What does great grace look like?
On 2/16/11 @ Faith Fellowship in Watertown between 6 - 9:30PM, I and about 60 other Christians caught a glimpse of GREAT GRACE! We were having our semi-annual members meeting which we hold every year in the February time frame. We have a meal together and then usually, I take about 20-30 minutes to talk of the state of the church and to cast some vision for the upcoming months. I appealed to the saints about a fresh move of God among us which we already were witnessing. Something was happening among the men. The previous Sunday our youth pastor had been wonderfully used of God to get our attention about what really mattered before God. After briefly mentioning some upcoming events and burdens, I asked if 2 men and 2 women would stand and lead us in prayer as the Lord led them. I requested they would pray about the Lord moving in our church and in our city and county. As they prayed, our collective burden for seeking God began to immediately grow. It was strange! I could actually physically feel it. When they were done the saints were not. One after the other cried out to the Lord with great urgency and aggression. We gathered together at one end of the meeting hall where the praying, confession, and interceding continued unabated for an hour and a half. It seemed like 10 minutes to me. We all knew Jesus had awakened us. The verse came to mind, "It is time for you O Lord to work." Our intense expectation of His manifested Presence over the next few days is palpable. We prayed for all who were unable to attend and pleaded with the Holy Spirit that they too would receive the same call and blessing wherever they were.
We have only scratched the surface of course. This is the time to seek Him - the time to taste and see that the Lord is good - the time to do exploits for our God - the time to discover that Jesus answers prayer. I am praying for a major leap in our prayer burden. I made specific requests about our Sunday AM prayer meeting. I think we will need a different room to pray in for that will be too small. I think the devil was shaken. I think we in that room were too. "My people shall be willing in the day of my power."
Grace was great on that night for that little band of seekers. Was there another time in scripture when grace was great? Yes, in Acts 4:21-33. "And great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33b). What does great grace look like? There are so many stories about the magnificent grace of God but I have picked one to notice what happened that day - the story in Acts 4. We cannot learn all about great grace from one story but lets gain some things from this. You may notice other aspects as well. Let those encourage your faith as well as the incomplete list I mention now.
1. They had been persecuted for Jesus' sake. Suffering for the sake of the Lord & His Gospel is a great privilege indeed. Disciples rejoiced to suffer for His sake. I think we have lost that in our day. We think of getting even or at least getting a lawyer. But when great grace overwhelms us, we will rejoice when we are ill treated or lied about simply because we had the gall to bear witness of the living Jesus. Our day is coming for the brave saints who will not be silenced by the threats of the demonically motivated unbeliever who possesses no present fear of God. How will we fare! We will do excellently well for God will give us great grace. EXPECT IT!
2. They prayed! Boy, did they ever pray! They lifted up their voice - cried out! They were deadly serious. They had passion & aggression. They had faith. They were certain that God was listening. They knew that God had heard them and because they knew that - they also knew they would receive the petitions that they had presented to God. They all prayed - THERE WERE NO SPECTATORS! Great grace causes praying like that. It pulls it out of you.
3. They recognized the times. They saw themselves in light of God's big plan. They quoted Old Testament passages that identified what was going on - what they were right in the middle of. Today is a dark day. The threat of financial collapse, the loss of our freedoms and the American way of life we have known is quite real. Revolution by the masses of misguided people looms. War could come to the USA. This is a dark day - or is it. When sin abounds - GRACE does yet more abound!!! We are about to witness GREAT GRACE for our God is not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance and life. It is time for us to recognize the day in which we live - this is a day of wonderful opportunity. This is a day when people will listen and hear our testimony. The looming trouble has brought about the attention of the wandering lost. The fields are white - they are ripe - great grace makes us aware - and His Spirit will make us ready and able for the task.
4. They knew they needed miracles to authenticate their testimony. Therefore, they prayed and believed that God would grant such signs & wonders. They simply believed & expected it. They did not have to work their faith up for they trusted God and judged Him faithful and fully motivated to help His own Gospel cause. Can we hear that? Can we catch a glimpse of that? Of course we can for great grace is moving thru us in this hour.
5. They prayed for boldness to speak God's Word. Boldness is not just flame breathing courage. It is a settled persuasion within that God is with me, empowering me, filling me, using me, protecting me, aiming me, as I speak for Him. Great grace equates to great boldness. It is a condition of faith that causes action without fear or at least without succumbing to fear. When we pray for boldness does this courage just instantly come into us. Not actually - GRACE comes into us - great grace!
6. The place where they were assembled was shaken. The grace of God was earth shattering. When that kind of grace starts flowing, stuff happens 'man'. There was weeping, pleading, repenting, worship, praise, and enormous change in people's hearts. Old things passed away and all things became fresh and new. I don't know if the building where they were actually shook - probably did. God never does anything but that it doesn't have big results. Many of these things were our experience Wednesday night. Thank You Lord for your intervening grace.
7. They had unity. The unity was so profound that the Bible says they were of ONE HEART AND SOUL! One supreme motive filled them - one love moved them - one desire drove them - one faith held them - one prayer poured from them - that prayer was that God move among them and make them effective witnesses. We had a healthy portion of that the other night too. Look out devil when the people of God receive one heart. Why do I say receive? Because that only happens when His people receive His Great Grace. It is the grace of Jesus that unifies us and NOTHING ELSE let me promise you. Unity is found in no other! Get up - get up - get up - get up my friends and join in the ONE cause worth living and dying for - the Gospel of Jesus! I know you will join in this because grace is flowing and revealing itself again among us - thank You Jesus!
8. They had power to witness! They witnessed of Christ's resurrection. They went around and said Jesus is alive! We know because we have seen Him, talked to Him, received His miraculous help, heard His voice, have been forgiven and changed by Him, our life course & purpose HE has changed forever, our prayers are heard and answered because HE LIVES! Isn't this our witness today? Hasn't HE done these things for us? Does HE not live within us? Will HE not do for others what HE has done for us? The power to witness comes from the grace of His Presence. It always has and always will. GREAT GRACE makes great witnesses for there is a secret. That secret: HE is speaking through us, HE is doing the miracles. Will Jesus back me up when I stand up for Him? Of course HE will. Because grace & truth came through Jesus Christ. Jn.1:16 says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." That last strange phrase means 'piles of grace on top of piles of grace.' Sounds like great grace to me.
Come on my friends. It is time to seek the Lord. Come for prayer on Sunday at 9AM sharp!!! If you attend another church, go there and pray your guts out with the other saints. Jesus is in the answering mood. HE has decided to pour out GREAT GRACE on His children and I for one am in serious need of that grace. I'll meet you under the fountain and we shall laugh, cry, shout, plead, repent, and believe together. It will be absolutely glorious! Be of good courage - great grace is flowing!
