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19 – Faith makes disciples of Jesus

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Jesus). Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

As the One who has all authority, Jesus commissions believers to go. It’s not that Jesus is sending us to another location, but He is sending us on a mission with a purpose to people. The goal built into the word “disciple” is to make “learning followers” of Jesus Christ. And it is faith that compels the obedient Christian to share their knowledge and experience of the Lord Jesus Christ with others.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

~     Mercy is the love of God that takes the things that are most valuable to Him, and He gives them to believers in Jesus Christ. In giving mercy to sinners, God is acting in grace, because we sinners do not deserve His mercy.

~     Because God has given us His mercy and comfort at the time of our great sin or pain, we are able to identify with other people who suffer as we did. Therefore, discipleship looks for others we recognise who are suffering as we have, and we go to them and offer God’s mercy and comfort through faith in Jesus Christ. In this way Christians are to echo God’s merciful comfort into others. That’s discipleship.

~     God does not want any of our past sins, past failings, or past pains to be wasted. It is His will for us to use our past for the blessing of others. Our difficult pasts equip us to be more effective at discipling others who have experienced similar things as we have. Our past life equips us to identify similar circumstances in others’ lives so we can get along side of them and introduce them to Jesus, who can bring peace from God.

It is faith in Jesus Christ that changes our attitudes towards other people. Faith gives us the desire to bring people to forgiveness and cleansing that only Jesus can offer. Faith motivates us to go, to look outside of ourselves, to become other-minded, and to be brave with taking the gospel into other people’s lives.

Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers (those who work with effort) are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers (those who  work with effort) into his harvest. Lord, please make us your labourers. Make us your people who willingly work hard to bring in the harvest of human souls to eternal life through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christians are to give attention in prayer to expressing their faith through making disciples who are learning followers of Jesus. Understanding the authority Jesus has in making disciples gives us courage with grace to make disciples. It is our privilege and our pleasure to represent Jesus to the world in this way.

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18 – Faith worships

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Faith grows a heart of gratitude, recognizing God’s blessings in every circumstance. And thankfulness shapes our attitudes and behaviour, which leads to joy and contentment for the believer in Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

The heart of worship is the act of assigning worth to God. Faith does this by affirming God’s good character in both the comfortable and difficult times of life. By exercising faith, we acknowledge that God  is the ultimate reality and the source of all good. This acknowledgement builds worship because it places our focus entirely on God’s nature rather than our circumstances.

Worship often takes place in the “waiting room of faith.” When our lives are put on hold because of difficult circumstances, it then that we must trust God’s merciful sovereignty. It is in the “waiting room of faith” that we are able to humbly engage in silent, humble, and dependant acts of  praise. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Faith accepts, faith submits, faith acknowledges God, and faith expresses gratitude that rises above our limited understanding of a situation.

By not trusting in our human understanding of life and God, we step off our imagined throne of authority and allow God back onto it. This is an act of submission which sacrifices pride and self-dependence. This is faith in action, trusting God’s plan over our own doubts and fears, worshipping  God instead of challenging Him.

Faith that worships God expresses itself through obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22 reminds us, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” When we act in faith, we are demonstrating that we value God and His Word above our own comfort. Faith worships God because we love Him, which is precisely what He is worthy of. The Lord explains this in Hosea 6:6, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” You see, humans can easily get trapped into thinking that religious ceremony is the best we can offer God, but that is false. A person who knows God personally through faith in His Son Jesus Christ, and has steadfast love for God, is the person that the Lord treasures as a beloved child.

When worship is energised by faith, it expresses a loving and intimate relationship between Almighty God and a reborn sinner. It is the cross of Jesus Christ that makes the difference. Colossians 1:21-22 explains the transformation. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

Worship is not restricted to the songs we sing on Sunday; it is defined by the life we live every day of the week. When faith is motivated by love for God and for others, worship becomes a rich expression of that faith that produces joy and contentment. Faith offers our entire life as a “living sacrifice” which God says is “holy and acceptable worship” (Romans 12:1). That is the ultimate act of worship, and faith fuels it.

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17 – Faith cultivates humility and generosity

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Faith, as revealed throughout the Bible, is not just a personal conviction or intellectual line of thought  but a transformative belief that shapes character and behaviour. Central in this transformation are the twin qualities of humility and generosity, which faith develops within the believer’s heart. These qualities are not accidental but essential fruits of a living faith that trusts in God’s grace and reflects His love to others.

Humility is foundational to biblical faith. The Scriptures consistently teach that faith begins with recognizing our dependence on God. Proverbs 3:5 and 7 exhorts believers to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” and “be not wise in your own eyes.” This trust requires surrendering self-reliance and pride, acknowledging that God alone is sovereign and wise.

This humility naturally flows into generosity. As faith humbles us before God, it also opens our eyes to the needs of others and the call to love sacrificially. Paul, quoting Jesus in Acts 20:35, said that “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” highlighting generosity as a priority in a faithful life.

The early church demonstrated this, sharing possessions so that “there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34). Faith awakens a generous attitude because it recognizes that all we have is given to us by God and entrusted to us for the good of others. It is not clinging to possessions but freely sharing that reflects God’s generous grace.

