Introduction

 This Book is for You.

“Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.”

~ Jesus Christ ~

 

Over the years it has become apparent to me, that many seekers of God and those in the Body of Christ do not have a clear understanding of the practical workings of God’s Grace. Often, I will hear Grace defined as “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” or “unmerited favor”. But what do these mean in a practical sense?

What exactly is Grace?

How am I saved by Grace?

What is the purpose of God’s Grace in my life after Salvation?

How does it operate?

What part does Faith play in all this?

Where do good works fit in to all this? Aren’t they important?

Is it OK if I still sin, since I am saved by Grace and not by works?

Does God’s Word instruct me on how I might grow and walk in Grace?  Yes, the Bible gives us instruction in this important principle. Yet many do not grasp or even have a clue what it really means to walk in Grace day by day.

This book is meant to be profoundly practical.

What do I mean by that?

Practical in the sense that I will give you tools which can make a difference in your walk with Jesus Christ.

Profound in that portions of this book should make you stop and think. Then pray. Then search the scriptures. Then read back over that section of the book. Then think some more.

While I do include examples from my own life and that of others of how grace and faith apply to different areas of our walk with God, I continually lay a foundation of scripture to back up my understanding of these principles.

Lots of scripture.

I do not want to give you opinions of men, but truth from God. Jesus, in His prayer to the Father in John chapter 17, said, “Your Word is Truth.” (John 17:17)  Please take the time to read each Bible passage quoted. If needed, stop and read them a few times after reading my comments about them. These are spiritual subjects that require spiritual discernment and that comes through the Bible.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

‘Now these (Berean) Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”  (Acts 17:11 ESV)

I ask three things of you the reader as you take time with this book:

Always start your reading with prayer. That God’s Holy Spirit would speak to you while reading.

Take the time to read and think on the scriptures presented.

Search the scriptures, like the Bereans did, to see if what is put forth here is truth from God or not.

This book is for you if:

You believe God has a call upon your life, but you are not sure how to determine what it might be.

You are a new believer and you want to know how to grow closer to God.

You have been a believer for a while, but you have that nagging feeling that there is much more that you are not experiencing in your walk with Jesus.

You still struggle with habitual sin and you desire to live a Holy life before Him.

You want more boldness when witnessing.

You want a stronger prayer life.

You wish the Bible made more sense.

It is my fervent prayer that, by His will, this book will encourage and exhort those who call upon the name of Jesus to a stronger, deeper, more effectual faith with the Creator of heaven and earth, equipping you for the service that He is calling you to. The following verse from Ephesians is central to the theme of this book:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

I believe these verses cover the life of the believer from salvation until the Lord takes them home. We are saved by Grace. We will explore what Grace is and how it is central to both salvation and service. Grace operates through Faith. We will spend much time on what Faith is, how we can have more of it and how our Faith allows the Grace of God to operate in our lives, moment by moment.

God is preparing you for a work and He has prepared a work for you. But the only way you can walk in that work, is to walk by Grace. This is where the rubber meets the road. What is the call of God upon your life? Will you answer that call? How can you know what that work is? How can you possibly hope to accomplish what God is calling you to do?

Hebrews 12:28 says:

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” (KJV ~ emphasis mine)

The only way we may serve God acceptably is by His Grace.

Throughout the scriptures we are told that we are saved by Grace, we are to grow in Grace, to serve God by Grace, to stand in Grace, to have our hearts established in Grace, and much more. We shall start this journey of understanding the work of Grace in our lives as Christians with the “new” beginning. That is, when we were saved by grace.

Next:  Chapter One: Grace Defined Part One – A New Creature