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June 2007 Newsletter

FOUR PARTS GRACE – TWO PARTS TRUTH

The Word became flesh

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” Jn.1:14

The revelation of the glory of God is grace and truth! This is a revelation! Many have put off the glory to the coming of Christ, or when we go to heaven. However the revelation of the glory is in Jesus the Messiah and that revelation is “full of grace and truth.” In verse 15 John said that Jesus “who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.” John is referring to the eternal One, who became flesh. [Confirming verses: Jn.8:58, Jn.18:8, note that Jesus said “I AM”, the “he” has been added by the translators.]

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for [upon] grace” Jn.1:16. This is an amazing Scripture and most of us have missed the revelation of the grace of God in Jesus the Messiah. Grace upon grace, grace twice! Grace multiplied! There is always more grace available. In fact God’s throne is a THRONE OF GRACE (Heb.4:16) and God’s Spirit is the SPIRIT OF GRACE (Heb.10:29, Zech.12:10). At the throne of grace we receive “mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We need mercy to cover our past and we need grace for today and tomorrow. The Spirit of grace is also called the Spirit of supplication and it is the Spirit who helps us to pray and intercede (Rom.8:26-27). It is the Spirit of grace who brings us into the knowledge of our Saviour and His death and resurrection.

“For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah” Jn.1:17. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the fulfilment of the law is the release/manifestation of grace and truth. We are no longer “under law but under grace” (Rom.6:14) having been “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Messiah Jesus” Rom.3:24.

In John 1:14,16 & 17, GRACE is mentioned four times and TRUTH is mentioned twice: four parts grace, two parts truth. When God became a man in Jesus who is “the only begotten of the Father” (v.14), that is, Jesus the manifestation of God in the flesh, He was revealed in grace and in truth, but grace is emphasised even above truth. This is an amazing revelation that God is bringing to His church in these days.

The Spirit of Sonship releases Grace

The Charismatic movement was named ‘charismatic’ and this specifically refers to the ‘grace gifts’. Charis is the Greek word for grace. We thank God for the Charismatic movement that restored the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the release of the nine gifts of the Spirit (1Cor.12:6-11) to countless millions of believers across the world and broke into many traditional Christian denominations with renewal and revival. However, the emphasis in the Charismatic movement was very much on gifts, anointings and power ministry and yes that is all very legitimate but the reality of God’s grace was generally not known. It is actually the current work of the Holy Spirit in bringing the church into the reality of sonship by the Spirit of sonship [adoption] that we come to know the reality of the grace of God.

 

The reality of Grace

              Accessed by faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” Eph.2:8. Grace has been given by God “in Christ Jesus before time began” (2Tim.1:9), but is first made known to us when we come to faith in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Therefore the key to grace is faith. Grace has been given by God because grace is the outpouring or manifestation of the very nature of God – His glory is “full of grace”, and His glory is revealed in the man Christ Jesus. We access the unlimited, freely given grace of God by faith, by believing in Jesus the Messiah and that He died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures.

We are able to grow in grace

Peter says to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” 2Pet.3:18. We are “predestined to adoption [becoming] as  sons … to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the beloved” Eph.1:5-6. Receiving the spirit of sonship enables us to grow much in the grace of our Lord and Saviour, and to be redeemed “according to the riches of His grace” Eph.1:7. The inheritance that we receive as sons is a greater grace that enables us to walk in the Spirit and therefore to be “led by the Spirit of God” as His sons (Rom.8:14).

            Grace enables us to stand

“Through Jesus Christ we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” Rom.5:2. Once again faith is the doorway to grace and through faith in Jesus Christ we come into a standing in grace. Grace enables us to “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” but also to “glory in tribulations” v.3. The modern church has been debilitated by the false teaching of dispensationalism and the promise that Christians will be ‘raptured’ out of the earth before any serious tribulation takes place. Such teaching is so implausible given the history of Nazism and Communism in the twentieth century plus incredible catastrophes such as the Rwandan genocide of 1994. However the main lack that has been in the teaching of the church has been ignorance of the grace of God, that it is actually grace that enables us to “glory in tribulation”.

 Grace is seen

“When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” Acts 11:23. Barnabas could see the grace of God on the new church in Antioch. This grace had enabled the disciples from Jerusalem to bring Jews and Greeks together in the church for the first time in history: what a great grace! The Scripture says of the early church in Jerusalem, “great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). The apostles exhorted the new believers in Antioch of Pisidia, persuading them “to continue in the grace of God” Acts 13:43. Grace is seen as it spreads through many by causing “thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” 2Cor.4:15. The leading apostles in Jerusalem “perceived the grace that had been given” to Paul and Barnabas (Gal.2:9). The mark of the apostle and all the five-fold ministers should be that grace is seen upon their lives and ministered through them.

 

Humility – the Key to Grace

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” 1Pet.5:5 & Ja.4:6. Humility is expressed through submission, firstly submission to God and secondly submission to one another. A truly humble person will receive much grace. The context in which we receive grace through humility is by being a submitted member of the body of Christ. In previous times submission was wrongly taught as being submission to authority. The true submission that is a work of grace in our lives is much more than submission to authority; it is actually mutual submission in the body “in the fear of God” Eph.5:21, and such submission is a mark of the Spirit-filled life (Eph.5:18-21). Submission to God and to one another in the Body is the mark of a humble person and therefore a great work of grace in that person’s life. The body will never function properly until we are all accessing a much greater grace that is manifest in true submission to God and to one another as we walk in humility.

