Key Principle #24: Grace

Key Word Study: GRACE

Acts 15:1-11

     Between the two key words of Division and Unity (key words 22 and 25), there are two other key words: Humility (key word 23) and this key word study of Grace.

     What do we mean by grace? In Acts 15:11, we see the word “grace” as is most commonly thought of as far as theological terms go and that is our saving grace. “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they,” Peter boldly proclaimed to those who were wanting to put the yoke and bondage of legalism on the new Gentile believers.

     When we talk about the church, we should definitely address Grace as a key word, as it has several different applications to the word. We’ve already discussed earlier about salvational grace and that is what is being addressed in verse 11. But have your really paid much attention to the way that Paul starts off almost every epistle he sent?

     “Grace to You and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

     Has a little familiar ring to it, doesn’t it? It’s because in every letter, every epistle we have recorded from the hands of Paul, we have this same formula of an impartation of a blessing. Every letter? Yep. Look it up if you want to, I’ll be here when you come back.

     Okay, maybe not the book of Hebrews, but many people do not necessarily ascribe that epistle to Paul. But you have to admit, when you look up Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2;  Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; and Philemon 1:3, that does seem to be pretty consistent, doesn’t it?

     Okay, okay, now in 1st and 2nd Timothy and in Titus, what we commonly call the pastoral epistles, we see a slight variation with the inclusion of the word “mercy.” Maybe he knew that pastors especially needed a little more inclusion of mercy, I know I do. But still, grace and peace are there.

     Now for the record, Peter also imparts grace and peace in a slightly different form in 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2 and so does the Apostle John in 2 John 1:3, and again in Rev. 1:4.

     So, you may ask, now just what is so amazing about grace? (If you didn’t ask it, Philip Yancey must have). Besides the fact that Amazing Grace is perhaps the most universally known hymn, it would be good to define what grace is.

     Grace has at its very core the word which is frequently described as “unmerited favor.” Even more simply it is “undeserved blessing.” It has been explained with the acrostic “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” (Did you notice the little acrostic there? No, I didn’t invent that, unless you’ve never seen that before, in which case, every time you use that acrostic, I want you to say, “copyright: Tim McKeown,” or at least post that on your Facebook or Twitter page and attribute it to me. I did say it first at least to you.)

     But aside from that, how does the Bible explain grace? 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” In that passage, like Acts 15:11, grace is that unmerited favor which saves us. But what about when Paul and Peter and John were all wishing “grace” on those to whom they are writing? Weren’t they writing to churches which hopefully were already saved? Of course. So let’s look more deeply in how the Bible also uses the word grace in other ways than salvation and saving grace.

Types Of Grace:

Saving Grace is initialized at our salvation

Sustaining Grace is realized in our sanctification and

Supreme Grace is finalized at our glorification.

Saving Grace

     First of all, let’s look at saving grace. First, know that it is God who initiates salvation, not us. God is the author of our salvation and thus he is the author of grace. In Ephesians 2: 4-9, we see that grace works in our salvation. It is through grace, God’s gift to us, that salvation begins.

¹ And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,  ² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,  ³ among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

     At risk of sounding like an elementary Sunday School lesson or Basic Christianity 101, we need to say first of all that we are saved not by ourselves, but by God’s blessing, God’s favor, His undeserved kindness and gift to us. As I mentioned earlier, we know the word grace not only from the Bible but from the most beloved hymn ever written, “Amazing Grace”. Let’s read the lines (okay, you can hum the tune too).

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

That sav’d a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev’d;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

     Grace in Greek is charis. That’s right, the same word used in the word charismatic. It’s also used in the word charm. It literally means gift or gifted. Those who have some inbred charisma are naturally gifted and people are naturally drawn to them.

     So why would the Apostle Paul in every letter impart a blessing of grace to those who are the church, to those who are already believers? I believe it is in part because Paul wants to convey saving grace to those who in the church may not yet be saved.

     But even more, I think it is because within the vastness and the limitlessness and the infinite grace of God, there is more than simply salvation and a gift of eternal life in the word we call grace.

     You see, God’s grace, His riches, His blessings do not end at the Sinner’s prayer, oh no. That’s just the beginning. His Amazing Grace does not cease or even diminish once salvation is imparted. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense is not culminated at our regeneration. Grace is initialized at our salvation, but it is also realized   in our sanctification.

Sustaining Grace

     It is in our daily walk with Christ after salvation, that we see the need, the necessity, the absolute centrality of God’s unmerited favor and undeserved blessing. And not just in our daily walk, but every hour, every minute, every second, we are kept, we are sustained and we are in need of and are the recipients of God’s sustaining GRACE.

     Now where in the Bible do we see God’s sustaining grace? Virtually on every page and not just in the New Testament but from the beginning do we see God’s favor upon His people. For this study, let’s look at a few passages.

     In Acts 14:26, we see this gem of a verse: “From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.” It wasn’t salvation that was commended to Paul and the missionaries, but His sustaining grace, His presence and power which enabled them to do the work.

     Let’s look somewhere else for God’s sustaining grace. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

It is God’s Saving Grace that raises us

from the mire of sin and shame,

It is God Sustaining Grace that restrains us

from returning to that from whence we came.

It is God’s Saving Grace that He bestows upon us

without cost, requirement or price

It is God’s Sustaining Grace that beckons us

to labor in love for our merciful Christ.

It is God’s Saving Grace that grants us faith

to have the promise to walk in heaven above

And it is God’s Sustaining Grace that gives us cause

to spread on earth His Saving Grace, Peace and Love.

     God’s grace was not just to save you from the penalty of sin, grace is also freely given so that we can be delivered from the very power of sin. Paul says if you see anything good in me, it is not I who do it but it is God’s grace which makes me who I am. His grace wasn’t a one-time shot, nor was it in vain but his grace compels me to labor all the harder, all the more abundantly for He not only saved me, He sustains me. To underscore the power of grace versus the power of sin, Paul concludes chapter 15 to the Corinthians with this great word in verse , “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

     For one more example of God’s sustaining grace, look at Acts 20:32, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

     Look at what not only grace does to the believer but what the word of His grace does. The word of grace builds us up (sustaining grace) and gives us an inheritance (supreme grace). Some people say that we are saved by grace but we are kept saved by our works. Just think about that for a moment and you will see how ridiculous that is. Why would God save us by grace if He did not intent to keep us saved by His grace. It would be like a child receiving a gift at Christmas and the giver saying, “Now, son, this here toy is a gift and it is yours because I gave it to you. But now, if you want to play with it, or if you want to keep it, you are going to have to pay me for it each and every day.”

     “Now wait a minute,” some may say, “My phone company gave me a gift of a I-phone, and it was free, but in order to use it, I have to pay a monthly charge.” If that is the case, that phone is not free, nor is it a gift, it is a shrewd motivation that hooks you into a contract of paying for that phone through monthly installments. Manufacturers of “free” and low cost printers do the same thing and then recover the cost of the gift by sticking you with super expensive printer cartridges. Buy one, get one free, is not “free” and neither is it truly a free salvation if you receive it by grace but keep salvation by works.

     When Peter explained to the others in Acts 15 that those who received salvation by grace did not have to put on themselves the yoke of legalism and works that they could not bear, he was addressing the issue of circumcision. It was “no small dissension” among them and I should say so. We have people in our church who won’t join because they won’t get baptized by immersion—I cannot imagine how many men we would lose if we put the yoke of circumcision on them, let alone keeping the other elements of the law.

     Grace doesn’t bind us to the law, grace builds us up in liberty from sin. If it weren’t for grace, we could not keep ourselves saved. We would not grow in respect to our salvation. I always want to know from people who believe saving grace is free, but sustaining grace is somehow merited or kept by works and could actually be lost, what make them think that supreme grace is eternal and everlasting. As Acts 20:32 says, we who are being sanctified by the word of grace also have an inheritance of eternal life by grace.

Supreme Grace

     If saving grace keeps us from the penalty of sin and sustaining grace keeps us from the power of sin, supreme grace keeps us from the presence of sin. It is the finalization of our salvation. Supreme grace is the ultimate in our three parts of salvation, also seen as justification (saving grace), sanctification (sustaining grace) and glorification (supreme grace).

     Years ago, I dreamed I went to heaven (no, I am not going to break into a song thanking you for giving to the Lord and no, I am not going to write a best-selling book about my dream) and in that dream I wanted to see if I was really in heaven. So I tried to do something that you are not supposed to be able to do in heaven: I made myself have a bad thought. In my dream, I was disappointed that I could still sin in heaven. I actually woke up very glad that I had not actually gone to heaven because if we could sin in heaven, heaven would not be heaven.

     Speaking of the gates of heaven, John wrote in Revelation 21:27 that “there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.”

