BoldGrace

A friend once asked me why it would benefit someone to believe in the gospel of Grace and Peace… and that why I think the story of God’s grace upon the world through His Son which brought an unheard-of peace to all humanity…. is true? The conversation went something like this;

Friend: If this gospel is true, and "sets people free", won’t it free people from the motivation to do good works?

Me: Motivation to do good works through fear? That’s a good thing?

Friend: Yes, whatever motivates people to good works is good, even if it’s "fear".

Me: Fear only motivates people to self protection. When "self" is the motivating factor, the works are tainted with our own filthy (Paul’s description) agendas.

Friend: What’s wrong with self-protection, especially if it motivates people to do good for others?

Me: It is "self"ish. Doing good for others because of selfishness is really only doing good for ourselves. Fear only motivates us to protect ourselves, even if it "looks" like we’re doing good for others. Until we can remove fear from our hearts, and live free to experience the best of self and others, will we truly do good for others.

Friend: I think I see what you mean.

Me: I’m not sure you really can. Until one has experienced that incredible freedom, even for a moment, it is probably impossible to comprehend.

Friend: How can you experience that freedom?

Me: It’s simple, really. Just let yourself believe that the Work of the Cross of Christ brought redemption, in one short instant, to all the world. Let yourself imagine that God, through the Cross of Christ, released His mercy and love to all the world, once and for all, whether you believe it or not! Let yourself soak in the wonder of His righteousness, which He placed on all humanity, including you… whether you believe it or not! Let yourself float in the assurance of God’s message of Forgiveness, that it is un-earnable, no matter what you do, but has been freely given to all, including you, whether you believe it or not!

Friend: I thought the Bible says that you must believe?

Me: You will never know what you truly believe until you give yourself permission to not believe. The problem is, you believe that God is generally displeased with you, and only through your actions (believing what you’ve been told you have to do to please God), can you "get right with God". Well, I say that’s a bunch of crap! It’s not up to you to get right with God… just give yourself permission to understand that God… got right with you! That’s what the Cross was all about, and that’s what will set your mind free!

Friend: But, if I am free from fearing God, won’t I do all kinds of bad stuff?

Me: Why would you even imagine that to be true? The gospel of grace and peace frees us from our fears, doubts, guilt, shame, and worry… so that we can truly be who we were meant to be! God didn’t create you to be "bad", but the pain that you let creep into you life causes you to dwell on hopelessness, suffering, and hurting are pushing you, manipulating you, and controlling you. It’s those things you are fighting against, and every time you are defeated in that fight, it adds to your pain. It’s those things that cause you to want to do "bad" things. When we are set free from our pain, we enter a Life of peace, and in that place, there is no need to hurt ourselves and others (do bad stuff). Love spills out of you into a world that responds to love, and in that exchange, good things happen!

Friend: So, pain causes us to do bad things?

Me: Not necessarily. But pain, along with worry, sorrow, hopelessness, and despair, certainly add to the "burdens" that rob us of life. And I’m not talking about physical pain, I’m speaking of the spiritual pain that runs deep in our souls… that longing for peace with God that seems so impossible, and so unreachable. Our culture has taught us that righteousness is a gift from God, but we need to do something to take possession of that gift… CRAP! NO WAY! In the spiritual sense, there is nothing we can do to receive the gift. It is in us, right now, and there is nothing you can do to get it, or to lose it. If you will allow yourself to think this way, it will change your life, whether you believe it or not!

Friend: I’m not sure I can think that way. I’ve been told all my life that I’m a sinner, and I need to get right with God. It seems like that will always plague me, and hold me in fear.

Me: Well so be it! You can live in fear all your life and miss out on some of its most spectacular aspects… but you’ll still be OK. Don’t worry about it. Maybe a fullness of Peace isn’t in the cards for you. Maybe you don’t really need it. Maybe you can suffer through with the nagging fear that God will, at some point, judge you "unworthy" of relationship. Maybe you will drive yourself crazy trying to gain God’s acceptance, and finally give up. That, my friend, is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Maybe then, you can finally realize His unconditional love for you, and begin to enter the Heavenlies and experience that "abundance" of life that you hear about.

