Written By
jeff lucas MAY/JUN 2012
y a D y Ever
Faith academy Copyright Š CWR 2012 Published 2012 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK Tel: 01252 784700 Email: mail@cwr.org.uk Registered Charity No. 294387 Registered Limited Company No. 1990308 Front cover image: Getty Images/Taxi/Walter Wick Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR. Printed in England by Linney Print. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition), copyright Š 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society).
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how to get the best out of life every day HERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS:
• Ideally, carve out a regular time and place each day,
with as few distractions as possible. Ask God what He has to say to you. • Read the Bible passages suggested in the ‘Big Picture’
references. (As tempting as it is, try not to skip the Bible reading and get straight into the notes.) • The ‘Focus’ reference then gives you one or two
verses to look at in more detail. Consider what the reading is saying to you and what challenges that may bring. • Each day’s comments are part of an overall theme.
Try to recall what you read the previous day so that you maintain a sense of continuity. • Spend time thinking about how to apply what God
has said to you. Ask him to help you do this. • Pray the prayer at the end as if it were your own.
Perhaps add your own prayer in response to what you have read and been thinking about. Join in the conversation on Facebook for further comments on the notes: www.facebook.com/jefflucasuk
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of
I ask for prayer for anyone who is sick and, after the service, a man approaches me. ‘I’m believing for a complete healing,’ he says. But what does that mean? Does that statement, and the occasional prayer, mean he has true faith in this situation? Then I hear another person announce: ‘Faith is not believing that God can do something – it’s believing that He will do something.’ It sounds impressive, but is it really true? Unless God has categorically told us that, for example, physical healing is going to come for an illness described by the doctors as terminal, then to insist that He will do something is wishful thinking at best, and presumptive at worst. Then a preacher insists that we sing a worship song over again, because we ‘need to enter into a more intense level of faith’. Is that how faith works? Is it inextricably linked to excitement and crowd dynamics? A friend refuses to take his sick child to a doctor, insisting that ‘faith is enough’. The child almost dies. Yet another person describes his faith, but what he says sounds more like faith in faith, rather than faith in God. Like the disciples of Jesus who asked that their faith might increase, I’d like to grow in authentic faith. I’m sure you’d like that too. But, if that is to happen, we need to take a careful journey through the Hebrews’ ‘hall of faith’, to see if we can bring some thoughtful definition to what having faith really means. Let’s approach our journey together with open hearts – and ask God to deepen our trust in Him as we travel. Prayer: Lord, increase my faith, and develop my understanding of what it means to walk the life of faith. Amen.
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TUES 01 MAY
Faith confusion
BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 11:1–34 Luke 17:5–6 Focus
‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.’ (Heb. 11:1–2)
I’d like to grow in authentic faith
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WED 02 MAY
The context in Hebrews
BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 10:19–39 2 Timothy 2:1–13 Focus
‘So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.’ (Heb. 10:35–36)
Times were tough in the first century for many of the Jewish Christians to whom Hebrews was written. So the writer wants to encourage them to persevere, and firstly points out that God has not been silent in history. In various ways (and ultimately through Christ), He has revealed His heart and will to humanity. When life is chaotic, it’s vital to remember that, however we might feel, there is a God who speaks, and has sent Christ. Such knowledge will not vanquish every problem but, when we are under pressure, it means we can affirm that the universe is not meaningless (God has spoken) and we are not abandoned (God has sent His Son). And then the writer wants to remind those who struggle about the truth that Jesus Himself struggled and has come to do the mighty work of salvation on their behalf. But perhaps one of the greatest gifts that the writer of the Hebrews offers us is the realistic admission that life will be tough as we determine to follow Christ. We are shown a lonely, suffering Jesus, who pushes through rejection and despondency and determines to go all the way to the cross. Christianity is not a quick trip to guaranteed happiness; on the contrary, there will be times of extra suffering for those who want to walk the way of Jesus. Just as the writer of Ecclesiastes insists that all life ‘under the sun’ is hard, even for those who know God, so the writer of Hebrews reminds us that endurance will always be vital for discipleship. It is in the context of suffering that great faith is often to be found, as we’ll see tomorrow. Prayer: When I struggle, Lord Jesus, help me to remember that You know what it feels like to be alone, anxious and, at times, in despair. Amen.
