A recent message by Pastor Shane was incredibly powerful. One of the insights I learned is that when we share Jesus, we are sharing a message of Grace. I hadn’t thought of witnessing in this context. Everything is accomplished in Him. All we need do is believe. Believe in who Jesus was, what He did, and what He continues to do. No additions. Simply our faith. Isn’t that incredible?! To become a child of God… all we need do is – believe.
“Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself [as a sacrifice to atone] for our sins [to save and sanctify us] so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father—to Him be [ascribed all] the glory through the ages of the ages. Amen.” (Galatians 1: 3-5, AMP)
You did see the word ‘rescue’? Our faith rescues us when our faith rests in Him. He is always the source of rescue. Rescue us from???? “… from this present evil age”. But also note that this rescue is ‘in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father’. From the very beginning, there was a will/purpose/plan to rescue us.
So what’s the problem? There are a variety of reasons but I would be tempted to believe that it is because man somehow has trouble accepting that man did nothing to achieve the condition of salvation. This is what gets in the way – what man ‘adds’. Remember the song… “I did it my way”? That sums up our attitude. The irony is that man does add, and it’s critical. What man adds is the his faith. Knowing salvation was beyond the ability to achieve alone because of our sin nature, we seemingly have nothing to bring. But we do. It’s our total reliance on Jesus as our only way. This is always our choice. But it makes ALL the difference.
Another point to remember are the words, God and Father. Too often all we see is the word ‘God’ and feel somewhat intimidated. We shouldn’t because we have been adopted into His family… and this was not of our doing, through Jesus we become adopted into God’s family. When it comes to considering the God of the universe as our Father… now other issues emerge. Seeing God as Father is typically based in our own relationship with our earthly father. Shouldn’t do this. Many of us experience a wonderful relationship with our fathers and for others, it is definitely not positive, not loving. If we apply our earthly examples, we are doing an injustice to both our earthly and, especially, our heavenly Father.
Grace to you and peace, inner calm and spiritual well-being from God is the message we bring to a hurting and lost world. As we bring this message of good news and bless others with this understanding, we are providing a path to a life filled and fruitful. Our message of Grace to others begins the process.
