FAITH TO FAITHFULNESS

Learn how steadfastness in God's purpose leads to becoming a faithful steward of the Lord

By William R. Cunningham
June 15, 2003

INTRODUCTION

There are so many things in this world that would hinder us from being faithful. There are many cares that could lead us astray from being true to our commitment to God and to others. However, we need to be faithful in our commitments. We need to adhere to what we have promised and the cause for which we have chosen to fight. Above all, we need to be true to God and stand for righteousness.

As Christians, we should be careful to be consistent in what God has purposed us to do. We need to be sure to do what God says above all else. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to be taken off track because of a plethora of conditions and circumstances. However, when all of the smoke has cleared, we should be found standing for truth and accomplishing or have accomplished what God has purposed us to do and what we have committed ourselves to do.

Where do we get the power to be faithful since we are nothing of ourselves? Where can I tap into to receive what I need to remain committed to God's cause? The answer to these questions is the subject of this lesson. We will see that faith in God actually leads to faithfulness. We can remain true to God by trusting and remaining in Him. So sit back and learn how steadfastness and faith in God leads to true faithfulness.

SCRIPTURE LESSON

I will use two scripture references to launch this discussion. They are as follows.

1. Mark 11:22-24
2. Ezra 1:2-6,4:1-5, 24, 5:1-4, 6:6-10, 14-15 (Read Ezra chapters 1-6)

Let's examine the first of the scripture lesson.

Mark 11:22-24 (NKJV) So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

I want to focus on the first part of this scripture. Jesus said, "Have faith in God." After "having faith in God" we can then have confidence that we will have what we pray for (assuming it is according to God's will and that we practice forgiveness. See 1 John 5:14-15 and Mark 11:25-26 respectfully.

The word "faith" in Mark 11:22 is translated from the Greek word pistis, which in this context means to rely upon, trust, or have confidence in. Also implied by this verse is the fact that God is indeed trustworthy. So we see that our faith in God is the foundation for our belief that what we say or pray will come to pass. However, this is only the beginning. Sometimes we have to endure much as we wait on the Lord for our prayers to be answered. This leads us to the next scripture reference, which I will use as a type of case study so to speak.

Ezra 1:2-6 (NKJV) Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem. Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.

First let me give some background information so as to establish the context of our discussion in regards to Ezra. The Persians defeated the Babylonians and thus became the rulers of the Israelite people since they were captives of the Babylonians. Cyrus was the King of Persia at this time and he was tolerant of the Jewish religion, though some believe for political purposes. He made a declaration that the Jews could return to their homeland and rebuild their temple, the center of their worship. About fifty thousand or so Jews made the journey back to their homeland with support of those around them.

Ezra 4:1-5 (NKJV) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us." Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Now some people came to the people of Israel that were rebuilding the temple and asked if they could join. These were the descendants of the Jews that had intermarried with the Assyrians. These people practiced pagan worship and were not true to the LORD God as the Jews were. They were not allowed to join in the rebuilding effort.

These people came against the Jews that were rebuilding the Temple. The Scriptures say that they troubled them and they hired counselors to frustrate them, which means that they caused the work to slow and then stop. As a matter of fact, the rebuilding of the temple was discontinued for about 16 years.

The important thing to note here is that it was the will of God for the temple to be rebuilt.

Ezra 1:1 (NKJV) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Notice how Cyrus' action is credited to the will of God. Therefore, we see that God works even through the ungodly to carry out his will. In any case, God wanted the temple rebuilt. This would establish the worship that was long since undone. The temple was the center of Jewish worship and now that center would be restored. However, the frustration caused by people that didn't get their way caused the work on this temple project to cease.

Isn't this true with us sometimes. We know God's will and yet we don't continue with what we started because of some other opposing force. We lose faith and become weary in doing God's will. We allow the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke the word of God right out of us, which renders us unfruitful. Therefore, we should be careful not to allow ourselves to be discouraged by what we must face from day to day. We should be careful to do the will of God no matter what.

