Partnering with Holy Spirit: Applying the Gift of Faith – The Message

Join us for a message on ‘Partnering with the Holy Spirit: Applying the Gift of Faith.’ We’ll explore how we can intentionally build our faith as we SEEK the Gift of Faith. You’ll find practical insights and inspiring teachings that will help you live a faith-filled life like never before. Let this message spark your spirit and bring you closer to the Holy Spirit. Learn more today.

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Notes for Partnering with Holy Spirit: Applying the Gift of Faith – The Message

Read Matthew 14:22-33 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.  Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

This story preaches itself. We’ve all been asked by Jesus to step onto the waves where He is. It might be to move to a new city, or start a new job, or let your kid move around the world. Maybe it’s an illness that Jesus asks you to trust Him through, or death of loved one He’s asked you to grieve. It could be a relationship He’s told you work on. Whatever it was, the news knocked you to your knees. 

And the waves were big. 

But Jesus was calling you. 

And like Peter walked on actual water, you walked on metaphorical water – with just as real wind and waves crashing all around. 

You likely took your eyes off Jesus. The waves felt even bigger, the wind blew even harder. You felt yourself slip under the waves. But you called out to Him and He saved you and storm stopped and you. 

You might have felt the chastisement “Why did you doubt me?” 

Likely you just felt loved. 

Today we’re talking about the gift of faith. What it is, why we need it, how to seek it and where to use it. I will encourage you to intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith. 

I think after a story like Peter’s  we all agree that their will be times we all need the the gift of faith. Because when we’re walking on the water because Jesus called us out of the boat, often it’s the gift of faith  that enables us to keep our eyes on Him and not on the wind and waves.

Can I pray?

When I started to research this message, I wanted to find out the difference with fruit of the spirit called faith (or faithfulness) and the gift of the spirit called faith. Because fruit grows, but gifts we need to eagerly desire and it seems like there should be difference. 

It turns out the same word is used for both – and faith is more complicated than I wanted to assume.  I should have known. 

I knew when it comes to faith in healing that faith is needed for healing – but faith can come from the person being prayed for (Matthew 9:22, Mark 10:52) or needing healing (Acts 5:15-16) , or the person praying (Acts 3:16), or the parent of the one needing healing (Mathew 8:13) ,  or the friends of the one needing healing (Acts 14:9-10). Faith can come from the spoken word (Acts 14:9-10) and sometimes faith can even speed up God’s timing (Matthew 15:22-28). So it’s good to be persistent (Luke 18:1-8). 

But the more I studied faith in God, the more I realized it’s about as complicated as talking about the Triune Nature of the Godhead. 

I’ll try to clear it up for you a bit today. Remember to  intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith. 

What is faith? 

The Greek word for faith is πίστις. 

It’s used everywhere.  πίστις is used to describe faith in God and Jesus Christ, trust and confidence, a gift from God, a fruit of the Spirit. It leads to salvation,  an active and ongoing response, and a community and doctrine

Let me try to organize this for you. 

Everything you probably need to know about Faith in the New Testament

Faith pleases God – Hebrews 11:6

Faith is confidence –  Hebrews 11:1

Faith as small as a mustard seed is all we need – Matthew 17:14-20

Faith is belief – Romans 10:9-10 

Faith is belief in the nature of God – John 14:1

The righteousness of God is revealed from faith and for faith. Romans 1:17

Faith is belief in the promises of God – Romans 4:20-21

Faith is  lived belief – Matthew 7:21

Faith is a fight – 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Faith without works is dead – James 2:17 

He empowers us to accomplish every good work prompted by faith 2 Thessalonians 1:11

     Faith is how we overcome the world – 1 John 5:4

Faith lived out over time is faithfulness – Matthew 25:21

Faith that is faithfulness needs to joined with love – 1 Corinthians 13:2 

Faith and love is armour for us to be clearheaded  – 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Faith expressing itself in love is the the only thing that matters – Galatians 5:6

We are saved by grace through faith, but not our own. – Ephesians 2:8-9

We are to live by faith. – Habakkuk 2:4

Faith also explains what we believe – Ephesians 4:13 (+21 times)

