Faith is the recognition of the One in Whom we believe; seeing Jesus as He is now—not just as He was or will be or as we think He should be. This is not as simple as it may seem, since we must see His glory with an “unveiled face” to see Him as He is (see 2 Corinthians 3:17). The veils that distort His glory are mostly our prejudices, opinions, or perceptions of Him that are tainted by our fallen human nature if it has not yet been crucified with Him. 

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         Faith is based on the recognition of the One in whom we believe. It is seeing Jesus as He is now, not just as He was or as He will be. Jesus said He is the manna that came down from heaven. He is the Bread of life. He said in Matthew 4:4, “It is written, ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” “Every word that proceeds" is present tense, not past tense. Just as the Israelites had to gather fresh manna every day, we must have fresh encounters with Him every...

          Not many Christians are disciples. If we read Jesus’ definitions of His disciples, we would know this is true. Even when He walked the earth, only a few who followed Him were His disciples. Being a convert, a believer in Jesus as the Messiah and in His sacrifice on the cross for our redemption is a start, but the Christian life is meant to be far more.  

          To be a disciple of Jesus is another level, as indicated by His definitions. In the first century, to be a disciple...

         As we mentioned last week, true faith is faith in God—not in a principle, an outcome, or in our faith, but in Him. Faith is the currency of the kingdom. In the new covenant, we are called to walk by faith and in truth. If we are not walking in all the benefits Jesus went to the cross to provide, then we need more knowledge about the cross and more faith in the power of His sacrifice. 

         I am not currently walking in all the benefits of the new covenant—and I...

          With each new year, we have new hope for better things to come. I pray this year will be your best yet. So, what would make this the best year of your life? This would be a good time to define the best thing that could happen in your life. Would it be the salvation or reconciliation of a loved one? Your healing or theirs? A resolution to financial problems? 

          For all these reasons and more, Jesus came to the earth, which He declared in His first official sermon...