Are you a, "I have to see it to believe it" or a, "I will believe it to see it" kind of person?

Hey GCT:  What does God call His children to do over and over again throughout the story of redemption in Scripture?  Does He call us to a “believe me and I will show you” faith or an “I will show you first so that you can believe” kind of faith?  Well, I believe that time and time again He calls us to believe Him first and then He moves forward with us in our faith and makes His promises yes and absolutely realized.  Our Father in heaven loves for us to trust Him.  This entire story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is God saying “ Trust Me!”  His daily word to us in whatever situation we find ourselves in is, “Trust Me.”  God is worthy to be trusted.  God id saying "believe me and I will show you…"

In Luke 4, Jesus declares to those who had come to worship His Father in heaven that He is God in flesh to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captives, give sight to the blind, and to give liberty to the oppressed.  Jesus is saying “ believe me and I will show you redemption.”  Jesus was speaking both physically and especially spiritually.  What started out as a glorious day of worship on the Sabbath in the local Synagogue ended with these religious people escorting Jesus to the nearest cliff to be thrown off and killed.

Wait!  What just  happened?  How did it turn bad so quickly, especially after such a great message of liberty, rescue and release?  Who wouldn’t want that?  The answer is “Unbelief” happened.  The people said “show us a miracle and we will believe” but otherwise we won’t believe.  Unbelief captured the hearts of the religious people and moved them to the point of trying to murder Jesus.  Wow!  Unbelief is that powerful?  Yes!  Unbelief in our mind refuses to accept anything we cannot understand.  Unbelief in the heart loves sinful habits and refuses to give them up.  Unbelief in the will refuses to take action against the unbelief of the mind and the heart.  Unbelief severs the cords of faith and leads us away into spiritual isolation with us focusing on doubts instead of God Himself.  Quickly you can see that unbelief can kill faith and even Jesus.  Do you have any root of unbelief?

Church, let us not be like the religious person in the Luke 4, synagogue who quickly yielded to unbelief.  Instead let us stand before Christ today admitting where any unbelief prevails in our heart and mind seeking to have the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we may know what the hope is that we have been called to enjoy and embrace.  Jesus knows that we are weak and doubt sneaks in to create unbelief.  He cares about our unbelief.  Bring your unbelief to Him.  Can you imagine what would have changed in Luke 4, if the religious people would have just admitted they had some unbelief instead of fully yielding to that unbelief and acting upon it?

Faith is a heart and mind and will that spiritual sees the gospel and Jesus with affections of great delight in Him and is irresistibly attracted to Him for who He is.
 
Ephesians 1:16-18 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints...

I really look forward to worshipping with you this Palm Sunday and enjoying a meal with you afterwards - Steve