Grace Cultures

The Place of Grace

Greet the people - welcome them to our online service

Explain why no Physical Service

Lets believe God for some awesome sunshine - August 29th for our Worship in The Park event

Well this month I wanted to revist- The Place of Grace

Its purpose its vision - I have been working in this text on Tuesday’s Foundations - Looking at Church Structures (Particularly the Ministry of Helps - encourage people to listen/watch those teachings)

1 Corinthians (Chapter 12)

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

God sets - appoints - fixes in place - deposits in place the church - ecclesia (called out assembly - univeral and local)

Where you go to church - where you become a member of, a partner of, a particpant of should have nothing to do with you BUT Obedience!

He is the one who sets and appoints - I think the Scripture is clear on that!

Also the Body belongs to Him - The Church belongs to Him - He is the head of the church and therefore He infuses its CHARACTER - He sets its VISION - He Ordains its Structure - and then looks for people that He can set within What He has ordained

And so I wanted again to revisit why we exists, and the culture of Grace that God has ordained as our character, the way the Grace of God will undergird, embed and sustain the vision

WHEN GOD CHANGES A NAME - THE NAME THAT HE GIVES YOU CARRIES WITH IT THE POTENTIAL AND THE CAPACITY TO BECOME WHAT HE HAS DECREED!

The Place of Grace - if GOD HAS SET YOU HERE PHYSICALLY OR EVEN VIRTUALLY YOU HAVE BEEN TETHERED TO GRACE

You have been joined to GRACE! And all that IT IS - AND ALL THAT IT DOES!

Remember the Apostle came to that conclusion when He IS ALL HE IS - and ALL THAT HE HAD DONE - was by the GRACE OF GOD!

Hi transformation and ALL his accomplishments - BY GRACE!

1 Corinthians 15.9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

I worked in and I laboured by the GRACE - sometimes we work in the flesh and get disappointed about the results - GET BACK TO THE PLACE OF GRACE!

WE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAS RECEIVED HIS GRACE, THAT LIVE BY HIS GRACE AND THAT DISPLAYS HIS GRACE TO A WORLD THAT NEEDS HIS GRACE

This is one of our creedal confessions

There are aspects of GRACE that we did not even know was happening - COMMON GRACE the theologians called it

It rains on the righteous and the wicked

Common grace includes all undeserved blessings that natural man receives from the hand of God: rain, sun, prosperity, health, happiness, natural capacities and gifts, sin being restrained from complete dominion

BUT THIS CHARIS that our salvation hinges on - MUST BE RECIEVED BY FAITH!

Receive by faith SAVING GRACE OF GOD

Receive by Grace the MANIFOLD GRACE OF GOD

1 Peter 4. (Chapter 4)

10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Its something thats received - its something that we absolutely need to understand and have an experiential working relationship with the MANIFOLD grace of God - MANY SIDED/OF VARIOUS KINDS - DIVERSE

The Grace of GOD IS SOMETHING SO MAGNIFICENT, SO substantial, sweeping, so comprehensive.. THATS WHY ITS SUFFICIENT…dont let that one go over your HEAD

ITS ALL SUFFICIENT - What ever you are going through, whatever you are facing - in your life, in your relationships, in your money…whatever trial or test---GODS grace is sufficient to see you through ----because its DIVERSE ---AND WE HAVE CALLED TO STEWARD THAT GRACE! and be Good stewards at THAT!!

So WE have been tethered to Grace

Bound to grace - someone type that - I am bound to the diverse grace of GOD!

So Now lets refresh ourselves with our 4 GRACE CULTURES

At the PLACE OF GRACE WE EXIST FOR THESE THINGS

1. WE ARE GRACED TO EMBRACE THE SINNER

ONE THING IS CLEAR IN SCRIPTURE – NO MAN COULD HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD – RECEIVE SALVATION FROM GOD WITHOUT GRACE – PAUL UNDERSTOOD THAT HIS CONVERSION HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS ACTIONS, WITH HIS WORKS

SO HE WRITES TO THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS- Epesians 2.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

GRACE LITERALLY FOUND US WHILE WE WHERE YET DEAD IN OUR SINS

DON’T BE UNGRACEFUL – TO THE WEAK, TO THE POOR, TO THE UNPOPULAR – EVERYBODY NEEDS GRACE, EVERY BODY NEEDED GRACE!!

HYPER EVANGELICAL CULTURE — THEY HATE THE WEAK…THEY HATE FRAILTY…BROKENESS.. (Charlie Kirk)

THE BIGGEST RECEIPENT OF THAT GRACE IN THE LIFETIME OF A CHURCH IS NOT THOSE THAT DON’T KNOW JESUS BUT THOSE THAT KNOW HIM AND MESS UP, THOSE THAT KNOW HIM AND FALL

WE ARE GRACED TO EMBRACE THE SINNER – GRACED TO EMBRACE THE BROKEN – WORLD BROKEN AND CHURCH BROKEN

WE said that at the Place of Grace, Shame comes to die....Shame produces to many actors and hypocrites - Shame keeps and pushes people away!

