10192025 Deeper Faith

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who effectively leads us in our faith.

What do I mean by that? Well, when we were first saved, we believed in God, but is our faith now the exact same as it was then? Our faith has grown. It has been stretched and strengthened. God is good to do this for us.

The first disciples believed in Jesus when they first met Him. John 1:35-51 recounts these meetings. John the Baptist called Him “the Lamb of God.” Two disciples (Andrew and probably John the apostle) called him “Rabbi,” but after they spent time talking with Him, Andrew called Him “the Messias.” After his own encounter, Nathanael readily acknowledged Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.” These men believed in Jesus.

In John 2, Jesus performed His first miracle, turning the water to wine at the wedding feast. This sign miracle displayed the glory of the Savior, and afterward “his disciples believed on him” (2:11). Their previous belief was strengthened to new and deeper belief because of what they saw Him do.

Later in John 2, Jesus cleansed the temple by casting out the moneychangers and sellers of animals. In His response to the angry Jews, Jesus made the statement about His body, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (2:19). No one understood what He meant at the time, but after he was resurrected, His disciples remembered what He had said, and now they understood it. In response, “they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (2:22). The previous level of belief was again strengthened.

There were many other reinforcements along the way, through the things Jesus did and said, but there is an interesting story that happened after the resurrection. Jesus had appeared to ten of the disciples when Thomas was absent. Thomas’s faith needed some strengthening, so Jesus appeared again and ministered directly to Thomas, inviting him to touch his wounds, just as Thomas had claimed he needed. Thomas responded with renewed belief (John 20:27-29).

Disclaimer: Most of the above is not primarily from my own study. I heard it in some sermons. I then pondered it, put it together into a single brief study, and expanded it a bit. What was meaningful to me is to realize that God knows all about our faith. He knows the struggles and weakness that we sometimes have. He purposefully works to build our faith. He does that at times through His actions on our behalf, like He did at Cana. He does that also by helping us to understand His Word, as resulted after the resurrection. And sometimes – isn’t this precious? – He does it very gently, very compassionately, and very personally, as He did with Thomas.

May we all have open eyes to see God’s work on our behalf, open minds to receive His Word, and open hearts to accept His ministering. Through these avenues, God can work to build and reinforce our faith, so that we will always believe in Him, but with a faith and belief that grows deeper, richer, and stronger. Father, may it be!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA