Faith

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

March 16, 2020

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

Whoever called in and requested to hear a message about faith had the word of the Lord. We have recently seen a world-wide pandemic break forth on the earth; this pandemic will not go away soon. In fact, it may never go away. It has resulted in widespread social, economic, and religious repercussions, such as a volatile bear stock market. It has also caused all sports events, theater and artistic events, schools and colleges, mega-churches, and perhaps most churches to cancel or suspend their activities. Most colleges and churches now will continue to promote their services "on-line" or else they will soon be forced to go out of business for lack of funds.

The government really has no answers except to apply a band-aid of 50 billion dollars, to be paid for by all tax-payers. The coronavirus is like cancer, which first started about 1500 B.C. The American Cancer Society has been soliciting untold millions of dollars for more than 100 years in an effort to find a cure for cancer. But man has no solution for cancer and man has no solution for coronavirus. It is like putting water in a bucket that has holes.

Some Christian leaders' have told us to pray and ask the Lord to remove this coronavirus. Other Christian "leaders" have probably "rebuked the devil," invoking the Name of Jesus. I must strongly disagree with those counsels. 

Acts 5:39, "But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." 

I must strongly maintain that the Lord ordered this virus. Why has the Lord ordered the coronavirus? because of His great love for His people. He stops at no length to help us to repent and return unto Him and His ways. 

Herbert Hoover was the president when the Great Depression began. He made the mistake in 1930 of telling Americans that the worst was over. He was very wrong. On March 11, 2020, Donald Trump voiced a similar positive message to the American people. Just like Hoover, Trump is also very wrong. Why were Hoover and Trump both wrong? because they both were unaware that the Lord Himself brings about both economic and physical disasters in an effort to get the nation to repent and turn to Him.

Probably a large number of worldly people will cry out to God because of the coronavirus, but few will repent and turn to the Lord. The great harvest of souls will come later. Some number of Christians with understanding, will finally repent and become overcomers. The traditions of men are very difficult, nearly impossible to overcome. But for those who do repent and turn to Him and His ways, they will experience a repeat of Acts 2:42-47, 

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine [not the pastors' doctrine] and fellowship [not socialization], and in breaking of bread [eating a meal], and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul [the fear of God, not the fear of any virus]: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together [spiritually, in one accord], and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need [not based on function or ministry]. And they, continuing daily [not weekly] with one accord in the temple [no longer a brick and stone structure], and breaking bread [eating a meal] from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." [no longer any need to beat the bushes to try to make one convert].

What a Wonderful, Marvelous God we serve!

For Jesus' disciples (and a disciple does not equate to being born from above), those who trust and have faith in God, there is glorious freedom from all fear forever. Submitting ourselves without any reservation into God's care is an act of faith. It means putting ourselves completely under His care and mercy, to be led and preserved according to His will. If we do so, the God of the universe promises to feed, clothe, and shelter us, and to shield our hearts from evil.

Jesus provided the ultimate example of this kind of holy submission when He went to the cross. Today, as the world is rapidly going from darkness to gross darkness, our choice is clear: We can either submit our lives unto the Lord, or we can trust our self for our preservation. Our peace and contentment always depends on our submission to God, no matter what our circumstances may be. Only then are we able to endure any and all hardships.

Augustine once said, "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe." A better declaration is, "faith is to believe Whom we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see Whom we believe." Paul said, in 

2 Timothy 1:12, "for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 

"That day" speaks of the return of the Lord to earth and the day of judgment. What did Paul commit unto the Lord against that day? his whole life and being. Every true believer in Christ is called to walk in that same attitude. There are numerous scriptures which clearly show that we must live and move and have our being by HIS faith.

For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Romans 3:3

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and the inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me. Acts 26:18

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:16, 20

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. James 2:1

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12

Consider the verses in Ephesians 4:4-6 

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

So there is ONE faith. What faith is that? It is HIS FAITH ... the faith of Jesus, not my faith. There is no spiritual or scriptural faith outside of Christ that is acceptable in the sight of the Father! The FIRST and only Person Who embodies faith was (and is) Jesus Christ.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:3 

And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Acts 3:16

All of the above verses say that we live by the faith of Jesus ... by HIS faith, not by our faith.

Scripture teaches that we can know with absolute confidence that we have the life of God within us (1 John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."). This confidence is not based on feelings or outward signs but is founded upon the promises of a faithful God and His inspired Word. It does not depend upon the amount of our faith but on the object of our faith ... Christ Himself.

