SUBJECT:
FAITHFULNESS
INTRODUCTION:
The
subject for our Bible Study is “Faithfulness”,
and this outline highlights teachings by our man of God, on the subject matter.
The outline is in 4 parts. Part 1 defines faithfulness;
highlights the synonyms of faithfulness and unfaithfulness, and explains why we
should be faithful. Part 2 teaches on faithfulness as the character and nature of
God, and sheds light on the exemplary faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Part 3
highlights examples of faithful men in the scriptures; and we’ll also learn
about being faithful in persecution. Part 4 concludes with lessons on areas we
can manifest faithfulness, the benefits of faithfulness and the consequences of
unfaithfulness.
All Bible study class teachers and cell
leaders are to ensure that the members have their Bibles; all the Scriptures in
the outline are read during the meeting; and the members look into their Bibles
while the Scriptures are read. In addition, remember to pay attention while reading
Scriptures; read slowly and carefully to be sure that what you’re reading is
actually what is in the Bible.
TABLE
OF CONTENT
- Faithfulness Part 1………………………… 3
- Faithfulness Part 2………………………… 5
- Faithfulness Part 3………………………… 9
- Faithfulness Part 4………………………… 13
- Lessons………………………………………16
FAITHFULNESS (PART 1) –
Introduction: Defining Faithfulness
It is
important to know that faith and faithfulness do not mean the same thing. The
word faithfulness comes from ‘being faithful’ which means to be:
- Steadfast in attention or allegiance; this refers to
loyalty.
- Firm in adherence to promises or in observance of
duty; this refers to being conscientious.
- True to the facts, to a standard or to an original.
A definition of faithfulness to
meditate on is:
‘Faithfulness is commitment with
purpose of positive distinction.’
Faithfulness
can also be defined as being
committed to a cause, person or message in such a way as to be dependable.
Some synonyms
of faithfulness are:
- Commitment
- Allegiance
- Attachment
- Dedication
- Devotion
- Constancy
- Fidelity
- Loyalty
- Steadfastness
An unfaithful person on the other hand is:
- Disloyal
- Fickle
- Perfidious
- Treacherous
- Traitorous
- Recreant
From the definitions above, it is easy
to see that we should choose to be faithful. A person who is described as
faithful is someone:
- who
has unswerving adherence to a person or a thing.
- who
has a firm resistance to temptation, to desert or betray.
- who
is impervious to influences that will weaken his resolve and defends the cause
that he stands for.
Why
should we be faithful?
Man is a spirit and is in the class of
God. God’s plan for man from the beginning was for man to have God’s attributes
and characteristics, and for man to live on the earth like God. That was God’s
plan before the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, when Adam was unfaithful
and lost his fellowship with God. In
Christ Jesus, our fellowship with God was restored and we were brought to a
higher class of fellowship as life giving spirits (1 Cor 15 v 45 NIV).
God has deposited himself in us and He
expects to see His character in us. The character of God is built in us through
His Word and the Word of God is given to us to create in us and for us, the qualities
of deity. We are truly born of God and
have the same nature with Him.
We should therefore consider being
faithful because the Bible says that God is faithful; faithfulness is part of
God’s personality and nature. Faithfulness is from God and of God. If God
wasn’t faithful, then we shouldn’t consider being faithful.
In part 2, we’ll study ‘The
faithfulness of God’.
FAITHFULNESS (PART 2) –
THE
FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
God is faithful to his Word. There is
none greater than God. God gives us His Word and always proves His character of
being faithful to His Word.
Deuteronomy 7 v 9: Know therefore that
the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy
with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.
Psalm 36 v 5: Thy mercy, O Lord, is in
the heavens; and your faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Psalm 119 v 89 – 90: For ever, O Lord,
thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou
hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Lamentations 3 v 22 – 23: It is of the
Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They
are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 1 v 9: God is faithful,
by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 10 v 23: Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
1 Corinthians 10 v 13: There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Other scriptural references on the
faithfulness of God are: 1 Thessalonians 5 v 23 – 24; 2 Thessalonians
3 v 3: 2 Timothy 2 v 13 (KJV and NIV).
