Beyond Today Daily

Will There Be Faith?

Faith is more than what we think.

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[Steve Myers] Christ said something startling as He was preaching the Gospel. He gave parables—different stories—that were to make a point. And after one of the parables that He told about an unjust judge, He said something really amazing. It's over in Luke chapter 18 and in verse 8 He said, "When the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the Earth?" (Luke 18:8).

[Gary Petty] That's a startling statement.

[Steve Myers] It really is an amazing thing. We're supposed to be faithful. Christians are faithful, aren't they?

[Gary Petty] Well, I think part of the problem is people don't understand what the word faith actually means. We think faith means belief. Well, the Apostle James writes one of the most startling statements in the entire New Testament. It's very sarcastic. He said, "You believe there is one God? You do well. Even the demons believe there's one God and they tremble" (James 2:19). And of course the point he's making is you can believe in God and be no better off than Satan and the demons. They know there's a God. They've talked to God. They've seen God. We have to realize that really faith is a whole lot more than belief. It's trust.

[Steve Myers] It is trust. In fact, if you go over to Hebrews chapter 11 it lists a whole array of biblical characters, people who lived in the Bible and they lived by faith. And that chapter begins by saying, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). But it really is pointing more directly to an absolute confidence, not just "Oh, I believe it," but that "My belief changes who I am and it changes my behavior and it really is a representation of my absolute confidence in God."

[Gary Petty] It's a complete giving of your life to God that you trust He is going to fulfill His purpose in your life and He's going to take care of you.

[Steve Myers] There's so much to talk about on this subject of faith. We'll be addressing it in a number of BT Dailies, but that'll be it for today. We'll see you next time.

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You Can Have Living Faith

You Can Have Living Faith

Our world is experiencing a crisis of faith. Few people place much faith in the future. Many have no faith their marriages will survive, that political leaders will honorably serve their country or that education will prepare them adequately for the challenges ahead. Faced with the difficulties of everyday life, many people simply have no confidence that there will be a better tomorrow.

Gary Petty

Gary Petty is a 1978 graduate of Ambassador College with a BS in mass communications. He worked for six years in radio in Pennsylvania and Texas. He was ordained a minister in 1984 and has served congregations in Longview and Houston Texas; Rockford, Illinois; Janesville and Beloit, Wisconsin; and San Antonio, Austin and Waco, Texas. He presently pastors United Church of God congregations in Nashville, Murfreesboro and Jackson, Tennessee.

Gary says he's "excited to be a part of preaching the good news of God's Kingdom over the airwaves," and "trusts the material presented will make a helpful difference in people's lives, bringing them closer to a relationship with their heavenly Father."

Steve Myers

Steve is the Operation Manager for Ministerial and Member Services of the United Church of God. He is also an instructor at Ambassador Bible College and served as a host on the Beyond Today television program.  Together, he and his wife, Kathe, have served God and His people for over 30 years.