I have encountered a curious phenomenon in some “gospel-centered”, and “Christ-centered” churches over the years. It seems to me that because of their conviction that the gospel of God’s grace alone will bring about the salvation of the soul, therefore, less means is needed to engage in active outreach efforts, whether through local or overseas mission.

These churches are content to give financial support-and generously at that-to mission agencies and charitable organizations instead of actively seeking to reach out to the lost sheep of God scattered abroad and at home.

The grace of God is never an excuse for not striving to press forward in the things of God, be they spiritual exercises for individual growth, or outreach efforts. The grace of God in Christ is in fact, always a reason and fuel to press towards the high calling of God in Christ, which will show itself in efforts to take the gospel to all nations (Matt 28:18-20).

1 Cor 15:10 is one of my favorite Scripture verses. It is a tremendous pushback to “hyper-grace” types that have the conviction that God in His sovereignty will save all those appointed unto salvation. They forget that God uses His objects of grace to also be agents of grace to others appointed by Him unto salvation.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God with me“, is God’s heart for His people, both those found, and yet to be found.

This word of Christ is such a motivation to me. I need to hear His heart daily for not only me, but also for those yet to be found by His matchless grace of the gospel. The Good Shepherd of the sheep of God has never stopped or ceased looking for the lost lambs.

God has “poured out His Spirit” (Rom 5:5, Acts 2) so that filled with the grace of Jesus Christ by His Spirit, we can energetically plan and pursue His will in discipling all nations to fulfill the glorious scene of the Lamb’s throne described in Revelation, chapters 4 and 5, of multitudes of tongues and tribes before the throne sending praise and worshipping the Lamb who sits upon the throne.

We have the Spirit of God and of Christ (2 Cor 3:17 & 18). And God is Spirit. The modus operandi of the kingdom of God is faith. Only by faith are we His born from above children able to comprehend Him, and His mysterious ways of working out His plans and purposes through His children. God says as much in Gal 3:1-5, and especially this amazing verse, “Does God supply the Spirit and do miracles in your midst…by the hearing of Faith!”

This indeed is the secret to the moving of God, His Spirit, and the miraculous realm of the kingdom of God, the “hearing by faith“. The Spirit teaches, quite explicitly through Rom 10:17 that “faith comes”. And “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the voice of Christ (rhematos)”. Only the living, resurrected and ascended Christ can call us out of the grave and into His marvelous light. The preaching of the gospel is used by the Holy Spirit to ignite faith and Christ is formed in the heart of the hearer, by the sheer mercies and grace of God is looking for His lost sheep.

The gospel of Christ is contained in the righteousness of faith (Rom 10:17, 10:8) which is the “the word of faith which we preach”. What else would the Holy Spirit be referring to as “the word of Faith” other than what He has already mentioned in chapter 1 of Romans, verse 16, “of the gospel of Christ, for the gospel-good news-of Christ IS the POWER of GOD to SALVATION for everyone who Believes.” And what is the gospel? Rom 1:17 puts it succintly, “The just shall live by faith“.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that “the just shall live by faith”. In the gospel of Christ, God has revealed His righteousness, “from faith to faith”, from His grace upon grace, in Christ Jesus, His life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension to the Father’s right hand, and the pouring out of the Spirit that makes every believer one with Christ. We are married to Christ by the Spirit. What is His is ours. What is ours-only our sin-He takes (2 Cor 5:21).

Once can only come to God by faith, emptied of all men’s machinations of self, and the natural. Coming to God only through His terms and conditions. And these terms and conditions are His Word of Salvation only in Christ Jesus. By His grace, we accept that only by faith in Christ, are all our sin, curse and condemnation removed, and that only by faith in Christ, His righteousness and all the benefits thereof, are accrued to us, in our union with God’s Perfect and Sinless Son.

See how we can have victory in the world? Isn’t this what Luther was getting at in his tract, “The Freedom of the Christian”, “a believer is lord of all, a believer is servant of all”. This paradox is only attainable in Christ who took on human flesh to redeem human flesh with soul and spirit, back into the Trinity of Godly fellowship.

The glorious truths of the gospel of God in Christ is only understandable by God’s mercies. We come to God recognizing that only by His mercy and grace can we even see the glorious gospel of Christ and the unutterable riches God gives us in Christ. In every sphere of life, all the resources of heaven await our deployment, for His glory alone. The way to access these resources of heaven is a life lived out in complete surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

Christ is given lordship over our recreational moments, finances, and decision making. We are granted grace to seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness. We are then invited to partake daily of the abundant fatness of His house, and to drink deeply of the river of His pleasures (Psalm 36).

Would you, at the beginning of a new year, whisper a prayer to the God who sees and hears all voices, that you know deep down that you need something, and someone outside of human existence, to meet your deepest needs for affiliation, achievement and satisfaction?