Monthly Archives: July 2012

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2:1

Philip Yancey often refers to his having been raised in a strict religious environment. In and of itself that is neutral. The problem was that grace was not a feature of his church or his early Christian thinking. He understands today why some troubled people say "Why would I want to go to church? They only make me feel worse."

I want to point out here, that there are some legitimate reasons people need to feel some guilt and pain, but the contrast between the way many people regard the typical church and the way sinners regarded Jesus is arresting. Jesus attracted sinners. The typical church does not. Something is missing.

Back to Yancey. In What's So Amazing About Grace? he relates a very revealing story. He attended a Bible college that was of the same tone as his early church experience. Years after graduation, the president of his college asked him to assess his experience at the school. How was his education? Yancey replied honestly, "some good, some bad. I met many godly people there. In fact, I met God there. Who can place a value on that? And yet I realized later that in four years I learned almost nothing about grace. It may be the most important word in the Bible, the heart of the gospel. How could I have missed that?" (p. 14)

He later spoke at the college's chapel and related that conversation, thus offending some of the faculty. Some suggested he not be invited back. One professor wrote sensibly asking that perhaps he could have phrased it differently, that maybe he lacked the receptors to hear the message of grace. Yancey thought seriously about the question, but came to the conclusion that he had found at that Christian college campus as much ungrace as he had found anywhere else in life. (ibid)

I am deeply grateful that my pastor through my teenage years, James K. Pierce, helped me to begin learning of the importance of grace. So did my youth minister, Roger Sullivan. Without question in seminary I learned more about the fullness of grace from gifted men and women who were my professors. I have continued to be fascinated by God's grace and committed to studying and teaching it.

In my experience with many Christians and churches, however, I would say that grace is not well understood or well lived. I agree with David Seamands, a counselor who summed up the challenge in this way: "Many years ago I was driven to the conclusion that the two major causes of the most emotional problems among evangelical Christians are these: the failure to understand, receive, and live out God's grace and forgiveness; and the failure to give out that unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace to other people. . . . We read, we hear, we believe a good theology of grace. But that's not the way we live." (ibid, p. 15)

Apparently that was one of the problems Timothy faced. He was a young minister in a tough place. His struggles led him to doubt his own ability, and so Paul wrote to encourage him to be strong. His exhortation to Timothy is summed up in the verse for this week's GraceWaves: "be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus."

Some of the personal struggles and doubts plaguing you this week are likely related to an inadequate acceptance of God's grace. You have fallen into the trap of evaluating yourself and others, of comparing yourself, criticizing, and finding fault. Rather than being strong in grace, you have grown strong in doubt, fear, judgment, etc. How's that working for you?

The problem is not really knowledge. You know what grace is. The problem is trust. You must trust God's unconditional love for you. This truth is not complicated, but it is a bit difficult to accept. However, if you do accept it as true, stop doubting and questioning, just accept it, then life becomes clearer. You begin to see and sense God's gracewaves and draw strength from Him. Then, most wonderfully, you discover that you can be both a recipient of grace and an agent of grace.

So be strong in grace today.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 29, 2012

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise." Ephesians 5:15

Turns out, John Wayne was a prophet as well as an all-American hero. He reportedly said, "Life is hard, but it's harder when you're stupid." As with many aphorisms, I don't know if he actually said this or if it's merely attributed to him, but it certainly suits The Duke. [As a kid, I wanted to be like John Wayne when I grew up, but only made it a little past Don Knotts]

Now I don't recommend going around labeling anyone's behavior as stupid. The word is too crass, but the sentiment certainly is true. Life can beat you up when you're walking the straight and narrow, but you don't need to invite the blows by living unwisely.

That's the constant refrain of the biblical prophets and especially clear in the verse for this week's GraceWaves. Paul often included a section in his letters that addressed practical, daily living, and that is the case in the last two chapters in Ephesians. Based on the deep and sound theology of the first part of his letter, how then should we live? The key is wisdom, literally a right thinking about life and how we should best live it. What does this mean for you this week?

First, we all need a regular reminder to be wise. I have done things in my life I'm not proud of. They hurt me and other people.

I can recall certain episodes from my teenage years when my dad would shake his head and say "I thought you had better sense than that." He could have used the word "stupid," and been right on the money. I was unwise.

I still have that ability and the growing record to prove it! So do you. But our shared stupidity underscores the remarkable nature of God's grace. The fact that we have failed does not invalidate the wise lifestyle, and our shared hypocrisy does not mean we should not strive for the higher life in Christ. God loves us unconditionally, but in His love for us He will not leave us where He found us. He calls us to a higher life. Listen for that call.

Second, understand God's intent for the wise life. God "tuned" us to operate best when we love Him, others, and ourselves. The Christian moral life described in the Bible is always in our spiritual and physical best interest. We have greater peace, bless others, and are generally physically healthier if we walk in the light.

The alignment of joy, in all its expressions, and the moral life is the overlooked key to the Christian life. Too often, people view God as prudish, a spoil-sport, and trying to keep us from having any "fun." The exact opposite is true. God is joy. He is peace. And He is holy. He tries to steer us away from behavior that is harmful, to ourselves and others, as He tries to steer us to Him.

Don't treat the moral life as unsophisticated and obsolete. The Creator understands His creations. Live wisely.

Third, don't ever make the moral life the primary focus of your faith. Read carefully here, please, otherwise I risk being labeled a libertine. The moral life has some definite parameters, some do's and don'ts, but if that is the primary aim then you risk descending into legalism and becoming terribly judgmental. You become "good" in the very worst sense of the word.

