Tag: grace of God

Grace Ethos

Posted in grace, mini theologies for missionaries, relationshipsTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

WHEN UNDESERVING

On the mission field, relationships—with team members, local disciples, and neighbors—are rarely tidy or predictable. They become crucibles of pressure, personality clashes, and unmet expectations. Grace can keep teams from imploding and ministries from sputtering. An ethos of grace enables us to endure the rigors of the field and serve as a compelling, living witness to those who desperately need to see grace in action.

Ethan, a task-oriented team leader, found himself constantly frustrated by his new teammate, Sandra, who frequently seemed disorganized. His natural inclination was to shame, to control, and to demand more. Ethan realized his frustration stemmed from his own idol of efficiency. He chose to boast in his weakness—his impatience—and rely on God’s grace to extend love to Sandra. Instead of correction, he began to intentionally encourage her strengths, offer practical help without judgment, and pray for her. This consistent ethos of grace, even when it felt difficult, slowly transformed their team dynamic, allowing Sandra to flourish and their collective ministry to become more effective, demonstrating the power of grace in relationships.

BIBLICAL REFLECTION ON GRACE & RELATIONSHIPS

Grace can be a word that is overused and misunderstood, yet there are few words as powerful. Grace is the very air we breathe, the power we operate in, and the ethos that must define our relationships. In the demanding, often frustrating, context of cross-cultural ministry, a deep understanding and consistent application of grace are essential for resilience, authenticity, and a compelling witness. 

Grace is Rooted in God and Defined by Him. God is the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10). Grace is fundamentally God’s unmerited favor and benevolent inclination towards people. It originates entirely from His character and is His initiative to rescue, restore, and empower us, not in response to our worthiness, but out of His boundless love. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5)

Grace is Exemplified in Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate embodiment and expression of God’s grace. His life, death, and resurrection perfectly reveal God’s undeserved favor, offering full forgiveness and new life. He is “full of grace and truth,” demonstrating how grace is lived out in human skin. (John 1:14; John 1:16-17; 2 Corinthians 8:9) 

Grace is Utterly Undeserving. Grace is a gift. In a world that demands we earn or pay for everything, grace is entirely unmerited; it is given freely. It stands in direct opposition to human systems of favor, reward, and reciprocity. We receive grace when we deserve judgment, love when we deserve wrath, and life when we deserve death. (Romans 3:24; 4:4-5; 5:15; 11:5-6; Ephesians 2:8-9) 

Grace is Power for Living. Grace is more than just a beautiful idea or a passive quality of God. It is a dynamic power—an active, working character of God that changes our very capacity for life. It gives us the strength to serve, the resilience to endure suffering, and the resolve to obey. (2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9; 1 Corinthians 15:10)

God’s grace:

  • fills Jesus (John 1:14), 
  • appears in Jesus’ person and work (Titus 2:11–14), 
  • brands the gospel (Acts 20:24), 
  • overwhelms sin (Romans 5:20), 
  • found God’s promises to us (Romans 4:16), 
  • transforms weakness into strength (2 Corinthians 12:9), 
  • defines God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16), 
  • characterizes God’s Spirit (Hebrews 10:29), 
  • visits the humble (James 4:6), 
  • saves us (Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:5), 
  • upholds us (Romans 5:2), 
  • chooses us (Romans 11:5), 
  • greets us (Romans 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2), 
  • builds us up (Acts 20:32), 
  • strengthens us (2 Timothy 2:1), 
  • trains us to live righteously (Titus 2:11–12), 
  • gifts us (1 Peter 4:10)

Grace Humbles us and Transforms us. When we comprehend the magnitude of this grace-gift, it humbles us. This moment of understanding can bring a significant shift in our perspective, reminding us of our worth in God’s eyes and our dependence on Him. The beauty of grace is its transformative nature that changes how we view ourselves, others, and our relationship with God. 

