Can I just say how much I love my church? The Austinstone is amazing, and the people there, the leaders there, they are even more amazing. Right now, our whole church (well, I assume a large majority anyway) is reading through the Bible in a year - TOGETHER. But we aren't just reading. We're interacting with Scripture in a new way. And I dare say - it's going to change the unity of our church in a mighty, amazing way as we all are united in one Body, focusing our hearts and minds on the Word of God, TOGETHER. The Body of Christ - that is what it is all about!
I just feel that I have to share what jumped out at me today from Scripture. Don't you just love it when you read a Scripture passage that you've probably read 100 times, and it just suddenly takes on a whole new meaning for you? This happened to me today and I just LOVE it. Praise Him!
"But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." ~Titus 3:4-7~
My A-ha!!
God saved us (gave us eternal life...and even moreso - the promise of abundant life in the present!) because of HIS goodness, HIS kindness, HIS love. Because of who HE was - not because of who we were, or what we did. It had nothing to do with us really. Our righteous works or any of the "good" we did in the World? That wasn't why He saved us at all! It didn't have anything to do with us, other than, you know, He did it FOR us. But, it was about His deep love for us. Because of His mercy. He saved us by making us a new people - a different kind of person entirely! When He gave us His Holy Sprit...that made us completely different on the inside. He did it through Jesus, who died on the cross and was resurrected. How many times have I heard that (and said that) in my life? But how awesome is this?? We were made RIGHT before the throne of God (spotless...sinless...) - all because of who God is - His grace on us, for us - but not BECAUSE of us. BECAUSE of HIM and His Character. In doing this, God gave us, His followers, the hope (solid expectation!) of eternal life!!
People, this is the GOSPEL. Plain and simple. We need the Gospel so much. I need to preach this to myself everyday - so that I never again pick up the false belief that the grace I've received in Jesus - that that has anything whatsoever to do with me and my so-called "goodness." It's HIS goodnes, HIS lovingkindness, HIS love, HIS mercy, HIS Holy Spirt gift within us, HIS death & resurrection, HIS grace, HIS gift of eternal life!
This makes me want to scream YES , YES, YES! This is eternal life! Let us tell THIS GOSPEL to people every single day!!!!!
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