Some people are not committed to what
they say; their words are neither dependable nor reliable. Such people are
unfaithful and their words cannot be trusted. You can trust that God is always
faithful; He is reliable, dependable, unwavering, steadfast and committed to
His Word and would always keep to His Word. If He has said it, He’ll do it and
keep His Word.
It is important for us to recognize that
the faithfulness of God may not work for us just because God is faithful; God
is faithful to His Word but the Word of God will mean nothing to you until you
accept it. God talks all the time but until you hear Him, whatever He is saying
will mean nothing to you. You need to have the Holy Spirit to connect with God to
hear Him and act on His Word. When you act on God’s Word, He stands faithful to
His Word and His Word comes to pass in your life.
You must have God’s Word in you and He’ll
prove His character of faithfulness in your life.
THE
FAITHFULNESS OF JESUS
Jesus was faithful and faithfulness
was and is His character.
We earlier defined faithfulness as being committed to a cause, person or
message in such a way as to be dependable and also as commitment with purpose of positive distinction.
From this definition of faithfulness,
we can see that faithfulness brings
uniqueness to your character, with clarity of purpose, a definiteness and
direction.
We are looking at the purposeful
commitment of Jesus Christ with clarity and distinction. We likewise are not
just following Jesus blindly or hanging on to religion; we’re committed with purpose
in following Jesus Christ.
It is important to know that faithfulness
does not just work in your life; it’s a decision you make. You choose to be
faithful and to have faithfulness in your character and build it in your
spirit. You become a faithful person by choice, and you’ll know that you’re
faithful if you are.
Heb 3 v 1 – 2: Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as Moses
was faithful in all his house.
In this scripture, we see the
faithfulness of Jesus as a character; Jesus was faithful to God who appointed
him. The Bible says we should be imitators of Jesus; we should have the
character of Christ and be like him.
Heb 2 v 17: Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be
made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the
people.
Jesus distinguished Himself and was
faithful to God who appointed him. We can imitate this principle of life by
which Jesus lived.
John 4 v 34: Jesus saith unto them, My
meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Revelation 1 v 5 : And
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and
washed us from our sins in his own blood.
Revelation 3 v 14 (NIV): To
the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the
faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
In Part 3, we’ll look through examples
of other faithful men in the scriptures.
FAITHFULNESS (PART 3) –
EXAMPLES
OF FATHFUL MEN IN THE SCRIPTURES
Faithful men and women have always
been the key to God’s program in the earth, and from the scriptures, we see
that God did great things with their lives. Some examples of faithful men in
the scriptures are:
- Abraham:
God found Abraham to be faithful: Nehemiah 9 v
7 – 8; Genesis 18 v 19; Galatians 3 v 9.
- Moses: Moses was faithful in God’s house;
he did everything that God asked him to do. God testified that Moses was more
than a prophet and was faithful. Hebrews
3 v 1 – 2 , Numbers 12 v 6 -7.
- David: Ahimelek, the priest of God,
testified that David was a faithful man: 1 Samuel 22 v 14.
- Daniel:
Daniel 6 v 4 – 5 (NIV):
Daniel was faithful; the scriptures say that he was neither corrupt or
negligent. He was faithful in all his dealings. Daniel was true to God; his
faithfulness was with direction and he was clear on who he was faithful to and
what his faithfulness was about. He remained faithful to God even when he was
persecuted by his government in things pertaining to God.
From the scriptures above, we can see
that their primary allegiance, dedication, commitment and loyalty was first to
God, then to others. You must be clear on what you are faithful to? Who you are
faithful to? and why you are faithful? We should be stubborn against anything that
is not consistent with the Word of God and choose to be faithful to God.
