Grow Faith 2-12-22

Grow Faith

Where did we come from?  How did creation come into reality?  Are we a result of random chemicals coming together over time, accidentally creating humanity??  The truth is: Humanity and Creation are not an accident. 

Genesis 1

 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God, he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

God’s word created everything.  Creation was perfect!  These verses do not attempt to tell us how all of this happened!  My understanding is that this process did not occur in 7 24-hour days!  It took billions of our years.  These verses tell us Why this creation happened.  The bible is not a science book, but a book telling us why God has done for creation.

Then what happened?  God gave man a choice on how he wanted to live in creation.  As it turned out man’s pride was influenced by Satan and he chose to rebel against God.  Adam and Eve’s rebellion brought death to creation. This rebellion has eternal consequences. God is a just God, the law says that sin brings death.  No exceptions. This choice brings all of the situations that we deal with today.  Hate, war, unrest, death, greed, lust, everything evil!

So now what does God do?  He loves mankind so very much; he must find a way to fulfill the law and the penalty if sin.

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God offered his only son to die for our sins.  To pay for the sin that was brought into creation.  We see here the amount of love God has for us.  We have been forgiven if we accept Jesus as our savior.  When we open the door to our heart and accept Christ, we begin a journey of faith.  This faith journey is full of joy and also challenges, sadness, disappointment.  However, God promises us salvation from our sins.  We need to work every day to grow our faith in God.

Take advantage of every chance you have to form your faith – through small groups, classes, and personal study. Be a disciple and look to learn from those who know more of the Bible and

Christian life than you do, then look for opportunities to share what you’ve gained with someone else.

Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8: 34)

You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” (2 Timothy 2: 2)

Ideas for Action: If you’re not currently in a small group, call the church office and ask for assistance in finding one. Ask for some time with someone whose faith you respect and pick their brains on their practices of faith formation.

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, please know that he is ready to come into your life, all you need to do is to accept him and be granted the forgiveness that God has offered you.  Today can be the day that you take your first day in faith by accepting Jesus into your life.  Please reach out to me to share the news, and let me pray with you in your new reborn life.