Friend: But, I feel like I have an abundance of life now. Things are pretty good between God and me. Why should I change the way I think about God?

Me: Good point! If what you have is working for you… super! I’m not concerned about your etermal destiny, because I know you are included in God’s reconcilation of the world, whether you believe it or not, and whether you want it or not. I’m not worried for your future, but compassion drives me to be concerned about your "present". My heart’s desire is to see you wildly happy, and content beyond understanding.

I posted this back in 2006 and after listening to it again I thought it a good one for everyone to take into this weekend Give it a LISTEN

Being a Mother, a Wife, a Sister, a Daughter, a Friend, a Cousin, a Niece, a Granddaughter, and a Sister-n-law is…well, lets just say it gets interesting. I am finding that it is hard to be all of these things and yet stay true to myself and it seems as if my list of who I am suppose to be just keeps growing. BUT, finding Grace has been the one thing that has set me free from the fear of these roles that the world expects for me to play.

Grace has been teaching me to be patient, more kind and not as quick to judge me or anyone else. It is so easy to get caught up in what this world expects. It is easy to forget what makes me ME and it is easy to give up and just be like everyone else, but knowing that I am perfect in the eyes of God has created this peace and this confidence that I don’t think I could ever lose. Those moments, you know…the kind where you wish you would have said or done what you really wanted to say and do?…well, I try harder then ever to never let those moments go by. Those are the moments that help me define who I am.

I will always let the rain run down my face and I will always let the sun shine on my face. I will always take to each day and allow myself the freedom to be what I want to be and simply make it through each moment the best way I can.

I hope for all of you out there stuck in this mind set that you are a sinner that you may some day realize your perfection and see the beauty that God sees. God expects nothing from you.

Love much…Mindy

There is a new TV show called "Moment of Truth" where the contestants are rewarded only if they tell the brutal truth when asked some potentially very damaging questions about their lives.  It’s amazing how money can motivate we humans to hurt ourselves and others. 

As I thought about this show and listened as people in the audience seemed so surprised at some of the deep dark secrets being told by the contestants it reminded how ingrained it is in all of us to judge others that seem less moral then we are.  Yes, any of us can find someone who is less moral then we are but do we really think there isn’t someone out there who is more moral then us?  What if the whole world around you knew your deepest and darkest secrets?  It would be quite humbling for any of us wouldn’t it?  I suspect if you were put into that position that it would change the way you judge others wouldn’t it? 

I guess that’s one of the main issues I have with organized religion.  People in organized religion want to decide who God will accept and who He will reject based on the standard of morality.  I don’t have a problem with any group of people who are encouraging each other to live the best lives possible but each of our lives are are so different and it is impossible for any of us to really know who is living their best life possible.  Let me give you an example of what I am trying to say:

My wife Nancy is always telling me what a wonderful, beautiful, kind, and loving person I am.  At least in her eyes I can do no wrong.  When I tell her I feel the same way about her she always rejects it and puts herself down.  Now here’s the thing, I know my wife better then any person who is now living except for God and what I know is that if you knew all that she had been through from the time she was a small child you would realize that her growth as a human being is far greater then mine. 

Now back to my issue with organized religion:  Organized religion sets up a specific moral standard that everyone involved knows is required to be considered a part of the "FAITHFUL".  If people don’t live up to that standard they are looked upon with suspect.  It doesn’t matter that they may have a story that if you could know every detail of their life you would be choked up with pride for how well they actually did under the hand they were dealt. 

I love the way my wife looks at me and feels about me but I will never allow that to make me think I’m good enough to judge others or to think I am any better then she is.  I have learned not to be sucked into false righteousness.  God knows my story and I would never want to answer some of the questions He could ask of me in front of the whole world. 

The reality check that I am talking about here is the very reason why God needed to show us a grace so bold that once we truly accepted it we could never again condemn another person for anything, even unbelief.    Once you truly understand Bold Grace like this you can’t even judge yourself and that’s where this great peace comes in. 

We often talk about being Perfect here at Bold Grace, but we not talking about an earned perfection.  We are talking about a God who sees a perfection in each of us that we can’t see because HE knows every single detail of our lives and how those details led us down the paths we each have taken.

My path compared to my wife’s path was much easier, so how could I dare claim to be a better person then her?  Unfortunately organized religion is full of people who do dare to claim a higher moral life, that is until their own "MOMENT OF TRUTH" comes to the surface. 

Are there humble, non-judgmental people in organized religion?  I’m sure there are, but I would not say that is the norm.  In fact I would say it is rare to truly find such a person because they are constantly being bombarded with a message of judgment and condemnation of folks who aren’t living like the organization says they aught to be.

Someone will undoubtedly say that I am judging and condemning people in organized religion.  I must answer that by defining what I mean above when I talk about people who are judging others whom they think is less moral then they are.   When they judge people they are making a distinction about who God will accept and who He will reject based on the moral standard they have been taught.   When I make judgments about them I still fully believe God accepts them because He knows their entire story and their individual paths.  I never condemn the person regardless of how much I may hate their message, but I will condemn the message of anyone who thinks they are somehow more acceptable to God because of some formula of morality they have followed.

If we would each in the quiet of the night face our own "MOMENT OF TRUTH"  I am convinced we would get up the next morning with a much kinder attitude toward all of God’s beautiful children.

Peace to All Who Will Understand.

 A few years back I worshiped with some Quakers for about three years and I would often hear them use the word "Clarity" when they were pondering something that was bothering them.  I think that is a very good word and one of the things Jesus came to do was to bring clarity to our minds.

The first thing He did to accomplish this for us was to rescue us from a system that had our minds full of turmoil.  That system was the LAW.  The LAW consisted of the Ten Commandments plus approximately 630 other laws that had been handed down to the Israelites through the years.  The turmoil in our minds comes as a result of desire to live up to God’s standard of righteousness without the ability to do so.   Listen to the following scriptures:

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

  

Gal 3:10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

As you can see from the scriptures above it is impossible for any of us to live up to the law demands and therein lies our great problem when it comes to being right with God based on our performance. 

Now unfortunately the organized church of today still does not get this because they continue to preach a gospel that is a mixture of law and grace.   If the Law that God provided could not make us righteous what makes the church think they can do a better job of coming up with another standard for correct performance?  Paul also tells us that there is no law that can make us right.  Listen:

Gal 3:21-22 For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

When Paul says "a law" he is clearly saying that there can be NO standard of human performance that will ever make one right with God.  He goes on to say that we were all failures when it came to our performance but the promise God made to redeem all of mankind came about because of the FAITH OF JESUS.   Yes, it is given to them that believe and thanks be to God one more time because he will not leave any of us in unbelief.  Paul tell us his own conversion came about because of his unbleif……..listen again to Paul’s account:

1 Tim 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 The grace of the Lord was POURED OUT on Paul abundantly along with the FAITH AND LOVE  that are in CHRIST JESUS.   Paul was converted out of UNBELIEF and was GIVEN faith and love.  And the best thing is he says this conversion was given as an example for ALL  that will eventually believe in the awesome Lord.

Now let’s get back to the CLARITY issue for a minute.  Why do church folk have such a hard time understanding this very BOLD GRACE?   I believe Paul again gives us the answer:

2 Cor 3:13-18 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.  Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect  the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Turn on your televisions on Sunday morning or go to almost any local church and you will hear the LAW preached.  And where you hear the law preached you will find DULL minds.  And how does one get away from this DULL mind?  Turn to the LORD of Bold Grace.  You will find freedom.  Your vision of others will become clear.  You will see the image of God everywhere.   You will see his Glory more and more even in the worst of circumstances and this glorious vision of a FAITHFUL GOD  will transform you more and more from the inside out.

Are you seeking CLARITY OF THOUGHT?  Give up your quest to be righteous by your own beliefs and performance and be awakened to this loving God who has always loved you, loves you now, and will never abandon you regardless of how bad you think you are.  Allow me to leave you with one last scripture because I know there are many out there that have their minds full of turmoil (self condemnation) because of what they are hearing preached every Sunday.

