Today at Citylight, Pastor Brian talked in part about the faith of Stephen. Stephen was one of the first deacons of the early church and from what is mentioned in the Bible, the first to be murdered for his faith after the crucifixion of Jesus. Luke records for us this description of Stephen in Acts 6:5 and 8:
And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit…And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.
In the span of four verses, Stephen is referred to twice as being a man “full of faith” or faithful. That’s quite a reputation.
But what does it really mean to be faithful? Some would say dependable, trustworthy, a believer. Those things are all true. But while I was listening this morning, the Lord reminded me of something my high school Bible teacher drilled into our heads over and over again:
Faith is the bridge between knowing and doing.
(Yes, Mr. Swain. I really was listening.) I didn’t fully understand what he meant by that at the time, but now I realize what he was trying to communicate. I can be full of knowledge about something or someone, but until I act on that knowledge, I don’t really have faith.
For example, I can know that losing weight requires diet and exercise, but no matter how badly I want to lose weight, nothing is going to happen until I actually do the work of eating right and sweatin’ to the oldies. Doing the work is proof of my faith in how God created the human body to function.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, said it this way:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. – James 1:22-25
This is something God has really been speaking to me about lately. I have been blessed with a solid foundation in knowledge of God and the Bible. I consider that such a huge privilege and I am very thankful for it. But knowing about the Bible isn’t enough. I must have faith. I must cross the bridge from the land of knowing into the land of doing.
I have to pray, and then act upon my prayers as God directs, believing that He is going to do what He promised. I have to choose to stop believing self-deceit and other lies of Satan and renew my mind with truths of who God says that I am in Jesus…and then act accordingly. I am a child of God. What princess do you know that walks around in shame, guilt and fear? As God’s child who has been cleansed and set free through the blood of my big brother, Jesus, I should be in a continual state of rejoicing, grace-filled living, excited to share what I have with others. To not live that way is to not be faith-ful.
I want to go out like Stephen. No, not in a storm of rocks being thrown at my head by an angry mob—with a smile on my face, looking up at Jesus standing in Heaven to welcome me home. I want to hear Him say, “well done my good, and faithful servant.” But I know, that in order for that to be true of me, I have some things to change in my life.
How about you?
I’m choosing this week to add one new thing to my schedule to take a step across the bridge of faith. Feel free to ask me how I’m doing! Accountability is a good thing. If you would like to join me, leave a comment below. We can pray for each other as we move forward in becoming “full of faith.”
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