"30 Years, By His Grace"
1Cr 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Anyone who knows me pretty well, could probably tell you that this is one of my favorite verse in all of Scripture. Of course, Paul was speaking about his position as an apostle. Before this verse, he mentioned that he was the least of the apostles, not even meet to be called an apostle, because he persecuted God's church.
But, by God's grace, he was an apostle, called by God, unto the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles. It was only God's grace that Paul was who he was. Paul was not seeking Christ. As a Pharisee, he didn't desire to be saved by Christ. He was persecuting Christians. He was there when they stoned Stephen, giving approval. On the road to Damascus, when he was converted, he had been on his way to throw some Christians in prison at the very least.
But God...
Notice what Paul says here. He says that it was the grace of God that he was who he was. He understood that it was God's grace alone that saved him. And this grace was not in vain. I think we can see that just in the amount of work he did for the gospel. Much of the New Testament was written by Paul. He even mentioned that he had worked more abundantly than the other apostles. But, he also recognized that it wasn't him doing the work. He wasn't doing it by his own power, but by the grace of God that was with him.
Well, none of us are any different from Paul in this regard. The Bible tells us in Romans 3 that no one seeks God. Not one of us were truly seeking Christ. We might have been seeking something, but the Bible says it wasn't God. Perhaps it was the peace of God, or the joy, or the love of God, but not God Himself. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost, and all that He seeks are found. He is the Seeker. He cannot fail in His mission.
By the grace of God, He saved me. I was hostile towards God. I laughed at His people. I dove into sin willingly and constantly. I wasn't seeking Him. He sought me out, one of His lost sheep, and gave me new life through granting me both repentance and faith in His blood. Romans 6:23 says that the "wages of sin is death," but instead of giving me what I deserved, He spared me and gave me "the gift of God", which "is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
His grace kept me even before He saved me. The Bible tells me that before the foundation of the world, He chose me to be in Christ (Ephesians 1). Romans 8:29-30 tells me that those He called, He also predestined. God predestined that I would be saved way before I was even born. His grace kept me for 25 years prior to my conversion, and has continued to keep me, and will continue to keep me for all eternity. I'm safely in the palm of His mighty hand.
This past Saturday, I just celebrated my 30th birthday. 30 years of God's grace is amazing to me. I know that I don't deserve God's goodness and mercy, and that's why God's grace is so amazing to me. His unmerited favor is never to be taken for granted. He's been so kind to save all those who repent and place their faith in Christ. That's grace. Not one of us deserves to be saved, yet "in due time, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).
There are so many people I want to thank for being a positive impact on my life, but I couldn't name them all in one email. And when listing people, you're sure to forget someone unintentionally. So, please forgive me.
For those who sent me birthday wishes, I want you to know that I really appreciate you. A bunch of my friends from HCR (www.holycultureradio.com) as well as By His Grace Ministries (http://byhisgrace.heavenforum.org) sent me special shout outs that were presented to me on Sunday. I thank you all and will try to get to you all individually this week.
Thanks to my mom and dad, Sharon and Adolphus Armstrong, for adopting a little boy (14 months old) in May of 1979. I love you two. Thanks for never giving up on me. I hope to make you both very proud someday.
Pastor Marcus Johnson, thank you for being another dad for me. You can never have too many positive male role models in your life. Thanks for showing me what it means to be a man and truly how to love your wife. What you've taught me is invaluable.
Elder Lee Richardson, Sr., thanks for being another dad in the faith. You really helped spark a desire for God's Word in me, by God's grace.
Brandon (B. Morr), thanks for being the brother I always wished I had. Thanks for challenging me and turning me into a zealot...lol.
Thanks to my family that have supported me here with this email ministry since its beginning, and to those who have joined along the way. Thanks for your patience, love and understanding. I love you all.
I pray that God's grace will allow me to continue writing to you for a long time. I love learning. I love teaching. But, most of all, I have a burning passion for God's glory, and pray that you all would too.
Grace and Peace,
Brother Mike/Expo/The Expositor/M.Adolphus Armstrong...lol
Home 
