Walk By Faith, Walk By The Spirit (Sunday May 11, 2025)

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:7

Faith: The Foundation and Fuel of Our Christian Walk

From the moment we believe in Jesus, our life is redefined by faith. Faith is not just how we start the Christian life — it's how we’re meant to continue in it, step by step.

The Bible often describes our life with God as a walk — something active, progressive, and forward-moving. And this walk is not based on what we can see, understand, or control. It is based entirely on trusting in the unseen God who leads us, guides us, and transforms us.

We walk by faith — not by feelings.
We walk by faith — not by formulas.
We walk by faith — not by what we see.

Faith Matters More Than We Realize

Every essential part of our relationship with God comes through faith:

• We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).

• We become children of God through faith (Galatians 3:26).

• We are strengthened and protected through faith (1 Peter 1:5).

• We receive the Holy Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14).

• Christ dwells in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17).

• We inherit God’s promises through faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12).

This means that faith is not an occasional tool we use when things get tough — it is the very environment in which the Christian life thrives. Every step we take — every decision, every response, every trial — must be filtered through faith in God's promises and character.

Two Common Dangers to Our Faith

Surprisingly, both hardship and comfort can threaten our faith if we’re not careful:

1. Hardship can make us feel abandoned.

When suffering, loss, or rejection enters our life, it’s easy to wonder if God sees us or cares. We might try to fix things in our own strength or lose trust altogether.

2. Comfort can make us self-reliant.

When life is going smoothly, we may forget our dependence on God. Our prayers become shallow, our Bible reading infrequent, and our desire for God cools.

In both cases, we stop walking by faith — and start living by sight, emotion, or human logic.

Faith Isn’t Optional — It’s the Only Way to Please God

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
— Hebrews 11:6

That’s a bold statement. It means you could do everything “right” on the outside — go to church, avoid obvious sins, even serve in ministry — but if you’re not operating in faith, it’s not pleasing to God.

Even more sobering is Romans 14:23, which says:

“Whatever is not from faith is sin.”

Faith is not just about believing the right doctrines. It’s about trusting God in real life — with our money, our future, our relationships, our health, and our time. God doesn’t want us to live in fear, doubt, or self-dependence. He wants us to walk in complete trust in His power, presence, and promises.

Faith Over Fear: What to Do When Life Shakes You

Fear and faith cannot coexist in the same heart. The Israelites who escaped Egypt didn’t enter the Promised Land because of unbelief, even after seeing countless miracles. Instead of trusting God’s promises, they focused on giants, obstacles, and what they had left behind.

We fall into the same trap when:

• We obsess over everything that could go wrong.

• We forget how God has helped us before.

• We dwell on what we’ve lost instead of what God is preparing.

But when we walk by faith, our perspective changes. We stop asking “What if?” and start declaring, “God is able!”

God’s Word Builds Our Faith

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
— Romans 10:17

To grow in faith, we must feed on God’s Word regularly — not just reading it intellectually, but letting it stir confidence in God. And it’s not enough just to hear it; we must also mix it with faith (Hebrews 4:2).

That means:

• Believing what God says — even when feelings or circumstances say otherwise.

• Speaking the Word — confessing God’s truth over our lives.

• Obeying the Word — trusting God enough to act on what He says.

God is looking for people who will say the same thing He is saying — people who will confess His promises and walk them out daily.

Living with an Eternal Perspective

When we walk by faith, we live with heaven in mind.

“Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:17

No matter what you're going through right now, it is light and momentary compared to the glory that awaits. That doesn’t mean it’s not real or painful. It means God is using it to shape you for eternity.

Faith helps us look beyond the visible:

• Beyond bills and health reports

• Beyond conflict and disappointment

• Beyond what the world says is important

Faith lifts our eyes to what is unseen — God’s kingdom, God’s purposes, and God’s eternal rewards.

Finding GOd’s purposes by faith

God saved you for a reason. You are His workmanship, created for good works that He prepared in advance (Ephesians 2:10). But you won’t discover them by living in autopilot. You must walk by faith, step by step.

That means:

• Trusting God when the way forward is unclear.

• Moving in obedience when the destination is unknown.

• Believing He will equip you for what He’s called you to do.

And if you’ve been walking by faith already — keep going. There’s always a next level of faith God wants to bring you into.

“All things are possible to him who believes.”
— Mark 9:23

Do You Have a God-Given Vision?

Those who walk by faith usually walk with vision. They’re not just wandering — they’re following something God has planted in their hearts. Do you have a vision from God? Are you asking Him what His purposes are for your life, family, or church?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
— Proverbs 29:18

If you’ve lost your vision, ask God to renew it. If you’ve never had one, ask Him to give you one. He is faithful to guide you.

Staying Fixated on Jesus (Sunday May 4, 2025)

Pastor Giby Raphael

How many of you can praise God for the testimonies you've already experienced in your life? And how many of you are praising God in faith for what He is doing right now, even when it’s not fully clear? Now here's the big question: Can you praise Him in advance for what He’s going to do in your life next week, next month, or even next year? Hallelujah! Because we serve a God of testimonies—the God of the impossible!