Paul is our best illustration. In Philippians he wrote that he was blameless under the law. I don't think this was an idle boast. Paul knew how to obey rules. He was scrupulous, i.e. full of scruples, but he lacked love.

His life in Christ changed him. God brought him deeply into the heart of grace so that Paul still conformed to a higher standard, but for an entirely different reason. It was an expression of gratitude and love. It was a longing to be like God who resided within Him, not a desperate attempt to impress God or other people.

So take a careful look at how you walk this week. Live wisely, pilgrim.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 22, 2012

"There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear" 1 John 4:18

America is ensnared by an apocalyptic mindset. We have more fears today, than I have ever imagined. Without question we have some good reasons to feel this way. The fall of the twin towers at the hands of a mindless evil still stuns us. Terrorism is with us to stay. A financial collapse. We have real reasons to be afraid.

TV programs have picked up on and amplified the hysteria. I'm a big Discovery Channel and History Channel guy. The line-up feeds on fear. Destroyed in Seconds and Shockwave show live destruction. Storm Chasers and Wrath of God (God needs a better pr man) show natural disasters. Monster Quest is about giant spiders, snakes, hogzilla, sasquatch (all bigfoot experts/researchers dress in flannel). UFO Hunters! Now there is a real fear.

So much fear. So much anxiety. That's the problem. We are anxious people. Without question anxiety does not mesh with faith. Anxiety requires a tremendous emotional investment. The tension it causes can take years off our lives (who can add one cubit?). It can also silence our gratitude.

Some fears are real. Most fears are not. All fears are covered by Jesus' invitation: "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27). Interestingly, only John, of all the gospel writers, records these words from Jesus. Also John had more to say about fear than any other letter writer in the NT. Like most every problem we face, John found the solution to fear in God's love. If we trust in God's love, fear dissipates. "Perfect love casts out fear."

The fears that threaten you as you read this devotional will be silenced only by a growing trust in a loving God. Cling to the conviction that God's providence is more powerful than the object of your fear. Delve more deeply into God's perfect love for you. He will still the fears that assault you. He will give you the peace you need.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 10, 2012

"We felt we had received the sentence of death, but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1:9

In the opening paragraph of his second letter to the Corinthians Paul referenced a particularly difficult time he encountered in Ephesus. He wrote that he felt that he had received the sentence of death while in Asia. He was utterly and unbearably crushed, despairing of life. We do not know the specifics, these details do not fit any particular period we know of in Paul's life. What we do know is that he was walking through a deep darkness. While in that darkness, however, he found the purpose. The challenge made him rely not on himself but on "God who raises the dead." (1:8-9). He learned to trust God more deeply in a spiritual dry seasons of life.

The dry seasons are a part of every Christian life. How do we handle them? The longer I live as a Christian the more I understand the importance of perseverance. Victory in Christ for me is not a final score at the end of each week. The victory is in the daily walk with Christ. I find new and varied experiences in prayer that I had never anticipated. I find parts of the Bible speaking to me with a special and unexpected relevance. Most important I have learned to pray even when I do not feel the prayers are rising higher than the ceiling. Through these experiences, I am convinced that perseverance and victory are the same.

Paul's description of God here is important for understanding the spiritual dry seasons. We worship the God who raises the dead. Easter never seemed to be far from Paul's thinking. Perhaps that's because new life was so important to him, just as it should be important to you.

There is a resurrection waiting for you every day. The dry seasons will come. You feel like you're among the walking dead. But remember that you worship a God who raises the dead. Easter Sunday always follows Good Friday. God will not leave you. Persevere. The question we all have is how?

The Discovery Channel was one of the Ellis favorites for most of my children's early years. We especially liked the nature shows. They're pretty much all the same, but we still liked to tune in to see what's eating what. Cheetah's like Thompsons Gazelles. Lions like zebra for dinner. Nile crocodiles seem to work their way into most every show and eat anything that comes into the river.

And of course drought is a frequent topic. We see animals struggling through the dry seasons. Some migrate. Some endure. Some die. One animal has a unique way of dealing with the dry seasons. It's called the lungfish. As the water begins to dry up, the lungfish buries itself in the mud. The water hole will completely dry up. The surface will crack from the drought. The lungfish is a few feet down in the mud. When the rains come again, the lungfish senses it, and up it comes into a newly filled pond. The dry season didn't kill it. It simply adapted and survived.

In the final analysis that is what we must do. Adapt and survive. I would love to believe that we can through physical grit and mental determination always walk to a new source of water. However, I have seen and experienced far too much of the drought, and know that some very good Christians remain in dry places in spite of their best efforts.

The common denominator among the survivors is simply "the will to show up." They pray, worship, read, and walk the narrow way because of the deep conviction that these practices are right. Personally, I really do not know how to solve all the challenges I face, but I am convinced that I am created to walk with God. I persevere.

I'm very glad love, joy, peace, etc. do not depend on my ability to create them. The good news is we worship a God who raises the dead, in His time and in His way. The greatest gift He gives is not circumstantial victory at the end of every day, but His presence. He is with you, and He does not slumber or sleep. He will make certain you survive the spiritual dry seasons and even grow during them. And when one day we shuffle of this mortal coil, the final verdict will not be defeat, but glory that cannot be compared to the sufferings of this present age.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

July 3, 2012