VF: 12 The Reward of Visionary Faith I

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Chapter 12 The Reward of Visionary Faith I

Experiencing & Pleasing God

Table of Topics

The Reward of Experiencing God

The Reward of Pleasing God

Primary Points

There is no doubt that those who embrace the trials and tribulations of pursuing a visionary faith to fulfill God’s commands for the advancement of His Kingdom see and experience God in ways that others will not.
People on a mission for God have stories. Miraculous stories.
God likes us taking some risks of faith, especially in an atmosphere where people are praying and watching, so that He has an occasion to glorify Himself. In fact, God is so eager for glory, He may even create an opportunity for it Himself.
This principle is reflected in God’s dare and promise concerning financial giving.
Paul’s encouragement against weariness was the sure hope that our hard work will result in something worth the effort.
The fact that faith pleases God explains many of the most important questions of life (i.e. Why must I have difficulties? Why doesn’t God just show Himself, etc.).
The reason that the best divine revelation we currently have is a Book is because of the great value God places on faith.
We naturally despise living by faith, but we can embrace it if we realize how much it pleases God, and how rare and temporary it is.
Only now do we have an opportunity to live by faith.

The Reward of Experiencing God

Here, we discuss a particular reward that applies to visionary faith: experiencing God. Remember that a God-glorifying visionary faith will be bigger than you can accomplish and will require God working with you. Indeed, such tasks may involve great risk, but it is in those very things that you will see God’s hand in ways you would not have otherwise. There is no doubt that those who embrace the trials and tribulations of pursuing a visionary faith to fulfill God’s commands for the advancement of His Kingdom see and experience God in ways that others will not.

In fact, this may include what Christ is referring to in the Great Commission when He adds, “Be sure of this: I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Perhaps this is a rather conditional promise specifically for those engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission. ^[1] It seems Christ is promising to be “with” such people in a special, even supernatural way. And indeed, those fulfilling the Great Commission obviously require a good deal of miraculous intervention on God’s part just to bring about the necessary spiritual conversions, which we have claimed elsewhere is the greatest miracle of all. ^[2]

Indeed, in our central text from 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 we believe Paul is praying for miraculous deeds in the context of visionary faith. Paul recognized that our “passionate resolve to do good, and every action prompted your faith” in order that the “Lord Jesus will be honored” would require God’s intervening miraculous “power.”

Accordingly, people on a mission for God have stories. Miraculous stories. Read a biography of a missionary and you will see what we mean. There is nothing like the obvious intervention of God on our behalf that draws us closer to Him and makes Him real to us. And those who are pursuing challenging, even risky plans to fulfill God’s commands normally see such miracles more than others.

Part of the reason is that the pursuit of our visionary faith gives God an opportunity to glorify Himself. As noted previously, we do not attempt foolish, unnecessarily harmful things to test God. But God likes us taking some risks of faith, especially in an atmosphere where people are praying and watching, so that He has an occasion to glorify Himself. In fact, God is so eager for glory, He may even create an opportunity for it Himself.

Such an event is described in Psalm 107. The Psalm relates several instances in the lives of people that God miraculously rescued. They, “went out on the sea in ships; they did work ^[3] on the mighty waters” (v. 23). Sounds kind of risky. But, “They saw the works of the LORD, His wonderful deeds in the deep” (v. 24). How? Through the difficulties God allowed (even caused) and His miraculous rescue from them:

For God spoke and stirred up a storm that lifted the waves high. . . in their danger their courage melted away . . . they were out of their mind.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired destination.

Let them give thanks to the LORD because of His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. (vs. 25-31)

But many people do not need such deeds from God because they are not attempting things for God that require God. As we have discussed elsewhere: “Everyone wants a miracle, but no one wants to be in real need of one.” It is people sacrificing and risking things for God that need them and can expect them. ^[4]

This principle is reflected in God’s dare and promise concerning financial giving. Of course there can appear to be some risk to “Give the whole tenth” to God. But He says, “Test Me in this” and promises all sorts of divine blessing and intervention when He says:

You will see that I will throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. (vs. 10-11)

If this is God’s attitude toward the sacrifice of giving financially to advance His kingdom work on Earth, surely it applies to all that we would do in pursuit of our visionary faith. But only those who would give like this would see and experience God in the ways that He promises. The same is true for us regarding what kind of “work of faith” (2 Thess 1:12) we pursue for Him.

It is the blessing of seeing God work that encourages us to work. Thankfully, God gives us some promises regarding the hard work in pursuing our visionary faith. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). What is Paul’s encouragement against weariness? The evidently sure hope that our hard work will result in something worth the effort.

Likewise, he wrote the Corinthians:

My dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58) ^[5]

Along the same lines we read in Proverbs:

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (Prov 13:4)

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. (Prov 21:5)

One writer put it this way:

Whatever your challenges were today, or yesterday, or appear to be waiting for you tomorrow, remember 1 Cor 15:58 – “your toil is not in vain in the Lord”. If He captures all our prayers as incense, if He sees all our tears, He certainly will never let our choices of faith fail to leave an eternal mark in this world. God is pleased with our work, and the world is a better place because we are doing what we do. ^[6]

B) The Reward of Pleasing God

The author of Hebrews writes:

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to Heaven without dying. He disappeared because God took him away. This was because before he was taken, he was praised as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. This is because anyone who wants to come to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Heb 11:5-6)

The author portrays Enoch as one who pleased God by living a life of faith. Accordingly, we read of him in Genesis:

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Gen 5:21-24)

While the Hebrew text of modern translations states that “Enoch walked with God,” the ancient Greek Septuagint text, which the author of Hebrews used, had paraphrased this expression as “Enoch pleased God.” No doubt that all of this is true. Enoch “walked with God” in a relationship of faith that pleased God.

Note that during this time, while “men began to proclaim the name of the Lord” (Gen 4:26), there is no mention that God was physically revealing Himself to people as He did to Adam hundreds of years previously and would, evidently, to Noah. Therefore, Enoch’s “walk with God” was by faith, and not by sight. This is precisely why he pleased God so much. He loved and lived for a God he had not seen, which, as we will see, God takes a particular delight in.

As one studies the passage in Genesis, one notices that the text repeatedly says that all the other men from Adam to Noah simply “lived,” including Enoch’s son Methuselah who lived 969 years, the longest of any recorded human being. But the text does not say that Enoch “lived,” but that he “walked with God,” and it says it twice. God is no doubt making a point here that to live a life of faith, communion, and obedience to God for 365 years is much better than to simply live for many more years as Enoch’s contemporaries and own son did. To “walk with God” was a description only given to Enoch and Noah (cf. Gen 6:9), and which seems to communicate even more intimacy than “walking before God” which is used of others in Scripture. ^[7] Enoch lived a life of faith, never seeing God, but obeying God, and therefore pleasing God so much that the author of Hebrews said God translated him directly to Heaven without dying.

When the author of Hebrews says “it is impossible to please God without faith” we know that the corollary is true as well: faith pleases God. This fact explains many of the most important questions of life. Why must I have difficulties? Why does holiness have to be such a struggle? Why doesn’t God just do a miracle and show Himself? Why does God let the devil be in charge of this world? Why wouldn’t He encourage, bless, and radically transform every Christian instantly and forever with just a brief glimpse of Him in Heaven now? Because God loves faith.

Our present interaction with God through the Scriptures and Spirit requires faith. We cannot see the God we are experiencing on a daily basis. Indeed, Peter said, “Even though you have not seen Jesus, you love Him. And even though you do not see Jesus now, you believe in Him and greatly rejoice with a joy that cannot be put in words and is full of glory” (1 Pet 1:8).

