The Talk Place

A faith mission like GRN must by definition have a strong grasp of Faith.

Faith is central to anyone wanting to do missions or be a missionary. Not to mention it is pivotal to any Christian.

Yet I have and still do, as do many Christians, struggle with aspects of faith like "If Faith is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) then why was Jesus always going on about how the disciples lacked faith? (Mt 21:21, Mt 17:20, Mt 8:26) After all there was nothing they could do about it was there?

This is a question that has often intrigued me. The common answer is that faith is both a gift of God and something that is required of us.

But in my most desperate times I have to admit that this is not a very satisfactory answer. After all I am who I am, I cannot manufacture faith. I know this for a fact because when I was a much younger Christian I tried.

I believed God for various miracles or what I perceived as God's provision. I would spend a lot of time using all sorts of what can only be described as, positive thinking models in order to have enough faith for those things I was believing for.

Much of God's provision was provided but not on a consistent enough basis for me to be able to declare on any empirical level, that  "My faith" has played a significant roll.

I have long since realized that if you think that you can put faith, and worse still, God into a formula you are seriously mistaken. God is not that finite.

I always love the comment of the beaver in C.S. Lewis The tails of Narnia: "Aslan is not a tame Lion". We are just kidding ourselves every time we try to put God into our little box.

But even realizing this it doesn't help to answer the original question: "how do I have the faith to please the Father of all"?

One of the things that I have come to understand as a swimming instructor is that some faith is gained by experience.

No one really understands how significant trust is, until you've had something happen to you like a child hanging on to you for dear life as you try to teach them to float. And then after weeks of work, the expression of sheer exhilaration when they realize that you can be trusted and that they will float and not sink if they practice what you say. A bit like Peter walking to Jesus on the water really.

But experience as the teacher of faith is not the complete answer for me because it doesn't explain why the Lord was so critical of the disciples for their lack of faith. After all you can't be critical of someone for their lack of experience. No there has to be another answer.

As I was teaching my swimming students today two stories about Jesus came to mind. It must have had something to do with the faith that my students were putting in me.

The two instances were the story of the gentile widow (Mt 15:22ff) who pestered Jesus till He exclaims "Such faith" and gives her what she wants. And the story of the man who comes to Jesus and says "I believe help my unbelief"(Mk 9:20ff).

These people are presented to us as examples of note, to do with faith.
A Doubter and a Nag.
How strange.
Yet how profound.

So "why was Jesus always going on about how the disciples lacked faith?". Could it be that the answer comes down to something as simple as persistence against all odds and a request to God when we are found wanting?

Isn't that just as important to missions as well as to you and me as Christians?

Richard