The following is an article I posted in two parts on my blog at IktusNETwork. It started with a seed from Gary Carpenter's Face to Face series. In those messages, he was reviewing a series of messages he received directly from the Holy Spirit ten years earlier, with the perspective of those ten years of additional experience of walking in the spirit. One of those messages is "The God of Hope," and it tells the importance of hope. (I recommend you go to his website, www.garycarpenter.org, and download the whole Face to Face series.) Gary's comments about Hope got me to meditating on the relationship of Hope and Faith, and this article came out of those meditations.
Today, we see a large number of "Faith" churches, teachers, and ministries, but hardly ever hear much about Hope, yet the Bible says a great deal about Hope.
Hope and Faith - They're Electric!
In recent months, Gary Carpenter has been teaching some on Hope in relation to Faith as part of both the Face to Face and the Ephesians series. The key verse has been one of the most famous verses on Faith, Hebrews 11:1.
Heb 11:1 (NASB) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The King James says "substance" instead of "assurance." The Greek word is hupostasis, which means: a support, substance, steadiness, hence assurance, or confidence. Faith gives substance or support to the things hoped for. But how does this relationship between Hope and Faith work? Let me tell you - it's electric!
Gary said several times that Hope applies to the future. That is the general view of Hope - it pertains to things of, or in, the future. Faith, on the other hand, is now. It changes future Hope into present reality.
Especially when speaking of people and situations in the future, we use another word, relating to Hope, that sprang into my mind and started me on this path. That word is "potential." We often say a person has potential if they demonstrate talent, skill or ability that needs developing. We speak of situations that are potentially dangerous if we notice a threat.
"Potential" reveals the electrical nature of the relationship between Hope and Faith.
In today's world, we use electricity often for work, lighting, heat, communications and entertainment. Over the last couple of centuries, man has developed electrical circuits and devices to serve human needs, starting with motors to do work through machinery. The invention of the telegraph gave us the first means to send information over a very long distance in a very short time, and became the foundation for electronics. We are all familiar with what electricity can do for us, but not all of us understand how it works.
The various electrical and electronic devices we use must be part of an electrical circuit to work. A basic circuit has a power source, a working device, and a conductive path that allows electricity to flow to and from the device, or to the device and then to ground. Men have developed electrical circuits to serve human needs and wants, and some are very complex. But the first electrical circuits exist in nature as part of God's design. More on those in a minute.
If you have studied electricity in depth, you know the term "difference of potential." For those not familiar with it, it's what makes electricity flow.
Let's take a quick review of basic electrical theory.
Everyone is familiar with the basic structure of the atom: a nucleus of protons and neutrons orbited by electrons. Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge, and neutrons have no charge. Two protons not in a nucleus will repel each other. Electrons not in orbit around a nucleus repel each other. Protons and electrons attract each other. Thus the old saying that "opposites attract."
In some substances, electrons can move more freely than in other substances, and we call them conductors. The other substances are called insulators. Sometimes, even insulators will conduct electricity under the right conditions. Ever walk across an carpeted floor on a winter day and then touch a door knob? Your body became electrically charged by the friction between your feet and the carpet. As you reach out for the door knob, you set up a difference of potential between your hand and the knob. Air is normally an insulator, but when your hand got close enough, the difference of potential become strong enough to overcome the insulating properties of air and ZZZZAP! You complete the circuit, and electricity flows as a spark between your hand and the knob.
The difference of potential is the combination of repulsive and attractive forces working on the electrons and protons. You can have a very strong difference of potential but no flow or current unless the difference of potential is strong enough to overcome the insulating effects of any SUBSTANCE between the positive and negative charges, or you place a conductive SUBSTANCE between the charges.
Where have we seen that word "substance" before? Oh, yeah! "Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for!"
Hope is the difference of potential between human need and God's power, and Faith is the conductor that allows His power to flow to meet our needs! Hallelujah!
Now let's expand on this and take a closer look at electrical circuits.
As I said, the first electrical circuits exist in nature as part of God's design. You have probably seen them in action. We call them lightning. Here's how a lightning circuit works:
The surface of the Earth normally has a negative charge. When a thundercloud grows, it develops a negative charge at its base, and a postive charge towards the top.
You can already see a difference of potential has developed inside the cloud. Sometimes processes inside the cloud will create conductive paths between the base and the top of the cloud. I once observed a supercell move towards Sapulpa around sunset and it had numerous "anvil crawler" strokes going up the sides of the main storm tower. It was one of the most impressive and beautiful lightning displays I have ever seen.
Sometimes, lightning can happen between two different clouds, but what we usually see most is cloud to ground (CG) lightning.
As the base of a thundercloud develops its negative charge, that charge repels the normal negative charge at the surface, and the surface develops a positive charge. This creates the difference of potential between the cloud and the surface. Research has shown that the attraction between the charges create ionized (electrically charged) channels that grow from the cloud base towards the ground, and from the ground towards the cloud. If they meet, a conductive path forms that completes the circuit, and zzzt-BOOM! LIGHTNING! If it happens close enough to me, I call it LIGHTNI-NI-NI-NI-NI-NI-NING!
Now, CG lightning is known to be dangerous to humans, but we do benefit from it indirectly. When CG lightning hits topsoil, it generates nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is a key ingredient in many fertilizers, so CG lightning helps to keep soil fertile.
Now consider for a minute these verses:
Heb 12:1-2 (NASB) Therefore, since we have so great a CLOUD of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of FAITH, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
We just looked at how clouds produce lightning. If we are surrounded by the cloud, we are in the cloud, and maybe we have become part of the cloud. Now consider that this discussion of Hope has come in the context of warfare. Is God calling us His stormtroopers?
Most electrical circuits designed by men serve some human need. Let's compare Hope & Faith circuits to these man-made circuits.
The Hope within us exists as an image of an all-powerful, loving God Who is more willing to use His power to bless us than to harm us. This image creates the difference of potential when compared to our need.
Faith is the conductor that delivers His power to the device that meets our need.
Most circuits that designed to meet human need have a switch. Our will is that switch.
As James said, "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Jas 2:17 (NASB) A wire not connected to a working device does no one any good. The works of Faith are the gifts and tools He has given us to use, from His Word, to our words, to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to the armor of God.
1Cor. 13:13 (NASB) But now Faith, Hope, Love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is Love.
Gal. 5:6 (NASB) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but Faith working through Love.
Love is how we determine when and where to use the Hope & Faith circuit.
Every part of the circuit must be in good working order to use it according to the Father's will. Our Hope must be strong. Our Faith must be unbroken and free from obstruction and corruption. We need to keep our working devices clean and in a good state of repair. Our Love must be pure, focused on the needs of others more than ourselves, and on the needs of the Kingdom.
How can we maintain our Hope - Faith - Love circuits?
Jude (NASB) 1:20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
