My Unconventional Heroes in the Faith

Written By Crystal Tang, Singapore 

When we reflect on faith heroes who inspire us in our walk, names like Father Abraham, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther, John Calvin, specific pastors or leaders may spring to mind. Their faithfulness in service and their contributions toward Christianity and humanity are undeniable. In fact, if you think about it, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is undoubtedly our greatest inspiration in this challenging yet fulfilling walk of faith! Recently though, I was reminded of a special group of people whom God has placed in my life who often go unnoticed and unrecognized.

Perhaps it’s because they neither appear in historical records nor are they people whom we would naturally deem as “heroes.” But that doesn’t negate how much of an encouragement they’ve been to me in my spiritual walk all this while. This group of people is none other than the fellowship of believers that I belong to in church. As one body in Christ, these brothers and sisters in Christ have been praying for me, and rejoicing and growing together with me in the Word.

Recently, in one of our Bible studies, we rediscovered the meaning of fellowship (“koinonia” in Greek). We recommitted ourselves to live out the essence of Acts 2:42 where believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” We want to practice the essence of koinonia by living in love and fellowship with God and man. Although there will be times when we would fail one another, whether it’s in our lack of love in words or actions, we can forgive each other and continue to support each other as we remember the unconditional love that Christ has demonstrated on the cross for each one of us.

Today if you are reading this and have yet to find your spiritual community of “heroes”, I strongly encourage you to pray and plant yourself into community. This is not just about being a member of a group, but about finding a group of brothers and sisters in Christ whom you trust, one that will spur you on in this spiritual walk with Christ through the study of God’s Word, fellowship, and uplifting of one another in prayers.

As believers, we are the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), not classified by our background, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, achievements, looks or personality. We have different gifts and the purpose of our gifts is to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10). We are called to devote ourselves in prayer for one another (Ephesians 6:18), recognizing that we are in a spiritual warfare. We are called to encourage one another to worship even in the toughest of times, just as Paul and Silas exhibited in Acts 16:22-26.

Finally, just as Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Remember that no matter what happens, you are never alone in this walk of faith!