The Grace of God experienced through the Word of God

Hello Everyone,

Just thought I would let you know that I am back on the forum. I left my former church I was attending, realising that I could not go back on what the Lord had shown me before.

I don't believe in a doctrine of "try harder" nor do I believe in a two pronged approach to the gospel, where we have God on one side and man and his efforts on the other side.

It is vital for true believers to rely only on God for true righteousness, which produces fruit.

I feel very much what I left behind was more focused on what we have to do than being focused on the glory of God.

I started going to the nearest Gospel Standard church some thirty or so miles away from my home again. The preaching is very much God centred, as opposed to what we have to do.

The thing I find, is that when Jesus is being preached, and how great He is, this would make you want to obey God, because this is done by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God willing us to do of His good purpose!

The bible tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. This to my mind is first and foremost, realising that Christ's yoke is easy. It is not heavy as some would have us carry. It is light. I often wondered what the light yoke was, because it was not a light yoke I was carrying.

This is why it is vital, what you hear and how you hear. If a sermon or message doesn't promote serving God better, through the preaching of God's abundant grace underpinning the whole of the message, when we are speaking about the verses that tell us to do things, the message can fall into the fatal danger of us looking inwardly and establishing our own righteousness.

God's grace and a changed life work hand-in-hand. They are not separate things.

When I left my former church, I felt under a huge weight of guilt and condemnation, but when one realises that it is not a case of one trying ones' best, but relying on Christ alone for our righteousness, and THAT being manifest in our lives, this is what makes all the difference.

Some messages are designed to make a person feel condemned, but there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I am reminded by one of my favourite texts. He who the Son sets free is free indeed!!!

I am free from the bondage of trying to do better, and enabled by God's grace to be under a light yoke and under liberty.

By the grace of God, I will not be put in bondage again. Hallelujah!!