By Francis Frangipane
Not
only is Jesus our Savior, He is also the "author and perfecter of our
faith" (Hebrews 12:2, NIV). Grab with both hands the thought that He is
the "perfecter of our faith." The faith Christ started in you, He is now
working to perfect.
The fact that Jesus is the
"perfecter of our faith" is important because even if we seek to move in
prayer and spiritual authority, even if we fearlessly continue to
persevere, even if we continue forward with motives purified by love, it
is the power of faith that undergirds all.
Now
the idea that Christ seeks to perfect our faith makes a fine doctrine,
but in the practical outworking of our lives, we unconsciously resist
the idea. The reason we are uncomfortable is that we know that in order
for our faith to be perfected, ultimately it must be tested.
When
I speak of faith, I do not mean a thorough compilation of Bible facts
or an intellectual assent to our need of salvation, both of which are
elements of spirituality but not the very substance. To amass biblical
knowledge primarily takes time; to possess true saving faith, I will
tell you again, takes courage. Christ desires we obtain a trust in Him
that can actually withstand and overcome the terrible storms of life -
faith that brings the reality of Heaven to earth.
Faith,
therefore, is more than head knowledge; it is our lock upon the
goodness and power of God so that no matter what we face outwardly,
inwardly we stand secure. And no matter what the world looks like
outwardly, it has the potential to be transformed by our faith. As
Hebrews 11 makes clear, all those who possessed true faith changed the
world around them.
Perfecter of Our Faith
Knowing
that faith is much more than religious doctrines, I wonder: Do we truly
know the Jesus of the Bible and what He seeks to give us? Too often, I
think, we desire a Savior who, after assuring us of eternal life, leaves
us alone until our next crisis. We want Him to comfort us but never
convict us; we desire Him to heal us but not inhabit us. We want the
Holy Spirit to help us obtain the "American dream." Yet what we have is a
Holy Spirit who, instead, seeks to give us the dream of God: man living in the image of Christ (see Genesis 1:26).
This
means that God's goal is not merely to save us, but to conform us to
Christ. He seeks to perfect us, not merely protect us. To perfect faith,
God intentionally allows conflicts to storm against our souls. I know
we picture Jesus as gently holding us, patting us on the back, saying,
"There, there, it'll be all right." Listen, that is not the voice of
Jesus; that is the echo of your mother speaking. Thank God for mothers,
but Jesus is seeking to get us to stop being such babies. He wants us to
grow up into His image.
Remember, I am talking about
the real Jesus now, the one who said, "All things are possible to him
who believes" (Mark 9:23). If the Jesus you are following is not leading
you into the realm of the impossible to make changes in your world, you
are probably following the wrong one.
You see, we do a
disservice to people when we tell them, "Give your life to the Lord and
He will keep you from trouble." That is not true. We would be more
honest to say, "Give your life to Christ, and He will empower you to
overcome trouble and adversity." Yes, He will take care of you. But He
will not do so by putting you in a harmless world void of problems;
rather, He will perfect virtue in you by developing character and by
requiring faith - all of which creates the spiritual shelter of a
transformed life.
A Storm, a Ghost or Jesus?
Get
used to the idea that Jesus is seeking to perfect your faith. Plan on
the fact that He will probably set you in some otherwise impossible
situation to force your faith to the surface. Sooner or later, the real
Jesus will require you to look the impossible straight in the eye and
believe God for His power.
Consider the incident when
Christ sent His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee ahead of Him. He
crosses this same sea Himself walking on water (see Matthew 14:22 - 33).
Yet, He decides to wait until a storm is rolling in with contrary winds
and waves before He sets out. He could have waited for a calm day or
simply arrived at the other side supernaturally without stopping
alongside the boat in the middle of the sea. No, He comes to the
disciples with something in mind: He comes to teach a lesson on trust.
Please
note that this is a violent storm and that He offers no preliminary
instruction, no "Basic Water-Walking 101." He doesn't let them practice
on puddles or wait until winter so they could walk on frozen water
first. He waits for a storm to teach water-walking, which is by all
accounts harder to do on rolling waves than on a placid sea. Then, on
top of that, He does not come in daylight; He comes at night. So Jesus
comes to the disciples in the middle of the sea, in the middle of a
storm, in the middle of the night to teach them to walk on water. He
doesn't make it easy. But this is the real Jesus with His real
disciples. And we can add to the degree of difficulty the probability
that they are physically tired and more than a little fearful about the
storm.
Scripture says that the sight of a figure
walking on the water, coming out of the blowing wind and spray in the
darkness of the night, turns the disciples' fear into terror. They cry
out, "It is a ghost!" (Note: Some of the things we label as "ghostly" or
demonic are really the Lord stirring life to set the stage for a lesson
on faith.)
As Jesus approaches the roll of the boat, He calls out, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
When
Jesus says in the midst of your storm, "It is I," it is a call to
faith. When He says, "Take courage," it is a call to action: True faith
will always, at some point, require courage.
Peter says, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
This
is wonderful, really. Here is an insight not only into Jesus Christ but
also into Peter's relationship with Jesus. Ever since Peter has known
the Lord, Christ has required him and the disciples to do impossible
things: heal the sick, feed multitudes with a lunch pail of food, raise
the dead. Over and over Peter has seen Jesus work miracles; over and
over Jesus has empowered Peter to do what he saw Jesus just do.
That
night on the stormy sea, Peter has this amazing discernment: "If it's
really the Lord, He will tell me to do what He is doing: something
impossible. If it's the Jesus I know, in a moment He will be telling me
to walk on the water, too." And true to form, Jesus calls out to Peter:
"Come!"
Now Peter is not about to walk on the water,
not really. When he steps out, he is walking on the word Come. He knows
that the power to accomplish the impossible resides in Christ's word,
and it is this supernatural reality upon which he steps.
You
see, this is all about trusting the integrity of Jesus Christ's
command. Do you think Peter feels power when he steps on the water? I
don't think he feels anything besides the storm. No goose bumps. No
"glory chills." Peter sits on the topside rail of the rocking boat and
swings his legs over the churning water. Peering through the wind and
rain, he looks at Jesus. Then he slips down and stands upright in the
water!
Splash! One step. Splash! Then another and
another until Peter walks right up to Jesus. This is no little walk.
Admittedly, anyone can walk on water for the first step. It is the
second step and beyond that is difficult. Peter walks until the waves
grab his attention; then he begins to sink. Jesus saves him, of course,
and when they get into the boat the wind stops.
Maybe
we would expect the Lord to say, "Peter, you did it!" Maybe Peter was
expecting praise for his short water-walking career, but no, Jesus
rebukes him saying, "Why did you doubt?"
Christ sees
the beginning of something great within Peter and He does not want it
contaminated by pride or self-pity. Most of us want a medal every time
we do something for God, but He is not about to let Peter or us build a
monument to our accomplishments, especially when we are just beginning.
If this miracle of Peter's were done by some of us here in America, in
two weeks we would have tours, T-shirts and commemorative celebrations
of the day we walked on water. But Jesus will allow none of that for His
disciples. He sees greatness emerging in Peter and He will not press
any of His disciples toward anything other than full conformity to His
image.
Remember: God's goal is that we become
Christlike. The real Jesus is going to call us to do the impossible.
This means that we will be called to do what we have never done before.
You will see Jesus ahead of you, probably in some kind of storm, but it
will be the beginning of a miracle that will change you - and the world
around you.
Lord, forgive me for seeking a safe life
instead of a supernatural life. I want more of You. Call me out of the
boat of my familiar, predictable world. Master, for the sake of reaching
the lost, increase my faith until I am standing with You on the water
of divine potential. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, This Day We Fight available at www.arrowbookstore.com.
