Grace Still Amazes Me

It's 2017...And for the life of me I cannot figure out why the Grace of God is still considered such a controversial subject. While many of the self proclaimed gatekeepers of orthodoxy (right thinking) would have you think that you need to be careful of a "Hyper Grace Gospel", I'm here to remind you that what you should be looking out for is a hyper sin "gospel" that dominates much of the western world.

What is the hyper sin "gospel"? To put it quite simply, the hyper sin "gospel" puts all of its emphasis on the Fall of Adam rather than the finished work of Christ. Filled with the notion that there is still something that you need to do. Centered upon you, the fallen human, and your need to make something happen. Totally misrepresenting the New Creation that Jesus Inaugurated. Missing out on the abundant life that has been granted to us through the grace of God. That's why I put the word gospel in quotation marks. The word Gospel literally means Good News. I ask you: Which one sounds Good? and Which one sounds like News?
"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people." - Titus 2:11

Somewhere along the way the message changed. What most people consider to be a Hyper Grace teaching is really just a return to the biblical writers. The Apostle Paul, John, Peter, and even Jesus Himself carried and preached a grace that has been lacking in the western world. You can follow this historically as many of our teachings changed after the so called Enlightenment Period. While much of the modern world was advancing the Church was fighting for legitimacy. You may not want to hear this, but what followed was some teaching that became very much man centered. The Gospel itself is God centered. I continue to be amazed at how many people don't even understand the difference between the two covenants. The Old Covenant being an agreement between God and Israel. The New Covenant being an agreement between God and His Son. The emphasis upon grace that is needed in the Church brings the Gospel back to its true center: Jesus Christ.

In describing grace Paul used three Greek words: huper-ballō, huper-perisseuō, and huper-pleonazō. Recognize the common element in these words? It’s the prefix huper or hyper which means exactly what you think it means. God’s grace is over, above, and beyond your wildest expectations.
Romans 5:20 speaks of a Grace that MUCH MORE ABOUNDS
2 Corinthians 9:14, a Grace that EXCEEDS
1 Timothy 1:14, EXCEEDING ABUNDANT Grace
Folks, you can't get much more hyper than that!!! And frankly, I'm glad. Gone is the life of trying to become acceptable to God. Gone is this need to perform, to execute, and to create a holy life. Come is the life that is founded upon the finished work of Christ. A life that learns to be empowered by the grace of God rather than through self effort. These are the days that were spoken of by the prophets. When God writes His Law upon our hearts. Where His Spirit guides and our lives begin to thrive. Salvation itself has become more of an awakening to the reality of the grace of God rather than an event. An entry into the life that the Father has promised. Revealing all that was within His heart already for humanity.

Now I'm not here to tell you what you need to believe. Do I wish to persuade you to give everything up for a life of grace? Absolutely! However, what I would encourage you to do is try it out for yourself. Take God at His word and see what happens in your life. This grace that He has lavished upon each and every one of us is so much greater that we have understood. So much more amazing than what we have previously sung. So much deeper than we have experienced. We are talking about a God whose mercies are new everyday. A Creator who loved His creation so much that He was willing to give of Himself so fully. A Father who desperately yearned for His children to come into the freedom that He had promised. That's why I can honestly say after all of these years, GRACE STILL AMAZES ME!

I pray that you are encouraged, but more importantly I pray that this life will be fully realized in you. That you would not dismiss the grace of God as something that should be carefully monitored. Cautiously considered. But rather that you will fully embrace the EXCEEDING ABUNDANT GRACE that He has given. Your life will never be the same. Each and every day is a new opportunity to experience His grace. Each and every day being conformed more and more into the image of the Son. Realizing and rejoicing in the fullness of life. This is your journey. Enjoy it!

Thoughts About Church

I grew up in a small town in Carroll County VA. We had a Post Office, an Elementary School, 4 Churches, and NO Stoplights. Wouldn't change it for anything. I remember going back and forth between the Baptists and the Disciples of Christ in my early childhood. Eventually settling into the Disciples of Christ for the majority of my teenage years. It was your typical small town church. A gravel driveway that made a horseshoe around the building. Almost everyone parked in the grass, and it seems as though I was related to everyone there. Probably because I was (either through blood or marriage). We shared a Pastor with a church in Mount Airy. The only changes we experienced was doing Sunday School at 10:00am one year and 11:00am the next. Switching the times up to accommodate the other church. We took Communion EVERY Sunday, had our annual Christmas Pageant which would pack out the sanctuary, and only held services one day a week. It was simple. Which is something that I miss about Church. When was the last time it was simple?

