The Gift of Grace

I have read Max Lucado's books for decades, so I was very excited about reading The Gift for All People: Thoughts on God's Great Grace. When I began reading the first chapter, I thought the words sounded familiar --like I had read it before. Upon further inspection, I had read it before. Nearly thirty years ago. At least parts of it, anyway. The Gift for All People is not a completely new book, but rather a collection of snippets pulled from a number of other books Lucado wrote during the 1980s and 1990s, repackaged for a new audience. 

The snippets are classic Max Lucado pieces arranged beautifully into four major sections: The Gift of a Savior, Ransom for Sinners, Bounteous Grace, and The Choice. Each little snippet is only two to three short pages long, so each one is a very easy read. The problem for me was that it left me wanting more. It was a bit like being presented with a platter of tiny, but delicious hors d'oeuvres when you were anticipating a full entree. However, many people enjoy hors d'oeuvres. They enjoy reading just a brief devotional thought because that's all they have time for in their busy day. 

This little book might make an excellent gift for a believer who wants a collection of beautifully written devotional thoughts about grace. If you've read any of Max Lucado's books, then you are well aware that although the snippets pulled from his other books may be short, all of them are very full of imagery, powerful, and inspiring. 

However, judging from the final chapter of this book as well as the title, I believe this collection was designed to be a gift for someone who is seeking to learn more about Jesus, who He is, and what is this thing called grace. The final piece in the book is called "God's Destiny for Your Life," and it includes an open invitation for readers to begin to follow Jesus and to accept His gift of grace.

Lucado writes, "With all of my heart, I urge you to accept God's destiny for your life. I urge you to get on board with Christ. ... Would you let him save you? This is the most important decision you will ever make. Why don't you give your heart to him right now. Admit your need. Agree with his work. Accept his gift" (126). But he doesn't stop with just issuing an invitation. Lucado goes on to help a new believer know what his/her next steps are. "These three steps --baptism, Bible reading, and belonging to a church --are essential steps in your faith" (127). 

If you know someone who has not yet experienced the grace of Jesus, consider gifting them with this little book. Consider who in your life might benefit from a gift of a little grace. It is the gift for all people. Max Lucado's The Gift for All People is available here. 

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

Messy Grace in a Dangerous Minefield

Today’s prolific culture of homosexuality and same-sex marriage can be a very difficult minefield to navigate for those who profess to follow Jesus. People take sides, proclaiming hate for each other and there are numerous misunderstandings and misinformation. We need a compassionate, experienced guide to help us walk through this minefield without any further losses. This guide is Caleb Kaltenbach.

In his new book, Messy Grace, Kaltenbach invites followers of Jesus to “live in the tension of grace and truth” (14), a tension he models for us very well in this book. As a pastor and a Bible scholar, Kaltenbach has studied and wrestled with the Scripture and what it teaches regarding homosexuality. However, he does not use the Bible “as a weapon to bludgeon those who disagree” (8) as some Christians are apt to do. As someone who grew up in an LGBT home, Kaltenbach tempers his adherence to the truth of Scripture with a deep sense of empathy and a heartfelt need to extend grace to all.

He reminds us not to have an “us vs. them” mentality. We are ALL sinners and we are ALL in need of grace –something that many of us tend to forget. As recipients of grace, we are called to extend this same grace to others. This can be messy, hence the title of the book. Kaltenbach reminds us that “if Jesus calls us to be fishers of people and to get involved in the lives of others, we’re going to get messy. Why? Because the grace of God is bigger than any of us is willing to admit. People are messy. Sacrifice is messy. Talking about important issues is messy. Helping others is messy. Love is messy. And that’s all right. We can pursue people for Christ anyway” (35).

Messy Grace is not an abstract book of the theology of grace or of homosexuality. It is a very practical book filled with heartbreaking stories of how we have failed to reach those in the LGBT community and advice on how we can best relate to those who identify themselves as LGBT or to those who “come out” to us.

Today’s culture can be a dangerous minefield, but in Messy Grace, Caleb Kaltenbach shines the light of grace on this messy field. I would encourage all who seek to follow Jesus and to reach our culture to read this book when it comes out in October. You can pre-order Messy Grace here. 

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Justice for Exiles?

The Supreme Court of the United States passed a ruling yesterday that is very unpopular among Christians because it goes against Scripture and against our beliefs. There has already been much discussion on what our response to this ruling should be. Some Christians actually seem to be surprised by the court’s decision, but I don’t think we should be surprised at all. I am afraid that at times we have become much too comfortable here in America and we forget where our true citizenship lies (Phil 3:18-20).

The apostle Peter wrote that we (the church, followers of Jesus) are “foreigners and exiles” here (1 Pet 2:11). A foreigner (paroikous) is one who “dwells somewhere without national rights” (TDNT). That is diametrically opposed to our views here ---Americans are all about “our rights.” That’s how we got to this court decision in the first place! But according to Peter, Christians do not have national rights in any land on earth.

Think about exiles in a biblical context and when the Jews were hauled off into exile in Babylon (2 Kings 25:11, Esth 2:6, etc). While they were in exile, away from their home country, they did not expect the Babylonians to set up laws in that land that reflected the Israelites' beliefs, nor did they expect the Babylonians to outlaw all pagan gods and rule that all who lived in that land should live according to Yahweh’s commands and moral code. Why do we expect this to happen in America?

God’s instructions to His people while in exile were to “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters…Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer 29:5-7). Do we pray for the peace and prosperity of this nation or just complain because our rights are being violated?

Peter gave us, as Christians, similar instructions as we live in exile in a land not our own. He does not tell us to try to change the laws of the land or to complain that the government does not reflect the teachings of Scripture. He does say that we are to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against you soul” (1 Pet 2:11). He also tells us to “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Pet 2:12).

When those in authority in this country or those within the LGBT community look at us, as followers of Christ, although they accuse us of doing wrong because we believe that marriage is one man and one woman, will they see our good deeds and glorify God? Will they see us living up to our beliefs on marriage? Will they see us praying for the peace and prosperity of this nation? 

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God." 

Remember Me

As Americans, we have Memorial Day to help us remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. As Christians, we have Communion to help us remember Jesus' sacrifice for our freedom. Memorial Day observances are often somber occasions because they are to honor those who have died in service to their country. Communion should be much more than a somber memorial for someone who has died. Recently, I have been reflecting on Jesus’ instructions when He instituted the Lord's Supper.

What it is, exactly, that we are to remember? Jesus said to “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 NIV). He says “remember me.” He does not specifically say “remember the cross,” “remember my sacrifice,” or “remember my death.” He says to remember me. We are to remember Jesus. While remembering Jesus certainly includes remembering His sacrificial death for our sake, could there be more involved in the phrase “remember me” than just “remember my death”?

To remember Jesus, perhaps we should remember who He is:

• The Lamb of God, who takes away our sins (John 1:29)
• The Son of God and our Great High Priest (Heb 4:14)
• The King of all Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev 17:14; 19:16)
• Immanuel –God with us (Matt 1:21-23)
• The Ruler of all Creation (Rev 3:14)
• The One who is worthy of all honor and glory and praise (Rev 5:12)
• Our friend (John 15:13-15)
• Our Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20)
• The only way to the Father (John 14:6)
• The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6)

And we should remember what He did:

• He humbled Himself and became a human being, God in the flesh  (Phil 2:6-8)
• He stood up against every temptation and never sinned (Heb 4:15)
• He healed the blind, the lame, the diseased and afflicted, the deaf (Luke 7:22)
• He raised the dead (John 11:43-44)
• He walked on water (Matt 14:25)
• He miraculously provided for people out of His compassion (Matt 15:32ff)
• He reached out to sinners and loved them (Luke 5:31)
• He enabled us to have peace with God and gave us access to God’s grace (Rom 5:1)
• He showed us what love truly is by laying His life down for us (1 John 3:16)

Maybe we should remember what He said:

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
• “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” (John 14:23)
• “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
• “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)
• “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Matt 5:11)
• “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
• “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

These are just a few of the things I thought of that might be included in Jesus’ instructions to “remember me.” What did I leave off that you would have included in such a list? This is definitely a much bigger list than what we tend to focus on during Communion, but then we serve a big God whose love for us is beyond comprehension. As my good friend Brandon Bradley says, “God is bigger than you know and better than you heard, and His grace is more than you can imagine.” So next time you celebrate the Lord’s Supper with your church family, remember that, while Memorial Day is a memoriam for fallen heroes, Communion is a joyous celebration of thanksgiving, and an opportunity to remember, and to remind each other as members of the family of God, who it is that we love and worship and serve.