#99 Mountain Moving Faith - Part 2 (19/10/03)

By: Robert H. Schuller

I'm continuing today our new series of messages, Mountain Moving Faith - Here's How It Works. This new series was beautifully and brilliantly launched last week by my son, Robert Anthony. God anointed him with his visit this summer to the Congo. All his life Bob heard me use the bible verse, "With God, nothing is impossible." (Matthew 19:26). Then he found that same Bible verse, written in French, over the doorframe of a house where a disabled young boy was living on the floor of that house. It was as if God was taking Robert there to the heart of the Congo to say, "Robert, that's your message."

Then all of you in church last week heard how Bob and I traveled to Toronto, Canada last week to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hour of Power to an enormous crowd. On the plane, we heard the Canadian airline attendant make an announcement in French. So Bob showed him the photo of the house and then asked, "What does this line mean?" And he said, "Well, it means 'With God nothing is impossible.'"

The parents of that handicapped boy had been reading that Bible verse over the front door of their house all these years and finally the impossible became possible. Bob, along with his family and Ken Behring's people brought a wheelchair for that boy, and their son was able to get off his hands and knees and enjoy going places in his own wheelchair. That's how mountain moving faith works!

Today I ask the question: What is the central focus of this church? Different churches have different points of focus. Some the churches are primarily a front for political action groups, either right or left. That's not our ministry. We transcend politics. I am surely glad that is not our tradition right now in California. Then there are other churches, whose primary calling is a passion to teach the Bible from cover to cover. That's not our primary mission.

Then there are other churches that see their primary mission as delivering doctrine. They will tell you what the doctrine is, and if you don't agree with them, you are not welcome there.

But what is so distinctive about this church is that we focus on building faith in human souls. With a background in psychology and theology, I came to realize how important our message is. It's phenomenal ¡K because what is faith? It is a form of mental activity. Who teaches it? Jesus Christ, two thousand years ago.

Faith is the mental activity where a decision
is made before it can be proven accurately.

Now that's a remarkable mental activity. You know the brain has the capability of all kinds of activity. I once said, "Suspicion is the most unreliable form of mental activity. And prejudice is one of the most disturbing forms of mental activity."

Then there are assumptions, also a form of mental activity. We all live by assumptions. I don't think there is a single decision that anybody ever makes, but there are unproven assumptions that are a part of the decision making process.

The question is ... are your decisions made on positive assumptions? ¡K Or negative assumptions? You sit down in a chair. You never stop to ask, will it hold up? Or will it collapse? You get in a car and assume the car will operate. You believe reports from people and you assume that this person is reliable and the sources are accurate. We live by assumptions. Positive or negative.

Faith is making a decision before you can be positive that it is completely true.

So, faith is a Biblical word that refers to the mental activity that all of us use all the time. It's called making "assumptions." You assume that your best friend is reliable. You assume that your spouse is faithful. That positive assuming is called faith, and Jesus Christ introduced it two thousand years ago. What a remarkable introduction to mental activity. But today we call it "advance cutting edge psychology." That's what faith is. Because it's absolutely a part of all of our lives all the time. Nothing is more important than to communicate to humans what faith is. That is this ministry.

Our positive thinking faith communicates to people today in China and Russia on the Hour of Power. In the next 50 years this message will be delivered through television to the key cities of the world. From Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town, South Africa, to Belgrade ¡K the whole world needs this message of mountain moving faith and God has prepared this ministry to do that. Yes, faith is a form of mental activity where you believe that nothing is impossible. I am so glad I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and that I have chosen to follow Him. He gives me mountain moving faith.

I was in a restaurant recently and a handsome young man was our waiter. He was striking in his appearance. He could have been a young lawyer, a clergyman, or a very high-powered executive. He seemed out of place waiting on tables. I said to him, "Is this your lifetime career?"
He replied, laughing, "No. I'm searching." He knew my face and that I was a pastor. He continued, "I wonder if you ever knew my parents? They were active in a church near you." He named the church, a wonderful Christian church, but I didn't know them."

I said, "Do you share the faith?"

"Well," he said, "right now I'm searching for the truth ¡K that's why I came here, but now I'm moving to Northern California."

I said, "Northern California?"

He said, "Yes, there are lots of teachers there, religious and spiritual stuff." Then he repeated the words again, "I'm searching for the truth."

Before I finished my dinner, the subject came up again and I said, "May I give you some advice?"

He said, "Please do. I respect you. I listen to you often."

"I am now 77 years of age and I've met people like you all my life who are searching for the truth. Let me tell you where that road will lead. That road will lead to more confusion." I said, "Stop looking for the truth! Truth isn't a book ... truth is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ, 'I am the way, the truth and the light.' (John 14:16) Jesus said that. Follow Him. Your parents are."
People ask me, "Is Christianity going to survive?" Absolutely! It's the only system that really deals with the emotional and mental stresses that are common to the human family. Nothing will put that out of style.

What is faith? Faith is the absolute necessity we need to tie our whole life together.

Faith is the most spiritual therapeutic power for mental and emotional health and happiness. Without faith you will suffer too much stress and strain in your mind, your heart, or your spirit.

Faith is the power that helps you reduce worry of fear, suffering, guilt or the pain of death.

These human emotions never go away. Even if pills are eventually developed that can deal and eliminate any kind of an emotional ailment and solve stress problems, it will not build up personhood! Psychologically, emotionally, you will not be growing as a human being.
This positive thinking faith of Jesus Christ is phenomenal.