    Faith that explains what we believe needs to be contended for – Jude 1:3

     Faith will be tested, and that’s a good thing –  James 1:2-3

     People can become obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7 

     People can remain true to the faith. Acts 14:22

     Churches can be strengthened in the faith. Acts 16:5 

     People can be weak in the faith – Romans 14:1 

     People can fall away from the faith – 1 Timothy 4:1

     So we need to be on our guard and stand firm in our faith –  1 Corinthians 16:13 

Faith is a fruit that grows. Galatians 5:22-23

Faith is a gift we need to seek. 1 Corinthians 12:9

Faith is a gift that activates and expands the others gifts. Romans 12:6 

I want to spend some time unpacking those last two revelations of faith. Faith is a fruit that grows and Faith is a gift we need to SEEK

But before we get to that lets talk about… 

7 Reasons why we need a vibrant and growing faith

1. Salvation (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

2. Prayer (Mark 11:24; James 1:6).

3. Victory over challenges (1 John 5:4; Hebrews 11:33-34).

4. Living a righteous life (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 11:8).

5. Endurance (Hebrews 10:36; James 1:12).

6. Spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:5-7; Hebrews 6:1-3).

7. For using and expanding Spiritual Gifts (Romans 12:6)

Understanding Faith as Fruit

Fruit grows… we keep away the bad stuff, we emphasize the good stuff. Like produces like. It’s going to happen, because you’ve come to faith in Christ the fruit of faith will grow in your life. 

How do we grow the fruit of faith 

Galatians 5  tells us to Keep in STEP with the Spirit

S – Sanctify yourself for freedom

In freedom we serve one another in love 5:13

Do I use my freedom to serve others in love? 

T – Turn from doing things your own way

We let the Spirit guide our lives 5:16

Do I let Holy Spirit guide my life?

E – Engage with what the Spirit wants

Don’t do what the sinful nature craves. 5:17-18

Do I live like I know His grace is sufficient for me?

P – Progress to be more and more like Jesus 

Nail the passion and desires of our sinful nature to the cross 5:24

Do I use the same power the raised Christ Jesus from the dead to give life to me?

Do this and fruit will grow. Take away the bad stuff, emphasize the good stuff. Like produces like. You are a new creation in Christ. He will finish the good work He’s started in you. You will look more and more like Jesus… Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness, faith, gentleness and self control will grow and grow in you. 

As we keep in STEP with Holy Spirit we naturally  become more and more like Jesus. 

But the gift of faith is something else. 

I mean, it’s the same word, we just experience it differently. 

Fruit grow over time, gifts are given and it can be “Now”. 

Our role is different. We’re told to eagerly desire (ei, SEEK) the gifts we need in the moment. 

Faith is a Gift  we SEEK

The “gift of faith” refers to a special spiritual ability given by Holy Spirit to an individual to believe in Him, His promises, and His power and His love with unwavering confidence. 

It is a supernatural enablement to trust in God’s truth and rely on His guidance and provision in all circumstances. 

The gift of faith empowers believers to step out in obedience, face trials with courage, and see beyond what is visible to what God has promised.

Do you need

to believe in Him, His promises, and His power and His love

to trust in God’s truth and rely on His guidance and provision

to step out in obedience, face trials with courage

Then you need the gift of faith. Intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith. 

Sometimes we have this inexplicable way of knowing something is going to happen.  That it doesn’t matter if no one agrees with us we know that it’s going to happen. It doesn’t even matter if the situation we’re in doesn’t change right away, we know it’s going to happen. 

We know it’s His will and that God is working it all out for the good of those He calls. And we have peace and joy and overflow with hope because we supernaturally know God’s will is going to be done. 

We probably need to do some stuff, but we know it’s going to happen. We know he’ll empower us to accomplish every good work prompted by our faith.

That the gift of faith. 

It can come in an instant and change us forever. It can’t be earned, but it should be sought.  We know when we have it but it’s tough to explain it to someone who sees only the waves and not Jesus who called us. 

What does the gift of faith look like? 

Think of Paul and Silas in prison. Tell story Act 16:16-26

The chains of all the prisoner fell off!

The gift of faith looks counterintuitive and results in the chains falling off prisoners. 

How many agree the greater gift we sometimes need is the gift of faith? 

So I want you to know how to SEEK the gift of Faith. So you’ll  know how to intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith. 

How to SEEK the Gift of Faith

S – Seriously Desire 

E – Embrace Activating by Faith

E – Experiment Inside the Church

K – Keep in Step with Holy Spirit

S – Seriously Desire – Hebrews 11:6

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6

In context of 1 Corinthians 12 – 14, the greatest gift is the gift in the moment.  When we are gathered, the greatest need is for edification, exhortation and comfort, so the greatest gift that Paul mentions is prophecy. When you’re alone you need to build yourself up, so Paul wished that everyone would speak in tongues, because when you speak in tongues you build yourself up. 

