Step of Faith

This video illustration is taken from the Indiana Jones film - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and is one of the best depictions of faith that I have come across. See what you think.

Video 1min 58sec

The Tightrope Walker

There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Tightrope, I don't believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls." Now, Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I've never been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it." "No," said Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?" "Well of course I do, you just did it." "No, no, no," said Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?" "Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it." "Good," said Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow."

Too Foolish To Be Believed

Several years ago, the dazed crew members of a Japanese trawler were plucked out of the Sea of Japan clinging to the wreckage of their sunken ship. Their rescue, however, was followed by immediate imprisonment once authorities questioned the sailors on their ship's loss. Every single one of them claimed that a cow, falling out of a clear blue sky, had struck the trawler amidships, shattering its hull and sinking the vessel within minutes. Impossible!

They remained in prison for several weeks, until the Russian Air Force reluctantly informed Japanese authorities that the crew of one of its cargo planes had apparently stolen a cow wandering at the edge of a Siberian airfield. They forced the cow into the plane's hold and hastily took off for home. Unprepared for live cargo, the Russian crew was ill-equipped to manage a rampaging cow within its hold. To save the aircraft and themselves, they shoved the animal out of the cargo hold as they crossed the Sea of Japan at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

Some things sound foolish, but turn out to be true. That includes much of what we believe as Christians. "You believe that God somehow caused a virgin to bear a child, a boy who was fully man and yet fully God? You believe that he actually raised people from the dead and walked on water and fed thousands of people with a plateful of food? You believe that, after being crucified and buried, he somehow managed to raise himself from the dead?"

To many people it sounds too foolish to be believed. But it's all true!

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God....For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.....Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (I Cor. 1:18,21,25)

From The Sermon Fodder Email List

Tightrope Walking

In 1859 Charles Blondin, the French acrobat, walked across a tightrope suspended across Niagara Falls.

One day, thousands watched him as he pushed a bag of cement in a wheelbarrow along the wire, fifty metres above the raging waters, There was a great cheer when he reached the other side,

Then, Blondin challenged a nearby reporter: ‘Do you believe I can do anything on a tightrope?’

‘Oh yes, Mr Blondin,’ said the reporter. ‘After what I’ve seen today, I believe it. You can do anything,’ However, the reporter melted into the crowd when he was invited to put his trust to the test and get into the wheelbarrow,

But, there was a person there who did trust Blondin with his life, He got into the wheelbarrow and was pushed across the wire, As Blondin made his way high above the falls, people quickly placed bets on the outcome. It looked like any other easy conquest. Rut, when they were half way across the 566 metre journey of trust, a man with a heavy bet against Blondin’s success, crept across and cut one of the guy ropes.

Suddenly, the tightrope pitched crazily back and forth. Blondin fought for his balance, only seconds away from death, For, when the rim of the wheelbarrow came off the wire, they could both be pitched into the churning water. Blondin spoke, cutting through the terror of his passenger. ‘Stand up!’ he ordered. ‘Stand up and grab my shoulders.’

The man sat there paralysed.

‘Let go and stand up! Let go of the wheelbarrow! Do it or die!’

Somehow the man managed to stand up and step out of the swaying wheelbarrow.

‘Your arms ... put them around my neck! Now, your legs round my waist!’ said Blondin.

Again the man obeyed, clinging to Blondin. The wheel-barrow fell, disappearing into the frothy turmoil far below. The aerialist stood there, using all his years of experience and every trained muscle to stay on the wire until the pitching subsided a little. Then, inch by inch, he made his way across, carrying the man like a child. Finally, he deposited him safely on the other side.

Drive The Point Home, Graham Twelftree, p60

Two Worlds and One Faith

A story is told about Rabbi Joseph Schneerson, a Hasidic leader during the early days of Russian Communism. The rabbi spent much time in jail, persecuted for his faith.

One morning in 1927, as he prayed in a Leningrad synagogue, secret police rushed in and arrested him. They took him to a police station and worked him over, demanding that he give up his religious activities. He refused. The interrogator brandished a gun in his face and said, "This little toy has made many a man change his mind."

Rabbi Schneerson answered, "This little toy can intimidate only that kind of man who has many gods and but one world. Because I have only one God and two worlds, I am not impressed by this little toy."

Citation: Philip Yancey, in The NIV Student Bible (Zondervan, 1996)

A man fell over a cliff

A man fell over a cliff and, as he tumbled down the sheer drop, managed to grab on to a scrubby bush growing from the side of the rock. Terrified, he hung in space, his life flashing before him. In desperation, he shouted toward heaven, 'Is there anyone up there?'