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I know, I’ve asked you to read that passage again. But I’d like the truth of it to really land in our hearts. ‘If we had more faith, we’d see more miracles.’ So laments a Facebook friend, desperate to see a greater unleashing of the power of God. And, in a sense, he’s right. It’s clear from the ministry of Jesus that people’s faith provided a context where the supernatural power of God could be released. And a lack of faith did stifle the work of the Holy Spirit: see Mark 6:5. But be careful before insisting that faith is only found where prayers are answered and miracles unfold. Just as Hebrews urges us to have faith that’s expressed in persistence, so I have found great faith is often present in both the cancer ward and the hospice. This is not because jaw-dropping miracles occur, but because people stubbornly determine to hang on to God, worship and love Him still, even though their dying bodies are racked with terrible pain. Perhaps that’s one of the many reasons for my indignation when ill people are told that they’d get better if they just had more faith; in reality their faith and faithfulness is far greater than that of their detractor. As we begin to walk through the so-called Hebrews ‘hall of faith’ you’ll notice that not many were celebrated for a faith that led to miracles, but for one of enduring insistence on trusting the Lord in the face of tragedy. Be careful when you question the faith of someone who is suffering: you may be in the presence of a faith colossus. Prayer: Mighty God, help me to have faith for miracles, and faith when miracles don’t happen. Amen.
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THURS 03 MAY
The big picture: faithfulness and endurance BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 10:19–39 1 Timothy 1:18–19 Focus
‘Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.’ (Heb. 10:32)
Be careful when you question the faith of someone who is suffering …
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FRI 04 MAY
All this talk of confidence in what we hope for has led some to suggest that we should decide what we want from God, and then act and speak as if we have it. Thus we make what we are waiting for a reality, by faith. But to use this text in this way is to wrench it out of context completely. The writer to the Hebrews is pointing to our trust in the creative work of God in the beginning; our faith as we respond to what God says, whatever the BIG PICTURE cost; and our commitment to cling to God faithfully, even Hebrews 11:1 though life might scream at us. To suggest that faith Hebrews 5:7–10 simply means that we make a wish list and then ‘believe’ it is going to come to pass is to turn God into a genie in a Focus ‘Now faith is being sure bottle, a Santa Claus. Our confidence is in the finished of what we hope for and work of Christ, not in some vague hope about something certain of what we do not see.’ (Heb. 11:1, Niv, 2011) specific He might yet do, just because we’ve decided that He should. This doesn’t mean that we can’t bring our needs and requests to God – but to insist that He will answer every petition with a ‘yes’ is to set ourselves up for disappointment, and misunderstand what it means to truly have faith in Him. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39) that He would not have to drink the cup of horror and death – and we’re told that the Father heard His prayers. That hearing, however, did not mean God said ‘yes’ in reply. Jesus still had to face the terror of the cross – although ultimately that prayer was answered on Easter Day in the resurrection. But in the midst of that darkness He was able to cry, ‘It is finished’. We place our hope in that finished work.
Not a genie in a bottle
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, because my faith is not just in what You might do, or what I might achieve, but in the finished work of Christ. Amen.
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5/6 MAY Hebrews 11:1–2 // 2 Corinthians 4:1–18
There’s more than what we see Recently, militant atheists have launched a concerted attack upon faith in God generally and Christianity specifically. They scoffed at the idea of belief, with their London bus campaign that proclaimed: ‘Don’t worry, there probably isn’t a God.’ We can be left feeling like brainless buffoons because we live our lives as people of faith. It’s important for us to know that this lampooning is nothing new. Greek culture mocked the idea of putting trust in the invisible or unprovable, which meant that pagans were staggered by the early Christians’ willingness to suffer so terribly for a conviction that, they believed, could not be proved beyond all doubt.
Perhaps … there are times when you wish that God showed Himself a little more …
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The writer boldly reminds us that our faith is having ‘assurance about what we do not see’ (Heb. 11:1), and then commends the heroes of faith throughout biblical history for their faithfulness to what was temporarily unseeable and untouchable. Perhaps, like me, there are times when you wish that God showed Himself a little more, and what is invisible was available for viewing. Join the crowd of the faithful who don’t see, but still believe. To ponder: Why do you think that God doesn’t make Himself a little more obvious?
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MON 07 MAY
Rest assured
BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 11:1 Hebrews 10:19–23 Focus
‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’ (Heb. 11:1)
Faith: it makes sense. Rest assured.
