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| Giving Place To Grace And Love; Weekly Email to the Students | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 30 2007, 10:54 AM (52 Views) | |
| Stace4Jesus | Sep 30 2007, 10:54 AM Post #1 |
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Fatherly Talk 1.19: Giving place to grace and love Dearly Beloved, The Old Testament Hebrew word for ‘grace’ is ‘chen’ which has the root meaning of ‘favour.’ The New Testament Greek word for ‘grace’ is ‘charis’ which includes the meaning of ‘unmerited favour from God’ but also means ‘an unmerited energy substance from God’ – and, of course, in the NT it is based on the finished work of Christ. We need to remember that the grace and favour given in the OT is also given based on the finished work of Christ, except that the OT people look forward through types and shadows to the finished work of Christ. Because the OT people were not born again nor have the Holy Spirit indwelling in them, they could only receive grace upon (positional grace) and not the substance energy of grace (spirit-energy substance grace). This situation is the same in terms of the coming of the Holy Spirit – He is only upon the OT saints but can be both upon and within the NT saints. Thus we have a better covenant because we have all the benefits of the Old Covenant plus more in the New. In the experiential and subjective operation of grace in both the OT and the NT, the person through which grace is operating would still have to have a sense of the reception of God’s love and the outworking of that love. Even though the operation of grace and favour is limited to positional grace in the OT, it was still a very powerful force that changes people, nations and provides miracles. The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is a story of the grace of God working. Sold by his brothers into slavery and estranged from his father’s love and care, Joseph started at the bottom of the ladder in society and ‘work’ his way up. The reason I highlight ‘work’ is because although Joseph was a very hardworking and diligent man, it was not what he did alone that brought him promotion but rather the grace and favour of God. The most hardworking man without the opportunities or doors that God and His angels open for him would still be nowhere and nothing. I believe in hard work and diligence but it needs to be matched with an even greater surrender and faith in God (Hebrew 11:6). The key to tapping on the grace of God is to at the same time – simultaneously - realise that you are nothing and yet abiding in Him you could be everything (John 15:4-8). It is not a paradox, it is the ONLY way – the key - to realize grace and favour in our lives. 1. Yahweh was WITH Joseph and he was a prosperous man (Genesis 39:2 - LKJV). His prosperity and success came only AFTER the Lord was WITH him. In fact, Potiphar took note of the fact that the Lord was with him and not just because he was a hardworking man (Genesis 39:3). When Potiphar made Joseph overseer (ruler) over his entire house, the blessing of the Lord was on ALL that he had in the house and in the field (Genesis 39:4-5). When a business, church or country is under a man or woman full of the grace of God, the entire dominion of that same person will be filled with the grace, favour and blessing of God. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true – when a person is under condemnation and curse, everything under the person suffers along: humans, beast and things. Which brings the point that if you are not experiencing the grace of God in your life, you need to learn to humble yourself and fellowship or come under the ministerial accountability to one who has the grace of God upon their lives – you will begin to experience the overflow of grace from them. Even bad old Potiphar was humble enough to admit it. (As a side point, it is also important to whom we bring our tithes, offerings and support to – if it is a ministry that does not walk in the grace of God, you are also responsible for the condemnation that the particular ministry or church continue to propagate – tithes and offerings are the outward expression of our spiritual partnership; you are a partner to whomever you gave and will be call to account in eternity: you can give without love but you cannot love without giving. Giving should never be coerced or compulsory but like in everything else in life – if we are careful in what foods we eat, in what clothing we buy, in the expenditure for education, home, etc, in our family; then we should also be careful to whom we become a spiritual partnership with. Watch your life – have you been blessed with grace with all your sincere and faithful and careful giving – if you have not, although this is not the only cause, of course, check you history of giving and tithing – your spiritual partnership. If all things being equal, generally, there should be more grace increase in your life – your own in God plus that of which you became a partnership with. This side point is given because of what the angels have been telling me in one of my spiritual encounters – about the importance of whom we partner with through our giving. The angels told me that humans value money and although the love of money is the root of all evil, stewardship of it is one of the tests of our relationship with God – if one is not faithful with money – mammon – one will not be faithful in the things of God – Matthew 6:19-24). 