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Faith V - Modern Faith? ...

Tuesday, Sept 2, 2014. How modern is our faith? How “old fashioned” is it? Some people think that believers are stuck somewhere between old myth and medieval ages. And sometimes special stories are in the media, which seem to confirm this - talking about strange religious conflicts, about sects and cults. But in fact, faith is extremely modern! When you start to look into the original biblical texts, you discover its truth which is far beyond any particular historical time - including our own “modern” or “post-modern” time!

Faith is forever! …

Faith means to relate to the Lord, the eternal God. Faith means to listen to the Lord, to get to know him, to live with him, to be influenced and changed by him. Faith is not stuck to a particular time. It is not bound to a particular cultural environment. It has grown in Palestine in the first century, but also in Greece, in Rome. It has come to Asia soon thereafter, it went to Europe, it went into Africa. Faith has been part of the large kingdoms. It has reached the Americas. It was never bounded by cultural boundaries. It is active in China as it is in Russia today.

Have a look into the biblical texts. The psalms, for example, talk about the eternity of God. His love endures forever. He will reign forever. Please read a little bit! …

Ps 136:7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever Ps 136:24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; Ps 136:25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. Ps 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. Ps 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Ps 145:1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Ps 145:2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Ps 145:21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. Ps 146:6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; Ps 146:10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! Ps 148:6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. Pr 10:25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever. Pr 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Pr 27:24 for riches do not last forever; and does a crown endure to all generations? […] (Psalms)

Faith guides us forward …

It is good to be in contact with something which is beyond our own time. Too much are we influenced by our own cultural heritage, by our customs, by what our own time believes to be “modern” or “right”. But God is beyond time - he is the creator. He knows more about humans than we do. His advice and his guidance are fantastic, day by day!

Christian faith sees the whole human, since God sees the whole person. As a part of the insight of faith we can see the greatness of humans as well as their failures. We can see how valuable each and every human is, a loved being, wanted by the Lord. We see his desire to take care of everyone - and his desire that we as humans take care of one another. We can also see the devastating effect of conflict, of evil, of the quest for power, again and again.

Each time I sincerely look into what the Lord say or is, I end up with excitement. Each time I meet the Lord, I come back full of amazement and wonder. Each time I come back with deeper insight into my own humanity, and those of others. He is fantastic, and full of love, forever. Could we have more wonderful news? (Roland Potthast) ... more texts