When I decided to welcome Jesus into my heart and began to walk in a faithful relationship with Him, I noticed there was a lot of talk about God’s grace. Initially my mind thought it meant that God was being courteous, maybe even polite, or it had something to do with His good manners, because that is what I knew about the “word” grace, from a dictionary standpoint – to be courteous, polite, or to have good manners. Honestly, it was confusing to me, and I kept wondering what exactly is God’s grace? Then I heard Pastor Mary use grace as an acronym: G.R.A.C.E = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. At the time, I thought maybe grace isn’t about God being “courteous, polite, or using good manners”, but rather He has something of great value for me and it is directly connected to Jesus dying on the cross. As I continued to grow in my faith walk (connecting more in relationship with Jesus) I kept learning from Pastor Mary, many other Christians, and most importantly more and more from God, Himself, by spending time with Him in His Word. I started to realize when I welcomed Jesus into my heart, I was saved (my salvation came) by God’s grace through the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross so that my sins could be forgiven. I am no different from any other person, none of us deserve God’s grace (it is His favor, His forgiveness of our sins, and His acceptance of us), and there was (and remains) absolutely nothing I could have done in my own strength or by my own means to have gained it, or to have earned it, and I certainly was not entitled to it.
I believe the Word of God, the Bible, God’s Testimony, the Good News, the Gospel Message of Christ…whatever you want to say because it is all One in the same, is a message of God’s grace. His grace is the most priceless gift you and I will ever receive, and it was made possible because Jesus gave His life for us, and by welcoming Him into our hearts, asking for His forgiveness of our sinful ways, we are humbling bowing before Almighty God and recognizing that we were and are lost without Him. We desperately need His grace to cover us as He bestows His favor, forgiveness, acceptance, and guidance to us, and that happens because we gave our lives (really “back”) to Him as our Creator, on the day we asked Jesus into our hearts.
In today passage, Paul and Barnabas were in Iconium (which is known today as Konya, located in Turkey), and they were preaching boldly the Good News about God’s grace (v. 3). We see that conflict and division arose, because God’s grace provoked, and continues to provoke, an extreme reaction in both directions. Those seeking God’s grace want more of His Truth operating in a through their lives, while those not seeking it struggle to accept it because the darkness of this world blinds them to His Truth. In the previous chapter, Luke reminds us of what God promised in the Old Testament was now fulfilled through the resurrection of Jesus (v. 33). Therefore, in Jesus there is forgiveness of sins (v. 38), and everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight (covered by His grace) and that is not something the Law of Moses could have done (v. 39). So, this Good News of salvation by grace, not by the Law of Moses, was not received well, and continues to not be received well. Not only by non-Christians, but at times by Christians who believe their good works, entitlement, years of church deeds, etc. earn them some type of heavenly reward or grace-pass to the front of the line. Only God knows each one of our hearts and Jesus will one day judge each one of our heart’s motives alone. In the meantime, we need to pray for God’s grace to move within our lives the same way it moved in today’s passage for Paul and Barnabas. God grace carried them away from the mob, from being attached, and stoned to death. He moved them to other regions where they were to preach the Good News (v.7), just as you and I are called to do the same.
Acts 14:1-7 (NLT)
Paul and Barnabas in Iconium
1 The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News.
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for laying Your life down so that my sins are forgiven. In my own strength I am weak and unworthy of Your favor, but in You, Jesus, I am made whole, forgiven, and worthy to accept Your most gracious gift of grace. Thank You, Father, for Your eternal love. Help me, Holy Spirit, to walk out a life that reflects Your love, to speak words that are guided by You, bathed in Your love, and filled with Your Truth. Please keep guiding my life and using me for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.