A letter from Pastor Paul Travis:

The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Psalm 27:1

The Gospel means good news: “Christ died for our sins…was buried and rose again the third day .” (I Cor. 15: 3-4). It expresses God’s love, but is wrapped up in His grace. …

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found was blind but now I sec.

‘Twas grace that wrote my name in life’s eternal book.
‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb who all my sorrows took.

Grace was enormously expensive for God. Yet there’s nothing we can offer to pay for it. Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable about sinning is not Biblical grace. God’s grace never encourages us to live in sin; on the contrary, it empowers us to say No to sin and Yes to Truth.

The question is not what arc we to do and not do, but is God pleased and magnified. It is not about us; it is all about Him.
It has been a tremendous privilege to sec what God has done by His grace. We will never fully understand the grace of God. “May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you” (I Pet. 5:10).

Many have a deep longing for a more intimate and personal relationship to the God of grace. God has always expressed His grace through the ages; but now grace reigns. He is more ready to express His grace than His judgment.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (II Cor. 9:8). “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved (Christ) ” (Eph. 1:6). We need to praise the Lord abundantly for His wonderful grace.

Grace is God’s favor to those that deserve loss, but put their trust in Him. However, where there is pride, there is no room for grace.

Charles Swindoll says: “There is a compelling call to accept the grace that has been freely given, to enthusiastically embrace and carefully protect the freedom it provides, and to experience the joyful and abundant life that God desires for us.”

Martin Lloyd Jones shares: “What I am interested in is not what I was but what I am, and I am what I am by the grace of God.” Christ became poor so that wc might become eternally rich. This is the high cost of grace.

Here are some gems from Charles Stanley: “You can work a lifetime to be good and perfect and not be any better off than when you first started…Jesus sympathizes with us and identifies with our weaknesses, our fears and our anxieties…He never said, be perfect to receive my salvation. Salvation comes to us one way–by the grace of God. While He does discipline us, God never rejects us for performance…Stand strong in His grace. Receive His help. Relax in His acceptance. Bask in His compassion. The God of grace is with us.”

God’s grace is amazing because it is free. He bore the cost of our sins; therefore, it is not cheap grace. God’s grace is amazing because it is limitless. His grace can never be exhausted. Regardless of the vilest or number of our sins, God’s grace is always sufficient.

Grace is not about God lowering His standards; it’s about surrendering to Christ and allowing Him to meet those standards through us.
It is hard for us to realize that all that we are, all that we have and all that we will ever be is because of God’s grace.

God’s standards of holiness are not lowered under grace; they arc raised (Matt. 5:20-22; Gal. 5:4).

Grace does not make believers less holy; it enables them to be more holy.

Grace never causes believers to despise and avoid truth; it causes them to adore and practice truth. Grace does not lower the bar; it enables us to jump over the bar.

You guessed it! Our hearts arc really thrilled because of God’s love for us and His GRACE toward us. …Please continue to pray for this ministry.

Love in Christ,

Paul and Joyce

Paul & Joyce Travis serving withFreedom in Christ Ministries

MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY

Jesus is totally sufficient:

• In creation
  

  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. —Colossians 1:16-17

• In salvation
  

  By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.—Hebrews 10:10-12

• In life and Godliness
  

  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. —2 Peter 1:3-4

• In glorification
  

  and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. —Romans 8:30

• In sanctification
  

  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. —Ephesians 5:26-27

Most importantly, He is sufficient to be fully trusted.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. —Psalm 9:10Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. —Psalm 37:5

“Good Morning Lord!” comes from Compass International

www.compass.org.

Pastors at Heritage Church in Texas have been preaching a sermon series on the theme of Galatians 6:14  “I will boast in the Cross of Christ.” It is a theme that Grace Fellowship advocates for vital public and personal ministry.  The series is available via online video, audio and downloads.

Click here to visit HeritageChurch.org/media

A daily resource for you and those you disciple…

Verse of the Day — Deuteronomy 33:26-27

There is none like the God of Jeshurun (Israel), Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

To be “in Christ” is to be in the safest, most secure place in the universe.

MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY

It is an amazing thing to consider that the God of the universe, the God of all creation, cares about us so deeply and so intimately that He will traverse the heavens “to our help.”

