Growing in Faith

If you are like me, when you think of the disciples you think of men called by God to follow Him. It almost seems as if these men had some sort of superior knowledge of the scriptures simply because they were in such close contact with Jesus Christ at all points in His ministry. However, when you read through the gospels you see that simply isn’t true. Consider last week where we saw Peter asking God what would happen to John. Peter was comparing his own walk with Christ and the path that was laid out before him to those around Peter. Just as we discovered that the disciples compared their walk with others, today I want to point out another trait that we see in today’s Christians. 

“23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Matthew 8:23-27

Often times when this passage is discussed, it is to show that Christ has the power to calm even unruly nature. This passage truly shows that God is in control of all aspects of the earth, however, that is not all that it shows. This passage also shows that even the disciples, who at this point had already seen Jesus perform miracles, still did not fully understand that He was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Look again at verse 27, 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” The disciples just saw Jesus calm the seas, and yet, the disciples still questioned how this could be. They knew that the Messiah was coming, they saw Jesus perform miracles, and yet there was still some doubt into how this all could be. Their faith in Jesus had to grow. They did not automatically have a full grasp of all the intricacies that the prophecies of the Messiah held. They had to be taught and grow in their faith.

So today, if you find yourself wondering how others have a greater knowledge of Scripture, remember that we all start with the basics. We all have to grow in our faith and the way to do that is to spend time with the Lord. The disciples did not get to where they were on their own, they had a teacher, Jesus Christ. Today we have a teacher as well, and that is the Holy Spirit. Come to your Bible study excited to learn! And I do mean a personal Bible study, do not rely on your growth solely at the hands of a church sermon. Dig deep into the word of God and see how He will cause your faith to grow!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex