Tag: grace

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Bible Teaching

Grace that Saves

Stephen Kuntzman | March 2, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Text: Ephesians 2:4-9

(4)  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (5)  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (7)  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9)  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Luke 19:5-6, “(5)  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (6)  And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.”

Grace that Saves[1]

Series Overview – Letters from Prison:

Paul penned Ephesians and Philippians from prison to minister to the church. These two short books contain principles that give you power to live godly, in an ungodly world. 

Grace, Simple Grace[2]

James Wilhoit shared the story of the birth of his second daughter and her battle with jaundice during her early days. For treatment, the doctor prescribed sunlight.

Thinking there was most likely a complex and difficult treatment to cure his newborn, he asked the doctor what could be done.

The doctor patiently explained that jaundice is caused by too much bilirubin [billy-rubin] in a newborn’s red blood cells, and light helps break down the excess bilirubin into waste products the kidneys can eliminate.

The cure really was as simple as sunlight, and all that the parents had to do was just sit their newborn in the sun.

And that’s exactly what they did: they placed her their daughter on a pallet of blankets in her diaper in front of the living room windows that welcomed large amounts of sunlight.

As the day would progress, her attentive and loving parents adjusted her position to keep her in full view of the sun.

As James Wihoit later wrote, “The cure did not depend on her but on her being kept in the light.”

Simple Grace – Grace that Saves

A year and a half earlier, James and his wife were walking through their neighborhood and crossed paths with another couple strolling with their firstborn baby girl.

On the sunny but cool March day, their neighbor’s child lay in a stroller covered by a canopy while snugly wrapped head to toe with only a small portion of her face showing. The other couple explained she had jaundice and according to her doctors should be out in the sun. Yet here she was outdoors, but not in the sunlight.

James now watching his newborn lay on their living room floor in full view of the sun realized:

“So often I come to God only revealing the tiniest patch of skin for his healing light. For me, the clothing that blocks the healing light of Jesus most often is my pride, seen in the form of denial—I deny that I need cleansing.”[3]

The cure does not depend on you, but on you keeping yourself in the light of God’s grace.

Rather than deny and refuse—or worse, try to manufacture—our healing, we can simply receive it.

God’s Grace is Offered to You

God has made His grace available to you even though you “had your conversation [conduct] in times past in the lusts of your flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[4]

Paul was clear, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” but all who come to Jesus in faith and obedience are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”[5]

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”[6]

Free – Undeserved – Unmerited Grace will save you from living a life governed by sin and a servant to satan.

God Grace is Extended to You Because of His Love

Paul told the Ephesians that Jesus has authority over “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,”[7]

There is power in this world that exerts itself over you and draws you into an corrupt state, and while you have no natural power to defeat the devil and sin,

God does.

Because of “his great love wherewith he loved you,” He gives you the undeserved, unearned blessing (simple definition of grace) of His authority and power over the dominion of sin and the devil.

Grace that Saves is Free – Undeserved – Unmerited

God’s Grace Saves You

Because He loves you, He offers to rescue you and redeem you:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”[8]

You may be hopeless and bound, but He offers you hope and freedom.

By yourself you are outmatched and incapable of conquering sin, the kingdom of darkness, and death.

Your religious activities can’t save you, and you don’t earn salvation by your good deeds.

Salvation is not extended to you because of how many hours you have prayed, meals you have fasted, money you have contributed.

Salvation is not achieved because of how many times you’ve read the Bible through, or how often you attend the church services.

These spiritual disciplines are indicators of a transforming disciple, but only God’s grace saves you.

Perhaps you have the mistaken notion that “I must do this particular spiritual activity to get God to love me.”

This type of mentality can turn God’s grace into something to be earned, yet this is entirely opposite of what grace means.

Grace is undeserved, unmerited and unearned.

Grace that Saves is a gift you receive.

It is simple grace, like setting a jaundiced baby in the sunlight so that she can receive the light.

Receive God’s Grace

The way to receive by faith the Grace that Saves is through the principle of humility.

1 Peter 5:5-7, “(5) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  (6)  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  (7)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

There is a link between grace and humility:

  • Humility acknowledges, “I am not perfect.”
  • Humility understands your need for growth and improvement.
  • Humility allows you to accept grace because humility allows you to truly repent.