We are not called to push people away - freeze people OUT - And i know it’s something we have to fight in this culture ---because honestly people are annoying--- we want to protect our peace ----BUT SOMEONE HAS TO LOVE THE UNLOVABLE, THE FORGOTTEN, THE ARROGANT AND PRIDEFUL---Someone has to reach where GRACE FOUND US!!

Its not a natural thing - There’s a grace to it! There is a grace to embrace what you would normally push away!

2. WE ARE GRACED TO BREAK THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION”

NEIGHBOUR HERE AT THE PLACE OF GRACE – WE ARE GRACED TO BREAK THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION

WE are NOT a religious church!

What do I mean when we say that?

THE BARRIERS AND LIMITATIONS THAT MEN IMPOSE THAT KEEP PEOPLE AWAY FROM A VITAL THRIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!

USELESS AND LIMITING TRADITIONS THAT KEEP PEOPLE AWAY FROM JESUS

THERE IS SOMETHING IN MAN AT TIMES THAT WHEN HE HAS WALKED WITH JESUS FOR A WHILE AND BUILT UP PREFERENCES ABOUT HOW I LIKE TO WALK WITH JESUS …. THESE ARE TRADITIONS

These traditons are expressed through religion and become almost binding

Religion is when TRADITIONS BECOME HOLY!

Like your suit is not holy, your hat is not holy…that music style is not holy, that preaching style is not holy

There is no righteousness ATTACHED TO A TRADITION - NO SAVING POWER ATTACHED TO A GARMENT, TO A STYLE OR DENOMINATION PREFERENCE

ANd when we make it so…guarantee that at some point what traditions we have exalted as holy will become a stumbling block to someone that cant meet the demand of that thing!

Matthew 19:13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

NO, NO…THIS IS OUR JESUS AND THERE IS A CERTAIN WAY THAT OUR JESUS LIKES THINGS….THEY REBUKED THOSE CHILDREN

VERY INTERESTING WORD USED FOR REBUKE - ONE DEFINITION MEANS TO “RAISE THE PRICE”

THIS IS WHAT MANY LEADERS, DISCIPLES, CHURCHES HAVE BEEN DOING – RAISING THE PRICE - ON WHAT IS REQUIRED TO COME TO HIM – TO RECEIVE HIS POWERFUL HANDS LAID UPON –

“TO TAX WITH FAULT” – ARE YOU ADDING TAX TO THE THINGS OF GOD!

Imposing our preferences

One of the worst things about spirit of the religion is that when it exists - it absolutely quenches and exstinguishes the Spirit of God and it nullifies the Word of God!

Religions quenches the Spirit of God and nullifies the Word of GOD

Mark (Chapter 7)

13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

TRADITION NULLIFIES THE POWER OF GODS WORD

AND THEN ALSO IF THE SPIRIT DESIRES TO MOVE IN A PARTICULAR WAY - THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION SAYS NO...

We dont want that new wine - we dont want the Holy Spirit to do anything different than what we have known!

Thats why God has such a hard time at times when He desires to change a culture of an assembley ---WE COULD EVEN MAKE IT PERSONAL -WHEN HE WANTS TO CHANGE US…WE HOLD ON TO WHAT WAS AT THE RISK OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT IS TO COME AND WHAT COULD BE!

Well there is a grace HERE to break the spirit of religion but it doesnt come easy - because its compels constant reformation --- As Much as God is a foundational GOD, He is stabilty personified--- there is so much of Him that we have to GROW INTO — And if we stop and stagnate — THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION WILL TAKE HOLD and we camp out where GOD Has already moved from!!

Thats REFORMERS BURDERN AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD IN THE SEASON THEY ARE TRYING TO REFORM--- They are often an irritation to religious sensibilties....yet there is a place of them here!!

WE are NOT A RELIGIOUS CHURCH

Somone called me this year and told ne that they are leaving because they JUST WANT TO GO TO A NORMAL CHURCH --- Any church fine and we have found a nice one near US!

God bless you and go with GRACE - BUT YES YOU ARE RIGHT ---WE ARE NOT NORMAL - BECAUSE GRACE IS NOT NORMAL---Grace confuses the pharisee, grace confuses the experienced elder, Grace discombobulates the religious order...Grace bamboozles the ENEMY!!

AND WE ARE THE PLACE OF GRACE!

WILL YOU ALLOW GOD TO MOVE YOU ALONG INTO HIS UNKNOWN - BECAUSE YOUR KNOWN and YOUR NORMAL HAS BECOME A RELIGIOUS PRISON!

FREE US LORD — THERE IS A GRACE FOR FREEDOM - AND WE ARE A BEACON OF LIGHT TO THOSE THAT HAVE FELT THE PAIN OF RELIGIOUS PRISONS AND PHARASIACAL SYSTEMS --- Young women that have been judged for their bodies, divorcees that have been seen as usesless - elders that have been cast aside because they have passed their use by date, youngers that have been held back because of their youthfulness

THE LORD SAYS THEY ARE COMING, THEY ARE SEARCHING - AND WE WILL BE A BALM AND A HEALING TO THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN HURT BY RELIGION....ARE SET IN THIS! ....THERE IS A GRACE TO THIS

Lets pray!