Ezra 4:24 (NKJV) Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Notice how the Scripture says that counselors were hired to frustrate their purpose. What frustrates your purpose? Now the word "frustrate" comes from a Hebrew word that means to cease, brought to naught. Therefore, as we said, the effect of these adversaries was the discontinuance of the rebuilding project for sixteen years (until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia).

It is important to note that events recorded verses 6 through 23 of chapter four actually took place later during the time of Nehemiah. Ezra included two other incidences (verse 6, and verses 7-23) to further record other opposition to the rebuilding of the temple. This is evident by the mention of Ahasuerus in verse 6 (this was Xerxes I) and Artaxerxes in verse 7. These two kings ruled after Darius and Cyrus and were during the time of Nehemiah. The Kings of Persia during this time were as follows.

1. Cyrus: 538-530 B.C.
2. Cambyses: 530-522 B.C.
3. Darius I (also Hystaspes): 522-486 B.C.
4. Xerxes I (Ahasuerus): 486-465 B.C.
5. Artaxerxes I (Longimanus): 464-423 B.C.

However, God's purpose cannot be voided by our disobedience. What God has purposed will occur. Consider the following scripture.

Ezra 5:1-5 (NKJV) Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: "Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?" Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter.

Not only did the rebuilding of the wall cease but also the people had become very lax in their worship of God. See Haggai 1:2-11. So Haggai and Zechariah caused the rebuilding of the Temple to resume. The purpose of this rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of Temple worship was so that God would be glorified (See Haggai 1:8). However, they again faced opposition to their cause.

The governor of that region challenged the Jews as to the rebuilding of the Temple, though he did not cause the work to cease. Tattenai, the governor, sent a letter to king Darius as to what to do concerning this matter. The Jews had informed Tattenai that king Cyrus had indeed given them permission to rebuild the Temple. Tattenai sent a letter to king Darius with a request to confirm their claims. King Darius did have a search done and it was found that king Cyrus had indeed given such a decree. King Darius reaffirmed Cyrus' decree and provided resources and finances to complete the project (See Ezra 6:6-10, 14-15).

Again we see that God's hand was with those that would build the Temple since it was His will for it to be restored. There was much opposition but in the end God's will was done. The prophets of God stirred up the people so that the Temple would be rebuilt. What would stir you up to do the will of God that you have left gone undone. What stirred you up in the past to complete what God commanded you to do.

Ultimately it was the faithfulness of God to His people and the faithfulness of God's prophets that resulted in the rebuilding of the Temple. God remained faithful and He even moved through gentiles to accomplish His purpose. King Cyrus and Darius were not worshippers of almighty God. Yet, they were instrumental in fulfilling God's purpose. Recall that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it (Psalm 24:1). We never really know how God will do things. It is only our duty to obey Him and remain faithful. However, our faithfulness is only realized when we put our trust in God in the first place since I can do nothing on my own or with my own strength. I am truly dependant on almighty God.

We notice in the account recorded by Ezra that God was faithful and so were His people. The prophets stirred up the people who had become complacent in their worship. The book of Malachi deals with a similar situation. What hinders you from completing your God given task? Well, wake up and begin to complete it.

I recall when God gave me specific instructions way back in February of 1997. I was working on organizing my study guides, if I remember correctly, and it was impressed on my spirit to go and pray. Have you ever had that feeling? It's like a feeling of urgency to go do something specific but you don't know where it came from. Well, I got up to go pray and just began to talk to God and He responded to me (internal not audibly). I thought it was over and then I asked Him what He wanted me to do and began to give me simple and definite instructions as to what I was supposed to do. My task was to preach liberty to the people. Preach the truth!

Since that time I had started Oasis Christian Fellowship of Philadelphia by the request of Pastor Tony Angelo and that went well for about two years before my family relocated to Lansdale, PA. I joined a friend of mine in his ministry and about a year into that God reminded me that I was not doing what I was supposed to do. Can you imagine what it feels like for the Lord to tell you that you are not obeying Him? You really don't want to hear that in prayer. I did and I immediately began to take steps to correct the situation. Yes I was with my friend in his ministry but for a year I was the keyboard player for the church. I had not been preaching truth or teaching. I was doing something good for the church but not according to God's will.

