Friday, April 10, 2015

Grace Before Us

April 10, 2015

One of the mistakes Christians often make when serving in missions or ministry is that of imagining that we are "taking the Gospel to..." whomever. In a sense, that is true, but in another sense, it makes no sense. Wherever we go, God has been there before us, and if we are able to do any good whatsoever, it's because he has paved the way in people's hearts. In Romans 9, Paul says that the word has gone forth into all the world, and before we ever speak a single syllable, God has been silently speaking into people's lives through circumstances, and often through the direct influence of his Holy Spirit upon their conscience. John Wesley called it "prevenient grace," i.e., that grace of God that precedes human activity. Our doctrine of Original Sin tells us that Adam's sin has so infected the human race that without the initiative of God, we couldn't even respond to his goodness.

This is both a humbling and encouraging fact. Humbling, because it circumscribes the limits of our abilities and influence. Often after preaching, people would tell me, "Good sermon, pastor." Their comments are examples of social grace, and sometimes they were genuine expressions of something or other I had said that particularly impressed or influenced them. But I was always aware that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the best I could do was no better than the worst I could do. Any good that ever came out of my preaching or ministry is completely a miracle of grace. Period. That is humbling.

On the other hand, it is a great encouragement, because ultimately the results of the message are not dependent on the skill or cleverness with which it is given. There have been many times I felt unprepared to preach. Either I hadn't put enough time or prayer into it, or was struggling with my own issues that made it difficult to stand in front of people to proclaim the power of the Gospel (Yes, preachers have issues, too. Often, lots of them.). Yet it was often at these very times when I felt the sermon had fallen completely flat that people would comment on how I had spoken exactly the words they needed to hear. "Really?" was my amazed response. How could that be, other than grace? It is a humble encouragement to know that the power of the Gospel rests not in my ability, but in the sovereign work of God.

So when we minister, we don't take God to the mission field, into the world or any part of it. God is already there. All we are doing is listening carefully and watching for what he is doing so we can jump on his bandwagon and have the privilege of enjoying the ride. I think I can give thanks for that tonight.

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