Transformative Power of Faith in Our Lives

1) "I believe the church isn't just coming together on Sundays. I think that's vitally important to connecting together and growing together and getting filled up. But I believe the church is what happens outside of the walls. I believe it's not just what happens here but outside of the walls. And so the way that you serve over the past week and a half, and I know it's not over. I know you're going to continue doing that. But not only that, the way you show up for Serve Saturdays, the way that you show up during the week to serve on different opportunities, you matter week every year. It's just so much. We believe as a church that our job is to impact people where they are and just love them right where they are, meet needs right where they are." [33:14] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "I believe that the opposite of faith is not unbelief. I believe the opposite of faith is sight. 2 Corinthians says this, we live by faith and not by? Why? Because often what I know and believe is not what I see. Here's what I know. I know God is good and I know God is loving and I know God is caring, but if I only focus on what I see, everything I see in the world can deter my faith. The world's crazy today. Can we just be honest, right? And I'm not even just talking about like the political season. God forbid, I wish that would just go away, right? Or social media, one of the two, that'd be awesome, right? But the reality, I know y'all are like, you're getting tight today. No, I do. Because if we focus only on what we see, we will begin to determine or we will begin to be distracted by what we believe." [35:45] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "Faith is not just believing God for the things you can't do. Oftentimes when we hear the word faith, we're like, well, I can't do that so I'll trust God to do that. I would submit to you that faith is not just believing God for the things that you can't do, although it is that. It is also involving God in the things that you can. Because here's the truth. You can get the promotion. Work hard enough. Suck up to the boss a little bit. Right? Do your job. Turn things in on time. Be respectful. Be loving. Treat people well. There's a corporate way that you can go about this and get the promotion. But what if it was faith to go, God, I know I can do this, but I'm going to submit it to you and let you take control." [42:18] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God. So that what is seen was not made out of the things which are visible. In other words, you can't comprehend what God made and how he made it. As much as we try, our human minds cannot comprehend it. We don't get it. I know, I know. You've got it all figured out. Except we don't. Because it's not made out of things that are visible to us." [45:01] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "Faith turns our attention to what could be and what should be. Faith turns our attention towards what could and should be. Look at the first part of verse one. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The assurance of things hoped for. The assurance of things hoped for. Assurance is the key word in this whole thing. The word assurance means this. It means promise. Confidence. Or conviction. It means this. Let me read it like this. Now faith is the confidence. The promise. The conviction of things hoped for. I don't know about you but everything I hope for I don't have yet. Right? And so it's this idea that I have this confidence that I may not have it in my hand yet but God's bringing it." [47:48] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "Faith turns conviction into action. Watch the second part of verse one. It's now faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things not seen. Let me clarify something. Conviction is not just the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach. Whenever you've done something you know you shouldn't do. That's not just conviction. That is corrective conviction. It's God's correction. It's God going hey. Let's not do that again. Alright. Let's go in the opposite direction. Let's change that behavior. Let's change that discipline. Let's change that. That is conviction as well. But true conviction is this. It's defined as a firmly held belief. And so what happens is when I have a firmly held belief. And I really believe it. And I really hold it strong. I begin to live it boldly." [53:54] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "Faith brings God joy. It says this in verse 2. For by it. Being the faith. Men of old gained approval. Now if we read that as. I gotta gain. And I gotta work for. And I gotta be a part. Like it's by works. And all that stuff. We'll go see. See works. Are approval. But the writer in verse 6 explains it more. And he says. And without faith. It is impossible to please him. It doesn't say. Without your perfect attendance. Without your life group. Without the. All of that is incredibly important. Incredibly. I think we should all be a part of that. But it says. Without faith. Without the confidence in who he is. Without the firmly held belief and conviction. Of what he says. Without faith. It is impossible to please him." [01:01:19] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "While God is not intimidated by your doubts. He is absolutely overjoyed by your faith. And the hope. The hope of a spiritual journey with Christ. Is this idea. That we can go from skepticism. And pessimism. And doubt. And hurt. And trauma. And pain. And we can take this journey. That now takes us to where I know the heart of God. I know the character of God. I know the one that loves me. I know the one that forgives me. I know the one that walks with me. I know the one that talks with me. I know the one. And because I know the one. And because I know him I got faith. And all of a sudden God just begins to smile. He's like man they get it. They believe that it's not just their work. They believe it's not just their ways. They believe it's not just them. But it is faith in God that brings God joy." [01:02:31] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)