Faith is the assurance of things unseen. But if we don’t stake our lives on these things, our faith is dead. Faith must act.

Hebrews 11 showcases this dynamic quality of faith. Take Noah, for instance. God warned him about a future event far worse than Covid-19. A flood was coming to drown out the entire human race. Only Noah and his family would survive, not just by believing, but also by acting on God’s Word.

Noah had never seen rain before, let alone a flood (Genesis 2:6). One hundred years would pass between the warning and the rain (Genesis 5:32; 6:18; 7:6). Meanwhile, Noah acted out his faith in the fear of God (Hebrews 11:7). At the cost of looking ridiculous, he built an ark on dry land under clear blue skies. Like the Hebrews, he had to put up with the inevitable scorn of a society that did not share his faith.

By faith-in-action, Noah saved the world and condemned the world at the same time. How? By simple obedience to God’s Word. When he laid the final plank and sealed the last joint in the ark, the doom of the world was sealed. Not by Noah’s choice, but by their own. All who responded to the Word were saved, even though there were only eight of them.

God is not partial. He rewards all who seek him in faith. Anyone of Noah’s generation could have found favour with God as Noah did. If only they had followed his footprints of faith (Genesis 6:7, 9, 22; 7:1).

Noah preached righteousness to his generation (2 Peter 2:5). Not from an acrylic pulpit, but by his visible acts of faith and obedience. There could have been a whole fleet of arks floating on the flood, if only society had heeded Noah’s witness. But no. They remained casual and complacent to the bitter end (Luke 17:27).

Like Noah, the Hebrews have been warned of things unseen. Now they must choose between two options: Blend in with society to preserve their self-esteem. Or act out their faith in plain view of a world that holds them in contempt (Hebrews 13:13).

We too have been sternly warned of events yet unseen. The pandemic of 2020 is only the beginning of sorrows. Are we ready? Will we prepare?

Prayer Track

•  Faith must act. Nowadays, signs of the End dominate the news. From racial conflicts to wars and rumours of wars. From climate change to famines and locust plagues. From killer earthquakes to killer viruses. The 2020 pandemic is a dress rehearsal for worse things yet to come. How ready is the Church spiritually, theologically, operationally? Do we fear God like Noah? Do we heed his Word? Are we warning our generation through every viable means? Will we act as one on whatever God says, no matter how novel or crazy, colossal or costly?

•  Faith must act. Your act of faith may not be as monumental as Noah’s. Nonetheless, it is momentous. Every step of faith you take in God’s redemptive plan is a victory. Is the Singapore Church walking by faith? How serious are we about sharing our faith amid the gloom and doom of Covid-19? Do we have ears to hear the groans in the wells of silence? Do we have eyes to see the open doors through which we can love our neighbours as we love ourselves? 

•  Faith must act. Thank God that churches have been quietly acting on their faith to turn our city Godward: Planting new cells to pastor their communities, block-by-block. Seeking the welfare of their vertical kampungs through meaningful acts of kindness. Equipping new disciples as fishers of men to win many others. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)  

•  Faith must act. God is patient, not wishing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). All the more in this present crisis, pray for divine favour and daring faith to keep proclaiming Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom (Colossians 1:28). Pray for loving and patient outreach – full of grace and truth – to win over hardcore skeptics who spurn the Gospel and scorn its messengers. Pray for their miraculous salvation. Remember also the liberals who reject God’s message of true love and who promote an ideology that violates God’s creation order and his design for marriage and family.

•  Faith must act. Make this your pledge: No matter how much people label or belittle us, ridicule or reject us, we will not cower. By faith, we will keep on building bridges. We will respect and receive one and all as fellow humans of intrinsic worth created in God’s image. By faith, we will reach out in love. We will go the second mile. We will walk in the opposite spirit. We will create safe spaces for honest conversations. We will listen. We will warn. We will speak the truth – with malice towards none, with charity for all (Abraham Lincoln). By faith, we will stand in the gap. We will not waver. We will not quit. We will persevere. With our eyes on God, we will live out our faith in plain view of a post-modern world that shuns divine truth and spurns divine love.

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