Tuesday, April 7, 2009

grace gives you space and time to grow

"It is time for us to go into inheritance. The power of God can break strongholds tonight. Don't be passive any moment of your life! Don't give in even for a moment! Conformation without transformation is motivated by guilt and fear of rejection from man or God. If you can get free from fear of man - you are truly free. Transformation is because grace gives you space and time to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ - to renew your mind in a steady sphere of progress." Rob Rufus

I like that... "grace gives you space and time to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ"...its grace that teaches us to grow into all that God has called us to be...God wants you to be you and He wants me to be me...He doesn’t want me to be Jesus, there was only one Jesus, who walked in step with the Spirit...He wants me to be in the likeness, that’s something like Jesus….but how do I get like that you ask...grow in grace, 'cause grace teaches...teaching takes time...you don’t learn something overnight

if you are struggling with something, get your hands on grace teachings, grace mp3's...listen over and over, stew in them, revel in them, marinade in them...and you WILL change...not talking about holiness...I'm talking about doing that which you should do as the Holy Spirit leads and not doing that which you shouldn't do as the Holy Spirit leads and this is what every believer desires!......you will learn that the Holy Spirit LOVES you, He will guide you, you WILL get to know His voice...but stick on grace, don't leave...even if everybody else says your crazy...don't waiver...hang in there...listen to grace!!

Because...
Titus 2:11 says "Grace teaches us to say NO to ungodliness..." grace, grace, grace....

PS...

I once heard a Pastor of a local church say "we don't preach grace or law, we preach Jesus"...
that's a cop out...go and read the New Testament, Paul preached Jesus, of course, but he had much to say about grace and much to say about law...go look in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Titus, Colossians...the list goes on...in almost every book he wrote he speaks on the absolute dichotomy of grace and law...

7 comments:

lydia said...

Love that title line - so comforting!!!

I have to say, Jesus and grace are synonomous!! The more we see of Christ the more we see of our own identity. Jesus is the main deal!! And I think preaching Jesus can be the same as digging deeper into grace!! I don't think it's fair to say it's a cop out to preach Jesus - not at all!! Paul could only preach what he preached because he had a profound encounter with Jesus!!

It's true that we are divine partakers and that God wants us to be who we uniquely are - I just love that!!

Grace and peace to you!!

Craig Glenn said...

hey Lydia, thanks for comment!

The context of me saying it was a "cop out" was because it was coming from a church where the lead pastor and his wife, didn't preach grace...grace as you and i know it now...the gospel of grace, they were quite adamant that there were some theological flaws in my/our interpretation of Pauls letters, you know the classic mix...so when someone who had been fellowshiping with us went and asked them why they don't mention the words "grace" or "law" in their preaching, they said they don't preach "grace" or "law" they preach Jesus...

i understand what you are saying though...it is all about Jesus...as they were saying..but..

one thing i wanted to say to them was then why did Paul even use the word "grace" why not just substitute the Word "Jesus" then for the word "grace", like Titus 2:11 "Jesus" teaches us to say no to ungodliness or its by the "Jesus" of God that you are saved, this not of yourselves that no man can boast or but his "Jesus" to me was not without effect or now i commit you to God and the word of his "Jesus"..anyway you get the picture...the Holy Spirit through Paul used the word grace and the word law..so so should we..

what u think?

lydia said...

Craig,

Thanks for the clarification. I kind of had a feeling there was more to your comment than met the eye!! I totally understand what you mean and totally agree!!
If they don't understand the complete finished work of the cross and all that happened there, such as the part about how we died to the law completely, so we could belong to another, then it's true they are missing out!! Paul said "I preach nothing else, but Christ and him crucified" and he sure did expound on that fully many times, did he not!!
BUT, on the flip side of that, I was thinking about how Bill Johnson says, "Jesus Christ is perfect theology." - It's so true, because if you DO understand what happened at the cross, everything about Jesus and his life is the DEAL, if you know what I mean!!!

Jamie said...

EXCELLENT COMMENTARY!!

We preach Christ: The Person & His Work...that is GRACE!

Thanks for the clarification, guys!

Craig Glenn said...

lydia joy...i know what you mean ;-)
its interesting how Rob wanted to expound on the book of Revelation at the conference but then decided not to. i heard another guy from SA preach on Revelation the same way that rob wants to, talking about the 7 seals etc..that they are what happened in the spiritual realm when Jesus died on the cross...my point is...that even the book Revelation points to Him ie what happened on the cross...that Jesus on the cross IS THE DEAL...the perfect lamb (son of God) dying for our sins...and everything that comes out of that!!!

jul said...

Interesting topic on preaching Jesus vs. law or grace... I see where the cop out is, they want to preach law and grace and call that Jesus. Maddening!

I think if you say you preach grace but don't preach Jesus you're a liar, and if you say you preach Jesus and don't preach grace, still a liar, and worse if you say you preach Jesus and preach law or mixture. Of course many do any of these unintentionally and I'm not into condemning those for what they are doing, but some know what they're doing.

If you are truly preaching Jesus you can't help but preach truth and grace, and the reverse is also true...

Craig Glenn said...

Hey Jul...couldn't have said it better myself!