We had a guest speaker from Malaysia this past Sunday. Keith Tay from City Harvest Church KL. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, we weren’t able to record his message. Here are some reflections from his message.
Keith Tay drew an interesting correlation between faith and fear this past Sunday. That both of them are remarkably similar. They both are dealing with the unknown. But where fear paralyses, faith mobilises.
What he said more directly was,
“Fear attracts the attack of the devil.
Faith attracts the blessings of God.”
It’s a challenging thought. That somehow, in our fear, we find ourselves falling under greater persecution, greater attack, and greater inability to move forward. But the flip-side being, walking in faith, brings the blessings of God.
So much so, that in recent days, the prayer of our church has been, “Lord I believe, and help my unbelief.” The prayer of asking God to increase our faith. But that often seems so abstract – so incomplete. We ask God for greater faith, but what are we asking for? What does it mean to have greater faith in God?
Keith dissected faith into three types: Saving Faith, Growing Faith, and Transforming Faith. Saving Faith brings salvation. It is the initial faith of someone surrendering to Christ. Acknowledge Jesus’ lordship. Growing Faith is a faith of commitment. A dedication to persevere with Christ, through thick and thin – regardless of emotions. The third faith, Transforming Faith is a faith of influence. When a person’s faith begins to influence, inspire, and encourage others.
Where is your faith? Where do you need to grow? How does your faith need to increase. Let our prayer be the same as the disciples in Luke 17:5 “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
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These were some thoughts about the Keith Tay’s message, Having Real Faith. Unfortunately the sermon wasn’t recorded, but you can find his notes and our previous messages at the BCEC Sermon Page or see his sermon slides directly – Having Real Faith.