Now I want us to look together at Hebrews 12:1–2. This is one of the most powerful conclusions in the New Testament. The author—some say it’s Paul, and I personally believe it is—writes, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.”

Church, if you miss this, you miss everything. This is the final instruction: Finish your race! It doesn’t matter how you finish it. You can crawl. You can limp. You can walk. You can run. You don’t have to come first. But you’ve got to cross that line. That’s all that matters—just finish your race.

Before giving that instruction, the author gives us the reason why. That’s what chapter 11 is all about—it defines faith and then lays out example after example of people who ran before us: Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Gideon, David, Samuel. They didn’t live perfect lives. Some of them did some very foolish things. But they finished their race. If they could do it, you can do it too. That’s the message.

But here’s something important. The author says it’s okay to glance at these people. Glance at their lives. Glance at their testimonies. Glance at their victories. But don’t fix your eyes on them. Don’t fix your eyes on Moses. Don’t fix your eyes on David. Don’t fix your eyes on Abraham. Fix your eyes on Jesus.

There’s a difference between glancing and fixing. When I drove here this morning, I glanced at so many things—houses, cars, signs—but I didn’t fixate on anything. It’s okay to look around. But when it comes to your spiritual race, your eyes must be fixed on one person only—Jesus Christ.

Why do you worship God?

If your praise is based on who He is—then it’s unshakable. You worship Him not because He answered your prayer, but because He is God.

Now why is that so important? Because if your praise is based only on what God has done for you—or what you’re expecting Him to do—you might be disappointed. That’s the truth. You might not get what you asked for. You might not get that healing when you want it. You might not get that breakthrough in the timing you expected. You might get persecuted, mistreated, rejected. Hebrews 11 even talks about those who were stoned, flogged, and wandered in deserts. So if your praise is only based on what God does for you, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

But if your praise is based on who He is—then it’s unshakable. You worship Him not because He answered your prayer, but because He is God. You worship Him not because you got that promotion, but because He is worthy. That’s the deeper revelation God is calling us to.

Many people treat Sunday like spiritual insurance. They show up because they need God’s help on Monday. They tick the box and say, "Okay God, I showed up. Now help me through the week." But let me tell you something: God is not just your emergency contact. He is your Father, your Redeemer, your Friend. He deserves your worship not for what He gives but for who He is.

David said, "I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." Why? Because he knew the joy of God’s presence. Joshua stayed behind in the tent of meeting even after Moses left. Why? Because he tasted something in God’s presence that nothing else could offer.

If you can learn to draw your joy from the presence of the Lord, you become unstoppable. Because the world didn’t give you that joy—and the world can’t take it away. Everything else dries up. Human love, money, success—it all has limits. But His presence is a reservoir that never runs dry.

Now let me bring it closer to home. Some of you are saying, "Pastor, I’m trying to fix my eyes on Jesus, but I can’t find Him. I’m praying. I’m fasting. I’m doing everything I can. But I don’t see Him." Let me take you to John 6. The crowd was looking for Jesus after He fed the 5,000 and walked on water. They finally found Him and asked, “Jesus, where were you?” And what did He say? “You’re looking for me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” In other words, you’re not seeking me to know me—you’re seeking me to get more bread.

That hit me hard. It’s a question we all need to ask ourselves: What kind of hunger do I have? Do I want more of God—or just more from God? Do I seek His hand—or His heart? Fixation on Jesus means loving Him for who He is, not just what He can give.

Let me tell you about Gideon. God called him a mighty warrior, and he said, “Who, me?” He needed sign after sign. Even after the Spirit of the Lord came on him, he still asked for confirmation. But God was patient. And God taught Gideon something powerful—how to fixate on the unseen.

God stripped Gideon's army from 30,000 to 300. And He didn’t even give them real weapons! Just a trumpet and a torch in a jar. That’s not a strategy for war. That’s a lesson in trust. God was saying, “Gideon, I’m teaching you to trust not in what you see, but in who I am.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. It sounds crazy. How do you fix your eyes on the unseen? But that’s faith. And when you do, something powerful happens. Paul says we are jars of clay with a treasure inside. We may be hard-pressed on every side—but we’re not crushed. Perplexed—but not in despair. Struck down—but not destroyed. That’s the power of fixation on Jesus.

You fixate on your boss—you’ll be disappointed. Fixate on your spouse—you’ll be disappointed. Fixate on your finances—disappointed. But fix your eyes on Jesus—and you’ll never be shaken.

I want to close with this: Even if He doesn’t give you what you ask for, He is still worthy. That’s the kind of faith that pleases God. That’s the kind of faith that separates the seekers from the lovers.

Church, this is the invitation: Let’s go to the next level. Not just coming to church for blessings—but coming to church because we love Him. Let our hunger be to know more of Him. Let our worship be for who He is. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Amen.

