How important is faith to the work of the ministry? To put that question another way: what relationship does faith have to what we are doing tonight? Here we are taking another look into the Word of God. That is always a good and profitable thing. We are here with a basic desire to glorify the name of our Saviour. That is another good thing. If for a few minutes we can forget about our aches and pains and forget about the world, this is good. If while we look toward heaven and the will of God, we are not besieged by our usual temptations, that is another blessing. But none of these things answer my question: How important is faith to what we are doing tonight?
I could finish this message in less than a minute with just a couple dozen words of scripture. But I’m not going to do that. I could just quote Romans 14:23 or Hebrew 11:6, and we could all go home. How important is faith to the work of the ministry? In one scripture Paul says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” That means we could do many good things to serve the Lord, but not please God in any of them. We could pray, giving the Lord our shopping list of requests, but not please Him in those prayers. We could sing a dozen hymns of worship, but without faith He wouldn’t appreciate our praise. I could preach this message, filling it with scripture, but as proper as it might be, the Lord wouldn’t be pleased with it, if I didn’t preach it in faith, expecting the Lord’s blessings. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” In another scripture Paul gets even a little more pointed, saying, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” If our religious exercises aren’t marinated in faith, they aren’t just not pleasing to God they are actually displeasing to Him; they are sinful.
My purpose in these lessons has been to remind myself to put the Lord first in the things I try to do in His name. We’ve looked at a couple dozen Old Testament examples and events of practical faith. Some of them have been spectacular and miraculous, but others were more of the normal every-day stuff – things that you and I might do. More recently we’ve been looking at some of the Biblical principles of faith. And this is one of them: Faith is absolutely essential for any sort of service pleasing to the Lord. Because “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
Why is it that faith is so important to the ministry?
By the way, before I go any farther, I don’t want you to think this message is only for Austin because he is our evangelist. These are principles which apply to all of us, no matter whether we call ourselves ministers of God, or not. The truth is: we are all the Lord’s ambassadors, and we all have our own ministries. These are principles which relate to everything we do as Christians. As weird as it sounds, “without faith it is impossible to please God” in our grocery shopping, our yard work or what we do for our employer. And even if something like our recreation “is not of faith, (it) is sin” – playing cornhole or fishing.
One of the natural effects of true faith is submission to the One in whom we trust. Salvation could be used as an example: to trust Christ as Saviour demands we relinquish all hope of salvation in anyone or anything else. In true salvation, we give up all our former efforts at self-righteousness and we surrender to Him. We stop trusting our church or our baptism to save us. Saving faith requires that we trust Christ, and Christ alone, submitting ourselves entirely to Him.
The same is essentially true when it comes to faith in other areas. I’m not talking about theology or theory. Yes, “faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” But in this case, I’m thinking about practical faith and actual, literal, dependence upon the Lord. As long as we try to maintain control of any situation, then we are not fully trusting the Lord, and we are not pleasing Him.
You’ve heard about Philip’s evangelistic ministry many times over the last few months, but let me use his example again. He was in the midst of a very successful gospel campaign in Samaria. The Lord blessed, and “the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake…” I believe that Philip was living by faith and was totally surrendered to the Lord in every part of that work. Proof might be seen in God’s stamp of approval. But then, all of a sudden, in the midst of a great revival, the Lord sent an angel to tell the evangelist to go south into the Gaza desert, and Philip did as he was told.
Philip’s faith was seen in his instant obedience. He didn’t know what his future ministry would be, but by faith he was submissive to whatever the Lord had for him to do. Logically, it didn’t make sense to leave Samaria, but Philip’s trust was in the wisdom of God, not in his own limited perspective. It’s a good thing he didn’t have to ask a mission board for permission to leave his designated “mission field.” He didn’t even have to ask his home church. He just obeyed the Lord. And as we were reminded a couple weeks ago, God had prepared a man for him to meet, someone who was willing to hear what the evangelist had to say about Christ. Faith makes God’s servants supple, pliable, and ready to rely on the Lord in real, practical ways.
