Embracing Faith: Navigating Our Crisis of Belief

Devotional

Day 1: The Ripple Effect of Faith

Faith is not just a personal journey; it is a communal experience that can inspire and uplift those around us. When individuals, especially the youth, step out in faith, their courage and enthusiasm can ignite a similar passion in others. This contagious nature of faith creates a ripple effect, encouraging a community to collectively embrace opportunities to serve and love others. By actively engaging in acts of faith, we not only grow spiritually but also motivate others to do the same, fostering a supportive and dynamic community of believers. [27:38]

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life has inspired you with their faith? How can you take a step today to inspire someone else in your community?

Day 2: Seeing Others Through Christ's Eyes

To truly embody the love of Christ, we must learn to see others as He does, without bias or prejudice. This perspective challenges us to engage with people from all walks of life, recognizing that God is at work in their lives just as He is in ours. By overcoming our initial impressions and biases, we open ourselves to deeper connections and opportunities to share God's love. This approach not only enriches our relationships but also aligns us more closely with Christ's mission of love and acceptance. [33:10]

"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone you have judged based on first impressions. How can you approach them differently this week, seeing them through the eyes of Christ?

Day 3: Embracing Spiritual Curiosity

As spiritual curiosity grows in our nation, believers have a unique opportunity to guide others toward experiencing God. This requires us to be active participants in God's work, ready to share His love and truth with those seeking answers. By responding to this curiosity with openness and compassion, we can help others discover the transformative power of a relationship with God. Our role is not to have all the answers but to be willing guides on their spiritual journey. [38:41]

"Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you engage with someone who is spiritually curious this week? What steps can you take to be a gracious and open guide in their journey?

Day 4: The Challenge of a Crisis of Belief

A crisis of belief is a pivotal moment that requires us to put our faith into action. It is an opportunity to trust God and step into His work, even when it challenges our comfort and understanding. These moments, though difficult, allow us to experience God in profound ways and can lead to significant spiritual growth. By choosing obedience over comfort, we align ourselves with God's will and open the door to deeper experiences of His presence and power. [45:46]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." (James 1:2-3, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a current challenge in your life that could be a crisis of belief. How can you choose faith and obedience in this situation today?

Day 5: The Power of Sharing Our Stories

Our personal experiences of God are powerful testimonies that can inspire and motivate others. By sharing our stories, we encourage others to step out in faith and experience God in their own lives. These testimonies serve as beacons of hope and encouragement, demonstrating the transformative power of faith. When we openly share how God has worked in our lives, we not only strengthen our own faith but also build up the faith of those around us. [49:38]

"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." (Revelation 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one story of God's work in your life that you can share with someone this week? How might your testimony encourage them in their own faith journey?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we explored the profound concept of a "crisis of belief," a pivotal moment that requires faith in action. This is not merely a challenge but an invitation from God to step into His work and experience Him more deeply. We began by reflecting on the contagious enthusiasm of our youth, who exemplified what it means to embrace opportunities with courage and faith. Their actions remind us that being the church is about more than attending services; it's about actively engaging with our community and sharing God's love in tangible ways.

We discussed the importance of seeing every person through the eyes of Christ, recognizing that God is always at work around us. This perspective challenges us to overcome our biases and engage with everyone, regardless of our initial impressions. The love of Christ compels us to live not for ourselves but for others, seeing each interaction as an opportunity to share His love.

The sermon also highlighted the increasing spiritual curiosity in our nation, a trend that presents a unique opportunity for us to guide others toward experiencing God. We are called to be active participants in God's work, responding to His revelations as invitations to join Him in His mission.

A key story shared was about a teenage girl who, prompted by God, reached out to a peer in distress. This act of faith illustrates the essence of a crisis of belief: a moment where we must choose between comfort and obedience. Such decisions, though challenging, allow us to experience God in profound ways and impact those around us.

Finally, we were encouraged to share our stories of experiencing God, as these testimonies can inspire and motivate others. Our personal crises of belief, when met with faith, not only deepen our relationship with God but also serve as a beacon of hope and encouragement to others.

