BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“Did you hear about the church in Ephesus?” “No, what’s going on there?” “Nothing.” That is a conversation no one would desire to have. Why? Because people like to talk about something—not nothing. Wherever Paul was, he heard people talking about the church at Ephesus, about the Colossians and about Philemon, and they were talking about two things: their faith and their love. Faith in What? In these passages, Paul said, “I heard about your faith in Jesus and I heard about your love for each other.” Do you know faith is useless until it is in someone or something? People always say, “I’m a man of faith,” or “I’m a woman of faith.” But faith in what? “I don’t know.” Then you’re not a person of faith! Faith must be in someone or in something before it can come alive and operate. Faith is dead until it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t want to hear about that. I want to hear about faith for something. I want to hear about faith for healing, for finances, for my family, for relationships.” That’s exactly what I’m talking about. You can’t separate faith for from faith in. Can I have faith for something good to happen in my life without first having faith in a good God? No. Can I have faith for increase without faith in the Increaser? Absolutely not. Scripture is loud about the fact that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of faith for anything else. Romans 3:21-22 states that our right-standing with God is revealed through faith in Jesus. Galatians 2:16 states we are justified by faith in Jesus. That’s the foundation. Hebrews 11:6 states, “Without faith it is impossible to please him.” But faith in whom or what? Clearly, faith in Jesus. As a discipline, every time you hear the word faith, I encourage you to make it a complete statement: “Faith in Jesus.” Doing this will challenge you to the core. It will force you to evaluate what you’re really saying about your Christianity. You don’t just walk by faith. You walk by faith in Jesus. You confess your faith in Jesus. You live by faith in Jesus. Conversely, you may realize you need to stop saying some things out of religious habit such as, “I’m not sure I have enough faith in Jesus for that,” or even, “My faith in Jesus just isn’t there.” Really? Are you telling me you can trust Jesus, but only to a certain degree? Are you telling me Jesus is good to you, but not that good? Of course not! Understanding this will change not only the way you speak, but also the way you live. Smart Talk In Romans 1:8, Paul said, “…your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” Let that be said of us! When it comes to our churches, our ministries, our families and our lives, let’s give the world something to talk about. Let’s live what we believe by putting our faith in Jesus in all we do. The good news is, when this revelation comes alive in you, it removes all the pressure. You won’t have to be concerned about what others are saying, because your eyes will be on Jesus—what He’s said and what He’s done. Before you know it, your faith and love will precede you. V About: Jeremy and his wife, Sarah, are founders of Pearsons Ministries International. They travel to preach Jesus to congregations across the U.S. and around the world. For more information, visit them online at pearsonsministries.com. *********ADVERTISEMENT******** “Take a three-day walk in the spirit realm. You’ll hear from heaven!” —Kenneth Copeland 2014 Branson Victory Campaign Feb. 27–March 1 Faith Life Church Branson, MO 65616 Get away and seek God. Adjust your compass. Find direction. Register today! Admission is FREE! kcm.org/events 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) +1-817-852-6000 Meetings are subject to change without notice. *************************************** DEC '13 : BVOV : 23

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