2. And even when Potiphar threw Joseph into the prison, the Lord was WITH Joseph and gave him favour with the chief jailor (Genesis 39:21). No prison or darkest pit can stop the grace of God. Joseph was innocent of his crimes. A lot of people in the world suffer injustices and cry to God. Yet, it is only the grace and favour of God that will redeem and free us as it freed Joseph. We need to understand what is going on within Joseph’s heart. With all that he had suffered, he could have develop unforgiveness or anger, etc. Instead he continue steadfast in his faith in God and sought to do right even when tempted to do wrong. Doing right seem to put him in an adverse position in the natural but the grace of God is above all. We could say that Joseph love God enough to want to please Him in his life in everything. This love that he had also overflowed to his care for others. Note his love and concern for the prisoners under his care (Genesis 40:6). I am sure that at the back of Joseph’s mind, he would still have the dreams that God gave him (Genesis 37:1-11). It certainly would take the grace of God to establish him to greatness as his situation in prison looks hopeless. Have you notice how often God allows His people to come to the end of themselves before He acts? Abraham who was promised a child when Sarah was barren, was still not sterile – as he produced Ishmael with Hagar – when the promise was given (Genesis chapters 15 and 16). He need one miracle in the opening of Sarah’s womb. God waited until he needed two miracles, when Abraham himself was sterile (Romans 4:19) before He announced the giving of the child (Genesis chapter 17). Why did God do this? So that Abraham would understand that it is 100% the grace of God and there was nothing from him (except faith and trust in God) that wrought the double miracles – the paradox of being nothing in ourselves but able to do everything in God. Why did God take His people through the wilderness? It was to humble them and test them (Deuteronomy 8:2). God always wants to bring us to the position to recognise that we are nothing without Him before He can do miracles through His grace in us. Did God choose the Israelites because they were powerful or intelligent or great? No! He chose them because He loved them and frankly told them that they were the least of all the nations (Deuteronomy 7:6-7). He wanted to show them His mercy and grace! (Deuteronomy 7:9). It was only when Joseph is at the lowest point in his life, knowing that nothing he can every do will make his dream come through, that God begin to work His grace and favour in Joseph’s life and create the set of circumstances for His promotion (Genesis chapters 40 and 41). Yes, indeed! It was not Joseph alone, but the grace of God that established and set him upon the highest authority possible in Egypt. Joseph tapped upon the grace of God through understanding that in all circumstances, God still loved him and he still loved God (and love others). Grace and love always work together because grace starts with God’s love for us. We then respond with love towards Him and towards others. This is what is meant by giving place to love and grace. We must be secured in God’s love for us; then we respond by loving Him with all our hearts, minds and souls through all circumstances – and our neighbours as ourselves. In a sense it is not even our love but God’s love through us. Holding ourselves in this position produces the firepower of the grace of God upon our lives. Not circumstances or situations can hold us from being freed into the grace of God as long as we keep responding to God’s love and never every doubting His love for us (Romans 8:28). 3. In the New Testament, this grace of God through Christ is so powerful it can even fill the atmosphere and the whole community. When great grace is upon the church, great power ensued such that even the shadow of Peter brought healing to thousands (Acts 4:33; 5:12-16). The great growth of the church was called the grace of God (Acts 11:19-23). With the grace of God at worked, Gentiles begged to hear the gospel and Paul exhorted them to continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:42-44). God granted signs and wonders only because He wants to confirm the word of His grace (Acts 14:3). To his dying breath, Paul was willing to testify to the grace of God in his life (Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Galatians 2:9). It is only the grace of God that can establish us and give us an inheritance among the sanctified (Acts 20:32). Besides being a powerful anointing upon, this grace is working from within us powerfully (2 Timothy 2:1; Galatians 2:8,9; 1 Corinthians 15:10). 4. The secret and key to discovering and releasing the grace of God in our lives is in the paradox of understanding that we are absolutely nothing without Him but we can do everything in Him. Paul discovers the grace of God powerfully in his early life and first missionary journey (if we count his visions in 2 Corinthians 12:1-5 as the same time as when he was stoned to death in Acts 14:19-20). He learned the secret that when he is weak THEN is he strong (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10). He understands that it is the grace of God in him, through him, upon him that will make him successful and strong in every area of his life and ministry. Every minister and every anointed business person would have to discover this truth experientially in their lives. If you haven’t discovered that you are nothing yet, you will never discover the secret of the grace of God. But the day you discover that Christ in you is everything and that there is nothing that you can and will receive base on your own merit – but that it can only be received BASE ON THE LOVE AND MERCY of God – then and then only will you be able to say I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). I have tried as much as I can to make this understanding of the grace of God as clear as possible for each of your subjective experience. Everyone one of us will have to experience this fresh every day of our lives – otherwise it will not be the grace of God but just ourselves alone which can only lead downhill. The KEY, the SECRET, is to FIRST be 1000% assured in faith and reception of the greatness of God the Father’s love and mercy toward us. Then give place to this love. Allow this love to change and transform you. His love is life and light and strength. As this love transforms you, respond 100% to this love and love God back with all your heart, mind, soul and strength – and overflow in this love to all around you. By this manner and this manner alone, knowing that you are nothing in yourself but everything in God, you will be daily releasing the grace of God upon you and through you. God’s richest love, mercy and grace be upon each of you, dear ones. I love each of you dearly and desire that you would experience this wonderful love of the Father God. Ps Peter Tan |
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3:52 AM Nov 27
