Grace and Peace Come From God and Jesus Through the Word

Nick Minerva • Aug 31, 2021

At the beginning of the book, Paul is sharing grace and peace with the Philippians.

Philippians 1:2   Grace  to you  and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice how he ends the book with grace as well. 

Philippians 4:23   The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ  be with  your spirit.

They would begin to experience grace and peace as they read this Word from the Lord, then that grace goes with them as they finish reading this Word from the Lord. Grace and peace come from this word that is given by God our Father. Now, let’s look at the titles Paul uses for God and Jesus as he points to them as the givers of grace and peace.

God The Father

He calls God, our Father. By using the title of FATHER, Paul point to God’s goodness and kindness, he is reminding us that God is our ABBA. 

Romans 8:15   You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father! ”

The love, warmth, and care of our perfect Father who is in heaven is providing for us grace and peace through His Word. Our perfect Father pours his comfort and love and grace and peace to us through his Word. This is why it’s so important to prioritize our time in the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to us through his Word. We ask him to give us what our soul needs, then we open up the Bible with a heart of expectant faith that he is going to speak to us.

Jesus Our Lord

But Paul also points out that grace and peace are from our Lord Jesus Christ. By using the title LORD, Paul is reminding us of the power and authority that Jesus has as Sovereign ruler because of his finished work on the cross. There is comfort in these titles and that comfort is backed by all the power and authority that Jesus has as Sovereign Lord, ruler of all the earth.

Jesus uses his power and authority as LORD to provide for us grace and peace through his Word. Now, while grace and peace are promised to us because of the finished work of Christ, we are not guaranteed equal experience of them. God has made them available to us as gifts, but throughout scripture, we are told how to experience them-spending time with God, mainly through time in the Word and in prayer.

Protect Your Mind

Philippians 4:6-7   Don’t worry about anything, but in everything,  through prayer and petition with thanksgiving , present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will  guard  your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I love that word guard because it paints a picture of the protective power that comes to our minds and hearts when we spend time with God in prayer. Spending time with God protects us from having a restless soul. And we can be at peace because we are IN CHRIST. We need to do this with faith, but also with humility. 

James 4:6   But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Living a life of humble dependence on God and his Word is the conduit of experiencing grace and peace.

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A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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