The Word of His Grace

Last night when our family read the Bible after dinner, we were treated with this passage about the missionary efforts of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:1-3:  "Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands."  There were a number of interesting revelations of God's wisdom presented here.

The first is how God has given believers the opportunity to make known the Gospel of grace so others will also believe in Jesus as LORD and Saviour.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, God used Paul and Barnabas to bring many Jews and Greeks in the synagogue to saving faith in Christ.  Whilst their message was gladly received by some, verse 2 says unbelieving Jews wielded influence to "poison" or embitter the minds of people against them.  It is remarkable to me how the poison of bitterness and doubt can so permeate the mind of a person it blinds them to the truth.  How careful ought we ought to be in considering our hearts, for bitterness unchecked by repentance before God leads people to negatively impact others.

The second point is when faced with poisoned, embittered minds "...therefore they stayed there are long time, speaking boldly in the LORD."  There were occasions in the ministry of Paul and Barnabas they shook the dust off their feet and left teaching the Jews or in cities where they were strongly opposed.  But in Iconium they remained a long time.  This illustrates the power of the Gospel to transform hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit.  They did not throw up their hands in frustration and say, "Your minds have been poisoned against us and there's no sense even talking to you any more!" and leave.  They remained among people poisoned by unbelief because they offered them the truth of God's word, the divine antidote for all lies and unbelief.

The final point is the way God's word was described:  "the word of His grace."  Instead of being deterred by poisoned minds, they spoke boldly and demonstrated the grace of God by their persistent witness.  The synagogues every week read the Law of Moses, and Jesus was the One of whom the Law spoke they ought to give heed.  The word Paul and Barnabas spoke was not words alone but confirmed by miraculous signs.  It was not the opposition to the Gospel that motivated them to press on in boldly proclaiming the word of grace but the Saviour they knew, followed and believed.  He came to earth to seek and save sinners like Paul and Barnabas themselves, and it is no secret how viciously Paul (who was previously called Saul) opposed Jesus at one stage.  If God could purify murderous Saul's heart and mind, not one of those poisoned minds was beyond the saving grace of the Gospel.

How gracious is God to be patient with minds poisoned against the Gospel and the word of grace so they too might be redeemed.  When you come in contact with a mind poisoned against the brethren, know that Jesus Christ is the only hope for such a one.  Instead of being a sign to move on, it may in fact be an invitation to stay a long time, speaking boldly in the LORD, knowing God will bear witness to the word of His grace.  What love God has shown us, and may we demonstrate love for God and others by our faithful endurance to walk in the light of the Gospel.

All My Springs are in Christ

I awoke this morning with the last sentence of Psalm 87 in my mind:  "All my springs are in you."  In this song the sons of Korah wrote to proclaim the glory of God in the place of His habitation:  Jerusalem, the city where God had placed his name and the temple was built.  To say you were born in Jerusalem and numbered among God's people was a great blessing, a testimony of God's goodness and faithfulness.

The song concludes, "All my springs are in you."  The city of Jerusalem boasts the Gihon spring which continues to send forth clear, clean water directed through Hezekiah's Tunnel to this day.  The flow of this spring was vital to sustain the lives of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and it was God who caused that living water to flow in a dry land.  The words of the psalmists have a double meaning, as they acknowledged their reliance upon the spring for water and upon God who sustained their lives by His mercy, goodness and His covenant with them.

From a New Testament perspective, our understanding of this truth blossoms with the revelation of Jesus Christ who gives the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to all who trust in Him.  Jesus did not tout the benefits of being born or raised in Jerusalem but in those who are born again, for out of these will flow living water that springs up into eternal life.  During the feast of Sukkot Jesus cried out in Jerusalem in John 7:37-39:  "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."  The thirsty would not find their spiritual thirst quenched with the water from the Gihon spring, nor from attempts to keep the Law of Moses:  it was by faith in Jesus according to the new covenant in Christ's blood which provided assurance of eternal life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How true it is that all our springs are in God!  He is our source of life, wisdom and righteousness; He is our only means of fruitfulness and satisfaction for our souls.  All we need for life and godliness springs from Jesus Christ Himself, for He is the sole source of the Living Water of the Holy Spirit.  From Jesus we receive the pure, refreshing, life and soul-sustaining Holy Spirit by God's grace, mercy and truth.  There is nothing man, animal or angel can add to this divine source, for all our springs are in God.  All that is good, refreshing, fruitful, satisfying and glorious comes from God alone, and praise God He is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever in glory in New Jerusalem.  All our springs are in our glorious Saviour, and so they will always be.