Zacchaeus Received God’s Grace (Luke 19:1-10)

Luke alone of the Gospel writers records God’s grace extended to “a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich . . . and . . . little of stature” (Luke 19:2–3).

We quickly see how others around him knew him:

  • Zacchaeus most likely “presided over other tax-gatherers, received their collections and transmitted them to the Roman government.”[9]
  • Zacchaeus, a Jew, was not liked by other Jews because he chose to for the Romans.
  • As a publican he was treated as a traitor to his people.
  • Not only that, but it seems he had charged his fellow Jewish citizens extra on their taxes to profit from the surplus. He was getting rich off them.
  • Zacchaeus was not well liked in Jericho.
  • When the people saw that Jesus was going into Zacchaeus’s home, “they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner” (Luke 19:7).
  • Zacchaeus fit the description of an individual walking “according to the course of this world…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”[10]
  • Zacchaeus had risen to the top of the ranks of swindling tax collectors, and he abused his authority by getting rich off the hard-earned money of others.
  • They labeled him, scorned him and rejected him.[11]

Jesus Spent Time with Zacchaeus

The crowd was not wrong in their assessment of Zacchaeus; the earthly labels were certainly true of him, but they were not the truest thing about him.

From a purely physical and tangible perspective, he was indeed a sinner.

Thankfully, God’s view of you is not from an earthly perspective; He sees your truest identity—God created you in His image, for His purpose, by His design.[12]

God’s actions toward you are not motivated by label you or others apply, but by His love.

The crowd responded to Zacchaeus through the lens of earthly labels, leading them to hatred and rejection.

Their view of Zacchaeus kept them from associating with him, accepting him, loving him, and acting in grace toward him.

Jesus chose a different way. He chose to view Zacchaeus from a heavenly perspective.

Jesus graciously invited Zacchaeus into a loving relationship.

Jesus chose to accept him, not reject him.

He chose Grace that Saves motivated by His great love.

When you receive God’s Grace you will cherish your time with Him:

  • Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully into his home.
  • Here was someone who looked beyond his faults and earthly labels to truly see him and he certainly cherished this life altering moment.
  • Put yourself in Zacchaeus’s shoes for a moment:
    • You know what your life is like.
    • Your selfish ambition has produced misguided efforts.
    • You have made decisions you wish you could remake.
    • You long for a change, for healing, for reconciliation, for a chance to make things right.
    • You feel ashamed because you are guilty.
    • And now, walking into your living room, Jesus willingly chooses to look beyond all of that.
    • He accepts you, treats you with kindness, respect, and dignity, and offers you an invitation to repent so He can forgive you.
    • His grace is undeserved, you don’t deserve this, but here He is spending time with you anyway.[13]

Jesus offers you that same grace-filled invitation he offered to Zacchaeus.

He is inviting each of you into a deeper relationship with Him.

Daily He presents you with an invitation to spend time with Him.

He sees you through the lens of love and grace.

He sees your wholeness, despite your brokenness.

Such actions from Him are undeserved and unearned, but here He is inviting us anyway.

That’s Grace that Saves!

How do you respond to Grace? REPENT.

Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to see Jesus, which was an outward demonstration of his willingness to do whatever it took to see Jesus.

Although he was living a life he may not have been proud of, he was willing to lay aside his pride, and humble himself, in a beautiful step toward repentance.[14]

“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).

Zacchaeus’s statement was evidence of deep sorrow and a desire for change in his life and he was choosing to live life with a different attitude and mindset.

This deep inner change led to generosity instead of selfishness and restitution to the people he had wronged. For Zacchaeus, and often for us, true repentance requires restitution. The actions and behaviors that follow our repentance indicate we are now living differently.[15]

After Zach repented Jesus said, “This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham”[16]

Jesus knew he was the chief among the publicans and his exploitation of the poor had made him rich, but he repented and then Jesus identified Zacchaeus as a son of Abraham.

Zacchaeus, and the people watching, were reminded that God sees past your earthly defining labels. They do not define you.

Only God defines you, and He sees you through the lens of His grace.

