A word of meditation from Pastor Mark, August 2025

“Faith.”

As Christians, we often hear words like “Have faith!” and “Believe!” We use them often interchangeably. Faith and Belief differ in their core meaning. When we believe, we recall to accept the truth. Faith is a deeper level of trust and confidence that guides action and declaration without intellectual confirmation, yet it speaks of certainty. Faith involves a more profound confidence and commitment that does not need intellectual acceptance but expressing itself through confidence; this is a spiritual power. Faith never lets you be a part-time Christian, but be a full-time Christian for a full-time experience of confidence, hope, and assurance of unseen things. When you are at the church, truthfully worship your Lord because of faith, you are a full-time Christian. When you are leaving the church, you can’t take a day off from your duty to be a Christian, a part-time one. This does not work in this way.

What does faith do to make us believers? Faith reveals to us Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, both fully divine and fully human, and who came to Earth to save humanity from sin. We have manuscripts and papyri, which have become the evidence of a fully intellectually explained faith. Faith reveals to us the “Word of God,” the Bible, comprising the Old and New Testaments, as a “Living Word of God.” As a result of these, we are obedient to the “Word of God.” Now, we proclaim salvation through faith, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. These are gifts from God. We are receiving God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Eternal life is a result of the core of Christian faith that we believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead as a part of our faith. Practicing our beliefs with faith binds us with Jesus Christ; we are led by the Holy Spirit, reflecting Christ’s character in our thoughts, words, and actions. This we call holiness, faith guides us to pursue and strive for holy lives, as the living disciples of Christ, reflecting what as we speak the same in deeds what as we do. Our faith brings us to worship and pray together. We are participating in the Lord’s Table, Holy Communion, and baptizing publicly those who confess their faith in Jesus. Faith guides us to serve one another with love, as Jesus taught us.

Before I share a Biblical story, I want to emphasize that our beliefs and faith shape the wholeness of our lives. The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11, tells us the most precize definition of faith, far beyond any dictionaries, and tells us about Faith in Action. 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Listen to this story. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asked the Disciples: “Who touched me?”

“45 Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.”

46 But Jesus said, ”Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed.”

(Luke 8:45-47, NLT)

Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched me?” Of course, Jesus knew who touched Him. But hundreds of people stopped when Jesus stopped. Hundreds of people listened when Jesus talked. But none of them dared to answer Jesus, except one woman, who had faith. Faith in Jesus gave her courage and strength to answer when Jesus asked. Did you dare to touch Jesus? Do you have faith when Jesus calls, “follow me.” Did you hear Jesus’ question, “Who touched me?” This question stopped hundreds of people because Jesus wanted to tell all of them that only one touched him with faith! Jesus states, “For I felt healing power go out from me.” When we ask and pray, we need to be honest with ourselves. We need confidence and assurance of the unseen outcome of a prayer. If I only follow the faith of a woman who touched Jesus, the result will be the same. She, a woman, “44 Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.”

Jesus heals in response to a woman’s faith. This is the lesson for us on what faith does. In the Gospel of Mark 10:46-52, a blind man named Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for mercy, and Jesus granted him sight by saying, “Go your way; your faith has made you well,” and the man received his sight. This is the lesson for us on what faith does. In the Gospel of Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman with a demon-possessed daughter who begged Jesus for mercy showed great faith by believing even crumbs from Jesus’ table would help her daughter. “28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.” This is the lesson for us on what faith does.

When we are takers, receivers, and beneficiaries of Jesus’ blessings because of faith in Jesus, we carry the presence of Jesus when we share our faith and when we act according to our faith in Jesus. These stories always speak to me about the deep and extraordinary level of our faith.

We have sung the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” which is a powerful hymn written by Horatio Spafford. I am grateful to God that we can greet one another, asking one another, “How is your soul today?”

Faith is not in half-saving faith; it is a saving faith. You are healed and saved by God’s grace through faith. It never lets you be a part-time Christian, but be a full-time Christian for a full-time experience of confidence, hope, and assurance of unseen things. When you are at the church, you are a full-time child of God. When you are leaving church, you can’t take a day off from your duty to be a Christian, a child of God. This does not work in this way. This is according to the power of Jesus and your relationship with your Lord and Savior. Have faith!