Atmospheres matter. The atmosphere of the earth matters if we want to continue to be able to live here. Restaurants, movie theaters, and sports arenas all know that atmospheres matter. The atmosphere or the culture where you work really matters. And we all know that the atmosphere or environment in our homes matters. I’m talking about the physical atmosphere, the relational atmosphere, the emotional atmosphere, and the spiritual atmosphere. The atmosphere of Epic Church really matters too. Our aim is to create an environment that is warm, inviting, joyful, hospitable, and perhaps more than anything else, we want an atmosphere that is soaked with the presence of God. The word atmosphere has a few different definitions, but here’s the one we’re going with for today’s purposes.

atmosphere – a surrounding influence or environment

This is the idea we’re talking about today in a message I’m calling, “Creating an Atmosphere of Faith”. Each of us lives in a personal atmosphere regarding faith and as the Epic Church community, we also live in a communal atmosphere when it comes to our faith. Here’s why this matters:

Jesus has a habit of allowing our faith or our lack of faith to influence what He is able to do in our lives.

Here’s something that resulted from a lack of faith when Jesus was in Nazareth, his hometown.

Mark 6:5-6 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Jesus was AMAZED at their lack of faith. He COULD NOT do any miracles there. This is a stunning statement. When it comes to faith, the atmosphere really matters.

Is your lack of faith keeping Jesus from doing what He would love to do in your life?

I want to be clear, Jesus can do ANYTHING he wants to do. But there seems to be a category of things he does as a response to our faith.

Thankfully we also have accounts of people who demonstrated great faith and I want us to look at two of their stories today. I want to read these two stories together because one happens inside of the other.

Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there was had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet, and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to here, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Desperation can make us give up or it can make us get to Jesus.

Jairus and this woman allow their desperation to drive them to Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I hate feeling desperate, powerless to do anything about what I’m facing. These two people did everything they could and it wasn’t enough. This woman had seen every doctor she knew and had spent every dollar she had. We can imagine that Jairus and his wife might have done all they knew to do as well.

Jesus responds to Jairus’s desperation and his faith. He’s on his way to the house of Jairus and gets interrupted. A large crowd is pressing in around him. And something amazing happens. In the midst of the crowd, there’s a woman who could have easily given up on ever being healed. It’s been 12 LONG years. All the doctors, no help. All the money she spent only made her worse. And somehow, she still has the faith to believe that Jesus can do what no doctor and no amount of money were able to do for her. She believed that if she could just touch him, He would heal her. And she was right! She felt it and she knew it. What a moment!

She is freed to go live a new life and you would think Jesus needs to quickly get on his way to Jairus’s house. But her healing makes Jesus pause. Why? Because she wasn’t the only one who experienced something profound. Jesus felt it too.

Jesus also feels something deeply when we make contact with Him.

He asks in the midst of a crowd, “Who touched me?” His disciples think it’s an absurd question. But Jesus keeps looking around, determined to find out who it was. Why did Jesus do this? There are a number of times, including the healing of Jairus’s daughter, where Jesus says, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” Why does he insist on publicly outing this woman who’s been healed?

She came and fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. And this gave him an opportunity to tell her the whole truth. He wanted her to know she didn’t have to hide any longer. And he wanted her to know that she wasn’t just a miracle patient; she was a daughter to the King.

Did this woman’s faith heal her or did Jesus heal her?

YES. Meanwhile, people came from Jairus’s home to let him know his daughter is dead. And they ask Jairus this question: “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Two reasons: 1) He’s more than just a teacher. 2) We aren’t bothering Jesus when we come to him. Do you believe Jesus is Lord of everything or just a good teacher? Do you hold back from coming to Jesus because you think you might be bothering him?

Jesus overheard what they said and told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Where is Jesus wanting to say this to you today?

I know life is heavy right now – don’t be afraid; just believe.

I know you have unfulfilled relational longings – don’t be afraid; just believe.

I know what seems impossible for you – don’t be afraid; just believe.

When Jesus said this child isn’t dead, the people started laughing at him. It reminds me of the time Sarah laughed when she heard that she and Abraham were going to have a son. Jesus put all of the people outside the house. He only took the girl’s parents, Peter, James, and John. What was Jesus doing? He was creating an atmosphere of faith.

Where is your faith and what kind of atmosphere is it creating for you and others?

Are you making a habit of putting yourself in atmospheres where faith is very present?

If your faith seems absent, there’s enough faith in this community that you can borrow some of ours.

“It is a fine grace to have someone near who will keep on hoping for us when our hopes fall into a deep sleep. Substitute hopers can keep hope alive until our own hopes have a revival.” -Lewis Smedes, Keeping Hope Alive

What we want to do with today’s response time is create an atmosphere of faith and see if the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will save, heal, provide, and set free. Prayer leaders are here to offer their faith to you. Here’s what we believe and are going to lean into:

A moment in the presence of Jesus can change anything for anyone.‍