Saturday, March 29, 2008

What is grace?

  1. How would you describe grace to an unsaved person?
  2. Do you think that unsaved people can appreciate grace without having any of their own?
  3. How could we function as dispensaries of grace to unsaved and saved teens?
  4. How would that affect them? How would it affect us? How would it affect God? Is grace worth giving away?
Pastor Mike

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. BBB says

That grace is not easily put int words that unsaved and unspiritual people can easily understand. I asked Mrs. B for her definition and she gave the one that we all tend to use I asked if unsaved people would really be able to understand that. She claimed that they had better or they would be going to hell.
A true statement just not as compassionent as Ihad thot she would be
Explaining grace Gods way is not easy to put into words so Iam going to contemplate on this some more

Todd Paris said...

grace is simply giving someone something they don't deserve. As simple as yielding the right of way while driving or smiling at a rude cashier or cup of coffee delivered to a crossing guard. Sometimes defined as random acts of kindness in the secular world. Thats simple grace. Try it and see what happens.

Anonymous said...

Again I repeat that putting what grace is into words that an unsaved nonspiritually reborn person could understand is not as easy as performing a random act of kindness that could be passed off as just doing something nice. I am not saying that we shouldn't do random acts of kindness we should but when that person says why what would the response be so that the cynical individual might understand?

Mr. BBBB

Todd Paris said...

my reply would be "because God is gracious to me".

Then if they ask for more--"God's grace was demonstrated when He sent His Son to die for me even when I was His enemy and hostile toward Him."

Is it necessary to be able to verbalise it or is it enough to demonstrate it?

Anonymous said...

I believe it is necessary to be able to not only demonstrate grace but also to verbalize it because we are told to be ready to give a response for the hope that is in us.

Mr. BBB

Pastor Mike Paris said...

There is an aspect of God's grace in everyone's life. God rains on the just and the unjust. He continues to bring grace into a person's life and I believe that they get a whiff of the grace aroma as we do simple acts of kindness. Maybe the "that's nice, thanks" person isn't really in tune yet with what they ahve just experienced. That response is good, (Thanks) and we should give grace to these people, but the greater act of kindness is to serve those who are in desperate "I need some grace now" spots. They need it, we have it, a perfect match made in heaven!!
I think tha harder person to minister grace to is the unlovely, cranky, irritable, antagonistic agnostic who just sent his dobermans or newfoundlands to poop in your yard! To graciously clean up after the dog and take doggie treats to them and think, "that neighbor really needs Jesus -- like I really need Jesus; thank you for allowing me to see past the bitterness that used to come to me when stuff like this happened..."
Please hear when I say that this is not a transcript of an actual event and I do not always respond correctly. I am saying that this is the grace that God wants us to define/demonstrate/articulate/distribute to the lost and dying world around us!! :)
Pastor Mike