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of things that I love about being involved in a more modern Church. I like our Praise and Worship. I like the more casual way of dressing. I like preaching out of the English Standard Version of the Bible. Don't worry, I cut my teeth on the King James and served my time preaching/teaching from the "only authorized" version. I prefer the chairs in our sanctuary over the pews. All of this to say that I don't necessarily want to go backwards, but I do miss the simplicity of it all. Maybe it's because I was a kid that I never heard about the power struggles, or I wasn't as aware of the division that was created over the new Sunday School material. In fact, I was probably oblivious to all of the adult problems. Which leads to this question: Why All the Problems?

Living in rural, small town, America, finding a Church isn't difficult. I probably drive by 10 different ones on my way to Pioneer every Sunday. And for the most part all of them are different denominations. Something that I believe each of us have grown accustomed to experiencing. If you drive just a few minutes down I-81 into Wytheville you can find just about every kind of Church. All the denominations. Just about every flavor under the sun. You want your die hard traditionalists? We've got 'em. Looking for extremely contemporary? Yep, they live here too. That's right ladies and gentlemen, in a county of about 30,000 people we have just about everything you could want. With new ones coming and going all the time. The crazy part in all of this: Some people still drive outside of the county to attend Church. Maybe we don't have everything you could want after all.

There are some problems with rural, small town, America Churches. A problem that could be prevalent within the cities as well. Things that we don't like to talk about very often. Issues that we have been unwilling to address. The kind of stuff that I could write about for hours without every really solving the problem. Because the problem isn't with the Church itself. The problem is with us. Her people. We find some of the most petty things to disagree over. Rarely is it a big theological divide that separates us, although they do take place. But so many of them started out of a felt need to separate. Which bring us to this mindset that seems to be prevalent among the Churches in our area. The belief that we are in competition with one another.

There. I said it. Somebody had to do it. There is an unhealthy competition between Churches. Where we rarely celebrate the growth of one because we believe that it came at the expense of another. Which, being honest, is probably true. We tend to trade members like young boys used to trade baseball cards. Which tends to bolster this attitude of competition. We rarely share in ministry opportunities, we definitely don't cross denominational lines, and we don't fellowship with other pastors. At least not the ones that are different than us. Some of this trickles down among the members. Every now and then you may find someone who openly criticizes that "OTHER" Church, but most of the leaders aren't quite that bold. No...it's just a slight undercurrent that flows underneath it all. Preventing us from seeing the bigger picture that when one Church succeeds we all succeed.

I've talked about some of this before, but I still believe it needs to be addressed. Maybe growing up the way I did allows me to see Church a little bit different. I remember going to Vacation Bible School to two different Churches. I remember seeing all the believers on one level playing field. Sure there were differences but I never saw a reason to disdain one while upholding the other. They all felt like family. Mainly because so many of them were. Mom's side being the Baptist. Dad's side being the Disciples of Christ. I even had an Uncle (my Mom's brother) who attended the Disciples of Christ Church with us because of marriage. I never had issue looking past the label. I never felt like it was wrong for the Baptists to do well even though our Church didn't grow that much. I never saw one as being better than the other, or believed that one group was more righteous or more orthodox. It was what it was. It was people of the same faith gathering at different places worshiping the same God. Of course, as I got older I became aware of the doctrinal differences. I even sided more with Baptists than any others. However, even in my most zealous stages of believing everyone needed to believe just like me, I honored people in both places. They were, and continue to be, my family.

I continue to hear the words of Jesus and feel His heart in the matter: "This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." How incredible would it be to stand before the Lord and know that you did everything in your heart to love one another? How wonderful would it be to be known as one who unifies rather than a divides? How fitting would it be to hear that your kindness towards others, your honor of other believers, and that you love for the brotherhood is what convinced someone towards faith in Christ? I can tell you this: the world sees our competition and it is not impressed. Unity, the one thing that should be named among us, is glaringly absent and they know it. Imagine what would happen if we changed all of that? Imagine the reaction of our communities if they knew that we, the Church, stood together. With one another. Hand in hand, heart in heart. Think it would make a difference?

These are just some of my thoughts. A part of my journey. Maybe it sounds too simple. Maybe it's simplicity that we need.

There Is Always Hope

1 Corinthians 15:19, "And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." NLT

I have often heard this verse from 1 Corinthians quoted in such a way as to assume that this life isn't meant for much. That the best we can do is hope for a future day where there is no pain, no death, no disease, no difficulties. A way of thinking that has permeated the minds of so many within the church. Living for Heaven seems to be the only goal. Focusing solely upon the finality of life upon Earth, and looking forward to a new life in Heaven. While there is this blessed hope within the life of the believer, I don't believe the Apostle Paul was urging a resignation of hope in this life. I think he was simply encouraging the church during a difficult time. Working through some difficult thought processes.

