Leave a Comment

Posted on April 12, 2016

Friday (on Tuesday) Link List | 12th April 2016

by

Every week I’m (trying to) post links to things I’ve read this week that I think you might find interesting too,

…If you read something you think should be featured here submit it here, starting your message LINK LIST SUGGESTION.

What I’ve posted

In other news we have had our last few weeks of summer here in the southern hemisphere, which means seeing live shows outside;

Beatenberg

and Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men w/ @mrsrachelbyrnes | Last concert at #Kirstenbosch for the summer #OMAMSA

A video posted by Liam Byrnes (@byrnesyliam) on

and then some other fun stuff that keeps life fun..

Theology and Christian Life

  • Christ is our life – Living Lord from FirstThings | Leithart

Paul says, Christ is our life. Not, Christ gives us life, or Christ defends our life, or Christ supports our life. No: Christ is our life.

  • The thoughts outlined here – You Are What You Love from FirstThings.com are becoming the defining paradigm change in the last two years in my thoughts on discipleship.

  • A push back to Universalism in Love Wins… Not from Jesus Creed

“Tell me how much you know of the sufferings of your fellowmen and I will tell you how much you have loved them.” – Helmut Thielicke via Empathy from Experimental Theology

  • Last year we spent some time in Istanbul thinking about early church father John Chrysostom who was famed for his ‘Golden-mouth’ preaching – here is what he has to say for an Easter Sermon via SKYE JETHANI

John Chrysostom

‘that terrible river of the wretched and the damned flowing through Europe is my family. And there is no time in the future in which they might be helped. The only time we have is now’.

The result of this religion of rights is that people feel unendingly hard done by. Every disappointment is met with a lawsuit, in the hope of turning material loss to material gain. And whatever happens to us, we ourselves are never at fault. The triumph of sin thereby comes with our failure to perceive it…That is why the psalmist enjoins us to direct our thoughts outwards, in praise and gratitude. ‘O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.’ Once we have made the decision to turn back to the ways of duty, gratitude will flow naturally into us, and – so the psalmist reminds us – gratitude is the precondition of joy. Only those who give thanks are able to rejoice, for only they are conscious that life, freedom and well-being are not rights but gifts. A gift is a reminder that others care for us. The doctrine of human rights is prompting us to forget that truth. And that is what it is leading to a world without joy. For if the good things of life are mine by right, why should I be grateful for receiving them?

Robert Jenson

  • Some thoughts on cultural ism’s making their way into our theology in “What’s for you will not go by you…” from revkennyblog

  • I am always impressed and fascinated at how people compress narrative and thought, none so much as when you can do that for a biblical passage. This is an interesting summary of Philippians in 1,000 Words from Think Theology

  • This somewhat critical review on a book about a possible third way in the complentarian vs. egalitarian gender debate has some helpful moments –Kingdom Challenges to Leadership from Jesus Creed. The writer of the book says that complementarians are focussed on hierarchy and egalitarians on rights, and argues for an alternative vocabulary that might open up the conversation.

  • This is an extraordinary list in its breadth, but also that it is focussing on the much negelect voices of the majority world – read it here – Global Church Missional Reading List Thanks to mbjones for posting this!

  • The Archbishop of Canterbury discovers who his biological father is and Kenny Borthwick reflects on identity in – I am who I am to I AM…. from revkennyblog
    Boko Haram

  • It is not only Christianity that struggles with syncretism, Leithart summarises a book on Boko Haram in this post – Islamic Syncretism from FirstThings.com | Leithart

  • Hell was a hot topic (couldn’t resist) in past years – here is a review of the Eternal Conscious Torment section of “Four Views on Hell” from Jesus Creed

  • The Theology of Thrift Stores from Experimental Theology

Miscellany

Productivity and Habits

  • Apple invented a product recycler and named it after me (kind of) – take a look Inside Liam from Federico Viticci – MacStories

Liam

As we sat there continuing our conversation, at times marked by quiet yet welcoming pauses, I started embracing the message she was trying to convey, about living life more slowly. There’s a peace in the mundane and the silence and the immediacy of the moment that brings about questions I never thought to ask myself, having always been caught up in the hustle and bustle of modern life. I stopped making time to take life more slowly, to see things more clearly, to spend time more casually. I stopped living at the cost of my happiness. Why do I always need to be going somewhere? Why do I always need to be doing something? Why is it that I never slow down every once in a while to enjoy my life?