Well I informed the pastor that I had to leave and he and his wife were very understanding and we still remain friends today. I was really worried about loosing him because many pastors that I have come across become offended when you leave their church. Well I left the church to join another pastor to help him minister. My purpose for getting involved with this second church was for ministry. However, after arriving there and within a few months, I realized that I was on the same track that I was on at the previous church. I was again the keyboard player and I was having fun. Like the people in Jerusalem that Ezra recorded, I allowed the work of the ministry to wither while I played keyboards. I did have a ministerial title in the church but not in practice. The church was operating as business as usual and ministry was not the top of the agenda. However, this time I was alert to this. I again made a drastic move to put myself in line with God's will and it meant leaving this church after only about six months. My intentions at first was only to jump start Pursuing the Truth Ministries since I had been receiving many new newsletter subscriptions and I reckoned that is what God wanted me to be prepared for. However, the whole thing quickly migrated into the starting of Pursuing the Truth Ministries Church. It wasn't planned but it was definitely where God wanted me to go.

My parting with the second church was not as pleasant as it was with the first. As a matter of fact, it was quite hostile and very disappointing. However, I had to remain true to God even after receiving very discouraging words about my ministry and calling. That incidence demonstrated the importance of having someone that you can go to in order to discuss ministry and to reassure you of your vision. If it were not for the one that pastured me in ministry, then I might have been defeated by the negative and defeating words by the pastor of that church.

Just like the adversaries that Ezra wrote about, we have to be sure to stay encouraged to do what God called us to do. Don't allow the negative words of anyone destroy your vision. There were counselors against me and there will be counselors against you just as there were in the rebuilding project recorded in Ezra. I was discouraged greatly because I had respected the pastor of that church very much and his words had real meaning to me. However, after evaluating the situation and talking to my mentor, I realized that he was not interested in encouraging me or he was very upset that I decided to leave so quickly. In any case, I realized that most people that you think care really do not. They have their own agenda. Also, as to give respect to this pastor, sometimes we just don't understand what is happening sometimes and allow our emotions to dictate our actions. After all, we are human.

The result is the progression of Pursuing the Truth Ministries Church. We are growing and I am surely doing the will of God. I can now say that I am in the will of God and that I am completing the work that He has assigned to me. I didn't allow discouragement or the negative words of others distract me. I also realized how important it is to have someone to go to for comfort and encouragement. Sometimes we allow the negative talk of others to supersede what we already know from the Lord. Sometimes we allow malicious thoughts to take precedence over the truth that we already know. Sometimes we allow discouragement to lead us to frustration (failure). No. We must continue to fight. We must continue to do the work of the Lord.

I realize that I can't do the work alone. The Jews did not build the Temple by themselves. God made provision for them even through the resources of a pagan king. How much more will He do for you! My faith is in God. Your faith should be in God. Jesus said that without him we could do nothing (John 15:5). Therefore, my faith in God is necessary for me to remain faithful to God. My faithfulness is nothing without obedience. In other words, the ideal of faithfulness is meaningless unless you act on it. I have to be true to God if I am true to God. And the only way that I can remain true to God is if I remain attached to the vine so to speak (See John 15). The only way that I can do the work of God that he has purposed for me is if I continue to trust him to empower me and to provide for me. I can truly do nothing without him.

So you see that our faith in God leads to faithfulness. Our faith in God is necessary for us to truly be faithful to God over and above a mere idea of faithfulness. The Temple at Jerusalem was built even after much opposition. However, God's people and in particular His prophets, remained faithful to God. They trusted God and just did the work while God provided what they needed to complete it.

Evaluate your own life and see what you have allowed you to become unfaithful to your purpose. Begin to do what God has purposed to you. Be diligent and do it. Solomon said that our whole duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. We are to revere the LORD God and do what he says. Especially since we as Christians have been bought with a price. We are not our own. We belong to God who saved us from the doom of death as the result of sin. So do it. Be faithful to God and do it. Be faithful to others and do it. Allow your trust in God to empower you to do what God has commanded you to do. Amen.