"What’s Your Story? Chapter 5: Faith?"  

It's remarkable that the more we obey God, the greater our faith. Jesus understood the ridiculousness of the request of the disciples to "increase [their] faith ." As though he could zap them and imbue them with a stronger sense of faith! Moreover, Jesus seems to imply that they already have enough faith, as puny as it might be (the mustard seed). But faith is not just a feeling one tries to conjure up inside one's soul. Faith is something that often grows or deepens as we do what faith requires. As a child learns to obey her parents, it's amazing how that child's faith in her parents grows. A person of faith, Jesus teaches, is like the servant who does his job. He understands the expectations; he meets them; and he is rewarded (he, too, will eat and drink, v. 10). As Will Willimon has said, you keep "doing faith until you have it."

Have you ever found yourself in a situation or period of life in which you asked God for the faith to do what needs to be done? Well you are in good company. This is what the disciples were seeking from Jesus himself in our story today.
 

Let's take a look at it. Reading from Luke 17:5-10 ...

In order to understand this text, I think we need to go back to the basics to understand or remind ourselves again exactly what faith is. Hebrews 11:1 gives us two definitions of faith: "Faith is being sure of what is hoped for, certain of what we do not see." At its core, Christians believe that there is an unseen dimension to life that not only operated to
create all things, but is actively involved in all aspects of life. This unseen dimension is a mixed bag of good and evil, but the Holy Spirit reigns sovereign over all activities in this world, and eventually will destroy sin, death, and the devil.
 

So when the disciples cry out "Increase our faith," they are asking Jesus to help strengthen their belief in what God can do through them and for them, from the dimension of life that no one sees. Jesus gives an interesting answer.

 

He suggests that even a small amount of faith can do great things. This is the image of the mustard seed, which is one of the smallest seeds visible to the naked eye. Even with this amount of faith, a tree could be uprooted and planted in the sea. What is Jesus getting at here? I think Jesus is saying that...Worship Video HERE.

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