Faith | Building Faith through Acts of Trust: Unshakeable Faith - Part 3
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BUILDING FAITH THROUGH ACTS OF TRUST
Unshakeable Faith – Part 3
Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith Stewart
April 28, 2024
#god #realspringcreekchurch #unshakeablefaith #faith #bible #actsoftrust #trust #truth #align #beliefs #actions
https://www.springcreekchurch.org/
We say it all the time, “I totally trust God”. It rolls right off the tongue. But if I truly trust God, how do I demonstrate it? Beyond my words – how is my trust (my faith in God) - demonstrated through my actions? We all know it’s one thing to give mental assent to a truth. But it’s another thing entirely to put that same truth into practice. This message is intended to help you align your beliefs with your actions.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. One of the things that gets in the way of building an unshakable faith is the very way we define faith. Faith is often reduced to belief, a passive cerebral event, something I think but may or may not impact my lifestyle at all. That definition is completely foreign to the New Testament. In the Bible, to believe is to have so much confidence in a thing that I’m willing to risk it all for its truth. What other things do you believe so strongly that impact the way you live, the choices you make, and the person you are?
2. God made this world to operate according to the law of the harvest or as it’s called in Scripture, the law of sowing and reaping. Pastor Keith gave many examples of how this law is in operation in farming, families, friendship, failure, and finance. Can you think of some examples of this from your own life, that of your family, or others you may know? Have you ever gotten in the way of someone else’s consequence? What was that like? How do you feel about it in retrospect?
3. Truly God is the owner of all things. This is, in part, why the term stewardship is often used to describe our relationship to money. A steward, by definition, is someone who manages the affairs and/or assets of somebody else. How does God’s ownership of your money, assets, and very life affect the way you live? How you spend? Your priorities? Your giving?
4. Psalm 126 describes sowing seeds with tears and Pastor Keith gave an example from sub-Saharan Africa as to how this plays out in many impoverished agrarian societies. Allegorically speaking, have you ever sown seed when to do so was difficult? When you were already facing other challenges? When it truly was an act of faith? What was that like for you? How did things work out or did they not? Discuss C.S. Lewis’ quote, “I'm afraid Biblical giving is more than merely giving away that which we could afford to do without anyway.”
5. If you feel comfortable doing so, discuss with the group your own stewardship journey. Has giving ever been a challenge to you? If so, why? Why does Jesus tell us that money is a small matter with huge implications? That if we don’t learn to handle a little thing like money, how can we ever be trusted with what has true value in the kingdom? What victories have you had around giving? Where have you seen God come through for you?
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