Faith Insights

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 19: The Cost of Following Christ “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”— Luke 9:23 (ESV) In our last Insight, we considered what it means to surrender our will to God. That surrender can become difficult when we begin to see what obedience may cost. We may know what Christ is asking of us and still feel afraid to follow through. Perhaps telling the truth will put a relati

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 18: Surrender—When My Will Meets God’s Will “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”— Luke 22:42 (ESV) Repentance turns us back toward God. But as we continue walking with Him, we come to places where what we want and what God asks of us do not seem to lead in the same direction. What happens then? In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed with complete honesty: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Never

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 17: Repentance—Faith Turns Back to God “Repent and believe in the gospel.”— Mark 1:15 (ESV) Grace comes before obedience. God acts first—revealing, calling, loving, forgiving, and saving. But grace does not leave us facing the same direction. It calls us to turn. Jesus began His public ministry with these words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”— Mark 1:15 (ESV)

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 16: Grace Comes Before Obedience “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”— Ephesians 2:8 (ESV) In our last Faith Insight, we saw that love is the heart of obedience. We do not obey God in order to persuade Him to love us. We obey because He has loved us first. That truth leads us to one of the most important matters of order in the Christian life: Grace come

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 15: Love Is the Heart of Obedience “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” — John 14:21 (ESV) Throughout this part of our Faith That Lives journey, we have been considering what happens when trust becomes obedience. We have seen that obedience makes trust visible. We have seen that obedience sometimes comes before complete understanding. Saul warned us about the danger of partial obedience. S

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 14: Trusting God with the Outcome “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace... But if not... we will not serve your gods.”— Daniel 3:17–18 (ESV) There is a point at which obedience asks an especially difficult question: Will I still trust God if obedience does not produce the outcome I want? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced that question with their lives. King Nebuchadnezzar comman

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 13: Partial Obedience Reveals Divided Trust “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”— 1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV) In our last Faith Insight, the priests at the Jordan showed us that obedience sometimes comes before understanding. They trusted God enough to step forward. But Scripture also gives us examples of another kind of response—one that can look like obedience while quietly preserving

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 12: Obedience Often Comes Before Understanding “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”— Proverbs 3:5 (ESV) In our last Faith Insight, we considered an important truth: Obedience is faith made visible. But obedience becomes especially difficult when we cannot see what will happen after we obey. Israel faced such a moment at the Jordan River. After years in the wilderness, God'

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 11: Obedience Is Faith Made Visible “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”— James 2:18 (ESV) In our last several Faith Insights, we have watched faith respond to the call of God. Abraham went without knowing where the journey would lead. Noah built before he could see what God had foretold. Moses moved forward despite his own inadequacy because God promised, “I will be with you.

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 10: Peter—Trusting Christ Enough to Step Out “He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”— Matthew 14:29 (ESV) We began this part of our Faith That Lives journey with Jesus saying: “Follow me.” Then we watched Abraham go without knowing where the journey would lead. We watched Noah obey before visible circumstances confirmed what God had said. We watched Moses confront hi

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 9: Moses—Faith in the God Who Goes with Us “He said, ‘But I will be with you.’”— Exodus 3:12 (ESV) Abraham was called to go without knowing the destination. Noah was called to act before he could see the events God had foretold. Now Moses confronts another obstacle to living faith: What happens when the problem is not the uncertainty ahead of us, but the inadequacy we see within ourselves? When God called Moses from the

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 8: Noah—Obedience Before Visible Evidence “By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.”— Hebrews 11:7 (ESV) In our last Faith Insight, Abraham showed us that faith sometimes means taking the next step before we know where the entire journey will lead. Noah teaches us something closely related: Faith sometimes acts before there is v

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 7: Abraham—Called Before He Understood “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”— Hebrews 11:8 (ESV) In our last Faith Insight, we considered two words at the center of Christian discipleship: “Follow me.” Jesus' first disciples did not know everything that following Him would involve. They knew the One who

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 6: “Follow Me”—The Call at the Center of Faith “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”— Matthew 4:19 (ESV) During the first five teachings in our Faith That Lives series, we have been asking a foundational question: What does it mean to have a faith that truly lives? We have seen that God makes Himself known. Faith comes by hearing His Word. Biblical faith involves knowing God personally. And that

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 5: Faith Must Become a Way of Life “The righteous shall live by faith.”— Habakkuk 2:4 (ESV) This is the fifth teaching in our Faith That Lives series, as we continue exploring what it means to have a faith that is not merely believed, but lived. In our last insight, we considered the difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally. Scripture calls us into a relationship in which we hear His Word, trust His charac

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 4: Knowing God Is Relational “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me.’”— Jeremiah 9:23–24 (ESV) This is the fourth teaching in our Faith That Lives series, as we continue exploring what it means not merely to believe things about God, but to know,

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 3: Faith Comes by Hearing “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”— Romans 10:17 (ESV) This is the third teaching insight in our Faith That Lives series, as we continue exploring what it means to have a faith that is not merely believed, but lived. In our last insight, we considered a foundational truth: God makes Himself known. From Abraham to Moses and from the prophets to the coming of Je

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY TEACHING Faith Insight 2: The God Who Makes Himself Known “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I AM has sent me to you.”’”— Exodus 3:14 (ESV) This is the second teaching in our Faith That Lives series, in which we are exploring what Scripture means by a faith that is not merely believed, but lived. In our first teaching, we considered the simple but profound statement that “Enoch walked with God.”

FAITH THAT LIVES — WEEKLY INSIGHT Faith Insight 1: Beyond Belief — What Does It Mean to Have a Faith That Truly Lives? “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”— Genesis 5:24 (ESV) For many people, faith means believing certain things about God. We believe that God exists. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We believe the truths taught in Scripture. These truths matter deeply. But the Bible presents faith as something more than agreeing tha