Articles
“I Want Faith Like That - by Travis Renfrow”
Categories: Do you have faith?
Everyone knows that one person who seems to epitomize faith. That person who rises to every challenge, stems every tide, and never falters. Although life is no easier on them than it is on anyone else, they simply seem better equipped to deal with it. Did you ever look at that person and think, “I want a faith like that!”
I grew up as a fake. My mother took my brother and me to church. He and I were active in the church youth group. We even attended the youth getaways to Christian festivals and concerts. Everyone else seemed to be so spiritual and faithful. I wanted to be like that too, so I faked it.
It’s not that I didn’t believe in God or His Son. It’s just that I wasn’t sure about the foundation of my belief. I believed because of the consistency of the belief around me. It was like group-think. Although I thought I was becoming spiritually minded like my peers and leaders, I was really just becoming a spiritual lemming.
Then came the girl. Isn’t it always a girl? Not long after she and I started dating she asked me to go with her to her church. Being at that point much more teenage boy than spiritual lemming, I agreed. The message wasn’t radically different than the one I grew up hearing at my church. There were differences, but the core remained intact. The difference was the proof. It was at that church I learned four words that would change my faith for the rest of my life, “Book, chapter and verse.”
When the preacher gave his message, every point was supported by a reference to scripture. The book, the chapter and the verse(s) were given so routinely that it seemed like second nature to him. The men and women around me, all with bibles in hand, turned and read along with each reference. When the sermon was over and the invitation had been given, there was more.
They took up the collection. Every church takes up a collection. But they referenced 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 to prove that this was the right thing to do. They observed the Lord’s Supper. Lots of churches do that. But they referenced 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 to prove that this was the right thing to do. So it wasn’t just the preacher. The whole church seemed devoted to this “Book, chapter and verse” thing.
Fast forward nearly twenty years later. I have now come to realize that the foundation of my belief, of my faith, is not about feeling like my peers. My faith is built on reading, studying and knowing what God’s word says. It is built on truth. I serve God as a faithful Christian, husband, father, and deacon. I’m not a spiritual lemming. My faith is my own. I know its strengths and I know its weaknesses because I have built it with the tools God gave us all.
I will not criticize the faith of those I grew up with. How can I question what their hearts and minds contain? But I know what worked for me. I also know it will work for you. I know because I have the book, chapter and verse to support me. “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17.) If you want a faith like that, we can show you how to build it.
Want to Know More?
I Want Faith Like That - Study Guide (Microsoft Word Document)
Untitled - Sermon by Curtis Pope
It Is Well With My Soul - from congregational singing with Tim Stevens
If you want to know more, contact us and let us help. Better yet, visit us. You will find a group of Christians intent on doing exactly what the bible says. No less and no more. You will find truth uncompromised.
