A Safe Place & A Safe People To Be With
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HaleiousA Safe Place & A Safe People To Be With
Uploaded by
HaleiousUnit 6
A safe place &
a safe people to
be with
“ In the absence of grace, there will be
no reaching of potentials.” Life is full
of possibilities but it comes laden with
risks. To take risks, to hope despite
setbacks, and to dream about better
tomorrows, requires grace. Without
grace, life is miserable.
- Bill Pollard
IN HUMAN & SOCIAL
RELATIONSHIP, HOW DO WE
DEFINE GRACE?
People don’tToget
simply
what they deserve
be a safe
environment
When a •People Feel Safe
group of •People trust each other
people , a •They Live in Transparency
home or a •They Laugh a Lot
family, a •They Perform Better
•People Feel Empowered
team or a
•They Minister without
church is Masks on.
laden with
grace, the “here is a place
results are where I belong”
“I am home at last”
obvious:
HOW CAN WE PROMOTE
AN ENVIRONMENT OF
GRACE?
1. Mutual
Trust
HOW CAN WE PROMOTE
AN ENVIRONMENT OF
GRACE?
2. Vulnerability
The choice is between …
Isolation (self protection)
vs
Transparency
“ I don’t need help”
vs
“I need your help”
Personal
and spiritual
brokenness
is the
antidote for
unmasking
ourselves of
any
hypocritical
tendency
Paul’s confession from
2 Corinthians 12
• Brokenness is a
precursor to grace,
v 9a
• Brokenness is a
sacrament of
grace,
v 9b
Brokenness
is a life
long process
GALATIANS 1:1
Paul, an APOSTLE, sent not from
men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ
and God the Father, who raised him
from the dead…
AD 49,
AN EQUAL
WITH THE
OTHER
APOSTLES
I CORINTHIANS 15:9
For I AM THE
LEAST OF THE
APOSTLES and AD 53
do not even
deserve to be THE LEAST
called an AMONG THE
apostle… APOSTLES
I TIMOTHY 1:15
Here is a
trustworthy
saying that
deserves full
acceptance:
Christ Jesus
came into the AD 65,
world to save
sinners – of
whom I AM THE THE
WORST. CHIEF OF
His sense of vulnerability and
openness to grace made him able to
remove the mask in his face.
He became an authentic person …
MINISTER
He became pleasant to be with. He has
lots of friends
DO YOU HAVE YOUR OWN
STORY OF BROKENNESS?
THE
BROKEN
POT
A water bearer in India had two
large pots, each hung on each
end of a pole which he carried
across his neck. One of the pots
had a crack in it, and while the
other pot was perfect and
always delivered a full portion of
water at the end of the long
walk from the stream to the
master's house, the pot with a
cracked on it arrived only half
full.
For a full two years this
went on daily, with the
bearer delivering only one
and a half pots full of water
in his master's house. Of
course, the perfect pot was
proud of its
accomplishments, perfect
to the end for which it was
made.
But the poor cracked
pot was ashamed of
its own imperfection,
and miserable that it
was able to
accomplish only half
of what it had been
made to do.
After two years of what it
perceived to be a bitter
failure, it spoke to the water
bearer one day by the
stream.
"I am ashamed of myself,
and I want to apologize to
you."
"Why?" asked the bearer.
"What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for
these past two years, to deliver
only half my load because this
crack in my side causes water to
leak out all the way back to your
master's house.
Because of my flaws, you
have to do all of this work, and
you don't get full value from your
efforts," the pot said.
The water bearer felt
sorry for the old cracked
pot, and in his compassion
he said,
"As we return to the
master's house, I want you
to notice the beautiful
flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went the hill,
the old broken pot took notice
of the sun warming the
beautiful wild flowers on the
side of the path, and this
cheered it some.
But at the end of the trail, it
still felt bad because it had
leaked out half its load, and
so again it apologized to the
bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot,
"Did you notice that there
were flowers only on your
side of your path, but not on
the other pot's side?
That's because I have always
known about your flaw, and I
took advantage of it.
I planted flower seeds on your
side of the path, and every day
while we walk back from the
stream, you've watered them.
For two years I have been able
to pick these beautiful flowers
to decorate my master's table.
Without you being just the way
you are, he would not have this
beauty to grace his house."
Life’s Application
Each of us has our own
unique flaws. We are all
like broken pots.
But if we will allow it, the
Lord will use our flaws to
grace His Father's table.
In God's great economy,
nothing goes to waste.
So as we seek ways to
minister together, and as
God calls you to the tasks
He has appointed for you,
don't be afraid of your
flaws.
Acknowledge them, and
allow Him to take
advantage of them, and
you, too, can be the cause
of beauty in His pathway.
Go out boldly, knowing that
His strength is made
perfect in our weakness.
END OF
SESSION 7