The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Acts 18:27,
“When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.”
As Luke provides the account of Apollos, his encounter with Priscilla and Aquila, and his trip to Achaia, Luke observes that Apollos “was of great help to those who by grace had believed.” What catches my eye this morning is the observation that it was by grace that the folks in Achaia believed.
Grace is what we call that disposition of God that causes or prompts him to do things for us – things that are unearned or undeserved. For instance, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as a propitiation for our sins. Why did he do that? Because we are told in John 3:16 that God loves man. This is what we call his grace. His grace is apparent in many ways at many times. He answers prayer, not because we “deserve” it but because he desires to express his loving kindness to us. He provides us with many things we have not earned nor deserve. For instance he has provided proof of his satisfaction of Jesus’ payment for our sin by having him appear to folks for a period of over forty days after his resurrection. He didn’t have to do it, but he knows our weaknesses and how we struggle in our faith. In a similar way, Jesus Christ provided many proofs of who he was and the authenticity of what he had to say through various miracles, healings, deliverances from spirits and fulfillments of prophecy when he was here. Did he have to provide these things for us? In my mind, no. It simply reflects his wonderful disposition to do things for us.
Luke mentions this disposition of God that resulted in the folks in Achaia embracing him in faith. The message of the gospel is a message of grace from start to finish. Mankind has turned his back on God in sin and rebellion in the face of God’s judgment, and yet God, in his grace, has made a way for us. God, in his grace, has provided equipped evangelists who take the message of the gospel out to others to provide an opportunity to for them to hear the gospel message. God has provided each of us a free will to respond to the gospel message and in his grace has made it possible for us to cross over from death to life. God, in his grace will provide us a wonderful life in the resurrection.
All of the elements of life itself, the ability to hear the gospel message, the capacity to reason, the volition he has provided us as well as the message all speak to God’s wonderful disposition toward us: his matchless and glorious grace!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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