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Some Thoughts To Consider During Lent
Philip Yancey wrote in What’s So Amazing About Grace: “I yearn for the church to become a nourishing culture of that grace.” It is deeply disturbing and profoundly sad that people regularly enter churches and then leave again never finding grace. Too many churches are often known more for their rules or protecting their territorial prerogatives than for being authentic grace-freed followers of Jesus. Others seem to be content to be social worker types without the concept of being sinners who desperately need the grace of God. How many have experienced churches where members believe in God’s grace but are known as ungracious? It’s easy to preach grace, but not extend it - to claim grace and forgiveness for ourselves but not make room for it in others. We need to understand Christ’s heart for His Church. Great Outdoors Church is committed to a grace gospel. No one earns salvation in any way. We’re also committed to grace-oriented lifestyles and relationships. We avoid teaching and practicing legalism – the concept that we are made all the more righteous by setting up and following certain rules and regulations. Our desire is to allow God the Holy Spirit to work in peoples’ lives. It is only by God’s grace that we treat each other as God has treated us: with love, kindness, forgiveness and gentleness. Our church has made the choice to live by God’s grace. What does it really mean when we choose to live by God’s grace? First of all, it means that every person brought into a faith relationship with Christ is chosen of God to be holy (set apart for God’s purposes). We don’t earn our salvation, but if we’re in Christ, God declares it by grace. This is a powerful and motivating personal truth for us because when we discover that God’s grace allows us to become accepted as God’s beloved children, it becomes foundational to how we live. When we know God’s grace is actually working in us, we become free to express grace to others. Religion doesn’t provide it. Following all the rules won’t get us there. Religious people are trying to earn or keep God’s favor. People who know they are given the gift of God’s grace and celebrate that grace. God’s grace runs through our spiritual veins. It has invaded our lives. That means that we have new ways to extend ourselves to others. God has touched us, and we’ll never be the same in the way we interact with one another. What does it look like? We see it emerge in our lives in the form of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another as Christ forgave us (Col. 3:12-13). Michelangelo started forty-four statues but completed only fourteen. In a museum in Italy you can see his thirty unfinished works. There are huge blocks of marble with only a hand or a foot completed. Even though we are not yet fully formed, God’s grace released through us reveals His continuing work in our lives and displays the beauty of His Son.
Pastor Jeff
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