When do you know you need the gift of faith? 

Have you ever prayed the prayer of the father of boy who the disciples couldn’t help “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24?  If you’ve never prayed that, you will. That is when you know you need the gift of faith. The father didn’t know what he needed, but he knew his son needed to be free and maybe Jesus could help. 

Am I seriously desiring the gift of faith?

E – Embrace Activating by Faith – James 2:26

Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. James 2:26

How do you active faith by faith? 

That is the question I’ve been wrestling with.  Do you want the short answer?

You active the gift of faith by faith by stepping out in faith. 

Now, the good news is you’re primed the pump for faith.

 You confessed with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believed in your heart God has raised Him from the dead. You have a measure of faith. 

Holy Spirit is growing His fruit in you and making you more and more like Jesus, and one of the fruits is faith. He’s priming the pump for the gift. 

You have been given a measure of faith. It’s what you do with it that increases it. With the measure you have you can use all the other gifts. If you prophesy, you prophesy with the level of faith you have. 

The gift of faith is not convincing yourself that something is going happen…Praying and studying scripture and hanging around people of faith will all increase your faith…but that’s not the gift of faith. 

Intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith.  But understand the process of building our faith, is not the gift of faith. 

All those things may prepare you to step out in faith and that step of faith may activate the gift of faith. 

There’s no way to systemize this. I’ve seen people who’ve never prayed, step out in faith and pray to Jesus for the time and Holy Spirit shows up changes them. I’ve seen faithful saints call out and call out and call out and the gift of faith doesn’t arrive. Holy Spirit gives the gift of Faith just as he wants to. But if you need to gift of faith, SEEK the gift of faith. 

The gift of faith is not tied to our faithfulness it’s all about His grace. We are saved by grace, through faith— that is a gift from God. Not by works. What’s a gift from God? Grace and faith. 

The Holy Spirit gives the gifts of faith. Our job is to eagerly desire. So know we will need to step out in faith to eagerly desire the gift of faith. 

He will not force the gift of faith on us. 

Am I willing to step out in faith?

E – Experiment Inside the Church – James 5:13-15

 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 

James 5:13-15

Practice your faith in the church by praying in faith for others. 

Will I experiment with my faith inside the church?

K – Keep in Step with Holy Spirit  – James 1:2-3

In the day to day of everyday your faith will be tested. 

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3 NLT 

The testing of our faith allows endurance to grow. Your faith will be tested, so consider it all joy. 

How do you use the gift of faith outside the walls of the gathered church?

Well, as your faith grows, your faith shows. Others see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. If they see the fruit, they can’t help but see the gift. 

When I’ve seen the gift of faith in action, there’s an assurance in that person and they don’t need to convince anyone what they know to be true. It could change what they say yes to and no to. It energizes their prayers. They encourage people more freely. It’s not like you can easily keep good news in. 

When you get the gift of faith, people who know you, know something is different. 

Will I ready to give a reason for the hope that I have, with gentleness and respect? 

Where to use the gift of Faith – Challenge

Do you realize the gift of faith is given for the common good of all of us? 

When I see you operating the gift of faith, it encourages me to seek the gift of faith for my own situation. 

If God is doing it for you, He will do it for me. Seeing the gift of faith active in you, reminds me God is good and in a good mood. I get to celebrate the good news with you before it comes. 

It’s when I hear you pray like the psalmist “I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, so I will be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” And it’s when I hear you testify like Jeremiah “yet I call this to mind and therefore I have hope… the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…” Or it’s when I see you putting one step in front of the other as the waves crash around you and all you see is Jesus. That’s when your gift of faith builds my faith and makes me want to seek the gift of faith. 

The challenge is to put  something in your rhythm—or keep doing that thing in your rhythm—that builds your faith and primes the pump for the gift of faith. I realize that the gift of faith can come before any pump ever being primed. I can’t control Holy Spirit, but I can take away the bad stuff, emphasize the good stuff and know the fruit of faith will growth. In time, I can have a similar result. 

Intentionally build your faith as you SEEK the gift of faith. 

Remember

How to activate the gift of faith SEEK

S – Seriously Desire  – Hebrews 11:6

E – Embrace Activating by Faith –  James 2:26

E – Experiment Inside the Church – James 5:13-15

K – Keep in Step with Holy Spirit – James 1:2-3

The Gift of Faith is a given for the common good of all of us. 

Can I pray?

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Pray for gift of faith to be activated.