click on the link above to watch the video clip (i couldn’t get it to embed) and then come back and let me know your thoughts… I’ve had a lot of stuff on my mind recently regarding these kinda issues, i will blog about it soon…
ht: daley
Sometimes leading my youth fellowship is a handful, other times is great… tonight was one of those nights at YF that i loved… we had an open discussion night, basically got the guys to write down questions and stick them in a wee container thing, then we picked out questions at random, which we then discussed over tea and coffee and juice and biscuits and stuff…
Questions like, if a person backslides were they ever really a christian? and do people with special needs go to heaven?
It was really encouraging to hear the YF’s questions and to have them participating in the discussion…
I’m so completely and utterly blown away by grace… Its that unconditional pardon from God… that very core of my faith…
I’ve known about this grace for ages, I’ve been a christian for the best part of 15 years (more coming in a later post)… and its by this grace that i’ve come to know Christ… but on Monday night something more of what this grace means really hit me…
But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.
Romans 5:20
There is NOTHING I can do to make God love me more than he does, whether i feel particularly ’holy’ one day or not as the case may be, that means nothing… but the bit the really struck me more than ever before was that when i screw up, and make a mess of things and don’t live my life as an offering to Christ , and when i sin more and more… God, this blows me away, He increases his grace more and more… the more i sin, the more abundantly God gives grace…
To be honest, there was something about this easter… I didn’t seem to connect… I didn’t seem to grasp the whole crucifixion thing this easter the way I normally would, But when we did this song in church, It stirred something in me… I’m not hugely fond of Keith and Kristin Getty’s music, but this song is one of my favourites…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o5SSQlxNLs]
OH, TO SEE THE DAWN
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us.
Took the blame, bore the wrath -
We stand forgiven at the cross.Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Every bitter thought,
Every evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.Now the daylight flees,
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
‘Finished!’ the victory cry.Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death,
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.(Final chorus)
This, the power of the cross:
Son of God – slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
