Consider how God's grace, once accepted, entirely renews a person, but it doesn't just do that, it also marks him. I think that if we've truly received God's grace we can't stop Him working in us, bringing us round to His point of view, no matter how long it takes. Once we've tasted heaven we're spoilt for anything else. (Of course, we can resist and resist till the day we die, but that just leaves us apostate.)
As one of my friends heard God say recently:
"How dare you suggest my grace is not sufficient for you!"
And this also means we need to trust God's grace to be at work in other people, our brothers and sisters, who might not be progressing the way we want them to, but that doesn't matter, because our job is to love them and forgive them, and forgive, and forgive, and forgive. Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. We have to remember that it is only when a disciple gives you permission that you can actually train them and expect them to follow your lead as you follow Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who is the comforter, the 'paraklete' in Greek. If I remember rightly this word also means the one who encourages us or gives us a kick up the backside if necessary! No one can get away from the hound of heaven.
Grace also means that we have something to live up to. I learnt that church leaders are redundant if they don't lead their people into finding God's grace. Ultimately, they have no other spiritual purpose. God calls us to find Him and to find Him and to find Him. He gives us a particular job to get on with and we can play at anything else, but we won't find our spiritual life really moving until we join Him in the work he has called us to. We need our God, and if we walk along any other path than that which He has designed for us we find ourselves lost. Once again, it comes down to the fact that grace condemns us to a lifetime of following Jesus.
As a church we find that we continuously break into God's grace by the prophetic word spoken to us and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Spirit gives birth to spirit. We can sense God's grace coming, calling, leading, and we must champion it, communicate it to others, talk it up, pray it up, speak into it and act on it till we prepare our brethren for that move of God. God will continue to break our hearts until we do.
Interesting....
ReplyDelete:-)
I'm condemned...
ReplyDeletewhat good is condemnation? The father of lies loves to condem..to accuse..to bring despair....
ReplyDeleteBut Grace...allows us to be convicted..reminds us of the fathers love..helps us to find our way back..and yes, forgives and forgives and forgives.
There is a difference here between condemnation and being condemned as there is between hurting and being hurt.
ReplyDeleteJust as the cross can hurt us but we are not permitted to hurt others, so grace will condemn us to a certain path but we should not bring condemnation on others.
In this sense we are doomed to receive grace.
There is a whole world of difference between correction and condemation too....trouble is that some people see being corrected as being condemed.
ReplyDelete; ) The TJ
oh, a btw re teaching and learning..you can lead a horse to water but he'll only drink when he choses to
Sorry Tschaka but I think that condemned sounds very negative and being doomed does too. Its not a very inspiring way of putting things.
ReplyDeleteAdrian
Adrian,
ReplyDeleteAs does 'having no choice', 'cutting off the hand', 'losing your life so that you might gain it'. All seem harsh, painful and difficult but they can ultimately lead to a higher path.
Sometimes to most unattractive thing can prove to be the most inspiring.
'Darren D'
There's pathos in using phraseology that at first seems contradictory eg. captured by his love.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm glad there's a desire, if not a somewhat religious one, to champion grace, now let's live it.
i have often said that if something is not painful or tough it is not precious and the grace that is dished out from the throne is only done so because of the cross the p[oint of ultimate pain yet ultimate beauty as well.
ReplyDeletegrace is the puriest beauty that is known to me. and it is the reason that i still walk this earth.God intented that some things were to be kept a mystry and his reason for his coninuied forgiveness to me and his dishing out of grace will always remain a mystry and a place of imense beauty to me
thanks again for making me think
yeah... another amazing entry tschaka- you can express things so clearly. In some ways i feel like i don't know anything about grace, like i'm a million miles away from it, yet i also know deep down that what you wrote is totaly true. I guess it has something to do with it not being tangible.
ReplyDeletei mostly think of grace as a power, i heard someone say that once and find it's true more and more. It is a force which compels us to follow, forgive,weep,worship,die,love on and more. To know grace is awsome. Maybe that is why rejecting it continuously (once it's been known) leads to the fearful consequences of apostacy.To reject or refuse the works of grace that the holy spirit imparts is surely dangerously close to rejecting (grieving) him.
i'm getting a bit carried away with my thoughts...better stop!!! Thanks for making me think though...
Anabaptist,
ReplyDeleteDont stop. Just dont let it run away with you ;0) maybe put a spiritual quota on it, so to speak.
'DarrenDeliberate'
Grace (which we tend to think of as a commodity or at most as a characteristic of God) is very closely connected with the Spirit Himself. The Spirit of Grace. The Gift. Grace is inseparable from God Himself.
ReplyDeleteIn Eastern Orthodox churches, grace has been understood as closely allied to the living power of the Spirit. Western churches have tended to have a more 'forensic' (legal) undertanding of grace and seen it in terms of 'unmerited favour'.
I guess the truth is both/and rather than either/or. But I like what you're feeling your way towards, anabaptist.
As for 'doomed' by grace. Well - it was Augustine who first chapioned this one, followed by Calvin. They called it 'irristible grace'. Which is wonderful when viewed as God's determination to save us. But there is always our choice. And so I think there's always the possibility of resisting grace (or grieving/blaspheming the Spirit.
Mysterious eh? Let the musing continue, folks!
Resisting/abusing grace...thinking of that put me in mind of a book I've read called 'Amazing Grace' can't remember who it's by off hand but found it interesting from may angels
ReplyDeleteWhen you think of grace what do you think?
Do you think this is great that god loves us so much and do you best to uphold your end of things or do you think..god's so much grace that i'll be forgiven whatever and use that as an excuse to do as you please...a sorta,I know I shouldn't but god has the grace and promises to forgive me if I repent...ummmm
; ) The TJ
TJ,
ReplyDeletea great question you raise there
I think the answer to that can simply be answered by asking yourself another question.
Do I desire to reach heaven?
The answer, if honestly given, must give us the direction we need.
'DarrenDeliberate'
PS I like the grammatical error in your entry 'many angles' becoming 'may angel'. I like the idea of a 'may angel', is gives me a mental picture of a fresh vibrant almost summer-glowing angel ;o)
D.D.
ReplyDeleteAngel and Angle are two words I find great difficulty in getting right..with dyslexia some words are just like that,no matter how hard you think you often still end up using the wrong one - Glad you like the idea of a 'may angel' tho.
; ) The TJ
Yeah, i like the phrase 'irresistable grace'. Not so negative is it adrian? it's got a forward motion to it....
ReplyDeletei know people who are resisting grace at the moment- it's painful to watch, to leave them to it. How humbleing to know that even when in some of our vilest resistance, jesus calls, and waits. He doesn't turn his back or condemn.When i look at my own life and see how his merciful grace has hovered over and gently worked in me, i remember how much i truely and deeply love jesus.