This month at actionchurch we’re discussing the amazing similarities between the power of faith, and the power of the lever.  At first glance the two couldn’t appear to be more different.  Levers are solid, mechanical, common in our world. These simple machines create mechanical advantage in countless common items, while faith seems like an abstract concept, a rarity, perhaps even a mythical idea.  Even when we SEE faith in action, most of us look for some other explanation for its power.

But what if faith is already in us?  Just like our bones and muscles are formed into elegantly powerful levers inside us, what if faith and leverage were both given to us by God?   What could we learn from levers (which we can see) that could teach us about the faith that we cannot?

Here’s a few things to think about:

Levers don’t create effort.   They just magnify it.  You can stare at a lever all day hoping and believing it will lift a load or move an object…and NOTHING will happen.  I believe the same is true of Faith. (Can’t wait to discuss this concept this Sunday…it’s powerful!)

You will NEVER be “stronger” than a lever, but a lever can make anyone MORE powerful.  Ever watched the “Worlds Strongest Man” competition?  There are a few men in the world who can literally lift one end of a small car off it’s wheels.  However, almost ANYONE can do the same with a lever. The same is true of faith.  The most powerful people in the world pale in comparison to the power available to “weak people” who harness the leverage of faith.  By faith, David beats Goliath…every time.

Levers MUST have a strong immovable fulcrum or pivot to work.  The same can be said of faith.  We actually often utilize the principles of faith in our world, but without the immovable and all powerful “fulcrum” of God, our best leverage fails as its shaky, man-made, fulcrum crumbles.

Finally, just like Archimedes theorized that levers are nearly infinitely powerful, so is the power of faith.  The question is…how can we harness the amazing power that God has given us…how does it work…when does it work? (Remember without God as our “fulcrum” our best attempts at faith crumble into sad pointlessness)

I can’t wait to explore more of the amazing power of faith (and levers) this month! Stay tuned.

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen.- Jesus  (Matthew 21:21)

Someone stopped me Sunday after the service with a great comment: “I think instead of calling this series ‘Ask me Anything’, you should have called it ‘Opening a can of worms'”.  I’m not exactly sure where the phrase “opening a can of worms” came from (who cans worms???) , but I get what they meant.   Asking (and answering) real questions about God, Religion, Sin, Church etc is difficult and even upsetting at times…and I’m completely fine with that.

In fact, I hope EVERY week at actionchurch, people honestly question what they hear. I hope they ask themselves: “Is this true?”, “Does the Bible really say that?”, “Does God still expect that from his followers”?  I pray we always ask tough questions, and love others enough to share the difficult truths from scripture.  I pray we will always love God enough to take action, by putting his commands into practice in our lives.

Even when it’s an uncomfortable process.

Even when we don’t like the answer.

Even when we struggle to understand.

Even when every “answer” just raises more questions.

Tough questions lead to growth…and it’s ABSOLUTELY worth the trouble that comes from “opening a can of worms”…whatever that means. :-)

¹¹ And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. ¹² As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.   (Acts 17:11-12)

This Sunday, during the “Wreck it Ralph” episode of “at the movies”  we talked a lot about changing your life.  We talked about the many difficulties that come with ANY major change we attempt, from unsupportive friends, to the labels we put on ourselves, to the natural pull of our sinful natures to want to do the wrong thing instead of the right. (Yes, you probably were “born that way”.)   However, in spite of all the difficulties, in spite of all the potential pain, people STILL make the decision to change their lives.   Big Changes…Little changes…it’s inspiring and exciting…just watch out for the Snooze button.

Yes.  There is a snooze button in life change.  It’s just as real as the virtual snooze button I hit on my iPhone this morning instead of getting up the 30-brutal-minutes-earlier that I planned. (Yep…even alarm clock apps have that evil feature)   We’ve all seen people push the  “snooze button” on life change…we’ve probably even done it ourselves.  “I’ll start my diet after the holidays.”  “I’m gonna hit the gym after school starts”.   “I’ll definitely start getting out of debt after I get a better job”. And, perhaps the saddest of all, “I definitely plan on becoming a Christ follower…I just have some things I need to work on first. ” Snooze.  Snooze.  Snooze. Snooze.

If you keep hitting the snooze button, you will definitely miss that early appointment.  Keep pushing the procrastination snooze button long enough…and you will never experience life change.  Do it now!  Today.  No more “snoozing”.  It’s the only way it actually happens!

(Got to run, but for some reason I’m 18 minutes behind schedule)

Snooze.  Snooze

¹⁶ What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’  Acts 22:16