This God is our dwelling place, which is also translated “refuge.” As the world around us alters and changes at a staggering speed, those of us who trust in Him can live in a place that is eternally safe and secure. And we are not only kept safe, we are held in His “everlasting arms.”

God wanted Israel to understand, and us as well, that His full power and majesty are directed toward the care and protection of His children.

There is none like Him.

-April 30, 2015

Our free monthly Compass eNews delves more in-depth into an array of Biblical topics. You can look at past Compass eNews articles HERE and/or sign up at the bottom of our home page: Compass.org.

Dear Grace Fellowship Friends,

This month we have started an initiative to more effectively communicate with the pastors on our mailing list. In 2010 we published, From Pastors to Pastors: Testimonies of Revitalized Ministries. The life stories in this book, which reflect the Holy Spirit’s moving, have been a major source of inspiration. We rejoice to see God continuing to work in the lives of pastors who have developed a relationship with our team. This month’s email will offer a recent glimpse into this. We invite you to check out the links below…

In His Life,
Rob

Rob Clogg,
President
Grace Fellowship International

view full graphics-formatted edition online here

In a recent blog article, pastor Jack Wellman identified five aspects of pastoral ministry that he especially appreciates. His list included: Mentoring, Soul Winning, Preaching the Gospel, Loving the Flock, and Mentoring. The fifth privilege/responsibility he picked is of special interest to us–counseling

Jack confides,

“This might be something you wouldn’t expect but when people come to me, they know that they can confide in me and I won’t share their struggles with anyone. I keep all of my counseling sessions in strict confidence. When people tell me that they’re struggling with pornography, drugs, sexual addictions, same-sex attraction, alcohol, marital problems or whatever else it is, the most frustrating part is that sometimes I can’t help them but I do know Who can and it’s not a human. I heard one pastor say that living the Christian life is not hard…it’s impossible so we need God’s supernatural strength to help all of us to overcome in different areas of life but during the times that I can actually help someone to transform their life through prayer, the Word of God, intervention, accountability applications or whatever it is, there is tremendous joy in this. I also tell those that I counsel that I am not their solution, God is and what I can’t do, He can but to have people come to me with problems that they have only shared with God and no one else makes me feel that they trust me thoroughly and know that I won’t gossip to anyone about their weaknesses because I too have my own personal struggles.”

What if every evangelical pastor were equipped and empowered with a simplified, clarified, illustrated model of biblical counseling that was potentially life-transforming. We believe that the fuller message of the cross can be applied to the heart of the matter–whatever it is–which is usually a matter of the heart.

As we personally appropriate Christ as Lord and Life, we minister from the overflow of our union with Him. Let’s “make the most of every opportunity” (Eph. 5:16) to offer not only care but cure .

-JBW

from “Why I Love Being a Pastor: 5 Favorite Things”
by Pastor Jack Wellman

http://christianmediamagazine.com/art-creativity/why-i-love-being-a-pastor-5-favorite-things/

Handbook to Happiness: 99 cent ebook sale March 22-28! View this email in your browser Ebook on sale this week Sunday-Saturday, March 22-28 Handbook to Happiness uniquely explains the message of victorious Christian living through a practical, illustrated biblical counseling process. Since Dr. Charles Solomon authored Handbook over 40 years ago, over 300,000 copies have been printed in over 10 languages. For the first time, Tyndale Publishers is offering a huge discount on the ebook edition (regular price: $13.95). Now through Saturday you can get a copy for your laptop, Kindle or iPad for only 99 cents. The vendors honoring this promotion include Amazon and Apple’s iTunes Store. Why not get or gift an e-copy this week? Please spread the news!

Handbook to Happiness: 99 cent ebook sale March 22-28! View this email in your browser Ebook on sale this week Sunday-Saturday, March 22-28 Handbook to Happiness uniquely explains the message of victorious Christian living through a practical, illustrated biblical counseling process. Since Dr. Charles Solomon authored Handbook over 40 years ago, over 300,000 copies have been printed in over 10 languages. For the first time, Tyndale Publishers is offering a huge discount on the ebook edition (regular price: $13.95). Now through Saturday you can get a copy for your laptop, Kindle or iPad for only 99 cents. The vendors honoring this promotion include Amazon and Apple’s iTunes Store. Why not get or gift an e-copy this week? Please spread the news!