7 Kinds of Faith

1. NATURAL Faith - Faith in people, ideologies, theories and things. -also known as the Head-Faith or the Thomas Faith (Seeing is believing).

-examples of natural faith:

communism, democracy, etc...faith that ur house wont collapse, faith that e cook wont poinson your food, faith in scientific theories, etc.

-EVERYONE has natural faith. Which is based on:

i) Life's experiences
ii) Physical senses
iii) Human reasoning
iv) What others have taught you

Natural faith is NOT biblical faith. Bliblical faith is based upon a revelation of God's will as found in His WORD or by His SPIRIT.
-2 Ths 3:2

2. HISTORICAL Faith - Purely intellectual, religious faith.

-this kind of faith doesnt have a CONNECTION with the Presence/Power of God.

-in other words, its religion without a personal relationship.
-James 2:19 -> u are not a christian jus bcos u go to church, just bcos u live in a country with Christian roots or jus because u are raised in a Christian family or just because you know and believe in God.

EVEN demons believe in God and they tremble, some believe in God without having the fear of God in their lives.
Historical/Religious faith makes one religious -> doing for the sake of doing/doing because you're SUPPOSED to... -> doesnt bring us into a right RELATIONSHIP with God.

3. TEMPORARY Faith - Faith that has not counted the cost.

-e.g. the faith u have when going to e altar call. (DOES produce a 180 degrees change/decision and u give ur life willingly to God without counting the cost). It is...temporary.

However, ppl with temporary faith weaken or backslide when problems, crisis, tribulation comes or when they have to make a decision/COMMITMENT.
-Mostly hearers but NOT DOERS. (Believers but not true DISCIPLES)
-Mt 13:18-22

4. SAVING Faith or JUSTIFYING Faith - Faith that believes in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

-Eph 2:8 -Involves a DECISION + CONFESSION.

5. Faith IN God - DAILY Faith -heb 10:38 -Provides common sense and wisdom for everyday living.

-> From the Bible/Word or the Logos(gk.) Having faith IN God is having a GENERAL ASSURANCE that God will SOMEHOW carry u through.
-rom 12:3 -> God has given us a MEASURE of faith e moment we receive Him into our lives.
-This MEASURE of Faith is only in POTENTIAL form. -> It has to be DEVELOPED, like muscles.

The different levels of Faith Development:

a. WEAK faith - rom 4:19
b. LITTLE faith - mt 8:23-26
c. GROWING faith - 2 Ths 1:3
d. RICH in faith - James 2:5
e. FULL of faith - acts 6:5
f. SINCERE faith - 1 tim 1:5
g. OVERCOMING faith - 1 jhn 5:4
h. STRONG faith - rom 4:20-21
i. GREAT faith - mt 8:5-10
j. PERFECT faith - james 2:22, mark 11:22

-Faith takes TIME to grow. like our bodies it must have e proper food (hearing the Word) and regular exercises (DOING the Word). -Like a race, no matter how tired you are, you dont stop. Because when you stop, ull find it hard to regain the momentum. Keep reading, keep obeying, keep acting, keep praying, dont lose momentum. 'Jog on the spot even if u have to!'

-> dont just be a hearer, be a DOER. (start carrying weights!) Dont start off by carrying extremely heavy weights beyond your muscular capacity. it takes time and effort slowly, step by step.

-> David learnt how to handle a lion before he confronted Goliath. -Check your faith level before you leap, dont exercise faith in areas beyond your faith level. -> But keep on working that faith 'muscle' out.

6. The GIFT of Faith - God's OWN Faith

Types of Gifts:

a. Gifts of Revelation: Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Discerning of Spirits.
b. Gifts of Utterance: Prophecy, Different kinds of tongues, Interpretation of tongues.
c. Gifts of Power: Faith, Working of miracles, Healings.
-1 cor 12:7-11

-These gifts are supernatural -> They cannot be performed by normal/natural means/abilities.

Characteristics of the GIFT of faith:

a) The gift of faith is GOD'S OWN FAITH
-mk 11:12-14, 20-22
The gift of faith is subjective -> it revolves around God as the subject and not the person.

To have the gift of faith is to:

-Have the faith OF God.
-Have the God-like faith.
-Have God's OWN faith.
-Have the faith God possessed within Himself.

-Gift of faith is not ordinary/normal, human faith, but it is a portion of God's VERY OWN faith given to you!
-God doesnt doubt what He says, He is 100% confirmed that it WILL come to pass. -> God has tremendous faith in His own Word.

Heb 11:13, Gal 2:20, acts 3:16
-The measure of the gift of faith is determined by the measure we are willing to crucify our flesh.

b) The gift of faith comes from the HOLY SPIRIT.

-When you are faced in a crisis, it is not enough just to know the stories/parables in the Bible. You must hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to your heart. -> Hear God for yourselves!

c) The gift of faith comes through a REVELATION or RHEMA.