Thomas Chisholm was born in a crude log cabin in Kentucky. He never had even a high school education and he never had much income because of his impaired health all of his life. But he wrote more than 1200 sacred poems, many of which have since become prominent hymns. He rarely had a dramatic experience with God but the words that he wrote were simply the result of his "morning by morning" realization of God's personal faithfulness in his daily life. It was out of that realization that he wrote, in 1923, the words of a hymn from Lamentations 3:22-23, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; 

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; 

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; 

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Any exposition of the gift called faith must include the fact that there is absolutely nothing about the natural man that is acceptable to God. That is because of the original sin by Adam. Every man (or woman) is born with the sin nature of fallen man. That is why we must be born again to be restored to fellowship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. That is also why Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6 

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no not one. Romans 3:10-12

It is only by the grace of God that "He has made us accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6). The Beloved is, of course, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Even our calling and election is for the glory of God. 

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Note that faith is the gift of God.

There has been much off-center teaching about my faith (the Christian man's faith). But the only faith that is acceptable to God is the faith which He gives us. Many so-called "faith preachers" preach a message of "my" faith designed to bring us prosperity and blessings. They are false teachers, who have no understanding.

We have heard several Spirit-filled ministers proclaim publicly that if we just have faith then we will never be sick again. Just a few weeks ago I visited a charismatic church where the pastor said, "The Lord has promised us perfect health, long life, His protection, and prosperity." What a distortion of Scripture! When I heard that, I got up and walked out of the meeting, which was still going on. Those promises are conditional! From 2 Timothy 4:20, "Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick." Pity poor Timothy! Timothy must not have had much faith because Paul told him to

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities. 1 Timothy 5:23

However, Paul, in 2 Timothy 1:5, speaks of the "unfeigned faith that is in thee [Timothy]." It is His faith which resides in us through His Spirit. We simply allow His faith, which is in Him, to operate within us. Again, faith is the gift of God. We must learn

6 not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Corinthians 4:6-7

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

A better translation might be, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing proceeds from Christ." Some people seem to interpret that verse as "faith comes by hearing the word of God." Therefore, they say, that we increase our faith by simply reading or quoting the written word over and over. We do not agree. First of all the Greek for "word" in that verse is rhema, which is more than simply the written word ... it is the word quickened to us by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the word of God (John 1:1). Second, those are TWO steps, not one. A number of years ago 1 was in Omaha, Nebraska, for a few days on business. While I was there I looked in the yellow pages under "churches" and called a few places to inquire about any form of believers' meetings for the few days I would be there. I talked to one pastor, who told me they were having a few Christians over to his house to pray that night and that I would be welcome to attend. I went.

They were genuine Christians all right. After the meeting broke up I was the last one to leave except for the pastor and his wife, who lived there. Just before I was about to leave, their telephone rang. The wife answered the phone. From the conversation that I could hear, their grown daughter, who lived in the same town, had accidentally spilled some hot, scalding water on her arms and apparently burned herself rather badly. Her mother's advice to her daughter over the phone was simply to repeat, over and over, "by His stripes I am healed." I groaned in my spirit, but said nothing. However at that point I fervently prayed, silently, for the daughter.

That was one of the most passionate prayers I have ever said in my life! Technically, the mother MAY have been correct. Perhaps the mother could even walk in that word for herself (and maybe not). But to legalistically impose your state (or doctrine) in Christ on someone else is a TRAGEDY! Genesis 14:21-24 says, 

"And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not [take] from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that [is] thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion." 

We must do MORE than mentally assent and agree to the written word of God.

There are numerous verses which tell us that the Lord must give us [spiritual] ears to hear (for example, Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 6:9-10, John 8:43, and Acts 28:26-27). In other words, it is the grace of God that He gives us spiritual ears to hear. Faith cannot operate until that time. The teaching that somehow we Christians must "jack up" our faith, totally misses the mark. That kind of focus emphasizes what man does rather than what only God can do. When the apostles asked Jesus, "Lord, increase our faith" (Luke 17:5), they had no understanding. Before the day of Pentecost, the apostles were still thinking in the natural realm where the focus was on what man does. But that is the law! The law, as given through Moses, was/is based upon what man does. The Lord will never increase our faith! Our faith will never be good enough! It is only His faith, which we allow to operate within us, that is acceptable.