If you want to receive articles like this once a week to your email sign up here

Leave a Comment

Posted on April 1, 2016

Why Evangelicals LOVE Donald Trump

by

Im almost embarrased to be jumping on the “donald trump” train of conversation here, but it is, as I mentioned last week, a car-crash-type spectacle that no matter how hard you might try you just cannot look away.

The most insightful thing I have heard regarding the reason for his reported evangelical base backing is from Robert Cunningham of Tates Creek Presbyterian;

I think we aren’t giving the convictions of evangelicals enough credit. They know enough to know what Trump is saying and doing is wrong, and yet they are still supporting him.

Why? Because we are never compelled by our ideals like we are by our loves. And when you look at Donald Trump through the shared loves of the evangelical Culture, he starts to make perfect sense.

What politicians and advertisers know that the church has forgotten, is that before we are thinkers we are lovers and desirers. Advertisers then offer us liturgies and practises that form us in deep ways, deeper than our thinking. In short, our affections can catch us before our intellect. Cunningham offers some ways in which the evangelical church practises may have contributed at a pre-cognitive level to the evangelical support of trump;

What happens when the liturgies of our greedy culture train evangelicals to love money and power? What happens when the liturgies of talk radio train evangelicals to love anger and paranoia? What happens when the liturgies of social media train evangelicals to love sensational sound bites more than thoughtful discourse? What happens when the liturgies of modern worship services train evangelicals to love novel, flashy, and glib emotional experiences that feel more like a rally than corporate worship? What happens when the conference culture of the church trains evangelicals to love the big celebrity leader? What happens when preaching that prioritizes relevant, shocking, and brash sermons trains evangelicals to love “tell it like it is” ranting? What happens when the liturgies from the days of the Moral Majority train evangelicals to love America as much as Jesus, which then leads to an incessant longing within churches to “make America great again!”

What happens? Evangelicals in love with Donald Trump happens.

and finally;

…what if the boisterous confidence and the television lights and the waving arms [of donald trump] are precisely what evangelicals have been trained to love? What if they can’t listen because they are enraptured? What if they applaud, not because Trump has given them a speech, but because Trump has given them what they love?

2 Comments

Posted on March 29, 2016

4 Ways forward from Co-dependency

by

In the first part of this post on co-dependency we looked at indicators for co-dependent tendencies including this list here. Make sure to read part one here before reading the rest of this.

Yikes! I ticked a lot of those boxes. Now what?

1. Do Not Panic

Yours is not some unusual struggle, and you are most certainly not alone. Once codependency is realized, the temptation can be to withdraw from relationships. This type of emotional reaction rooted in fear can cause much more damage than good. Fear can easily cause a swing towards a life of independence and isolation, giving the illusion of control. But you are not in control; you are in hiding. Fear prevents intimacy, and intimacy is really what every codependent (and human) heart desires in the first place.

One of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen (who, from his writing I suspect had his own struggle with codependency), said this fittingly:

“Fear is the great enemy of intimacy. Fear does not create a home. It forces us to live alone or in a protective shelter but does not allow us to build an intimate home. Fear conjures either too much distance or too much closeness. Both prevent intimacy from developing.”

2. Take Responsibility

Codependency is not irrevocable. You can experience emotional healing and move on in life in a healthy, more whole way. A fearless dedication to rigorous honesty is the first step toward taking responsibility. Admit to unhealthy relational patterns, and be determined to change. One of the most common traits of codependence is denial. It’s a small word but when lived out, it is seriously destructive and detrimental. Take responsibility now and begin the brave road to emotional and relational health. God is not seeking perfection from you, just a willingness to change.

3. Seek Help & Invite Others

This could be counselors, pastors, close friends, a life coach or mentor, or a combination of the like. Very few codependent patterns can be worked out without the help of others. But be careful of those who simply want to hand hold; this really isn’t helpful. Rather invite people in who are healthy and encourage accountability to change. This combined with prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, our trusted Wise Counselor, will help lead the way to emotional health. Be wary of relying too much on head knowledge, or too much on faith without action. Patterns of behavior derived from emotional wounds rarely disappear from a single time of prayer or from reading books about the topic. There is no quick or easy fix for codependency, just a daily dedication to engage your emotions with honesty and move towards change.