     Eternal life is God’s gift to us. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death, but the gift (charisma) of God is eternal life.” It is in this context of Acts 15:11 which Peter puts our salvation in the future result of God’s grace, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”

     This concept of three aspects of grace is seen in Jesus’ words as well. We are in the world and yet not of the world (John 17:11, 16). Also in John 5:24, Jesus describes the three aspects of salvation as having “passed from death to life” (past tense), “has everlasting life” (present tense), and “shall not come into judgment” (future tense).

     A particularly difficult passage in the book of Revelation (shocking I know to think that some parts of Revelation would be hard to understand) is Revelation 22:11. Here, the angel who is explaining things to John is telling of the final state of the unrighteous and the righteous, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Radio commentator J. Vernon McGee said this verse is perhaps the scariest verse of all of the book of Revelation for those who are condemned. But I also see it as perhaps the most reassuring verse for those of us who are going to experience God’s supreme grace. In eternity, we are going to grow and increase in our righteousness and holiness.

     The fallen angels lost their place in heaven and could never regain it. They are reserved for judgment (Jude 6). Fallen humanity who receive salvation will gain the holiness of heaven by God’s grace and we shall never lose it. Peter who spoke in Acts 15 about our inheritance must have truly longed for this supreme aspect of grace, because he again spoke about being heirs together of the grace of life in 1 Peter 3:7. He spoke of “the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” in 1 Peter 1:13. And he concludes his letter with this great and blessed hope, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

     There are no better words than these to conclude this study on the key word of grace to the church!

The Story Daily Devotionals: What is that to you? You follow Me!

The Story Daily Devotionals: What is that to you? You follow Me!: Today is the day before Easter, the last day of my devotionals from the Chronological Gospels leading up to Easter...

The Story Daily Devotionals: A parallax view of Resurrection Sunday

If you think you know the story of the Resurrection, answer this: Did Mary Magdalene go by herself or with other women? Before sunrise while it was still dark or after the sun had risen? How many angels were at the tomb? Were they inside or outside? Who saw Jesus first?
The Story Daily Devotionals: A parallax view of Resurrection Sunday: Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter 3/29/2013

The Story Daily Devotionals: Were You There?

The Story Daily Devotionals: Were You There?: Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter 3/27/2013      

The Story Daily Devotionals: The High Priestly Prayer of John 17

The Story Daily Devotionals: The High Priestly Prayer of John 17: Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter 3/25/2013 (Click on link below for readings and a devotional) John 15:20-J...

What Is Your Life Need?

Key Principle #11: conversion (part 1)  

Acts 9:1-30

 

     The first part of Acts 9 details the conversion of Saul to Christianity. Most conversions are not so stark and dramatic as his, but all have the same result. Whether you were saved at a young age or as an adult or somewhere in between, the same need or needs that led you to Christ will be similar to others who need salvation. A good way to prepare your testimony is to remember the major need in your life which led you to be saved. Then share how Christ met those needs of your life.

Basic Life Needs

Before Christ:

What was the need in your life that you had which led you to the realization that you needed salvation? The following are some common Life Needs that lead to salvation:  

         “Fear of death” They say that there is no assurances in life except for death and taxes. I have never met anyone whose taxes actually led them to Christ, I have known many who have said that a fear of death has brought them to Christ. Death is an unknown and Christ spoke more of eternal life than he did even of the term "heaven." As a result, many can say that their life need for coming to Christ was a fear of death.

         “Assured of heaven” While this is similar, longing for an assurance of heaven is another life need that may lead a person to Christ. Many know that their loved ones who have passed on are in heaven, but they themselves are not quite sure of what it takes to go to heaven. Many evangelism programs actually have the question "Do you know for sure if you were to die, that you would go to heaven?" or some question like it.

         “Lack of purpose” Some people have come to a point of asking “What is the point of life.” Their life  need is that they need a life need. A purpose of living is found in Christ, giving believers a significance in that they know that God created them and can come and live inside them to help them fulfill their reasons for existence.

         “Direction in life”  Others need some type of direction. Perhaps they have experienced loss, a divorce, a sickness and have somehow lost their way. Christ offers direction from perhaps a hard or meaningless life. Repentance is a key word in the life of a person who comes to Christ for this reason, as it means “to turn around and head the opposite direction.

         “Need for love” Abandonment issues is a very strong need in the lives of some people. Perhaps they have felt alone, misunderstood, not worthy of love, or rejected. The very verse of John 3:16 or Romans 5:8 can be a powerful influence in such a person’s life. Knowing that God loved us enough to give send us His Son, and that God demonstrated His love for us even while we were still sinners means that He has a selfless love for us.