Difference between Logos and Rhema:

i) Logos is the WHOLE COUNCIL or SUM TOTAL of thought, concept or idea. Logos is the Word of God in its entirety (The entire Bible) aka the WRITTEN Word.

ii) Rhema is a word SPOKEN for a PARTICULAR occassion for a SPECIFIC person. It is a PERSONAL word form God to you; A word that a person takes action upon. It becomes a CONVICTION.

e.g. Peter walking on water was a Rhema SPOKEN by Jesus when He said to Peter, 'Come!' It was spoken to a specific person and a particular time. Peter did not walk on water throughout the Bible. That was why the others in the boat did not follow Peter on the water because they knew it was a Rhema for Peter alone.

e.g. Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It was a Rhema SPOKEN by God the Father to Jesus. It was for a specific occasion to a particular person. Jesus did not raise every dead person from the tomb!

-Every rhema is different, no 2 rhema is the same. What God has spoken to you is for you and you alone, for the situation ure in. You dont need to find out other ppl's rhema. Other ppl dun need to know your rhema, just do what you are supposed to do and 'mind your own business'.

If God has spoken then do it, obedience is better than sacrifice.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CANT DIFFERENTIATE THE LOGOS FROM THE RHEMA?

The Bible is God's Written Word (Logos) while the Rhema is God's SPOKEN Word.
Gift of faith comes by hearing and hearing from the SPOKEN Word of God.
When you hear the Rhema form the Holy Spirit, a portion of God's own faith immediately gets deposited into you.

This kind of faith comes when God clearly gives you a DIRECT REVELATION of His Will over a particular situation. -> You do not just have a genaral assurance (Logos), but the SPECIFIC Word (Rhema) in your spirit from the Holy Spirit.

It is dangerous sometimes when you cant differentiate the two. Satan knows the Logos (Written Word) and he used it as a weapon to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. The devil knows the Logos more than most Christians and he makes the Logos into a 'shortcut to success'.

Jesus knew the Logos, but He didnt do what the devil tempted to Him to do because although Satan quoted the Logos, there was no Rhema frm God to act, God didnt speak directly to Jesus to jump off.

Faith(Rhema) = weapon = Sword of the Spirit. (The devil has the Logos, but you have the Rhema! What God speaks will come to pass.) -> Only when God gave the 'go', only then did the Isrealites attack the enemies.

-God performs miracles to meet the needs of His people so that God can be glorified. NOT to prove to unbelievers that He is God. -> God doesnt come to you, you go to Him! (God listened to Abraham and asked him for His opinion before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah was because Abraham was God's FRIEND!)

-Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. You have to build relationship with God before God can listen to/trust you.

-eph 6:17, Jhn 21:20, mt 14:29

d) The power of God's faith is released through SPEAKING the Word.

mk 11:23-24
The faith OF God makes a BOLD CONFESSION. -> The faith OF God doesnt doubt.
When God SPOKE the universe into existence, He didnt doubt.

e) The gift of faith is NOT something ARBITRARY.

-the gift of faith is SPECIFIC. (when? where? who?) -> Jesus did not go round cursing fig trees or raising every dead person from every tomb!

the gift of faith IS NOT OURS TO COMMAND.
we have to be OPEN to the Holy Spirit and to hear His Rhema.
You dont hear from the Holy Spirit every moment of the day! -> What to eat, what to wear, whether to sleep or not, whether to go toilet or not, etc...

99% of the time, God expects us to live by our own COMMON SENSE!
For day to day living, you need the faith IN God.

With the faith IN God you WONT have the absolute certainty of the faith OF God.
Faith IN God is:

-Acting ON the Word.
-RENEWING your mind.
-Holding on to POSITIVE CONFESSION and EXPECTATION.
-Acting OUT the Word.

Faith IN God is still a powerful miracle-working faith. It just lacks one quality:

The certain knowledge that God has already worked on your behalf!

Although the faith IN God is not perfect faith, we still need to develop our faith muscles! We cant effectively operate in the faith OF God without having first developed a strong faith IN God!
But for special occasions, when the Holy Spirit SPEAKS to you through a Rhema, you could be moving in the faith OF God!

7. The FRUIT of Faith

A GIFT is received INSTANTLY, but a FRUIT is CULTIVATED over a process of time and skillful labour.
gal 5:22-23

-The gift of faith has to do with a SPECIFIC ACTION.
-The daily faith to live by has to do with a LIFESTYLE.
-The fruit of faith has to do with your CHARACTER and ATTITUDE!

As you learn to live by faith and move in faith, you develop an abiding TRUST in God.
psm 125:1, 56:3, 2 Tim 1:12

Fruit of faith -> trust in God -> ENTRUSTING your whole life TO God.