Where the action happens

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.'" Luke 12: 42-43 NASB

It sounds terrible, but I've been dreading this section of Scripture. I've spent days (okay, weeks) on the first portion of this passage, and there are more days to come. I have quietly worried that I was "stuck" in the passage. My little foray into Romans felt fresh, and I've worried this would feel stale. 

The Word of God stale? The sharper-than-a-two-edged sword Word of God boring? I might be boring, but God's Word has life in its pages.

I dreaded resuming the series until I opened my Bible and saw Truth again. I am sometimes so very foolish, and I apologize, to you my fellow readers and to our Lord. How could I possibly think reading about being a "faithful and sensible steward" is boring? 

Close to Christ is where the action happens, where all the excitement begins.

We've seen pistis, the word translated as "faithful", several times before. I've reread these posts. Pistis is NOT boring. The woman with the issue of blood had enough pistis to reach out to Jesus' for healing. Jesus told her it was her pistis in Him that made her well. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is pistis. 

This pistis, or faith, is a rock-solid certainty that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the One through whom we receive salvation in the Kingdom of God. 

It takes pistis to stake our eternal future on Jesus Christ.

It takes pistis to follow Him every day.

This is not an esoteric concept reserved for a few. This is the bone and muscle of being a disciple of Christ. It's more than "God said it so it's true". This pistis, this kind of faith, believes not only that God can do what He has said, but that He will.

It's the "down to the last dollar and I need milk for the children" faith that knows, somehow, God will send what's needed.

It's "I don't know which way to go because every door is closed" faith that expects, knows, God will open the one door we haven't yet seen, and it will be right.

I learned an interesting thing at Writer's Conference this week. 

I have pistis. 

I don't always act like I have pistis, but when I do, it's a glorious, exciting thing. When I believe with pistis, I believe that there is nothing my God can't do. Nothing needed He won't do to provide for me, His child. 

With pistis, I know the impossible is possible, because I serve a God who laughs at impossibility. I become an Hercule Poirot-Miss Marple-McGyver problem solver because I know the answer is waiting to be found... in Christ alone.

It's who I want to be, and I've spent the last few days considering what it would take to live in wide-open pistis. As Paul wrote, I must get rid of the sin that encumbers me... the fear that encumbers me, and live like I believe. It changes my life when I live that way, and I love the excitement of that lifestyle, the fresh joy every day. 

We're all supposed to be following Jesus with pistis, so let's do it. Let's live with wide open trust in the One who redeemed us. Let's live with the faith of those first century disciples, who weren't afraid to say, "I don't have any money, but I'll give you what I do have. Stand up and walk." 

~~~~~~~

Our Father, forgive us for our failure to follow You, to believe You. Help our unbelief and give us the pistis to follow You, to believe You to do what You've promised to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Teach us to pray, part 62: Faith

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13 NASB)

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:7- 9 NASB 

For the last few days, we have been studying the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believer. As I've written, I've fretted that the information might not be something that we could use in our daily lives. This morning, I've seen it a little differently. When I understand the manifestations of the Spirit in the body of Christ, I can better understand the body of Christ and the ways that we serve each other. That understanding can also help me understand where I can best serve. 

For example, if the Spirit manifests (or works) in me with the word of wisdom, I will most effectively serve the body of Christ by living my faith in practical ways that others can see, as well as by teaching the truth of Scripture in simple language that all can understand using practical applications that all can follow. When (if) serving with the word of wisdom is what I will do best, I will be most content serving in that way, and most effective, no matter what my other abilities include. Understanding the way in which God intended me to serve for the common good, then, is important for the body of Christ but also for my own contentment in service.

Over the next few days, we should all be able to recognize our area of service. If the current area doesn't fit, it probably fits someone we know and can help us to encourage each other to greater service in our area of equipping.

With that said, let's look at another manifestation of the Spirit of God, faith. The word translated as faith is pistis, and is a word we've studied before. The woman with the issue of blood was healed because of her pistis, her faith, and the woman with the alabaster vial was saved because of her pistis, her faith. (You may want to read both of those posts, and you can follow the links to open in a new window.)

This pistis, or faith, is a rock-solid certainty that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the One through whom we receive salvation in the Kingdom of God. The one with this kind of faith lives their life on the understanding that "God said it, and that settles it." It is an unwavering conviction that God is not only able to do what He says He can do, but also willing to do what He says He can do. 

The one with faith can look at a situation, no matter how grim, consider ways in which God could work in mighty and miraculous ways, then pray with the boldness to ask for those miraculous ways and the faith to expect God to move. This kind of faith is given "for the common good", and the one with this faith will lead the body of Christ in greater leaps of faith. 

If the Spirit works through me by the gift of faith, when someone asks for "a little prayer", my response is likely to be, "Why ask for something little, when we can pray a big prayer?" When serving with the gift of faith, I will always expect a mighty move of God, always see the possibility of His miraculous intervention, and pray with the omnipotence of God in mind. This pistis is the kind of faith we all should have, in which we grasp, at least in part, that there is nothing our God cannot do, no power greater than He. At the same time, this faith understands that, despite that omnipotence, our God is still intimately involved in the details of our lives.

Some will be equipped to serve with exceptional faith, but all of us must follow with that same kind of pistis faith, knowing with certainty that our hope is in Christ alone, and that He makes all the difference.