Series: Being Intentional

Title: Be Intentional About Your Faith.

Testimony from Matt

So far in this series, we have talked about what it means to be intentional and how different that it is from intending to do something and never really doing it.

Then we talked about being intentional with your finances.  We talked about the “B Word” Budget and being a good steward with what God has entrusted to us.

Last week we talked about being intentional about our health.  We hope that you were inspired to get out there and start moving as well as make some adjustments to your diet accordingly. 

Today we will talk about being intentional about our faith. 

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1

¹ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

In fact, in Hebrews 11 we find a list of “Heroes of the faith” similar to the hall of fame.  These heroes of the faith were men and women who were intentional in their faith. 

• ⁷ By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Noah obeyed God by building the ark to preserve his family even though he did not see the impending doom with his eyes.  But he believed what God had said.  Noah was very intentional as he not only began the process of building the ark but he seen it through to the end.  Every step was intentional because you don’t accidentally build an ark or anything for that matter.

• ⁸ By faithAbraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

It took a great amount of faith for Abraham to leave his hometown trusting that God would lead him to a better place.

Abraham was intentional as he packed up his belongings and gathered up his family and headed on his journey. For Abraham to arrive at the promised land, he must first step out in faith.  Not knowing where he was going.

How many of you would pack up all of your belongings and begin the journey of moving your family without knowing where you are even going?

Abraham was intentional about obeying God. God led Abraham to the place which he had prepared for him.

Each of these heroes hoped in something that was not yet seen but believed that God was able to bring it about.  That is what true faith is.

• It is by faith that we believe that the world was created by God. For we believe that God made the visible out of the invisible. 

• It is by faith that we believe like Noah that God provides salvation to His people and that our sins are forgiven.

• It is by faith that we believe like Abraham that God is leading us to the promised land in which we will live forever with Him.

But faith is intentional.  You don’t accidently live for God.  In fact, the very opposite is true.  If we are not intentionalabout our faith, we will quickly fall back into our selfish and sinful patterns.

There are many ways that we can be intentional about our faith. (briefly talk about each one)

1. Prayer
2. Fasting
3. Worship
4. Reading
5. Bible Study
6. Evangelism
7. Confession
8. Service
9. Journaling
10. Hospitality
11. Fellowship
12. Self-denial

These disciplines of the faith don’t just automatically happen, you must be intentional.  That may mean purposely setting aside a designated time every day to pray and read your Bible.  

I would like for you to consider the intentionality of Jesus. 

Mark 10:32-34

³² And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Jesus had no problem drawing a crowd.  Often, He spoke to the masses.  But He was also very intentional in taking time away from the large crowds to speak to His disciples.  He was intentional in getting them prepared for a time when He would no longer be with them in the flesh.

What is amazing about this is that Jesus knew what would take place when He arrived in Jerusalem, but He intentionally went anyway.  He tells His disciples that He will be mocked, beaten, and put to death. 

He was Jesus, the Son of the Living God.  He could have averted this calamity if He wanted to.  But so that the scriptures might be fulfilled and for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross. 

Hebrews 12:2

² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

When have we allowed the simplest of things to discourage us from being intentional when it comes to our faith? 

• A rainy day keeps us from fellowshipping with believers.
• A tired body keeps us from daily devotions.
• Inconvenience keeps us from helping our neighbor.
• Fear keeps us from telling others about Jesus.
• Distractions keeps us from worshipping.

How quick are we to make excuses when such things beset us. 

Jesus knowing the betrayal, pain, suffering, the rejection, false accusations, abandonment that He would face, intentionally went to Jerusalem for the sole purpose of dying on the cross for our sins.

The writer of Hebrews calls the church to look to Jesus as the founder and perfecter of our faith.  Look to Jesus as the example of what it means to be intentional.

Are you intentional with your faith?

Are you intentional with connecting with other believers?

Here at Hope Community, we have a mission statement wrapped up in three simple words. 

Restore – We want to see people restored back into a right relationship with God. We believe this can take place in our Sunday morning services.

Disciple – We want to see those same people be discipled. (Wednesday nights and small groups)

Serve – We would like for all who attend to serve in the local church.

Disciple - A "disciple" was not only a student, but an follower; hence they are spoken of as imitators of their teacher.

As disciples of Christ, we are imitators of Christ.  Christ often spoke to His disciples in a smaller group setting. There is tremendous value in such a setting as that is where real discipleship takes place.  People are often more honest about real life struggles in a smaller group setting.  There is more focused learning that takes place in such a setting, and it really is a place in which “iron sharpens iron.”

We have “intentionally” placed Jeremy and Amber over small groups and they are here to tell you more about it.