I’m Changing: Having Faith For Others

So often we pour most of our effort in getting faith for ourselves. What if we were meant to have faith for others? What if we changed our focus to mature, and extend our faith to ignite others to believe in God?

I, Paul, am writing this letter. I serve Christ Jesus. I have been appointed to be an apostle. God set me apart to tell others his good news. 2 He promised the good news long ago. He announced it through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 3 The good news is about God’s Son. As a human being, the Son of God belonged to King David’s family line. 4 By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was appointed to be the mighty Son of God because he rose from the dead. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 I received God’s grace because of what Jesus did so that I could bring glory to him. He made me an apostle to all those who aren’t Jews. I must invite them to have faith in God and obey him. 6 You also are among those who are appointed to belong to Jesus Christ.

Romans 1: 1-6 (NIRV)

Faith to Face Facts

When there was no reason for hope, Abraham believed because he had hope. He became the father of many nations, exactly as God had promised. God said, “That is how many children you will have.” (Genesis 15:5) 19 Without becoming weak in his faith, Abraham accepted the fact that he was past the time when he could have children. At that time he was about 100 years old. He also realized that Sarah was too old to have children.

Romans 4:18-19 (NIRV)

We have things in our life that make it seem impossible for God to use us to do great things. We have to learn from Abraham to not weaken in our faith

• Acceptance – God gave me my struggles and challenges.
• Realization – This not only affected him, but Sarah as well. It affects our family and everyone around us.

We overcome weakening in our faith by praying to see how God wants to use each challenge to help others.

Faith for Others

But he kept believing in God’s promise. He became strong in his faith. He gave glory to God. 21 He was absolutely sure that God had the power to do what he had promised. 22 That’s why “God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.”

Romans 4:20-22 (NIRV)

Abraham kept believing! He never used his circumstances as an excuse.

• What excuses are we giving ourselves for not sharing the good news we have?
• How patient are we to waiting for the promises of God to come true?
• Do you still believe that we are supposed to have many spiritual children – children born from our faith?

He was absolutely sure that God had the power – God still does miracles; he is still moved by faith. Unfortunately, we spend most of our time on getting faith for ourselves. God’s promise was not for Abraham, but for others that would come after him.

Questions/Application

• What facts do we need to accept about our life or circumstances?
• What realization does God desire us to have that will lead us to having purpose and impact on others?
• What would need to change in our life and schedule to stay involved in helping someone become a Disciple in 2014?

Additional reading

• Read the book of Romans.
• Pick a verse in each chapter to memorize that inspires you to have faith for others.
• Look for stories in the news that remind us that the world needs change.