Dear Redeeming Grace, Last Sunday we thought of how we need God to act upon us and compel change in our lives for how we relate to God and others. And by His grace, He's done just that. God has transformed every believer into a new creation! In 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Paul writes this: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; beho...

Dear Redeeming Grace, Jesus prayed these words in what is known as the High Priestly Prayer: "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17:11b ESV) How amazing to think that God's desire for his people is to have a kind of unity that reflects the perfect and eternal unity of the Father and Son. Dave re...

Dear Redeeming Grace, Last week we saw how the gospel goes further out and further in. It goes further out as more and more people hear the transforming message of salvation, through faith in Christ alone. And it goes further in as our hearts are shaped to love like God, desiring that all would come to repentance and faith. We say it often at Redeeming Grace; we exist to...

Dear Redeeming Grace, Last week we considered the power of three simple words that opened the spiritual eyes of a man named Saul; "I am Jesus." With those words, Saul knew that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was alive, and He was God. Years later, as Paul reflected on his testimony in a letter to the church in Corinth, he wrote this: Last of all, as to one untimely b...

Dear Redeeming Grace, In Jason's message last week, we were reminded of a glorious truth: "no one is too far from the reach of redemption." The gospel is for all people. That reality becomes sweeter when we remember that includes us! We were once far off, in need of redemption, but we've been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13). Our hearts should overflow in ...

Dear Redeeming Grace, Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding inthe work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lordyour labor is not in vain. (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV) Amazingly, these words come right on the heels of Paul expounding on the mystery of the last day and our own resurrections. He reminds the Corinthians that death is swallowed up in vi...

Dear Redeeming Grace, "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will for Christ's sake." These words were written by an 18 year old young man who would one day be known as one of Americas greatest theologians - Jonathan Edwards. In th...

Dear Redeeming Grace, In just over a week we'll once again wake up to enjoy Christmas morning. In most homes I imagine that means we'll gather together to enjoy the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. The more I've reflected on this tradition, the more I appreciate how it points to a wonderful truth. John 3:16 is likely the most well known verse in all of scripture....

Dear Redeeming Grace, In each of our conversion stories, God used particular individuals to faithfully share the gospel with us. If you are a Christian, it is most likely because someone cared enough about you to share the gospel with you. And in most cases, they were ordinary Christians.Our desire is to capture these stories of "Who Told You" to encourage and inspire Red...

Dear Redeeming Grace, As I've been thinking about this Advent season, the word I keep reflecting on is "anticipation." If you've ever taken a big trip somewhere, you'll recognize all the signs of what it means to anticipate something. You choose the place, the time, the activities, and begin to dreamily look forward. It becomes so much more than a date on the calendar. A...