7 Encounters of the Faith-Building Kind

In the Bible, Abram, later called Abraham, is recognized as 'friend of God' and 'father of our faith'. Both of these titles are remarkable considering the condition he was in when God first began to deal with him. Originally Abraham was a stranger to God and had no demonstrable faith when he was living in his hometown of Ur of the Chaldeans. God brought him out of his comfort zone by stirring his conscience. He eventually felt the emptiness of his spirit, his dissatisfaction with the silent and impotent gods of his culture, and through the prompting of 'divine discontent' he moved with his household towards the promised land (Genesis 15:7).

It was God's grace that called Abram to the Great Adventure. It would be God's grace that would sustain him on his journey to spiritual intimacy. As this childless man, named 'exalted father' (Abram), later given a name that was even more embarrassing, 'father of a multitude' (Abraham), traveled in obedience to God, he would see God's abundant promises materialize. Abraham and his 'princess' (Sarah) eventually would give birth to laughter (Isaac).

Abram's life is given purpose and direction as He discovers that there is a God who chooses to reveal Himself and wants us to share a personal relationship in which He can lead us into what He has promised. He is calling us to be His friends, but only on the terms of authentic faith. Are we willing to leave the comfort and security of the status quo, seek Him out and follow Him? Abram's adventure was propelled by his experience of God revealing Himself through the spoken word seven times. Each encounter built his faith and deepened his friendship with God. The first encounter introduced Abraham to personal promises: he is promised the land of Canaan, a great nation of descendants, that he would bring blessing to others and that those who blessed him would themselves be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed (Genesis 12:1-3). The second encounter brought him into fellowship with God's pilgrim purposes: worshipping 'on the go' and pitching tents, providing temporary dwelling places for his community of called-out ones (Genesis 12:7-8). The third word brought a renewal of God's promises for which Abraham would have to wait and thereby fellowship with God's patience (Genesis 13:14-18). In the fourth encounter he would learn God's plan for His people in the future and is introduced to God's method of ratifying His promise by means of an unconditional covenant. He is caused to fellowship with God's certain hope (Genesis 15). In the fifth encounter God causes him to fellowship with His All Sufficiency (revealing Himself as El-Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One). In the sixth encounter Abram is encouraged to fellowship with God's justice and participate in the process of intercession for those due for judgment (Genesis 18). Finally in the seventh encounter Abraham is called to fellowship with God's self-emptying heart by being asked to give his only son as a sacrifice upon the altar on Mt. Moriah.

The New Testament parallel is plain: The Father offers up His Son. The Son submits and is obedient unto death. The Father knows the promise of resurrection. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--." (Romans 8:32 NIV). "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." (John 3:16). (There is evidence to believe that Isaac was about the age of Christ, in his thirties when taken to Mt. Moriah. The next recorded incident after this is the death of Sarah at age 127 (Genesis 23:1). She was ninety at Isaac's birth. Also we know that Isaac was forty when he married and was comforted from the death of his mother).

Brennan Manning writes: "Fidelity to the prophetic Word will take us along the path of downward mobility (Henri Nouwen's famous phrase) in the middle of an upwardly mobile world. We find ourselves not on the path to power but on the path to powerlessness, not on the road to success, but on the road to servanthood; not on the broad road of praise and popularity but on the narrow road of ridicule and rejection."

Are you ready to take the next steps in the Divine Adventure of becoming God's friend? Be ready to turn your back on the status-quo. Don't be held back by your comfort zone. Worship God by serving Him in obedience and with praise. Get involved pitching tents, building up the body of Christ, his portable corporate tabernacle, the church (ekklesia- lit. 'called-out' ones). Fellowship with His patience as you look forward to the future with certain hope. Rest in His All Sufficiency. Practice fervent intercession for those that are in danger of perishing. Desire to know the working of His cross internally, as you fellowship in His suffering, His self-giving and the power of His resurrection.

Stepping out,