“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 see.” — John Newton, “Amazing Grace” (1779)
My experience with grace began at a young age. As a curious child, I bombarded my mom with questions, one particularly profound: "What happens when we die?"
On that day, my mom put down her makeup brush and looked into my eyes. I felt like the most important person in the house—in the world! And in that moment, on her bedroom floor, my mom introduced me to the concept of life after death and God's saving grace through Jesus.
While many details of my childhood are hazy, this memory remains crystal clear. It was my first recognition of needing God's grace. Though I lacked complete understanding, a childlike faith, like the one Jesus affirmed in Matthew 18, took root. I left that room believing everyone needed the grace and faith I had discovered.
A Call for Revival
Four decades later, that conviction remains. Billions have yet to hear the Good News, not just in remote lands, but even among our neighbors and colleagues. Through jobs, relationships, fixations, and distractions, people fruitlessly search to fill the void.
The church needs a revival of grace. We must relish the joy of salvation and resist the legalistic tendencies that can overshadow it. When we forget the depth of our own need for grace, faith becomes a checklist, fostering judgment instead of love.
Grace is more than a free gift; it's embodied in Jesus. As John writes, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Jesus is God's answer to sin, shame, guilt, and pain.
I, like many, deserved condemnation and separation from God, yet he offered me Jesus. Jesus lived the life I couldn't and died the death I deserved.
The Voice of Grace
John Newton, a former slave ship captain, penned "Amazing Grace" after seeing his own need for grace. His story echoes ours: "wretches saved by grace." Like him, we were lost but found, blind but given sight.
As I've aged, my need for grace hasn't diminished; it's grown. Just like that four-year-old boy, I continually seek God's grace to be the husband, father, and follower he calls me to be. I need it to respond with love in difficult situations and to fulfill my life's purpose. Every day, I rely on it.
Living in this amazing grace compels me to share it. The more I contemplate God's grace, the more I recognize its potential to challenge. We readily embrace grace for ourselves, but we struggle to extend it to others.
The world desperately needs God's grace, and the church must be its voice. Silence is not an option.
A Global Call
Good Friday, the darkest day in history, can only be called "good" because it brought the message of salvation. As Jesus hung on the cross, an anthem of grace erupted, a song that continues to resonate today.
But do people hear it? Do they know about the saving grace that can meet their deepest need?
This Good Friday, Pulse Evangelism is launching a global campaign called Anthem of Grace. This broadcast will be shown in over 100 countries and over 30 languages, featuring award-winning Christian artists, Steven Curtis Chapman and Miel San Marcos. We will be worshiping and sharing a Gospel message of hope ahead of Easter Sunday.
Here is our invitation to you:
- Gather: On March 29, join us—your church, family, friends, and anyone seeking hope —for this Good Friday broadcast.
- Share: How has God's amazing grace transformed your life? Share your story with us!
Let's create a global chorus, singing the praises of grace that saves, sustains, and guides us home. Learn more about this life-changing grace and find the broadcast in your language.
Posted