To his astonished delight, a voice floated down: 'I am the Lord God, and I am here.'

'What should I do?' called the man.

The voice replied, 'Let go of the branch and, with my protection, you will float harmlessly down to the beach below.'

The man glanced under his feet to the jagged rocks at the foot of the cliff, hundreds of metres below. He gulped, and looked back toward heaven. 'Well... is there anyone else up there?'

Ready Salted, Peter Graystone, p35

Feed your faith

Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve to death.

Three meals a day

F.F. Bosworth, a great faith preacher some years ago, said that most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and then wonder why they are so weak in faith!

Seeing & Believing

The world says, "I'll believe it when I see it."

The Word says, "I'll see it when I believe it."

Do what you can

When we have done what we can, God will do what we can't

Faith and Seeing

“Faith is believing what you do not see; the reward of faith is to see what you believe.”

St Augustine

Faith and Promises

Faith turns the commands of God into promises

Andy Hawthorn - Soul Survivor 2002

Faith and Helplessness

Faith is the awareness of utter helplessness without God.

Faith and Pain

Faith is not the way around pain, it is the way through pain.

Wit & Wisdom for Life's Journey, M Yaconelli, p22

Comprehending God

It has been said that only man comprehends what he cannot see and believes what he cannot comprehend. Much of what we comprehend we cannot see: atoms, germs, love, hate, loyalty, sacrifice. He who lives by sight lives poorly indeed. Faith is learning to live by insight rather than by sight.

Robert C. Shannon

Do you have an anchor?

The mighty Niagara River plummets some 180 feet at the American and Horseshoe Falls. Before the falls, there are violent, turbulent rapids. Farther upstream, however, where the river's current flows more gently, boats are able to navigate. Just before the Welland River empties into the Niagara, a pedestrian walkway spans the river. Posted on this bridge's pylons is a warning sign for all boaters: "Do you have an anchor?" followed by, "Do you know how to use it?" Faith, like an anchor, is something we need to have and use to avoid spiritual cataclysm.

Do you believe

In 1859 Charles Blondin, the French acrobat, walked across a tightrope suspended across Niagara Falls.

One day, thousands watched him as he pushed a bag of cement in a wheelbarrow along the wire, fifty metres above the raging waters, There was a great cheer when he reached the other side,

Then, Blondin challenged a nearby reporter: ‘Do you believe I can do anything on a tightrope?’

‘Oh yes, Mr Blondin,’ said the reporter. ‘After what I’ve seen today, I believe it. You can do anything,’ However, the reporter melted into the crowd when he was invited to put his trust to the test and get into the wheelbarrow,

But, there was a person there who did trust Blondin with his life, He got into the wheelbarrow and was pushed across the wire, As Blondin made his way high above the falls, people quickly placed bets on the outcome. It looked like any other easy conquest. Rut, when they were half way across the 566 metre journey of trust, a man with a heavy bet against Blondin’s success, crept across and cut one of the guy ropes.

Suddenly, the tightrope pitched crazily back and forth. Blondin fought for his balance, only seconds away from death, For, when the rim of the wheelbarrow came off the wire, they could both be pitched into the churning water. Blondin spoke, cutting through the terror of his passenger. ‘Stand up!’ he ordered. ‘Stand up and grab my shoulders.’

The man sat there paralysed.

‘Let go and stand up! Let go of the wheelbarrow! Do it or die!’

Somehow the man managed to stand up and step out of the swaying wheelbarrow.

‘Your arms ... put them around my neck! Now, your legs round my waist!’ said Blondin.

Again the man obeyed, clinging to Blondin. The wheel-barrow fell, disappearing into the frothy turmoil far below. The aerialist stood there, using all his years of experience and every trained muscle to stay on the wire until the pitching subsided a little. Then, inch by inch, he made his way across, carrying the man like a child. Finally, he deposited him safely on the other side.

Drive The Point Home, Graham Twelftree, p60

Faith ...

Faith hears the inaudible,
sees the invisible
believes the incredible
and receives the impossible.

Faith in Others

People who have no faith in themselves, seldom have faith in others.

Noun or Verb?

'To me, faith is not just a noun, but a verb'

Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States

The bank of heaven

It is impossible for faith to overdraw its account in the bank of heaven.

All things depend on faith

God our Father has made all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.

Martin Luther

What is faith?

Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.

Oswald Chambers in Run Today's Race

Thank you, for my hurting

David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by his mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain--the mother's ordeal can be almost as bad as the child's because she must stand by, unable to bear the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of his mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got. When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it's because he loves you," Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting."

