Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer
We took Grace Bomb on as an initiative of ours around this time last year - this was right before everything with COVID-19 hit! In light of everything that has been going on and especially those who have continued to embody the spirit of Grace Bombing, we are coming back at it with a fresh perspective and fresh motivation to see Jesus’ name be made great through this awesome discipleship tool!
We are so thankful for Pat Linnell coming down last week and kicking things off for us as we begin the Grace Bomb Reloaded series. If you weren’t here with us last year, In February with much fanfare and to-do, we launched the Grace Bomb at Legacy City. We were actually one of the first few churches to partner with Grace Bomb, and I remember that we had a flurry of stories and some solid buzz and excitement as we spent a month walking through the idea of God’s Grace and what it means to pass that on to others. And then what happened in March? COVID-19 killed our momentum with this initiative. So when Pat and the team told us late last year of a Reloaded series that dives a little deeper, but would also serve as a recharge for Grace Bomb in general, we were all in.
And if you’re just with us for the first time and have no idea what I’m talking about: Grace Bomb is an intentional act of love motivated by Jesus. For the recipient, it’s a surprising gift meant to brighten their day. Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus. We have the cards and we use them when we Grace Bomb not to draw attention to ourselves or our church even, we want to draw attention to Jesus. Why would we go out of our way to love a stranger or go above and beyond for a coworker? Because of Jesus!
Just to make sure we’re on the same page, we also use this language in talking about Grace Bombs, we say Load, Listen, and Let ‘er go. Load (carry cards, simply choose to have them on your person, in doing that, you are choosing Grace and choosing to open to the leading of the Spirit), which brings us to Listen (for the Holy Spirit’s prompting), and Let ‘er go (drop our Grace Bombs) in our everyday walks of life in obedience to Jesus’ call to love our neighbors. (These ‘Cards’ can be found at a Kiosk at Sunday Gatherings in the lobby - however, if you’re not able to engage with the Kiosk, contact us through any of our social media channels, and will gladly provide you with Grace Bomb Cards.)
There are so many great stories associated with Grace Bomb - we encourage you to get inspired by going to gracebomb.org and read some of the many stories! Also, check them out on their social media platforms at grace.bomb!
Grace Bombing those in our lives, whether it’s those we are closest to or those we have never met before, we must depend on the Holy Spirit and His guidance. We do not want this to be something that we feel out of obligation, but out of obedience to what the Spirit is doing in our lives and what He desires to do in our community!
We have four guiding factors we believe can help discern if the Holy Spirit may be guiding you to Grace Bomb someone:
Your action would elevate Jesus: The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and points people to Christ. Anything that the Holy Spirit would be leading us in would inherently need to elevate Jesus.
Your action would be Counter-Cultural: Putting the Kingdom first typically cuts against the grain of our neighbors. Love your neighbor as yourself, turn the other cheek, give sacrificially - these things rub against the very fabric of our society that says love yourself first; If it denies yourself, it may be the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter)
Your action requires Self-Denial and Risk: We have to die to self, to move more toward Christ. Here’s another practical way to look at it, is the action inconveniencing you? God calls us out of our comfort zone and into a place where we have to put full trust and hope into him.
Your action is Biblical: We have to understand church, that the Holy Spirit works in conjunction with God’s word. If the action is not biblical, then it’s not from God.
We have to take that Step of Faith. The Spirit of God inspired the Word of God so we could be indwelt by God and have his Truths illuminated in our lives. From there, we make a choice. In light of everything we just talked about, in light of everything that Jesus did on the cross and how he sent the Spirit to help us, we then choose to step into that Spirit-Led obedience OR we don’t. Do we walk in the flesh or do we walk in faith? Do we make a decision of the will to act in faith, obeying the Biblical prompting or not? And here’s the thing church, we have to make that decision daily. On a small and very real practical scale. We have to choose everyday where to put our feet, how we’re going to walk through the day. We choose every day whether to walk in faith or flesh. When we’re talking about Grace Bomb, we choose in the morning before we leave the house to put a Grace Bomb card or two in our pocket. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize it, but if you consciously choose not to, then you’re taking one more tool away for the Holy Spirit to use with you.
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
Grace Bomb Reloaded - The Influencer: When it comes to faithful action, especially when it comes to Grace Bomb, the influence of the Holy Spirit is crucial and necessary.
Refresher - What Is Grace Bomb: Grace Bomb is more than just a random act of kindness, it’s an intentional act of love that is motivated by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
The Role of the Holy Spirit: The life of a Christian should be guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit - the New Testament points us to this around every corner; when it comes to Grace Bomb, the Holy Spirit is the major player!
The Beautiful Product of Obedience: When we are obedient to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are able to be wielded by God for intentional ministry; the product of our obedience to the Holy Spirit will always be greater than our own efforts alone.
If this summary piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out our archived Live-streams here!
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Join us next Sunday as we continue to meet at the Premiere Cinema 10 or You can also join us on our Live-stream here or on our Facebook page at 10 am!
We hope that you and your family are well—know that You Are Loved!