Vain grace

Grace can be in vain...now that is a scary thought...

What the gospel is all about!

Christians are now granted a freedom in Christ which was not available to those under the law; we are now to be a people of the Spirit - not of the letter (2 Corinthians 3:3-6).

"It will thus be appreciated that a correct understanding of Justification is intrinsic to the gospel - that is, how God has arranged to justify - or redeem - His people is what the gospel is all about! And yet Justification is the Christian doctrine which is always targeted and perverted by the cults and sects; effectively, they say, 'Yes Jesus is fine but He is not enough' - in this they place a clear separation between their teachings and the teachings of the New Testament!"

...difficult for many to understand...

"All that God does in redeeming, reconciling and justifying man, and in giving him a new life, is of God alone. Man can contribute nothing. It is very difficult for many to understand the truth that salvation from the penalty of sin is the work of God and Him alone, and it is only our faith in Jesus Christ that makes God's work effective. But even though it is very difficult for many to understand grace in salvation, it seems even more difficult for those who are saved to understand that the life that God expects them to live is not of themselves, but by His power, which is also by His grace"

So who wants to be ecumenical ?

"We can live and survive and not rock the boat and the establishment will think we're cute and nice and ecumenical but we will die in our beds with great regret that we did not do something that would leave footprints in the sands of human history and leave a legacy behind."

Rob Rufus

Go too far with grace ?

"Go too far with grace? There’s no way. The fact is that most Christians haven’t gone far enough in their understanding of it. We need an overflow of grace, especially in the modern church. Especially in the lives of Christians today who’ve been ambushed by legalism. As much as we say we don’t want to live under the law, we’re scared to death of the grace of God."

Steve McVey

Grace after grace after grace...

John 1:16
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. NIV

John 1:16
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. NLT

John 1:16
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. NASB


"Grace upon grace suggests again the great truth that, in addition to the fact that our salvation is by grace, we experience God's grace beyond measure year after year during our earthly lives, and its fullest bestowal when, in our resurrected and glorified bodies, we shall be with and like the Lord. Indeed, there is second blessing! But there is third blessing also, and fourth blessing, and hundredth blessing, and thousandth blessing, and grace follows after grace in God's dealing with us. Fresh grace constantly and abundantly flows down to us day by day, and year by year, through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Source of this grace is never failing, and the supply is never ending"

Have you heard "the message" before?

"I have heard the message of “Grace” (as so many are calling it) hundreds of times. But my friend, it doesn't matter how many times you hear this Message, it WILL change your life further. That's because Grace is not a doctrine, nor is it a teaching, it is a Person. The Person FULL of Grace and Truth... Jesus Christ Himself."

James Preston

So, you want to be my father?

1 Corinthians 4:15 "Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel."


Gee, think about that for a second, it’s profound...

Paul didn't say...

...through the church I became your father or
...through the system I became your father or
...through hierarchy I became your father or
...because I am an apostle I am your father or
...through the laying on of hands by other men I became your father or
...because I tell you I am your father I am your father...

No, he says I became your father "through the gospel"...plain and simple.

How many Pastors out there want to be "fathers" but don't have a clue of what the gospel is all about...all they know is system, leadership, perfection, model, business...and by virtue of their position they enforce their "fathership" ... If they are not preaching the gospel but something that essentially is not the gospel, how can they possibly be biblical fathers at all?

No..those "relationships" strain with the slightest of pressure, with the slightest disagreements they break down and reveal what they really are, nothing but suedo- "ties" that do not bind...

When the gospel of grace is preached in its purest form, the natural progression, the fruit is, "fathers" and "sons”…...ties that have the strongest bind...that never break...sincere, full of love...this is what Paul is speaking about when he says…for..."I became your father through the gospel."

C-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-e Jesus, c'mon !!

"The Law can never be defeated; that's why to be under Law is to be under Death! Grace can never be defeated; that's why to be under Grace is to reign in Life! Grace did not really defeat Law in the courtroom of Heaven. Grace met Law's demands, and, since Grace could not meet the demands of Law in us, it met them in Another...it met them in our Substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, through His cross-work on Calvary! (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 1:30)

The trial has already been held! (John 5:24; Romans 8:1) The trial, yours and mine.. .every Believer's, is over! The verdict is in! We believers are free; and never to be tried again! No double jeopardy! We have not just been pardoned, nor even acquitted. We have been justified...declared righteous...given a new and eternal standing before God. All Believers have, as a present possession, a positive righteousness (Romans 5:1-2). The wonderfully shocking news is that God Himself cannot lodge an accusation against us because it is God Himself Who declared us righteous! (Romans 8:33)

Christ Himself cannot condemn us because it is Christ Himself Who died in our place and rose on our behalf (Romans 8:34). Yes, the Law is perfect, but it is "weak through the flesh," and because it is weak through the flesh, there is something it could not do; it made nothing perfect. It is a perfect Law that made nothing perfect! (Hebrews 7:19; 9:9; 10:1) Grace, the once-for-ever death of our Substitute on Calvary, perfects forever those who put their trust in Him! (Hebrews 10:14)"

shoulda, woulda, coulda...

