Podcast Summary: Developing Your Faith, Part One | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus The Healer Broadcast

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Guest Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Date: April 22, 2019
Episode Theme: Developing and Maturing Your Faith in Christ

Episode Overview

This episode, led by Pastor Nancy Dufresne, dives deeply into the biblical foundation of faith development. Drawing from Ephesians 4, she explores the necessity of spiritual maturity, the role of ministry gifts, and the importance of daily faith practice. The teachings are interwoven with practical examples and personal stories, aiming to encourage listeners to cultivate robust, independent faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Purpose of Ministry Gifts (00:16–05:30)

• Biblical Reference: Ephesians 4:11–13
• Jesus gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the “perfecting” (maturing) of the saints.
• “For your redemption, Jesus is all you need. But for your spiritual growth and development, you’re going to need the gifts…” (00:55)
• The ministry gifts are given so believers are brought out of spiritual childhood into adulthood.
• Spiritual maturity happens through the teaching of the Word, not in isolation.

2. The Necessity of Church Attendance (05:30–08:32)

• You cannot be spiritually developed in isolation; the local church is vital.
• “People say, ‘Well, I can be just as good a Christian as you and stay home from church.’ No, you can’t… Jesus went to church.” (06:01)
• Jesus himself had to “grow up” spiritually and learned the Word as a child.

3. Unity and Spiritual Maturity (08:32–12:45)

• The aim is to come into “the unity of the faith,” not necessarily agreement on every doctrine.
• Unity is the atmosphere where God can manifest and bless.
• Lack of unity in a church blocks healings, answers, and miracles: “Jesus cannot bless strife. He cannot bless division.” (10:47)
• True maturity is measured against the stature of Christ, not fellow believers.

4. The Example and Standard of Christ (12:45–16:00)

• The “measure” of maturity is producing in our lives what Jesus’ life produced.
• “Other people in your church aren’t your measuring stick. Jesus is our measuring stick.” (14:10)
• Part of being like Christ is growing in faith; Jesus was our example of faith, not our exception.

5. The Practice of Faith (16:00–21:30)

• Faith must be practiced daily—just like learning the piano, daily discipline surpasses talent.
• “The way for you to develop anything spiritually…is you have to practice.” (16:38)
• Example: Using your words to claim peace or provision is a practice of faith.
• God deposits faith in every believer (Romans 12); it’s up to us to nurture it: “God’s the one that put your faith in you, but it’s up to you to develop it.” (19:53)

6. God Puts a Demand on Our Faith (21:30–27:00)

• God will “put something in front of you” that requires faith, causing it to grow.
• “He’s going to lead you and direct you based on what’s best for your faith, not what’s easiest for your faith.” (23:39)
• Personal/family anecdotes illustrate how expectation and demand foster growth—God’s not trying to keep us spiritual babies.

7. Raising Faithful Children and Independent Christians (27:00–32:30)

• Parents must put age-appropriate demands on their children’s faith, not do everything for them.
• “The worst thing you can do is be raised in a Christian home… and they never developed their own [faith].” (31:00)
• Spiritual leaders are examples, not substitutes; each believer must develop their own faith.

8. God Trains Us Through the Unimportant (32:30–37:40)

• God uses small, non-critical situations to train us to listen and obey, so we’re prepared for crises.
• “God was training me on the unimportant to learn to hear and to follow him. Because that requires faith.” (35:24)
• Listeners are cautioned not to expect God to micromanage every decision but to walk by wisdom and sensitivity to the Spirit.

9. Living on the Front Edge of Your Faith (37:40–End)

• God wants believers to always be stretching and growing, not stagnating.
• “He will lead you to the very front edge of your faith… He wants you always stretching, always reaching.” (38:01)
• The “faith life” is the “best life,” and mature believers become blessings to others, modeling and teaching strong faith.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Spiritual Development:
  “If your faith is developing, then your spiritual life is developing. If your faith isn’t developing, then your spiritual life is not developing.” (20:28)

• On Expectation and Growth:
  “God will direct you to do things that put an expectation and a demand on your faith. And he’s being good to you by doing that…If you don’t develop, you will become the devil’s prey.” (23:50)

• On Role Models in Faith:
  “The pastor is there to be an example and an instruction of what direction to take in life. But they’re not there to do the believing for you, the praying for you…Not as a substitute for your own faith.” (32:03)

• On Parental Responsibility:
  “If their wanting something, it’s not your job to say, ‘we don’t have money for that, you can’t have it.’ Your job is to train them in their faith.” (30:29)

• On Faith Practice:
  “The way that your faith is going to look like Jesus’ faith is if you practice it every day.” (17:51)

Key Timestamps

• 00:16 — Introduction to Ephesians 4 and the purpose of ministry gifts
• 05:30 — The necessity of church and communal growth
• 10:47 — The importance of unity for God’s manifest blessings
• 16:38 — The principle and power of practice in developing faith
• 19:53 — Faith as a deposit from God—our responsibility to develop it
• 23:39 — God’s leadership: what’s best, not what’s easiest, for our faith
• 30:29 — Parents training kids in faith, not just providing
• 35:24 — God trains us with the unimportant to prepare us for the important
• 38:01 — Living on the “front edge” of faith and becoming a blessing

Conclusion

Pastor Nancy Dufresne emphasizes that developing faith is an intentional, daily process. Church community, ministry gifts, and practicing faith in everyday situations are crucial. God will lovingly put demands on our faith, challenging us to mature—not just for our benefit, but to bless others. True spiritual maturity, she reminds us, is measured not by our comparison with others, but by how closely we mirror Christ’s example.

“How much do you want your faith to develop? That’s the measure.” (25:05)