In Luke 17:5-10, we read the following exchange between the disciples and their Lord:

"And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."

"Increase our faith," the disciples pleaded. Their petition is echoed by a multitude of believers today that desire to become either Great Men or Great Women of Faith. The disciples saw the stunning works the Lord Jesus was doing and wanted to do the same. `If Jesus is doing these works by faith, and we can't seem to do them, then obviously we must need a greater quantity of faith._ This reasoning is reflected in a myriad of books and sermons with titles like `Ten Steps to Increasing Your Faith_, `How to Get More Faith_ or `Greater Faith in Five Simple Steps_. So the disciples question is no big surprise to us.

But Jesus response is a stunning surprise.

For what He tells them is that the quantity of their faith is not the issue! Lack of quantity is not the problem for the disciples, for even what might be judged the smallest amount of faith is sufficient to accomplish gloriously grand works.

So if quantity is not the issue, what is?

Jesus continues:

"But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

Jesus tells the twelve that the issue is not the quantity of their faith, but the quality. Jesus tells them that the issue is not faith but faithfulness. The true man of faith is a faithful man.

"Man of faith" sounds like a pretty exciting title, conjuring up pictures of miracles and impressive accomplishments, served up daily as the normal fare.

"Faithful man" does not sound nearly as exciting. It brings to mind more the man who continues consistently in the routine of life, doing what is set before him to do with the attitude of a servant.

Yet it is the second picture that Jesus invokes when He talks to the disciples about faith. Faith is more related to obedience than to impressive accomplishments, and has more to do with work than works, more to do with serve than show, more to do with duty than dynamism.

Denny Gunderson, in his book "The Leadership Paradox", relates the story of a caravan caught in the midst of a suffocating sand storm. Blinded by millions of microscopic missiles, the animals are barely able to move, let alone find their way to the walled city ahead.

In this moment of crisis, the family servant, bowed down by the waves of desert tide, makes his way to the head of the caravan. Feeling through the wind-borne sand, he finds the ropes and begins to lead, guide, pull and persuade the animals forward. Each step is a battle as the sand seeks to covers both animal and servant. Insistent, the servant slogs through mountains of shifting sand, as at the same instant more sand pours down on them and swirls around them. He pushes on toward a goal that seems now little more than a dream, an ephemeral hope some undefined distance ahead.

With the relentless sand blotting out the sun, it is impossible to judge the passing of time, but after what seems an eternity but may be only an hour, the family on the caravan catches a glimpse of a wall, a gate, a roof.

Agonizing steps and minutes later, the howling winds and beating sands are quieted by high city walls as the pass through the gate. As the family stumbles gratefully from the caravan, they encounter a tragic sight: their faithful servant face down in the sand, dead, rope still dangling from his hand, clothes, scarf, sandals blanketed in sand.

The story illustrates an intriguing piece of middle eastern etymology, the word "diakonos", is one of the most common words for minister in the New Testament. Dia is a greek word meaning through or from one side to the other (as diameter), while konos may be translated as dust or earth (as _shake off the dust of your feet" in Mat. 10:14). While Gunderson's etymology is disputed by some, the picture brings to light the Biblical concept of what characterizes a minister, a ministry and a servant of the Lord: Faithful persistence even in the face of opposition and difficulty.

A man of faith is a faithful man, a man who by patient continuance seeks to lead those he serves through the storms of opposition, resistance and doubt, and bring them safely to their goal , to the glory of God.

Proverbs 20:6 affords us a glimpse into the very heart of God, where we hear a deep desire expressed: "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?"

The great need in all of our lives is not an increase in our faith, but an increase in our faithfulness.