1 John 3:18  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Peace to All Who Will Understand,

Cliff

Titus 2:11-15

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

1. First of all Paul tells us in verse 11 that this bold grace has appeared to ALL men.  That means undeserved favor has appeared to all men.  It does not appear to men or women who deserve it because there aren’t any. 
2. Secondly, he clearly shows us that this bold grace has some very specific purposes for all of our lives.  It teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.  Teaching us to live soberly, righteously, and godly, and he is clearly talking about our earthly lives (this present world).  Now the very obvious thing about this bold grace is that it is given to us before hand  in order that we can have all these wonderful goals.  Without the knowledge of being loved unconditionally (even though we don’t deserve it) we could never move toward what grace teaches us.
3. Third, in verses 13 & 14 we also see the clear description of what Bold Grace really is.  Christ giving himself FOR US!  Not a few of US, or some of US, or just those of US who deserve it, but for ALL OF US!  And just what is HIS goal for us?  To purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 

DISCLAIMER:
These explanations are not necessarily the views and opinions of all or even any on the Bold Grace Team other than myself. (Geo)

2.    I believe: It is hard to Enter through the narrow gate. (Matt. 7)
3.    I believe: That wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (Matt. 7)
4.    I believe: That small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matt. 7)
Jesus said in Matthew 7: Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

First let me start by asking a question…. What is Jesus talking about “entering” here?
I was taught in my evangelical days that the passage was talking about two places. Those that entered through the narrow and small gate were entering into the kingdom of heaven. But those who entered the wide and broad way were entering into hell. And that “ENTERING INTO LIFE” meant entering into heaven. But a closer examination of these passages says something quite different and life giving. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. If you read it slowly and carefully you will see that BOTH the narrow gate and the broad way are entering into the same thing! He does NOT say the narrow gate leads into one place and the wide and broad way lead to another! He does say that there are few who find the small gate and narrow way and those enter in. He does say that there are many who take the wide and broad way and they ALSO enter in! His advice here is to enter in through the small narrow gate and not through the wide broad way.

So what are these two ways? Just this………. The small gate and narrow way is only one thing, GRACE! And there are few who find it when compared to the wide & broad way. So what is the wide & broad way that many or most enter in through? LAWS, RULES & REGULATIONS. And how many religions have them? ALL do. Every religion that I know of has some types of rules or practices you must follow in order to be close to God or the God Nature. That road is VERY WIDE & BROAD and it leads to the destruction of self and the adherents enter through it. The Small & Narrow way of Grace Alone is the hardest thing and way to live in this realm! Why is it hard? Because the human psyche above ALL THINGS wants to be justified by what it does, says or accomplishes. Everything in life from the time we are born teaches and reinforces this. Examples of this are, Children are told, “If you are a good boy daddy will buy you that new fire truck.” Or “If you are a good girl mommy will buy you a Barbie Doll.” Or this, “ If you don’t quit doing that I am going to punish you.”  Then as adults, “Johnny if you can get this done on time we will give you the rest of the week off with pay. “ or “Johnny if this is not done on time your services will no longer be needed by this company.” I know these are generic things but you get the meaning. We are taught by the world from the cradle to the grave, “Do Good, Get Good, Do Bad, Get Beat” In the end this leads to destruction of a person. Or they become a driven self-centered egotistical maniac without even being aware of it.

The other small & narrow way is GRACE and it is very hard to enter in through. Grace says the only thing is GRACE! When you are wronged by another you give GRACE. When you wrong someone else you give yourself GRACE. If you think that is not a small and narrow gate then go see if you can find it in everyday in every situation! You see in this life we will use both gates and ways. Some days I use and can find the Narrow Way (Grace) very clearly. Other days I could not find the Small Gate (GRACE) If I tripped over it! Some days I enjoy trying to make others take the Broad way! Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t because you do to! Some days I love to try and help others see the Small Gate and so do you. So in the end both ways will enter into heaven and we all with great awe will stand together before Him who loved use and gave Himself for us that we might be one with Him as He is one with The Father. At least that is my belief at this time in my life. And as always let me add, I could be full of shit! Hahaha!