Likewise, the Apostle Paul said of the Christian, “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). Living by faith in our relationship with God essentially means that God does not directly reveal Himself to our physical senses. We do not see Him, hear Him, nor can touch Him. As we have said, biblical faith depends on evidence and reasons for sure, but just not the kind that comes through direct contact with our physical senses. ^[8]

Admittedly, not all of God’s people have had to live completely by such faith. Adam & Eve heard the Creator walking and talking (cf. Gen 3:8-13). Moses saw His backside and talked with Him face to face (Exod 33:11, 23). The Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel “saw the Lord” (cf. Isa 6:1; Ezek 1:1). The Apostle Paul did have that glimpse of Heaven (2 Cor 12:1-4). And we can envy such people if we do not understand how much faith pleases God.

The reason that the best and clearest divine revelation we currently have is a Book, is because of the great value God places on faith. Because we live in the Age of Faith instead of the coming Age of Sight, we do not know God as we will, nor in the manner we will. But the Age of Faith will end (cf. Rom. 8:24-25, 2 Cor. 4:18, 5:7, Heb. 11:1). While the earthly life of Christ was the ultimate divine revelation of God in the past and the indwelling of the Spirit in our New Nature and the provision of Scripture is such for the present, there is still to come, a revelation of God that will far surpass all of these.

But that time has not yet come. The fact is, God is not as real to us as we would like Him to be. Not even to the most spiritual and godly Christians. This is because faith is never as real as sight. Do we doubt for a moment that God was more real to Adam, Moses, and Isaiah than He is to us? And He was more real to them for the simple reason that they saw something of His Person with their human senses that very few of God’s people have throughout the Church Age.

It is natural to envy such men, and unfortunately the parade of people today claiming to have seen or heard God as well does not help. Let us admit it. We despise living by faith instead of by sight. We yearn to pierce the veil that God Himself has established between us and Him and interact with Him as we are accustomed to interacting with humans. This is why contemporary Christian music is full of songs that ask God to let us see, hear, and even touch Him. ^[9] Indeed, we envy the Prophets and Apostles who have, and chafe under the obligation that in this life, “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7).

It is only when we understand how much God is pleased with faith, that we can begin to embrace it. The time will come when faith will not exist (cf. Rom 8:24-25, 2 Cor. 4:18, 5:7, Heb. 11:1). But in this age “it is impossible to please God without faith” (Heb 11:6). It is only now that we have an opportunity to live by faith. Not even Angels or demons live by faith. Only we have the awesome opportunity and privilege to live by faith and not by sight, hearing, or touch in our relationship with God. While we might envy the very few in human history who have seen or heard more of God’s Person than we, we are reminded that Christ told such people, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. But God give happiness to those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). ^[10]

A God of the senses and a God of faith are incompatible. We cannot see, hear, or touch the God we love, serve, adore, and would die for. And that is precisely how He wants it. . . for now. Of course God is our Father Who knows and cares for our life, Jesus is our Friend Who will always be with us to the end of the Age of Faith, and the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, but God intends all of these relationships to preserve the need for faith. Therefore, God Himself will rarely, if ever, reveal Himself personally in a voice, vision, etc.

Indeed, the Apostle Peter said, “Even though you have not seen Jesus, you love Him. And even though you do not see Jesus now, you believe in Him and greatly rejoice with a joy that cannot be put in words and is full of glory” (1 Pet 1:8). It is important to notice that the Apostle assumed that none of the multitudes of believers that he was writing to in his day had ever personally physically seen or heard the King. Even so, “a joy that cannot be put in words and is full of glory” can occur simply through faith.

The Apostle invites us to experience “a joy that cannot be put in words and is full of glory” without seeing, hearing, or feeling Christ. And therefore we maintain the right to claim we are still living by God-pleasing faith, not sight. This is good news for the vast majority of God’s people throughout human history who, being just as sincere, sacrificial, and spiritual as any others, have not encountered God with their human senses.

