Grace Works!

"Grace Works" seems contradictory.  It seems more like an oxymoron than a liberating truth.  It is actually what is called a double entendre, in that, it has two powerful meanings.

First, it means God's grace in Jesus Christ works to be the true source of change in us.  Self-effort rarely brings permanent change in anyone's life.  The flesh is the source of self-effort.  The flesh includes all of the strategies I have learned to try to cope with life apart from dependence on Christ in me.  The flesh is also distinct and unique for every person.

For example, you may have learned to use self-confidence to impress people so you can feel important.  That's a fleshly strategy.  Someone else may have learned to people-please, so that they agree with anything another says to them as an attempt to avoid rejection and elicit some type of twisted acceptance.  That is also a fleshly strategy.

Grace works to free us from those kinds of strategies so that our only strategy is Christ in us.  Often, the way God accomplishes this is not by delivering us from our situation, but by delivering us from ourselves! That is, our reliance on our flesh!  As this happens, our enjoyment of Christ in us and who we are in Him transforms us from glory to glory.  That is one way "Grace Works".

Grace works in a different way, also.  As we rely on Jesus in us more and more, the Holy Spirit brings forth good works through us.  Those works are not the religious works of the flesh but the relational works birthed by grace.

For example, because you are a Saint (Ephesians 1:2) which means a holy one, doesn't it make sense that you would want to live a holy life instead of a sinful one?  Since you are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21) in your identity in Christ, doesn't it make sense that you would want to live a righteous life instead of an unrighteous one?  Since you are a child of God (John 1:12), doesn't it make sense that you would live a life of love, just like your Heavenly Dad, instead of a self-centered one?

I believe you agree that the answer is "Yes," and the power to live like who we are is found in the Holy Spirit filling us with the life of Christ, so He can live through us.  (Ephesians 5:18)

For many, many years, I prayed to be a Godly man.  I worked hard at doing the right actions and works that I thought would make me a Godly man.  It was intense and I was inebriated with the wine of self-righteousness.  One day, after I began to understand the New Covenant, I was riding alone in my car and heard the Lord speak to me deep inside.  He said, "Mark, you are already a Godly man, so you can stop trying to be one."  It was a liberating moment when I realized, that I was already a Godly man in my identity in Christ.  What a relief!  I could finally relax.  The results?  I stopped working to be one and began to live the good works of who I already was...a Godly man.

Rest in God's grace this week which works!

Warmly in Christ, 

Mark Maulding, President and Founder

www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2016 Mark Maulding but feel free to pass it on!

Grace-Onomics: God’s Exchange Rate for Shame

In 2002, staff members, Sandy Witherspoon, Dan Ascher and I traveled 24 hours to get half way around the world to Kyrgyzstan so we could teach the New Covenant message to the staff of a large Christian ministry.  While there, we were all shocked at the monetary exchange rate.  For example, $10 US dollars exchanged for about 600 SOMS which would buy an enormous amount of beautiful Kyrgyz goods.

In our world, there is also an exchange rate for an issue called shame.  Shame in this case is not being ashamed of something you did or some sin you committed or the ones committed against you. This kind of shame is more about an inner sense of being defective.  It is the overwhelming thought, “Something’s wrong with me!”  It’s a cousin of guilt, feeling very similar but not quite the same.

For those outside of Christ, there truly is something wrong with them.  Their core self, called the “old self” according to Romans 6:6 is all wrong.  It is an enemy of God and evil through and through.  We can praise God, though, that once a person is placed into Christ through faith in Him, that old self is crucified with Christ and removed permanently.  Then it is replaced with the “new self”, your New Creation identity.

Yet, if we don’t constantly remind ourselves of our identity in Christ, this world we live in can mold even in us shame based messages.  It often comes from thoughts the Accuser places in our minds or from people who criticize by throwing identity statements at us like:  “You’re stupid.”  “You’re crazy.”  “You can’t do anything right…and more.”

Let’s make this practical.  Do you know the central lie you believe about yourself which your shame based identity is wrapped around?   If not, would you stop and ask the Lord to show it to you right now?  Here are a few I’ve heard through the years.

I’m not a very good Christian.

I’m very inadequate and inferior compared to other people.

I must be the best to be important.

I’m too stupid to get my life together.

Once you know what that central lie is about you, then you can let God’s truth replace it with the genuine reality about who you are.    That is you can be renewed – change how you think – about yourself.  Here are some good examples.

Who Am I? (Taken from our Grace Life Conference) 

Matt. 5:13 I am the salt of the earth.

Matt. 5:14 I am the light of the world.

John 15:1, 5 I am part of the true vine, a channel (branch) of His (Christ’s) life.

John 15:15 I am Christ’s friend.

John 15:16 I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit.

Rom. 6:18 I am a slave of righteousness.

Rom. 6:22 I am a slave to God.

I Cor. 3:16; 6:19 I am a temple of God. His Spirit dwells in me.

I Cor. 6:17 I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.

I Cor. 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.

II Cor. 5:17 I am a new creation.

II Cor. 5:18.19 I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation.

II Cor. 5:21 I am the righteousness of God in Christ

Gal. 3:26, 28 I am a son of God and one in Christ

Eph. 1:1 I am a saint. (See I Cor. 1:2; Phil. 1:1, Col. 1:2)

Eph. 1:4 I am holy and blameless.

God has exchanged your shame-based identity for a grace based identity (Gal. 2:20) (Col. 3-1-4) which is dependent on what Jesus has done instead of what you have done!  Are you tired of your attempts to remove your shame through “try harder religion teachings?”   Spend time this week proclaiming the truth of who you are in Christ, and enjoy resting in the exchange of your shame for God’s grace. 

Believe it! It's the Gospel.

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder

www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2015 Mark Maulding but feel free to pass it on!