Hebrews, Chapter 11, is frequently called the big faith chapter. It would be good to read all of that chapter very often.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith IS. In other words, faith is for the present. Faith is a confidence that we already possess if we have been born from above. Hope is directed toward the future. "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Faith deals with things not seen. Faith is NOT based on our physical senses but on the eternal truth of the Word of God. Faith does not require a rational explanation or an educated mind.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8

A helmet protects the head. Therefore hope is primarily in the realm of the mind. The breastplate of faith and love protects the heart. Therefore faith is primarily in the realm of the heart.

True faith causes man to recognize his own limitations. Therefore true faith can exist only in a spirit of true humility. We are saved by grace through faith. We receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit by faith. We open our mouths and prophesy by faith. Everything we receive from the Lord is by faith. Paul said,

1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3

For many years now a "false faith" doctrine has been widely circulated by many well-intentioned (but wrong) teachers. This false faith movement has also been characterized by a "prosperity gospel." Prosperity is a very popular word to people. Many years ago, one of the major faith teachers (who I will call Sam) publicly commented on the following verse:

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6

Sam, the faith teacher, stated that Peter was actually a very rich man. When Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, Sam explained that Peter meant that he had left all of his money at home. If you believe that then I have a bridge I want to sell to you. Better still, since a popular verse for the faith teachers is, "you have not because you ask not," why don't you just ask the Lord to GIVE you that bridge? When Jesus and His disciples were at Capernaum, they that received tribute money (fifteen pence per person), asked Peter whether Jesus paid the tribute. When Peter asked Jesus about the tribute money, Jesus said,

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for Me and thee.  

Matthew 17:27

Apparently, Peter did not have enough money to pay the tribute. The Lord not only provides for our every need, He IS our provision!

So what is "wrong" with this popular, faith-prosperity teaching? I believe the root problem is the same as in any off-center doctrine. It focuses on man, a humanistic approach, on OUR faith in God and what we do; rather than on Jesus Christ and what He has already done. It appeals to man and what WE get rather than on Christ and how we can please Him. Yes, there is some truth in the faith teaching. If this off-center doctrine did not sound scriptural, it would never have attracted countless thousands of sincere Christians. However rat poison is 99% pure wheat ... it is the other 1% that gets you! In Luke 17 after Jesus had been teaching his disciples about forgiveness, 

5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17:5-6

Please consider two comments about the above verses. Many years ago my wife asked me to go dig up a small sycamore seedling that was growing too close to our carport shed. A sycamore tree is a variety of a sycamine tree. This particular sycamore seedling was perhaps two and one half feet tall. The diameter of the tree at its widest part was less than one inch. I worked for at least one hour, digging around and below the root level, trying to dig that little tree up. I NEVER succeeded! I finally just sawed it off as close to the ground as possible. Imagine what power it would take to uproot a full-grown sycamore tree! So to SPEAK to a sycamine tree and cause it to be plucked up by the root would take nothing less than the dynamite power of God!

In addition, let us consider the apostles' plea for the Lord to increase their faith. We must remember that at that point in time the apostles did not have the Spirit of God within them. They could think only at the natural level. Jesus COULD have told them, "You have asked for the wrong thing. YOUR faith will NEVER be good enough. It takes the faith of God to do the works of God." However, Jesus knew about their lack of understanding. So he used an analogy of the sycamine tree that they might understand.

How important is faith?

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

In the King James version of the Bible, words in italics do not appear in the original Greek from which it was translated. Let us re-state the above verse WITHOUT the italicized words.

But without faith impossible to please: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

Please note that WITHOUT the italics, the last phrase of Hebrews 11:6 reads quite differently. To be specific, I MUST believe that He IS, but I do NOT have to believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. It is true that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He rewards us with more of Himself, more of His faith, more of His love, etc. But I do NOT have to believe He is going to reward me for diligently seeking Him. In other words, I need to diligently seek Him whether or not I ever receive any reward. The difference is one of perspective. Do we follow Christ in order to GET something for ourselves? or simply to please Him with no thought of return for our self? So instead of saying, Lord increase our faith, we SHOULD say, Lord let me appropriate more of YOUR faith which operates within me so that I can please you more fully. How do we accomplish that? by being obedient to the word of faith, which comes by hearing his voice. Our faith will never get the job done. HIS faith, working within us can move mountains!