I've been traveling all over the country and other countries. Last week I was in Baltimore, and in the hotel, a where a pretty young waitress was serving us our breakfast. She was very polite and I noticed her accent. I asked, "What's your accent?"

She replied, "It's Polish."

"Oh," I said, "are you a citizen?"

"No, but I hope to become one."

"If you're Polish, you probably are Catholic?" I assumed.

"No," she said, "I don't have religion.

Then I asked, "Why did you come to America?"

"Well," she said, "I wanted to get away from my boyfriend and I met another Polish kid here and I'm with him now."

"Oh ¡K" And before I knew it I started preaching to her. May God forgive me, but I was not admonishing her, I was just sharing some of my lines, such as ¡K you can go anywhere from nowhere, so where do you want to go? ¡K You can be what you want to be. You make that decision. Don't surrender leadership of your life. Don't be manipulated by cultural or other pressures, you are an individual. Make sure your value system is good and wholesome ¡K and then live by it.
I was preaching possibility thinking to her and she stepped back and said, "Excuse me, but

those are wonderful things you are saying. I've never heard anything like that. Who are you?"
I said, "Do you have television?"

"Yes."

"Do you have Lifetime?"

"Yes."

I said, "Tomorrow morning, do you have the day off from work?"

"Yes."

"Turn it on. Eight to nine o'clock. I'll be there."

"Really?"

She never heard anything like it. A young girl in Baltimore from Poland and a young man in a restaurant in another city in our great country, both searching for truth. Both not having a vibrant faith and it doesn't end there. Two mornings ago in Boston, I was in this hotel for meetings with our donors. I got on the elevator and there was a young girl, attractive, and well dressed. I said, "I hope you have a good day today."

She said, "I hope so too. This is my first day on the job."

"Really? What's the job?"

"Oh," she said, "I've just been hired. I'm working here in the hotel."

"Well," I said, "have a good day. It's going to be a great day. I make a prediction, something good is going to happen to you today and it's going to be terrific." She seemed so shocked by such a positive prediction.

Then I went to my room and since I had important papers on which I was working, so I hung a sign on the door "Do Not Disturb." As I left for my meetings, I saw the supervisor in charge of the maid service and I said," Would you see to it that nobody enters my room, because I have papers that I don't want messed up."

She said, "Of course."

I returned to my room about 4:00 PM and I saw the supervisor and said, "I'll be ready to have my room picked up. I'm in there now so I can watch over my papers. She walked down the hallway and called to a maid. Here came the same girl I met on the elevator and I said, "Didn't I meet you in the elevator?"

She said, "Yes."

She came into my room and while she was cleaning I said, "Well, your first day, how is it going?"

She said, "Pretty good."

And then I asked, "What did you do before this?

She said "I was in a correctional institute for a few years."

Wow. "So, what did you do?"

She said, "I committed six felonies."

Wow. I said, "Are you alone?"

She said, "I have a daughter. Seven years old."

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Ever have been?"

"No."

I asked, "Do you have a religion?

She said, "No."

"Have you ever had?"

"No."

And I shared my faith. I said, "There is a God who knows you, and He loves you. There is a whole new life waiting for you out there ¡K" I don't recall the words. It wasn't a "canned" sermon. It came out very naturally, very sincerely, and I said, "May I pray for you?"

She said, "Please, yes, I'd like that." She started crying.

I said, "I have a little book for you." And in my briefcase I had the book, "The Power of the World's Greatest Possibility Thinker," which is about the life of Jesus Christ.
She said, "Thank you."

Now look where I've been. I've been out in our world talking to young people who have never had faith, except that one young man who walked away from his parent's faith looking for truth.
We are in the business of bringing the positive Christian faith and in the next 50 years we must bring this message to generations yet unborn. I am more excited about the next 50 years of this ministry than I have been about the past 50 years. This is a ministry that God has raised up! He has anointed it! He has planned it! He has called me! He has called my son! He is calling out to you to make it happen! We couldn't do it without you. We just show up for work. Wow.

Mountain Moving Faith ¡K
(1) It's the healthy mental activity to believe that nothing is impossible!
(2) It's immunity to worry, fear, suffering, guilt, and ultimately death.
(3) It's a positive faith that gives you dreams

And the dreams give you enthusiasm ¡K and the enthusiasm gives you energy ¡K and your dreams and your enthusiasm attract people.

On the second floor of our new International Visitors Center you can read this Bible verse on the wall. The words of Jesus Christ, "I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

Yes, Jesus Christ comes to give you the gift of faith ¡K what a great gift. Wow.

Today, whoever you are, wherever you are, open your heart to Him. He is the wisest Person whoever lived on planet earth. He is God coming to visit us, to be our Savior.

You reply, "I have so many questions ¡K " Good! If you didn't have a lot of questions, accepting Jesus Christ wouldn't mean much. When you have a lot of questions and some doubts, then move forward and accept Him by faith. I salute you. It's your decision!

O God, thank You for giving us the greatest of all gifts. The gift of faith. And it is a gift, Lord. We didn't work for it. We didn't earn it. We didn't inherit it. I was given to You by a father and a mother, but I took the faith. Thank You, God, that I accepted it instead of turning away and laughing and rejecting it for I have hope in this life and the next because I have this positive thinking power that Jesus called faith. Hallelujah. Amen.