This past week in our youth meeting I talked about grace. Or at least, I tried to. You see, we played a game that night that took much longer than I'd anticipated...and I didn't have very much time left to talk.(Somehow I think there's a keen lesson in time management and theological priorities hidden in this situation.)
The idea of grace forms one of the core principles I envision for our youth ministry. It's one of the main themes I envision for my life.
In the book of Acts, the early Church had a rather large debate. Most of the believers were at this time Jews, and some of them wanted to insist that anyone who converted to Christianity must obey the Jewish law. Get circumcised.
They wanted to assert, perhaps, the priority of their faith. Maybe the dominance of their way of doing things.
Perhaps they assumed that their understanding was better than the Gentiles. The outsiders.
We want to draw lines too. The Church has throughout the centuries tried to mold people into what they wanted. Has made distinctions and excluded people. I'm sure I don't have to provide any examples at this point.
Interestingly enough, the story in the book of Acts reaches a climax with Peter arguing that they cannot make distinctions. Jesus saves all. God's grace is poured out for all. End of the story.
Because of that, we can't exclude any from our love and care. We can't. I won't. And if I do I'm clearly going against Jesus.
This is grace...amazing in our lives and the great equalizer. All of us children of one God. Objects of His love.
If I am truly a man of faith in Christ, I can never again discriminate against any or fail to love any. Christ didn't
And that, I suppose, is that.
"God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
Acts 15:8-11
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I deserve a medal for that one!
On a more serious note, I think this is a wonderful entry Josh. I've been mulling over two, fairly simple ideas lately that might add to this already uplifting and enlightening thought. I was talking with a freind about life as a Christian recently. She is not a believer, and said that her biggest problem was original sin. She can't believe that people are bad from the moment they get here. she would rather believe we are all good. I asked her, unwittlingly, if she equated sin with bad. Then a thought hit me....
Can we all be that bad? Would Jesus have come and given his life for a people he hated? He met us at our worst, as sinners, as non-believers. He loved us then. Secondly: good, bad, believer, non-believer, angel, mass murderer even. We are all created, were designed, by God himself. We all, therefore, must be good and beautiful. But we're born into a world where we are separated from Him. That separation comes from sin. We are not inherently evil, we are just steeped in it from birth. But essentialy, we are beautiful, each and every single last human being on this earth, no matter thier beliefs. God thought they were so beautiful, loved them so much....wanted to BE WITH them for eternity! And to that end, came to earth, and, perhaps literaly, perhaps figuratively, (I'll leave that to the theologians), went through Hell for us. Sinners, non-believers, fornicators, theives, murderers, prostitutes, homeless, rich, hedonist, self-depricating...you name it, he loved us anyway.
word.
word.
- Steven
I have always struggled with the saying.."we are all God's children".
I believe we are all God's CREATION,
but you must be born into God's family to truly be a child of God.
I'm sure you know this, but I read that one line (" All of us children of one God") and I thought, well... ohh never mind I'm starting to ramble on...oh boy...
Talk to you soon...
Rev. Ziefle,
I wonder if you have been taken captive by the reformed theologians of pts! ... What Would Wesley Say? See you at Thanksgiving-
J Robb Hubert
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