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James 2:26

What is faith without works? When James states that "faith without works is dead," he refers to obedience to the faith. In other words, faith requires some action on our part. For example, it is not enough to "repent." Any true repentance requires that we bring forth fruits meet for repentance. In other words repentance must produce a change in our behavior, in our character.

Abraham had faith that God would raise up Isaac after the Lord told him to sacrifice his only son. But Abraham had an ACTIVE faith. He was willing and fully prepared to obey that word from the Lord.

And Samuel said [to Saul], hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

The above verse emphasizes the importance of obedience in our walk with the Lord. Faith and obedience are twins which go together in scripture. 

25 Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

26 But now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. Romans 16:25-26

Who or what do we obey? Children are told to obey their parents and servants are told to obey their masters.

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ. Ephesians 6:1, 5

In addition,

Obey them that have the rule over you [or guide you], and submit yourselves.

Hebrews 13:17

But if there is any conflict, we must always obey the Lord. We must always be faithful to Him and His word.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29

And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him. Hebrews 5:9

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it. John 2:5

Many years ago, my wife and I felt strongly impressed by the Holy Spirit to start a "neighborhood" meeting in our home. We invited many of our neighbors who lived close to us and a few who lived a little farther away. In order not to intimidate any of our neighbors, we described the meeting as a Bible study. Some of our neighbors came to our weekly meeting. Most of those invited did not come. The meeting was small, with about six or seven people plus ourselves, so we could easily fit into our living room. For a number of weeks we talked about the topic of "who is Jesus Christ?" Then we started through the gospel of John. We never completed the gospel of John before the Lord said to stop the meeting, which ran for about eight or nine months. We saw some amazing things happen to those people who attended. Several of them, who had been very nominal Christians, met the reality of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Two of those people were baptized with the Holy Spirit in their own homes, all by themselves, and no man laid hands on them or prayed for them to receive the baptism. We saw several people receive physical healing. Others were set free from guilt and bondage. It was like we sat back and just watched the Lord work in their lives. All we did was to provide the environment for the Holy Spirit to move.

A few years later, we saw a need within the New Testament house church of which we were a part for some foundational Bible teaching. So we decided to repeat our neighborhood Bible study, this time for new members of the house church. We again started with the question of "who is Jesus Christ?" And once more we started through the gospel of John. This time, we did not see the results that we had seen in our first neighborhood meeting. What made the difference? Only the Lord knows for sure, but we believe it was because the Holy Spirit said to do it the first time. With the second Bible study, the motivation was because we saw a need. So the motivations for the two meetings were quite different. That which the Lord ordains will always be a huge success. That which we do out of our natural minds, no matter how good our motivation may be, produces wood, hay, and stubble. We were obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit with the first meeting. To obey is better than sacrifice.

Obedience is NOT a natural quality. We are certainly NOT born with a tendency toward obedience ... quite the contrary! All you have to do is look at little children. They will pout, cry, and do anything to get their own way. And when two little children want the same toy ... LOOK OUT!

Whenever we come to know the saving grace of our Lord, we do not automatically take on the nature of obedience. Obedience is a characteristic of both the natural and the spiritual man that must be learned. When a mother tells her young child, "No, no," don't touch the fire or hot oven, the child at first cannot comprehend, because they have never experienced the sensation of burning. The child, unfortunately, must usually learn from a painful experience (or two) to obey the mother. Consider Jesus.

For as by one man's [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One [Jesus] shall many be made righteous. Romans 5:19

And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:8

How could it be that Jesus had to learn obedience? because He came to earth as a man. He had to experientially learn obedience as a man.

God has chosen suffering as a major avenue whereby we may learn obedience and become an overcomer. 

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

10 For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:9-10

Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.

Hebrews 5:8

Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered. If that were true of Jesus, how much more true is that for us! Peter has much to say about the suffering which we as Christians are called upon to endure. However,

I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

The next time that we find ourself in a difficult time of trial and suffering, remember that the sufferings which we endure do not come anywhere near the suffering that our Lord went through on our behalf. Just praise the Lord and thank Him that He has counted you worthy to suffer in His name. Allow the Spirit to teach you obedience. Allow the Lord to make you an overcomer.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."

One of the main characteristics of spiritual maturity is the ability to persevere, even in the face of adversity. God often permits difficulties to come into our lives simply to allow our faith in Him to become stronger. A faith that is never tested and strengthened soon starts to fade away. But if our faith is The faith of the Lord in operation within us, it will stand every test and prove to be an overcoming faith.