Monica Dickens, Miracles of Courage, 1985

Pump like crazy!

The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold."

Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure

Faith honors God and God honors faith!

A story from the life of missionaries Robert and Mary Moffat illustrates this truth. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season. They stayed; and for a year or two longer, darkness reigned. Then one day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that she wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, "Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed." God honored that dear woman's faith. The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord's super in Bechuanaland, the set arrived.

Unknown

Faith begins where man's power ends

Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.

George Muller

Live in faith and hope...

Live in faith and hope, though it be in darkness, for in this darkness God protects the soul. Cast your care upon God for you are His and He will not forget you. Do not think that He is leaving you alone, for that would be to wrong Him.

John of the Cross

You must set the sail

When Hudson Taylor went to China, he made the voyage on a sailing vessel. As it neared the channel between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship. "Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals." "What can I do?" asked Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail." "Why that's ridiculous! There's not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I'm crazy." But finally, because of Taylor's insistence, he agreed. Forty- five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now," said the captain. "We've got more wind than we know what to do with!"

Unknown

All the promises of God!

During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, "We have twenty-five cents--and all the promises of God!

W. Wiersbe, Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 242

Faith and Obedience

The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.

A.W. Tozer

Is anyone up there?

A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued:

"Is anyone up there?"
"I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer."
"That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch."
A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"

Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, p. 3

I've got my word

John Paton, the pioneer missionary to the New Hebrides, was translating the Scriptures into the language of the people of the southern seas. He had great difficulty in securing a word for faith for there seemed to be no equivalent in their language. He made it a matter of special prayer. One day one of his workers came in from a hard day's work, and leaned back in a lounge chair and said, 'I am so tired I feel I must lean my whole weight on this chair'

'Praise God,' said Paton, 'I've got my word. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever leaneth his whole weight on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life".

I must live!

In the second century, a Christian businessman went to Tertullian and explained his problem. He had been contracted to provide materials for a pagan temple. The man ended his story by saying to Tertullian, "What can I do? I must live!"

Tertullian replied "Must you?"

Graham Twelvetree in Drive The Point Home p42

Too Foolish To Be Believed

Several years ago, the dazed crew members of a Japanese trawler were plucked out of the Sea of Japan clinging to the wreckage of their sunken ship. Their rescue, however, was followed by immediate imprisonment once authorities questioned the sailors on their ship's loss. Every single one of them claimed that a cow, falling out of a clear blue sky, had struck the trawler amidships, shattering its hull and sinking the vessel within minutes. Impossible!

They remained in prison for several weeks, until the Russian Air Force reluctantly informed Japanese authorities that the crew of one of its cargo planes had apparently stolen a cow wandering at the edge of a Siberian airfield. They forced the cow into the plane's hold and hastily took off for home. Unprepared for live cargo, the Russian crew was ill-equipped to manage a rampaging cow within its hold. To save the aircraft and themselves, they shoved the animal out of the cargo hold as they crossed the Sea of Japan at an altitude of 30,000 feet.

Some things sound foolish, but turn out to be true. That includes much of what we believe as Christians. "You believe that God somehow caused a virgin to bear a child, a boy who was fully man and yet fully God? You believe that he actually raised people from the dead and walked on water and fed thousands of people with a plateful of food? You believe that, after being crucified and buried, he somehow managed to raise himself from the dead?"

To many people it sounds too foolish to be believed. But it's all true!

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God....For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.....Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (I Cor. 1:18,21,25)

From The Sermon Fodder Email List

Where's Your Umbrella?

One summer, a drought threatened the crop in a small town. On a hot and dry Sunday, the village parson told his congregation, "There isn't anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain."

The people did as they were told and returned to church the following Sunday.

But as soon as the parson saw them, he was furious. "We can't worship today. You do not yet believe," he said. "But," they protested, "we prayed, and we do believe."

"Believe?" he responded. "Then where are your umbrellas?"

From The Sermon Fodder Email List

Where is God?

A junior high school teacher was telling her class about evolution and how the way everything in the world was formed proved that God doesn’t exist. She said, “Look out the window. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Look around you in this room. You can’t see God, can you?” The kids shook their heads. “Then our logical conclusion is that God doesn’t exist, does He?” she asked at last, certain that she had won her audience over.

But one girl from the back of the classroom said, “Miss Smith, just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We could do brain surgery and investigate the parts of your brain and we could do a CAT scan and see the brain patterns in your head. But we couldn’t prove that you’ve had a single thought today. Does that mean that you haven’t thought anything today? Just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Seeing is believing, right? But, “just ‘cause you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

"Seeing Is Believing," by C. T. Powell