Super Charged Faith

More Power?

If you could have more power in your life, would you want that? I’m not talking about x-ray vision, super strength, or healing powers. Instead, would you be interested in a energy boost to share the gospel, grow in Christ, increase self-control, endure suffering, have victory over sin and temptation, impact others, and more? Paul tells us that we can have this kind of power in our life with one catch: we must be more heavenly minded. That’s what he means when he says to the Philippians that he would count everything as dung for more knowledge of the power of his resurrection.

If your first question to Paul is, “Oh yeah? Prove it!” that’s fair. It’s one thing to say that knowing the resurrection of God brings power, and quite another to demonstrate it, which admittedly Paul neglects to do – at least directly in this verse.

But there is a passage in scripture that does give us the receipts (among many others). Let’s start with Hebrews 11:35.

Near the end of the chapter detailing the powerful exploits, victories, and accomplishments of some of the greatest men to have lived in all of human history, we’re told that the resurrection had something to do with it. These men and women were motived by a force outside our present world in such a way that imprinted them indelibly on the pages of world history.

What would make someone refuse to accept deliverance while being tortured? What do they know that we don’t know? It would seem the answer is simply that they knew something about the resurrection that we don’t. They figured out how to translate suffering in this world to a reward in the next and then judged (correctly) that this was an excellent trade.

Substance of Things Hoped For

If we scroll back up, the writer of Hebrews sets the stage for things to come with a pearl of wisdom.

Much has been said about faith in this passage, but our focus today is on what exactly each person was hoping for! They had faith to act as if they had already received it, but what was it? What is the Christian’s hope? Simply, it’s the resurrection from the dead, new life with Christ, a new body, eternal life on the new earth, and rewards from our savior.

Of course, every Christian has this certain hope that begins with a new birth into the family of God. To be absent from the body is indeed to be present with the Lord and this applies equally to each believer. Regardless of whether they repented at the final hour of life or spent decades in the trenches as a soldier of Christ they will enter into the joy of their Lord upon their death – and praise God for that!

But the heroes of Hebrews 11 had a different idea altogether. They were motivated not just by the same hope that every believer has, but that they, through their actions, might obtain a better resurrection.

A Better Resurrection?

A better resurrection? That seems unfair! Is heaven somehow different for each believer based on their deeds on earth? Does the thief on the cross have to live in stowage on the New Jerusalem steam ship while Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob occupy the top deck with ocean views? By contrast, an image of heaven where everyone is stripped of rank, identity, and accomplishment in favor of a homogenous sea of white robed angel-like beings also struggles to find its place among scripture. But that hardly leaves us comfortable with the idea of a heavenly caste where each believer is segregated by their deeds like rock layers at the Grand Canyon. Are we the same or are we different?

It is easier to argue the opposite view. If someone spent their entire time on earth in dedicated service to God while hazarding wealth, relationships, health, and even their own life, should they receive the same reward in the resurrection as the reprobate who repents in their final hour? We must be careful here not to overstate what the Bible actually says. God is the righteous judge and we can trust him to measure out all things justly. However, every indication we see in scripture teaches us that no, those outcomes will not be equal.

Here are some small examples. In Luke 16 we find that Lazarus has made it to a place called “Abraham’s Bosom” after death. This place of rest was named after Abraham and Abraham himself had authority to speak to the damned from this location while it seems that others like Lazarus did not. Did Abraham earn the naming rights of this place as a reward? We now border on speculation, but it does seem to fit with the principle taught in Matthew 25.

It would not be surprising to find out that Abraham was in charge of a place called Abraham’s bosom and had been given authority by God to speak on behalf of those that reside there. What else could be meant when Jesus promises a chance to rule?

New Jerusalem, it turns out, has the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on its foundations. Is it unfair that everyone else gets excluded from this nameplate in heaven? While we all have equal opportunity to earn our rewards and obtain a better resurrection, some opportunities are already taken! Every time I go to a zoo or hospital, the name of someone who donated or sacrificed or pioneered something of value is recognized on every available wall or floor tile. It would not surprise me to see the names of believers similarly set on the new earth and beyond as part of our reward for service here.

