Wasted Grace

“¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went back to Galilee. ¹³ He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee, in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali. ¹⁴ Jesus did this to bring about what the prophet Isaiah had said:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali
    along the sea,beyond the Jordan River.

This is Galilee where the non-Jewish people live.

¹⁶ These people who live in darkness
    will see a great light.

They live in a place covered with the shadows of death,
    but a light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:1–2)

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Change your hearts and lives, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew4:12-17 NCV)

What does Jesus mean when he says “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (KJV)?”

There are two extremely important theological tenets in Jesus statement in verse 17, neither of which point to the Gospel Message of Salvation that modern Christians seem to grasp onto as the only purpose for a relationship in Christ.  Yes, Salvation – the promise of eternal life based on the gift of grace given by God and represented in the death of Jesus on a cross through our faith – is the major message of the entire Bible.  God desires deeply to save us from an eternity of separation from his love.

However, there is another, equally important component to the Gospel message – Sanctification.  A relationship with the Christ (the spirit of God) should result in a change of hearts and lives.  In these verses, Jesus calls us to change our lives.  In fact, in the chapters that follow in Matthew (Matt 5-7), Jesus climbs a mountain in the region of Galilee and teaches the gathering crowd what a changed life looks like.  The characteristics and virtues he discusses are not to be “holy goals” where we choose a virtue here and there to maintain and fall short on the others. They are in total, depictions of what it means to live a life in Christ. 

“Change your life” is a commandment that can only be achieved by opening our hearts to the living Christ and allowing Him to lead, teach, help, guide, and inspire us to become the Holy Children of God we were created to be.  If Sanctification, becoming Christ-like, is not happening in our life then the purpose of our Salvation, the purpose of God’s blessing of grace, is lost and wasted. 

What is God’s purpose for Sanctification? Is it simply to make us better people; giggly and worry free?  No. It is really not about us at all.  It is about the Kingdom of Heaven.

When Jesus states “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” he is not referring to a Revelation-type promise where someday he will return from the heavens on a white horse with sword in hand reigning down judgment on all but a chosen few.  He is saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is here, now.  There is “Kingdom” work to be done every day in our lives and in the lives of the people to whom we come in contact.  He is saying that through our changed hearts and lives we can and will make a difference in the world.  That we can heal the sick; relieve suffering of the poor; be merciful to the weak and less fortunate; provide comfort to those who grieve; give food and drink to those who hunger and thirst; work for justice and peace in our communities; and fight against the evils of persecution, injustice, bullying, abuse, prejudice, and hatred everywhere we go.  The “Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” and we each play a role in what His kingdom becomes. 

In the incessant debate between Conservative and Liberal Christians what seems to be lost is the idea of Wholeness as it pertains to the Gospel message.  Conservatives tend to believe the Liberal message to be too liberal, focusing too much on loving, accepting and helping everyone, regardless of their beliefs or value systems.  On the other hand, Liberals tend to believe that Conservatives are too moralistic and harsh with too strong of a focus on Salvation, Sin, and the Judgment of God.

Is it possible that both are wrong about their differences?  Is it possible that in God’s kingdom the entire Gospel message, both Salvation and Sanctification are important?  If we choose to focus on only one component of the Gospel message are we wasting God’s Grace?  

In his letter to the Corinthians Paul seemed to indicate that divisions in our beliefs where we pick and choose what is important are wrong:

“I beg you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree with each other and not be split into groups. I beg that you be completely joined together by having the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10 - NCV)

If we, as a group, were to study the Sermon on the Mount a little more fully and rejoice a little more loudly at the gift of Salvation Christ represents, carrying both messages into the world around us, could the Kingdom of Heaven truly become “at hand?” Can we become a great light to those living in the darkness instead of a diverse collection of bickering believers with a clouded and unloving message?

Qualified to Write

“When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.

^8-10 And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

^11-13 All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!” (Ephesians 3:7-12 - MSG)

Do you ever feel disqualified to talk about God with others?

I certainly do.  Who am I to presume that my words, written or spoken, will have any real impact in the world?  Who am I to suggest that God is the inspiration behind these words or that He agrees with my beliefs or opinions?  When you compare my oratory efforts, my teaching and my written word, to the world of wise theologians that live among us or the army of saints that have gone before us, why would anyone want to listen or spend time with my thoughts?

And yet, though I am certainly no Paul, it seems we share lowly self-estimations.  “And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head.”  That is true.  But isn’t it as true with any human living on this side of Heaven?  Do any of us truly have a claim on Truth?  Wouldn’t you agree that the wisest of the wise have acquired but a thimbleful of wisdom compared to the ocean of knowledge radiating by and from God?

So if not me – who?

Like Paul, “my task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God has been doing…,” as I perceive it.  To share the experiences, inspirations, ideas, vision, snapshots, and glimpses of God that we encounter each day is the task that each of us has been handed.  We are all called to spread the Good News.  We are instructed to talk about Christ with others – everyone. We are inspired to share our stories of how God is involved in our lives.  We are to demonstrate how the Spirit of God, living within us, has changed our hearts and lives.

“When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.”

Free to love one another.

Free to teach one another.

Free to pray for one another.

Free to serve one another.

Free to be Christ for one another.

Perhaps, as you read the writings of modern theologians, you have become somewhat jaded.  Perhaps you consider them (us) to be simply a chorus of “other” voices, unsure of their origin or source.  Perhaps you find yourself listening to a different truth – disagreeing of what you hear from the Left –  or maybe the Right.

It is my belief, however, that we can all be voices for God.  God is definitely large enough to encompass and exceed all our beliefs. I believe that with each missive about God, no matter how narrow it may seem it, in some way, reveals a very small, yet, accurate image of God for us to see.  To me, while scanning the Internet to find blogs, or published books, or Facebook postings, or tweets, or Pin-It, or whatever the latest medium happens to be, I find God at work. God inspires writers, poets and songwriters today as much as he ever did. Hearing, reading, and writing about God is Holy work.

Nearly every time I turn to the Bible I find verses that pop off the page with truth that strikes to the heart of who I am and what I’m doing. It is an incredible experience.  Sharing those experiences with others is not only a dutiful response to God’s calling, it is a drive from within that cannot be squelched. And as I give in to the squelchlessness I find myself equipped to write or say those things God wants said.

I pray that from this writing, you too can “Be Proud!”