The Glory of Grace

On August 29, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 15: 9 – 10

For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. but by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of the them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Paul enters the story of the Christian church as one of the preeminent weapons that Satan had in play, perhaps even the most valuable tool in Satan’s arsenal. He was zealous in his persecution of Christians. It is perhaps a bit difficult for us to fully appreciate what a bad guy Paul, then Saul, really was. Imagine today someone who goes throughout the country, fully authorized, beating, stoning and imprisoning Christians simply because of their faith. In happens in other countries even today but this is not something that occurs in most of our experiences. Then imagine that the guy who is the most zealous and dangerous persecutor of all becomes a minister of the gospel. It really is difficult to wrap your head around.  

How was Paul ever able to stand in the presence of God? How could he even pray to the one whom he persecuted? He tells us in this passage. Only the grace of God could repair a relationship which was so badly broken. Only grace could cover Paul’s sin and the harm that he did to so many people. Grace does what nothing else can. Only God’s grace can take our damage and turn it around for good. 

Humility is a good thing in a person because, as was the case with Paul, it allows the grace of God to wipe away our idiocy so that in God’s eyes we are as pure and innocent as Jesus himself. Paul describes himself as the least of all of the apostles. He is humble as to his own stature and merit. None the less, he boasts in the work that God was able to do through him but he says it is because of the grace.

Some people use the message of grace as a way to excuse their sin or continue in it but, you see, that isn’t grace. Grace reaches out to your brokenness and creates a saint. Grace doesn’t just cover your mistakes. It eradicates them. But … if you have truly been touched by grace, then you have a deep, deep desire to never sin in any form ever again. Grace repairs a person’s heart and reforms them into the very image of the Christ. No one who understands grace, or even fathoms a smidgen about grace, will intentionally keep sinning. A person who would use the blood of Jesus to continue to sin is a fool and I don’t want to even stand near them. That is an insult to the blood of Jesus and blasphemes the Holy Spirit. My point is, do not let an idiot teach you the meaning of grace. Don’t even give that kind of person your ear for a moment for there is nothing they can say that would enlighten even one hair of your head. 

Grace turned the biggest sinner of the age into the greatest apostle of the time. Grace takes people like you and me and makes us giants because grace requires nothing of us except humble surrender. When we understand that grace is not about us but is only about the goodness of God then we can experience a new level of freedom. And by the grace of God, we can do all things. Whatever God has put in your heart, you can do because His grace will do for you what it did for Paul. You can be the greatest apostle of this age. He who surrenders best will win the race. The more we let go of ourselves and rely solely on the grace of God, the stronger and more effective we become. Isn’t that great news? Even if you are the biggest mess on the block, the dunce of the family, tomorrow could be a whole different story. Even if you have been out persecuting and killing Christians, you could become the best mouthpiece for God of our age. Never lose hope; just lose yourself in the grace of God.

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Grace Does Not Discriminate

On May 21, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 4: 9, 27, 40, 41

The Samaritan woman therefore said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He had been speaking with a woman.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word.

Everyone needs a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus. It will change a life forever. This is the story of one Samaritan woman’s encounter with the Lord. Not only did it change her life but many came to believe because of her testimony. This story is recorded in verses 4 – 42. I have selected a few key verses which show the unusual nature of this encounter.

Jesus was sitting at Jacob’s well while his disciples went into town to buy food. A woman of Samaria approached in order to draw water so Jesus requested a drink of water from her. She was astonished. First of all, Jews didn’t speak to Samaritans. Second she was a woman. Strike two. Given the social structure of their times this woman should have been overlooked and she should never have had a personal encounter with the Messiah. Fortunately for all of us, Jesus is not constrained by social mores. He lives in the light and in truth.

The Samaritans and the Jews had a vicious debate over where to worship. That sounds ridiculous today but they were virulent in their disagreement, so much in fact that Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. But this is not so different from today. There are cultures today that view others to be as low as dogs and wouldn’t even stoop to help them if they were in mortal peril. Even in our own country, the land of the free, we have a history of treating a group of people differently than others. Every ethnic group that has migrated here over the short history of our country has had to fight against racial prejudice. The Irish were treated horribly, the Poles, Japanese, Chinese and so on. And of course, there was the importation of Africans who did not migrate here willingly but were captured and brought here against their will. Each time the disfavored group was eventually accepted but they were replaced by another. Unfortunately, the church is sometimes the slowest group to accept integration of others. Women are still considered as subordinate actors in some congregations today, even in the face of this story and many others in the telling of Jesus’ earthly experience.

What Jesus did at the well that day was unheard of. It was against all church doctrine and wisdom. Had the Pharisees witnessed it they would have come apart at the seams. To engage with a lowly woman was bad enough but a Samaritan as well. That was heretical. Of course some people say we are all going to hell because we allow women to preach in our churches and some of us allow every type of person in our doors.

This Samaritan woman was responsible for the salvation of the men of her town because she ran back to town and preached Jesus. The men came out to him at the well and many believed. The first thing that happens when a person accepts Jesus into their hearts is a softening of the heart and outflowing generosity, so these men invited Jesus to come stay in their town. Incredibly Jesus accepted and he stayed two days. I don’t know if you can appreciate how outlandish this was but it was earth-shattering.

Throughout history there has been layer upon layer of prejudice for one reason or another. No sooner do we rise above one prejudice than we adopt another. It seems that we have a need for a disfavored group upon which we can cast our vitriol, but this is not Jesus’ way. He loved the Samaritans and he loved women. He treated everyone as a child of the Most High. He treated everyone with grace and respect, well, with one obvious exception. He didn’t care for pharisaical church leaders, but then that was only because of their actions. My guess is that he still doesn’t like Pharisees. When we withhold the love of God from any person because of some discriminatory prejudice then we have retreated from grace and when we put others under the judgment of the law we have just judged ourselves. We have condemned ourselves. Jesus gave us one commandment, to love one another as he himself loved us, and he demonstrated his own adherence to the commandment of love in his time on earth.

Grace is meant to be given freely, never to be withheld. The entrance of grace into the earth came at a high cost. To withhold it is to blemish the sacrifice of our dear Lord. Our course is simple; love everyone and let God sort out the sinners from the saints.

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