IT’S HIS KINDNESS!

Wednesday 9 October

Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)? Romans 2:4 (AMPC)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Have you ever wondered why if the gospel is good news, then why are there sermons preaching hellfire and brimstone or ‘turn or burn’? There is a major problem with this approach to the gospel. It’s called fear. The reason that fear is problematic is that it is impossible to be saved through fear.

‘There is no fear in love’ )1 John 4:18a.)You could also say ‘there is no love in fear’. The love we mean here is ‘agape’ which is sacrificial or selfless love. How do we know there is no love in fear?

The answer is simple. Because nobody becomes a child of God in response to fear. It is the love of God that brings us into salvation and an aspect of His love is kindness as we see in Galatians 5:22.

It bears remembrance that the fruit of the Spirit and it different facets, is the unveiling to the believer of God’s nature and character. When we become ‘one spirit with the Lord’ we have the ability to display the same love that is in the Father and the Son. It says in Romans 5:5b that this ‘love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.’

This tells that fear is completely foreign to God and therefore is not from God. 1 Timothy 1:7 confirms this when Apostle Paul says ‘for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind. Fear is the product of sin that came upon mankind through Adam’s wilful disobedience and ‘unpersuadableness’ to what God had said.

Some people will admit to you openly that they answered the altar call because they didn’t want to go to hell. These same people can oftentimes be the ones who are constantly coming out the front to say ‘the prayer’ again just in case. When the doctrine of salvation is not succinctly explained and the message of salvation is not clearly communicated it can create unnecessary confusion.

There is actually a high probability that a percentage of those who go to church or read their Bibles are not yet saved. The responsibility is primarily with Christian leaders who need to get back to preaching the message of grace and the goodness of God in the good news.

Anytime you hear someone preach even from the scriptures and it leaves you feeling fearful or unsure of the love of God for you; it was not the gospel that you heard. There is enough bad news out in the world without the church adding to it. The Word of His grace is designed to build you up and deliver you into your inheritance.

We are not the ones to convince people about the love of God for them. That’s the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit. Our role is tell them good news and allow them to come to their own decision to accept or reject Christ. We are not to use the instrument of fear to ‘put the heavies’ on anyone. God never did and He never will.

Remember grace is the new reality and it is always His kindness that leads us to change our mind about Him. It worked for you didn’t it?

APPLICATION

Make up your mind that you are not just going to talk about the scriptures but you will be a teller of the good news of Jesus Christ and His finished work of grace.