The Breakthrough of Spontaneity

I recently listened to a sermon on Mark 2, the passage where a paralytic was carried by four friends to Jesus.  It had been widely proclaimed Jesus was in a house in Capernaum and thus many people flocked to hear Him preach the word of God.  It was so crowded people could not even make their way near the door.  Mark 2:4-5 says, "And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

With divine insight Jesus looked through the dust and din and observed the faith of these men who removed the roof to bring their friend to Jesus.  It is very likely Jesus recognised the faith of the paralytic in Him as well, for he may have urged them in his desperation for healing.  It occurred to me as I considered this passage what a fitting picture it is of the church:  to bring people to a personal encounter with Jesus.  In applying the passage personally I pictured myself as one of the four men who broke through to lower their friend to Jesus; I saw myself as the paralysed man who desired to draw near to Jesus to overcome his weakness and lack of feeling.  If the ministry of the church seems frail and paralysed, wouldn't it be appropriate to bring it before the LORD with humility and faith in prayer?

It was faith in Jesus that motivated the men to united action to bring the paralysed man to Him.  They obviously cared for the man enough to lug him through a crowded space, somehow clamber up onto the roof, and get their hands dirty to remove enough roofing material to make room to lower their friend.  It was a united, team effort that was undeterred by obstacles or social norms, a willingness to do whatever they could to give their friend an audience with the LORD.  What struck me most of all was the spontaneity of their actions.  This was not something they had rehearsed several times and waited for there to be a crowd large enough to justify ripping a roof apart.  It was all done on the fly:  they brought the man on the bed but needed to source ropes, discussed the means to carefully carry their friend up, worked together to lower him down, and likely helped put the roof back together.

This passage taught me this sort of spontaneity to bring people to Jesus can be sorely lacking in my life and ministry of the church.  Ministry is stunted when people are not led by faith in Jesus, by divisions, people going off on their own agendas apart from Jesus, and unwillingness to get their hands dirty to bring people to Him.  It is easy to unite at a certain time, place or for an activity, but the real challenge is to remain led by faith in Jesus Christ to bring people to Him when difficult obstacles stand in the way.  The faith of these men in Jesus to heal their friend--and even to forgive his sins--moved them to meet challenges together with united effort.  A breakthrough was needed, and their eyes were opened to an opportunity others never even considered which resulted in forgiveness, healing and new life.

It wasn't the activity of breaking through roofs and lowering people to Jesus that is the main point.  This did not become a formula to seek healing or forgiveness.  The point is faith in Jesus Christ moves people to unite in our efforts to bring people to Him even when it means work, is costly and we are on the hook for repairs.  Faith in Jesus results in spontaneous efforts to bring people to Him so they too can walk by faith in obedience to Him.  Having been adopted into the family of God, our sins forgiven, we are to walk in the truth of the Gospel to glorify our LORD and Saviour Jesus.  We are to be united in fellowship with Christians, working together (in person!) to bring people to Jesus because we love and trust Him.

Grace Changes Everything

How wondrous is our glorious God and the grace He extends to those who seek Him!  Knowing God loves us and is for us changes forever the way we approach Him and strengthens us to stand.  A great illustration of how God's grace ought to provide boldness to draw near to God and commune with Him is seen in the book of Esther in the interactions between king Ahasuerus and queen Esther.

In the law of the Medes and Persians it was illegal (punishable by death!) to appear before the king without first being summoned, yet there was a caveat provided for all to whom he reached out the golden sceptre.  Queen Esther, after three days of fasting from food and water, approached the king knowing her life hung in the balance.  How relieved she must have been when she found grace in his eyes and he extended life to her when he held up the sceptre.  This began a chain of events which led to exposing wicked Haman as the enemy of the Jews who was promptly executed for his crimes--hung on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai the Jew who was promoted to Haman's prior role.

See what happened next in Esther 8:3-4:  "Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king..."  Haman had been executed, but his devious legislation which commanded the annihilation of the Jews remained.  Esther fell at the feet of the king with tears, begging he act against the edict written to destroy the children of Israel.  Then the king held out the golden sceptre, extending grace towards her.  Esther rose to her feet and asked her petition of the king, having received his favour.

Isn't this a beautiful scene when we consider the grace God has extended to us through Jesus Christ?  John 1:17 says, "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  God has always been gracious and faithfully extended it to mankind, but Jesus brought a fresh revelation of grace we receive through the Gospel that enables us to stand before the presence of the Father with exceeding joy, boldly bringing our petitions before Him.  We could never earn such a privilege, yet we have received it by faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.  Paul wrote in Romans 5:1-2, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  Wow!

Esther fell down at the feet of the king and wept, and I imagine her tears were quickly wiped away when she realised she had the favour of the king and had been heard.  The law written by Haman could not be undone, but a new command was given to all the lands that counteracted it beautifully--so well in fact that many people chose to convert and become Jews!  The spiritual law that says a soul that sins must die cannot be undone, but God by His grace has provided a new covenant that is sealed with the blood of Jesus who died so we can be justified by faith in Him.  It is no wonder Jesus promises to wipe every tear from our eyes because He has been gracious to us, and we have been heard by our almighty heavenly Father who has compassion on us.  God's grace changes everything.