Luke 17
"The apostles said to the Lord [Jesus], 'Increase our faith!' And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'" - Luke 17:5-6
The kind of faith the apostles are talking about here is phase two faith, not phase one faith. They have already believed in Jesus as the Messiah and already have forgiveness of their sins and eternal life. Here the apostles want their faith as already justified believers to increase. During the sanctification phase of our Christian walk, our faith should be constantly increasing.
The prayer of every church should be: "Increase our faith!" I love how the apostles make a corporate request, not individualised requests. Increase our faith, not increase my faith. They wanted the faith of their whole group to be increased.
Jesus' answer is very interesting. He emphasises the power the believer has when he exercises just a little faith. If we believe our faith matters and that it is very powerful, we are more likely to exercise it.
Father, in what areas is our phase two faith way too small or even non-existent? Help our churches to exercise more faith based on the foundation and truths of Scripture. Our corporate prayer life needs a boost. Our phase two faith needs a boost. Show us how to exercise more faith in our daily lives, especially when we face issues and problems. In Jesus' name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman