Last weekend, my wife and I were up in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a funeral for a family cousin of hers. When we were there, we had the opportunity to join some friends in attending Mars Hill for their Sunday service.
Mars Hill, if you’re not aware, is the church where Rob Bell preaches. Rob Bell is mostly known for his book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (you can read it in its entirety in the link I just pasted) and the short-film series NOOMA. Rob is helping spearhead a new movement among the younger (and many older) Christians because he comes from a Reformed worldview and is an excellent orator, making simple and plain the connection between the Truth of God and how life is and what it ought to be like. His contemporaries include people like Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) and Shane Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution). Both books I’ve read and highly, highly recommend.
So, with this pedigree, I was excited to hear him preach. However, I didn’t anticipate the fact that his message would strike me and burrow itself deeply into my heart. He spoke about two words that need to be woven everywhere in life: grace and peace. In his message, he referred to the Pauline epistles (all the letters that the apostle Paul wrote that can be found in the New Testament) and pointed out that Paul began every letter he wrote with a wish of grace and peace on the recipient of the letter. Check it out for yourself: Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; and Philemon 1:3. Whew!
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Those words are written over and over again in all these letters. Rob asked what if this genuine wish from Paul was the wish of everyone? What if every letter, email today began with those words?
He also pointed out the very important fact that without God grace or peace is NOT possible. Grace is a gift that God gives without expecting anything in return. It is truly a selfless gift in every sense of the word. There are no “gotchas” and no hidden costs. And because of God’s grace, we get to have peace. There is no peace without grace.
Rob challenged us to understand that it is our responsibility as Christians to speak grace and peace to everyone because we, ourselves, NEED grace and peace since we’re ALL sinners and are eternally lost without God’s grace. It became obvious and really hit home when Rob had his brother come on stage and share the story of how he hit bottom in so many ways because he could not find peace with himself. What saved him was the fact that his family constantly spoke God’s grace and peace and eventually, he began to see that and believe that for himself.
I walked out of the church on that drizzly, awkwardly warm January Sunday trying to grapple with the ramifications of what Rob had just preached. On the way home, after chewing on the sermon some more, I decided I am going to try to make “grace and peace” the anthem of 2008 for me. Grace and peace is something the world could use more of, I think.
So, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that in 2008 you grow in these two areas AND you have plenty of opportunity to show grace and peace to many others.
-Matt
gracePaulpeaceRob Bell
Grace & Peace to You
January 10, 2008
Calvary
Comments Off on Grace & Peace to You
Matt
Last weekend, my wife and I were up in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a funeral for a family cousin of hers. When we were there, we had the opportunity to join some friends in attending Mars Hill for their Sunday service.
Mars Hill, if you’re not aware, is the church where Rob Bell preaches. Rob Bell is mostly known for his book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (you can read it in its entirety in the link I just pasted) and the short-film series NOOMA. Rob is helping spearhead a new movement among the younger (and many older) Christians because he comes from a Reformed worldview and is an excellent orator, making simple and plain the connection between the Truth of God and how life is and what it ought to be like. His contemporaries include people like Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) and Shane Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution). Both books I’ve read and highly, highly recommend.
So, with this pedigree, I was excited to hear him preach. However, I didn’t anticipate the fact that his message would strike me and burrow itself deeply into my heart. He spoke about two words that need to be woven everywhere in life: grace and peace. In his message, he referred to the Pauline epistles (all the letters that the apostle Paul wrote that can be found in the New Testament) and pointed out that Paul began every letter he wrote with a wish of grace and peace on the recipient of the letter. Check it out for yourself: Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; and Philemon 1:3. Whew!
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Those words are written over and over again in all these letters. Rob asked what if this genuine wish from Paul was the wish of everyone? What if every letter, email today began with those words?
He also pointed out the very important fact that without God grace or peace is NOT possible. Grace is a gift that God gives without expecting anything in return. It is truly a selfless gift in every sense of the word. There are no “gotchas” and no hidden costs. And because of God’s grace, we get to have peace. There is no peace without grace.
Rob challenged us to understand that it is our responsibility as Christians to speak grace and peace to everyone because we, ourselves, NEED grace and peace since we’re ALL sinners and are eternally lost without God’s grace. It became obvious and really hit home when Rob had his brother come on stage and share the story of how he hit bottom in so many ways because he could not find peace with himself. What saved him was the fact that his family constantly spoke God’s grace and peace and eventually, he began to see that and believe that for himself.
I walked out of the church on that drizzly, awkwardly warm January Sunday trying to grapple with the ramifications of what Rob had just preached. On the way home, after chewing on the sermon some more, I decided I am going to try to make “grace and peace” the anthem of 2008 for me. Grace and peace is something the world could use more of, I think.
So, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that in 2008 you grow in these two areas AND you have plenty of opportunity to show grace and peace to many others.
-Matt
Share this:
gracePaulpeaceRob Bell