If you have Affiliating Faith and want to mature to Searching Faith this class is for you.
I want to take you into something powerful and deeply personal—the process of acquiring searching faith. If you’ve been walking through this series with me, you already know we’re talking about five basic levels of faith:
- Imitating Faith
- Affiliating Faith
- Searching Faith
- Solidifying Faith
- Mature Faith
And I hope by now, you’ve memorized those—not just in your head, but in your heart. Because this is a journey. A real one. And if you’re here with me, it means you’re not satisfied with staying stuck in affiliating faith. You want more. You want to own what you believe. You want to search it out. And I’m going to help you do that.
Why You Can’t Stay in Affiliating Faith
Let’s be honest: Affiliating faith is where many people camp out for years—maybe for life. It’s comfortable. It’s safe. It’s the faith that believes what it believes because others do. Maybe your parents. Your preacher. Your church friends. You’re attached to their faith, and because they believe it, you do too.
But here’s the truth: you weren’t meant to stay there.
In John 8:31–32, Jesus says something that rocked me to the core. He said:
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Now, He was talking to people who already believed in Him—but He told them that belief wasn’t enough. He said you have to continue in the Word. You’ve got to press in. You’ve got to keep learning, keep growing, keep digging. That’s searching faith.
Five Ways to Acquire Searching Faith
Let me share five things you can start doing right now to develop that kind of faith.
- Ask Yourself Three Deep Questions
Let’s start with a little soul-searching.
First: If ________ stopped coming, would I keep going?
Fill in that blank with the person who’s had the biggest spiritual impact on you. Maybe it’s your spouse. Your preacher. Your parents. Now ask yourself: if that person walked away from the church, would your faith survive?
Second: I know what I believe—but do I know why?
This is the core difference between affiliating and searching faith. It’s time to stop leaning on someone else’s understanding and start owning your beliefs.
Third: Am I willing to change what I believe if the Bible says so?
This is the real test of humility. If I find that something I’ve believed for years contradicts the Word—am I willing to change?
These questions aren’t just exercises—they’re mirrors. Look into them. Be honest with yourself.
- Share Your Faith
Here’s a surprising truth: one of the best ways to grow your faith is to share it.
Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8:
“You shall be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”
That’s not just for apostles. That’s for you and me. And if you’re not sharing, you’re stagnating.
In Acts 8, persecution scattered the early church. You’d think that would slow things down—but instead, those scattered Christians spread the gospel everywhere they went. And that’s when the church exploded with growth.
Listen—when you share your faith, you’ll get questions. And when people question you, you’ll be forced to dig deeper, to clarify what you believe, and to understand why. That’s how searching faith is born.
- Practice Talking About Spiritual Things
You have spiritual conversations every day—you just may not realize it yet.
Paul said in Colossians 4:5–6:
“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders… Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you’ll know how to respond to each person.”
That’s practical. That’s everyday discipleship.
Can I encourage you? Start by practicing at church. If you can’t talk about Jesus in the church lobby, how will you talk about Him out in the world? Ask someone what they’re studying. Share something from your own Bible reading. Learn to turn casual conversations into Christ-centered ones—gently, naturally, with grace.
- Read Good Books and Listen to Sound Teaching
This is where bibletalk.tv comes in. That’s why you’re here.
One of the best things you can do to grow in searching faith is to surround yourself with solid resources. Read. Watch. Listen. Not just to confirm what you already believe—but to be challenged, to think deeper, to test things by Scripture.
In Acts 17:11, the Bereans were praised for their noble minds—not because they just accepted Paul’s teaching, but because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what he said was true.
But let me give you a warning: Don’t be so open-minded your brains fall out. Not every book or preacher is teaching truth. You need discernment. Learn to “spit out the bones.” Hold fast to what is good. Compare everything to God’s Word.
- Fix Your Eyes on Jesus
This is the most important thing I can tell you: your faith is not about abstract doctrine—it’s about Jesus.
Hebrews 12:2 calls Him:
“The author and perfecter of our faith.”
You want to grow your faith? Get to know Jesus. Not just facts about Him. Not just memory verses. Know Him. Study the Gospels. Watch how He lived, how He spoke, how He loved. Fix your eyes on Him—and your faith will deepen.
Nobody walks away from Jesus unchanged. You’ll either fall more in love with Him or you’ll decide it’s too much. But if you keep looking, if you keep listening, your heart will be stirred, and your faith will take root.
In Closing: Searching Faith Brings Struggle—But It Also Brings Growth
This journey into searching faith isn’t always easy. You will wrestle. You will question. You might even doubt at times.
But don’t be afraid of that. That’s where real growth happens.
And that’s what we’ll talk about in the next class—The Struggles of Searching Faith.
But for now, I just want to ask you:
Are you ready to move beyond affiliating faith?
Are you ready to search, to dig, to grow—to truly know Jesus and love Him with your whole heart?
Then let’s get to work.
Discussion Questions
- What is your personal motivation for wanting to grow in your faith?
- How much does your walk with God depend on the spiritual well-being of others?
- Can you honestly say the things you believe are founded on scripture, the direct Word of God, and not merely the teachings of men (Mark 7:7)?
- How would reaching out to Non-Christians help you grow in your faith?
- On a scale of one to ten, how spiritually based would you say your conversation is with other Christians when you attend services?
