Worship
“Sure Been Good” by Elevation Worship, featuring Tiffany Hudson
Scripture
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, where they continued to preach the gospel.
In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.” – Acts 14:1-10, NIV
Grace That Empowers
This is such a beautiful passage to read the day before Thanksgiving because it’s an illustration of the powerful and scandalous grace of God to and through Paul and Barnabas. Thanksgiving is a time to pause and celebrate how God’s grace touches our lives—through salvation, through His sustaining power in trials, and through the privilege of sharing His love with others. Let’s trace the cords of grace in this passage.
Once again, we see Paul in the synagogue, preaching to the Jews and Gentiles. If you remember, the last opportunity he had to do this brought great attack. The perseverance of the Spirit of God enabled him to boldly and courageously go back into what surely would be another place of great opposition. Christ in Paul did not want either Jew or Gentile to miss the grace of God. The gift of salvation for those far from Jesus compelled a deep resolve in Paul to persist in the face of persecution. This is profound grace in and through this Christ follower!
The grace of the gospel, through the grace of the Spirit, will take you to places where your human frailty dare not go.
Holding onto your faith in the midst of trials can only come forth from a deep dependence on the Lord. And our very dependence is tied to the wooing love of Holy Spirit by God’s grace. It begins with Him! Here we see our two missionaries pressing forward, boldly preaching the gospel and moving in the power of God with signs and wonders.
Personal Reflection on Grace
I can remember a moment on an Extreme Team trip where we were hiking in the Himalayas to reach remote villages to tell the people about Jesus. I had encountered so much suffering this one day that I told the Lord, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.” We saw people discarded with no human dignity, animals being abused, and my body was weary from the physical demand to endure. In my soul, I was essentially telling the Lord I could not persevere anymore. The next morning, I woke up and could not stop crying. Not being a crier, this was a new experience for me. I knew that Holy Spirit was doing a very deep work in my heart and my will. As I talked with the Lord and wrestled with my weeping and grieving, I came to the conclusion that as long as God gives me the grace and the strength to do these Extreme Teams, I must go. The grace of God pursued me and changed me in my frailty, weakness, and surrender.
Grace brought salvation to you and me, and grace wants to flow out of us with the very same message of love and forgiveness to a world gasping for the oxygen of grace.
Grace for All
Grace was not limited to only the Jews; now the Gentiles were being grafted in. Nor did it belong to just one nation; the ends of the Earth were being included. Grace is available to anyone who responds in faith to Jesus. It is entirely a gift from God. And as we have freely received, we must freely give.
Paul and Barnabas lived with the grace of urgency and determination. Will you take hold of this gift of grace that wants to break free from your life like gushing rivers?
“What is the cost of this kind of discipleship? It is the cross, plain and simple. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, picking up your cross and following Him will involve denying your flesh, and that is costly. The cross comes at a cost to your pride and self-will. God designed it that way. He uses the ugly and difficult things in our lives as instruments of growth toward Christlikeness, which, in turn, clearly display the gospel’s transforming power.” -Jack Hibbs, “Living in the Daze of Deception”
Miracles of Grace
Tomorrow, we stop and give thanks, reflecting on God’s grace in our lives. From this passage of Scripture, we are reminded of the miracles of grace in the following ways:
- God’s grace chased you down to bring you salvation and change you forever
- God’s grace is not dependent on your performance or self-righteousness
- God’s grace gives you the ability to stand in trials and face opposition
- God’s grace is a gift to be given through your life to others
- God’s grace will overwhelm your life, enabling you to share Christ boldly
Christ has qualified you to share in the gift of grace because of all that Jesus gave of Himself so you could have life. He withheld nothing but gave it all for you. Without the cross, resurrection, and ascension, we wouldn’t stand a chance! But the righteousness of Christ is now yours forever! That’s reason enough to pause and give thanks. Our inheritance as saints and sons and daughters is the abundant result of grace, and Jesus did every work and made every sacrifice so you could stand holy before Him. Since you have so freely received, now freely give it away!
A Few Key Notes
- Help fuel our mission of calling, connecting, and commissioning women to be a powerful force for the Kingdom of God. Every gift given now through December 31 will be doubled dollar for dollar up to $40,000. Help us meet the match by giving a gift today!
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