The principle of faithfulness is to be
faithful to God first then to any other person that requires our faithfulness
as long as it's consistent with God’s Word. 2 Corinthians 8 vs 1 - 5 (NIV): .......And
they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and
then to us in keeping with God’s will.
Learn and choose to be faithful
wherever you are.
Some people in the New Testament were
also described as faithful:
- Tychicus: Ephesians 6 v 21; Colossians
4 v 7
- Epraphas: Colossians 1 v 7
- Timothy: 1 Corinthains 4 v 17
- Onesimus: Colossians 4 v 9
- Silvanus: 1 Peter 5 v 12
- Saints at Colosse: Colossians 1 v 2
Other scriptural references of
faithful men: Nehemiah 7 v 1- 2; Nehemiah 13 v 13; Isaiah 8 v 2.
Faithful people are entrusted with
important responsibilities. You should be described as one who fears God above any
other.
God has always looked for faithful men
and women to carry out his program on the earth and God won’t do much with your
life, until you’re faithful. He always looks for those who are faithful because
faithfulness is His character and we must have His character in us.
Faithfulness therefore should become our character.
FAITHFULNESS
AND PERSECUTION
The Bible tells us that all those that
will live godly in Jesus Christ shall suffer persecution. Persecution may come
from family members, friends, co workers or the government but you have to know
that your primary allegiance is to Jesus Christ; make it clear to yourself, in
your spirit and never let that change. Our salvation became a reality when we
confessed and declared the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives, and once
Jesus becomes the Lord of your life, He’ll share that place with no other (Romans
10 v 9).
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:1) and said that in the
last days, perilous times will come; dangerous times. There shall be a time of
trouble and persecution in the last days. We have to prepare ourselves because life
in this world is not without challenges, but it is a blessing to be persecuted
for righteousness and for the Name of Jesus.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
were also persecuted for righteousness and for their allegiance to the Lord.
The story of Daniel in the lions’ den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the
fiery furnace are great encouragements for us. (Reference: Daniel 3) Be strong in your heart and be faithful like
Daniel.
Those who are truly sent of God are
faithful. Faithfulness is one of the hallmarks of a man that is sent of God.
Being sent doesn’t make you faithful, you are sent because you’re faithful. You
may have been called but until you’re faithful, you will not be sent. You have
to be proved faithful.
2 Timothy 2 v 2: And the things that thou hast
heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also.
1 Corinthians 4 v 2: Moreover,
it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
Jesus commits the gospel to faithful
men who will be able to teach others also. Faithfulness is in our spirit and it
is important for us to choose to be faithful. Galatians 5 v 22: The word ‘faithfulness’
is used in some translations of Galatians 5 v 22 instead of the word ‘faith’. Both
words are accurate in this context because faith is a product of our spirit and
we received it when we were born again. Beyond that, faithfulness, which is the
character of God is also in our spirits. We can walk in faithfulness because it
is consistent with our new life in Christ Jesus. You must however choose to be
faithful and let faithfulness have the right of way in your life.
In part 4, we look at different areas
we can easily manifest faithfulness.
FAITHFULNESS (PART 4) –
There are several areas in which we
can manifest the character of the faithfulness that is in our spirits. Like Abraham,
we can become dependable and be faithful in the things of God, and like Moses,
we can be faithful in all God’s house.
Areas
to manifest the character of faithfulness:
- Faithfulness in our service in the
house of God.
- Faithfulness in using the gifts and
abilities God has given to us.
- Faithfulness in specific assignments
the Lord gives us.
- Faithfulness in the use of financial
and material blessings that the Lord has granted us.
- Faithfulness in evangelizing our
world: we must be committed to winning souls. The distribution of Rhapsody of
Realities during our Reach Out campaigns, for example, is our effort to spread
the Word and evangelize our world, and we should be a part of this and be
committed to it. Only faithful men and women will take the gospel to the ends
of the earth.
- Faithfulness in ministering to one
another.