Grace that Saves

[1]Source: God’s Word for Life. (Lesson 1.1) Series 1: Letters from Prison – By Grace Ye Are Saved.  PPH. 3/2/2025.

[2] Ibid. (James Wilhoit. Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered).

[3] Ibid.

[4] Eph. 2:3. Personalized.

[5] Rom. 3:22-23.

[6] Titus 2:11-14.

[7] Ephesians 1:21.

[8] Ephesians 2:4–5.

[9] Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible. Luke 19:2.

[10] Eph. 2:2-3.

[11] Source: God’s Word for Life. (Lesson 1.1) Series 1: Letters from Prison – By Grace Ye Are Saved.  PPH. 3/2/2025.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Luke 19:9.

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Bible Teaching

The Fisherman’s Delight

Apostolic Life Cathedral | May 14, 2024 | 7 pm

Text: Ezekiel 47:9-10

(9)  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

(10)  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

Matthew 4:18-20

(18)  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

(19)  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

(20)  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

“Ray Blankenship looked out of his window one morning to see a little girl being swept along in a rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his home. He knew that further downstream the ditch disappeared underneath the road and emptied into the main culvert. Nobody could survive that! He raced along the side of the ditch trying to get ahead of the child. Finally, he hurled himself into the water. When he surfaced he was able to grab her. The two tumbled head-over-heels, and then, within three feet of the culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something protruding from the bank – a tree limb! He clung to it desperately while the force of the water kept trying to tear him and the child away. Amazingly by the time the fire department arrived, Ray had pulled her to safety. As both were being treated for shock it was discovered just how much of a hero Ray was: Ray Blankenship couldn’t swim!”[1]

This world is full of lost souls swept along a drainage ditch of sin heading to their eternal demise in the lake of fire.

The church needs people who are willing to hurl themselves selflessly into the raging waters, grab hold of the drowning and bring them safely to shore.

Ray Blankenship didn’t know how to swim and while he was courageous for what he did, it could have very well ended in tragedy for the little girl and himself.

There could have been a double funeral.

I want to talk to you tonight about the Church and our responsibility to Jesus and People.

We need to be soulwinners and soulkeepers.

To make converts and to then make them disciples.

Often, when we speak of soulwinning, discipleship or outreach to today’s Apostolic Church their response is one of panic, fear, timidity.

It’s as if we are asking them to jump into a raging river without and swimming lessons.

As a movement, we are now entering our 3rd, 4th, 5th and sometimes even 6th or 7th generation of the Renewed Apostolic Church.

And while we are reaping in this era of blessing, as we share in the sure mercies of David, we find that this generation of Apostolics are exactly what we have made them.

They are not people of the world.[2]

They have become products of our pulpits.

They are people who have been trained for three or four generations to stay away from the world.

AND, they were faithful and obedient to the teaching of their pastor.

For the most part, neither they, their parents or grandparents have issues with alcohol, illegal drugs, illicit lifestyles, immoral behavior, or immodesty.

They have been trained to have little or no tolerance for sin — and that has often resulted into an intolerance of sinners.

Then we tell them, “Wade out into the middle of a world that practices all these things and somehow find a way to reach them for Jesus.”

People we’ve been unintentionally training you to avoid.

How can they possibly relate to the world, when we have not taught them to love the world as God loves them?

John 3:16-17, “(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

  • The inhabitants of the world:

1 John 2:15-16  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

  • The world system: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life.

Parable of the Fishless Fishermen

By: John M. Drescher

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Year after year these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing.

Continually they searched for new and better definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however; they didn’t fish.

They organized a board to send out fishermen to where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived.

Also the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Expensive training centers were built to teach fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters filled with fish.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. A speaker’s bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded, and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished.

Some also said they wanted to be part of the fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen.

After one stirring meeting on “The Necessity for Fishing,” a young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it.

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fishermen’s General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it’s true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished.

They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men?”

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?

Drescher went on to write:

  • Insulation has turned into isolation.
  • Separation has become segregation.
  • Outreach looks more like inreach.
  •  Preaching the word sounds like preaching to the choir.
  •  Sharing the gospel consists of joining hands with the person across the aisle to give them a word of cheer or encouragement instead of reaching the lost with truth.
  • Our beacon of light has been confined to sanctuary chandeliers rather than placed in lighthouses along the shore. Our worship seeks for applause from the church when it should be looking for its affect on the unchurched.[3]

Fishing trip to Missouri with Dad & Ben.