Grace is Best Expressed in Relationships. Having received such profound, undeserving grace from God, we are called to extend that same grace to others. Cultivating an “ethos of grace” within relationships means actively demonstrating patience, forgiveness, acceptance, and unconditional love, especially when others disappoint or fail. This transforms how we interact with teammates, local contacts, and even those who oppose us. (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Romans 15:7; 1 Peter 4:10)

Grace is Exemplified in Paul’s pleas to Philemon. Grace is meant to transform more than just our private lives with God; it’s meant for our public relationships, especially within our spiritual family. In fact, the truth is bookended in the book of Philemon. The letter shows that one of the greatest tests of the genuineness of our faith comes when we must deal with conflict and brokenness in our relationships. Paul was ardent that the grace of God would produce forgiveness and reconciliation. (Philemon 3, 25)

Weakness + Grace = Power. A vital truth for missionaries is that God’s power is often most evident not in our smarts, strength, or self-sufficiency, but in our weakness, when we rely fully on His grace. This paradoxical formula means that our known limitations become the arena for God’s supernatural strength to be displayed. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Grace Multiplies grace. Grace isn’t a stagnant pool; it’s a living river. It can’t be contained. If grace is truly received, it won’t stay hidden away. It’s meant to overflow from us into the lives of others. If grace never moves outside of us, how can others ever know we have it? (2 Corinthians 9:8) 

Grace Cultivates a Grace Ethos. In a world that is full of casting stones at others, Jesus says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone.” (John 8:7) Grace grows an environment in which everyone is more aware of their own sins than the sins of others, and more focused on Christ than either. A message of grace will connect people, but a culture of grace will keep them connected.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

THE IMPORTANCE OF GRACE & GRACE ETHOS IN RELATIONSHIPS

Grace is essential for any pioneer missionary because it’s the foundation of their relationship with God, the fuel for their perseverance, and the power of their message and witness in challenging cross-cultural contexts.

Foundation of One’s Relationship with God. A missionary’s ability to serve flows from their secure identity as a recipient of God’s grace. Understanding that we are saved and sustained by grace, not by our performance or results, frees us from the crushing pressure to prove ourselves. This deep assurance allows for genuine intimacy with God, even amidst personal struggles or ministry setbacks. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:4-5)

Fuel for Perseverance and Resilience. The mission field is tough, filled with disappointments, slow progress, and spiritual opposition. A missionary’s personal, grace-filled relationship with God provides the strength to keep going. When they feel weak, inadequate, or burned out, clinging to God’s sufficient grace empowers us to endure. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 4:13)

Essence of Our Message and Witness. The gospel is fundamentally a message of grace. To effectively share this good news, our lives and relationships must embody the very grace we preach.

  • Authentic Proclamation: We can genuinely offer God’s undeserved favor to the lost because we’ve experienced it ourselves. Being bathed in the message ourselves makes the message compelling.
  • Relational Harmony: Extending grace to teammates and local contacts (e.g., forgiving, accepting, bearing burdens) creates a loving, unified community that powerfully demonstrates the transformative power of the gospel. This visible grace breaks down barriers and draws people to Jesus.
  • Discipleship Model: New disciples learn what it means to live by grace by observing it in us and depending on the Holy Spirit. This fosters healthy spiritual growth and prevents performance-based Christianity. (John 1:14; Ephesians 4:32)

Empowers Discipleship and Spiritual Growth. An ethos of grace creates a space for new disciples to grow, stumble, and repent without fear of condemnation. It teaches them that their identity is in Jesus’ finished work, not their performance, fostering true transformation rather than legalism. Missionaries model how to apply the gospel to daily life, including personal struggles, overcoming sin, and relational conflicts. (Colossians 3:13; Romans 4:4-5)

Cultivates Authentic Connection and Unity. Relationships on the mission field, both within the team and with local contacts, are often strained by cultural differences, communication barriers, and personal sin. An ethos of grace promotes humility, generosity, vulnerability,  compassion, and genuine acceptance, which are essential for building deep, lasting connections and maintaining team unity. (Ephesians 4:2-3; Romans 15:7)

In essence, an ethos of grace is the lifeblood of a healthy missions endeavor, enabling sustained personal well-being and effective ministry by mirroring God’s own undeserving love to a world in desperate need of it.

PRAYER ACTION

Consider the Scriptures you cling to above. Consider grace. Write a prayer for the kind of grace-filled and grace-multiplying person you want to be.

