Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "The Augustana Synod Understood the Biblical View o...":
Ichabod -
Without looking up the Scripture (as I am very tired right now); didn't Jesus go on, to tell His disciples: "If you had the faith of a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to uproot itself.......?" [Paraphrase]
In other words; I believe that Christ was telling His disciples: "Forget this business about having and asking for big faith; but exercise the faith that you presently [already] possess!" And, doesn't Scripture say that God apportions a measure of faith to his individual children? Actually, that question by Christ's disciples about increasing their faith was an insult. They had already been granted faith; they just needed to act within the present apportioned realms of that God given faith.
So, it is today in multiplied Christian households where God's children freeze at the very first experience of difficulty; whether it is financial, work related or, whatever. Instead of being like David (who "encouraged himself in the Lord"), Christians don't don't remind themselves of their faith as is the essence of the old Negro spiritual:
"I shall; I shall not be moved. I, shall; I shall not be moved;
Just like a tree; that's planted by the waters; I....shall not be moved!
Jesus is my Savior; I shall not be moved; Jesus is my Savior; I shall not be moved;
Just like a tree, that's planted by the water; I...., shall not be moved!"
The [above] aforementioned song I learned one Saturday night as an adolescent. My father had invited the black Detroit Lutheran minister, Rev. Percy Dumas, to preach for Sunday's Mission Festival; at Trinity Lutheran; Merritt Twp. Bay City. Mom and Dad invited Percy for Saturday evening supper and to spend the night with us. After supper Dad asked Pastor Dumas to play the piano in the living room and sing some Negro spirituals. I'll never forget that evening! There's nothing like singing spiritual songs and hymns that can have the effect of reminding us of the faith that the Lord has given us!
Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
