"O' momentary grace of mortal men,
Which we more hunt for than the grace of God."
~ Shakespeare, Richard III"Grace" - the greatest word in the Christian's vocabulary.
"Grace" contains hints of rejoicing; celebrating over some undeserved gift.
"Grace" should define the church for we are the emissaries and very Body of Christ.
Yet, grace and joy is not what comes to mind as the first images when we think of the modern church; and certainly it isn't what those outside the church think of us within the church either.
When the Church is thought of, if at all, it is thought of as a place of pushing an unreasonable morality on others, not of forgiving grace.The Church has become a place where people go AFTER they have cleaned themselves up a little bit instead of before.
This is totally reversed, just look at the people to whom Jesus ministered the most and you and I would find the people you and I should be reaching out the most.
It doesn't help that many focus on Hell so much that they have forgotten to celebrate our journey toward Heaven.
The Church of Jesus Christ is to be a haven of grace in a world of un-grace.
Grace is, above all other things, the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
How then is it that so many within the Church miss the heart of the Gospel in Grace?
You see, the one thing that the world cannot do to help people is offer grace.
The world or the Government can only supply things to supplement physical needs; nothing more.
I suspect there are more than a few who attend church for this very reason; their hunger for grace is so strong and they know that it cannot be found anywhere else.
They should not be turned away, regardless of sin; nor should they be turned away dissatisfied.
Sadly, the message that many churches preach today of grace and the audience to whom they appeal would have never led to Jesus' crucifixion.
And that is a genuine disgrace to God's grace.
Grace demands nothing from us except that we await it with confidence; upon receipt, we accept it with gratitude - never forgetting from whence we came nor to whom we should be
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| Old-Style, Double Grace |
Grace is Christianity's best gift to the world.
Yet, I am saddened that many within the Body of Christ demonstrate the exact opposite.
For many within the Church who extol a 'ladder-like' approach to spirituality, speaking of the great accomplishments of grace, little is seen.
At times, there are some who may object to great sympathy given towards those who suffer, believing they have made the bed they now lie in.
Some man, 'deserve it for something....' and God might be punishing them.
But this is not what I have found in Scripture nor in life's experiences itself.
What has been called 'Proverbs of Ashes' I have heard; they are similar to the 'encouragement' offered by Job's friends.
Yet, the most strengthening thing about Job's friends is the fact that God tells Job that his friends had not spoken for Him; meaning, they were undeniably wrong.
It is this Ungrace in faith that crushes rather than frees the faithful.
We may encounter this within the local church:
- A woman emotionally and spiritually beaten down because of being ostracized due to an abortion 15 years earlier.- Another woman, mentally abused and ridiculed by her husband and family because of an adulterous relationship.
- A man who is pushed aside by a fellowship of other men because he abused prescription drugs.
And the list can continue into infinity, for the list is quite endless as to how we in the Body of Christ have abused our own grace from God by refusing to extend it to those who need it just as much or more than we do.
In the end, what people need is grace; not an explanation nor a threat of punishment.
Grace and grace alone - it is the bright, shining light of God into a fallen world of dark souls.
Mark Twain once said that people were sometimes, '...good in the worst sense of the world.' Within the church, this is well-known.
People often mean well, but misfire; showing ungrace instead of grace.
As for me, I do struggle to understand the pettiness of Christians today.
There's an old story of two Christians meeting and they begin to compare everything they believe, and they agree on nearly everything.
Bible - KJV Only
Pews or Chairs - Pews
Carpet - Red
Clear or Stained - Glass is stained
10:45 or 11:00 - 10:45 AM
- Could it be that two believers are actually like-minded???
Joy!
But then, when asked of the temperature in the sanctuary, one man is 70 degrees and the other is 68. The first pulls out a sword, thrusts it into the side of the other and shouts, 'Die heretic!'
The lesson is clear - too often the church demonstrates a lack of grace towards all others in the mode of moral superiority.
A moral superiority, which we do not have and have not earned.
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| Knights Templar |
It has been my experience that many who do this within the local church feel guilt for something else; either that, or they've missed the entire message of Jesus Christ, or they simply don't care and are so insecure that they have to make others feel bad about themselves to feel good in their own heart.
Like people who live in a city that have grown accustom to smog filled air, society's normal has crept into the church and has created an atmosphere lacking in grace.
Ernest Hemingway first told the story of a Spanish father and son having a horrible disagreement and falling out.
The son ran away to Madrid, leaving his father's home.
As time passed, the father was very remorseful and decided to take out an ad in Madrid's newspaper, 'El Liberal,' which read:
"Paco, meet me at Hotel Montana, noon Tuesday.
All is Forgiven - Papa."
Paco being a common name in Spain during that era, when the father arrived, there were over 800 men waiting for their fathers to forgive them.
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| Desire or Addiction? |
Yet, there are others for whom romantic love is the closest they will ever get to grace.
As such, they become addicted to the feeling of 'grace' in the form of worldly 'love.'
Have you ever wondered why some men and women go from one relationship to another, in succession, with relatively little time in between them all?
This is why, for romantic love conveys in a way what God's grace shouts from the Heavens and through the Cross - YOU ARE DESIRABLE AND LOVED!
Grace should always come first from God's people; yet, not always in our words, sometimes it comes in greater volumes in the form of people and actions.
But grace is not romantic love, and we should never confuse the two.
Yet, I will be the first to admit that Grace and Love are two things that can make the world tilt on its axis - but God's grace must be seen as always greater than man's love.
Our love is limited; God's grace knows no bounds.
Love sometimes comes with a price; Grace does not - that's why it is called grace.
Grace comes free of charge to people who do not deserve it.
And I am one of those who does not deserve it - and happy to be so, for I know the boundless love of God through His infinite grace.
And I hope that you can say the same in your life; if so, you and I sing the wonderful tune of grace only Christ can provide.
Until next time, win one for the good guys.
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