"Faith is the Victory"

Matthew 10:34-39

Of the books I’ve read on Faith, none have shaped my belief system more than “Faith is the Victory” by Buell H. Kazee.  W.O. Carver gave this review in the introduction of the book, “In our mechanistic and sophisticated world the word faith has lost its power.  It has even lost its meaning – now when we need it most.  “In this book,” says Mr. Kazee; “we want to return to that God who does things for us, and who, by his matchless deeds for us, makes sinners dissatisfied with the gods they have.”  Persuasively Kazee shows us how the faith principle can work in our lives, and the believer how he can enter into the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”  In the present crisis, this timely call for an unsophisticated faith is the only possible answer to the question, how can we please God and work out our salvation?”  Those words were printed in January 1951, when most of us would not have referred to the world as all that sophisticated, not in comparison to 2013.

In making a point on the verses listed above, let me take this one paragraph from pages 19-20 in Buell H. Kazee book on faith; “Of course, modern Christianity has another view of this matter.  Religious leaders of today often feel that if we will be similar enough to the world so as not to embarrass it, the world will want to come in and add to our numbers.  And so it will, only it will want to bring into our midst its heathen gods and customs and compromise our allegiance to our God.  That is what has happened in the modern church.  The result is that we have had to build a religious program that will please the world mind, but minus the power of God.” 

With the above quote in mind and the vast change in culture since 1951, how do you think Matthew 10:34-36, will work in a church growth program of one of the Mega churches of 2013?  Will these words of Jesus be preached on Sunday; “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?  I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

As I read this, it became clear that I needed to share more of what Kazee said in his book on Faith, as he addressed living a life of separation to God.  The Jews coming out of Egypt had forgotten to do this and so before they could go any farther into the promise land it required those who had not kept the covenant made with Abraham of circumcision to do so.  Now picking up the message by Kazee, “This neglect is a symbol of world conformity in the church of this day.  If there is any one thing which God required of His people above another, it is that they be separate, not only from the world, but unto Him.  There must not only be allegiance to God, but there must be no allegiance to any other.”

It may be a hard message, but C.T. Studd had this to say about his relationship with Christ, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”  How true, and all of us as parents of children need to heed these words of Jesus, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice