Be A Grace Teacher

GOOD teachers will EDUCATE their pupils to INFORM them about FACTS!

GRACE teachers will EQUIP their pupils to INVOLVE them in the FAITH!

Titus 2:11-15
(Speaks of the AGENDA of grace)

Ephesians 4:11-16
(Speaks of the AGENTS of grace)

Ephesians 4:12-16
(Speaks of the Aim of grace)

Grace teachers are God's agents of grace who live to affirm the agenda of grace because they understand the aim of grace...

This Particular LIFE (Part 3)

Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. (Acts 5:20)

This Altered Life Can BE Validated! (A)
(Guilty until proven innocent)

All men should be seen as guilty of rebellion to the authority of King Jesus, and in need of being permanently conquered and made subject to Him, until otherwise proven innocent of this common and most natural sin.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We understand, according to the Scriptures, that humanity left to itself is fallen, and in and of its self has no eternal value. Eternally speaking, apart from God's favor and providential touch, natural man is divinely good for nothing. God calls natural humans "children of disobedience" and "children of wrath". Why does He refer to them as evil and therefore; wicked? He does so because they're what I call “products of the fall”. Mankind inherited a fallen nature through the rebellion and transgression of Adam’s original sin. The result of his sin has been passed down through the ages to all his descendants. We, all humanity, are descendants of Adam and Eve. This original sin has left its mark, a clearly identifiable trait of deception and self-centered living, upon the hearts of everyone. We were born into this world a sinner. Today, we're positioned in one of two places: (1) we're either “products of the fall” (separated from the Lord and His redeeming grace therefore; perishing in our sin) or (2) we are the "workmanship of God" because we've been rescued from ourselves and the eternal consequences of our sin through the life of Jesus Christ. If we've been rescued there was a time in our lives that we lived a self-seeking lifestyle. We lived this way until we were interrupted by the Lord. God used Paul to describe these two different lifestyle in Romans 2:7-8. These two ways of living are the only two lifestyles presently operating in the world today.

“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: [8] But unto them that are contentious (self-stimulated/provoked; meaning self-seeking), and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath…” (Romans 2:7-8)

Every human being alive today is living in one of these verses. Their lives can be characterized as either in a position of: (1) submission to the truth therefore; a seeker of righteousness and the kingdom agenda of God, or (2) as a one who is rebellious to the truth and this rebellion is manifested through a lifestyle that seeks its own agenda. No one can live in both verses. But no matter who we are, at some point in our lifetime, we all have lived in verse eight. For others they are currently living in it, and this verse can be used to best describe their lives. Each of the two positions also come with their own eternal consequences; life everlasting given to us through the life of Jesus Christ or indignation and wrath and forever separated from the life and love of a relentlessly loving God. Every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, at one time in their life, lived in verse eight. It was only when the Greatest Interrupter that ever lived interrupted their self-seeking agenda, and reconciled their life to be in harmony with God’s kingdom purpose. Prior to this JESUS INVASION they lived for themselves. Once we’re in verse seven there’s no going back to verse eight as a way of living. Yes, we’ll do things with the wrong motives. Yes, we’ll disobey the truth at times and be in need of grace repentance. But our lives will never be characterized as being in verse eight. Why not? The Interruption and Invasion of Jesus is PERMANENT! Will we be tempted to live for ourselves. Yes, but we are “more than conquerors in Christ Jesus” and we will not be continually overcome and conquered by our flesh to fulfill its lust. Keep in mind that temptation is not sin. It’s when we act on our temptation that it becomes sin. Can we make provisions for our flesh? Yes, we can exercise our minds toward, and think in advance how to feed our fleshly cravings. But we don't have to and we shouldn't desire to live this way any longer.

We're going to stop here and pick up with this thought tomorrow. Come back and we'll look at how God describes the “products of the fall” to establish our theme for all missionaries living to rescue the perishing:
“All men are guilty of living a life of rebellion toward King Jesus until otherwise proven innocent by His unmistakable marks of grace upon their life.”

We will also be introduce to the eternal marks of God’s grace.

Until then God bless!

Proverbs 14:25
A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.

Win the lost at His cost, and it will be According to Grace!

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready (stumbling) to be slain (slaughtered); [12] If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works? (Proverbs 24:11-12)

Delivered from Something to Something (Luke 1:64-75)

This is an excerpt from my newly released book Magnify The Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend why Christ Came, (Xulon Press ; ISBN 9781602669314).

A Peculiar People

*If you have been delivered from the hand of the enemy, you have
been delivered to a place of safety and service in Christ, who is your
life. Stand up and serve a God who only accepts what He’s worked
through His own grace. It is by His grace we stand before Him as
holy and blameless, without any spot. It is by His grace we can serve
Him righteously in this corrupt world. We are His and His alone. We
were bought through a means that goes beyond and above the usual
purchase. The purchase of our life is incomparable. This is why the
Bible describes God’s people as peculiar. The means by which we
were purchased is so special that the intent and purpose of such a
purchase is also above and beyond the normal. Our redemption is special.

PURCHASED FOR SERVICE
We were slaves of sin, and we treasured the life we were living.
We gave ourselves to our master and we were free from God in
all matters of holiness and righteousness. We did not want a new
master, and we were in darkness to His beauty and loveliness. None
of these things moved Him. He knew He could change us from
being a servant to sin to living and longing to serve righteousness.
He knew He could and would make us into a trophy of His matchless
grace. He knew that to do this He would have to go farther than
any master had ever gone to purchase his subjects. He also knew
exactly what each person He would purchase would be doing in His
fields. He weighed the cost and paid the price to make His people
special. This work has no comparison. It’s only for those who have
been purchased in such an unusual way by His own blood.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His
marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but
are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy."
(1 Peter 2:9-10)
The Lord’s people do live a life of service that is

unusual, unashamed, and unadulterated even in the midst of a

perverse generation. Don’t be cheated by the

Americanized gospel.

Jesus came to deliver us from something to something.

Praise God!

*Taken from Magnify the Lord: Ten Reasons to Discover, Declare, and Defend why Christ Came, chapter 6(He's Come to Deliver), pages 164, 165.

“What I know to be True!”
The lifestyle witness of Nick Holden (Titus 3:3-8 ; 2 Cor. 5:14-21)

How God the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and the regenerating and renewing work of the Holy Spirit, interrupted me, a destitute deceiver, by invading my life with the conquering power of His grace for one distinct purpose. To make me His own personal vessel of mercy for Christ sake. Rom. 9:23

Five things I know to be true and pray that through this message, when I’m done sharing with you the witness that God has established in me, you also will come to know that each one of these can be true for you:

1. God’s grace toward me was not in vain
2. The call and conquest of the Lord Jesus Christ over my life
3. My passion for the authority and authenticity of God’s Word
4. I’m compelled by the love of Christ
5. God’s committed to me a ministry and message of reconciliation

I must let you in on a secret. It may surprise you when you hear this. But I have not always known these marvelous truths. That’s right, for twenty-six years I lived, ate, breathed and fought for myself. I was consumed with Nick Holden and his pleasures. Why? I was lost and perishing and had no clue of the freedom of being forgiven in Christ Jesus. I was full of deception, pride, lust, anger and wrath (Titus 3:1-3). I was selfish and did everything for my own profit. Even when I helped or commended others for doing a good job it was for my own personal benefit. Basically, I lived for my own glory and praise. I do know now what was wrong with me, but back then I didn’t. I was dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-5). I was blind to truth and there was a veil over my heart and I could not believe the message of the gospel of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:1-6). I was a product of the fall. I was conceived and born in iniquity with a nature that had a natural bend toward sin. I was depraved and so tainted with sin that everything I did was unacceptable to a holy and righteous God. I truly do know what it means to be reconciled to God the Father through the saving work of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19-23).
I had been brought up in a ungodly home. I say ungodly because the presence of God and His ways were not supreme or final authority. My dad was catholic and my mom had no religious background. We thought being good was the way to earn passage and points with God. There was always an awareness about the Lord but not an awe centered desire to be well pleasing to Him. Sports, hunting and a good education were our gods. We gave everything we had to play ball and to be the best at what we did. My dad and mom invested their livelihood into us and the equipment we would use so we could be the best. My dad coached us all the way up until High School and then would come to every practice and travel to all our games. I was good at both baseball and football. My senior year I was voted male athlete of the year for Covington High Fighting Lions . Not only was I the male athlete of the year but also voted the best dad by my daughter. That’s correct, my little girl Elizabeth. My wife Stephanie and I started dating during our sophomore year and she become pregnant during our junior year. We were sweethearts all through school, even named by our peers to be “Junior Sweethearts” at the Sweetheart dance that year. What no one knew was that Stephanie was pregnant at the time. The summer before our senior year we were married, and have been now for over 19 years. We have three daughters (arrows), Elizabeth, Lydia & Lauren (Ps. 127). All this was a reality and even factual events that were going on in our life but they were all a lie. Outside of Christ it is impossible to discern the difference between what is real and what is truth. Our lifestyle was filled with facts and real events but it was one big lie (John 18:37).

I eventually joined the Navy and spent close to ten years with them. We traveled and lived in some nice places. We both told everyone we had been saved by Jesus. But we lived how we wanted. We went were we wanted. We watched what we wanted. We drank what we wanted. We talked how we wanted. We listened to what we wanted to listen to and we acted like any other average person. Though we claimed to have a supernatural salvation through Jesus, we had very little to no regard for God‘s way. We were claiming Jesus saves while living for ourselves and on our way to hell. We truly deserved HELL. We were monstrous sinners, who rightfully should be separated from such a just and holy God. BUT because of His mercy and the gift of Christ we have been delivered. God set both of us free from ourselves in 1997and delivered us from sin’s grip so we could know and follow Him.
Today, what I know to be true, is that it all started on a Sunday morning in July of 1997. It was at Northcrest Baptist Church in Meridian, Ms., while Bro. Malcolm Lewis was preaching and teaching from Mat. 16:26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” It was on this day that Jesus Christ INTERRUPTED my life and called me to be His disciple forever. It was on this day that God made me a new creation and He begin to teach me His truth by granting me repentance and gracing me with the faith to believe. Paul reminds Titus of his interruption in Titus 3:3-6, "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior." I know what it means to be sin, and to live life for myself, pretending that everything is good. Today, by the grace of God, I‘m free. I am free to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came to make us His very own disciples that would be known as Christians (graced followers of the Anointed One), by a world around us. Are you a Follower of the Anointed One? Are you Jesus’ very own disciple? Are you known as one who is obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Jesus reveals to us in Mark 8:35 that we must lose our life for His sake and the gospel’s. This is why Paul told the church in 2 Thes. 1:8 that God’s wrath will come upon everyone who does not know God the Father and have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ which demands our life entirely and completely. Jesus is a life-giver and life-changer.

How was I delivered and made a disciple of Jesus?

1. By a Permanent Interruption (My life was interrupted by Jesus) Titus 3:3-7
2. By a Powerful Invasion (My life was invaded by God’s grace) Titus 2:11-14
3. By a Profound Influence (My life has been influenced by Christ’s love) 2 Cor.5:14-21
4. By a Progressive Interest (My lifelong interest in knowing the Lord and His purpose) Phil. 3:7-21
5. By a Purposeful Involvement (My lifelong involvement in God’s cause) Mark 8:34-38
6. By a Personal Investment (My lifelong investment in God’s kingdom) John 18:37
7. By a Providential Identity (My lifestyle being identified as a disciple of Jesus Christ) 2 Cor. 4:7-15