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Faith — Loyalty and Sharing

Bryan Schiele
02/02/25 - Sun Worship

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

I want to be a more well-rounded disciple of Jesus, focused on Truth, Heart, Action, and Community. Continuing our “Cross Training” journey, let’s keep those dimensions in mind as we apply them to different aspects of Jesus, beginning with faith. Faith includes our beliefs, trust, and loyalty. And as we relate to others, our faith leads us to speak, confessing Christ, and sharing the gospel. This week, we’ll take a closer look at two more aspects of faith — loyalty and sharing.

Loyalty (Action)

Stand Firmly With the Lord

Our family is a dog family. No judgment against any cat lovers out there, but among their many other redeeming qualities, dogs — for the most part — actually like their human companions. Think about how the 1960s classic TV show ‘Lassie’ would have played out with a cat rather than a collie as the star. Timmy would have fallen in the well — again — and if the cat even noticed, it would have left the boy to die down there. In good times or trouble, our K-9 companions stick close by. And while loyalty is an essential quality in our pets, have you ever thought about what it means to be loyal to Jesus through thick and thin?

What You Need to Know

What if there was an English word that could mean belief, trust, or faithfulness ... or all three at the same time? That’s what’s happening with the Bible words for faith. The Bible word translated faith in some places is translated faithfulness in others. The two are linked and if we don’t get that, we’ll have an incomplete view of faith.

God is always faithful. So we, too, must offer our loyalty to him. Habakkuk 2:4 says, “the righteous will live by faith.” But the Hebrew word for “faith” mainly means firmness, fidelity, and faithfulness. In Galatians, the same Greek word is translated faith (Gal. 5:6) and faithfulness (Gal. 5:22) in the same chapter.

What these three ideas have in common is the firm foundation they create for any relationship. Marriages don’t survive without both trust in each other and faithfulness to each other. Friendships are built on belief, trust, and faithfulness (Prov. 18:24), like Ruth’s devotion to Naomi (Ruth 1:16-17) and Jonathan’s loyalty to David (1 Sam. 24:6-10). But it’s much more true for our relationship with our Lord. He is worthy of our wholehearted trust and devotion.

What You Need to Do

When you see an opportunity to serve others in the name of Christ or to expand his kingdom, jump at the chance. Like Samuel’s statement, “speak, for your servant hears” (1 Sam. 3:10), we stand available to God, always ready for our orders. Keep the approval of your master in mind. Can you dare to imagine — as a hymn says — “the smile of the blessed Giver” as he looks in joy upon the faithful deeds of his redeemed servant? Remember the words Jesus used to describe a master’s approval: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:23).

Overcome evil in your life by looking to him in faith and faithfulness. Every temptation tests our loyalty to God. When Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. He was not only loyal to her husband, but more importantly, he saw any sin as an affront against God. He told her of the confidence her husband had placed in him, then asked, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). Resolve not to break trust with God and damage that relationship.

Through the Week

• Read — John 19:16-31; Luke 9:57-62; Josh. 24:14-15; 1 Kings 8:57-61; 2 Tim. 4:10-18
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “What gives Jesus joy?”
• Request — Pray, “Let the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
• Respond — Repeat the phrase, “I stand with Jesus,” when temptations come throughout the week.
• Reach Out — Ask someone, “What situations have tested your loyalty to Christ?”

Sharing (Community)

Care Enough to Share Your Faith

As a new parent, it seemed like every conversation with family and friends eventually led to some embarrassing discussion about vomit, gas, or destructive diaper detonations. Gross! Moms and dads love to overshare about their newborn war stories as if it were normal dinner conversation — but some things just can’t be unheard. Although oversharing can lead to some awkward moments, some conversations can’t be shared enough!

What You Need to Know

Genuine faith leads us to speak. Our faith has to travel the distance from our heart to our mouth or, frankly, it will not save us.

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10:8-10).

When we confess Jesus Christ as Lord, we announce our allegiance to him. In elementary school, many of us mindlessly recited the pledge of allegiance. But we can’t think of “the good confession” (1 Tim. 6:12) as mere words or even magic words that save us while costing us nothing. When we declare our belief, trust, and loyalty to the Lord, we take our stand with God’s anointed King.

And while that saving confession is part of our conversion, disciples don’t make a one-time acknowledgment of our Master and then keep him a secret for the rest of our lives. Jesus says he’ll acknowledge before the Father everyone that publicly acknowledges him (Matt. 10:32-33). It might cost you a lot, maybe even your closest relationships, but it’s worth it (Matt. 10:34-39).

So we own Christ out of love for him, but we also owe a debt of love to others to share the gospel (Rom. 1:14-17)! We received a gift we can’t pay for; the best we can do is pass it on! Paul couldn’t separate his faith in Christ from expressing it to others. Can we say with him, “we also believe, and so we also speak” (2 Cor. 4:13)?

What You Need to Do

Not everyone has a talent for teaching (Rom. 12:5-8; James 3:1), but we all can express the excellence of God (1 Peter 2:9-10). Some evangelize naturally, while most of us stretch outside our comfort zone to speak up, always honing our skills, working hard to develop a readiness to answer people’s questions (1 Peter 3:14-17).

When you feel pressured to silently hide your faith, recognize who’s behind it, and refuse to “be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor. 2:11). Let’s pray with the early church, “grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness” (Acts 4:29). God answered their prayer, and even as persecution scattered them, they “went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). May we find the courage and love to do the same.

Through the Week

• Read — John 4:4-42; Matt. 5:14-16; Acts 17:22-31; 2 Cor. 4:13-18; 1 Peter 3:14-17
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “What ‘baskets’ keep my light from shining in the darkness?”
• Request — Pray, “Oh Lord, embolden me to speak of your deeds to everyone I meet!” (cf. Psalm 105:1).
• Respond — Find a way to mention the Lord to at least two people today.
• Reach Out — Ask someone, “What have you used as a launchpad for spiritual discussions?”