The Gospel of the Grace of God

In this week’s exhortation, Gary acknowledged the distressing events of recent days, particularly their impact on the Jewish community, and briefly reflected on the continuing testimony of Scripture seen in the Feast of Dedication. He noted that Jesus himself attended this feast and declared himself to be the true light of the world, reinforcing the enduring truth of God’s purpose.

The exhortation then turned to the central theme of grace, drawing attention to the richness of the Greek word charis. Gary explained that grace carried the sense of favour, kindness, thankfulness and goodwill, and that it expressed God’s loving disposition toward those who believed.

Using Acts 20:24, he highlighted Paul’s description of “the gospel of the grace of God”, explaining that grace lay at the very heart of the gospel message. Through passages in Ephesians, Gary showed that believers stood under an umbrella of grace, having been called, forgiven and given hope because of God’s kindness rather than human merit. At the same time, he emphasised that grace did not remove responsibility, as believers were God’s workmanship, called to live lives shaped by faith and obedience.

The exhortation explored the many dimensions of grace. Gary spoke of the throne of grace, the reign of grace and the sufficiency of grace, reminding us that God’s grace was enough to sustain believers through weakness, suffering and trial. He also encouraged us to see ourselves as stewards of God’s manifold grace, expressing it through service, kindness and care within the ecclesia.

As the exhortation concluded, Gary returned to the example of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was described as being full of grace and truth. He reminded us that God’s love rested on those who believed, and that faith itself was precious to both the Father and the Son. He encouraged us to remain firm in that faith and to rejoice in the grace in which we stood.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Revelation 22:21