Grace, Grace

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’Says the Lord of hosts.  ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’” Zechariah 4:6~8 (NKJV)

Ephesians 2:8 speaks of saving grace; the grace of God for our salvation. And, this verse reveals to us that grace is free gift of God, not of our own works and it is activated through faith in the Giver -- God Himself. 

But, I have been further enlightened through the teachings of John Bevere that grace is not just for salvation and it can apply to other aspects of life, too. That was a powerful revelation which liberated me from my limited or ignorant view of grace.

Just last week, while listening to a YouTube message by Pastor Jentezen Franklin on "Grace, Grace", I was further enlightened by his categorization of grace into:

1. Saving Grace (Ephesians 2:8; NKJV);

2. Justifying Grace 

"... being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ" (Romans 3:24; NKJV) 

3. Teaching Grace  

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11~14; NKJV)

4. Enabling Grace

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14~16; NKJV)

Now that we know better, we could be happier and live victoriously as we become both the hearers and doers of God's Word.

 As Pastor Dennis Burke has rightly noted in his book "Grace (Power beyond your ability)": "We have been invited to come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find the grace we need to help us through any situation. The more time we spend in the presence of God, the more we will grow in the grace of God."

And, now, if you have got the time and hunger, may I entreat you to hear out Pastor Franklin's message on Grace, Grace by clicking here.