To not mince words, Paul explains plainly that everything we do on earth will be tried by fire and every work done for the kingdom of God will result in a lasting reward. (For those that are thinking of making up for lost time in eternity, this does seem to be a one-time event. There is no extra credit or make-up-days.)

It is illogical in the extreme to assume that at this great and terrible judgment seat of Christ that every believer will receive the same outcome. What we do on this earth will have eternal significance and we should be motivated by the idea of a better resurrection just like the heroes of Hebrews 11.

I Don’t Need a Reward to Serve

Some would argue that any believer who is motivated to serve because he may receive a reward is acting in self-interest and doesn’t truly understand the mind of Christ who took on the form of a servant and gave his life to save his created beings who could do nothing to pay him back even if they tried. Our only response then should be to serve him faithfully without any expectation of reward as we have already received much greater than we really deserve which is eternal punishment for sin.

And they would be right! God didn’t need to save us, and God certainly didn’t have to offer us any rewards at all for our faithful service which he is owed a thousand times over for each sinner that repents. And that’s the beauty of all of it. God demonstrates to us his mercy, grace, and love not only because he saved us from eternal corruption, but that he went further to offer us a chance to hear him say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”. All this despite that fact that our goodness and ability to faithfully serve God comes from God.

He invites us to participate in his reward system simply because he is a rewarder. Being a rewarder is part of God’s identity just as much as wanting a reward is part of ours. That desire was put in us by God because he wants to fulfill his desire to reward us. It’s his system and he asks us to take part. In that sense a refusal to be motivated by heavenly rewards may easily bleed into pious self-righteousness. No, I don’t deserve anything special from God regardless of my deeds on earth, but I’m very glad that his system allows it and you should be too. It’s how we get power in our life after all – just look at Hebrews 11!

If it helps, know that our innate desire for power, wisdom, recognition and anything god-like was built into our human nature before the fall. Consider Eve’s motivation for eating the fruit.

Eve believed that eating the fruit would make her like God and that her knowledge would increase and make her wise beyond her current abilities. These are all things she desired in that passage and all that desire came before her eyes were opened, the sin nature born, and the curse entered the world. Yes, it is something that God placed in all of us. Like Eve we must learn to curb that desire here on earth as it is also a source of temptation for us. But we shouldn’t dampen it and stamp it out like a dangerous ember. Instead we should place that desire where it belongs, on our new life with Christ in the resurrection.

Power to Seek God

Enoch gives us our first glimpse into the power that comes from a kingdom first mindset. After explaining that Enoch pleased God and that he was translated into heaven prior to his death, we might be left to wonder why? Did God somehow like Enoch better than the rest of us? We know Enoch pleased God, but what exactly did he do that God liked so much? Was it random?

Thankfully, God in his wisdom recognized that we would have heightened curiosity about this strange event and chooses to give us the detailed explanation found in verse six.

And it is here that God explains that he is pleased by those who diligently seek him. God loves this and it is something any of us can do. You can please God just as much as Enoch did if you seek him just as diligently. While I believe that all men will suffer death (Hebrews 9:27) and ultimately Enoch and Elijah will both fulfill that promise, God’s reward to Enoch was to make it easier for him to continue his diligent searching of God without the shroud of the physical in the way.

Why don’t we do the same then? Yes, our flesh does war with us and that is a real concern, but it also takes faith to seek God. We can’t see God with our eyes and we must believe he exists and that he wants us to seek him and that he will reward us if we do. All of that takes faith. If God does not exist then an hour of prayer is wasted time by a crazy person.

Where did Enoch get this faith and why was it so powerful? He performed this act of faith when the written word of God was essentially non-existent. There were no pastors to teach him and no fellow believers in a called out assembly to lift him up. He got this faith from his belief in the resurrection of God.

Are you motivated to learn Japanese? I would guess that likely you are not. As a thought experiment, I asked my 14 year-old son, “At your current state, how motivated are you to learn Japanese?” His response was predictable, “0% chance”.

“What if you were told that you’d be living there for a month?”

“I’d upgrade to 20% then.”

