Grace and Mercy

My wife and I recently began attending a new church – to be more precise, a “church plant” that is seeking to officially launch sometime at the beginning of next year.  As part of the “launch team” we are encouraged to attend one of the church plant’s Gospel Community Groups – a smaller group that meets twice a month to fellowship, grow in our understanding of the Gospel, and share our life experiences with one another.  These smaller groups have been instrumental in creating “community” amongst the church body and cultivating our growth as Christians.  Currently, we are going through a series called Gospel in Life by Timothy Keller.  Our last lesson focused on generosity towards our neighbor and how God’s grace serves as a catalyst to have mercy on those in need – it was a deeply moving lesson and discussion.  However, two of the scriptures used in the lesson really got me thinking about how God’s grace and mercy towards me should manifest itself not only in my generosity towards others, but also in my unconditional love and forgiveness towards others.  Let’s start off with a brief overview on grace.

I should preface this with the fact that I am not attempting to define the specific theological positions of our church plant – it is not my place to do so, however, I simply wish to outline our beliefs as I understand them.  Our church plant is considered “reformed” in its theology indicating that our beliefs are rooted in the Protestant Reformation which, generally speaking, upholds the absolute authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.  Reformed theology was prominently influenced by French theologian John Calvin and its doctrine on salvation can be summarized by the Five Points of Calvinism, also known as the doctrines of grace.  In a nutshell, the Five Points of Calvinism attempt to explain God’s sovereign grace in relation to our salvation.  Briefly stated, in our completely sinful nature we are unable to choose to follow God and, therefore, God has predestined whom He will save unto His glory based on no merit of our own, has drawn us to believe in Christ through His irresistible grace, has paid the price for our sin and thus secured and assured our salvation.  Completely absent and irrelevant are our own good deeds, morals, character, or any other factor by which we think we may merit salvation – it is all dependent on God’s grace manifested through His mercy.  Seriously consider that for a moment – it is all dependent on God’s grace.  We can take no credit for our salvation.

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells the parable of The Unforgiving Servant.  To paraphrase, in the parable a king is seeking to settle debts with his servants.  One servant owed the king 10,000 talents (1 talent = 20 years’ wages) – an impossible debt to repay.  Since he could not pay, the master ordered as punishment that he be sold with his wife, children, and all that he owned.  After pleading with the king, the king released the servant and forgave him his debt.  Immediately following this, the servant went out and found a fellow servant whom owed him 100 denarii (20 weeks’ wages).  Choking him, the servant demanded that he be repaid, sending his fellow servant to prison until he could do so.  Upon receiving word of this, the king summoned the servant, chastising him because he had been forgiven of his debt, yet had failed to have mercy on his fellow servant.  The king then ordered that the servant be imprisoned until he could repay his debt – which would never occur.  Jesus concludes the parable by stating that “also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

As I considered the meaning of the parable, I was deeply convicted.  The crux of it is this – God in His mercy and grace has forgiven us our great debt and provided atonement in Jesus Christ.  My sin was that impossible debt and God provided payment for it because I could not.  The thought of God’s grace has only begun to permeate my mind and heart and I am just beginning to experience the overwhelming love that is revealed in His mercy.  As this has been revealed to me, I now understand how wrong it is of me to deny someone else that same mercy that I have been shown by God – to deny forgiveness though I have been forgiven and to withhold love although Christ has loved me.  Jesus calls us to forgive our brother from our heart and even to love our enemies showing the mercy our Father has shown us (Luke 6:32-36).  This can only be done by a heart that has been transformed by God through the realization of who we are and what He has done for us.  I am the same sinner that my brother is, no better than he is, and just as guilty as he is.  The study notes in my Bible said it well – “A transformed heart must result in a changed life that offers the same mercy and forgiveness as has been received from God.  Someone who does not grant forgiveness to others shows that his own heart has not experienced God’s forgiveness.”

I pray that God would allow us to experience His forgiveness to the depths of our heart.  I pray that we would forgive those who have wronged us, harmed us, or wished ill will against us.  I pray that we would love our enemies and fellow brothers and sisters, despite any differences between us – that God would renew our minds and transform our hearts.     

If you are in New Braunfels or the surrounding area and are seeking a Gospel-centered church, I invite you to visit Church Plant New Braunfels.  It is a strong community of believers with the mission of advancing the Gospel in our lives and in our city for the fame of Jesus Christ.

