Amber told a story last week at the leadership meeting about how her gang was on the way to church and stopped a woman fix her car in the pouring rain. Not like stopped and fixed it, but stopped, took out the old battery, took it to the store, got a new one, took it back and installed it. Got her groceries cause she couldn't pay for it and helped her out. That's the Church, not the building everyone kept trying to get to as they passed the broken down woman on the way. So later that night on our way to Blacksburg to get painting supplies, we stopped at a gas station and a homeless-looking man asks if we're going towards whatever town. Turns out it's on our way. Sure. We'll give you a ride, and I'm sharing Jesus with you along the way. So we did and he had issues with the free grace part. Kept saying if you do enough good and be a good person. Then God explained it to me and him as this, "there's nothing that you did to deserve this ride that I'm giving you. This is a free gift from me to you. That's what Christ did for you. Not when you deserved it, but it's a free gift to you." He still didn't' get it but it stuck with me.
Fast forward to Sunday night, last night, I talked to Pradip Sunday night and he talked about how he had two tests coming up this week "Animals" and "Organic." He didn't have the Animals book because it was too expensive and couldn't afford it and didn't have notes. I tried to think of someone who might be in the class who could let them borrow it. No luck.
Leadership meeting today (Monday afternoon), we talked about how to share Jesus with those around us. Most of them, based from our conversations with non-believers, know it intellectually but there's something missing in-between the heart and the brain. We need to make God tangible. How do we do that? Reading in Col. 1:15 this morning it says that Christ is the image of the invisible God. So to make God tangible, he sent Jesus. Jesus did what he was suppose to and has left. Now, we as Christian's being "Christ-like" need to act like it. We need to share what Jesus is and how he is through relationships. Through stories of how it is. How do we do that, we look at Jesus. We gaze at him. Study his every move and word and imitate it.
After dinner, I went to give Kayla her book and she's been having a really rough couple of days. I was wooped and just wanted to go but I remembered the prayer requests of pray of how we can encourage each other. Sometimes encouraging is just listening. So I listened and let Kayla explain everything that had gone wrong. I was trying to help and show her that I cared. Somehow in the process she mentioned all the books she's kept. "Wait, do you still have animals?" "Yeah." "Could I borrow it? or know someone who could borrow it?" I explained it to her and told her he'd take good care of it and she let me borrow it.
As I waited for her to get the book, I was thinking what can I tell him to share Jesus with him. Then God just like explained it all at once. Its grace. It's a free gift. Acts of service is what I love to do. Why? Because it's Grace. It's doing something for someone with nothing expected in return or not because they deserved it, but actually because they didn't deserve it. Grace. It's also one of the hardest things I have to deal with is the fact that I'm not deserving and can't deserve it but he still gives it to me anyways. Why I struggle with people doing stuff for me or helping me. It's grace.
Then I went to give it to him and tried to give it to him and he kept saying
"No. No."
I said, "Why not? It's grace."
"What?"
"Grace."
"It's what?"
"It's grace. What Jesus was talking about when he said grace. It's a free gift that you didn't really earn or deserve, but it's a free gift from me to you because I love you."
"No. No I can't."(most people can't accept it's free)
"Why not? It's free, it's for you."
"But it's so expensive."(amen.)
"Yeah but it's taken care of. It's yours free."
"Do I have to pay for it? Make payments?"
"No. It's completely free. It's yours free."
"Oh this helps so much. Thank you so much. Oh, thank you."
He was so thankful. So excited. He said "Thank you so much Abram." and I just said, "Consider it from Jesus." He was so thankful. Something that was too expensive for him, that was given just when it was needed (test in two days), that was given free to him that someone else has already paid for.
I'm so excited to share with him Ephesians 2:8-9 when God opens that door. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.." Because this is the perfect example of when we couldn't afford what we owed (wages of sin is death) that someone else paid for it (Jesus dying on the cross) , so that we could accept it for free. We can't earn it. We can't make payments on it. It's already been payed for and is given freely because of Love for the person.
I'm so excited and so in love with Grace. How God continues to move in my weakest moments is amazing. I feel like Paul or one of the first apostles. I didn't pay for the book, but I do know who did personally. I got to go and give the gift to the person. To see the excitement on his face, when he realized what he had been given. I understand why they kept on doing it. It's beautiful to get to be part of the most epic, beautifully constructed stories ever lived on earth. Tonight, I got to live a small-scale, faint resemblance of that it and it changed me, is changing me.
God I pray that Pradip would learn grace. I pray that he would not understand and then question it. I pray that he would search for it and that you would lead him to the right people or sites that explain what grace really is. I pray that you would open a door to the conversation with him that I can share your salvation. Your love. Your GRACE. God work in his mind tearing down these false truths that have been there. Show him light, true light. God use me. Shine through this stained and dirty vessel. God you have made me clean and I wish to shine for you. Shine through me. God I know your powerful. I see you working more mightily than ever. I see how you work when I am faithful and patient. I see how you do the work and I get to be an example of you. I am simply the messenger. God, how good you are. That you would chose to use me. I am so amazed. I pray that this book. This act of kindness will change his mind, his heart, his life forever. That he would note this as the first of many acts of Grace that you will show him. God please show him through me. Use me to show him. Not just me but other, real Christians. God I pray that you would rock his world with Grace. That this concept, this understanding, would destroy all idols built up against you. Like accelerated termites eating on a totem-pole, you grace would attack and destroy these idols. God bring Eph. 2:89 to the forefront of his mind, of the mind of everyone he comes in contact with. God please send your Holy Spirit on him to lavish him with grace and his understanding of Grace. Make it more personal, more heartfelt, more real. Let him experience it, taste it, yearn for it, hunger for it. God use us to show and speak truth into his life. Let us be who you are here. God let us make you tangible here.
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