Almost every parent has shifted from asking to demanding to manipulating to forcing obedience from their children. It works, but terribly.
The result is a fear-filled child.
A similar result happens when ministry leaders move from grace to ungrace in their preaching and teaching. The result is fear-filled followers.
The common definition of grace is "unmerited favor." I would describe it as unearned benefits from God.
Ron Forseth, Vice President of Outreach, Inc, an organization dedicated to inviting and connecting every person in America to a Bible-believing church so that they might have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, wrote an article titled, "5 Reasons Why Pastors Don't Preach Grace". You can find the article at http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/138396-the-perils-of-preaching-grace.html
He is spot on when he writes, " God's grace freely provides what we have the inability to produce ourselves. Grace elicits the confidence that He will accomplish that which He requires of us—as we cooperate with and obey Him. When we preach grace, we motivate our listeners to trust God in confidence rather than shrink from Him in fear. "Ungrace," on the other hand, leaves people looking to themselves to produce the very thing they lack—and therefore, leaves them burdened and discouraged.
Grace empowers righteous living. Ungrace disables it.
Grace motivates obedience because God has generously given us what we need. Ungrace demands obedience under threat of condemnation if we come up short.
Grace begins with the provision of God and ends with the completeness of the believer. Ungrace begins with the incompleteness of the hearer and ends with the same. Grace leads to freedom and victory. Ungrace leads to bondage and defeat.
Grace looks to God as the source of that which is required—and much is required! Ungrace looks to people to produce what they lack.
Grace is the mark of New Testament preaching and the key to empowering right living."
Amen, Ron Forseth! Live fully in God's grace today.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14b
The result is a fear-filled child.
A similar result happens when ministry leaders move from grace to ungrace in their preaching and teaching. The result is fear-filled followers.
The common definition of grace is "unmerited favor." I would describe it as unearned benefits from God.
Ron Forseth, Vice President of Outreach, Inc, an organization dedicated to inviting and connecting every person in America to a Bible-believing church so that they might have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, wrote an article titled, "5 Reasons Why Pastors Don't Preach Grace". You can find the article at http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/138396-the-perils-of-preaching-grace.html
He is spot on when he writes, " God's grace freely provides what we have the inability to produce ourselves. Grace elicits the confidence that He will accomplish that which He requires of us—as we cooperate with and obey Him. When we preach grace, we motivate our listeners to trust God in confidence rather than shrink from Him in fear. "Ungrace," on the other hand, leaves people looking to themselves to produce the very thing they lack—and therefore, leaves them burdened and discouraged.
Grace empowers righteous living. Ungrace disables it.
Grace motivates obedience because God has generously given us what we need. Ungrace demands obedience under threat of condemnation if we come up short.
Grace begins with the provision of God and ends with the completeness of the believer. Ungrace begins with the incompleteness of the hearer and ends with the same. Grace leads to freedom and victory. Ungrace leads to bondage and defeat.
Grace looks to God as the source of that which is required—and much is required! Ungrace looks to people to produce what they lack.
Grace is the mark of New Testament preaching and the key to empowering right living."
Amen, Ron Forseth! Live fully in God's grace today.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14b
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