The Grace to Do

The Grace of God is more than unmerited favour. It is also the power to thrive.

We heard last week that the grace which saved us works an astonishing transformation in us - it makes us to be like Jesus, in this world and forever (1 John 4:17). All condemnation is gone for those in Christ Jesus.

But the Christians dependence on God’s Grace does not end there. It is not just the power to be. It is the power to do. All followers of Jesus are called to bear fruit, eternal fruit. It’s not optional. We all carry destiny. But as Jesus told us that without Him, we can do nothing, we need His grace to fulfil that destiny. 

‘But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me’. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)

The Grace Paul loved and relied on fuelled His destiny. He served and pursued his destiny as Peter encouraged us (1 Peter 4:10-11), where grace was released. God wants you to serve where He gives you Grace. This Grace empowers and eases your efforts.  We all have grace to serve in some capacity. And in that service, you will bear fruit.

Our enemy the Devil knows he cannot affect our position. So he gives his energy to try and frustrate our destiny and fruit-bearing, He does this by lying to us, seeking to spread fear, love for material rewards, shame and through many other weapons.

But we are to overcome that, and find real fulfilment and joy in serving in and by His Grace. We will reach the many thousands in this town with the love of God when we believe what His Grace has done for us, and we serve powerfully in the Grace He gives us.

Stop believing that you can’t do anything for God. There is destiny over you. He has qualified you, and He will empower you. All by His Grace. We are Living Grace.

The Grace to Be

The more you contemplate the Grace of our God, the more astounded you become.

It’s His Grace which enables us to be - puts us in a position we absolutely do not deserve to be in. A position we have not and cannot ever earn. It is is free gift to us won through Jesus’ shed blood at Calvary. It is amazing!

A lie many Christians believe is that God is openly or secretly disappointed in them, and when they finally meet Him, everyone will see the real picture. They will be understood for who they really are, and suffer humiliation, rejection and judgement before a holy God.

And, knowing ourselves as we do, this has a ring of truth about it. This viewpoint however undermines the astounding power of His Grace. Jesus not only improved our condition. He miraculously transformed it to the point that the Apostle John was able to say:

‘By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement: because as He is, so also are we in this world’. (1 John 4:17)

Do you understand this? Do you get the enormity of what God did through Jesus? Why do I have confidence that when I meet the judge of all things, it will go well? Because as Jesus is now, this is who I am. In the eyes of the Father, I have been made like Jesus.

If that doesn’t blow my mind, then I need a fresh revelation of Grace. Becuase this is not dependant on me or what I do. But on what He has done (Philippians 3:9). And when will I be like Jesus? When I get to heaven? When I have been through some kind of burning purgatory? No. I am like Jesus IN THIS WORLD!

It’s time to stop believing that you are not good enough for God. Because what you believe determines how you behave. His grace has everything you need to be who God made you to be: His eternal child - accepted, treasured, loved. We are Living Grace.

From Failure, to Reign

Here’s some good news: failure does not have to stop you from reigning in life.

In fact in God, our failures can become testimony fuel, a component of the power that drives your adventure. This is the power of Living Grace.

Peter’s story inspires many of us because of his sheer humanity. He appeared to be an open book, displaying his strengths and weaknesses in equal measure. A man whom God used wonderfully despite battling frailties. This speaks to us all. In his second letter, he makes this wonderful statement:

‘His divine power Hs given us everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of the one who called us by his glory and goodness’. (2 Peter 1:3)

I ponder whether this was not just a statement of sound doctrine from the Apostle. He was sharing his story, his experience, his testimony. He had seen the glory of the one who called him (Matthew 17), and he had experienced the goodness (excellence, virtue) of the one who had redeemed his failures with love and grace.

Peter was singled out by Jesus as not being able to stay awake and pray whilst Jesus battled over his future. He had no defence.  Mark’s Gospel tells us ‘ They did not know what to say to him’. Utter shame! 

Just a few hours later, Peter would endure the horror of denying even knowing the one he loved, and had sworn to stand by, three times. Again, Mark records the depth of sorrow Peter felt: ‘He broke down and wept’.

How do you come back from that? Well, I’m the end, all it took was an encounter with the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Three times Peter denied Jesus. Three times Jesus covered his failures by redeeming and restoring the beleaguered Peter. (John 21:15-17). Each failure is beautifully redeemed by  Jesus, and recycled into Peters testimony of the goodness of God.

Unrepentent failures become weights in our lives, levers which the Devil can use to manipulate and intimidate us. But when we come to God in sorrow and repentance, these failures are transformed into testimony fuel. They become resources to push back the Devil and drive our adventure. They have no power to hold us back. Here, you will always find grace, whether you come once, seven times or 777 times! His grace for you in unending.

I paraphrase Jesus’ words to Peter like this. And these are words Jesus speaks to you as you turn to His love to receive grace and redemption:

 “You’re not forgotten. There’s unfinished business. I’m still thinking of you. You’re not left out. I’ve not written you off. You’re still special to me, and we’re gonna fix this.”

This week, let your failures become fuel that create your testimony of the goodness of God. Then you’ll move on from failure, to Reign!

Going further with Father

There are few more powerful, enabling forces than knowing, without doubt, that you are loved.

This week we celebrated and honoured fathers and the unique, God given role they play in shaping our world. We all need the love of a Father. Jesus needed it too.

Before he set off on His mission, Jesus Christ was baptised by John. As He came up out of the water, He heard these words form His Father:

‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’ Mark 1:11

Jesus set out into the wilderness to be sorely tested by the Devil, with these words ringing in His mind and heart. He was able to go further, empowered by the love of His perfect Father.  Why would these words have brought Jesus such comfort and hope as He faced His destiny?

- He was Accepted - ‘My Son...’: Jesus would be labelled by the world as a product of insanity or the Devil. But, though separated from His Father for the first time in eternity, Jesus was reminded of who He was and who’s He was. He was forever accepted as Son. Some will know the pain of being disowned by their fathers, either explicitly or by insinuation. This should never happen. And your Heavenly Father will never do this if you give Him your heart.

 - He was Adored - ‘whom I love...’: Jesus would come to know hatred, betrayal and rejection in the world. But He always had the love and adoration of His Father. And this too is ours in God, even if we wander. The prodigal son found an adoring father waiting for him when he limped home. Whatever others say or do, God loves you.

 - He was Approved - ‘with you I am well pleased...’: Jesus’s message was disparaged and ridiculed by many, His own creation rejecting Him. But He always knew he would find approval in His Father. His value did not come from the opinions of others. It came from the words of His Father. God does not always approve of what we do. But He always approves of us as a His children. He always values you. What a hope this gives us.

As Fathers, this is what we should aim for with our children. But we often fail. You may not have given this kind of love as a father. You may not have known this kind of love from your father. But you can find Acceptence, Adoration and Approval today form the one Father who does it perfectly. When you know this, if changes you, transforms you, and enables you to go further than you ever thought possible. It is liberating Love!

This week, the love of your Father will propel you and emopwer you to reign in life and be Liviing Grace for your world. Believe it is for you and be transformed.

Reigning in the Storm

To Reign in Life mean’s we are winning when the storm is howling, not just when the sun shines.

When Jesus told his disciples to sale across the Sea of Galilee in Mark 4, He sallied himself and his followers right into the teeth of a furious squall. Surely God should not do this? With Him, shouldn’t we avoid the storms? N’huh! The storm becomes part of His kitbag to shape us for reigning.

Because whether the storm is one of our own making because of our poor choices and disobedience, or it’s a natural storm resulting from our fallen world, or it’s a demonically inspired storm, Jesus has it covered:

‘Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”’ Mark 4:39-40

You can hear my message on this episode at http://livinggrace.org.uk/audio, but here Iet me draw out this important message:

- Let God set the agenda: God knows what you need and what is important. Sometimes the storm seems to distract us from what we see as vital. But God can work through the storm to invest in you now and and your future. Jesus, with his mission to the lost sheep of Israel, suddenly veers off to a mainly Gentile area (you don’t get many pig herds in Jewish areas!). He sails through a storm, lands, delivers a demonised man, steps back in the boat and sails back to his main mission. What was the point?

I don’t exactly know, but I suggest this: when the demons pleaded with Jesus they said ‘ Please don’t send us out of this area’.   Or as other Gospels say, into the Abyss.  This Gerasenes area was their domain, their area of control. It was a stronghold through which they held sway in the region, maybe even with the ability to generate the storm in an attempt to stop the Son of God from coming (Jesus rebuked the storm - literally ‘muzzled’ - in the same way he would rebuke demons and demonically inspired sickness in people). Jesus dethroned this power, then got back in the boat and sailed back to His people (notice, no alarms on this leg of the journey!), where His ministry went up a notch - for example, delivering and healing women for the first time in His ministry.

Sometimes the storms we are in are a result of the enemy kicking off becuase a stronghold is about to come under attach and be destroyed, resulting in you being propelled to a new place of power, joy and effectiveness. We may not even have registered this stronghold as an issue, but God knows. When we see the storm this way, and in the other ways I outlined yesterday, we see how we can reign in life even in the storm. We stop looking at ourselves and begin to look to God, who is King over the storm.

in the end it comes down to trust. Do we trust God? Jesus did. His disciples didn’t. If your storm has dislodged your peace, silenced your worship, inspired disobedience or damaged relationships, then it speaks of a lack of trust. Repent, Realign, and Resume your life of trust in a wonderful, faithful Papa God.

If you’re in a storm today, don’t give up. Let God lead you, seek His Word, and look forward to breakthrough. You won’t only survive, you’ll gain ground. This is what it means to reign in all seasons of life!

The God for all seasons

This week, you are destined to Reign in Life. Not through Life, but IN Life!

This means that whatever state you life is IN right now, God intends you to be winning. You are to Reign over the season, not the season reign over you.

When speaking to God’s rebellious and wayward people, the prophet Isaiah reminded Israel what God wanted to be for them:

‘He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.’ Isaiah 33:6

God wanted them, and wants us to know today, that the basis of reigning is not about the quality of life we are experiencing right now - the season we are in - but the foundation through which we experience life. The times may change - but we can still reign, proving that God has and is everything we need.  This foundation includes all we need for bad seasons and good, if we remmeber that He is our:

- Salvation: Israel looked to Egypt and other nations for rescue. In bad times we can trust solely in others to help us, and in good seasons we can look to ourselves. But ‘He alone is our rock and our salvation’.

- Wisdom: Isreal relied on the false wisdom of people not devoted to God and his ways. In good seasons and bad we can be tempted to follow the wisdom of this world - wisdom which does not conform to His Word - to seek to remedy our situation. But His wisdom is always proved right and if we follow that, we will not fall.

- Knowledge: Israel responded to the ‘facts’ they saw around them, which led them to make bad  decisions. God’s prophets tried to point them to His Word and promises. Whilst we listen and respond to what we are told and see, we ‘mine’ our data primarily form God’s Word. What He says is the most important information we need in any situation. This knowledge is key.

Today, whatever the season looks like for you, you can Reign in it! It does not have to reign over you. With God’s Word, God’s people, and your faith in Him, this week you will reign!

YOU are a Blessing

Good morning and Happy Monday. I thought I’d put my heavy coat away for the winter, but it’s on again this morning. Come on Sunshine!

It can appear that clouds are gathering everywhere we look at the moment! But Diane reminded us yesterday that God has trusted us with power which can bring heaven to earth and transformation, reminding us again that ‘The mouth of the righteous is a well/fountain of life’ (Proverbs 10:11).

Diane led us on the journey she and been on in learning to bless people, situations, neighbourhoods and even cities. This priestly privilege and requirement to bless is with us all.

We can choose to join the chorus of complaints, abuse and accusation we hear around us every day. Or we can choose to bless and speak Heavens view and agenda into and over situations. There is power (life and death) in what and how you speak this week. Choose your words wisely, and dispense blessing and life!

We had a wonderful Family Feast yesterday. Huge thanks to all those who worked hard, brought food and made the occasion such fun. Once more the spread was legendary! We have an amazing family!

Have a wonderful week being Living Grace so you reign in life and reach the many thousands.  Stand strong in faith for Pete, Jayne and His Word over LGC. You are loved...

Dave xx

THE Enlightenment

Isaiah 2:5 ‘Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.’

Good morning Church, how wonderful to join together yesterday to be strengthened and have our faith built up, and more importantly to lift up the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of it all.

He is in light. And we can ‘Walk in the light, as He is in the light...’ Isaiah’s call to Israel to walk in the light of the Lord is pertinent to us as a family just now. They experiencd the darkness of disobedience. We feel the enemies attempts to shroud us in darkness through his attacks and accusations. But light always destroys darkness!

For us right now, walking in the light of the Lord means living in the light of His revealed character and promises. His Word of, has we have been hearing, truth over facts. For us right now, we confront the darkness by:

• Living in the light of God’s goodness: He is not only very good at being very good. He IS actual goodness (Psalm 119:68). He only has good things in store for us, however deep the darkness. We reject any characterisation of God that says otherwise.
• Living in the light of God as healer: All over the world today, God will perform thousands of miracles. This is what He does Exodus 15:26, Matthew 8:16-17). So we come to Him without fear and ask Him to heal and deliver
• Living in the light of God’s forever presence: He will never abandon us or let us go. Never take us so far then drop us. ‘Never will I leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5). You are engraved on the palm of His hand! (Isaiah 49:14-16).
• Living in the light of His complete trustworthiness: We have questions, yes. But we choose to trust completely in Him. He is Lord, not me. We don’t have to understand. Read David’s experience of this in Psalm 56. We just look to Him and trust His goodness, power and presence.

So we walk in the light, as He is in the light, and receive from that light all we need for life and serving God. Then we reign in life, and reach the many thousands in this town. The adventure begins!

Be strong Wonder-Church!!

A copy of yesterday’s message will be available soon at http://livinggrace.org.uk/audio/

A copy of this week’s Spring Declaration can be found at http://livinggrace.org.uk/spring-declarations