Grace produces Graces

This series is going to look at something that several of the puritan writers referred to as the graces being formed in the lives of those who have been deeply affected by THE Grace of God.
THE Grace is the evidence of God's love being so great towards us that He would satisfy His own holiness by sending His Son Jesus to justify our 'owe' accounts. He dies in our place, undergoing the fullness of God's wrath for sin and exchanges, in those who by faith believe, our earned wages of death (because of our sin) for His right standing before God.... AND SHARE IN ALL THE SPIRITUAL RICHES THAT CHRIST HOLDS as the Son of God.
This is what the Bible means when you read things like, "For by GRACE are we saved through faith, it is not of ourselves lest anyone should boast" (from Ephesians)
Paul says it a whole lot better and in a much deeper, fuller, incredible way all over the New Testament but one of the best places is here: Romans 3:21-31
The Puritan theologians wrote about those who have spent time understanding such great a grace will begin to be transformed from the inside-out! The graces will begin to form and show evidence in their lives. The spiritual graces are different than spiritual gifts- they are more like the spiritual fruits that Paul instructs us will show in the lives of those who are living a true spiritual life.
Shortening this post up- the graces that we will be looking at are ones that need to mark those who are the spiritual leaders of the churches in Crete:: and those which should mark the life of every one who has been truly affected by God's grace-
THE GRACE OF FAITH
THE GRACE OF HUMILITY
THE GRACE OF CONFESSION
THE GRACE OF REPENTANCE
THE GRACE OF PRAYER
A GRACE DRIVEN OBEDIENCE [from baptism to communion and beyond]

Because of such a Grace from God- we will see a growing reality of grace in our everyday lives...

Our Identity Thread

PAX is entering a new stage of spiritual growth. Over the last few months we have seen the development of three Value Discipleship Groups (Value D-Groups). These are community groups for peer to peer discipleship and a place to live out and apply God's Word in our lives together. However it is not the forming of new groups or a new ministry that truly determines a new stage of spiritual growth. In the last few months we have seen God's Spirit moving to draw us to a greater application of the Gospel into our lives and to begin to work that out in an everyday way.
There is a sense of excitement and joy as we have seen several people come to a fuller understanding of knowing Christ in their life- for both salvation and renewal. This also brings discomfort because the Gospel will not allow us to hold on to a false sense of self, or self worship. The Gospel brings renewal out of humility. We are no longer allowed to gain our identity from a broken past or a religious present our identity thread is founded in God, redeemed in Christ and remade through the Holy Spirit.
In the next few weeks we will be looking at the Gospel according to Paul- through the first 8 chapters of Romans. Here we find, in the power of the Gospel, what our identity looks or doesn’t look like [next week]. How we are released- bringing freedom of heart, spirit, life- and more than this; to know that it is from God [week3], through Christ [week 4] by His Holy Spirit [week 5] frees us from trappings/crisis in identity [week 6] allowing for us to live in a confident spiritual assurance for everyday no matter what our past, present or future looks like [week 7]. The reality is, the application of these passages will take much longer than 8 weeks- but will be a place of reforming of our entire life.

Demands of the King of Grace: Mourning (Matt. 5:4)

