Wednesday, October 6, 2010

GRACE

Nothing makes people in the church angrier than grace. One of the official values of KFA is that God has called us to be grace-filled people. As soon as you put that out there, it is only a matter of time before people begin casting warnings that we shouldn't get too sloppy with our grace. Fair enough.

But according to His critics, Jesus 'did God' all wrong. He went to the wrong places, said the wrong things, and worst of all, let just anyone into the Kingdom. He scandalized an intimidating, elitist, country-clubbish religion by opening membership in the spiritual life to those who had been denied it. What made people furious was Jesus' irresponsible habit of throwing open the doors of His love to the whosoevers, the just any-ones, the not-a-chancers -- like you and me.

And so it is ironic that few things put churchgoers more on edge than grace. We stumble into a party we weren't invited to and find the uninvited standing at the doors making sure no other uninviteds get in. Then this strange phenomenon occurs. As soon as we are included in the party - because of Jesus' irresponsible love - we decide to make grace more responsible by becoming the Kingdom Guards at the door -- keeping out the riffraff.

So we have decided to turn the tables on that, act more like Jesus, and be and become KFA-ers who are grace-filled. Join us on that journey.

And be blessed.

11 comments:

Unknown said...

So many faces passed before my eyes, I thought perhaps it was my time. One of the saddest things Christians do to each other.
Go KFAer's!!!

Anonymous said...

I can't even imagine the lines you draw. Who is beyond redemption....no one? That is alot of people that the others in the church can't relate to. Is that ok? I'm just asking. Also, once one is in...should they be kicked out if they fail to follow the bibles teachings in every way? I would be one of the ones banging at the locked door. How can anyone decide these things? At what point is it destructive to the body of Christ? What is the churches mission? So many questions....

PK's BLOG said...

I didn't draw any of the lines I write about. Jesus did. Who is beyond redemption? I don't know. If we asked Jesus that question, who would HE say was beyond it? Did He not die for THEM as well?

The church's mission is an easy question - OUR mission is JESUS' mission and His mission is clearly stated in the Gospel: I CAME TO SEEK AND SAVE WHAT WAS LOST. That then, is our mission as well.

Anonymous said...

OK....simple question...would someone like me still be welcomed and still beyond redemption? I have an issue that the church does not believe in. Am I still worth being your friend? You know who this is....

PK's BLOG said...

You may have several issues that we know of already that we don't think is healthy. We haven't rejected you yet, right?

Anonymous said...

No, you haven't rejected me. You're one of my very favorite people in the world, so I am so glad about that.

I hope my bad qualities don't outweigh my good ones. I don't think so, but you know me pretty well and I trust your opinion of me.

I just say things that others may not. There are more than 2000 people at KFA. I believe there is more there than meets the eye. Even if people do it anonymously, Really.... :)

PK's BLOG said...

you should probably not presume on the honesty of others. You are certainly not the only person around honestly sharing their faults. Not by a long shot. Others just don't do it through this forum necessarily. Just concentrate on your own stuff, not on what everyone else may or may not be doing.

Anonymous said...

No, they may not share it here. I know I do, but the computer is my thing.

I may be the only one that you said has several issues that are unhealthy. Just hope you aren't focusing too strongly on my faults and overlooking all of the times I have done the right thing. I used to listen to every word you said.

PK, I am just a human being. I'm not a pastor. I can't live up to your standards. I tried for 3 years and I can't do it indefinitely. Wish I could, but right now, I can't seem to pull it off.

PK's BLOG said...

ANON:
That really is nonsense. There is not a different Bible for pastors than for non-pastors. The life I'm called to is the life you're called to when it comes to values, habits, disciplines, etc. I may be judged in the end more critically than you because of my leadership, but the life God has planned for me in terms of walking with Him isn't much different than the life He has planned for you. Nor is it easier for me than for you.

I'm not the one who focuses on your faults. You do. You bring them up all the time and I just respond to what you talk about.

Anonymous said...

You have the ability to hurt me more than anyone I know of. My kids would, but they love me and just don't say things like that.

For my own peace of mind, I just want to clarify that the things that you termed unhealthy are not the severely risky things. I'm not that kind of person. They are more character quirks than risky behavior. I'm fine with telling the truth about myself, but it does bother me that others may have this really bad impression of me that is not accurate.

You're right....maybe I need to censor what I say on here. You're my friend and I trust you, so I open up in ways I don't in other settings.

PK's BLOG said...

ANON:

I don't know anything other than what you have spoken to me, so you needn't read into anything or think i'm imagining things about you. That's all I'm going to say on this subject now. Subject closed.