Once I sat through a worship service where several thousand were in attendance. The preacher gave an inspiring message about alcohol. For an hour he preached. He had good illustrations and stories. In fact, it was one of the most informative messages on alcohol I had ever heard.
The only problem was, when it was over, I didn’t know if he was for it or against it. But he sure was a good speaker.
Second Timothy 3:5 says in the last days men will have a form of godliness but deny its power. Verse seven says that they will always be learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
This is the way many Christians are today. They attend church meeting after church meeting, but it’s only a form of godliness. They seem to always be learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
As Christians we must never forget the reason for assembling ourselves together. Yes, fellowship is important. Yes, we need to have dinners and fund-raisers for the needy. Yes, we need each other, but, we must not forget the real reason we assemble.
We must never forget that the church is a place of worship and a place where we learn about our Savior and hear the Word so that faith can be built up in us.
As ministers we must remember that we are to preach the Word. We must constantly remind ourselves that we are to build faith within the church. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
Earlier in the same chapter in verse 14 it says, “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
In Luke 18:8 Jesus asked this question. He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” When Jesus returns, He will not be looking for ice-cream and bingo cards. He will be looking for faith.
Once a man asked me, “How will Jesus be able to tell if faith is here?” Well, the answer may surprise you, but nevertheless it’s quite simple.
The world we live in is the created world. It had a beginning and it will have an end. The spirit realm, however, existed before the creation of the earth. It exists now. And it will exist throughout all eternity.
According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is a substance. A substance has size and shape and can be seen. For example, when the four men brought their sick friend to Jesus, they had to let their sick friend down through the roof because of the crowd. The Bible says in Mark 2:5 that Jesus looked at them and saw their faith. In the spirit realm, faith can be seen.
When Jesus returns, He will be looking for faith.
Do you have faith? Well, if you don’t, it would be a good idea to get some. But, where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
After all this you may be asking, “What is faith anyway?” The simplest definition of faith is this: Faith is simply believing that God will do what He said He would do and acting on what you believe.
Isn’t that easy? Just believe what God says and act on what you believe.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.