BoldGrace

I had a discussion this weekend about right and wrong choices or decisions. I told my wife that I no longer make decisions based on right or wrong but that my decisions are based on what is beneficial for me, or my loved ones based on my current knowledge of the subject at the time. Right or Wrong based decisions can cause us to delay or postpone decisions that need to be made. Not only that but when a decision is made based on “right or wrong” and that decision turns out to be ”WRONG” it causes us to become fearful and doubtful of our next decision. Then if that next decision over time proves to be the “wrong” one we lose more confidence and a downward spiral begins to develop until we have no confidence at all in our decisions and choices. But if we base our decisions on what is beneficial or not to us, then if that decision turns out to not be beneficial to us we can change our decision to one that is beneficial based on the gained current knowledge. My wife insist that it is just semantics but I think it is so much more than that. Basing decisions on what is Right or Wrong is a product of eating from the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil. And it paralyzes the mind and spirit of mankind. My hope for you is that you would begin to base your decisions in life on what is beneficial and no longer on Right or Wrong. I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, “Everything is permissible for me —but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything”

Selah

Geo

This Wednesday March 26th @ 9:00pm I will be one of the guest on Glenn Klein Online with Glenn and Mike. Please call in and join the conversation as we discuss what it means to live a Bold Grace life.

The call-in # is 1-800-436-3260

Peace

Geo

We speak so much about love at BoldGrace and that is good but the reality is that all that we feel and experience on this journey must have purpose.  Love is indeed a strong, strong emotion but there is another strong emotion and that is HATRED.  What is the purpose of hatred?  I consider myself to be a man who has tried to both love and feel loved most of my life but I have also felt hatred at it’s highest degree.  It’s not something I chose or ever wanted but that’s not how hatred usually comes to us.  Love is something most normal people naturally gravitate to with great desire for its company, but hatred is something that is not normally sought or desired and very difficult to let go of once you have it.

So, what is its purpose?  I can only answer for myself but whenever I consider such questions I always start with the assumption that whatever created me allowed this hatred to come my way, so it must have a purpose that at its conclusion will be for my good.

Now what possible good can come from hatred in my life?  Oh, I know at this point many of you reading this would love for me to give you some profound answer that will immediately set your minds at ease that all is well and hatred is easily overcome, but that has not yet happened for me.

Hatred has caused me to look at myself in ways that I never thought possible.  It’s caused me to examine who I really am at a level that love could never have accomplished.  At this point the only real conclusion I have come to is that hatred has a purpose and only time will uncover what that purpose is.

Hatred has also humbled me.  If someone had told me I could have this type of hatred in me a year ago I would have said they were wrong.  I have never been one to judge others but this hatred has intensified that feeling of not being a judgmental person a hundred fold because I now know for sure that any one of us are capable of such hatred under the right set of circumstances. 

How do I live with it?  That seems like the next likely question.  The answer to that goes back to my first point that if hatred is allowed (and it has been at least in my life) then my creator will eventually get around to showing me the good that will come from it.  Until that time arrives I will continue seek the comfort that comes from loving others to the best of my ability and accepting love from my family and friends.  Doing that does not take away the hatred but it certainly softens it grip on me and I have to believe in time that I will break free from it’s clutches.  

You may also be asking yourselves why would I write such a personal post?  I write because I know full well there are others out there that have felt the sting of hatred and you need to know you are not alone and that you are not a terrible person because you are experiencing this dreaded emotion.  It may sound contradictory but I still consider myself to be a man of love because I believe that’s how we were ALL made to be.  Someday this journey will end and the reality of who we are will be fully revealed but until that time arrives I will continue to do the only thing that seems to matter and that is to TRUST that my ultimate good has always been the PLAN.  

Bold Grace is so bold that it tells those who are trapped in any certain behavior to KEEP DOING IT! To hear an explanation of what I mean you need to go to www.glennkleinonline.com/webcast/guests/mwilliams.html

Then scroll down to March 18, 2008 and listen to Glenn & Mike for THE WHOLE Show!

