Grown Faith

4.10.2011

2 Corinthians 10:15b-16a Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. NIV

Growing faith ought to effect global change.

I’m thinking that the Corinthians were having a hard time seeing the big picture. I’m thinking that they were a lot like many modern day churches, they majored on the minors. I’m thinking they were a church of faith, but it was weak faith and when Paul had written to them, they hadn’t done what was necessary to take a stand for the Lord or the faith. They might not have really understood what their true calling was (See Matthew 28.19-20).

And Paul shared their true calling right here in the verse above: Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Ever the visionary, Paul saw the strategic potential this church had in its people, location, and effectiveness to preach the gospel in places where it had never been presented. That is what they were called to and Paul worked hard to prepare them for that calling.

And that should be the calling of every church of Christ on the planet – to preach the gospel in regions beyond them. And the battle of every church from then to now has been to see faith in God and in the mission grow in the hearts of their people so that the potential of the church be unleashed to do good and bring about godly change everywhere it goes.

So, today, there should be two things happening: the local folks faith ought to grow in faith through preaching, teaching, and through opportunities to reach out; and missionaries ought to be identified and be sent out, locally, nationally and internationally to regions beyond where the message has not been preached or fully presented. The potential is enormous!

My prayer is that our faith would grow and that we all would see and accept our calling in Christ and our potential in Him!