What's so special about Christianity?

There are a many religions in the world.

It is a point skeptics make in their dissertations regarding how no one religion is better than any other, and that they should all just be done away with, or in the very least, ignored.

But there is a valid answer, and it speaks directly to question of "why so many religions?"

But be forewarned: some of you will not like the answer.

Stay tuned ...

Faith - Definition, Application and the Spiritual Gift

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)

The World's Definition of Faith
According to the world, faith is an ethereal, empty mustered belief of wishing in the impossible. Many times the definition involves a belief in a given religion, dogma or denomination associated with various sects of Christian or non-Christian systems of belief.

A Proper Definition of Faith
Faith means to trust and believe. Some of the synonyms for faith are confidence, trust, reliance, conviction, belief, and assurance. Faith means to believe in, be devoted to and to trust in somebody or something. All faith relies upon two foundations: a faith object, and a system of beliefs built around that object.

The Three Axioms of Faith

1. The Faith Object - the faith object is the thing in which a given belief system is built around.
   

2. The Belief System - the belief system is a set of axioms related to the faith object.
   

3. The Works - faith always results in action. These actions are performed as a result of both the Faith Object and the Belief System surrounding the Faith Object.

An Example of Faith
Any good Astronomer believes, and will tell you, that earth's moon may be found at a specified set of coordinates at any given time.

Why? The moon has been found to be a very reliable object, to the point that the astronomer has, through observation, constructed a system of beliefs that has culminated in a number of algorithms and functions designed to locate the moon at any given time.

Without the reliability of the moon, and without a strong system of beliefs based upon the behavior of the moon, the NASA moon landings would have never been possible. Because, in order to land on the moon, you must first believe that the moon exists, and secondly, you must study it in order to learn where the moon will be at any given time.

Without the establishment of these two fundamental requirements (trust and belief) it is impossible to interact with anything. Therefore, we understand that every one lives their life based in faith – trust and belief in something or someone.

Whether ore not our faith objects and belief systems are proper does not negate that fact that we live our daily lives based upon our trust and belief in regards to numerous people, places and things – we live our lives based in faith. Many people would say that they live their lives based upon facts, but this argument is incorrect. There are possibly hundreds or thousands of incarcerated prisoners who are actually innocent of the crimes they were charged. Obviously, the fact is that they are in jail. But they're not in jail because of the facts surrounding the crime they never committed - they're in jail because of what the jury believed regarding those facts. In actually, the jury believed a lie, and convicted an innocent person.

Biblical Faith
Biblical faith is not that different from ordinary faith. The biblical faith object is God. First and foremost the primary Christian faith object is Jehovah God, not the Bible. What the Bible provides is truth in regards to our faith object – it teaches us about our faith object. Even though one must believe the Bible and one must trust the Bible, and hence demonstrate faith towards the Word of God, the Bible is not our primary faith object - God is our primary faith object.

Even so, we cannot separate God's word from God Himself - it is His word that we must trust and believe, for it teaches us the truth about Him, and it keeps us from sin - "Thy word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11) The point I'm trying make is that we must make sure that our ultimate faith object is God. To assume that you can believe in God but not believe His word is preposterous. But to make God's word an higher authority than God himself is an error. Remember: the point of God's word is to lead us into a relationship with God. It is God's tool to bring us to Himself.

Faith Depends upon it's Object
The author of Hebrews said

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)

and Habakkuk said

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4, KJV)

Neil Anderson states that “the issue of faith is not that we believe … it's what we believe or who we believe in that determines whether or not faith will be rewarded.” The question remains then, faith in what? Again, we find the author of Hebrews addressing our faith object:

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:7-8)

It wasn't just any “words” that were spoken to them, it was God's words – those words which God Himself uttered through His judges, prophets and servants. The object here is God - “those ... who spoke the word of God to you … “. They could trust the words they heard because of the author of those words. They did not trust the words because they were written in a book that many before them had revered, but they trusted Him who spake them because they knew that God was trustworthy.

On the contrary, the person who's faith object is the Bible views God with suspicion and distrust. He or she uses the Bible to remind God of what He said he would do, for without this reminder God is (to them) untrustworthy to act on their behalf with benevolence, faithfulness or love.

