Dear Friends,
For 3 evenings in September our church halls rang with the statement “By Grace” to which the gathered children echoed “Through Faith.” Splashtastic, our annual children’s outreach had been built on the theme “By Faith”. Mark Fisher spoke all 3 evenings, building his messages on the lives of Noah, Moses and Gideon. It was good to see so many children and parents with us, particularly on the Saturday evening, but it would be a great temptation to say, “Well, it’s over for another year” and for us to neglect both the message and the method of what happened at that time.
Each evening the children were taught a memory verse, so well-known to many of us “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Eph 2:8). It was good to be reminded of such a wonderful message, because as we get caught up in the work of evangelism it is easy to lose sight of the fact, that despite many years of the Christian life we were all saved by exactly the same means, the undeserved grace of God. As we enjoy the benefits of grace it is easy to slip into thinking that somehow we are better than those whose lives have been horribly damaged by sin and their own mistakes. Like Paul we need to be clear, that “by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). Let us regularly take time to thank God for His grace demonstrated to those of us who believe.
A walk along the main streets of any town in the UK will remind us what sin does to those who live without God. There are lives, families and relationships being wrecked everyday in our country, because people don’t understand the grace (undeserved mercy) of God. By the same token there are many people who feel that they can never be good enough to benefit from God’s grace, not realising that God’s mercy is “not a result of works” (Eph 2:9). Too many people feel that they have to try hard, so that God will be pleased with their efforts. Our works in effect are an offence to God, because He has provided all that is required. At Aber this year David Jones reminded us of Paul’s passion for his own people. Paul wrote:
“I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Rom 9:1-3)
Do we have the same concern and passion towards those who walk our streets day after day, the victims of their own sin and often the sins of others?
Earlier I wrote that we are in danger of neglecting both the message and the method. I have explained the message, but what is the method that we must maintain? God’s prime method of communication is the Word – written in the Bible, made flesh in the Lord Jesus Christ and spoken by all who preach and witness. When Mark spoke to the children at Splashtastic he explained the Bible, so that they might understand God’s grace. When he goes out on to the streets of Newport, Cardiff and Swansea he proclaims and explains the Word of God to people passing by. In effect He is not content to enjoy God’s grace for himself, but is driven to proclaim it to others. Often while Mark and others preach, those who go out to work with Mark engage people in conversation and are able to explain the Gospel by asking the questions raised by troubled and broken people.
For many of us the thought of going out on to the streets is daunting, we fear, saying “I could never do that.” The facts are that the grace of God is not only able to save us, but is able to equip us. We are under command to go into all the world and to tell people the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is another vitally important part of the method. That is the gift and responsibility of prayer. Paul, with all his gifting as a preacher still sought the prayers of other Christians. As a Church we enjoyed and benefitted from our week of prayer. In some cases we saw the answers to prayer even before the end of the week. The work amongst our young people has seen a number of changes since the summer, but it will only bear fruit by grace through faith and that needs to be watered by prayer. I want to encourage those of you who do not make the prayer meetings of the church a priority to adjust your priorities and to enjoy the blessing received as we pray together. Those of you who join us, but are nervous about praying aloud, ask the Lord to give you the words. It might be that the smaller local groups will reduce some of your fear and you will pray more easily there.
As we begin a new period of service, let us enjoy the grace that saved us through faith and prove that it is by God’s grace and our faith alone that we grow as Christians.
Warm regards,
Bernard Lewis October 2011
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