The Audacity of Grace by Scott Wallis

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The Audacity of Grace by Scott Wallis




Grace. That’s our portion as believers. Yet often, we struggle to receive and rest in that grace. And much of our teaching is works based. We give, we serve, we do. Yet Christianity is not a works based religion; it’s grace based. Which means, we can slow down, take in the scenery, occasionally, and enjoy the life we’ve been given.
Jesus taught that. And He did that. Jesus didn’t spend all His time healing the sick, preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, teaching His apostles, or raising the dead. Often, much of the Church focuses on those things. But Jesus slept (even in a sinking ship). Jesus wept at funerals (even if he did raise the dead). He could be found at weddings or feasts; He loved people (all kinds of people). Jesus, the Bible says, came to our world “full of grace and truth.” Jn. 1:14.
Why is it important for us to recognize that? Unless we see the normal, natural life of Jesus, we miss the grace that He brought and lived in. Jesus has so much grace that He said, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matt. 11:30, NIV. Yet often, when we think about Jesus, we miss that part of Him. And that’s the best part; it’s the grace part.
Doing is good. Being is better. Living the life we’ve been given with grace is the best. We are meant to live our lives in that realm of grace. Our lives should be audacious examples of God’s grace. Our lives are meant to be overflowing with God’s grace. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Cor. 9:8, ESV.
Sadly, the Church is so works based in its theology that we think Jesus’s message on grace is too good to be true. And we have a hard time believing it. We question whether God is really that good. And He is. Even in the Old Testament, God didn’t just appoint times of fasting; He also appointed times of feasting where His commandment was that no work be done.
The Sabbath was meant for man. Why did God set aside the Seventh Day? To give Mankind a break from work. Yet even the Sabbath, which was meant to be a day of grace, was turned into a work by the religious leaders of Jesus’s day. They wanted to kill Jesus because He healed on the Sabbath. (Imagine that). And that’s what religion does: it kills.
Christianity was never meant to involve religious calisthenics. Yet much of the Church is involved in religious exercises that bear no fruit. And we think we’re building spiritual muscles by our spiritual exercises, when, in reality, our spiritual muscles have atrophied because of our dead works.
Dead works? Yes, that the first doctrine the Church must learn: repentance from dead works. Heb. 6:1. That means, not all works are good works. Some works are bad; they’re dead. And must learn the difference between live works and dead works. Or we’ll constantly be dragged into and inundated by dead works.
If you’ve been involved in a dead work what should you do? There’s only one solution for a dead work. And that solution is to repent from it. Yes, you must change your mind and heart regarding any and all dead works in your life. Letting go of a dead work is hard. Holding on to one is even harder. Dead works rob us of God’s grace for our lives.
That’s why I love the message of providence. God guides us where He wants us to go. How does He do that? By grace. Grace is God’s guidance system. And it’s how we locate where we are. We can find our way forward only by following God’s grace. And that means looking for and leaning on the gifts God gives each day; He’s our provider.
Too many people in the Church today are chasing wealth and missing grace. As a result, their lives are filled with turmoil. The soil of their heart is a field of weeds not a field of dreams. Where grace is, dreams flourish. Where it’s absent, we live in a dry and barren land: a desert of dreamlessness, lack of imagination, and the constant drain of emotional hopelessness.
If that describes your life, it’s time to repent; it’s time for a change in your life. Don’t let your life be robbed any longer by the drumbeats in the world drawing us into the abyss of distraction from destiny. Rather, choose the audacity of grace where the river of life and love flow freely. That’s your portion beloved.
Let us rise from our works based mentality and seek God for grace till He comes and brings His grace to us like a sweet spring rain. Let’s believe! It’s time for the audacity of grace. Amen.
— Scott Wallis

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