I want to share today thoughts, questions about Grace and Faith, what I see in the church, what I see in the outside world, more importantly what I believe what God says about Grace. I outline 11 points, enjoy.
1. To be blunt the church today accepts Grace in theory but denies it in practice.
We say we believe that the fundamental structure of reality is grace, not works – but our lives refute our faith.
By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood nor lived.
Too many Christians are living in the house of fear instead of the house of love.
2. Our culture has made the word grace impossible to understand. We resonate to slogans such as:
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
“You get what you deserve”
“You want money? Work for it.”
“You want love? Earn it”
“You want mercy? Show you deserve it”
“Do unto others what they Do unto you”
3. Ephesians 2: 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.
4. Though the scriptures insist on God’s initiative in the work of salvation – that by grace we are saved, our spirituality often starts with self, not God. Too many Christians pay lip service to grace and live as if only personal discipline and self denial will mould the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing.
5. let me ask you this; when we arrived in heaven I believe god will say to us;
“Do you believe that I loved you? That I desired you? That I waited day after day? That I longed to hear the sound of your voice?”
The real believers will say yes Jesus.
Many of us that are so faithful in our ministry and practice and church going, will have to reply, well quite frankly no sir, I didn’t really believe it, I spoke about it often indeed I even preached about you but I didn’t really believe it.
“I haven’t experienced the Grace you talk about.”
6. Its important for us to grasp this:
You are only going to be as big as your own concept of God.
Quote from Blasé Pascal; “God made man in his own image and we reciprocated the act”
Often we have made God as fussy and narrow minded as we are.
“Is your God the God of Grace?
Right now is God the God who loves you unreservedly knowing everything about you, the lover of your soul?
The Grace of God has to be drunk, straight: no water, ice and certainly no ginger ale.
7. I have to confess, I have to admit I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and doubt, I hope and get discouraged, I love and hate, I feel bad about feeling good. I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. I am trusting and suspicious. I am honest and still play games.
Quote, Thomas Merton; “a saint is not someone who is good but who experiences the goodness of God.
I need the Grace of God daily in my life, and that Grace is a gift from God.
Ephesians 2: 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.
8. My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply Loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it”
Ephesians 2: 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast.
9. Faith.
People today define faith as belief in the existence of God. But how far is that from having faith and “trusting in God”.
It’s Enormous.
The first is a matter of the head, the second a matter of the heart.
The first can leave us unchanged; the second intrinsically bring forth transformation of self and our surroundings.
We battle with our head and our heart and often our head wins.
We who have found acceptance begin to doubt and mistrust, we than begin the journey from the house of love to the house of fear.
10. Today we need to hear that we are accepted.
Accepted by that which is greater than us and by the name of which we all too often forget.
Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted.
2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
11. Many thanks to Brennan Manning and his book ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’ published by authentic books. For some of the thoughts used in this blog. http://bit.ly/5iV8J
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