"Grace can neither be earned by your merit nor forfeited by your demerit. If you sometimes feel you deserve an answer to prayer or a particular blessing from God because of your hard work or sacrifice, you are living by works, not by grace. But it is just as true that if you sometimes despair of experiencing God’s blessing because of your demerits—the “oughts” you should have done but didn’t, or the “don’ts” you shouldn’t have done but did — you are also casting aside the grace of God."

THE RIGHT STUFF !!

"The Christians in Galatia had understood Paul’s preaching of salvation by the grace of God alone, but they were now being influenced by teachers who were telling them that they had to maintain their relationship with God by obedience to his laws. Paul doesn’t pull any punches. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.

Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let that person be under God’s curse!” (Galatians1:6-8).

Notice his statement that turning away from trusting in grace to a gospel based on our acceptance by obedience to law is not just a distortion of the gospel. It is “a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.” He also describes it as a desertion from “the one who called you” — deserting God himself. He then calls down a curse on those who teach such things. Obviously, this is a matter of no small importance!"

INTERESTING, DON'T YOU THINK...YOU CAN UNDERSTAND GRACE AND STILL BE INFLUENCED BY LAW PREACHERS...BUT...DON'T BE PARANOID, JUST KEEP YOUR EYES FOCUSED ON THE RIGHT STUFF...

How to know God...

"Second Peter ends with the challenge to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (3:18). I expect that “growing in the grace of Jesus” and getting to know Jesus amount to much the same thing. Growing in our relationship with God and Jesus involves growing in our understanding and experience of their grace."

Yeah baby...GRACE!!

"The gospel is described as “the message of his grace” (Acts 14:3). The Scriptures are “the word of his grace” (Acts 20:32). R. C. H. Lenski, in The Interpretation of The Acts of the Apostles, said, “God and the Word of his grace always go together; God lets his grace flow out through that Word.” Paul describes the spread of the gospel simply as “grace … reaching more and more people” (2 Corinthians 4:15). He speaks of understanding the gospel as understanding God’s grace (Colossians 1:6). As the prophets looked forward to the coming of Christ, his sufferings and glory, they spoke of “the grace that was to come” (1 Peter 1:10)."

"disturbing emotional problems"

"I am convinced that the basic cause of some of the most disturbing emotional and spiritual problems which trouble evangelical Christians is the failure to receive and live out God's unconditional grace and the corresponding failure to offer that grace to others. I encounter this problem in the counseling room more than any other hang-up."

From his book "Healing Grace" by Dr. David Seamands

Repentance misunderstood ...

A prevalent idea is that repentance means someone must first turn from sin and then reform his life as a prerequisite for salvation. Both experience and logic, as well as the Scriptures, show this idea to be false. Not even a mature Christian has turned from all his sins. Who then, when he compares himself with God’s righteousness, can ever feel he is even close to turning from sin? The problem then becomes, How much sin must be turned from? What degree of success in keeping the Ten Commandments is required before God will accept a person? This would result in salvation by works, not grace! But Scripture says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).

This false concept of repentance was also prevalent in the first century. The religious professionals of the day, the Pharisees, accused Christ of associating with tax collectors (known for extortion) and sinners. Of course if the tax collectors first ceased being tax collectors and the sinners first reformed themselves, they would have had no problem with Christ associating with them. Christ replied:

It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:12-13).

It is not that they were actually righteous, but Christ reasoned with them based on their own estimate of themselves. Has anyone ever heard of a sick person first healing himself and then calling for a doctor? Does not the doctor come when the patient is still sick, and it is the doctor who effects the cure? "

I WAS A PASTOR IN A LOCAL CHURCH FOR YEARS AND I STILL DID NOT HAVE THIS RIGHT ! SO SIMPLE, YET I MISSED IT AND WITH THE ERROR BROUGHT BONDAGE TO SO MANY...THANK GOD I HAVE SEEN THE GLORIOUS GRACE OF THE GOSPEL !!!

HOW AWESOME IT IS TO BE LEADING A CHURCH NOW, WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING...SUCH RELEASE!

Truth and Reconciliation

"When we address a doctrinal error that we’ve divided over, we again demand repentance. However, in this case we require those who disagree with us to actually change. Regardless of how pure and innocent their hearts, we declare that they’ve failed to repent until they given up their wicked practice."

What is truth and reconciliation?

Its reconciling AND letting the truth be known...as someone once sung "you cant have one without the other"

ITS COMING !

2010 !!

THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE GRACE-FILLED !! WHAT I MEAN IS, I BELIEVE GOD IS GOING TO OPEN THE EYES OF THOUSANDS AROUND THE WORLD TO HIS AWESOME GOSPEL...PEOPLE WHO HAVE OPPOSED THE MESSAGE WILL BECOME FRONT-RUNNERS...ARMED WITH THE PURE UNADULTERATED GOSPEL WILL DO UNTOLD DAMAGE TO THE KINGDOM OF CRIPPLING CONDEMNATION !!!WHOLE CHURCHES ARE GOING TO TURN AROUND AND BEGIN PREACHING THE TRUTH OF GRACE AS PAUL DID...

WE ARE GOING TO SEE TRUE NEW COVENANT UNITY OUTWORKED...JESUS' WORDS OF THE WORLD KNOWING WE ARE HIS BY OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER WILL BE SEEN BY BELIEVER AND UNBELIEVER ALIKE, LIKE NEVER BEFORE !!!

DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I AM WITH YOU SAYS THE LORD !!!