          “Need for forgiveness” If you have done terrible things, you may have an overwhelming sense of guilt. In reality, all of us have sinned so badly that we deserve eternal separation from the holiness of God. As a result, it may be a horrible sin or any number of sins that would trigger a person’s life need of forgiveness and restoration to a holy God.

         “Godly example”  I wish that was everyone’s testimony: that they had seen another Christian whose very lifestyle and testimony was what drew another person into faith in Christ. “Whatever they have is what I want” is the testimony of those who come to Christ for this life. Developing a personal testimony including a life need and how Christ met that life need is a great way to lead another person to Christ.

       You may have another life need that drew you to Christ or it may be some combination or variation of one of the above needs. Write down what your life need was that led you to Christ as Savior.

Life Needs Met

After Christ:  

After you have identified what your "Life Need" was that led you to Christ, write down how Christ has met those needs of your life. More than likely the same needs that led you to Christ will be similar to those with whom you share about salvation. Prepare your testimony so that you will share how Christ met your needs. (We will flesh this portion of your testimony out in part 2).

 

Pray this prayer to God: “I confess Father that Jesus is the only way for me to be saved. Help me to not be ashamed of my testimony and that I be a witness to others by saying, ‘Here am I, Lord.’ In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.”

    

Incarnational Evangelism

Key Principle #10 : incarnational evangelism

Acts Chapter 8

In the Old and New Testament, the Jews were guilty of limiting God to the confines of the holy temple. The early church was guilty of keeping the good news of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem. As a result, God used the persecution of the church to allow the gospel to be evangelized to Judea and Samaria. God in His sovereignty can use evil to result in good.

Read the passage below and list the three locations where Philip went telling of the good news in the blanks that follow.

Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ⁶And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did…²⁶Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert…³⁹Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

In the previous key principle, we discussed the benefits of conversational evangelism over confrontational evangelism, although there are times when we must be confrontational. This key principle pictures incarnational evangelism, that is evangelism that is lived out in the flesh before people.  It is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi the quote, "Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use words." That's the point of incarnational evangelism.

The Jews were extremely prejudiced against the Samaritans. What do verses 4-8 say about racial prejudices?

Luke also points out several times that both men and women were evangelized and baptized (verse 12, Acts 5:14) and also persecuted (Acts 8:3, 9:12, 22:4)

Read 8:14-24. Evangelism is everyone’s responsibility, not just the apostles then and not just for the clergy today. However, in this passage, God showed unity and order. At this time, not a single book of the New Testament was yet written. The Holy Spirit did not fall on the Samaritans so that they would recognize the need of leadership from the Apostles. We now know that the Holy Spirit comes to the believers at the moment of salvation and receiving of Christ by faith (See Acts 19:2, Romans 8:9-11).

In order to evangelize more effectively, ask God to make you sensitive to his promptings and that you will obey His leadership like the missionary Philip did (verses 26-40).

Read verse 35. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.” How important is it for you to be prepared in the Bible?

Very important___Moderately important___Mildly important___Not very important ___

In verse 39, we see that the eunuch never saw Philip again. As you think about all of God’s characteristics and qualities, list at least five more attributes about God in addition to the first one below that give us assurance that He can use the small seeds that we plant, even if we don’t see them grow to fruition.

 

Conversational or confrontational evangelism

Key Principle #9 : Confrontation

Acts Chapter 7

In Stephen’s defense of Christianity, he used a number of Old Testament references. While sometimes theologians can allegorize the Old Testament a little too much, the Bible actually does say that the Old Testament prophets, stories and events are for our examples (1 Cor. 10:6-16). As such, the following Old Tesatment character were much like missionaries. As you read these passages, ask yourself, "How were these like missionaries?"

Abraham ? (verses 2-8)

²”The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’’”

Joseph? (verses 9-16)    

⁹”And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him.

Moses? (verses 22-44)  

²⁹Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.

Missionaries will confront things out of their comfort zones when they leave their home turf. It forces them to rely on God rather than their familiarity with their surroundings. 

Stephen was falsely accused of two things:

1) Speaking blasphemous things in regards to the temple and

2) Seeking to abolish the law. 