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I don’t own a safe, a safety deposit box or any other secure form of storage – mainly because I don’t have anything of worth to tuck away. But there is one item that our family keeps safely at our local solicitors’ office – the title deeds of my parents’ house. It proves their ownership of their property. When there is a mortgage to be paid, the lender will hold the deed until the debt has been fully paid off. Then, and only then, will it pass to the owner. The word for ‘assurance’ used here in Hebrews 11:1 was frequently found in Greek legal documents and it means ‘title deed’. We saw yesterday that faith is invested in the invisible – but that doesn’t mean our beliefs are placed in flimsy and speculative ideas. Faith is not wishful thinking, nor a leap in the dark. Rather, it is a walk in the light of the revelation of God. The Lord has spoken, and faith is a response to what He has said. Nor is faith based on transient feelings. We ‘hope’, not in the vague hopefulness that the sun might shine (a precarious hope in the UK!), or that England will win the World Cup (an impossible dream, surely), but with the solid hope which comes because we have determined to believe the word spoken by the trustworthy God. As we grow in faith, we build our lives on the most solid foundation. And there’s a sense in which this first verse is not a description of what we do in faith, but what faith does for us: confidence and assurance are ours as we trust.
Prayer: Thank You for the solid hope that is found in You, risen Jesus. Help me to walk by faith today. Amen.
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CWR ministry events Please pray for the team
DATE
EVENT
PLACE
PRESENTER(S)
1 May
Bible Discovery Evening Class – Exile and Coming Home
Waverley Abbey House Philip Greenslade
2 May
Christ Empowered Living
WAH
Mick & Lynette Brooks
10 May
Discovering More about God’s Story [Title TBC]
WAH
Philip Greenslade
21 May
Insight Day - Helping Families Heal
WAH
Andre Radmall
28 May– 1 June
Introduction to Biblical Care WAH and Counselling
Angie Coombes, Richard Laws & the CWR Counselling Team
6 June
The God of Love in a World of Suffering WAH
Michael Baughen
7 June
Managing Your Time
WAH
Andy Peck
14 June
Preaching with Colour
WAH
Andy Peck
22-24 June Bible Discovery Weekend – Nothing Can Stop the Gospel
WAH
Philip Greenslade
23 June
Caring God’s Way
WAH
Mick Brooks & Lynn Penson
27 June
Education … A Christian Undertaking? WAH
Robert Jackson
29 June – Marriage on Track 1 July
WAH
Andrew & Lynn Penson
30 June
WAH
Helena Wilkinson
Insight Day - Eating Disorders
Please also pray for students and tutors on our ongoing BA in Counselling programme at Waverley and our Certificate and Diploma of Christian Counselling and MA in Integrative Psychotherapy held at London School of Theology.
For full details phone 01252 784719, international +44 (0)1252 784719 or see the CWR website for further information
www.cwr.org.uk
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TUES 08 MAY
Commended by God
BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 11:2 1 Corinthians 3:1–15 Focus
‘This is what the ancients were commended for.’ (Heb. 11:2)
… when we put our faith in God, He is thrilled …
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It’s exhilarating to pass a test or win an award. I enjoy watching the annual Academy Awards ceremony, where the Oscars are presented. Despite the glamour (and the commercial breaks every 20 seconds), it’s heart warming to see artists honoured by their peers. Imagine what it would feel like if God Himself presented you with an Oscar – for your faith. That’s the sense of this second verse. As the writer talks about the ‘ancients being commended’, the reference is not just to those in ancient biblical history who trusted God, but to all those ‘elders’ who led the way for God’s people by their example of faith. And the idea of being commended refers to God testifying, as a character witness, to their wonderful trust in Him. Another translation of this text says ‘they received a good report’. Do you remember what it was like to get an A+ on your school report? It didn’t happen often to me, and it was a long time ago, but I still remember feeling great when I showed that glowing report to my parents. When we trust God, He notices, and celebrates our faith. We please Him when we hang on tight to Him; faith pleases Him. And even though everything we achieve is accomplished through grace, there will be a day in eternity when awards and prizes are given. Earlier in Hebrews we read that our confidence in God will be rewarded (Heb. 10:35–39). Our trust in Jesus is not met by stony-faced indifference. On the contrary, when we put our faith in God, He is thrilled, and commends us for it. Prayer: Lord, thank You for the truth that You are the God of encouragement. You notice. Help me to please You today, and to have a sense of Your pleasure. Amen.
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Anyone who opens a Bible at the beginning of Genesis is WED 09 MAY immediately confronted with this truth: ‘In the beginning God created ...’. That’s where faith starts – not in a particular method that God employed to create, or how many ‘days’ He did it in, but that out of nothing God made the universe. And John, in his ‘Gospel of belief’, begins by firmly placing Christ at the heart of creation: ‘without him nothing was made that has been made’ (John 1:3). Faith BIG PICTURE is rooted in the creation story. Hebrews 11:3 That points us immediately to the greatness of God. Psalm 33:1–22 The universe is designed to make our jaws drop with amazement. The nearest star in our galaxy, Alpha Focus ‘By faith we understand Centauri, is 25 trillion miles away. Our sun dominates that the universe our days, yet is a mere speck. The huge star Betelgeuse was formed at God’s is 27 million times larger than the sun. And our galaxy is command, so that what is only one of a 100,000 million galaxies. These numbers seen was not made out of what was visible.’ stagger the imagination: creation calls us to wonder and (Heb. 11:3) amazement. But the truth of creation also stirs our heart to faith. God didn’t arrive in a universe already in process: He was there right at the beginning, and will be there throughout eternity. If the writer to the Hebrews had missed this point, they would be building a call to faith in God solely on the examples of great people of faith; just humans who, compared with the epic creation event, had relatively small stories. Faith is not just following in the example of others who have trusted: it is placing our trust in the One who is the architect and initiator of all there is.
In the beginning
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, creator, designer, and sustainer of the universe: my trust and hope are in You. Show Your power again in my life today. Amen.
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THURS 10 MAY
Cain: Faith and designer religion BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 11:4 Genesis 4:1–16 Focus
‘By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.’ (Heb. 11:4a)
… worship … needs to be done God’s way
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God isn’t picky. He doesn’t have mood swings, and decide arbitrarily that He likes one person more than another. So this story of the farmer and the shepherd, Cain and Abel, is loaded with mystery. Why would God smile on Abel’s offering, and then reject what Cain brought? Each man brought a gift produced by their livelihood, so it seems unfair that Cain’s was rejected. Something was deeply wrong with Cain’s heart. The New Testament talks about ‘the way of Cain’ (Jude 11). There was not just something imperfect about his offering, there was a problem with the way he did life, the way he approached things. Some commentators suggest that Cain and Abel would both have been aware that blood sacrifices were required by God for atonement for sin. Although the sacrificial system was not established until Moses’ time, the provision of animal skins for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21) would have sent the message that sacrifice was important to God, perhaps to demonstrate the seriousness of sin. Noah offered sacrifices too (Gen. 8:20). Some commentators suggest that Cain would have known that a living thing was required for sacrifice because God had told him so. Faith is a response to revelation (Rom. 10:17) and so however He did it, God must have revealed Himself to both these brothers. What is certainly true is that worship is not something we do according to our preferences. It needs to be done God’s way. There’s no such thing as designer Christianity, or faith that is to be done our way. Prayer: Save me from believing that I can make You in my image, Lord – the God that I want, who I will worship as I please. Amen.
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The first episode used to demonstrate faith has worship at the centre of the story. As Cain’s offering is rejected and Abel’s accepted, and we’re told that Abel’s worship stemmed from faith, we see the beginning of a pattern that continues throughout Scripture – that worship is a key part of the life of faith. In recent years, we have been repeatedly reminded that worship is far more than singing songs or praying together. Worship is lifestyle, and we worship the Lord through everything that we do in His name, and for His glory. But, while that point is vital, let’s not dismiss the gathering together of the people of God. Meeting together is vital, which is why the writer to the Hebrews encourages his friends to continue to do so (Heb. 10:25). Last weekend, during a time of sung worship, I sensed strength and grace as I sang along. I put a simple question to the Lord: ‘What is happening to me here?’ And the whisper that came back was ‘You’re being realigned. This is the place of realignment.’ That thought developed into what I believed was a prophetic message for the congregation, which I shared. I was thrilled and encouraged to hear that, during their prayer meeting earlier that week, someone had felt that God was speaking about alignment and had passed out compasses to those attending to remind them that worship together enables them to stay on track. For Abel, worship and faith were not only entwined together – his act of worship ultimately cost him his life. Don’t despise the place of worship.
FRI 11 MAY
Faith and worship
BIG PICTURE
Hebrews 11:4 John 4:1–26 Focus
‘By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings.’ (Heb. 11:4b)
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for times that align me to You and Your purposes. Help me to remain faithful, and to value them as You value them. Amen.
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