But the person that trusts God, who's faith object is God, will remind God of His word and His promises, but for the purpose of beseeching God to act upon His promises. This person also does this from a point of humility and trust in God:

… they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire." When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, "I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'if you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell.' (Nehemia 1:3-9)

Faith is Dependent upon your Knowledge of your Faith Object
If you are like most people, you believe the moon circles the earth. You believe that on most nights, and some days, you can see the moon in the sky. But unless you are among a very few people with the right skills and/or equipment, you cannot tell me the exact coordinates of the moon over the earth at any given point in time. Why is that? Because your knowledge of the moon is limited. You may have enough faith in the laws of physics to believe that the moon will remain in the sky for as long as you live, baring some unforeseen external force. And you may have enough faith in the moon and these laws to believe that you can find the moon in almost any night sky. But that is as far as your knowledge takes you.

Our faith in God is no different. We will go with God only as far as our faith allows us to go, and our faith reflects the quality of our knowledge and belief in God. Consider again Hebrews 13:7-9:

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.

The author suggests that we should “consider the result of their conduct”, that we should “imitate their faith”, that we should not be “carried away by varied and strange teachings” and that it is good to be “strengthened by grace”. Our conduct, good or bad, reflects both our quality of faith and the quality of our belief system.

Imitating the faith of another person and not being carried away by strange teaching both have the inverse effect of strengthening your belief system, and therefore growing your faith.

Being "strengthened by grace" means that we die to our selfishness, our pride and our desires and allow God to make us into that which we cannot become of our own accord.

In Victory Over the Darkness (pp.110, 111), Neil Anderson says:

The only limit to your faith is your knowledge and understanding of God, which grows every time you read your Bible, memorize a Scripture verse, participate in a Bible study or meditate on His Word … I doubt there is a Christian alive who has lived up to his or her faith potential based on what he or she already knows to be true.

The Apostle James said that we must

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when {we} encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of {our} faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that {we} may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-3, NASB)

When God tests our faith, He is working on our behalf by showing us the quality of our belief in Him and the deepness or shallowness of our trust in Him.

Faith is an Action Word
Why do you look up in to the night sky to see the stars and the moon? Because you know and believe they are there. Your belief produces and results in an action. Why does (or did) the Captain of a ship use the sextant to guide his way across the ocean? Because he believes and knows that the stars are trustworthy in their positions in the sky, and he believes in the result of a properly implemented sextant. In the same way, faith without action is not faith – it is dead and empty, it is powerless, wishful thinking:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Therefore, everything you do is a product of what you have chosen to believe. If you believe that jumping into a body of water is likely to result in your death, then you have a fear of water – and your not a swimmer. If you believe that climbing to top of a tower could result in your death, then you stay on the ground – you have a fear of heights. If an escalator is nothing but a machine with the power to rip you into shreds, then you take the stairs – you have a fear of escalators. And the list could go on and on.

Do you share your Faith with those around you? If not, do you actually have any faith to share?

The Spiritual Gift of Faith
Everyone has been given a measure of faith:

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

But the spiritual Gift of faith, as defined in 1 Corinthians 12:7,9

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. … to another faith by the same Spirit ...

is different from the common, “measure of faith” given by God to all of those who trust Him for salvation and redemption. The common faith given to all is necessary for our spiritual life and service, for with out faith, it is impossible to please Him.

This Spiritual Gift of Faith differs in that while many of us struggle to have faith, to grow our faith and to exercise our faith, those with this gift simply believe God will act in circumstances that seem impossible. This Spiritual Gift of Faith enables on to trust and believe God in extraordinary circumstances, or for extraordinary works on the behalf of yourself and/or others.

The Spiritual Gift of Faith Defined
The Spiritual Gift of Faith is God's work through you. The motivation behind this gift, as is the motivation behind all of the Spiritual Gifts of God, is based in and flows from love . This gift enables the recipient to understand and see what God wants to do and is willing to do in a given situation or circumstance. By virtue of this knowledge, this gift provides the peace of God for the given need or situation; it provides a supernatural ability to trust God to accomplish a given task.

People with the Spiritual Gift of Faith

• Trust God in difficult and even impossible situations when others are ready to give up.
• Are visionaries who dream big dreams, pray big prayers, and attempt big things for God.
• Are optimistic, hopeful, persevering, change-oriented, and future-focused
• Are convincing about the truth of Scripture because they themselves are so convinced of the truth and power of God and his Word.

