Faith in a Culture of Unbelief” is a message by Senior Pastor of House on The Rock Church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin in his “Something is about to happen” series.


The main scriptures are from John 11:11-15, 12:1-2, 9-15

"These things He said, and after that, He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. Then His disciples said, “Lord if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”

Jesus in his own days preached in a culture of unbelief. He preached under a crowd of allegations, accusations and defiances. The people didn't care about who he was and were not willing to listen to him. How do you preach faith in a culture of unbelief?

Preaching alone will not work

This day, people do not believe what you say, they believe what you do. Jesus was called different names while on earth but he still made an impactful difference and this was because his message was more in his actions and doings than in his talking.

Support your talk

Jesus was not just an orator or speaker. He was a doer and an impactor. Luke confirmed this in the book of Acts in his letter to Theophilus. He wrote in Acts chapter one verse one: "Theophilus the former treatise that I have written to you of all the things with Jesus both began to do and to teach" meaning in his time and in our age of unbelief as well, talk is cheap. It's so cheap anybody can talk. If your talk is not backed and supported by evidence, then it is not going anywhere.

Delays are not necessarily denials

God will sometimes withhold good from you because he intends to give you the best. There are things that you do that will lend credibility where there was formerly incredibility. Jesus wasn't going to give Lazarus a healing, he wanted to give him much more than a healing. Jesus wanted to give him success and significance.

Good works

One of the reasons why we don't believe God the way we ought to is because we are bombarded by a counterculture. So believing is hard and the church in this day is going to have to begin to manifest the power of God and the wisdom of God in what she does to bring things back to life. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he did that because he reasoned that he doesn't need to really preach to the people of Israel but he was going to let his work preach. The people he wants to reach were not going to listen to him but when they see irrefutable works they have to bow.

Watch the full sermon by Pastor Paul Adefarasin and learn how to have faith in a culture of unbelief.


About Pastor Paul Adefarasin:

From his mother’s living room in Lagos, Paul Adefarasin established House On The Rock Church in 1994 with just a few attendees. Proof of his calling is that the living room church has blossomed into a Ministry that has over 50 daughter churches in Africa and Europe. A well-known mentee of Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Paul has been fervent in his message of hope to the world and especially the African continent where he resides. He is also the Founder and President of the Rock Foundation; a charity based Organization committed to social reformation, education, provision of healthcare and relief work for ex-convicts, drug addicts, and the downtrodden and disadvantaged in Nigeria and West Africa.

Pastor Paul Adefarasin’s capacity to teach, speak and preach from a personal and theological platform has strengthened and encouraged people all over the world. The Ministry promotes reconciliation, redemption and reformation cutting across denominational and social divides. He has a burning passion for seeing the rehabilitation of his generation, his nation and his continent.

Pastor Paul has been happily married to pastor Ifeanyi since 1995.