Worship That Pleases God (Sunday Apr 27, 2025)

Worship is a key subject in the Bible. However, when we speak about worship these days, we often have a picture about worship that is not exactly what is in the Bible. Often when we speak about worship, we think about a structured, time of corporate singing. The more I look at scripture, especially in the new testament, I realize that it isn’t any of those things:

1. It isn’t singing

2. It isn’t a corporate activity

3. It isn’t structured

You might be able to sing as a group in a structured worship at a meeting, but that is not the definition of worship in itself.

God created man to worship Him. There is an innate tendency in us to worship. If we do not worship the true God, we end up worshipping someone else or something else.

Jesus warned his disciples saying about a type of people in Matt 15:8, quoting Isaiah 29:13, he said:

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”

Jesus taught about the kind of worship he desired to the most unlikely person. He was in an area called Sychar in Samaria and there, He waited at a well. And a Samaritan woman came to draw water. She was not only a woman, she was also a Samaritan, considered an inferior race. She was also a person who was living an life of questionable morality. In those times, a person of her background was considered too low to speak to for a Jewish rabbi. However, It is to her that Jesus expounded the type of worshippers that the Father is seeking.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:23-24

Example 1: Abraham

In studying scripture, the Bible has a principle of first mention. The first mention of the word worship occurs in Gen 22:5: “ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham told his servants who accompanied him and his son Isaac to Mount Moriah that he and Isaac will go to the mountain, worship and then return to them. Remember that this was Isaac the son of promise, for whom he waited about 25 years. Abraham’s future was also centered around Isaac. However, in his obedience to the command of God, Abraham was willing to set aside everything that he held dear. Abraham’s worship was pleasing to God for several reasons:

1. He surrendered his will to seek God’s will

2. He submitted to God in faith

3. Trusted that God knew and will do what is best for him

For these reasons God was pleased with the worship that Abraham brought to Him.

When we have not enough for our needs, when situations around us are challenging, when we are not sure how to face the storms in our life, when we do not feel like singing and praying, when we still offer our praise to the Lord, it is a sacrifice that is pleasing unto Him.

Example 2: The Sinful Woman

The second instance we are going to look at is from Luke 7:36 onwards

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

In John 4, we saw that the theory of worship was offered to a woman of questionable character. Here, the practical worship that Jesus loved and praised was a sinner, the town prostitute. She found out that the teacher was in the house of a pharisee and came to Him. She knelt down and began weeping and wetting his feet with her many tears. She then wiped them with her hair, kissed his feet and anointed them with expensive perfume. The Lord loved this expression of worship for

1. Her worship came from an overwhelming sense of gratitude & indebtedness to God

2. The woman brought what was expensive and gave it unto the LORD

3. She broke it only unto the LORD

She was so grateful for the LORD’s acceptance and forgiveness that she could not stop weeping. If we come before Him with self-righteousness we can never worship God. True worship always recognizes our utter sinfulness and His perfect holiness. Our melodious singing and skillful playing of instruments will not bring glory to God. But the heart that is aware of the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness can worship him in a broken voice and a noise unto the Lord. His forgiving grace is the central theme in our worship.

She brought the alabaster jar of perfume and broke it unto the LORD. She brought something that was costly and lavishly spent it on the LORD, not thinking about the cost. True worship forgets the cost and focuses on the Master. And in brokenness, like the jar was broken, we ought to offer our worship before the LORD.

The Place for Singing

The Bible certainly speaks about singing, even in the new testament.

In Matt 26:30, “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Before going into the Garden of Gethsemane at the last night before He was crucified, Jesus and His disciples are recorded to have sung a hymn.

In Acts 16:25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

Beaten, punished, chained, and kept in the innermost prison, Paul and Silas started praying and praising God through the singing of hymns loudly.

In both these instances we hear about very trying external circumstances and Jesus, our LORD, and Paul along with Silas sang unto the LORD. These are the only two instances in the New Testament where singing is recorded to have occurred other than in heavenly scenes in the book of Revelation. Maybe the LORD wanted to make a point about true worshipful singing.

Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Ephesians 5:18-20

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible encourages us to speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. To sing and make melody in our heart to the LORD. This is an instruction given to all of us. God is pleased when we do that!

The parallel passage in Colossians 3:16-17 says this:

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul is encouraging believers to teach and admonish one another with the wisdom through the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with gratitude in our hearts to God!

Singing enables us as a group in unison to learn scripture, say words of adoration to God, declare our beliefs, encourage one another, and make declarations loudly to creation and to do all that in one voice. It’s a powerful and very useful tool, as long as we do it from the heart in a way that glorifies God. And in everything both passages strongly emphasizes that we give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is a very important part of our worship and our singing.

Finally, I want us to look at these two portions:

1. the verse in Ephesians 5:18 before the verse we read says be filled with the Spirit and

2. the version in Colossians 3:16 says “let the word of Christ dwell in us” – Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Thy truth, Thy word is truth.

Essentially these two portions are telling us to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

The key in worship is to know who God is, understand His person and His character, and we fall before the LORD with the awe of that understanding and we cry out unto Him, “O LORD, my God!” with a deep sense of our sinfulness and His holiness and our need for Him. That is true worship that pleases God.

May the Lord enable us to worship Him in a way that pleases Him.