God, in His love and wisdom has given The Church the same thing He has always given to those who sincerely want to serve and please Him:

  • Mercy = time to repent
  • Grace = space to grow

There is a heaviness in the world today, but there is also an answer to that burden

The burden of the lost.

When was the last time you lost sleep over the lost: the lost in your family, on your job, in the market, or at the park?

To cast off that feeling of heaviness we must learn to do and pursue what it is that brings joy to the Lord:

  • Luke 15:6, “And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
  • Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
  • Luke 15:21-24, “(21) And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  (22)  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:  (23)  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:  (24)  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

When the Church is actively pursuing, as a body, lost sheep, sinners and wayward children, then it will find its fulfillment in the joy of the Lord.

Sometimes joy is observed in the favor of God. The grace of God. But grace isn’t always what you expect it to be.

Sometimes the fisherman has a long day with no fish caught, hooks in fingers, lines get crossed, lures lost, rain pours, and there’s always “the one that got away.” Not every fishing trip is a success.

If grace is simply unmerited favor then explain the experiences that are not favorable (sickness, death, poverty, persecution).

Paul wrote that Grace has with it the element of instruction:

Titus 2:11-14, “(11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The trial of your faith, rejection of those you love, and betrayal of those you trust are working in you God’s Grace and His Divine Love in those weary moments of fishing.

Romans 5:3-5, “(3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  (4)  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  (5)  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

  • Grace and Love work together

2 Peter 1:1-11, Peter spoke of taking on the Divine Nature and it ends in Divine Love (agape):

(1)  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2)  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (5)  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6)  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7)  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8)  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9)  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (10)  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (11)  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When God’s Grace and His Divine Love are active in your life then you experience The Fisherman’s Delight.

It won’t matter how many years you’ve been in the Church, or how many generations of apostolics you have in your family tree.

When you have His Grace and His Divine Love you will not forget where the Lord found you, and that will make you a skilled fisherman.

The Fisherman’s Delight occurs when the Church is actively catching hungry souls and seeing their lives change.

It is a powerful reminder of how lost we really were when Jesus saved us, and that brings joy to our heart.

[1] Story Source: Paul Harvey. (1989). Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

[2] All italicized lettering written by John M. Drescher. https://www.missionmindedfamilies.org/blog/Drescher, or Mark Jordan

[3] End italicized lettering written by John M. Drescher, or Mark Jordan.

Categories
Bible Teaching

So, You Want To Be Like Jesus?

Sermon: So, You Want To Be Like Jesus? (VIDEO:25:00-1:15:48) | Stephen Kuntzman | 7/8/2018 | Apostolic Life Cathedral – Facebook Page (Huntington, WV)

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Consider this...

The Gift

“A gift, to be a gift, has to be accepted. Otherwise it lies like a burden between people.”
–Robert Fisher, The Knight In Rusty Armor

I think that we are too casual in explaining the present of the Holy Ghost. Since it is in fact the Spirit of Christ in us, it is no wonder that He would be grieved by those who would not want Him in them. I think of those in the nominal church world who have the same access to the Holy Ghost as all of us in this age of grace and Holy Ghost outpouring, but who merely put it on a shelf and never unwrap it. The gift then lies unwrapped, unaccepted, and a burden.

My first date occurred at a banquet on February 14th, when I was twelve years old. I gave the young lady a present that night, which she accepted. However, later that evening, as she was preparing to go home, I misunderstood something she said. She wanted to go get her present, but I thought that she was saying something else. Consequently, she thought that I was refusing to let her keep the gift. To this day I think she still has little time for me and that event is a burden between two individuals.

LOL!! What a catastrophe!?!?

God is not like that. He not only gives a gift, but He never takes it back and He always knows exactly what we communicate – even when we don’t know how or what to say.