Plus, faith-driven generosity is not limited to material giving but extends to time, abilities, and compassion. The Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:25-37) illustrates how faith should compel us to act mercifully towards our neighbours in need, regardless of social or cultural boundaries. Such generosity flows from a heart transformed by God’s love. When Jesus asked the lawyer to whom He had just told this parable to, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36). The lawyer answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).

Faith acknowledges our dependence upon God which leads to humility. James 4:6 teaches that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore, faith recognises that salvation and all of life’s blessings are gifts from God and helps to prevent pride and self-reliance. For the Christian, faith centred on Jesus Christ comes before all earthly priorities. Having a humble heart before God should reset the believer’s values in all matters of life.

Trusting God’s provision through faith encourages believers to give generously. Faith frees us from fear of not having our needs met, and it motivates us to share our resources with those in need, reflecting God’s love and generosity. Which is in essence what Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

In conclusion, faith cultivates humility by teaching us our dependence on God and shaping us into servants like Christ. Humility then expresses itself through generosity. As we recognise God’s provisions to us we respond by giving freely to others. Together, humility and generosity form the visible fruit of authentic faith.  Through faith, believers become humble stewards and generous givers, reflecting the merciful heart of God in a broken and selfish world.

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16 – Faith inspires courage and boldness

By / Expressions of Faith / 2 minutes of reading

Faith empowers us to face fears and challenges boldly. When we trust God’s power and presence, we can stand firm in difficult situations, speak truth, and act courageously for His kingdom.

Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Following are some of the sources for spiritual courage.
Ø  Obviously, the first and most important is to look to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as our ultimate source of courage (Psalm 31:24; Isaiah 41:10; Jeremiah 1:5).

Ø  We hold onto our identity and secure position “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:4;  2 Corinthians 5:17).

Ø  We remind ourselves, and praise God for the “blessed hope” we have in Christ (Romans 15:13; Titus 2:13).

Ø  We look to God’s Word as a source of courage (Psalm 56:3; 119:105; Hebrews 4:12).

Ø  We look to believers who are stronger and more mature in the faith for an example of courage and for human counselling for courage (Proverbs 11:14; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Hebrews 12:1).

Ø  We spend time in communion with God through prayer which produces courage (Psalm 27:14; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 4:2; 1 Peter 5:7).

Ø  We also look to creation for inspiration of courage (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16).

All these are possible because we believe in the God who is active in all these areas, that’s faith in action. We do not sit back and give in to the things which discourage us, which hurt us, and that make us ineffective for Christ. It is our responsibility to seek God’s resources in our lives for overcoming fear and timidity, as that is the nature of God’s Spirit who lives in us. 2 Timothy 1:7, for God gave us a Spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Sometimes we will need help in identifying and removing the things in our lives which cause doubts, anxiety, laziness, unfaithfulness, impurity, fear, lying, anger, and offence. This is all part of putting  off the old self with its practices and putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:9-10 loosely quoted). But this is necessary if we want to walk in the victory that the Lord Jesus Christ offers us.

Faith in God is the in mechanism within the believer that actives all the resources God has provided so we can be people of courage.

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15 – Faith produces patience and endurance

By / Expressions of Faith / 3 minutes of reading

Faith enables believers to endure trials and delays in answered prayer. Trusting God’s timing and God’s purposes enables us to wait patiently while remaining steadfast, knowing that God  is working all things for good. This endurance shapes our character and strengthens our witness to others.

In Romans 5:3-4, Paul explains the implications of such faith. We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. It is faith that enables a believer to agree with God’s Word when Paul says he knows suffering produces endurance. Faith acknowledges the blessings of endurance, and faith confesses that patience with God and with one another is good and righteous. Faith transforms endurance of suffering into Christlike character that hopes in God more than when life is easy and comfortable.

Psalm 130:5-6 reads, I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning… Faith provides the strength to wait for the Lord. Waiting is more than an intellectual or emotional idea; it is a spiritual operation of God the Holy Spirit within the child of God. Instead of allowing impatience to grow into ingratitude or rebellion, faith looks to God’s Word in hope of God fulfilling His Word in His time and for His purposes. Faith also energises the believer to wait upon the Lord with expectation of Him fulfilling His Word in our lives. This spiritual expectation inspires trusting endurance with thankful worship because Yahweh is a God worthy of our trusting hope.

It’s as the apostle Paul wrote, by faith we are convinced that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:37-39). So, we wait patiently, knowing that God is working in our lives for His glory and our good. We wait, knowing that our circumstances can never separate us from God’s love. And while we wait, we worship by speaking well of Jesus Christ, we serve others, we disciple others, and we look for the soon return of Jesus Christ to rescue us from this sinful world.

Faith while waiting for the Lord calls for intentional humility, and humility grows out of trusting God’s grace. Jesus’ half-brother James wrote about this in James 4:6-8. But He (God) gives more grace… “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Faith surrenders our pride and stubborn attitudes to God, asking Him to graciously change us. We do this by submitting to God, and in submitting to God in all things the devil is resisted by us. God comes first for the Christian, and the Christian always moves closer to God when life becomes more difficult. Faith feeds off God’s grace, and grace becomes the power of God feeding our faith more and more as we wait upon the Lord.

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