A Contemporary Example

George Mueller was an excellent example of this gift. Early in his ministry he resolved to never ask anyone for money, but present his needs directly to the Lord. Mueller learned that English prisons held 6000 children, simply because they had no other place to live. By 1845 he had 130 orphans housed in four rented buildings, and although he had only £5, wanted to build another building capable of holding 300. Using only prayer, he had the funds in just over 6 months, and when the building was finished and the children moved in, he had £776 left over; and he had not asked for one penny! Before he died in 1898 he built four other orphanages the same way, for a total cost of $575,000, while his own personal assets amounted to only $300. Mueller said:

"Seven million five hundred thousand dollars have been sent to me in answer to prayer. We have needed as much as two hundred thousand dollars in one year, and it has all come when needed. No man can ever say I asked him for a penny. We have no committees, no collectors, no voting, and no endowments. All has come in answer to believing prayer."

"If I should say that during the fifty-five years and nine months that I have been a Christian that I have had 30,000 prayers answered in the same hour or day that the requests were made, I would state nothing more or less than an honest truth in the sight of God.” ( A Personal Interview with George Mueller, Charles R. Parsons, 1897)

Do you have this Gift?

• Do you view obstacles as opportunities, do you trust God for the impossible?

• Are you likely to boast about the power of God and what you have seen him do?

• Are motivated by new ministries because you see them as an opportunity for God to do great things?

• Do you find yourself feeling opposed to anyone who expresses that something cannot be done or accomplished?

• Do you find other believers coming to you for hope when they face a seemingly overwhelming trial or task?

• Do you have an effective prayer ministry, with many wonderful answers to prayers that were impossible from the human point of view?

Revision 3, October 21, 2009
Revision 2, June 14, 2009
Revision 1, June 13, 2009

The Bondage of Depression - Part 2: The Onion of Despair

Jesus said a lot of things. But to me, the most important thing He ever said was this:

"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32)

When you're battling depression, there's one thing you must get to: the truth. But therein lies a problem. Unresolved loss, anger and fear usually indicates self deception, which means you may be in a place where you don't know what it is that you are depressed about in the first place!

On the other hand, if you are depressed and you know why, then count yourself lucky. Some people who are really, really depressed haven't a clue why. They are so out of touch with their emotions and feelings that, if they're not in the middle of a depressed episode, they will deny to your face that they're angry or hurting about anything.

I was one of those people.

She looked me square in the face and said, "... well, you look angry to me. Everything you say is like darts spitting this way or that." I figured that since she knew more than me (at least, that's why I was paying her $125 an hour), then maybe I should consider that she was right about this "anger" she saw in me. I honestly did not believe her. But once I opened myself to the possibility that her theory was correct, I began to see myself clearly -- that's when I discovered the thing I call the Onion of Despair.

Unresolved anger, fear and loss is like a pill you swallow that doesn't go away, rather it grows day by day, adding a new layer with every new thing that rubs you the wrong way. That is, until some other unsettling event comes your way, and you swallow that pill too, which then grows day by day. Eventually, after you've stuffed so much anger and so many fears into your soul, you'll find yourself well within the center of debilitating depression: your head hurts, your body hurts, and all you want to do is make the pain go away. Some people find a Doctor who gives them a pill that takes the edge off, others self medicate with alcohol or drugs, others find a weapon...

You must know the truth ...

The first thing you've got to do is know the truth, the truth about your belief systems. For example, if blue moons make you sad, and you believe the moon is blue, then you're going to be sad whenever you see the moon: "For as he thinks within himself, so he is ... " (Proverbs 23:7) In this scenario, we must understand that the first problem to solve is the improper notion that the moon is blue. Everyone knows that the moon is made of cheese, and as such, it must be white, or at least an off-white-yellowish color. Therefore, one must chose to reject the blue-moon lie, and believe the cheese-moon truth. So, now that we're on our way to discarding the lie of the blue moon, we must then determine, why did we believe the moon was blue in the first place?

And off comes the first layer of the Onion of Despair.