About 53 minutes into the show a young man calls and tells them of something he "needs" to quit doing and the response the guys give him is one I guarantee no church or church leader would give! But within the answer is THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL! Please listen to it from at least 53 minutes on to the end! Then come back and give us your thoughts. The truth that Mike gives him is the ONLY answer that will set people free from addictive behaviors.

Peace

Geo

Here is another question from a NEW commenter here on Bold Grace……

I would be interested in an answer to this question from any Bold Grace bloggers who might have time to reply.

I am trying to grasp the concept of redemption and salvation being different.

However, if the outcome of redemption is eternal life (the opposite of perishing) and the outcome of salvation is being made whole, doesn’t the verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” seem to indicate a requirement for personal belief in order to be redeemed?

Thanks.
Julia

WELCOME Julia!

Well BG anyone have an answer for her?

Peace

Geo

Our friend Bob from Alaska has a new website. Go here stsak.wordpress.com/

and check him out. We will also add him to our Blogroll Links over on the left.

Please go by and welcome Bob to the Blog World.

Peace

The Bold Grace Team

Yesterday I received a call from my mother and she informed me that my Uncle Gordon had fallen off a ladder and died from the fall.  From the moment I received that information the Angels began to arrive.  First only a few, then many, and by the end of that day my entire soul was flooded with unseen Angels.  These Angels reminded me of all the joyful moments that I had with this wonderful man.  He was a rock to all who knew him.  A man who made my knowing him something to be cherished as a child and proud as an adult.  He was the kind of person who made his entire family and community around him a better place because of the content of his character.  He was a true role model of what all of us want to be like.  Of course the world will go on but for those of us who knew this man best there is a profound sadness that we will no longer enjoy his physical presence.   For me, the unseen Angels are not welcome because they bring tears, but past experience tells me these same Angels will soon be fond companions as I continue my earthly journey without my Uncle Gordon.  They will remind me of all that he brought into my life as well as everyone else that he touched.

My heart now goes out to my Aunt Mid and their children, grandchildren, and the rest of the family.  When you grieve you experience the highest degree of love that one can feel, and your tears are the greatest tribute to a life well lived.  The days ahead may be some of the toughest days of this family’s life and yet I am certain there will be a day in the future where joy will return and the unseen Angels will be welcomed with the smile of peace regained.

To the Spirit of my Uncle Gordon,

Farewell sweet, sweet man.  I will miss you but you will always own a corner in my heart.  Thank you for being the best Uncle a nephew could have ever wanted. 

Cliffy

I was reading some of the “talking points” Jesus spoke through the bible, and it keeps occurring to me that much of what he said wasn’t a “hope” for the future or some "command" for faithfulness, as scholars teach, but in actuality… near-term prophecy! Prophecy that manifested in the Cross of Christ!

Examples:

“that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee….”

Religious scholars will tell you that this is the hope for the future… when Jesus returns. But, I say this was a prophetic word of what would soon be (and did happen). We keep looking to the future for deliverance when we should be living in the present “of what is”. The Cross of Christ was God’s revelation to all mankind regarding our condition - here and now! It is not “what will be” but “what is!”

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he does not have the power to see the Kingdom of God.”

This wasn’t a command, or some sort of requirement, or even proof of proper belief (as the religious leaders would have you think), it is prophecy. Jesus was pointing to what was about to happen on the Cross! The entire world was “born again” all in one amazing, bold act of kind mercy on the the Cross of Christ! Believing it, or not, doesn’t make it so… having faith, or not, doesn’t change the fact… striving for it, or not doesn’t bring it about… nothing can change what happened. Nothing can change what was revealed through that incredible demonstration of God’s love. Nothing can undo what the Father has done!

The church keeps missing the mark, and will continue to be powerless and ineffective. They will continue to build their earthly kingdoms instead of choosing to see the kingdom they already own!

