The Growing Grace Revolution

I just googled "define: revolution" on the Internet and here's what popped up first: "1. A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving; 2. The overthrow of a government by those who are governed." I see both of these happening in the Christian community today.

Many of us are seeing a change in the way we've thought about how we practice our faith. It's affecting our behavior too. We want more than the routine religious rituals we've lived with for many years. We aren't saying that everything about it is wrong. It's just that we want more in our experience than the same-old-same-old we've known for years.

Some things are wrong and need to be overturned. The prevailing viewpoint that God is more concerned about the behavior of His children than anything else is wrong. The common belief that God blesses us because of what we do is wrong. The practice of reaching out to certain types of people with the gospel while ignoring others is wrong. The list could go on. My intention isn't to be negative, but when we love health we have to hate disease and the disease of legalism has infected the church world.

The rule of legalism in God's church needs to be overturned. It has had the limelight long enough. It has been tried and found wanting. Many of us have determined to speak up for Christ and speak out against that which opposes Him from behind a religious mask. Revolution seems to be a good word to describe what God is doing among Christian these days.

For many years I lived in a religious mindset where my greatest concern was about me and how I behaved. In 1990, when I began to understand the grace walk, I started to learn that the Christian life isn't about what I do. Christianity is about what He has already done! In the years that have followed, as I have grown in intimacy with my God, I have experienced a growing hunger to make this message known.

I know I'm not alone because I get email from people like you all the time. I meet them in conferences, churches, and small groups and even on airplanes. What I find is that they too want to do something to get the message of true grace out to the world. They're tired of the dry experience they've known for years, but they certainly aren't tired of Jesus. In fact, their passion for Him is growing every day. They want to make a meaningful spiritual difference on this planet. Whether they know it or not, they are a part of the early stages of a grace revolution that I believe is beginning in these last days.

Do you want to be a part of this revolution? I'm not so sure that the greatest potential for a mighty movement of God in our world during these last days requires "blatant sinners" to repent of their evil ways. The greatest catalyst for spiritual awakening on planet earth might happen if Christians would repent of their diluted and, consequently, polluted concept of the nature of God's love. What would happen if we were to really believe that God's love is indiscriminate and unconditional? Can you imagine the impact the gospel would have in the world when we began to share love from that viewpoint as we live our daily lives?

Here's a radical idea: Let's behave like Jesus, even if the Pharisees don't like it. Let's just love people indiscriminately. Let's love them regardless of their behavior. Let's love them whether they are pimps or preachers -- whether they are crack-heads or corporate heads -- whether they are drug addicts or deacons, whether they are moral or immoral. Let's just love them all!

Do you want to live the Christ life and be a part of the revolution of grace He wants to bring to His church and to the world? Then love people who may cause you to be criticized because you love them. Be radical about gracious love. Stop worrying about people thinking you are endorsing their sinful behavior. I can assure you that, given the judgmental attitude those trapped in sinful behavior see among many Christians, the likelihood that they will think you believe sin is okay is a very unlikely possibility.

When I one day considered the fact that Jesus was constantly criticized for loving the people He did, and realized that I had never, even once, been criticized for loving the wrong people, it pricked my heart. Not in a self-condemning way, but in a way that made me think, "I want to love people like Jesus does! I want to love indiscriminately and unconditionally!" Do you sense that desire too?

To join the revolution of grace is counter-cultural to the world of dead religion. To accept people wherever they are and love them the way Christ does is the outgrowth of intimacy with God. Do you recognize that to be true?

When we love people with the love of Christ, we may be surprised to see what happens in their lives. While we certainly don't condone sinful behavior, we must remember that we are expressing the love of the one "who came not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17). We neither condemn nor condone those who sin. We just love them as God loves them.

The increasing revelation of God's love to you will continue to bring transformation to your life. I encourage you to welcome the flow of living (and loving) water that is in you and flows through you to others. As His Life pours out of yours, everybody around you will get wet with the love of God!

Spend the rest of your life obsessed with your Father's love and He will use you to help change the world. Your Father's love is the most amazing thing in existence. It has transformed you and now, through you, it will transform others. Don't be embarrassed to act just like Him. What does it mean to be like Him?

He is the Father who falls on the neck of returning prodigals and with tears of joy streaming down His cheeks, kisses them and shouts with laughter, "My son is home! Let's have a party!" (See Luke 25:20-24) He is the Mother who smothers her babies in kisses as they snuggle against her breasts. (See Psalm 131:2) He is the Lover who says, "I love you so much that I'll kiss you right out in public and I don't care who sees me!" (See Song of Solomon 8:1) He is the Artist who points to you and declares proudly to the universe, "Look what I made!" (See Ephesians 2:10) He is the Composer who sings love songs to you. (See Zephaniah 3:17) He is the Wealthy Merchant who sold everything He had so that He could make you His own. (See Matthew 13:45-46) He is the King of kings and Lord of lords who left the glory of His exalted throne in heaven, waded through the filth of this sinful world, and descended into the horrors of hell -- all for one simple reason. He looked beyond the horror and saw you standing on the other side, waiting for Him to rescue you.

What is your Father like? God is love. I encourage you to be who you are in Him. Love people. Just love them. Love them radically. You don't have to have an opinion about everything everybody else does. Just love them. You don't have to condone or condemn them. Just love them. Love them when they don't deserve it. Love them whether they act responsibly or repulsively. Just love them.

(This article is taken from my newest book, Journey Into Intimacy. For more information about this resource, click this link. http://gracewalkresources.com/item.asp?cID=0&PID=525