In reality, verse 48 indicates that the Jewish leaders were the ones guilty of blaspheming by turning the temple into an idol. Secondly, it was the Jewish leaders who were not keeping the law.  If you face confrontation and false accusations against you, pay sharp attention to whether those who are accusing you are actually revealing some of their own faults.

A caution about being too confrontational: Both Peter and Stephen used sharp and harsh confrontational evangelism in their witnessing to the Jewish leaders (read verse 51-53).

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ⁵³who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen could have used more tact in confronting the rulers. Read what years of being too controversial and too confrontational taught the Apostle Paul:

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Col. 4:6)

“Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers” (1 Tim. 5:1);  

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” (Eph. 4:15)

Do you think there are times when sharp, confrontational evangelism is needed? If so, there likely will be sharp consequences, hopefully not the degree that there was with Stephen! Generally, a soft answer turns away wrath (Proverbs

Old dogs and wineskins

A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels  2/26/2013

Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:33-39; John 5:1-47; Matthew 12:1-21

     Have you ever tried to put new wine into old wineskins? Probably not. Sewed any new cloths on to old garments lately? Well maybe our quilting ladies have but then again they would be too smart for that.

Old dog new tricks was a line used in the latest James
Bond movie, but he was actually a new dog
using old tricks, like the Aston Martin DB5

     How about trying to teach an old dog new tricks? That would probably still be a no, but at least that is a little more something we hear and understand and relate to.

     Today’s reading is a lot about the Sabbath and the legalistic approach to it. But today’s devotional has to deal with change. Few except maybe the babies in the nursery like change. How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? Hey, what do you mean change?

     I don’t care for change and I like traditions. But when times change, we need to know how to take the timeless truths of God’s Word and apply them to the ever changing times. But we need to be careful and Jesus said if we try to change something in the wrong way, it may ruin both.

     More than the Sabbath, however, Jesus was addressing the question of fasting and why His disciples didn’t. Whether it is fasting or legalism or any of the new issues that have popped up and into the church, we need to ask ourselves a very important question: is what we want to do a new wine that we are trying to put into an old wineskin.

     I don’t think Jesus is saying there’s anything wrong (or necessarily right) with the old or that there's anything wrong (or necessarily right) with the new. There’s just a right time and a right place and a right way for change.

     So which one are you? If you or your ways are the new wine, are you trying to force it into a wineskin that cannot handle it? If so, Jesus said you are heading for trouble. Are you or your ways the old wineskin and are you seeing that things are just not the way they used to be? If so, and new things are coming, Jesus said get ready for a burst, a rip or a tear.

     Change? It’s inevitable. No matter how much we may long for the ways of old, we need to see what benefits and good things come with the ways of new.

Pray: Thank you Jesus that with your arrival, we are no longer under the law but under grace. This world is in desperate need of a change, and perhaps nothing but Your glorious return could ever usher in the change that needs to happen. Until then, grant us the grace to adapt and grow to our ever changing circumstances.

For more on today's reading from John 5, go to Do You Want to Be Made Whole and Past, Present, and Future

My one foot perimeter

 

A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels  2/25/2013

 

Matthew 6:9-34; Matthew 7; Mark1:40-45; Luke 5:1-11; Mark 2:1-12

    Today’s headlines can be troubling. In years passed, there were problems in the world that we hoped one day we would be able to come out of them. A world war (or two)? It will soon be over. A Great Depression?  We’ll work it out. Nuclear annihilation? Duck and cover. The social change of the 60s? All you need is love. Inflation and malaise of the 70s? Ronald Reagan is coming.

     Maybe those issues were just as troubling at the time as ours are today and maybe even more so. The threat of nuclear war in the atomic age had everyone nervous. But today’s troubles don’t seem to have a solution on the horizon. Does anyone think that the radical terrorists are going to someday grow up and go back to their lives? Do you think that our government is going to wake up soon and say, “Gee, I think it’s high time to pay off our debts.” Are you nervous about sequestration, cutbacks, climate change, deficits, immorality, hatred of Christianity, media bias?

     Or maybe you are going through a personal crisis. Do you feel your life is so out of control that no solution, no miracle, no victory is in your future? Has your sin finally caught up with you and found you out? Does the word “terminal” permeate your doctor visit?

     Matthew 6:24-34 has a solution for all those things: do not worry.

     “Do not worry? Jesus are you serious?”

