We continue our series on Faith. We’d be looking at the topic – Flourishing Faith.
Our bible text is 2 Thes. 1: 3-4 (NLT)
(3). Dear brothers and sisters,[a] we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. (4). We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.
What exactly does the word “flourish” represent?
It means to grow, develop, thrive, and blossom in a healthy way because of a specific favorable environment. The word “healthy way” implies “process”. This further means that Spiritual growth is no accident! After giving your life; it is important for you to follow the process of spiritual growth.
Some of the available church structures for that include New convert class, Workers in training. School of disciples, etc. All these classes will put you in that favorable environment that will help you to grow and develop a healthy faith that will flourish.
A flourishing faith is the faith that can thrive in the midst of adversity.
Let us deep dive into this topic from two main sub-headings:
- Ingredients of flourishing faith
- Indicators of flourishing faith
Let’s take them one at a time:
- INGREDIENTS OF FLOURISHING FAITH (The materials required):
(I). Feed on God’s Word and Grow in the knowledge of His truth: God’s word is the only food your soul needs to stay healthy. While your body needs the physical food, your soul needs the spiritual food – the word of God. Just as Rom 10:17 clearly stated: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It is impossible to achieve spiritual growth without studying the scriptures.
(II). Commitment to righteousness: The devil knows the bible more than many Christians. He quotes scriptures for Jesus. He twisted God’s word to deceive Eve. Many unbelievers also know the scriptures, but the power of that knowledge does not translate to flourishing faith in their life because they are not committed to God’s righteousness. 2 Tim 3:5 aptly describe this group of people when its says “ They have a form of godliness, but they deny its power…”
Those who have a form of godliness are those who make an outward display of religion. They speak of God and live in sin, and they are fine with that arrangement.
- INDICATORS OF FLOURISHING FAITH (The signs that your faith is flourishing):
From our Bible text in 2 Thes 1:3-4, (3). Dear brothers and sisters we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering.
We can see some of the indicators:
(I). Growing Love:
(a). Love for God: This has to do with unconditional obedience. Surrendering your will to His divine plan. You know your faith is flourishing when you continuously strive to live according to His word, acknowledging your shortcomings and seeking His grace when you fail. Constant desire to know Him more.
(b). Love for Brethren: This is the selfless love for others. It’s about seeing people through God’s eyes, recognizing their inherent value as His creation. It also means extending grace and forgiveness when wronged, helping those in need, and standing up for justice.
Loving others selflessly isn’t easy. It goes against our natural instincts. However, with God’s grace and guidance, it’s possible to cultivate this divine love in our hearts.
(II). Endurance:
According to Heb 12:1 – Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Faithful endurance has an end goal: perfection, completeness, wholeness. Endurance makes us spiritually mature. It is not the suffering that produces the maturity, but the act of endurance. The reality is that there is no timeline on this perfection or maturity. “For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised” (Hebrews 10:36).
Thankfully, perseverance does not depend solely on our efforts. As followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is at work in us, giving us the power and strength to persevere.
(III). Faithfulness:
This is one of God’s attributes which He gives to every believer through the Holy Spirit which are the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). When we’re faithful to God it means that we trust that He will care for us, we follow where He leads, and we love Him in return.
Being faithful also means that there will be some evidence of our faith in God. A faithful Christian will easily produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, etc. According to Ps. 92:13 – Those who are planted in the house of the lord will flourish in the court of our God.
Say this prayer:
Lord Jesus, help my faith flourish, in the name of Jesus.
