Focus: Abiding Faith

Text: Act.14:22

"Continue in the faith."

Paul made two prayer requests from the believers in Thessaloniki.

First prayer request: "that the WORD of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you."

Second prayer request: "And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not FAITH" (2Thes.3:1,2).

I have highlighted the words "word" and "faith" in the two prayers. Those are the most important elements in your life - the word of God and the faith of Christ. They mark you out.

The writer of Hebrews says the Word did not profit Israel in the wilderness because when they heard it, they didn't concretize it with faith. Faith and the Word belong together and are good together. The Word produces faith and faith makes the Word productive in your life.

Apostle Peter says our faith is "precious" - priceless. It's a treasure. Apostle Paul says lack of faith in a man makes him unreasonable and wicked. That means the Christian faith forms and refines a man. It makes him to have real sense. A man who believes also behaves. The word 'unreasonable' as used here is 'atopos' in Greek, and it means 'to be baseless or out of place.' A person without faith is out of place. He has nothing upon which to stand. Every ground he stands on, sinks. Also, not to have faith is to be wicked. In Greek it is 'poneros,' which means a lack of active piety or something bad from source. The wicked can't help being bad. A man who lacks faith is dangerous, and as Paul says, "All men have not faith."

Be thankful to God for the privilege of having faith, for not all men have it. Faith is a legal tender in the believer's world. It is the currency of heaven.

Paul was excited to hear that the faith of believers in Thessaloniki was growing exceedingly (2Thes.1:3). Faith is a living thing. It is meant to grow. So make room for the growth of faith in your life. Let the manure of God's word nourish your faith in Christ. Faith feeds on, thrives and triumphs by the word of God.

From our text, we are urged to continue in the faith. In Act.13:43, we are encouraged to continue in the grace of God. Faith and grace belong together as one family. To continue means to take your stand and maintain it. It means to stand firmly in your place. Your faith is at stake in this world. Satan hates your faith. He is constantly attacking it from all angles. He uses anything and everything in his arsenal to move you away from your faith. Don't let him. Resist him steadfastly in the faith. Your faith is your weapon. Paul says it's both a shield and a breastplate. Your faith in Christ is your strength, and if you lose it you are finished. You become ordinary. Apostle John says you overcome the world by your faith.

Fear, worry, doubt and unbelief are weeds that kill faith. Stand firm. Persevere. Hold on to your faith. There's light at the end of the tunnel. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter