Grace « Simply Mandi Kaye

Category Archives: Grace

Mar 19 2007

What is Grace?

by Mandi

Tonight, the word “grace” became a touchy subject at my small group. Because of differing opinions on certain doctrines, feelings were hurt and faith was shaken. I am deeply troubled and saddened by the events that took place tonight, and I want to use this platform to present a biblical view of grace and salvation.

I’ve posted before on what it means to be a Christian and how to be a Christian, but for the sake of this post I’m going to go over it again.

How do you become a follower of Jesus Christ? That’s probably the simplest question to answer.

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13 NIV)

I really like what the Message says here too (emphasis mine):

Say the welcoming word to God—”Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

It’s all about realizing that you’re a sinner and that there’s nothing you can do by your own power to redeem yourself. It’s about calling on Jesus to become Lord of your life and allowing Him to change you from the inside out.

Once you take the initiative to call on Jesus, then a process has started in your life. A process that changes you to become more like Christ in attitudes, ambitions, and actions.

Because that’s what following Christ is all about. It’s about lining up your will with His. As humans, we have the worst sin nature. We are bent to being sinful and depraved. We want to be lord of our own lives. And often, even after making a decision for Christ, we still follow our own path.

Thank God for grace.

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Categories: Christianity, Definitions, Faith, God, Grace, Jesus, Religion, Spiritual Growth | 9 Comments »

Mar 15 2007

Taking Time to Change – Unit 1 Days 3 – 5

by Mandi

This is a long one because I got behind in posting. I’m combining the last three days into one post. Read it, or don’t read it. It’s a lot to take in, I know.

Day 3

1. Two significant statements and why.

a. [Sanctification is] the process whereby the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and changes us to become like the Son of God.

This spoke to me because it’s such a simple and clear definition. The goal of Christianity is to become as like Christ as possible – this sentence tells us how.

b. Failure to cooperate with God in these responsibilities in the power of the Spirit accounts for every failure in Christian living.

Wow. Talk about not sugar coating anything. It’s so easy to shift blame to the things around us, but Berg is very clear that we are responsible for our own failures.

2. Check below which of the three elements of biblical change you are most prone to leave out of your attemptss to change something in your life.

___ Mortification of the flesh (restraining my flesh through the Spirit’s enablement)

_X_ Meditation on the Word (renewing my mind through the Spirit’s illumination)

___ Manifestation of Christlikeness (revealing Christ in my life through the Spirit’s fruit)

3. Explain this statement from the text: Sanctification has been designed by God to be a cooperative venture between God and us.

There’s joint responsibility for me to change. It’s not all God’s job. It’s not all my job. It’s our job.

4. Before you began this study, what would have been your definition of “discipleship”?

Teaching/leading by example new believers.

5. According to the text, what is the definition of “discipleship”?

Helping another believer make biblical change towards Christlikeness.

6. Paul was a “spiritual parent” to the church in Thessalonica. He and his colaborers exhibited certain personal characteristics (described in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12) that made this church want to follow them. List them below.

bold, honest, humility, gentle, affectionate, exhorting, encouraging

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Categories: Bible, Books, Christianity, Faith, God, Grace, Jesus, Religion, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth | 4 Comments »

Mar 14 2007

Easy Being Green?

by Mandi

Randy Thomas has an interesting post up about the new proposal that sex offenders must have green license plates in order for them to be easily identified.

Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. I agree with the response of Bob Van Domelen that Randy posted.

Green License Plates
Bob Van Domelen

As one who might be affected by a recent proposal that Wisconsin institutes special green license plates for sex offenders (being convicted of a 1^st degree assault in 1986), I am obviously a bit distressed.

Before any other personal feelings are expressed, let me share that:

· The majority of offenders will not likely molest children they don’t know

· All current legislation that deals with living restrictions (1000-foot rules, etc) is somewhat misguided because of the presumption that all molesters are drawn to be where children are

· There is already an internet sex offender registry in place that will be increased to a national scale through the Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act of 2007 so the public can know the location of an offender’s home.

My current correspondence with hundreds of offenders around the country tells me that offenders fear getting out of prison because there is absolutely no support available to most of them (including church support). These are men who, like me, acknowledge what they have done and are actively pursuing treatment programs to deal with issues that encouraged abuse in the first place. As they read the paper or see the news, some of them are asking “What’s the use of trying to change? People won’t let me change.”

When offenders are released from prison, the presumption of the public is that it is the same individual coming out of prison as the one who was arrested x-number of years earlier—no change, no relapse prevention in place, no desire other than to molest more kids. State mandated programs are determined ineffectual by a public not even aware of the components of those programs.

…

The green license proposal encourages open and justified hostility against not only an offender driving a car so marked, but also anyone else who might be driving that car or in it as a passenger. “We will do what it takes to protect our kids,” stated the Wisconsin bill’s author. The proposal invites damage done to the car and to the offender’s property simply because it has a green license plate. “We will do what it takes to protect our kids.” The proposal blankets levels of offenders who have never physically acted out against children—internet porn, adult rape, and juvenile offenses. “We will do what it takes to protect our kids.”

Personally, I struggle because those who know nothing of my life for the past twenty years are willing to reduce it to a green license plate. At the same time, I know that my concerns must go beyond me, whether or not I will be directly affected. Change is possible—a deep relationship with the Lord assures if not the desire to change then the conviction that my life needs adjusting—and that is the message of hope and encouragement I have offered repeatedly in places all over the country. I do pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding but I am also reminded of John 14.27.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

There are no easy solutions for a society seeking to deal with crimes against its children nor would I expect them to be found. But as one who has been on both sides of this issue I cannot help but think we are in the wrong direction with answers like green license plates. I can only pray that common sense will prevail.

I love Randy’s immediate response:

I will honestly say that if I didn’t know Bob, and more importantly Jesus, I would agree with what one pundit said last night on some cable news show, “…if it were up to me I would stick their head’s in green paint!…” Bob humanizes the issue for me and Jesus reminds me that He probably wouldn’t dunk people’s heads in paint. In fact, His head wore a crown of thorns as part of His redemption of sin. Instead of humiliating us He saved us.

Randy still ends conflicted, which is understandable. But I think we need to humanize the issue. People who have been convicted of sex offenses are not “sex offenders.” They are people. Human beings. I’m not better than any of them. Neither are you.

How many of you read The Scarlet Letter in high school and were horrified that Hester was forced to be branded for her offense? These license plates are nothing more than a ~~scarlet~~ green letter.

Categories: Grace, Politics, Randomness | 10 Comments »

Mar 13 2007

Taking Time to Change – Unit 1 Day 2

by Mandi

This one definitely has more self-reflection in it, and was a lot harder to complete.

1. Two most significant statements, and why.

a. Our Lord did not come to this planet, live a perfect life, and become a worthy atonement for the sins of the world so that those who become His children can merely be well adjusted, live morally upright lives, and enjoy personal happiness and success. He died to redeem us from the penalty and power of a sinful heart that keeps up from being the useful servants of the living God.

b. A truly humble servant of God will be well adjusted, will have a morally sensitive conscience, and will enjoy the blessedness of life with God–but these are byproducts of godliness, not primary goals for the Christian life.

These two statements are one paragraph in the book. This paragraph resonates with me more than anything else I’ve read in it. It speaks to the nature and character of Christ. It speaks to the character of those who follow Christ.

2. Describe a time when you tried to change something in your life without the Holy Spirit’s help and describe the resulting miserable defeat.

Stopping my addiction to porn. I was too ashamed to take it to God, and I repeatedly failed at victory. It wasn’t until I could call on God’s power that the chains disappeared.

3. All biblical change is aimed at helping us become more like Jesus Christ–a humble servant. List two unbiblical goals for change that you may have experienced in your own life or that you may have seen in the lives of others.

a. A wife giving in to her husband without question in order to keep him happy and the household in peace.

b. Giving the right answers and saying the right things just to be liked and not risk being looked on unfavorably.

4. What does Romans 8:14 mean when it says that God’s children are “led by the Spirit of God”?

Those who yield to the power of God in their lives.

5. Complete this sentence from the text: The filling of the Spirit refers to

the supernatural work of the Spirit within a believer whereby that believer is enabled or empowered to become like Christ (sanctification) and become useful to Christ (service).

Categories: Bible, Books, Christianity, Faith, God, Grace, Jesus, Religion, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth | No Comments »

Mar 12 2007

Taking Time to Change – Unit 1 Day 1

by Mandi

The ladies in my small group have gotten together for our own Bible study. We’re going through Changed Into His Image by Jim Berg. It’s an incredible book.

I think it’s important for Christians to be transparent about their faith and their struggles–too many people think Christians have it all together and live perfect lives. So I’m going to post about each day’s lesson here. They’re usually short, but they’re packed with questions that cause deep self-reflection.

There will be questions that won’t make sense unless you’ve read the same pages we have – I’ll still post those here.

1. Write the two most significant statments in today’s reading. Be prepared to explain why the statements you chose were significant to you.

a. A mere relief of the symptoms of despair, anger, fear, and so forth does not necessarily mean the real problem has been solved.

The premise behind that statement is “Not just any change will do.” You have to look at the motive behind the change. Example: A spoiled teen may stop his sulking (a desirable change), but only because his parents have acquiesed and have given him the car he wanted.

The teen didn’t actually change. The problem wasn’t solved. The symptoms were alleviated. When you see a physician, if he does his job right he will do more than just fix the symptoms. He will dig deeper to find the root of the illness. We must do the same thing in our own lives.

b. If we don’t like that particular taste, we need to put into the water a bag containing a different kind of tea.

Let me put that into context for you:

When we take a tea bag, place it in a teacup, and fill the cup with hot water, the water activates the tea in the bag, unleashing its taste into the water around it. The hot water didn’t create the taste; it merely revealed, or drew ot, what was already in the bag.

This depicts what happens in the human heart. The pressures around us (the unfavorable circumstances, the temptations, and the commands of God to love Him and our neighbor) merely draw out of our heart what is already in it. We cannot blame the hot water for the taste in the cup. The contents of the tea bag determine the flavor of the tea. If we don’t like that particular taste, we need to put into the water a bag containing a different kind of tea.

Similarly, we cannot shift the blame for any bitterness, anger, despair, deception, cruelty, and so forth that we display when we are under pressure. The pressures merely expose how unlike Christ we really are.

That tells me that it’s my heart that has to change. That’s quite the kick in the pants.

2. The text says that sanctification, in the sense we are discussing in this book, is progressive–that it is a process the Bible calls “growth.” What are some ways that spiritual growth is very much like physical growth? One has already been written in for you.

They both take time. (Example in book)
They both can be painful.
They both have growth spurts.
Both cause excitement and apprehension.

3. You learned that according to James 4:1 and Mark 7:21-23 God is concerned about both outward problems and inward problems. You also saw four scenarios on page 2 in which someone seemed to change on the outside but probably did not change on the inside. Write out some possible problems within the heart that might be going on inside each of these four people.

The spoiled teens sulking – selfishness, covetousness, ingratitude
The alcoholic’s wife’s discouragement – bitterness, self-pity
The college student’s poor grades – worthlessness, inadequacy
The dockworker’s complaining – bitterness, pride

4. The tea bag illustration reminds us that “our greatest problems are never around us; they are in us.” List below some major battles you are experiencing right now. Identifying these problems now will help you be more focused as you continue this study.

Inadequacy; believing the lies of Satan; worthlessness; internalizing negativity; limits of Grace; complacency; believing God’s promises are true for everyone but me.

Memory verse: Romans 12:1-2

Categories: Bible, Books, Christianity, Faith, God, Grace, Jesus, Religion, Sanctification, Spiritual Growth | 3 Comments »

Feb 26 2007

I Am the Wretch the Song Refers To

by Mandi

Amazing Grace opened on Friday, so of course I dragged my roommates along to see it that night.

I’m so glad I did. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the audience – and their reaction at the end.

The story focuses on William Wilberforce’s tireless effort to end the slave trade in England.

It’s not an overtly Christian film, though it is clear that Wilberforce’s faith drives what he does. At the beginning of the film, right after his conversion, he struggles with the direction his life should take. He’s involved in politics already, but at this point he questions if he should remain there. He can’t figure out if he should praise the Lord all the time or still work to make the world a better place. One of the greatest lines in the movie is when someone tells him, “I humbly suggest you do both.”

I think that phrase was the catalyst behind all of the conviction I felt at watching this movie. Wilberforce had a dream; a dream to make the world a better place. I share that dream; I’m just too lazy to do anything about it.

Throughout the movie, I found myself wanting to do something worthwhile. I want to make a difference. Wilberforce labored for more than fifteen years before he saw the results of that work. But what a reward it was when he finally accomplished what he’d been working for!

I love the way Brent described his reaction to the movie and the convictions stirred in him:

The portrayal of William Wilberforce (and John Newton) convicted me personally of how little diligence I truly have in the Christian life. I claim allegiance to the kingdom of Christ yet fight so little for it. Instead, I try to smuggle my scraps of contraband sin in through the back door and pretend that they’re really not so bad. I hold my words when I know that I should speak because I don’t feel like a conflict that day or I pretend that sin isn’t really all that bad. At least my sin isn’t. After all, I’m still better than that guy over there.Wilbeforce represents a life so gripped by the power of the Gospel that there is no choice but to act because even our dreams will convict us when we do not. Modern American Christians often worry about the perceived persecution we believe is coming our way, but we rarely stop to think that it could actually be more dangerous to the church if the persecution doesn’t come. We don’t live radical lives of faith because we feel as though we don’t have to.

Wilberforce stands as a larger-than-life reminder that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14) and a rebuke that so few of us have the discipline or diligence to make a difference for the kingdom. Though we may argue that we don’t face such blatant societal evils as slavery, ceratinly abortion is no less hideous. How is it that so many of us are willing to do so little? Such was the case in Wilberforce’s day and we stand as testimony that there is indeed nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

I also loved John Newton’s journey of faith throughout the movie. At this point, he’s already written the well known hymn, but he’s still unable to recount what he saw during his days as a slave trader. He laments that he lives with 20,000 ghosts. By the end of the movie, he can finally put together his “confession” and he utters one of the most profoundly simple lines:

Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly. I’m a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

Categories: Grace, Movies | 3 Comments »

Feb 20 2007

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

by Mandi

I have a new favorite song.

I doubt there’s a single person in the United States who has never heard the song “Amazing Grace.” Everyone at least knows the first verse.

Chris Tomlin has taken that song and added a new refrain/chorus to it.

Amazing grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I’m found

Was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

My chains are gone

I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God, Who called me here below

Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

Chris Tomlin said, “I was doing some research on John Newton and the writing of the hymn, “Amazing Grace.” John Newton wrote these lyrics as a poem for a sermon describing what God had done for him; that God had not only saved his soul, but also saved him from slave trading. That inspired me to write the simple refrain, “my chains are gone…” I also found it interesting that the familiar last verse, “when we’ve been there ten thousand years…” was not in the original, but added years later by another author. I have included in this version Newton’s original last verse.”

Today is the world premiere of the video. Watch it here.

Watch the trailer for the movie Amazing Grace.

Categories: Grace, Music | 1 Comment »

Dec 7 2006

The Bible is not a sling shot

by Mandi

It’s funny how on a day when I’m at work sick, I find the time to post more than usual. Oh well.

Zach posts some clarifying comments about his sarcastic reply to James Dobson. But I don’t want to focus on all of that. Zach said something in the middle of his defense that really struck a chord with me:

It’s just saddening (sometimes maddening) that the Bible is treated more as a device for casting stones rather than moving us towards mercy, humility and acceptance.

Isn’t it crazy how so many things that I’m reading lately are addressing this topic?

Tags: Christianity

Categories: Grace | 64 Comments »

Dec 7 2006

Righteous Anger

by Mandi

Brent, from Colossians Three Sixteen has posted a great article on Fred Phelps, Westboro Baptist Church, righteous anger, and how the first two do not possess the latter.

While Westboro calls their pickets “Love Crusades,” most who have come in contact with the church members and their message would call them anything but loving. While I do not know, I presume that Phelps and the others would say something like: “telling the truth is the most loving thing we can do.” Regardless of their stated intentions, the group often comes across as anything but loving which prompts the question, if God hates sinners, should we also hate them?

The obvious answer, of course, is NO!

Rather than hating those who sin, we are called to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). Rather than spewing messages of hate, we are called to speak softly (Proverbs 15:1, etc.). Rather than cling to wrong-doing, we are to forgive (Matthew 18:15-35, etc.). While this does not mean that we accept homosexuality, it does mean that we must be sensitive in how we portray our message.

The minute we single out the sin of others, we have opened ourselves to the charge of hypocrisy. Jesus very clearly warns against trying to peer around our log-eyes to poke at someone else’s speck (Matthew 7:3) and we must be clear that God hates all sin and will judge all sinners. But we must first feel this reality in our own hearts and it is with tears that we must call men and women, boys and girls to repentance, knowing that salvation is undeserved, by anyone. Yes, we must call sin what it is and we must call for repentance, but:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

It’s often said that how we say something is as important as what we say. While the Gospel is the most important message anyone could ever hear, it is still true that our presentation affects the reactions of many. Dressing the Gospel in gowns of hatred only shows how little we’ve understood it in the first place.

This all goes back to the saying “Hate the sin; love the sinner.” It seems like such a simple concept, yet people everywhere get tripped up on it. Why? Why is it so hard to see past the sin? Whenever a Christian fails (like the recent Ted Haggard scandal) it seems that the church wastes no time picking them up. But whenever a nonChristian fails, the church seeks to push that person down even further. It shouldn’t be that way.

Categories: Grace | 10 Comments »

Dec 2 2006

In war you shoot the enemy, not the hostage

by Mandi

Donny has written another post that everyone should read.

He writes about how something Donald Miller said in Searching for God Knows What really struck him and made him stop to think.

“In war you shoot the enemy, not the hostage”.

Think about that for a second and then apply it to Christianity. It almost made me cry for some reason, but that’s not really too hard to do lately. I’ve been experiencing so much of Jesus’ love lately that, at times, it’s pretty difficult not to become emotional.

Let me share with you the direction that sentence took my mind. Tell me in the comments section where it took yours. Don used that sentence to sum up the idea that Christians too often focus on attacking the person sinning, rather than the source of that sin. Man may be sinful by nature, but covering him with the true love of Jesus can alter his nature. Instead of attacking and “killing” people, let’s focus on the Enemy and not on the hostage. The only way to kill the influence of evil within another person is to cover the hostage with the love Jesus challenged us to show to all people. That love will smother the one who tries to hold each of us hostage.

It seems to me that Satan has really used the church to do his bidding. Much of the world is so turned off by the war Christians have raged against “hostages” that it refuses to listen to the true message it’s meant to hear. That message is love. That message does not focus on sin. That doesn’t mean sin should be ignored, just that it needs to be placed in proper context.

There’s no way I could have said that any better, and I really don’t think I can add anything to it. I wish every Christian could read this. I wish every person who has ever been attacked by a Christian could read this and understand that we aren’t all like that.

Tags: Christianity, God, Sin, Love, Donald Miller