 

Grace – the Key to Ministry

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” 1Pet.4:10. All of the gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8, 1Corinthians 12:8-10 and in Ephesians 4:11 are in the context of grace and so can be called grace gifts. However in the pursuit of gifts and the exercise of gifts, this vital dimension of grace has often been overlooked. We are to be good stewards of the grace of God. Paul says that it was “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph.3:2) that enabled him to minister, especially to make known the mystery. He says that he became “a minister according to the gift of the grace of God” (v.7) and that “this grace was given that he should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” v.8. Each ministry gift is enabled and exercised by grace and is meant to be an expression of the manifold grace of God. As we minister in grace there will be thanksgiving abounding to God, giving Him the glory in Messiah Jesus.

Speaking the word and ministering in relationships

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God [utterances – the oracle actually refers to the ‘speaking place of God’ and refers to God speaking from the Holy of Holies, Ex.25:22]. If anyone ministers, do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” 1Pet.4:11. The gift is expressed in two ways: speaking and ministering. Speaking obviously refers to the ministry of the word, but ministering means to act as a deacon, to wait on tables, to be an attendant. The ministering refers to the way we serve one another and is the key to building healthy, wholesome, godly relationships in the body of Christ – by serving one another.

Grace and apostleship

The two key components of the apostolic restoration are: the revelation of the mystery [= the ministry of the word] and the building of relationships in the body. Both of these components are only viable through the release and experience of grace. Paul says “through Christ we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name” Rom.1:5. Apostleship in this context refers to the commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 for His apostles to make disciples of all nations. The key component of apostleship is the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4) but without grace, the ministry of the word easily becomes demanding [legalistic] bringing condemnation and bondage rather than releasing the saints into the freedom of Messiah. I believe that God desires us to get this revelation of grace. Without grace, apostles soon become leaders of another sectarian group. The grace is what enables ‘apostleship’ and all the ministry gifts to actually benefit and build the body into “a perfect man” (Eph.4:13).

 

The New Covenant

Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant and that covenant is given to us through His death and resurrection. Through Jesus the glory of God is now to be made manifest in the earth through the church. By God becoming a man in the Son, Jesus, the glory of God is revealed to be full of grace and truth. In the revelation of God in Christ, God is revealed to be four parts GRACE and two parts TRUTH. We have been in imbalance for centuries. Since the reformation of the 16^th century there has been a growing emphasis on the truth [“Thy word is truth” Jn.17:17] and the word has been preached strongly but often without much grace. Therefore the word becomes more of “the letter that kills” (2Cor.3:6). There are countless numbers of ministers and believers going around expounding ‘the word’ but the fruit of this has been division and often isolation, rather than a grace-filled body functioning together and going onto perfection.

The New Covenant is four parts grace and two parts truth!

It is time to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It is time to receive the grace that enables the apostleship to go forth that will bring obedience to faith among all nations. Again, it is grace that enables ministering and it is ministering [serving] one another in humility, the mark of which is submission to God and to one another, that will build meaningful relationships by which the body is built together into Christ.

    GRACE        à             (that GOD)            ß             TRUTH

Relationships         à       (  may be   )        ß               Revelation

Ministering to one another à   (glorified  )    ß              Speaking the word

 

This covenant of grace and truth that has been revealed through Jesus Christ only works when we have the right mix: four parts grace and two parts truth. Let our prayer be: ‘God, show us how to access the throne of grace that we may grow in grace so that our ministry of the word is building your body and not our own sectarian group or denomination.’ 

              I commend you to God and the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32) Paul Galligan

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CALENDAR

 

SHILOH School of Ministry Mid-Year Training

Two weeks full-time school commences: Mon.25^th June to

                                                                       Sat. 7^th July

Venue: SHILOH CENTRE - 19 Russell St TOOWOOMBA

 

A further two weeks consultations & regional visits for overseas attendees: Mon. 9^th July – Sat. 21^st July

[these two week will be more informal and interactive – local brethren are welcome to attend as they are able]

 

Training School for Children & Youth ages 4 - 13

Commences: Mon. 2^nd July – Fri. 6^th July

 

Venue: SHILOH CENTRE - 19 Russell St TOOWOOMBA

 

 

OVERSEAS TRIPS

INDIA/PAKISTAN: Pastor Peter De-Bressac & Nicholas Jackson are currently in Lahore, returning home on 19^th June.

 

WEST AFRICA: proposed trip late September Paul and team – to Nigeria & Ghana

 

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PRAYER ALERT:

Apostle George Muteti will be leaving West Kenya for apostolic ministry in Kampala, Goma DRC, Rwanda and Burundi on the 24^th June. This is a strategic trip as George will be sharing with a number of emerging apostles in all of these areas. For more information please contact our office.

 

HOUSE CHURCH REPORT:

Algester (near Brown’s Plains, Southside of Brisbane) - a new house church is meeting on Saturday afternoons. If you are interested contact our office for more details.

Warwick – house churches are meeting in Warwick on Sunday mornings and evenings and on various nights. For further information contact Ps. Alan Ripphausen  07 46613661 or Ps. Ian Stapleton   0438 612898

Nanango – a house church is meeting on Sundays at 4pm twice per month, for information contact Ps. Pat Goldman 0746349373

 

Proserpine/Mackay – A team from RMA visited house churches in Mackay and Proserpine three weekends ago and had a rich time of fellowship in the word and the spirit. We were blessed to meet new folk in Mackay and also a brother and sister came down from Townsville and we were blessed in fellowship with them.