I heard a story today I would like to share. A Christian college professor shared with his online class that his grandparents had been missionaries to Africa and had produced one of the first Bibles in the Swahili language. One of his online students looked extremely excited, so the professor asked him if he wanted to share something.
The student went on to relate how his grandparents had come to Christ because of reading the very Bible that the professor's grandparents had translated into their language. In turn, the student's mother had been raised Christian and she then had influenced her son, the student, to become a Christian. Becoming a Christian caused him to immigrate to the United States to attend a Christian university. Even though the professor's grandparents had died, their faith continued to have effects for years afterward.
Our Faith Still Speaks
In Hebrews 11, we read the stories of many of the "faith giants" as they are often referred to. The first story concerns Abel and we read this about him in verse 4,
"By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks."
The writer notes that through faith, even though Abel is dead, he still speaks to us. This Christian professor's grandparents, through faith, continued also to speak into the life of this student who was converted because of something they did long ago.
Many times we feel that the things we do have no value, or at least we see no value in them at that moment, but God sees and knows that our faith can still speak to people through the generations. How many of us can think back to a faithful grandparent or parent who showed us a consistent love of Christ? In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul talks to Timothy and tells him that Paul remembers the faith of his mother and grandmother and is persuaded that Timothy also has this faith. Think of the lives touched by Timothy on his missionary journeys!
Declare His Strength To The Generations
What about a word spoken by a friend about what God has done for them that we couldn't get out of our mind? A word that brought us back into relationship with God? In Psalm 71: 17-18, David says,
"O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come."
In his old age, David still wants to declare God's strength and power to generations yet to come.
Ways Our Faith Speaks
How about the time you reached out to someone you didn't know very well, on social media for example, who seemed despondent? Maybe your story isn't as miraculous as Paul and Silas's in Acts 16: 25-34 where we read the story of the Philippian jailer, but maybe you made a difference. In Acts, the story says that the jailer, fearing that Paul and Silas had escaped during an earthquake, was about to kill himself until they told him they were still there. Seeing this he asked them how he could be saved. Then the jailer took care of them and he and all his household were baptized.
Or how about the money you sent to feed hungry children in another land? You can make a difference. One life that was changed is Samuel's. His story can be seen here.
We don't know how God will use us, but we need to be open to Him and allow Him to use us as He sees fit. We won't all be great evangelists, pastors, or missionaries but we all have a role in God's kingdom. Let's pray that the faith with what we do things will "still speak" after we are long gone from this earth. It is not our works that speak, but the faith behind them.
What Is Your Lasting Impact?
What was the lasting impact of the faith of the Ethiopian eunuch that became a Christian in Acts 8? What happened when he returned home with his new found faith? We will never know, but God knows. Another example of someone who influenced many others is the story of Crispus in Acts 18:8. He was the ruler of the synagogue. When he and his household became believers it influenced many of the Corinthians to believe as well.
As the ruler of a Jewish synagogue, imagine the impact on Corinth when he and all his household believed on the Lord!
Use Your Gifts
Romans 12: 6-8 says,
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
Paul tells us in this chapter that we are all different members of one body. We are all one in the Lord. Our goal is the same, but our functions are different.
What is your gift? We can't all be all things. Sometimes we think we should try to "do it all", but our prayer should be that God show us what our gifts are and how they should be used. In 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30 Paul explains that we all have gifts and though we may think our gift is unimportant, they are all important to the proper functioning of the body of Christ. We should never be jealous of another's gift.
Are you a teacher? An encourager? A giver? A diligent leader? Are you merciful? Whatever your gift is, use it! Don't put that light, that gift, under a bushel basket (Matthew 5: 14-15). Don't hide it! Don't worry if you don't immediately see the effects of your gift. Trust God that your faith will "still speak" just as Abel's did. What more could we ask than to know that "God testified" of our gifts? Praise God when our faith still speaks!
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