If the Christian only possessed hope in Christ for this life, he/she will be let down. One could simply look at the state of the church in the 1st Century and understand why this would prove problematic. So many of the followers of the Way were persecuted, imprisoned, outcasts, separated from friends and family, and made to feel like strangers in the Earth. Is it any wonder that Paul said if this life was our only hope then we would be the most pitied people on the entire planet. We do have hope for a new day. If this life isn't working out the way you had hoped, then you should be moved to faith. Believing that there is life in the resurrection.

I don't believe this should be an either/or scenario. It is my belief that we should possess hope for both this life and the next. There should be hope for this life. Hope for the Good News of the Gospel to have its perfect work in the world and in our lives. Hope that the love of God will not only change us, but that we would see genuine change within the world. Hope that we do not pray in vain. Hope in the finished work of Christ. Hope in the work of the Holy Spirit among us. Hope that we will see the glory of the Lord fill the Earth. While at the same time there is the undeniable Hope that one day we will be joined with our Creator. Where we will rest in His love for all eternity.

Paul wrote in another letter that we do not mourn as those without hope. I believe that his other writings prove that we do not live without hope either. Love believes all things and Hopes all things. The Christian faith should be filled with hope. Instead, we hear so much negativity. Many of our preachers/teachers have a fatalistic mindset. Rather than looking for the best in humanity, experiencing the best of the faith that we all share, and Hoping for something better; we hear so many espouse the belief that it's only going to get worse before it gets better. And it is this type of thinking that has so many people looking upward and outward rather than doing what they can do to make the world a better place. This blue and green ball that we all live on is a gift from our Creator. It is this Earth that we are meant to rule and reign. To fill with the glory of God. Our Heavenly Father has not resigned the Earth to failure. In fact, I believe that He has so much hope for this Creation. Which is why we see Him doing so much to redeem and restore humanity. His original design for the Earth is still being realized. We may not see it, but the Kingdom of God is among us. It is part of our design to see it to fulfillment.

Paul simply did not want his children (the members of the Body of Christ in Corinth) to put their faith completely in this life. If they did then they would be disappointed. Have we not seen this in the life of believers today? Which is one of the horrible byproducts of Health & Wealth preaching. We don't know how to handle sickness, poverty, or the struggles of daily life. We have come to believe that abundant life in Christ means that everything about life is perfect. That we will never have wants or needs. That life is just one mountain top experience after another. And when those things don't come to fruition then we lose hope in the power of the Gospel. Our faith is then focused solely upon making the situation better rather than experiencing faith as a way of sustaining us during the difficulties of life. If my faith in Jesus was meant to bring about a better life in every situation then I have been considerably let down. This life is not without struggle. It's not without loss. There are millions of things that I do not understand and I cannot explain. However, God is still faithful. Learning to experience Him in these circumstances are vital to the hHpe that we carry. We dare not miss out.

God is a God of Hope. Even in the darkest of times there is a light that shines incredibly bright. The song on your heart. The prayer on your tongue. The trust that wells up inside of you when it doesn't seem possible. We've all been there haven't we? Experiencing something of the Father that tells us not to give up on this life, but reassuring us that even if we never see the full outcome of our faith in this life there is Hope. Remember that Jesus even instructed His disciples that we would face some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable but to never give up Hope. Recalling the words, "I will NEVER leave you NOR forsake you." There may even be times where all we know is His presence or at least the promise of His presence. The point is that we never lose Hope.

If you are looking for permission to resign from this life in the Scriptures then you will be disappointed. It's just not there. What you will find over and over again is a call to faith. An encouragement to remain steadfast. A command to Hope in the most trying times. With the reassurance that there is a resurrection in our future. We may have had to say goodbye to some of those we love. We may have had to watch some of our dreams come crashing to the ground. We may not see everything that we believe we have been promised in this life, but there is always Hope. Always remember that when you read through the list of names in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11 that in the end there is mention of those who were commended for their faith even though they did not receive what was promised. All of them labeled as those of whom the world was not worthy.

The choices are clear:
1) You can have hope in Christ in this life only.
2) You can have hope in Christ in the afterlife only.
3) You can have hope in Christ for both.
I ask you, which seems to be the way of the Spirit? The abundant life of Christ is meant to be experienced in both. Proving time and time again that there is always hope.

Enjoy the journey.

2017 - A New Year

I wanted to take some time to wish each and everyone a Happy New Year. 2017, I believe, is a year of promise and hope.

Be intentional.
As the Proverb states: "A sluggard's appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."

#enjoythejourney