4. Trust the Lord

Some hard questions may have to be asked and some painful realizations made along the way, but to quote a close friend- God is not intimated by our brokenness. Our dark parts are not too much for Him and I promise, He will deal with you kindly. Your heart is in good hands. He is gentle, true, and will give you the kiss of peace your heart desires. Being grounded and rooted in God’s love frees us up to relate to one another from a place of safety and health. And slow but sure, you will see your way of relating to others begin to change. This is the goal of the codependent. Remember, He doesn’t require perfection; He is not even looking at ability, but rather a willingness to change.

Once again, Nouwen give us a beautiful word picture of this type of Godly, faithful loving:

“They have learned that it is impossible to live together as wounded people if they simply depend on each other to provide the intimate home they seek. Our wounds, whether visible or hidden, are too deep for us to offer each other a place totally free from fear. We often put super human demands on each other and when these demands are not met we feel hurt or rejected…Bonds that last cannot be based simply on good, better, or excellent interpersonal relationships but must be rooted outside the many devices and desires of the wounded human heart. Rooted in a bond that existed before and beyond human togetherness, bonds of true intimacy rest in the divine covenant. God alone is free enough from wounds to offer us a fearless space. In and through God we can be faithful to each other in friendship, marriage, and community. This intimate bond with God, constantly nurtured by prayer, offers us a true home.”

What has been your experience with observing unhealthy patterns of loving?
Have you read any material or books concerning codependency you have found to be helpful?

Let us know by leaving a comment below!

Receive weekly articles like this by subscribing for a free weekly email below (you can opt out at anytime)

Leave a Comment

Posted on March 27, 2016

Easter truth from Colossians

by

Col 1:17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place. 18 He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body’s life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things. 19 For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. 20 Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son’s blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.

21 At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. 22 But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence. 23 You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel.

2 Comments

Posted on March 22, 2016

Defining Codependency

by

Do you find yourself constantly considering your own self-worth in light of someone’s perception of you? Do you observe people interacting in ways that seem inappropriately intimate and exclusive?

Both of these examples highlight a tendency towards codependency, a relational style that traps us from truly loving one another.

Codependency Defined

What exactly is codependency? It’s an unhealthy way of not only relating to people, but the world: money, work, church, shopping, social media, etc. But for the sake of this blog, I will stick mainly to talking about codependency as it relates to relationships. I have pulled from several sources and come up with this definition:

Codependency is a style of loving and relating in which one gives in order to receive. It looks like sacrificial love, but in its unhealthy form, it’s motivated by a need for love or a need to be needed, and is ultimately self-serving.

Simply put, when it comes to codependency in relationships, codependents are people addicts.

Healthy loving isn’t a new problem to the human race, but one we have struggled with since the beginning of time. To a certain degree, we are all on the codependent-independent spectrum. Perfect marriages or friendships having no codependent patterns simply don’t exist. A relationship does not need to be completely mutual to be healthy, nor does a person who struggles with codependency need to be perfect in interpersonal skills before they can consider themselves healthy. But, to what extent do we allow the love of others to determine our value as a person? How much do we look to others as a source of strength or to give our lives meaning? This is an important question for everyone.

I would dare to say, people drawn to work such as missions, social work, teaching, parenting, pastoring, counseling, and the medical field are more susceptible to engaging in unhealthy patterns of caring and giving for the wrong reasons. Not always, but its worth having a close look. The need to be needed can be a powerful motivator. In this way, codependency takes the form of not caring for ourselves, all the while trying to care for everyone else.

How do I know?

Here is a list of relational characteristics you can use as a measuring stick to determine the degree of codependency within in a relationship:

  • Do you consistently give, care, and love more than the other person?
  • Do you “tiptoe” around the person for fear of what may be said or felt?
  • Do you have difficulty being honest, direct, and loving in your communication with the person?
  • Do you spend time second-guessing their motives, needs, or actions?
  • Do you cover, lie, excuse, or justify others’ behavior to yourself or someone else?
  • Do you find yourself being regularly critical, blaming, or negative about or toward the person?
  • Do you feel the need to fix the person or to convince the person that you are right and he or she is wrong?
  • Do you constantly feel the need to give in or give up just to keep the peace?
  • Do you have trouble maintaining a steady emotional life when another person goes up or down?
  • Do you worry, obsess, or become tormented about that person or your relationship?

