Jon Albert

~GRACE~

“When I first began walking with Christ, I felt an immediate, and authentic connection with any other Christian who crossed my path…we were family. But as I walked with Jesus, somehow my ‘growth’ had been coupled with increasingly stronger opinions about the ‘right’ way to be a follower.”

“I started keeping people I didn’t enjoy, or agree with, at arms lengh...categorizing them, and ‘gracefully shunning’ them, all while appearing to be both spiritual, and community oriented, (but in reality) I (really only)* chose to build community with people with whom I could pretty much agree on everything.”

*summary/emphasis added

~GRACE~

“The God of Christiansis too often looked uponas an old gentlemanof irritable nerveswho beats peoplefor whistling.”

Dorothy Day

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“This piece tries toshift the idea of Godconstantly saying‘NO!’ (& for bad reasons), but to one of Him saying, ‘YES!’ over & over & over again, & the transformation that can bring…”

The Son of God, Jesus the Messiah,who was proclaimed among you by Silvanus,Timothy, and myself, wasn’t a Yes-and-Noperson; in Him, it’s always Yes! All God’spromises, you see, find their Yes in Him:and that’s why we say the Yes, the Amen,through Him when we pray to God…

2 CORINTHIANS 1:19-20 (KNT)

~GRACE~

- Forgives- Heals- Transforms (and WILL transform…)

- Ennobles- Empowers- Makes people in the salad bowl comfortable with one another…

EXAMPLES of WHAT GRACE DOES:

The free/unmerited favor of God…WHAT GRACE IS:

- Forgiveness- Freedom- Justification (being declared right w/God)

- Eternal life- Sanctification (being made holy)

- Reconciliation (peace with God)

- Blessed with every spiritual blessing- Raised/seated with Christ in God’s presence- Created to do good works- Peace that passes understanding

EXAMPLES of GRACE WE RECEIVE:

For Everyone:Intentionally look for an opportunityto show grace to someone that:

- You’re tempted NOT to- Didn’t do ANYTHING to earn it- May have actively done the OPPOSITE; by…

• Praying for them, seeking their good• Tangibly blessing them in some way

SOUL TRAINING EXERCISE

Specifically for parents of young children:Try to minimize the number of “NO!”syou give to your kids this week!(“Don’t waste your no’s!”)

- Say “YES!” as often as is reasonably possible- Say “NO!” as little as possible, & when you do,

make sure it’s for good reason, & stick w/it- If you realize it WASN’T for a good reason,

own up to it, ask for forgiveness, & move on!

SOUL TRAINING EXERCISE

~GRACE~

1. Because of the grace shown to us

WHY SHOW GRACE…?

Then Peter came to Jesus, and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold (@ 200,000yrs of hard labor!)

was brought to him...

MATTHEW 18:21ff

“Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he, and his wife, and his children, and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt, and let him go.”

MATTHEW 18:21ff

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him, and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’”

MATTHEW 18:21ff

“But he refused. Instead, he went off, and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged, and went, and told their master everything that had happened...”

MATTHEW 18:21ff

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

MATTHEW 18:21ff

1. Because of the grace shown to us

2. Because of the suffering shared by humanity

WHY SHOW GRACE…?

It’s

Qui

et U

ptow

n, fr

om

Ham

ilton

There aremoments that the wordsdon’t reach,There issufferingtoo terribleto name…

There aremoments that the wordsdon’t reach,There isgracetoo powerfulto name…

It’s

Qui

et U

ptow

n, fr

om

Ham

ilton

If you see himin the street,walking byher side,talking byher side,have pity,they are workingthrough theunimaginable…

It’s

Qui

et U

ptow

n, fr

om

Ham

ilton

~GRACE~