God decides what we need to see, hear, and feel in order to have the necessary evidence to believe what He wants us to believe, and therefore, many in the Church today need to be a lot more content with the revelation He has already provided. Isn’t “faith . . . being certain of what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1)? And isn’t this the faith that without which “it is impossible to please God” (v. 6)? In this day where experience is exalted over faith we need to be reminded that God likes it when we see, hear, and feel nothing, but still believe, trust, obey, and adore Him.

We do not wish to imply that biblical characters who experienced miraculous revelation, or those who might do so today, are automatically any less people of faith. Abraham, for example, experienced a great deal of miraculous revelation but is known as a man of great faith. However, such people rarely, if ever, were seeking such revelation. God just does it. It is those who are seeking, depending on, and constantly presuming miraculous revelation that we fear have lost the value that God places on faith.

As another writer has put it, “This road of our earthly pilgrimage is headed for a reunion [and revelation] that cannot be rushed.” ^[11] All of these things are constantly ignored by the unbiblical revelatory isms in our day.

Here we are reminded of something Alexander Mackie wrote many years ago in the conclusion of his study on claims to miraculous events and communication throughout Church history:

Men are eager for the supernatural. The ordinary way of morality as a school for spiritual development is often irksome. The bringing in of the Kingdom of God through patient toil is not an undertaking which commends itself to many minds. Cataclysmic religion is far more interesting. Voices, visions, and miracles are a much more simple and attractive method of solving the problems of life than is to be found along the bare and sometimes unattractive path of duty. The lure of the presence of the supernatural is a will-o’-the-wisp that many minds follow gladly, never stopping to investigate claims or pretensions as to the reality of the supernatural. ^[12]

As for us, we will “live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7) because this is what God wants, this is our only opportunity to do so, we are the only beings that can do so, it puts a smile on the King’s face, and it makes us anticipate all the more that Day when we will see Him smiling at us with our own eyes.

In a very real sense, we cannot fail. The success of our faith will ultimately depend on God. Remember, we are attempting something that requires His intervention. If we do not accomplish what we hope for, and we did our best, it will be because for some reason God chose to not fulfill our vision. But we pursued it for Him anyway. We loved Him by taking the risks and working hard. And so we really do succeed.

Extras & Endnotes

A Devotion to Dad

Our Father in Heaven, we embrace the opportunity to live by faith in this life in order to please You. While we yearn to see You, we know we are privileged even beyond angels to live by faith. Help us to live by faith and not sight as we look forward to that Day that we will live by sight forevermore.

Gauging Your Grasp

Why do those pursuing a visionary faith experience God more?
Why does faith please God?
How can this knowledge encourage us to live by faith?

Publications & Particulars

D. A. Carson writes on the possible conditionality of this promise: “if not made explicitly conditional on the disciples’ obedience to the Great Commission, is at least closely tied to it.” (Matthew in the Expositors Biblical Commentary, Frank Gaebelein ed. (Eerdmans). ↑
Regarding the miraculous nature of spiritual conversion see section 10.5.B.2. ↑
The Hebrew is melakah meaning “work, occupation.” The common translation “merchant” is not necessary. ↑
Regarding things that can increase our experience of miracles see section 10.3.C. ↑
There is some debate as to whether these promises in 1 Corinthians 15:58 and Galatians 6:9 should be understood as for the present life or the next one. Regarding the latter, Richard Longenecker comments:

The expression kairō idios is probably an idiom for “at the appropriate moment,” “in due season,” or “at the proper time,” without any specification given as to what moment, season, or time is in mind. . . . a this-worldly existential future or an other-worldly eschatological future, or both. Interpreters have easily latched on to one or the other of these understandings depending on their own theological proclivities. (Galatians, WBC [Nelson, 1990], 282)

Barnes, MacArthur, Bruce, and Barrett seem to favor the eschatalogical view at the expense of the existential one. Most are non-committal including Morris, Thiselton, Fee, Cole, and Calvin.

