Testing our Faith…We all go through trying times where our faith is tested. In both the Old and New Testaments, the words translated “test” mean “to prove by trial.” …When God tests us, His purpose is to prove that our faith is real. …Not that God needs to prove it to Himself since He knows all things, but He is proving to us and those around us that our faith is real, that we are truly His children, and that no trial will overcome our faith. …Remaining faithful throughout any trials is evidence of our faith. …In His Parable of the Sower, found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8, Jesus identifies the ones who fall away as those who receive the seed of God’s Word with joy, but, as soon as a time of testing comes along, they fall away. …James says inJames 1:2-4 this about testing our faith :…2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.…Similarly the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:3-5:…3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.…If we struggle when being tested or stumble along the way, this does not necessarily mean that we do not belong to Christ or that our faith is not genuine. …One example would be Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus found in all four Gospel accounts: …Matthew 26:69-74, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:55-62, and John 18:15-18, 25-27. …Peter had followed Jesus after His arrest and watched Him being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted (Mark 14:57-66). When people began noticing Peter and asking if he was one of Christ’s disciples, out of fear Peter denied even knowing Christ. …However, having disowned Christ actually strengthened Peter’s faith Because Jesus prayed for Him we read that in .…Luke 22:32…32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers."…Not only did Peter strengthen the other disciples, but he became the pillar of the early church in Jerusalem, exhorting and training others to follow the Lord Jesus (Acts 2). …We make mistakes but we learn from our mistakes, repent, strengthen our faith, ant helps us to persevere as believers in Christ.

However, if we continually find ourselves being unfaithful and denying Christ, then we need to closely examine ourselves…2 Corinthians 13:5…5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you[a]; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.…Jesus said inMatthew 10:32-34…32 "Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.34 "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

The sword that Christ brings is what divides believers from unbelievers, the good from the wicked, those made righteous by grace through faith in Christ from those who reject Christ and remain dead in their sins. Jesus made it clear to us in:…Matthew 10:37-39…37 "If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

We are believers not because Christ promised things will be easy for us, but because of the message of the cross and Christ’s promises of salvation through His forgiveness, mercy, love and grace. We are told that in Acts 14:22…“we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”.…What Jesus did for us at the cross was not easy, yet He willingly gave His life for us and took all of our sins upon Himself , so that we could have eternal life with Him even though we have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.…Although most of us will never have to endure the suffering that Christ endured, we still go through hardships due to our faith. …But the end result of the struggles that we may face will be worth more than the temporary hardships of this life. …We are promised that those who persevere and stand firm to the end will be saved and inherit eternal life …Matthew 10:22…22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.[a] But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.…Luke 21:19…19 By standing firm, you will win your souls.…James 1:12 …12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.…In Romans 8:18 Paul writes…18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.…We should never become discouraged or lose faith because of what others may say or think.…In my sermon last week we saw that Christians do not belong to this world, and Jesus warned us that we would be hated by the world because of His name inJohn 15:18-25

And in John 16:33 Jesus says:…33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."…Even though you may feel afraid at times, you must know that God is always with you and you should not fear.…You also have no reason to feel ashamed. …You should feel proud to be called a child of God. …Those who practice ungodly things are the ones who should feel ashamed and definitely be afraid of God. The Bible tells us that God will bring all that is hidden in darkness into light and expose the motives of the heart, bringing everything into judgment.…Ecclesiastes 12:14…14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.…Ephesians 5:13…13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,…You also do not need to condemn those outside the church who practice ungodly things. …You must not condone or agree with their sinful actions, but judging and condemning should be left to God alone. …Paul said, …1 Corinthians 5:12-13…12 It isn't my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13 God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, "You must remove the evil person from among you.…There is no need to debate, especially with unbelievers and the ungodly. We are told that:

1 Corinthians 1:18-25…18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,…"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent."[a]…20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense.…24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles,[]Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

Therefore it is pointless to debate with the “wise” according to the world’s standards.…Paul goes on to say :…1 Corinthians 1:26-31…26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy[a] when God called you. …27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. …And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. …28 God chose things despised by the world,[] things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. …29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

It is because of him that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. That is why Paul writes says in verse 3131├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬. "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord."

There are many scriptures that advise against debating and “foolish arguments” (Titus 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:16, 23). But we are told to “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Pressure and the negative influences of this world may affect many Christians, we must remember that we are not of this world.…Christians are to live as foreigners and exiles in this world. …Paul says in:…2 Timothy 2:15-16…15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.…This is why it is important not to condone any ungodly acts, no matter the situation. …As Christians, we should take a stand regarding things we do not agree with, things that do not agree with the teachings of Christ and the Word of God. …We do this not by condemning others in anger and with words of hate as some who claim to be Christians do. …Rather, let us express our disagreement in different ways, while remaining true to the gospel. …1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” Anything we say or do should be in love, faith, and purity, that we may prove ourselves to be “blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15). There is also no need to fear or be ashamed of the gospel, “because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Disagree with sinful behavior, but don’t condemn unbelievers – that’s God’s job.tweet

Apart from setting an example and being the light of the world, the Bible tells us that we should not “have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:23-24). Paul goes on to say in the next 2 verses, “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” Therefore when a person’s actions or speech do not agree with the truth of God’s Word, Christians are to kindly and gently instruct them with the truth in love and faithfulness to God, while avoiding any foolish arguments as they are unprofitable and useless (Titus 3:9). We should keep in mind Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.”

You can be an example of Christ. An example in that Christ can take a sinner who can be afraid and ashamed yet still love that person, extend His mercy and grace to them and change them into a new creation, a child of God. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-80). 2 Timothy 2:11-13 says, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” You must persevere and continue to read the Word of God. Pray that God guide you and strengthen you in the faith. Earnestly seek Him and you will find Him.