Also very important, here is an extensive list of the different types of traits, roles and characteristics of codependent people. Before moving on, click on the link and see if any of this really hits home.

Don’t miss part two of this series on codependency by subscribing for the free weekly email below (you can opt out at anytime)

Part 2: “4 Ways forward from Co-dependency” which will be posted here (the link won’t work until that one is posted)

Leave a Comment

Posted on March 18, 2016

Friday Link List | 18th March 2016

by

When I first started this blog, I wanted to start practising writing, but I also wanted to point people into the direction of interesting and unusual thinking. For all the ills of the internet age, the ability to listen in on conversations of people of a different nationality, persuasion and opinion is unprecedented. We can learn alot from truly listening to one another, it’s the Jesus skill of a lifetime.

Receive articles like this once a week to your email sign up here

Here are some things I think are worth listening to, mulling over and possibly even integrating into your life and thought this week;

What I’ve written here

The last time I posted a link list was january, so there was plenty posted in the interim right here on the blog;

Theology

  • I was teaching a class on worship last week and Robert Webber was extremely impactful in how I am beginning to think about worship as ‘storied’. You Pick up some of Webber’s insights from this interview with Trevin Wax from 2007.

  • A second book I spent time in preparing for the teaching on worship, was this excellent resource from Chris Hall – Worshipping with the Church Fathers, read a review of that here.

  • Kenny Borthwick was a church leader and national figure in the renewal movement in scotland during the time I lived there who has recently stepped out of his normal role due to health reasons. He has however picked up a daily blogging rhythm which is rich. I was particularly impacted by his reflections on making friends with time, read more of that here;

Are you finding the passing of time difficult? Perhaps you too have all of a sudden found yourself being carried down a way that you did not choose. It is unfamiliar. I hope you will discover treasures and beauties in God, in life, in the world around you, in your fellow human beings and even in yourself that you would never have discovered had you not found yourself travelling by a different way to a place whose shores you have not walked upon before. Give it time, make a friend of time and that can happen. You may find yourself one day telling others what I am telling you, and using the words of Jacob as though they had been written for you: “Truly God is in this place and I did not know it…. This is the gate of heaven.” As I close, I end with a P.S. which perhaps you will take tonight as a spiritual nightcap: I stored it in my head years back, source unknown. Whoever said it, this is what they said: It is good for us to spend time in the waiting room in the doctor’s surgery. It reminds us we are not in charge. Perhaps that may be the biggest blessing that God may bring for you out of what you are going through at this moment: God really is God.

Productivity

  • Lots of time is spent (and potentially wasted) contriving new ways to be productive. Every one is keen to do meaningful work and not just busy work – it seems like Shawn Blanc’s words on Benjamin Franklin’s schedule get this right. Read more here

  • Online education might not be the type of formation we need. These are important realities to consider when education becomes dis-embodied in the ways the internet offers us;

Rather, education is a matter of being helped to become something—taking on the disciplines, virtues, habits and skills of this craft through a relationship with someone who has lived and breathed this craft for a lifetime.

Technology

Music

Stewart Garry a friend of my brother Josiah’s is releasing a new cinematic fingerstyle album, and it looks great. Check out the trailer below;

  • Here are a couple NPR Desk Concerts you might enjoy!

Kronos Quartet

Oliver Mtukudzi

Miscellany

Receive articles like this once a week to your email sign up here

Leave a Comment

Posted on March 17, 2016

St. Patrick’s Day 2016

by

Patrick of Ireland (389 – 461)

At the age of sixteen, Patrick was kidnapped from his home by Irish marauders and taken to Ireland, where he was sold as a slave to a chieftain and forced to herd livestock.

After six years of slavery, Patrick escaped to his native Britain. Because he believed that his captivity and deliverance were ordained by God, Patrick devoted his life to ministry.

While studying for the priesthood, he experienced recurring dreams in which he heard voices say, “O holy youth, come back to Erin and walk once more amongst us.”

He convinced his superiors to let him return to Ireland in 432, not to seek revenge for injustice but to seek reconciliation and to spread his faith.

