Worship

“Sure Been Good” by Elevation Worship, featuring Tiffany Hudson

Scripture Foundation

“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… 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.” -Acts 14:1-3, NIV, emphasis added

Traces of Grace

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.

Grace That Empowers

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 grace of the gospel, through the grace of the Spirit, will take you to places where your human frailty dare not go.

Grace in Trials

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. [Personal story continues as written…]

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.

The Cost of Discipleship

“What is the cost of this kind of discipleship? It is the cross, plain and simple…” -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!