“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:11,12)
TEXT — Titus 2:11-15
Message
In his memoir, John Newton, former slave trader turned hymn writer, penned the story of how his life received divine transformation through the power of God’s grace. The unique event happened one unforgettable day in 1748, on the Atlantic Ocean, during the infamous transatlantic slave trade expedition. Newton experienced God’s grace during a violent storm at sea. As he was struggling to survive, he cried out for God’s mercy, which marked the beginning of his spiritual transformation. He later became a devoted Christian and pastor, penning the famous hymn, “Amazing Grace.” Fast forward till he breathed his last, Newton’s life exemplifies the grace of God that brings salvation, underpinned by renunciation of ungodliness and worldly lusts, and demonstrating a life of sobriety and evidence-based christlikeness, in this corrupt and corrupting world.
The narrative in our text captures the very essence of Christ’s sacrificial death at Calvary and the fruits of our purchased redemption and justification. The Holy-Ghost inspired writing, clearly identifies the provision of grace, the portraits of grace and the productivity of grace. It explains that GRACE is a gift from God, which some preachers have used the acronym to unpack its very content as God’s Riches or Righteousness at Christ’s Expense, GRACE. We did not deserve it. No one is good enough for it. But God in His mercy, decided to freely make the grace available to all human.
No matter your ugly past, like Newton, or your unpleasant present, like the moment the promiscuous Samaritan woman encountered Christ at the well, the grace of God is available to forgive your past and furnish your present with the transformative power to reject and resist sin and evil. He gives us abundant grace to run away from worldly corruption and corrupting influences, and to begin to live a life that is godly, sober and Christlike in the present material environment.
Live testimonies across the world have continued to confirm that the life transforming messages of the gospel, coupled with practical Christianity of the era of the apostles, have remained the undeniable evidence of the grace of God still available today for those willing and ready to receive it and live it out.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
