GRACEISM 3
G.R.A.C.I.S.M.
GRACE - God’s riches at Christ’s expense
GRACISM - God reconciling all cultures in Supernatural Mediation
Week 1: Handy Link
Week 2: Handy Link
MEGA-IANITY
Excerpt from Megamorphic “Megaknowledgies"
“From the early days of the church, followers of Jesus Christ became known as Christians, similarly the common term for all that is involved in Christian life is Christianity. There are many schools of thought as to what Christianity is. Sadly, there is a prevalent perception that it is about blindly following a set of restrictive rules that can be summed up as “thou shalt not”. As with all things in God, it is God’s word itself that best defines how God intends life for His followers. It is our conviction and experience, that a thorough cover to cover reading and analysis of the scriptures makes it emphatically clear that, far from restrictive, the Christian life is about the ultimate freedom to be love in person which can be summed up as “thou shalt ROCK”. We call this 'Mega-anity.’ “
KEYS
GIFT TRIP RATHER THAN GUILT TRIP
Phil shared extensively on this last week (link above)
John 3:16: ”for God so loved the world he gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Excerpt from Megaknowledgies:
“Typically the guilt and works trip lifestyle that is the hallmark of all other faiths and sadly those who have an incorrect understanding of Biblical faith, is the perception that we need to pay for our sins ourselves, earn God’s favor and where motivation flows out of a guilt based seeking for approval. God’s gifts make up a rich and glorious package of divine blessing that we get to share, with God taking the lead and we, as contributing members of His kingdom team, partaking together of the manifold inheritance that makes up the totality of this package. This inheritance, this heritage, this destiny applies both now on earth and into eternity. Two main aspects, one is what is known as the Church apostolic mantle which is to be sent - to go into all the world and share the good news of this gift package with the people of all nations. The second is to prepare for eternity, a great mystery where the born again Bible believing saints from all over the world become the glorious, victorious Bride of Jesus himself to rule and reign together forever.”
LOVE IN PERSON
1 John 4:7-21 “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Excerpt from Megaknowledgies:
“There have been a few occasions where God spoke audibly from heaven, it is interesting to note each time it was words of affirmation He spoke. In line with His relational priorities however, God’s communication is founded on and developed through being with us, engaging in dynamic interactive dialogue and shared life experiences. We call this being love in person, which is the essence of why Our Father sent Jesus to live on earth and die on the cross for His enemies, which is the greatest expression of such love. Communicating the gospel requires the same approach for us; way more than formulating and conveying messages with information about God, we too need to be confident and competent to create to relate where we make heart connections, demonstrate the realities of the supernatural, and reason with well informed, researched and factual explanations. This requires an applied understanding that effective communication is way more than just words.”
CREATIVE COVENANT COMMITTMENT
Jeremiah 31: 31-34 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, [h]though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their [i]hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 9:15 “And for this reason He (Jesus) is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Galatians 3:26-29 “26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Megaknowledgies excerpt:
As we grow in our relational knowledge of God, our appreciation of His goodness through all He has gifted us will overflow into a heartfelt commitment to obey His command to love, evidenced by a life long contribution to gathering as His people and compelling others to join us in discipling all nations.
As outlined in the Relational Logic Session of our Create to Relate Bible Foundations course, God is our creator, we are all made in His image and thus all at least latently creative. From God’s point of view any act of prayerful obedience outworked with a servant spirit in love to nurture Godly relationship is the greatest form of creativity. The arts definitely have a important part in Biblical New Testament Church life and though in some ways validly more high profile by no means more important or creative than other relationship developing expression.
DON’T HAVE TO WAIT TILL WE DIE
Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Ephesians 2:4-10 “4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Excerpt from Megaknowledgies:
“Adding to the uniqueness and distinctiveness of the good news of the gospel, is the fact that we can receive and engage in the benefits of this gift trip now. Yes as the scriptures tells us now is the time, today is the day of salvation. We do not have to wait till we die to discover our eternal future. Anytime, any where, anyone of the human race from any nation can open their hearts to God, call on the name of Jesus in prayer acknowledge their willingness to turn away from their sin and turn over their lives to live delighting in doing life with God, God’s way.”
TESTIMONIES
Salvation Testimony
Psalm 52:12 “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
- Personal Salvation
- Seeing other’s saved
Purpose Testimony
Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 “9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
Protection Testimony
Psalm 91:11 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”
Repentance / Forgiveness / Holy Spirit Testimony
Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Gifts / Fruits of the Spirit Testimony
Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12
Fruits: Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Provision Testimony
Genesis 22:14 “So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Healing Testimony
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Reconciliation Testimony
Romans 12:18 "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:”
2 Cor 5:18 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”
Matthew 5:23-24 “23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
Matthew 18:15-17 “15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
BID
Let’s resolve to live in MEGA-ianity. Following Christs example as Love in Person and living a Heaven on Earth life.