Over the next thirty years, Patrick established churches and monastic communities across Ireland. When he was not engaged in the work of spreading the Christian faith, Patrick spent his time praying in his favorite places of solitude and retreat

From COMMON PRAYER

This prayer is attributed to Patrick:

Christ be with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Leave a Comment

Posted on March 15, 2016

Training vs. Trying – part two | The key into Spiritual Disciplines

by

Before you read this post, make sure you head back and read part one first here.

Practising the Presence

So what does it look like to train in the kingdom of God. It looks like developing practises, literally practising. Not because we are taking lightly but precisely because we are taking it as important. But again, just like an athlete in practise we learn from our failures and don’t take them overly seriously. We know if we pay attention to them and continue to practise that we will be able to ‘perform’ when the day comes. Again, not because somehow our inherent worth is in question in God’s eyes, but God saves us FOR some thing not just FROM something.

God saves us FOR some thing not just FROM something Share on X

Spiritual disciplines are about opening up space to become aware of God’s activity in our lives so that we will grow in our ability to receive and participate in God’s love and express it to others.

A most helpful and practical way in to practising spiritual disciplines is to consider one at a time. The tempation can be to create a dizzying list of disciplines and treat them like a check list, but practise of disciplines is not the goal, just the vehicle or means for us to be made to look more like Jesus.

Just pick one

So, how do you pick one? Well, I first heard this idea from John Ortberg, we think about the ways and habits in our lives that are hindering our particpation in the Kingdom of God (they are normally referred to as sins).

Those who have been wise in the ways of the inner life with God had traditionally separated these into two broad categories; Sins of Commission, and sins of Omission. Basically put, Things that we DO, and Things that we leave undone.

We are very used to thinking of things we DO that we think God is unhappy about but not so used to thinking about what are leaving undone. But when we think of our lives only in terms of NOT DOING, we create a Kingdom where the goal is simply to NOT DO. But normally the things we ought not to do are misshapen versions of things we ought to do. Re-ordering our desires and habits through the practises of disciplines is how we re-shape those misshapen desires.

So a sin of commission or a ‘doing sin’ would be something like acting out in an outburst of anger. Where a sin of omission or ‘not-doing sin’ would be something like withholding love or encouragement that would building others up.

Working the doing and not-doing muscles

We can apply another sport metaphor here, like weight training; Wherever we struggle with a sin of doing or a sin of not-doing, we can train the opposite muscle; for example –

Anger – Is a ‘DOING’ sin and an issue of self-control. What might help someone NOT DO? Practising a NOT-DOING discipline such as ‘Fasting’.

Gossip – Is a ‘DOING’ sin and an issue of tongue control and conviction. Practising a NOT-DOING discipline such as Silence might train the NOT-DOING muscle.

Withholding affirmation – Is a ‘NOT DOING’ sin and an issue of lacking thankfulness for the contribution and gift of God in others. Practise a DOING discipline such as Encouragement might train the ‘DOING’ muscle.

Pessimism – Is a ‘NOT DOING’ sin and an issue of believing the worst. Practising a DOING discipline like regular acts of celebration will help cultivate true joy.

The discipline of secret service

A while ago I found myself increasingly concerned with how others saw me. Or more clearly what others saw me do. I realised that at least half the time as I was doing something considered religious I was wondering what others thought of me as I did it. I had become far too interested in the opinion of others that it was threatening me hearing my worth from the Words of God. In that time I started a discipline that I called ‘secret service’. Every day I would challenge myself to do something secret with the Lord. Often secrecy is considered a negative thing, but I had decided that I would do something that would bless God, bless others and grow the kingdom and it would be our secret. I would commit to God, not to tell anyone else about it. Sometimes it was small, sometimes bigger, a couple of times I was found out and didn’t deny it. But it began to open up a space of intimacy and humility with God that I had never known before I began.

There are still things to this day that no other person than Me and God know, and they are like worship to Him. In this way disciplines can train us into freedom, into participating fully in the Kingdom in certain areas. Just like in a close friendships, or in a marriage, these shared experiences are the places where the life giving relational fabric of life becomes luminous, where our lives are fully lived.

Disciplines are not meant to be law, they are meant to be a venture into the wide and open space of joy and freedom that is God’s kingdom. In which areas of your life do you want to enjoy spontaneous holiness? Practising an awareness of God’s empowering presence makes it possible, real change possible, that’s the promise of our lives in God.