REFLECTIONS ON BUILDING A PRACTICAL MINI-THEOLOGY OF GRACE

Take some time to prayerfully draft your practical mini-theology of “grace” by responding to these questions:

  • Reflect on your own salvation experience: How did you first encounter God’s grace? What aspects of it were most utterly undeserving for you? In what areas of your life or ministry do you struggle most to believe that God’s grace is truly sufficient for your weakness? What lies might you be believing instead?

example: God is… We are the kind of people who… It is most like us/me to… We/I will… We/I hold to…

  • Think about a current challenging relationship on your team or with a local contact. Where is grace most needed in that relationship? How might you extend undeserving favor, patience, or forgiveness?
  • What does “weakness + grace = power” mean for you practically in your ministry and relationships?

Once you finish, share your responses with your mentor. Ask for feedback. Adjust your draft as needed.

Complete a one-page practical mini-theology.

RESOURCES FOR GOING DEEPER:

Unleashed

Posted in Acts, attributes of God, Books of Acts, graceTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

I had a dog as a boy. It was my job to take that dog for a walk. Actually, truth be told, the dog took me for walks. We lived near a large open space by a river, but I needed to keep the dog on a leash until we got to the space. Once we arrive, I would unleash the dog would bolt. It loved being free. Free to run unleashed and unhindered. The only trouble was trying to get my dog to go home. Have this story in mind as we come to today’s text.

The Book of Acts is amazing. Luke, the doctor, got and gathered all that we read. He lived and experienced much of it. Over the past year, we have learned about the early church, the spread of the gospel of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Each being unstoppable.

Today we arrive at Acts 20, which could be partnered with chapter 19 because of Paul’s travels to Ephesus. It begins with a really strange story where Paul preaches until midnight (possibly the longest sermon on record) and a young man named Eutychus gets super tired and falls out a window and dies. Do you know why his name was Eutychus? Because you Eutychus-sed too if you fell out a window. I know, right? I blame that joke on my wife. She’s hilarious.

Have you ever wondered why this story is in the Bible? Seriously. I’d like to think that Luke is pointing out one of Paul’s flaws or he’s being passive aggressive hinting at his long-windedness. Luke does seem to jab Paul for boring someone to death. Yet I don’t think the moral of this story is that if you fall asleep in church that God will strike you dead (I’m still here) nor is it a case for shorter sermons. Now don’t worry, I won’t preach until midnight. I might put myself to sleep. It’s what Paul does next that shows us the purpose of this story (v.10). Paul throws himself on the boy, hugs him, then tells the crowd, “It’s alright. There’s still life in him.” This strange story shows the power of God unleashed by raising a boy from death to life.

This should hit us today as it did them then. We live in a world where billions of people are uninterested in the truth. They are bored and spiritually fatigued. And we can become discouraged that no one wants to listen. Have there been times in your journey of faith when you felt that you lifeless? You felt bored? You were tired? Maybe you can relate to Eutychus. You’ve heard all this? You’ve been here? You’ve sat there? I don’t know if this was Eutychus, but it might be you. Like Paul in this story, has someone come alongside you? Taken you in their arms? Believed that there was life in you? If there was someone like that for you, would you take a moment to remember and thank the Lord for that person? [Take a moment] … Maybe you can think of someone that you need wrap your arms around and speak life into.

From here, Paul returns to Ephesus. What we see is a continuation of the Eutychus’ story. However, instead of one man, Paul will put his arms around an entire church and speak life into them. This will be his last visit to Ephesus. He will never see them again. These will be his final words to them in person. He wants to say the main thing that he wants them to remember it for the rest of their lives (Read vs.32-38).

In a sense, Paul with words throws himself on them. There is one word that he repeats over and over. Did you catch it? What was it? It was grace. Now grace is a stunning word. What is grace? It’s a word we love, but no matte our church background it is a word we just can’t quite wrap our minds around.This will be the focus of my message today…

  1. Unleashed Grace of God

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace”

Acts 20:32 (cf.v.24)

Paul wanted the church more than anything to remember the unleashed grace of God. It’s as if he says. “I want you to remember the gospel.” And I want to you to think about it too. Its bigness. Be wowed by it. Live in it. Breath it in. Relish in the inheritance you have in it. Remember that you were sinners saved by grace. That you were chained and unfree. That you were asleep and dead. Remember all that Jesus has done for you. That grace cost him his life. And Jesus threw himself on your body, he took you in his arms and said, “There is life in you!” And by his resurrection power, Jesus has raised you from dead to life.