    You better believe He is serious. You see, the command of “Do not worry” is predicated on prayer (Matt. 6:9ff), a heavenly perspective (6:19ff), and an unswerving focus on God (6:24), followed by a sober reminder that our concentration should be on the things we can change within a foot perimeter of our body (Matthew 7:1ff)

     When a leper came to Jesus (Mark 1:40ff), he said “if you are willing, you can cleanse me.” I give you full permission to turn to page 330 in your copy of The Story (TNIV) and mark through where it says, “Jesus was indignant.” If that jars you as it did me when I read it, you might want to do what I did and look it up in the Greek. Go to blueletter.org and type in Mark 1:41 and you won’t find another translation anywhere which says Jesus was indignant to the leper. My NKJV says “Jesus was moved with compassion.” Those infamous “bowels of compassion” was the first century’s equivalency of what we call “the heart” today.

     My point is not Bible translation, but rather “When you cannot see God’s hand, trust His heart.” I have friends who get rather lathered up about politics, but seriously, if we cannot change that one foot perimeter, what can we do about our nation and world?

     So what do we do? Give up? Resign ourselves to the inevitable? Hunker down for the storm and enjoy the ride? Not at all. We do what Peter did in Luke 5:5. We let down our nets at the Master’s bidding. We do what the friends of the man stricken with palsy did in Capernaum in Mark 2:4. We tear off a roof.

     What does that mean? It means we pray the Serenity Prayer.

Pray: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.  Amen.

The Story, chapter 23

The Story, Chapter 23. Jesus’ Ministry Begins

Read the following as part of the readings from the Story, Chapter 23

Matthew 3:1-2, 4-6, 13-17; 4:1-11;
John 1:19-51; 2:1-11; 3:1-18, 4:4-30, 39-43;
Mark 1:21-45, 2:1-17, 3:1-6;
Matthew 4:23-25;
Mark 3:9-19;
Luke 8:1-3;
Matthew 11:2-14

     Good services today, as there were decisions in every service, including Children's Church (BLAST). As heard today, Jesus is not just a good man or even a prophet, but rather the Son of God and the Son of Man. Today we read about the beginning of Jesus' Ministry from The Story.

     The reading, which prepares us for the teaching and preaching next week, ranges from John the Baptist, the baptism and the temptation of Jesus, and the calling of the first disciples. We also see Jesus' first miracle of turning the water into wine, the conversation with Nicodemus, including the famous John 3:16, some of His miracles and the casting of John into prison.

     While it is hard to single out one overall lesson from this week's reading, as you read and share with your family, a good question to raise is "which of these stories is most important to you? Why?"

     Whatever the answer you may choose, it is likely because somehow, Jesus' story, though 2,000 years ago in another country and culture, somehow, it relates to us all. Temptation, sickness, weddings, questions, doubts, wonder, even demons and imprisonment, all gives us areas of relation to Christ.

Pray: Jesus, Anointed One, thank you for humbling yourself to my level to meet my needs, most of all my need of salvation. Walk 

Are you blest or bless-sed?

A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels Leading to Easter  2/23/2013
(Click on link below for readings.) 

Luke 5:25-30; Mark 1:23-39; Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-8

     When people ask me how am I doing, I often say, “I am blessed” as in “blest.” I do not say, “I am bless-sed.” There is a difference.

     Today we look at the Beatitudes, and we ask, “What does it mean to be blessed?”

     Rather than give a definition, let’s look at Jesus description of those who are blessed. Blessed people are poor in spirit, they mourn, are meek, they hunger and thirst after righteousness, they are merciful, they are pure in heart, they make peace, are persecuted for righteousness' sake, they are reviled and persecuted.

     The bless-sed people are those who have those things as Jesus described, but if you were to merely look at the descriptions, you would not say those people are blessed/blest. Consider Mary the mother of Jesus was bless-sed, so told first by Gabriel, then Elizabeth, then even Mary said generations afterwards would call her bless-sed. Yet look at the heart-ache she endured in seeing her Son die on the cross.

     Luke quotes Jesus as saying that bless-sed people hunger, weep and are hated. In Luke 14:14, Jesus said we are bless-sed when people don’t pay us back with good things when we do good things for them. Matthew 25 says the bless-sed are those who feed the hungry, give to the thirsty, host strangers, give clothes to the needy, visit the sick and those in prison. Those without children are bless-sed as are those who never have seen Jesus but believe.

     Hmm. Just to be on the safe side, I may start saying “I’m fine.”  

Pray: "Dear God, make me a blessing in blessed times and bless-sed times. Let me count those blessings one by one and for those things that are blessings in disguise, let me give thanks to you in all things."