2011 Radicalis – Session 3, Rick Warren – Radical Faith
Ministry is received, it is not acheived
I have met lots of people who started out right, but got stuck when the why bother came up and started coasting
It’s one thing to pastor a church for 10 years, it’s another to pastor it for 30
I went the first 15 without a building
This church got to over 10,000 w/o a building
Prominence is irrelevant, significance is important
Every church is big in God’s eyes
Christ died for the church
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Hebrews 11 – Hall of fame for faith
Being faithful involves taking risks – The Parable of the Talents
- You wicked and lazy servant
- If you have no risks in your life, you don’t need faith
- An church can be pure in doctrine, but be unfaithful because they’re not taking risks
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Radical faith is believing when I don’t see it
- Visualizing the future when I don’t see it
- I’ll believe it when I see it – in spiritual terms, the opposite is true
- An architect has to believe the building is possible before he sees it
- There has never been a significant accomplishment without faith
- Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is believing in advance
Faith is obeying when I don’t understand it
- Noah obeyed even though he didn’t understand – What’s an ark? What’s rain?
- Abraham went to a land “God would show him”, “I’ll let you know when you get there”, “I’ll let you know where to go”
- Abraham was 75
- God made Abraham the father of a great nation
- We (Pastor Rick) moved to California to pastor a church that didn’t exist, didn’t have a place to stay, …
- Nothing in life is guaranteed, except God’s promises and your salvation
- There are 1050 commands in scripture – some don’t make sense. Every time you follow them, God blesses you
- When God gives a command, we don’t usually feel like doing it
- Obedience in faith pours out God’s blessing on us
- Faith is obeying without understanding
Faith is persisting when I don’t feel like it
- Our culture says if it feels good do it. If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it
- The mark of maturity is doing the right thing when you don’t feel like it
- If the only time I pray is when I feel like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it
- Successful people do the things unsuccessful people don’t feel like doing
- The godly man/woman pays the price for godliness
- Faith is the attitude of giving up the feeling of wanting to give up
- You determine a person’s greatness by what it takes to discourage them – Jerry Falwell
- Great people are ordinary people determined not to quit
- The secret of success: outlast, out-love and out-fruit (bear more fruit) them
- There is no faith without a struggle
- How do you develop persistence? Hebrews 11:27 – Moses held to his purpose like a man who could see the invisible
- Moses was incredibly patient – he spent 80 years in the dessesrt
- Psalm 33:9 – He spoke and it came to be
- If you feel like you’re ready to give up, God wants you to hear one message, “Don’t. Never give up. Hang in there.”
- God will make a way if you trust him
- The 2nd year of Saddleback I (Rick Warren) was depressed
- I determined that year not to give up – everything changes eventually
- Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is the evidence of the things not yet seen
Faith is announcing it in order to experience it
- Hebrews 11:22 – Joseph was so confident that the Israelites would be taken out of Egypt that he told them to take his bones when they left. It took 400 years
- God’s patience is difficult when we’re in a hurry
- Announce it to experience it
- At the first service of Saddleback, we all laughed at my vision
- Hebrews 11:3 – God spoke creation into existence
- You have to speak vision in order for it to happen
- Romans 4:17 – God calls things that are not as if they were – What is that called? Faith
- Speaking in faith appears foolish to those who don’t have faith – they won’t understand it
- Instead of telling it like it is, tell it like it can be – that’s faith. Telling it like it is, it just labels and creates defensiveness or a defeated spirit
- Telling it like it can be when Jesus becomes Lord of a person’s life inspires and gives hope
- Romans 10:10 – It’s by faith that we are saved
- The Roman Centurian had a sick daughter. He said to Jesus to just say the word and his daughter would be healed. He understood that faith is announcing it before seeing it
Faith is giving it when I don’t have it
- The number 1 way God tests our faith is finances
- You ever have to choose between paying a bill or tithing? God is testing your faith
- It was faith that made Abel’s offering acceptable to God
- Giving by reason – What can I afford to give – No faith required
- Giving by faith – Giving by revelation – Ask God how much he wants to give through you – God will give you a number that will stretch your faith
- It’s not the amount you give, it’s the attitude
- Most people give out of fear, not faith
- 2 Corinthians 8:2-3 “…They gave even more than they could afford.”
- When we raised money to build our first building, I challenged the leaders to give and I felt led to announce what God wanted me to give
- I told God I didn’t want to announce it. Nobody is going to like this, including me
- Over the next 3 years, Kay and I would give $150k to the building fund (I was making $50K per year)
- 3 days before the end of the month, Zondervan asked me to write Purpose Driven Church and Purpose Driven Life. The advance was $150k
- Sunday I told my church the rest of the story. The place went crazy! The power of God fell. I would have missed that if I hadn’t been willing to look stupid
Faith is thanking God before I receive it
- Hebrews 11:30 – By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after they marched around the walls for 7 days – Thanking God for the victory
- Thanking God for something he does after it’s done is gratitude
- Thanking God for something before he does it is called faith
- If God tells you to go after Moby Dick in a row boat, take some tartar sauce because it’s as good as done
- God doesn’t always answer the way you want him to. Sometimes he says, no, yes or wait
- Living by faith doesn’t exempt you from problem. Just ask Christians in Egypt and Lybia
Faith is trusting if I don’t get it here on Earth
- Hebrews 11:39 They were all commended for their faith even thought they didn’t receive the promise here on earth
- The prayers I have prayed longest for and deepest for have not been answered the way I want them yet
Considering these 7 aspects of faith, how do you rate?
According to your faith it will be done to you
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
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