For us, it seems Paul was alluding to real fruit in this life from our labors, just as he saw real converts, disciples, and churches raised up through his efforts. In fact, Jesus promised and expected “much fruit” from our labors on this Earth (John 15:5, 8, 16). But, because Paul is not specific, it may apply to both realms, although Paul certainly was not excluding the earthly ministry realm. Along these lines, John Stott writes:

Some incentive is certainly needed in Christian well-doing. Paul recognizes this, for he urges his readers not to ‘grow weary’ or ‘lose heart’ (cf. 2 Thess 3:13). Active Christian service is tiring and exacting work. We are tempted to become discouraged, to slack off, even to give up. So the apostle gives us this incentive: he tells us that doing good is like sowing seed. If we persevere in sowing, then ‘in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.’

If the farmer tires of sowing and leaves half his field unsown, he will reap only half the crop. It is the same with good deeds. If we want a harvest, then we must finish the sowing and be patient, like the farmer who waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it . . . ‘ (Jas. 5:7). As John Brown put it: ‘Christians frequently act like children in reference to this harvest. The would sow and reap in the same day.’

If the sowing is the doing of good works in the community, what is the harvest? Paul does not tell us; but lets us to guess. But the patient doing of good in the church or community always produces good results. . . . And it will bring good to the doer as wel– not indeed salvation–but some reward in heaven for faithful service, which will probably take the form of yet more responsible service. (The Message of Galatians [Intervarsity, 1986], 172) ↑
Reference unavailable. ↑
OT scholar Victor Hamilton compares the two phrases when he writes:

Twice we are told that Enoch walked with God, a description applied also to Noah in 6:9. This expression may be compared to halak [“walk before God] which indicates the service of a loyal servant, who goes before his master (sometimes human but mostly divine), paving the way, or who stands before his master ready to serve. Thus, Hezekiah walked before God (2 K. 20:3 par. Isa. 38:3), as did the patriarchs (Gen. 17:1; 24:40; 48:15). A bit more intimacy seems to be suggested by “walking with” as over against “walking before.” “Walk with” captures an emphasis on communion and fellowship. In a number of passages, all addressed to a king or his dynasty, “to walk before God” strongly suggests obedience and subordination (1 K. 2:4; 3:6; 8:23, 25; 9:4), rather than worship and communion. (The Book of Genesis (NICOT) (Eerdmans, 1990), 258 ↑
For further discussion of the fact that biblical faith rests on evidence and reason see chapters 6.12-14. ↑
Speaking of the exaggerated intimacy present today in Christian worship, David McLeod of Emmaus Bible College writes in a review of Jack Deere’s Suprised by the Power of the Spirit:

[Jack] Deere’s discussion of “passion” for Jesus sounds a lot like the “eros piety” confronted by Anders Nygren. Eros piety, found in Greek religion, Gnosticism, and the mystery religions expresses “an appetite, a yearning desire for God which seeks Him in order to satisfy the believer’s spiritual hunger by the [physical and sensual] possession and enjoyment of the divine perfections.” It is seen in many choruses, which are almost romantic in quality.

The agape love of the NT is not “a longing and striving after something that man lacks and needs but a response of gratitude for something freely and bountifully given.” It is a wholehearted surrender to God, whereby the believer becomes God’s willing slave, content to be at His disposal, having full trust and confidence in Him.

Sensitivity and humility are needed in evaluating [modern] spiritual life teaching. I would point out, however, that the NT does not use the kind of quasi-romantic expressions that Deere uses (i.e., falling in love with Jesus). Nor does it promise the kind of immediacy of contact that he hungers for. I would suggest that we all need to remember that heaven and the kingdom come later (Acts 14:22). Today we live by faith and not by sight. (Emmaus Journal, “Surprised by the Power of the Spirit^: A Review Article” 10:1, (Summer 2001), 146). ↑
Christ’s blessing on people who believed without seeing does not contradict our defense elsewhere of Thomas’ request to see Jesus (cf. section 6.19.A.5). ↑
Reference unavailable to our regret. ↑
Alexander Mackie, The Gift of Tongues: A Study in the Pathological Aspects of Christianity (Doran, 1921), 258. ↑