Today's Passage - John 17:6-8

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 17: 6-8     "... Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.  For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me."    There is a progression of faith as revealed by Jesus.  First, faith comes from the words of God given to us just as it is recorded in Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." The foundation of faith is forever built on the word of God. If it is built on our surroundings, our faith will falter as our surrounding changes; if it is built on our emotions, then there will be ups and downs like riding on a roller coaster as our emotion changes constantly; if our faith is built on certain person, our faith will be weakened if this person falters. Real faith is permanently built on the word of God because as recorded in the Bible, God's word will last forever and it will never change.    Second, acceptance is the beginning of faith. This is like when God gives you a gift, the basic first step is to accept this gift and then respond with a "Thank you." You do not need to ask," Why is God giving me this gift? What is this for? Or is this useful to me?"  We should simply accept this gift with humility because only after your acceptance, you can start enjoying it.   Thirdly, we should acknowledge after acceptance.  Our acceptance is only the first step of faith, but once we have accepted His word, we should spend time reading it and building the foundation for our faith.  Not only do we need to know His word, but we should truly comprehend through gingerly studying it without being casual. The more you are filled with God's word, the more God's spirit will flow freely in you filling you with faith.  Finally, true faith nurtured as a result will direct you to Jesus.  The Bible says He is the beginning and the end of our faith, and the deeper we know Him, the more our faith will be reaffirmed.   Brothers and sisters, do you have a truth faith in God?; one that is not influenced by our environment, feelings or emotions to others. If you feel this is something you are in need of, you should pray for it. For the Bible tells us, if we ask, we can anticipate a response from God according to our requests.  May the Lord help us to be close to Him, knowing Him so that we may lay a foundation for our faith.                                 Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, we pray that you will give us a truth faith. Open our hearts to receive your word. Help us to study and follow your word willingly so that your word will become the strength and motivation of our lives. With thanks we pray, in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!