As a parent, I’ve learn a little about grace. Mostly how little I give it. When my daughter’s disobey they have a consequence. I don’t like giving them consequences. Often I will give them an extra job like sweeping the porch or taking out the trash. Now if I were to step in during the consequence and say to my daughters, “Enough, let me take out the rest of the trash.” That would be mercy. Now if I were to step in and say, “Enough, let’s go get some ice cream.” That would be grace. It is undeserved. It’s unexpected. I admit that’s a weak example of grace. If God’s grace were ice cream you’d be swimming in an ocean of it and it’d be all your favorite flavors. Grace is more than ice cream as good as that sounds.

Paul echoes Acts 20:32 when he wrote the Ephesians years later. He said, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. …we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:1-5) Think about God’s grace. God unleashed to you an undeserved grace. It is good to remember it and commend it to others! [Reflect with someone: How have you see God’s grace unleashed this week?]

  1. Unleashed Grace through Generosity in You

What Paul says next is actually a bit surprising. He says, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 2:33-35

Again, these are Paul’s last words to this church. He pours out his heart and says, “I have showed you my unleashed generosity.” Now this isn’t an isolated thought. This second thought is heavily connected to the first. If you know the gospel, that God unleashed his grace on you in Christ, then grace will be unleashed through generosity in you to others.

To help us understand this, Paul gives us two real-world application: First, we are all inclined to the hidden power of greed. Paul said, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold.” (v.33) It’s interesting that the last thing Paul says is a personal reflection and a warning to the church to watch out for greed. Would that be the last thing on your lips? It must mean that there are few subjects more important than or there are few problems bigger than greed.

No one thinks that greed is their problem. We can spot it in others, but not ourselves. Now Jesus addressed greed this way, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) So, your money, your time, your talents, your treasures all reveal what’s really going on inside you. If you’re honest with yourself, you will find it is effortless and easy to spend on things that you think will save you or bring you significance or give you a sense of security.

Maybe it will help if I were honest with you. It is easy for me to spend money on books and glasses. I like books because I am hungry to be relevant, knowledgeable, or at least sound like it. I like glasses to look smart and fresh. My identity is somewhat wrapped up in this. Sadly and truthfully, my identity isn’t always wrapped up in what Jesus thinks of me or how I look to him. I can be greedy for approval, affirmation or acknowledgement. I have so much hidden greed. Can you relate? I can be like my dog on the leash choking instead of running in freedom.

What unleashes this freedom and causes us to run freely? Grace! If it weren’t for the Word of grace—the gospel—then God and his followers would be considered greedy or grouchy. Isn’t this what people sometimes think of God? Or Christians? That they are greedy and grouchy? Grace is the antidote to greed and grouchiness. If these are temptations for you, then consider fully God’s grace and generosity towards you. It’s a guaranteed remedy.

This leads us to the second real-world application that because of Christ’s grace we are conduits of the healing power of giving. Paul helps us to see this with the red-letter words of Jesus, who said, “It is more BLESSED to give than to receive.” (v.35) Do you believe what Jesus said? It isn’t clear where Jesus said this, but most scholars would say it is a paraphrase of Matthew 10:6-8, when Jesus said to his followers, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Jesus not only said this, but he live it. He showed it. He himself was the greatest Giver. Jesus gave himself, so that you might receive life—eternal life. Jesus was rich, so that through his poverty you might become rich. He defined for us grace with skin on. It was through radical giving that He healed the world. He healed the sick and raised the dead to life to reverse the curse brought on us by sin. And every time you share the gospel or live out the gospel you become a conduit of Jesus’ blessing to the world.

Today, let God unleash his grace for you, in you, and through you. I commend you to the word of grace: If you know the gospel, that God unleashed his grace on you in Christ, then grace will be unleashed through generosity in you to others. [Reflect: Can you think of someone that you need wrap your arms around and speak life into?]