Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)."
The kind of faith that God requires is that which is totally dependent upon what He has declared in His Word. It isn't based (as it was for Jesus' disciples) on what they could see, feel, touch or receive by the senses. When Jesus' disciples walked with Him, it was a walk they had not by faith, but by the senses. Jesus was always confronting them about their faith. Even now, the Church wants to be led by the senses more than by faith.
We judge things of this world by our five senses more than by faith. It's still a realm we don't understand. We read the scriptures and we understand what the words mean, but we don't receive them as real. Very little has been ministered in the spirit realm. We've mostly tried walking in the realm of the soul or feelings. We mostly walk according to our emotions than our spirits.
Mostly, we walk in what was ministered in the old covenant. Because we don't teach or minister very much in the spirit realm, our spirits have suffered a lack of life in the Word. Many of our sermons have been directed at the soulish or emotional side of man and only holds power for a short while. We tried preaching fear into the people in order to prevent sin from occurring in their lives. We tried holding them in a bondage by this fear so they wouldn't return to the world. We tried about everything we knew, but most of it failed.
In the Church, we found that sin was still a problem and emotions change. Galatians 5:16 (Amplified) says, "But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit) then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)." We've spent so much time fighting the flesh that we,ve neglected what the Word said to do. The Holy Spirit said that if we would learn to be led by Him, then we wouldn't always be fighting the flesh.
I can attend A.A. meetings all of my life and I can stay sober; but, it's always a fight. Thank God I can stay sober, but I'm still not free. I find myself always in the fight. I am still an alcoholic...I'm just not drinking. If I, by faith, will receive what the Holy Spirit reveals to me, then I can become free altogether. The harder I try to remain sober, the more my mind is centered on the drinking. Every day is a new battle.
People have become somewhat upset with what I minister because I they think I don't preach enough about sin. Most people know how to sin without teachings on it. Most of us in the Church need to be taught on righteousness and not on sin.
Faith is believing in what Jesus did for me, so that I don't spend my whole life trying to make up for it by my own efforts. 1Corinthians 11:26 (Amplified) says that, "For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord's death until He comes (again)." Jesus said we're to "do this in remembrance of Me." The only way we can receive this Bread and Wine with any power in it, is by faith.
There is no healing, forgiveness, life, strength, power, peace or fellowship in a piece of bread or a cup of wine (or juice). These things only come from the faith in what they represent to God. When we do this at the communion table, what are we to bring to remembrance? As you partake of the Bread, do you remember it represents His Body and that by His stripes you are healed by faith in His sacrifice?
Is this "Table of the Lord" a place of faith or emotion? Do you do this by just feeling sorry for Jesus or by remembering, by faith, why He did it? Under the Law, when they remembered their lamb they remembered they were free.
1Corinthians 11:30 (Amplified) says, "That (careless and un worthy participation) is the reason many of you are weak and sickly and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death."
Did you ever wonder what it is we're to judge ourselves of? Some would say that we're to judge ourselves of sin. Well, if you've been living in sin, this is part of what you judge. If you are truly a new creature in Christ, then you've already been forgiven of yous sin, so it really shouldn't be something that needs judged. For goodness sake, if you have been in sin, then repent and get out of it.
I believe that because Paul said that many of us are sick and weak and have even died prematurely, that we are to judge ourselves in is that (when we bring Him to remembrance) we remember that by faith Jesus took my sin , my sickness, my righteousness and His very life into myself by faith in my Perfect Lamb.
I wonder how many of us really understand that by faith, this is the cup of healing and blessing and life. I've ministered this Cup of Covenant to many who were sick and or dying and then watched the power of the Blood and Body brings wholeness to them. Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "this is the faith that pleases God." This is the rewards He spoke of we receive when we seek Him out by faith.
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