I would like all of our Bold Grace contributors to help me answer some questions from a new friend who is reading our post here. He has given me permission to post the question here on Bold Grace and he will be reading your responses. Here is the email………

Geo,

Good morning. My name is ………… I’m from the Huntsville, AL area.
I heard about the Bold Grace website while listening to the Gospel
Revolution webcast (not sure when it was). Thanks for all that you guys
do at BG. It helps guys like me who are still in the process of coming
out of Christian [Southern Baptist] bondage.

I have so many questions, I’d have to sit down with you for hours to ask
them all, and we don’t have that opportunity. So, I’ll ask you a few
that I’ve had on my mind lately. I hope you will have time to respond
soon. Here goes:

1. _*This is the most important question I can think of (for me). WHY*_
do you believe that Jesus has redeemed everybody, when there are verses
in the bible that seem to say that "Jesus will return to punish those
who have not obeyed the gospel of Christ", or something to that effect?
In light of that, how do you defend the position that Christ has
redeemed everyone?

2. Do you ever discuss your belief in the redemption of the world with
any pastors, or anyone else actively involved in Christianity? How do
you answer all of the obvious objections that Christians have to the
Gospel of Grace & Peace?

3. If we are all redeemed (because of Christ) & truly FREE (to do
whatever), why did Paul the Apostle write so many clear instructions of
things that certain groups of people should & should not do? In one case
Paul said "Flee fornication." Why would he say that, if they were free
to do anything they wanted? I’m just throwing that out as one example.

4. What is your position of the book of Revelation as a whole, and the
Lake of Fire in particular?

5. What, in your opinion, did Paul mean when he said that the
Corinthians should give a man over to Satan for the destruction of the
flesh? If Satan was defeated at the cross, what in the world was Paul
talking about?

These are just some of the hundreds of questions I have, that make me
cautious to FULLY embrace the Gospel of Grace & Peace. Any help you
could provide would be appreciated.

Hope to hear from you soon. Have a great day.

Okay Bold Grace help us out here………………..

Peace

Geo

Bold Grace does not have it’s roots from any of us here at this site.  Bold Grace does not belong to the church or any other religion.  Bold Grace is something that no human being could ever have conceived because it is just too amazing.  The roots of Bold Grace can only be found in the God of ALL.  Not the God of the Christian, Muslin, Buddhists, Hindu, Mormon, or any other organization built and sustained by men.  Bold Grace does not bring out the best in us, rather it brings out the worst in us.  That may sound strange but history has proven this.  Our Perfect God came to us sharing his Perfect love and we tried our best to destroy Him because Bold Grace does not fit in with our plans of self righteousness.  Since that time those who speak of this Bold Grace are often threatened, maligned, and considered enemies of the church and yet this same God of ALL always gives us the same answer in all of our difficulties.  Paul the apostle tells us what He says:

2 Cor 12:9-10 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let me say here as strongly as I can say it:  I AM NOTHING.  I DESERVE NOTHING.  I HAVE NO RIGHTEOUSNESS OF MY OWN NOR DO I CLAIM ANY.  What I do have is BOLD GRACE.  Bold Grace is never deserved but ALWAYS SUFFICIENT.  Bold Grace is what can walk us through every single weakness, every hardship, every insult, every persecution, every difficulty, and Bold Grace will never let us down. 

Now I ask you, is the grace you are currently receiving sufficient to do all that?  If it depends on anything that has it’s roots from you (belief, church going, acts of righteousness, etc) then it will not be sufficient.  But if its roots are solely from the God of All then HIS POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS. 

Paul had to be taught by God to understand this amazing Bold Grace that reaches the hearts of all, and God will teach us all.  I long for the day that those who proclaim Bold Grace will no longer find so many of their enemies to be the very ones who claim belief in the God of Love.  I am seeing more and more signs of this as Christians begin to question the pulpit of the church and ask the hard questions.  I am seeing more and more Christians who even when they disagree with our stand on Bold Grace they are still willing to accept us and even enjoy good conversation without condemnation. 

MAY THIS ALL INSPIRING GRACE BE SUFFICIENT IN YOUR LIFE,

Cliff