Genuine Faith

"Faith is the silver thread upon which the pearls of the graces are to be hung. Break that, and you have broken the string-- the pearls lie scattered on the ground."
                                                           Charles H. Spurgeon




The culture in which we live promotes much in the way that is false and disingenuous. It astounds me that when we turn on the news today it has very little to do with the truth. Instead, every story we watch or article that we read is either advancing an agenda or propping up a lie that has been proven to be untrue. It has now become easy to predict what will be said just by virtue of what station you listen to or news source that you read. Truth is irrelevant and the prevailing mantra today is that the ends justify the means.

Unfortunately, our culture has also had its impact within the church. Oftentimes, we promote the talented (in a worldly sense) and support those with a business acumen instead of  handling things within the church in a biblical manner. We follow and support the "superstars" in Christianity instead of valuing our elders who have walked with Jesus throughout the duration of their lives. In good times and in bad times. In both victory and defeat. These are the ones who carry the graces of the faith with both dignity and honor.

God designed Christianity in such a way that the church would impact the the world and the cultures in which it exists. Somehow, we have lost the power and effect of the church in our nation to such an extent that violence and lies and perversions become the discussions of the day. We need both an awakening and a resurgence of the true power of Christ within our midst.

Almost 300 years ago, Jonathan Edwards wrote a sermon entitled, "All the graces of Christianity Connected". In this sermon, he taught about how faith and love and hope and humility and trust and fear of God were inextricably linked together. He went on to say that not only are they linked together, but they also are dependent upon one another. He said that "where one is wanting, all are wanting".

Charles Spurgeon expounded on this idea by stating that faith was the thread that supported all the pearls of the graces. If our faith is broken, all the other pearls are scattered to the ground. He was referring to a genuine faith, a faith that is not proud or boastful. Instead, it is a faith that is humble and patient and reliant on the mercies of our generous Lord.

Genuine faith is never centered on man. Not on his gifts, or talents, or accomplishments. Genuine faith is always centered on God and on His love for us, followed by our reciprocal love based on who He is and what He has done for us. This love is first vertical with our Creator and then horizontal to our fellow man.

Paul wrote to Timothy that "all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith" (1 Timothy 1:5). This was written at a time when the people were saturated with false teachings that Paul referred to as "fables and endless genealogies"1 These teachings did not produce love, purity, clear consciences, and genuine faith. Instead, they caused hypocrisies, legalism, and all sorts of other problems.

The same is true today. Not only are teachings corroborating the "me" generation that prevails in our culture, but we are also saturated both with words and songs that promote false teachings within the church. Instead of concisely presenting the Gospel, which is "Good News" that is God-honoring, often what we hear is focused on man and ways that he can be favored and blessed and avoid all the difficulties in life. What this produces is discouragement and disillusionment because it is all based on false doctrine.

It is time for the church to look at what we are promoting and what we are producing. And that begins with each one of us individually. We know that our society is producing demigods, but what is it that the church is producing? The last time I checked, the statistics within the church of divorce and pornography and other maladies are no different than they are within the general population.

How can this be? Do all the people who attend church and confess to be a Christian have a real and genuine faith? Do we see our own struggles with pride, and selfishness, and being judgmental, and a lack of the graces of the faith? Or do we soldier on, promoting and producing the same ole stuff that has lost its saltiness and light?

Now is the moment for repentance and truly seeking the face of God. Now is the time to inquire about the things that we need to shift to fully become aligned with the ways and purposes of God. Now is the time to discard all that is not pure and genuine and producing good fruit.

There is a possibility that even in this next week, the trajectory of our country could take an unimaginable turn for the worst. I truly pray that this does not happen and that God will hear and answer the cries of His people. But we are definitely dangling on an unknown precipice that none of us wants to traverse.

We have to wake up. We have to warn others. We have to keep a short account with God when it comes to our sins. Above all, we have to make sure that we have a faith that is genuine, a heart that is pure, and a clean conscience.


Prayer- Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you that you have blessed us with a nation that was founded with the intent of life, liberty, and justice for all. You have blessed us as a nation like no other nation is blessed. Forgive us for all the ways that we have taken these blessings for granted and all the ways we have used them for selfish purposes. Forgive us for kicking you out of our courtrooms and school rooms and public discourse. Forgive us for taking the good gifts you have given to us and used them for destructive purposes. Forgive us for persecuting those who love you and honoring those who do not. Forgive us for the times that we have not been genuine in our own faith, and we have placed our personal desires above the desires and purposes of Your Heart. Forgive us for any other idols that we have allowed in our lives or placed before You.  Forgive me for...

Your Word promises us that if Your children, called by Your Name, will humble themselves and seek Your Face, that you will hear from heaven,  forgive our sins,  and heal our land. Oh Sovereign Lord, that is the cry of our hearts. We need Your intervention and Your healing and Your presence. Please be a bright Light within our nation once again and cause yet another Great Awakening within our land.

Please allow Your will to be done in these mid-term elections and cause our laws and lawmakers to once again honor and glorify You. We understand that this is not about politics; rather it is a spiritual battle for the future heart and soul of our country. You are the Life-Giver, and we ask You to once again breathe life into this nation that has turned its' back on You.

We love You, Lord, and pray all these things in Jesus' Mighty Name.





             ** PLEASE BE IN PRAYER FOR OUR MID-TERM ELECTIONS**
                                         **DON"T FORGET TO VOTE**


1. Wiersbe Bible Commentary:New Testament, pub. by David C. Cook, 2007.