The Least of These

The topic of this entry is something I knew I wanted to write about when I started the blog – it was one of the many messages that I felt people, more specifically professed Christians, needed to hear.  However, I knew that this entry would have the serious potential to be received in a manner other than intended and, therefore, I wanted to be very careful in its delivery.  Specifically, because as I clearly stated in the very first post, this blog isn’t about me, it’s about glorifying God – that’s the only thing it’s about.

So let me preface this with a scripture that instantly came to mind when I decided to write this post:

Matthew 6:1-4

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.  Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”.

Whatever good deeds I have done, I have only done so because I have been given the resources, the heart, the motivation, the desire, and the will to do so by God.  If left up to my own carnal instinct, I would solely seek to satisfy myself and ensure my own well-being.  I know this to be a fact because before God came into my life, I had absolutely no interest in caring for the well-being of my earthly brothers and sisters.  Whenever I came into the good fortune of having extra money, I spent it on myself and the things that I desired – it was an opportunity for me to upgrade my lifestyle rather than seek to help others.  I am grateful that God has worked in my life to shape me into a vessel that seeks to carry out His will, but please understand that I am not justified by my good deeds, nor do I merit any praise for them.  If not for God, I would be the same selfish person I’d always been – praise should be given to Him for manifesting Himself in my life, thus revealing His magnificent glory.

That being said, I would like to introduce you to Moises De Jesus Narvaez Sanchez.  Moises is a young child I began sponsoring through Compassion International a little more than 2 years ago.  He lives in Colombia, outside the city of Barranquilla.  In October of this year, he will turn 7 years old.  Moises lives with his mother whom works various jobs to support their family, which includes some extended relatives – his father is not present.  To help care for the family, Moises is responsible for cleaning and running errands.  He enjoys going to the beach and playing soccer. 

In Moises’ community there are approximately 15,000 residents, most of whom work as street vendors and earn roughly $75 per month ($2.53/day).  The typical family lives in a dwelling with a cement floor, brick walls, and a metal roof.  Thankfully, they do have electricity and telephone service; however, they are faced with health issues such as malnutrition, various skin diseases, respiratory infections and diarrhea – due to the region’s lack of clean drinking water and functional sewage systems.  The area is desperately in need of more public schools, employment opportunities, and health services.

Normally, I do not share the good deeds that God, through His Spirit, has given me the chance to do.  To me, they are unique moments that I am able to share between Him, myself, and the person(s) I am able to bless.  It’s like a special little secret between God and I –an opportunity I am most grateful for.  However, I do feel the need to stress that, as Christians, our faith should not simply stop with our belief in God, but it should manifest itself in our lives.  In no way do our good deeds justify us before God – we are justified through our faith in Christ alone, however, our faith should be made clear through our actions and the pursuit of a life that is more Christ-like.  Jesus’ lifestyle shows that He did not come to the Earth to exalt Himself, but rather to serve mankind, even to the point of the ultimate sacrifice (Matthew 20:28).  Therefore, if in calling ourselves Christians, should not our lives display self-sacrifice and generosity towards others so that Christ might be manifested and glorified in us?  I see too many Christians whose faith is simply self-serving – the product of a man-centered theology that promotes the belief that God is here simply to better our lives and lifestyles.

I was able to go on vacation this week with my family, and I am very thankful for that.  I cherished the fellowship and the time spent both with relatives and my wife enjoying God’s beautiful creation.  However, I could not help my mind from wandering repeatedly back to an article I read about the famine in Somolia (news link).  The article states that it is estimated that over 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died in Somolia over the past 90 days due to drought and famine – 29,000 in 90 days!  I can hear friends and family in my mind hypothetically justifying my vacation – “You work hard, you deserve some time off” or “You can’t help everyone”.  What if it was your family that was dying from malnutrition?  Would you rather I took a vacation or would you want me to support relief efforts?  I say this not to guilt you, or myself for that matter, into giving more, but rather in the hope that both you and I would ask God to move within our hearts and shift our focus to the needs of others. 

Matthew 25:34-40 says: Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'  And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'  I pray that in His mercy and grace Christ would compel us to serve those around us, that we may be counted as one of the righteous.  I pray that we may be convicted by the Holy Spirit and we would seek to acquire less for ourselves and open our eyes to the poor and downtrodden that are among us.

I would be most humbled and grateful if this inspires you to support any organization that aims to relieve those in poverty, however, I ask that you would consider supporting one that not only aims to help those in need, but also seeks to proclaim the Gospel.