Key Takeaways

1. Contagious Faith: The enthusiasm of our youth serves as a reminder that faith is contagious. When we step out in faith, it encourages others to do the same, creating a ripple effect of courage and belief within our community. [27:38]
2. Seeing Through Christ's Eyes: We are challenged to view every person as God does, without bias or prejudice. This perspective compels us to engage with others, recognizing that God is at work in their lives, just as He is in ours. [33:10]
3. Responding to Spiritual Curiosity: As our nation becomes more spiritually curious, we have a responsibility to guide others toward experiencing God. This requires us to be active participants in His work, ready to share His love and truth. [38:41]
4. Crisis of Belief: A crisis of belief is a turning point that requires faith in action. It is an opportunity to trust God and step into His work, even when it challenges our comfort and understanding. [45:46]
5. Sharing Our Stories: Our experiences of God are powerful testimonies that can inspire and motivate others. By sharing our stories, we encourage others to step out in faith and experience God in their own lives. [49:38]
** [49:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Youth's Contagious Faith
[03:15] - Experiencing God at Every Age
[06:45] - Be the Church in the Community
[10:20] - Seeing Through Christ's Eyes
[14:00] - Spiritual Curiosity in the Nation
[18:30] - God's Revelation as an Invitation
[22:10] - Crisis of Belief Explained
[27:38] - Story of Faith in Action
[33:10] - Engaging with Others
[38:41] - Testimony of Obedience
[45:46] - Understanding Crisis of Belief
[49:38] - Sharing Our Stories
[53:54] - Esau's Missed Opportunity
[56:41] - Embracing God's Invitation

Sermon Clips

"I passed one of our young, probably preteen would have to be the age I'd have to pick. And I'm walking through the room earlier as I normally do and just praying over the pews and praying over you and just prepping for the service mentally and they've got their Experiencing God book open, the same one that you're holding. And just reading through it, making notes. I mean, they weren't just randomly reading through it. They were making notes and looking up stuff. And I thought, man, that's cool. I love that. I love how we're experiencing at every age level." [00:21:50] (34 seconds)

"God, if you are in me, if Jesus is in me, then I should see every person the way that Jesus would see the people around me. And Lori and I talked about that struggle. Because there are some people that we naturally would have walked up to and went, hey, how you doing? Good. Good to see you. Man, we'd love to invite you to our church. And there's other people that I walk past and I'm like, ah, I don't know if they're a fit. Why would I even think that?" [00:27:38] (30 seconds)

"I watched a couple of different videos this week. One of the things that was highlighted in the news this morning, and I just had it on in the background while I was grabbing some breakfast, was that the nation itself is becoming more spiritual. That was the note, spiritual. It didn't say they were becoming believers in God. They were just becoming more spiritual from all the things that's happened in the last four to six years." [00:27:48] (25 seconds)

"God speaks by his spirit, and the problem is that some of us aren't hearing God because this is where we get to the middle of this series, and now some of this depends on us. Okay? The reason we don't hear God is because there's a barrier. There's something that we've created that we're not hearing him. It just could be strictly just busyness. I mean, you may be very obedient. You may be doing a lot of other things that you should be doing, but you're just so busy that that's a distraction." [00:31:14] (29 seconds)

"God created an opportunity, and they had an opportunity to respond and share, and they did. I had another person tell me that they were in a work situation, and all of a sudden the conversation turned spiritual. The opportunity presented itself. And it was like ding, ding, ding, ding. Oh, that's what we've been talking about for the last few weeks. Yeah, it's like all of a sudden we have that aha moment, and that's what we're going to be talking about today." [00:29:31] (26 seconds)

"God's going to give you an answer for every challenge that you're facing. What did he tell Moses to tell Pharaoh when he said, who's coming and knocking on my door? Tell him I am. Man, he just gave him a name. And he just said, just tell him, I am. I am sent to you. What am I? I am the answer to your fears. I am the answer to your physical needs. I am the answer to everything." [00:57:08] (31 seconds)

"Faith motivates me to step into what God's invited me to do, but on the other hand, nah, not so much. I sit back because it's safer just to stay where I'm at. And it shows you where you are personally. This crisis, this challenge is going to show you really where you're at and how much you trust God and what's going on. Now, don't beat yourself up if your inclination is to sit down because that's what we typically lean into." [00:49:01] (25 seconds)

"Process that for just a second. It is a crucial turning point of a decision based on what you believe. So why don't we face this crisis of belief in the first place? Well, because what it does is it brings glory to God. It brings, the focus is on him. It's not on us. Moses gave all these excuses for why he wasn't the right person. You're going to be looking into that in your groups this week and you're going to be talking through that." [00:54:41] (30 seconds)

"God's invite always leads to a crisis of belief. It's a part of it. I wish I could say that we're not going to have to face that when God calls you to something big, but this is a part of the pattern that we see in the scripture over and over and over again. It's going to be a part of it all right so you just got to lean into it." [01:06:31] (22 seconds)

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