- Faithfulness in our work place and in
our business relationships: Be a positive contributor where you work. If your
company is facing a challenge, open your mind to God and He will give you the
answers so you can go back and give the solution. Become trusted and make your
business prosper and move forward because you’re a blessing everywhere you go.
BLESSINGS OF FAITHFULNESS AND
CONSEQUENCES OF UNFAITHFULNESS
There are several blessings and
advantages that come to us as a result of faithfulness.
Proverbs 28 v 20 : A
faithful man shall abound with blessings…
Proverbs 3 v 3 (NIV): Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you
will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man
Psalm 31 v 23: O Love the Lord, all ye his
saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the
proud doer.
Luke 12: 42 - 44: 'And the lord said, who then is that faithful
and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give
them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he
will make him ruler over all that he hath’.
Luke 16:10 - 12: ‘he that is faithful in that which is least
is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in
much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who
will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in
that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?’
Luke 19: 12 -
27
God measures your faithfulness in little things to determine
your faithfulness for greater things. He measures your faithfulness with things
in the earth as a determining factor for your faithfulness in the life to come.
Whatever the Lord has given
to you should be used for His glory. Bring Him honour and glory, for those who
are faithful will walk in glory. Faithfulness is a product of the human spirit
and it is our nature to be faithful. Moreover, God requires that we are
faithful.
Revelation 17:12 - 14: ‘And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten
kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and
strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the lamb, and the lamb shall
overcome them: for he is lord of lords, and king of kings: and they that are
with him are called, and chosen, and faithful’.
From the scripture above we can see that it is not enough to
be called, neither is it enough to be chosen. We must also be faithful, for
with Christ the King of kings, are those who are called and chosen and faithful;
and forever, they will be with the Lord. Amen.
In conclusion, other Scriptures on
faithfulness are:
Proverbs 14 v 5: A faithful witness will not lie: but a false
witness will utter lies.
Proverbs 20 v 6: Most men will proclaim every one
his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
Proverbs 11 v 13: A tale bearer revealeth secrets:
but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE BIBLE STUDY ON “FAITHFULNESS”
- Faithfulness is commitment with
purpose of positive distinction and can also be
defined as being
committed to a cause, person or message in such a way as to be dependable.
- We should consider being faithful
because the Bible says that God is faithful. Faithfulness is from God and of
God. If God is faithful, then we should consider being faithful.
- You can trust that God is always
faithful; He is reliable, dependable, unwavering, steadfast and committed to
His Word and would always keep to His Word.
- Faithful men and women have always
been the key to God’s program in the earth.
- Jesus was faithful to God who
appointed Him and the Bible says we should be imitators of Jesus.
- The principle of faithfulness is to be
faithful to God first then to any other person that requires our faithfulness.
- God measures your faithfulness in little things to determine
your faithfulness for greater things.
Questions:
- Faith and Faithfulness mean the same
thing
- True
- False
ANS: B
- The following are synonyms of
faithfulness except:
- Commitment and allegiance
- Loyal and recreant
- Attachment and Dedication
- Devotion and Dependability
- Loyalty and steadfastness
ANS: B
- An unfaithful person is :
- Fickle and disloyal
- Perfidious and treacherous
- Traitorous and recreant
- All of the above
- A and B
ANS: D
- A faithful person has the following
qualities except:
- Unswerving adherence to a person or a thing
- Denies the course he/she stands for
- Firm resistance to temptation, to
desert or betray
- Is impervious to influences that will
weaken his/her resolve
- None of the above
ANS: B
- We should consider being faithful
because:
- Faithfulness is from God and of God
- Faithfulness will cause men to love us
- God is faithful
- All of the above
- A and C
ANS: E
- Our primary dedication and loyalty
should be to:
- Our leaders in the house of God
- The President of our country
- God and His Word
- Our parents and family
- All of the above
ANS: C
- It is possible to have true
faithfulness without faith
- True
- False
ANS:B
8. What is
God faithful to?
- Our prayers
- Our jobs
- His Word
- Our promises
- C and D