Two years ago, I would have liked to tell Daniel Pearson that he should move to Spokane to start a church. But I am not God, and that was not my place. There are three other brethren, friends of our church, to who I would love to give a few orders. But not only do I trust the wisdom of God for each of them, it’s my prayer that they are living in faith and as such they are seeking God’s will. Philip might have prayed, “Samaria or Gaza? Lord I trust your wisdom and leadership. My heart is in your hand.” Faith is absolutely necessary in order to know God’s will for our ministries. As soon as we let our flesh tell us what to do, or we submit to whims of other people, we will find ourselves in the weeds rather than in God’s way – “the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza.”
Going back to Philip’s Samaritan ministry, the Lord blessed with miracles. “For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them; and many taken with palsies, and that were lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” I have no scriptural evidence for it, but I believe that it was because of his faith that the ministry of Philip was so spectacularly blessed. Philip, the deacon/evangelist, may have earlier been one of the Lord’s hundred and twenty. As such, he may have heard Jesus’ discussion with Philip the apostle in John 14. He may have believed Jesus’ words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Philip may have gone into Samaria claiming by faith Christ’s words; “greater works than these, greater works than these.” The power of God which was seen in that evangelist’s ministry came from God. And I don’t believe the Lord would have so blessed if that ministry hadn’t been bathed in faith. Because “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and God appeared to be well-pleased.
Well, why don’t we see similar mighty miracles here in our town? Is it a lack of faith? Perhaps, to some degree, it is. But not only do I believe the Bible tells us not to expect the same kind of miracles God gave to Philip, but I think that it tells us to trust the ministry of the Word differently. To spend our time praying, pleading and trusting God to spectacularly heal the sick and raise the dead would hurt our ministry by distracting from our primary purpose – Christ and the gospel. The truth is, I actually think we are seeing miraculous things around us – spiritual things, eternal things. And there will be more, the more we trust the Lord for them. So to this end I challenge myself – I challenge you – let’s believe that God is going “to open the windows of heaven and pour out such blessings that there will not be room enough to receive them.” Let’s attend every service expecting God to do something special, ending with saving souls and building our membership, strengthening our faith.
Faith is important to the gospel ministry for the confidence it provides the minister.
God’s servants are nothing but redeemed sinners with a mission. Look at Saul of Tarsus. The former proud, murderous, hyper-Pharisee was spectacularly saved by the grace of God. And the Lord said of him: “He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings and the children of Israel.” Despite peoples’ salvation and the commission given to them, sometimes old sins reemerge in the hearts of God’s servants, including the sin of unbelief. Austin reminded us recently that while Paul was in Corinth the Lord made a special visit. I am not going to say that Paul was discouraged or distraught, but he may have been ready to prematurely move on to another ministerial opportunity. “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be NOT afraid, but speak, and hold NOT thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.” That was all Paul needed to keep him in Corinth until 18 months had passed. The Holy Spirit told His servant that there were many of God’s elect in Corinth still unsaved.
Now, I have never been visited by the Lord like that, but I will take what Christ said to Paul and apply it here. I believe God has His chosen people all over the world; in North America, in Idaho, and even in Post Falls. And with that knowledge, trusting that information, I am emboldened to preach the gospel over and over again, even to people who have already professed to know the Lord. Perhaps you don’t appreciate what our video and audio ministries mean to me. I’ll just say that with every message, I have faith that the Lord will use it, if not here, then beyond the walls of our church. Before this morning, during the month of April, there have been 459 people in 19 countries who have listened to the messages Austin, Scott Silvers and I have shared with you. That’s the audio version. I don’t know how many people watch our recorded videos. These messages may be watched or heard months after you have heard them here. And I have faith to believe that the Lord will use those messages in positive ways according to His will. The Lord has much people in this world, and He will save them.
Here is another way that faith is so important to the gospel ministry: What did Paul say to the Philippian jailor? “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou SHALT be saved” – thou shalt be saved, guaranteed. The gospel ministry demands that the minister has faith even before the faith of the inquirer. Paul might have said, “Mr. Jailer, it doesn’t matter how many people you have unjustly imprisoned or even if you have executed innocent people, I guarantee if thou shalt believe on the Lord Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved.”
Try to picture the ministry of Ananias of Damascus. I have no doubt but that he was a part of the great revival that was going on in Syria and its capital. As a man of faith, he was surrendered to the Lord’s will, joyfully seeing souls believe on Christ. And then one day the Lord came to him with a special commission – baptize Saul of Tarsus. Based on what he knew about Saul, it took great faith in the Lord and His words for him to obey. Ananias went to the house on the street called Straight and said to the blind man therein: “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus… hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Had Ananias ever restored sight to the blind before? I don’t know, but I’d guess that he hadn’t. Did Ananias have any corroborated evidence that Saul had been born again? It doesn’t appear so. “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.” What better disguise and tool to find and arrest the believers in Damascus than to profess to be one of those believers himself? Ananias was justifably worried. So he sputtered for a moment, but the in faith did what God told him to do. Faith was an essential part of his ministry. It always is.
Do we have any right to expect God to use our church for His glory if we don’t trust Him? Should we expect the Lord to save our loved ones, if we only have a faint hope that He will? Should we expect a great revival with multiple new members and souls saved and baptized, if we don’t actually trust and expect the Lord to do these things?
How important was faith to the ministry of the Apostle Peter? In Acts 9 Peter was sharing the gospel with people in Judea, Galilee and even in Samaria, when he eventually reached Lydda. In that community there was a man named Aeneas, who because of palsy, was bed-ridden. Peter said to him with unhindered faith, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; arise, and make thy bed.” Not only did the crippled man do what he was told, by faith, but that required faith in Peter’s heart as well. When the believers in Joppa heard that Peter was in the area, they “sent unto him two men, desiring him that the would not delay to come to them,” and by faith he restored Tabitha to health. Peter’s faith strengthened the faith of the believers, but then it replicated itself in people who were, at that point, unbelievers. “And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.” The key to that evangelistic explosion was the faith of various people, including Peter.
But then Peter’s faith was severely tested. There was a man in Caesarea who heard that Christ’s apostle was down in Joppa. The man, Cornelius, was a Roman Gentile on the verge of trusting Christ Jesus, but he needed some man to help him to understand. God had to convince Peter that not only could a Gentile be saved, but that he was the man to lead him to Christ. With gentle persuasion the Lord convinced Peter to trust Him and to obey His commission to go to Caesarea. That visit concluded with Peter’s full faith and declaration: “To (Christ) give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
It is a necessary part of the gospel ministry to trust God to save all that call on His name. Most, if not all, saints have faith to believe that the Lord will save those who repent and believe on Christ. But can we also trust the Lord for specifics, like specific individuals? And can we put faith in Christ for other aspects of the ministry as well? The God who owns the cattle on a thousand hill, has the means to finance His work. The omniscient God knows how to lead His servants to the intersection of the Jerusalem Road and the Gaza strip. Will we have faith enough to trust God’s wisdom and love when we are thrown into the Philippian’s jail? Do we have sufficient faith to lean on the Lord for the words which some lost man needs to hear?
How was it that Paul was able to write the words of Philippians 4:13? It wasn’t exactly logic which enabled him to say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” It wasn’t experience talking. It was faith. Even though Paul had done a great deal of special things through the Lord’s power, he hadn’t yet attempted to do “all things.” But Paul was a man of faith in the Almighty God. His faith enabled him to look beyond the ordinary.
And we continue to serve that same omnipotent God. As we move forward as a church and as Christians, we have access to the same kind of faith. And we have access to the same God. “Lord flex thy mighty arm and remind this ungodly world that you are the King of kings, Lord of lords and even the Father of nature. Lord, manifest thyself through us.”