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Can you believe even when it is costly? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our BELIEVE series with a message about Elijah’s faith.

1 Kings 18:37-38
Elijah prayed, "Answer me, Lord, so these people will know that you are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

Elijah was dealing with a people whose entire relationship with God existed in the past tense. They had not rejected God, they had added other gods to their worship. 

1) Elijah’s faith was a CATALYST.

A catalyst creates a reaction. Healthy people don't go out looking for conflict, but growth and change rarely happen without discomfort.

"Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."
Jim Elliot

Our real conflict is not with people. People are the prize in the kingdom of God, so our goal is not to defeat people but to win them. Real faith will produce healthy confrontation.

2) Elijah’s faith created COMMITMENT.

Elijah asked, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” Elijah knew that belief was meaningless without obedience. 

3) Elijah’s faith was COSTLY.

After years without rain, Elijah’s pouring out of water on the sacrifice was an extravagant act of faith. Are you willing to operate in trust even when it costs you something precious?

When Elijah prayed, God answered with fire from heaven! It may seem like this dramatic story of faith in action is out of reach for us. But the Bible says the opposite.

James 5:17-18
Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

You can have a faith that God uses to turn hearts towards Him again!

Where have you placed your hope? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres started our BELIEVE series with a message about the nature of faith.

Matthew 17:20
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there', and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Faith is not a denial of reality, it’s a deeper reality. What does this passage teach us about how to trust God in the face of very real challenges and disappointments?

1) Every seed starts out SMALL. 

Faith is not a form of religious achievement. What matters is not the amount of faith, but the object of our faith. Even a small seed of faith, WELL-PLACED, can make mountains jump.

2) Every seed starts out SLOW.

Faith requires trust in God’s unseen work. Real faith allows us to be faithful to our assignment today, trusting that God will bring finished fruit in His perfect time.

3) Every seed has a SO THAT.

A gardener plants seeds to grow a tree and to enjoy its fruit. But Jesus said there is a SO THAT that has nothing to do with the gardener's goals. 

Matthew 13:33
"Though the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

When we place our hope and trust in Jesus, God multiplies His blessings in our lives, SO THAT others can experience God’s goodness as well!
 

How do you guard your heart and life? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres shared a message about Jesus’ face to face encounter with Peter on the night before his crucifixion, and a question from Pastor Tim Dilena that has served as a challenge for decades.

Matthew 26:31-33
Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 

Every Gospel records this unflattering story of Peter’s boast and denial on the night of Jesus’ trial. Not only does this authenticate the historical nature of the Gospels, but it also illuminates some important truths.

1) "It is written" beats my opinion.

Peter was sincere in his belief in himself. The other disciples said the same, but "it is written" always beats the majority opinion. God’s Word is the standard for truth, not our sincerity.

Isaiah 55:11
My word that goes out from my mouth:
  Will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
  and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

We can choose to disagree with the Bible, to be offended by it, to vilify it, to call it irrelevant and dismiss it, but we cannot undo it. 

2) My failures cost more than me.

Jesus knew that when a leader fails, others are impacted. If you strike the shepherd, sheep will scatter. Your life in Christ is not personal, it is public, and your example matters.

3) Self-confidence can be self-deception.

Peter underestimated his own weakness and dependence on God’s help. A humble attitude keeps us grounded in an awareness of our need for God’s grace to obey Him.

4) Prayer is the antidote to temptation.

Jesus tells his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41) Prayerlessness is pride because it ignores our daily need for help from the Holy Spirit to serve God.

5) Sin gets easier with repetition.

When confronted at Jesus’ trial, Peter begins by simply claiming ignorance, but as he is challenged again, he adds an oath and finally, cursing. Sin always gets easier with repetition. When the rooster crows, Peter leaves in sorrow and shame.

The next day, Jesus is tortured and forced to carry his cross, and the Bible says soldiers forced Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Jesus. Over twenty years ago, Pastor Tim Dilena asked the question, “Where is the other Simon?” Where was Simon Peter when Jesus needed help carrying his cross? 

God raises Jesus from the dead, and Jesus beautifully forgives and restores Peter. But Peter’s failure still serves as a warning to us. When we guard our hearts and lives, we keep ourselves available for God to use at the most pivotal moments of his plan for our generation!