I have seen people cry, then I have seen people mourn. I have cried and I have also mourned. I have made people cry and regretfully I have made people mourn. There is a difference. The word for mourn here is the same used in Mark 16:10 and 2 Cor. 12:21. It carries with it the weight of deep heart broken sorrow. The kind of sorrow we feel when a close family member dies, or when we have committed an act of offense that has broken a deep relationship to render it unrepairable.
This beatitude flows out of the same spirit of poverty we looked at in the previous verse, yet it carries with it an internal depth of regret. Better said, a regret that is so deep that it leads to a soul felt mourning. I have sat with guys who beat up their girl friends, or on the girls they were pimping. Often they have a sense of regret, but not a true sense of mourning. There is a confession of sorts so that they might feel better about themselves, but not a true sense of mourning. Sometimes they even get back into a relationship with the other party but at best it seems to be a very precarious 'reconciliation'. 9 out of 10 times ends it up in hurt and destruction, again.
What would YOU tell someone who has 'confessed' to you their part in such a broken relationship? What did Jesus tell them? "Don't just cry, mourn". But how? The question we are really asking is how does a confessor move to repentance?
I'm afraid that Christianity is full of people who are stuck in habitual confession without true mourning. I sat with a guy who confesses he is looking at porn on the Internet, in fact his wife has caught him, he feels bad about getting caught, and maybe talking to me will make him feel better... but refuses to enter into accountability relationships with godly men or put an accountability program on his laptop. I talk with an addict who has been coming to church and continuing in the cycle of brokenness, crack, confession, brokenness, crack and confession... but refuses to take steps away from, and out of the cycle. I speak with people who are Christians who love to confess the sins of others who have offended them but who are unwilling to enter into a relationship where they might have to bear anothers burden or who refuse to apply the hard truths of the Gospel to their own relationships - What is needed? What does true mourning call us to do? REPENT!
According to Matthew 3:2 repentance has an outworking, a fruit, a result. True repentance is a change of an object of faith. Faith in this sense is a change from how we are gaining our identity (the scary part is when I realize I can no longer trust in hurt, addiction, self righteousness- for my identity). The sorrow and horror of how we were trusting in something else other then what God says about us, is so great that we just want to hold a funeral- a mourning. The outworking of this kind of repentance is
1. Conviction- knowing what you have been trusting in is an offense to God
2. Confession- telling God and others (who love you with a spiritual holy love) how you have been trusting in something else other then God.
3. Definite plans for change- In relationships of accountability making a plan to do differently
4. Renewing your mind with the truth about where you are and the attitudes you have held- God's Word is where this happens!
5. Humbly and faithfully following through with the steps for change
6. Part of this plan must be repaying, and reconciling those you have offended or stolen from.
The last step here might be the hardest- but it has to be completed if you hope to find freedom. If you have been stealing from your spouse by constantly seeking out fantasy- you are in need of great mourning- REPENT! Ask God to give you a renewed mind, make a plan, follow through and find ways to make her/him the standard of your beauty! If you have been in a cycle of addiction that has stolen away from relationships with everyone in your life because you have time, energy and mind only for the addiction- you need to mourn deeply- REPENT! Ask God to give you new desire and love for what He loves. Make a plan and follow through- Go to detox, then rehab, and find those who are spiritual that you can't fool or manipulate and allow them to ask the hard questions of the Gospel in your life. If you are someone who has been just showing up for church on Sunday to complain about how everybody else is, and how the church is not doing anything for you. You need to mourn- REPENT!- You can't walk into the Grooms house and just keep slapping His Bride. You won't do that at my house and you certainly won't get away with it at Jesus'. Ask God to forgive you and make steps to enter into deeper relationships then what you think YOU can get out of it.... you might be surprised!
The first thesis of Martin Luther's 95 that he nailed to the door was:
"When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
"
Talking about this first line, Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Seattle) said, "Fish swim, birds fly, pigs oink, Christians repent."
A clear understanding of our need to mourn and the out working of repentance and we shall be comforted.... because we find ourselves in Christ alone!

"How much do you have to hate somebody NOT to proselytize?""

This is too good not to rip off and put up on PAXblog. Thanks Darryl Dash for posting it! (A shout out to Dash House, points for thoughtful blog entries that are relevant to Canadians and the Gospel.)
SO SHOULD YOU SHARE YOUR FAITH?!

Penn of Penn and Teller is an atheist. His response to being evangelized after a show may surprise you.

"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'...How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?"
PENN on PROSELYTIZING!

F.O.G. Friday's- Function of the Gospel in My Relationships

We are knee deep into the Holiday season, so as I reflect on how the Gospel functions in my life I am forced to face 'family'. Isn't this one of the great and not so great things about holidays for most people? Don't we all have a weird uncle who shows up at the most inappropriate times and makes a bunch of rude comments that ticks off all the mostly sane members of the family? Relationships are what we are made for and long for, so why are they so often our greatest point of hurt, stress and regrets? How does the Gospel lived out affect these important relationships in our lives?
We have been studying the book of Genesis at PAXnorth, as you can tell if you read some of the more recent blogs. One of the things I love about the Bible is that it doesn't pull any punches. We don't get a beautiful 'saintly' utopia feel from the lives or family life of those we often call saints. More often we get the full on truth of their messy families, broken relationships and poor ungodly decisions. If you don't believe me read Genesis 3-11 and count how many messed up relationships emerge. The good news is that we are not alone, the challenge is how do we do something different in our relationships? For the next couple of Friday blogs I want to address some of this family brokenness in light of the Gospel.
First let me remind you of the irreducibles of the Gospel of Jesus. What is the Gospel? I Corinthians 15:1-3 reminds us that the Gospel is Christ, crucified, and risen from the dead on our behalf. What does this have to do with my relationships?
Take a piece of paper and list on one side all that the Cross of Christ means to us:
Forgiveness, Atonement(at-one-ment),temptations of sin waded through and overcome, God's holy just wrath satisfied (propitiation), our sin removed from us (expiation), a relationship with God is possible and a reality by an exercise of faith in Jesus! These are only a few things, read Ephesians 1, and Romans 8 to continue the list. Now on the other side of the paper list how this matters to my relationships. For instance
because God does not hold my sin against me because of His son- I can live out of a posture of forgiveness to my spouse, my parents, my family. After all isn't this the process of "working out our salvation?" (Phil. 2:12) or also called the process of sanctification. Over the next couple of Friday's I want to blog about how this fleshes out in our relationships. How does this address generational hurt, abuse sin? How does this work out in conflicts and criticisms? How does this work out in even the mundane, everyday maintenance of relationships. So take some time this week...make the Gospel list.... try and work out the reflections of this in your relationships...I think you'll find this has the potential to change your outlook and bring about incredible change in your relationships! You never know it may actually help us to enjoy family in a whole new way over the holidays.

