Real Faith

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour. MATTHEW 8:5-13 NLT

Real faith is rare

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” MATTHEW 14:31 NLT
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. 2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 ESV

Real faith is the belief in things that can’t be seen

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. HEBREWS 11:1 NLT
Faith is not having all the answers, it’s having the only answer that matters

Real faith is the only way to connect with God

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. HEBREWS 11:6 NLT
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. EPHESIANS 2:8-9 NIV

Real faith is powerful

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” MATTHEW 17:20 NLT

40 Days of Faith is meant to challenge and grow my faith

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. COLOSSIANS 2:7 NLT
1. I am committing to grow personally in my faith
2. I am committing to pray for the faith of my church
3. I am committing to pray about helping raise an extra $10 million for the Momentum Project over the next 24 months

Community Group Discussion Guide

  1. If a friend asked you to define the word “faith,” what would you tell them?
  2. Read Hebrews 11:1. How does the bible define faith and in what ways is your definition different or similar?
  3. Read 2 Corinthians 13:5. When you look at your life, how would you rate your faith (scale of 1-10) and why?
  4. What are the biggest areas in your life that you need to trust Jesus with?
  5. Of the three things Pastor Matt called us to at the end of service (growing in your faith, praying for our church, helping raise money for the Momentum Project) which one do you think will be the most difficult for you and why?
  6. In what ways can our group help hold each other accountable to remaining faithful to these three things?

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God. What is your gut reaction when you hear about having faith? Do you feel excitement, anger, frustration, bewilderment? Do you feel capable of having more faith? Share your thoughts and feelings with him and spend a few moments exploring the areas where you feel capable of trusting in God and let him show you the places where you need to grow in your faith. As you step into this challenge, ask God to reveal to you his presence and faithfulness, and to begin to make you into a person capable of great faith.

My Notes