspectives by faith. Thus, church leaders must see it is Jesus who gave His life to lay down a spiritual foundation of which He is the chief cornerstone, and every effort must apply principles He endeavors to operate.
Though there will be requirements of money, material goods, and individual laborers in fulfilling His purpose, it is to be for the use of the Holy Spirit to bring about what the Father has already perceived to be done. Every disciple Jesus sent out, which included the twelve, was empowered and anointed with authority to operate in the very same way He operated. This required faith in the truth He had told and showed them would occur by the power of God.
They healed the sick and cast out demons all demonstrations of power along with preaching and teaching the gospel or good news. And everything was done using principles shown to them and us from scripture revealing God’s intent and concern in revealing His plan of salvation through Jesus His Son.
Math 10:8-11 (MSG) Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. 9 “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. 10 You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light. 11 “When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.
Faith endowed with spiritual blessings enables it to accomplish God’s intent and concern. This is all believers need, they do not need weeks to plan out details and take offerings to raise the funds. Jesus will never send you to do something different from what His Father prophesied would occur. Flowing in His same work of the Holy Spirit so that there is no deviation from any spiritual purpose the Father has perceived comes to pass is by principles revealed by Jesus to believers for the harvest of souls operated by the prominence of faith.
This makes it clear that going forth to do the same work requires trust in God to provide whatever is needed to fulfill such an effort. Therefore, we could say the purpose of faith is for manifesting the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit for the same intent and concern in the heart of the Father over His creation.
Another important aspect of faith is that believers are to know how to be led by the Spirit of God to fulfill ministerial tasks and get their personal needs met. Based on this fact; Jesus never veers away from a spiritual purpose His Father has revealed.
Many believe Jesus’s ministry was poor, mainly in the aspects of finances and faith among His disciples, when in fact it was very prosperous not only in economic terms but by the faith standards revealed as they operated in the power of God. This is all vastly different from how ministries operate today in using monetary gifts they so diligently seek to appropriate for the working of it. As today’s churches and ministries historically place more and more demands on the faith of believers without teaching, preaching, or exhorting the truth that increases faith in the word and the Holy Spirit.
It becomes relevant that mediocrity revealed at pulpits breeds ignorance concerning faith in the congregants revealed in the fact if taught from scripture to increase a believer’s faith then they would be capable of a faithful application of spiritual principles. Thus, leadership would not need to bilk money by using narratives of emotional virtue, but by the Holy Spirit’s instruction of truths concerning giving, all would fulfill the requirements by faith.
I know, doing ministry in today’s Church is to plan out how works, prayerfully led by the Spirit of God, will occur. But way too many church leaders today act like members grow their faith by believing in more money to do whatever they, not the believers determined. And no effort is put forth at the pulpit to support increasing the faith of those they hold responsible to fulfill it.
The efforts of leadership today show that they only have faith in the member’s ability to get it done, and not in God’s ability. Since if it were all upon God no lack would ever occur. So does this mean that no church is operating in the principles God has established for believers? NO. There are churches that know the way to operate is by faith in His ability and not in their own, but they are few in number compared to the total count of churches.