F.O.G. Friday's - The Call of the Gospel

“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I sit down across the table from a young man who insists he has a ‘call’ on his life to bless the churches with his extra-ordinary spiritual gifts, which he is praying for, and “trying to learn how to get”. He has travelled across Canada because he felt a call to come to Nova Scotia to speak to the Pastors, and the churches of what God wants to give them through an extra-ordinary blessing. He has been staying in hostels and shelters or living out over the last several weeks.

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and to those whom he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:30

 How does the Gospel address the call of God and how are we to live this out in your life? Maybe this short adapted list from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology will help:

 A Call Outside of Ourselves: The call of every believer is not something we can work up in ourselves. The choosing, wooing and winning of our very salvation begins and ends in the will and glory of God through the work of His Son, Jesus. The call of God is not something we do it is what only God can do.

A Call Out of Darkness: The call of every believer is God’s taking us “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).

A Call Into Relationship: The call of every believer is God’s placing us “into the fellowship of his Son”(1 Cor. 1:9, Acts 2:39)

A Call Into Kingdom living: The call of every believer is God’s placing us “into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:3)

A Call of Belonging: The call of every believer places us in a relationship of “belonging to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6)

A Call to be set apart for God’s purposes: The call of every believer is a call to “be saints”

A Call to Live Out of the Riches of God: The call of every believer is to live in a fullness of “peace” (1 Cor. 7:15, Col, 3:15), “freedom” (Gal. 5:13), “hope” (Eph. 1:18), “holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7), “patient endurance of suffering” (1 Peter 2:20-21; 3:9), and “eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:12)

SO what is the function of the Gospel in the call of every believer? 
O.K. I’ll admit it, I give myself too much credit. For what it’s worth, I know it’s foolish pride, lack of humility, fear of being dependent, need for control and my down right rebellious sinful nature! When caught in my pride I either try and discredit it, passing it off as personality, or pointing to societal influences, upbringing and culture. What this tells me? I am hopelessly unable to make the deeply needed changes that would make me anything more then a deeply self serving, self preserving, self interested, SELF. Self- esteem classes or self worth counseling does nothing for the various forms of my “ego-dei” (ego-god, I-god). I cannot “call” myself away from worshiping myself, even if I try to gloss it over with a ‘poor-me, I was wronged, the world, society and my family have messed me up.’ How does the Gospel of the cross move us beyond our need for self empowerment, or our self loathing to wholeness and a living out of a call beyond ego-dei?

It is so important to understand the ‘call’ of every believer comes not out of what spiritual gift you feel God has given you or that you hope He will give you. The call of every believer is far beyond the making of ourselves something greater than the sum of what our lives have become- no matter how successful or how wreaked that might look. Please don’t get me wrong, God gives us spiritual gifts, through his Holy Spirit, at the moment of salvation (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:11) I fear that we, church peeps, often hold these holy gifts up as a trophy for everyone to admire our greatness, as a measurement to determine who’s not ‘there’ yet, or as the complete sum of our spiritual life (call it a Corinthian church problem). 
The call of the Gospel is God’s work beyond our religious piety or self indulgent rut of addictions. The call of the Gospel is a call to the cross. Our response can only be a recognition that I am lost without Him resulting in a life of humble dependence on him. A daily posture of confession at the foot of the cross to live for His kingdom, not my own, and His glory, not my own. Out of this relationship of belonging solely to Jesus I replace my own agenda for His agenda and find peace, freedom, hope, holiness, patience to endure in suffering and indeed the riches of eternal life. 

Here it is: THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL is not to do something for Jesus in your life, with the greatness of your giftedness, because you come from such a terrible place of sinfulness (most testimonies we seem to applaud are like this). The call of the Gospel is a daily going to the cross for all that I am, I have, and ever hope to be. At the cross- I die daily so that He might have His victory and glory in my life! If we focus on this daily reality of the Gospel applied in our life God will place the rest of living out his will right in front of us as He knows we can handle, and in accordance to how He has gifted us.