Ephesians 2:8-10New International Version (NIV) ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Three things jump out at me in these passages- grace, saved through faith and created in Christ Jesus to do good works. First is grace. Grace is an unmerited favor. I didn’t have to do anything to gain God’s grace. He offered it freely.

But His grace does not offer me salvation. I am saved through faith. I must believe God’s promises of salvation. I must believe in my heart and soul that God sent His Son to die for me so that my sins may be forgiven through His Grace. I am not saved by His grace. Without faith there can be no salvation because we are saved through faith.

Therefore, we are saved “by grace… through faith.” Grace can’t be realized without faith and salvation can’t be realized without God’ grace. I can’t have one without the other.

Through this faith I must act on God’s promises. Works are the actions that I take to show my faith that God has offered me His Grace and my salvation. My actions don’t earn me grace and salvation. But my actions to all that I come in contact with daily, allow others to see God’s grace and eventually be saved through their faith.

I can be a light. God created us and prepared us to “do good works.” As Pastor said Sunday- that is “Our Missional Mandate”. “God prepared in advance for us to do good works”. We don’t need no formal training! (Yes I know it should be any, but I liked it better this way) He has prepared us in advance to be His disciples. We have been saved through our faith by God’s grace to do His good works. That is my mandate from God through scripture and emphasized by pastor on Sunday. Another way to say Point of Grace’s missional mandate is Connect Real People to the Real God, who by God’s grace are saved through faith and connect others by our actions. Too Long? Ok- “Connect Real People to the Real God, who living connected, connect others!”

Will you join me in bringing God’s light to the world?

Let’s pray:

Lord I come to you humbled that that you prepared me in advance to do good works. Please use me as your vessel to be your Disciple reaching out to all as the light on the hill. Thank you for your grace and preparing me so that my actions become a symbol to all that I come into contact with today & in the future until I sit at the right hand of Jesus.   Amen.

Jerry