Once you've discovered the lie, you can then inspect your belief system and find the root of that lie. In doing so, you are successfully in the process of peeling off a layer of the Onion. If you're like most people, you'll eventually discover that there are multiple layers to your Onion that need to be handled. Each layer has a new problem to solve, a new loss to let go of, a new fear to deal with, or a new anger to address. So don't be discouraged when, after you've peeled off a layer and world looks a whole lot brighter, some time there after you find a new problem pops up. That's how it works. We are complex people with complex problems to solve, there's no getting around this simple truth.

This is not to say, however, that every fear, loss or anger is based solely in a lie - clearly when we've lost a loved one we're going to suffer in that loss. The problem occurs when we refuse to let go of that which we cannot hold onto. Once your mother is gone, there's nothing you can do to bring her back. Grieving for a period of time is normal and natural. Refusing to let go by placing memorabilia in your life that draws you back into grief on a daily basis, for months or years on end, is not normal or natural. When a person refuses to let go of something lost, they're holding onto a false reality. Although one never "gets over" a great loss, the healthy person learns to live with the loss, and learns to let go.

The blue moon vs. cheese moon myth is a trite example of the pitfalls of truth vs. lie, but it does help describe how our belief about a given thing can affect us. Once we've discovered that blue moons make us sad, we're on the right path to peeling apart the Onion. In this case, we discovered we always saw a blue moon, even though it was cheesy-white. We compared baby blue with cheddar white and observed the error. We may not, at this point, remember that it was a friend who persuaded us to believe the moon was blue, or that a particularly bright moon was out the night that friend died, but we have at least pulled off the outer-most layer of the problem.

Dealing with the outer-most problem you can lay your hands on will not resolve a deep rooted depression overnight, but it is a beginning, and it is a valid, iterative (if not recursive) process.

So what are we to do in the mean time, how are we to survive this process with a glimmer of hope?

You survive by changing your belief system about yourself. It's one thing to deal with anger issues regarding a person who has wronged you, but it is clearly another issue to deal with one's misconceptions of themselves, particularly in the area of who we are in Christ.

Depression has an insidious way warping our self-image. In actuality, this warping of our self-image is a Spiritual battle:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit ... (Ephesians 6:10-18)

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ ... (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Ask yourself these questions, and provide honest answers:

1. Are you strong in the Lord and the Strength of His might?
2. Do you believe your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but is a spiritual battle?
3. Have you taken up the full armor of God?
4. Do you pray at all times in the Spirit?
5. Do you take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and discard harmful imaginations?
   

If you answered 'no' or 'sort-of' to any of those questions, then you have an obligation to discover why you refuse to whole-heartedly believe the truth, because when you choose to maintain a flawed belief system, you are in bondage to it:

Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. (John 8:34)

Choosing to believe anything makes you the slave of that belief system. Choosing to believe the truth sets you free, choosing to believe a lie puts you in bondage to that lie.

For the Christian battling depression, it's not in our believing Jesus is precious that sets us free, it's what we believe about ourselves in the context of God's view of us that is vitally important to our walk in Faith, our life in Freedom, our tearing down of strongholds -

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ... (2 Corinthians 10:4)

The Hope that we have in Christ is not based on our belief, or the fact, that He is beautiful or precious, nor does this set us free, as John Piper would assert. Our Hope, and our freedom are based in the truth that we are beautiful and precious to Him, and the fact that through faith and by grace we have God's salvation.

Contrary wise, if you believe you're a good for nothing, broken sinner, then you will act like a good for nothing, broken sinner. If on the other hand, you believe that you are a justified and sanctified Saint, then your actions and attitudes will be far different. This is how you survive and progress through the process - by knowing and believing who you are in Christ.

Study this list of the attributes of the Child of God. Prayerfully deal with the ones you don't believe; memorize the scripture references (click the link to see the background verses), and trust God to love you as you are, as you confess your fears and your angers, and let go of your losses.

In Christ I Am Accepted ...

• I am God's child
• As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ
• I have been justified
• I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit
  
• I have been bought with a price and I belong to God
• I am a member of Christ's body
• I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child
• I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins
• I am complete in Christ
• I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ
  

In Christ I am secure ...

• I am free from condemnation
• I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances
• I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God
• I have been established, anointed and sealed by God
• I am hidden with Christ in God
• I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me
• I am a citizen of heaven
• I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind
• I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me

In Christ I am significant ...

• I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life
• I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
• I am God's temple
• I am a minister of reconciliation for God
• I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm
• I am God's workmanship
• I may approach God with freedom and confidence
• I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me