Dallas Willard puts it like this:

Authentic Transformation is possible if we are willing to do one thing…to arrange our lives around the kind of practises and life Jesus led to be constantly receiving power and love from the Father.

This is the simple yet difficult life long work of becoming like Jesus that we venture on by practising disciplines.

Receive weekly articles like this by subscribing for a free weekly email below (you can opt out at anytime)

“Let nothing disturb you, nothing dismay you. All [circumstances] are passing, God never changes. Patient endurance attains all things. God alone suffices.”

Teresa of Avila

Leave a Comment

Posted on March 8, 2016

Training vs. Trying Part One | The key into Spiritual Disciplines

by

For much of my life I’ve both struggled with and enjoyed a slightly inflated sense of ability. That to say, I’ve often imagined myself capable of many things if only I would simply try them.

Realising you can’t run

As I was growing my family would take a holiday almost every year to the same beach town in the south west of england. It was a beautiful village tucked into a cove with high cliffs on either side. The Beach was extremely tidal. At high tide the water would leave only 10-20 feet of sand but at low tide the water would reveal a 2+ mile stretch of wet hard packed sand.

One day, after spending many hours in the water as I returned to the beach at low tide I realised a commotion was taking place in the shallows.

A Young boy had been knocked unconscious and had been in the water. His sister was frantically crying out for someone to find their parents. As the life guard was attending to the boy I decided I could go and find the boys parents and make them aware. I took a rough description and a rough location (somewhere in the far corner of the now extremely long beach). I turned and ran very much as if someone’s life depended on it. I took off at a sprint.

A mere 40 seconds into this flat out sprint I noticed something begin to happen. Although the desperation and sincerity within me to reach the end of the beach had not flagged, my body was urging me to slow down. About a mile later I had reached the corner of the beach, I was exhausted into a mild jog, but still frantically looking for these parents. Eventually I found them and in the end the boy was OK.

But what had happened had etched itself into my young teenage ego. I had failed, I had wanted to reach them with all that I could will, but my body let me down.

Our lives in God can be like this, suddenly a need arises, a situation comes up, and we feel inept, ill-equipped and poorly prepared. We wonder, how does anyone do this? After all, I’ve been listening to teachings, singing worship songs, my heart was full of desire to be a part of Kingdom activity, and yet I cannot do the things I need to do, when the unexpected opportunity comes.

Sincerity may not be enough

We are full of good intentions, the urgency of the need, the desperation and sincerity to effortlessly live out the kingdom, but somehow we fail our own expectations. There are things with all sincerity we want to do, but we will not do them without training. At some point in our lives we come to the awful realisation that with all the sincerity and desire in the world, if we have not prepared we will not have what it takes. Not that we won’t be saved, but we will not be able to participate to the full extent in what God is preparing for us.

The problem is we have been trying rather than training. Immediately when anyone encourages us to prepare, or to repeat something, we are reminded of a common accusation that makes it’s rounds in protestant circles; That we are somehow falling into religion or works. Lets put that to bed once and for all; the only way we are doing that is if we feel like we are earning favour from God in what we are doing.

Training with Spiritual Disciplines is not about changing God’s posture towards us, but about changing our openness to the grace of God to transform us.

Disciplines aren't about changing God's posture towards us, but changing our openness to the grace of God Share on X

A means of Grace

Grace is another word we have gotten mixed up with; it is used over 100 times in the new testament. It is often understood as one of the grand themes in Paul’s writings. But often it gets used as a synonym for mercy or forgiveness. But in the New testament the word grace is only used about 10% of those times to refer to the justification part of salvation. Grace, in the majority of the rest of the cases is referring to the empowering presence of God to live out our kingdom vocations.

Grace is not just the way IN to the Kingdom, it is the way ON in the kingdom. It is not simply the door or a ticket into the kingdom, is the very air we breathe on the inside of the kingdom of live. Life giving and life sustaining, and we really need to know how to breathe.

The rest of this post (part two that is) will be posted next week! Don’t miss it by subscribing for a free weekly email below (you can opt out at anytime)

Liam byrnes

is Living in South Africa, Born in England, Married to Scotland.

subscribe

I’m on Twitter

Copyright © 2024 · All Rights Reserved · Liam Byrnes

LiamByrnes.com has finished... · RSS Feed · Log in