Hall of Faith: Approval by Men

[S] Hebrews 11:1-2 --
¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

²For by it the men of old gained approval.

⁸By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

[O] This Hall of Faith chapter is a blessing every time I read through it. All these great forefathers are mentioned here because of their faithful walk with God. Everything they achieved were feasible due to their faith, not their might. And further in verse 2 these men gained approval because of their faith and not their achievements (which was the byproduct of their faith). Even in a non-Christian context, we all fall for those who's relied on their faith -- conviction of things not seen. Just to name a few from our generation, Michael Dell (dell.com), Walt Disney, and Susan Boyle. They all believed in something only they could envision and they stuck to it although through some valleys along the way resulting in how we know them today. There are many more who are walking with faith, pursuing the dreams in their hearts and my own desire is to be the one sticking to my faith reaching for the dream in my heart. Lately, my thoughts have been consumed with the new small group ministry establishment at my church as we initiate to implement a new structure to support the growing needs. This passage, even though I've read it several times before, spoke to me again about the criticality of my faith in God when doing His ministry. Verse 8 talks about how Abraham walked by faith each of the step without knowing where God was leading him toward. But in the end he became the Father of Nations. This is a very encouraging passage as I face some challenging tasks ahead.

[A] At this juncture of rounding up the new leadership for the small group ministry, it is the faith of the current core team that will gain the approval of the congregation. It is not going to be the plans, timelines, programs, or books that is going to motivate them to take part in this exciting journey God is opening up for us. So, instead of worrying about how to gather up the leaders, dig deeper into the faith in God's provision and powerful movement of the Spirit in the midst of us.

[P] Dear God, send Your Spirit in the midst of us and move our hearts. May we respond to You as a whole and not make it a man's effort of recruiting and building up the organization. We want to serve You through this ministry and we surrender all to You now and going forward. May You revela Your awesomness. We anticipate greatly! In Jesus' name. Amen.