My grandfather began his journey towards God in the late 1940s. He had such an experience in repentance that he received the joy that the Samaritans had in Acts 8, but he had not received the Holy Ghost. His wife then met some Pentecostals and received the Holy Spirit. Grandpa would get upset with her at night because she spoke in tongues before going to bed at night and insisted that he needed more than what he had. It lay as a burden between them. Finally, Grandpa prayed to God and said that he knew he had all that God had for him, but to make his wife happy, would God let him speak in tongues. Instantly, the presence of God that he’d felt since his repentance left him. This was when he knew that God had more for him – it lay as a burden between him and God. He then cried out in repentance for His pride and God filled him with the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues.

Salvation is a gift that unless received in totality will be forfeit no matter who we are. Paul wrote about receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, which is only accessible through Jesus Christ, who is our portion and free gift through grace (Ro. 5:21). Refusal of this gift, in this particular text, results in the refusal of eternal life.

Paul also wrote of the gift he was given charge of by the churches of Macedonia, who gave it to bless the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 8). I imagine that if this gift had been refused that there would have been ought among these two groups.

Unrequited love is often mentioned in literature and even God Himself is mentioned by some as a jilted lover covering His eyes in grief as His Jewish bride rejects Him and He then turns to the Gentiles for succor. I only know that He wept at their obtuseness and they became a people who had eyes but did not see. This rejection of Jesus still lies as a burden between God and the nation of Israel as a whole, but, praise God, Israel did not stumble to fall. I believe that the burden will be lifted when they look on Him whom they pierced and acknowledge Him as Messiah.

We call it the gift of the Holy Ghost and it is, by one man’s estimation, being received by 35,000 people a day throughout the world. Why wouldn’t people want to receive this phenomenon that Christ has paid for with His blood and made available to all people?

Originally posted on 20 March 2008 on https://thepillarandgroundoftruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/gift.html

Categories
Bible Teaching

Pursuing the Beloved of the Lord

Matthew 5:21-22, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Raca comes from an old Chaldean word meaning “O empty one, that is, thou worthless (as a term of utter vilification).”[1]

In a time of prayer, I heard the Voice of God speaking to me these words:

Raca. I said, “Don’t call that word on anyone’s life. My children are not Raca. My children are not cast away. My children are not forgotten just because they are not present. Pursue the absent as you sow for new.”


I believe that we are being reminded and called to once again go to the loved ones of God, and the Church, who’ve fallen and restore them.

As we plant seed hoping for a new harvest of souls it is important that we not forget those among us who are weaker, or have been injured.  Just as we put up stakes in a tomato patch to strengthen the plant and keep it from falling, or breaking, we also must remember that what may appear to be a falling member is really a fellow planting of the Lord that we who are spiritual need to edify and reinforce.

The safest place in town should be with the saints of Jesus Christ, and the safest place is with the saints of Jesus Christ.  His love compels us to not only fulfill the great commission, but to also make sure that everyone in the body of Christ makes the trip.

We don’t cutoff a leg because it is broken, or pluck out an eye because it has an irritant in it, and we don’t marginalize people who may be weak among us. In fact, it is in our weakness, the weakness of the body, that our strength is realized for “we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1).

It is the will of God that we pursue and then bear the infirmities of the weak as we restore the fallen among us. 

What rights have we to condemn, judge, or to cast aside the children of our Lord, when He came into the world, not to condemn His children in it, but to save them? He has provided Himself a ransom for many. He has shown us His mercy, and having believed we walk in grace being patiently taught how to live a sober and godly life.  So, pass those lessons of love on to others who have fallen.

Who among us will strive to not only win a new soul to Jesus, but to also look for our missing brothers and sisters and speak words of love and restoration to them? They’re missing, but not forgotten, and just as the father looked for the return of his beloved younger son, we elder brothers should go with the same fervency and intensity that we put into the work of the field to find and bring our missing home.

Determine today, with me, that you will pursue the beloved of the Lord.

[1] According to Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries (Entry # G4469)

Originally posted on 1 March 2011 on http://thepillarandgroundoftruth.blogspot.com/2011/02/pursuing-beloved-of-lord.html

Categories
Bible Teaching

The Potter’s Work of Grace

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 7/19/2022, 7:00 PM

Text: Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

The Potter’s Work of Grace

Jeremiah 18:1-6

(1)  The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

(2)  Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

(3)  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

(4)  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

(5)  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

(6)  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

GRACE is more than just a prayer we say before we eating a meal.

