2025 A FAITH YEAR!
This is going to be a year of FAITH DISCOVERY.
LEARNING about FAITH.
CULTIVATING our FAITH.
LIVING by FAITH.
RELEASING our FAITH.
Our key Scripture for our theme which I believe the Holy Spirit has given me is LUKE 18:8 NKJ ‘Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes will He really find FAITH on the earth? LIVING BIBLE Yes! He will answer them quickly! But the question is: When I the Messiah return how many will I find who have faith and are praying?’ MESSAGE ‘But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns? AMP I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However when the Son of Man comes will He find this kind of persistent faith on the earth?’
This verse was in response to a parable Jesus gave famously known as the Parable of the Persistent Widow. LUKE 18:1-18 CEV ‘Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up 2 In a town there was once a judge who didn’t fear God or care about people. 3 In that same town there was a widow who kept going to the judge and saying ‘Make sure that I get fair treatment in court.’ 4 For a while the judge refused to do anything. Finally he said to himself ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about people 5 I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don’t help her she will wear me out.’ 6 The Lord said: Think about what that crooked judge said. 7 Won’t God protect his chosen ones who pray to him day and night? Won’t he be concerned for them? 8 He will surely hurry and help them. But when the Son of Man comes will he find on this earth anyone with faith?’
This is a parable about the dynamic of faith but there is also an End-Time reference to Christ’s return which is really important. In fact, I really could have gone two ways with our theme as the return of Jesus Christ has been weighing heavily on my heart for some time now but I felt the Holy Spirit say to me that it’s important to teach on FAITH as it’s what Jesus will be looking for when He returns.
Jesus spoke a lot about FAITH consider these verses which I will share more on throughout the year.
MATTHEW 17:20 NLT ‘You don’t have enough faith‘ Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. MATTHEW 17:20 AMP He answered ‘Because of your little faith your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God for I assure you and most solemnly say to you if you have living faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there’ and if it is God’s will it will move and nothing will be impossible for you. CEV ‘Everything would be possible for you.’
MARK 11:22-23 NKJ ‘So Jesus answered and said to them ‘Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done he will have whatever he says.’
FAITH is the currency of Heaven and is needed on the earth to live a victoriously Christian life. A measure of FAITH is God-given and God breathed into the soul of a person so they can BELIEVE in the Gospel. But FAITH doesn’t end there in fact it’s only the beginning of learning to live the KINGDOM WAY.
One of the most powerful revelations any Christian can have is knowing what FAITH is.
FAITH IS ACTING ON GOD’S WORD!
FAITH by its very definition is an action.
FAITH does.
FAITH produces.
FAITH gets results.
FAITH should never been confused with BELIEF and may people confuse the two by saying they mean the same thing they don’t.
To BELIEVE means to take true facts presented but FAITH acts on the Word of God. A person can be BELIEVING all day but never actually ACT on God’s Word.
To say I BELIEVE and I have FAITH means you take true the facts presented about Jesus Christ and His word and you are prepared to ACT on those words…that’s FAITH!
God needs you to agree with His word and where there is an agreement FAITH is released. To two blind men Jesus said MATTHEW 9:29 NKJ ‘Then He touched their eyes saying ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ They decided to act on God’s Word by calling out to Jesus believing they would be healed.
Jesus Christ was anointed by the Holy Spirit and when that Anointed One came into contact with genuine faith miracles were the outcome.
FAITH connecting with the ANOINTING produces miracles, signs & wonders.
ROMANS 10:8 NKJ ‘But what does it say? ‘The word is near you in your mouth and in our heart that is the word of faith which we preach.’
The Apostles taught the Word of Faith and the close connection between what one believes in their heart and what they confess with their mouth. Believing and Confessing are key elements of the Word of Faith.
The Bible goes on to explain what the Word of Faith is in ROMANS 10:9-10 NKJ That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
BELIEVE + CONFESSION = SALVATION
This is the Bible formula for FAITH ACTIVATION or the WORD OF FAITH. You BELIEVE in your heart what God’s Word says and then you CONFESS with your mouth that which you BELIEVE to be true.
The Word of Faith is a doctrine that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated MARK 11:24 NKJ ‘Therefore I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you receive them and you will have them.’
You will notice the BELIEVING + CONFESSING connection which is how the Word of Faith is activated and every Believer needs to understand this dynamic principle.
Notice that Jesus taught the principle and purpose, not the application meaning what it can be used for. He said ‘whatsoever’ which means exactly that whatever. It will work in the positive and the negative so we need to be careful how we activate the Word of Faith of BELIEVING and CONFESSING.
PROVERBS 18:21 NKJ ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.’ MATTHEW 12:37 NKJ ‘For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.’
GOD’S WORD spoken plays a big role in activating FAITH.
FAITH IS A SUBSTANCE!
HEBREWS 11:1 NKJ ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.’
The supernatural substance of FAITH is contained in the Word of God. God’s Word as it says in HEBREWS 4:12 NKJ ‘For the Word of God is living and powerful.’
The Word of God is ‘living’. It’s a ‘substance’ and it’s all the ‘evidence’ we need for a miraculous outcome in Jesus name.
FAITH COMES! ROMANS 10:17 NKJ ‘So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.’
You can’t pray for more FAITH. ‘FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God’.
This is why the Word of God is so important but it’s not just knowing the Word of God is having REVELATION of God’s Word in your life.
One of the ancient Greek words for ‘word’ is RHEMA. Rhema means the Word of God spoken and actively revealed. In other words, the Word and PROMISE of God’s Word becomes one with you. It goes beyond knowing it as truth you actually believe and understand it to be manifested in your life. You become ONE with the Word.
Awesome Church we will embark on a journey of discovery in all things FAITH. What is FAITH? How do I get FAITH? Where does FAITH come from? What will FAITH do for me? How is FAITH hindered? What does the Bible say about FAITH? Why is FAITH important? These questions and more will be answered as we dedicate this year to FAITH.
ROMANS 1:16-17 NKJ ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written ‘The just shall live by faith.’
The Bible clearly teaches that Believers who have been justified by Christ must live by FAITH and FAITH remember is ACTING ON THE WORD. A FAITH person is a person who obeys God’s Word and acts on it. The Word of God is enthused with supernatural God breathed power HEBREWS 4:12 NKJ ‘For the Word of God is living and powerful.’
Christianity is a FAITH WALK and for this reason it’s repeated throughout scripture ‘The Just shall live by FAITH’. This year is dedicated to 2025 A FAITH YEAR as we focus on FAITH and specifically BIBLICAL FAITH which is what ultimately pleases God.