Standing at The Gates
Geo

DISCLAIMER:
These explanations are not necessarily the views and opinions of all or even any on the Bold Grace Team other than myself. (Geo)

1.    I believe: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again"
    How were you taught that this happens? I was taught that the way a person is born again is they hear the message of the cross preached and they respond to it by saying some type of sinner’s prayer and accepting Jesus into their heart as personal Lord & Savior. Now while that may sound reasonable could anyone tell me where to look to find such a belief? Do you remember Jesus only explanation as to how to be “born again”?  He said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." WHAT?!!!! Being “born again” is like the wind? Wait a minute Jesus I thought I had to accept you and make You my “personal Lord & Savior” in order to be born again? Also did Jesus say that unless you are born again you will not be redeemed and spend eternity with The Father and me? NO! Read it again, He said,
“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again”     Let me ask you, “Do you see the kingdom of God today? If not then according to Jesus you have not been born again. If you are going to ask me, “Geo, do you see the kingdom of God on earth today?” My answer is a resounding YES! The whole earth screams of His Glory and Majesty on a daily basis. The wars, the killings, the rapes, the murders, the drunks, the prostitutes, the pimps, the abused, the abusers, the faithful, the faithless, the church, the Jews, the Muslims, the Christians, the Hindus, the lawless, the lawful, the Grace filled, the ungraceful, the hater, the lover, the mean, the kind, the black, the yellow, the white, the brown, the red, the poor, the rich, the powerless, the powerful, the smart, the not so smart (that’s me) the able bodied, the handicapped, death and life they all scream of His Glorious Redemption that is in Christ Jesus to me. Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Jn. 3) So again how is a person “born of the spirit” what must one do in order to be “born of the spirit”?

NOTHING! According to the Apostle Paul.
Paul said in his book to the Ephesians :
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)—But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

Did you read that? HE made the two groups, Jews & Gentiles ONE by taking them into His body on the Cross. You may well ask, “Geo so what? What does that have to do with all being born of the Spirit”? It has EVERYTHING to do with being “born of the Spirit”! In God’s economy at the time Paul wrote that there were only two kinds of people, The Jews who represented Believing and The Gentiles who represented the Unbelieving. It says He, Jesus took both Jew (believer) and Gentile (unbeliever) into His body making the two groups ONE NEW MAN/WOMAN and abolishing in His own flesh the dividing wall of hostility. And when He died on the Cross ALL of mankind died. When He was put into the grave who was in His body according to the Apostle Paul? ALL of mankind both Jew (believer) and Gentile (unbeliever). And when He rose again who was in His body according to the Apostle Paul? Both Jew (believer) and Gentile (unbeliever) ALL of mankind. And when He ascended into Heaven who ascended into Heaven with Him according to the Apostle Paul? Both Jew (believer) and Gentile (unbeliever). And as He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven who sits with Him according to the Apostle Paul? Both Jew (believer) and Gentile (unbeliever). You see folks your belief or unbelief does not make something true or false. But your belief about something will have a cause and effect in your life here in this earthly realm. Your born again and all of creations born again experience happened 2008 years ago in the body of Jesus Christ. Again Paul refers to it in this way, “As in Adam ALL die, In Christ ALL Live”!

Enjoy The Kingdom Today

Peace
Geo

1.    I believe: Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
2.    I believe: It is hard to Enter through the narrow gate.
3.    I believe: That wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
4.    I believe: That small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
5.    I believe: That we should come out from them and be separate.
6.    I believe: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
7.    I believe: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 
8.    I believe: That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
9.    I believe: That He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
10.    I believe: This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
11.    I believe: He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
12.    I believe: For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
13.    I believe: Jesus came into the world for Judgment.
14.    I believe: He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it.
15.    I believe: No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

That’s right I believe ALL of those things! Does that surprise you? Over the coming weeks I will take each one of the 15 things and give you my explanation of each one. In the mean time can you figure out how I can believe each one of these things? Because on the surface they seem to say just the OPPOSITE of what we say here on Bold Grace.

More Later

Peace

Geo

There have been a lot of questions asked lately as to what we believe here at Bold Grace. So I have a challenge for all who POST, READ OR COMMENT HERE. Go to the link below

http://www.glennkleinonline.com/webcast/guests/mwilliams.html

and listen to the webcast dated 6-18-2008. Then you will have the answer to some of the questions that you ask of us here at Bold Grace. The men on the show are Glenn and Mike. They are two good friends of Bold Grace and proclaimers of The Gospel of Grace & Peace. Then come back here AFTER you listen to the show in its entirety and tell us what your thoughts are.

Peace

Geo