The Grace of God has been understood simply as “unmerited favour,” but such a definition robs the grace of God of its true meaning, purpose, and intent.

Some say that since we live in this “age of grace,” or the “church age,” and that God is not going to judge a believer as strictly as He did in other periods of time, but this flies in the face of many passages in the New Testament that defy such a wrongheaded view.

In our time, Grace, and the “age of grace,” has been relegated to some kind of “get out of jail free” card where the individual can act, do, live and be whatever they’re able get by with as long as they say, “I’m sorry,” somewhere along the way between their birth and their death.

This is not the case.

The notion that God’s grace never comes with judgment is incorrect.

Grace is a teacher, and as all students know, sometimes the best lessons learned came from encounters with discipline, and grace is the discipline God uses to instruct His people.

How many remember the “rod of correction,” the “board of education,” or the dreaded words “go to the principal’s office?”

These, sometimes drastic measures came about, usually, because a student/child would not listen, follow instructions, or behave properly.

So, in order to find a quicker way to get a student to be more, shall we say, “cooperative with the learning process,” various forms of discipline were applied.

Some might say that I am forgetting that God loves us and would not punish us, but that in itself is erroneous.

Let’s take a look at the Word of God:

  • 156 times in the New Testament the word GRACE (charis) is used, it means “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude.”[1]
    • When a child of God is properly educated by grace, the heart of the student has been changed and molded by the Holy Ghost (our counselor, guide, and help) inside of us, and the proof of that divine influence is reflected in how we live our lives. We live a life of grace.
    • When we say that we live a life of grace we are saying, “We live disciplined lives,” because grace is discipline.
    • And just to be sure: DISCIPLINE can also be called “chastisement, reproof, a warning, restraint, correction, doctrine, instruction, or rebuke.”
    • The person that has allowed grace to teach them, influence their heart, and manifest itself their life is going to naturally be filled with gratitude.
  • Titus 2:11-14, “(11)  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
    • I want you to catch that tonight. God’s primary method of instruction for the believer in the New Testament is Grace.
    • Grace is the great teacher of self-denial, and as we submit ourselves to God’s influence we learn how to deny “ungodliness [wickedness] and worldly lusts [desire],” and how to “live soberly” (moderately [balanced] with a sound mind), “righteously, and godly, in this present world.”
    • Why? Because Jesus is coming for us.
  • Lift your arm and with your opposite hand pinch that pink stuff we call skin. If your neighbor won’t give them a gentle pinch tonight and tell them, “You’re fleshy.” Now, tell someone else, “You’re carnal.”
  • There’s nothing wrong with admitting that. In fact, Paul wrote to the church in Rome and said, “I am carnal, sold under sin” (Ro. 7:14).
  • So, being human, we are predisposed to rebellion and sin because of this flesh, even the believer, even the saint of God, sometimes has to be instructed by God through grace in some way other than a pleasant reminder to BE GOOD.
  • In some way other than just a feel good, goosebump, run the aisle, dance all over the church.
  • Your praise
  • There are some who revel in a cheap sort of grace that reveals their selfish desire to receive the benefits of serving God without changing their lifestyle of sin.
  • Then there are others who are simply ignorant of the disciplines that come from grace. So, God, in His love, disciplines the erring member to bring about a positive change in their life.
  • Hebrews 12:5-11, “(5)  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  (6)  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  (7)  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  (8)  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.  (9)  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  (10)  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.  (11)  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
    • If you have felt the chastisement of God, you should rejoice. He loves you. He wants you to live holy, and be ready for His coming.
    • Grace is the discipline of love God uses to teach you.

The Sign of Being Born Again

The Evidence of Being Born Again

Taking on the Divine Nature – the Grace of God: 2 Peter 1:1-11

(1)  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

(2)  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

(3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

(4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

(5)  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

(6)  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

(7)  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

(8)  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(9)  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

(10)  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

(11)  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

No wonder the definition includes the idea of GRATITUDE.

GRACE (charis) is “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude.”[2]

[1] Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. G5485

[2] Ibid.