“What if you were going to live there for 30 years?”

At this point he started getting suspicious, but he finally said, “Ok, 22%”.

Our thought experiment reveals that our drive to diligently seek something depends a lot on where we think we will be going. Enoch believed he was going to spend eternity with God and found there the motivation to stay consistent with his Bible reading and prayer.

When we move from one city or state to another, there is an inevitable shift in our relationships. Our diligence to foster a relationship with those we rarely see wanes in favor of newer relationships where we expect to see those who live near us more often. For the believer, we are moving to a permanent home in heaven and the date is coming up fast. It should motivate you to learn the language of heaven and to ultimately invest in a relationship with the one who rules and reigns there. It did for Enoch and God rewarded him.

If you struggle with consistency in your devotional time, you may have beat yourself up about it or had others do that for you. Certainly the stick can be effective, but God recommends to us through the story of Enoch that there is a tasty carrot we can look forward to as well. It should give us power to succeed in our relationship with God.

Power To Sacrifice

In our table of heroes, Abel speaks to us from the grave. His message is simple: obedience to God is better than the approval and acceptance of our family because He will approve and accept you instead. Abel did this because he realized he didn’t belong to this earthly country and counted his obedience to God to be more valuable in the next life even if it meant an early death in this one. He gave his life to teach us that message and God ensured that he would be able to preach this to future generations from the grave through the book of Hebrews.

AJ Griffin gave up a productive career in the NBA after only two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks in 2024. He walked away from a contract worth close to $4MM per year because, in his own words, God had called him to Christian ministry and to spread the gospel. His obedience came at a great sacrifice that many would be unwilling to make. He likely has been criticized for this decision. Why couldn’t he spread the gospel and stay in the NBA? Yet when explaining his decision, AJ speaks with the confidence of someone who understands, like Abel, that he is aiming for a better resurrection – one that is worth far more than what the NBA has to offer. That’s power!

Do you think Abel is in heaven right now thinking, “I was so stupid! I should have just caved when Cain pressured me… It wasn’t a big deal anyway.” For millennia now, Abel’s demonstration of faith – even though he was killed by his own family for it – has been preached to others (even now!) as an example we should follow. Abel’s resurrection is better because he gets to see his testimony continue to impact other believers.

Power to Journey without GPS

In our last example of faith supercharged by a kingdom first mentality, Abraham packs the moving truck, loads the family, and hits 79 mph on the interstate without having any idea where and when he will take the next exit.

Abraham was called by God to do this and not everyone will receive similar instructions. Deciphering the whisper of the Spirit from the call of better wages, lighter taxes, and warmer weather is not the objective here, but you should be careful. Assuming that God has called you to relocate and has only given you a direction and not a destination, Abraham offers an example of resurrection powered faith.

 If God has called you to go somewhere, you may not know where you will end up, but you usually are sure what you will give up. Abraham was a wealthy man and hesitated to leave (waiting for the death of his father). When you move, you know what house you are leaving, what friends will become acquaintances, what source of income will never be available again, what recreation you will no longer have, and what present-day joys will become memories.

But eventually he decided with faith that whatever God had for him was going to be worth more than what he would leave behind. How did he get that faith? It was a resurrection mindset.

Are You Sure?

In our character study of Abraham, Enoch, and Abel, have we presumed too much to claim that these men were motivated by their hope of a better resurrection in the next life? Let’s find out.

If you will have the power of the resurrection in your life, you will first have to see those promises afar off. This happens early on for a new believer when they first learn about their newly secure hope of heaven, but they are not yet persuaded that this can be a source of power in their life. But once that persuasion happens they have another decision to make. Will they embrace it?

The world calls loudly to us all. We live in it and it is, by default, more real than anything we can imagine about the resurrection. To embrace the same promise as our heroes of Hebrews 11, we must first thrust aside the embrace of the world for another lover – the one who loved us first. Once we’ve embraced the idea that we are strangers and pilgrims here and our citizenship is from another country, the next logical step is to confess and say it out loud. You just found the power outlet.

Abraham did that. Enoch and Abel did that. Your move next.