A Disposition of Grace
Is banter really the best way to connect? Can we be more gracious in our conversations?
Welcome to our newest post about Sharing Your Faith! In his regular posts, Ryan Bentley will be stirring us to share our faith with others, by looking at passages of scripture and giving practical tips. We hope you enjoy the blog below!
This week I flubbed up pretty bad. Just a flub and not a full blown mishap, possibly could be a hiccup. When it was revealed to me by someone close to me it was done with typical banter, just giving me a hard time about my flub. What they weren’t aware of, was that I was in a more sensitive emotional state. As a result, I felt ashamed.
The Banter Formula
Banter is a normal part of our human interactions, I’d say, one of the major connecting forces in British culture. It carries quite a few benefits; it breeds familiarity where both people can choose the pace, it allows us to laugh at ourselves while showing that we don’t take ourselves too seriously (a cornerstone of British Humour) and helps us discover boundaries. From my observation the formula for interactions goes a little like this:
Nice
Banter
Empathy and Understanding
Banter
Banter
Banter
Depth of Conversation & Relationship
Hidden Consequences
Unfortunately, Banter often has the unintended (or subconsciously intended) result of bringing shame and embarrassment.
I don’t think shame has a place in the Kingdom of God. In the past I have memorised 2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. But I made a mistake in my memorisation, replacing the word sorrow with shame. But then I started writing this blog, and I couldn’t find that translation anywhere. Godly Sorrow brings about repentance, while worldly sorrow brings death. I don’t think Sorrow and Shame are interchangeable here.
As followers of Jesus, we’re called to be salt and light. Salt substantially changes the make up of things due to it’s interactions with the substance it’s added to. Salt the earth, it won’t grow. Salt some meat, it begins to break down. Salt your coffee…go get some more sleep, because you meant to use sugar. My point being that grace brings brings transformation, not shame, and I’m questioning whether my banter leads to grace.
Where’s the grace in banter?
After all that’s what we’re trying to bring people into isn’t it? Grace? We bringing people from death to life!
Grace is a transformational power in the kingdom of God, not shame or guilt. Grace is the key to the door of the kingdom. It’s the waterfall we all must walk through to get into the kingdom. We are bathed in it. It’s soaked into every fiber of our being when we put Jesus on the throne of our lives.
When we share our faith with others and we’re developing a relationship with them, it begins and must have its roots in grace, not banter. We are made to be different. We are made to substantially change the make up of the things that we come into contact with. This is a challenge to myself as much as it is to you. (Actually, probably more-so!)
Having a disposition of grace will open doors, start conversations and ultimately bring the transformational change Jesus is calling us to work in. Imagine being so full, that your love, grace and joy is affecting others to the point they want to join in?!
That! Is the kingdom. Isaiah 2:1-5 will help us see that.
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
Isaiah 2:1-5
Ryan Bentley
Ryan moved from Birmingham in 2020 to be part of Redeemer along with his wife Sarah (our families worker) and his two kids, Rhys and Torah! He serves the church full time and his aim is to equip each of us to share the gospel with those around us on a daily basis. Look out for his Faith Sharing Meetup next term, or find more of his wisdom on Instagram.
Redeemer reads 2 Corinthians 7
As we continue to read 2 Corinthians together Esther-Maria shares with us the difference between worldly and godly sorrow.
Welcome! Over the next few weeks we are going to be reading 2 Corinthians together as a church, 1 chapter every week day. We’re encouraging everyone to read the passage, pray, and share with a few others what they felt God was pointing out to them in his word. Every day we’re going to be hearing from someone at Redeemer about what they felt God pointed out to them as they read the passage.
This morning Esther-Maria is sharing with us, you can watch her video above. She has also shared some of her thoughts on the passage below.
Today’s chapter reveals the difference between worldly sorrow, which leads to grief, and godly sorrow, which leads to joy. Conviction by the Holy Spirit leads to repentance and it is precisely in turning to Jesus and away from sin that we find joy. This joy is not like happiness, which is a result of a specific situation, but it is regardless of any circumstance, as it comes from Jesus, Who dwells within us now and forever.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. However, we must be receptible to conviction by the Holy Spirit, in order that we may obey God and live our lives in ways that align with Jesus’ character and heart. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and transform us to be more like Jesus.
This chapter also shows the importance of correction. As a loving family in Christ, we must be those that help one another to be active in fleeing from sin and turning to Jesus. Instead of judging one another or letting each other do what we please, even when it is harmful to ourselves or others, we must be loving and point one another to Jesus. This can be done through loving correction, which builds us up.
Adoration:
Lord, I thank You for Your love and Your patience with me, that I have been able to be adopted into Your family when I repented as a result of conviction from Your Holy Spirit.
Confession:
I am sorry for the times I have ignored conviction from You and continued in my own ways.
Thanksgiving:
Jesus, I thank You that by dying on the cross and rising again, You have caused the veil to be torn, that we may know and have a relationship with You. I thank You that You have allowed for the Holy Spirit to be poured out, to work in us, and make us more like You through conviction.
Supplication:
Holy Spirit, please be at work in me, that I may be quick to repent and that I may listen to and obey Your voice. Lord, would You let Your joy overflow in me, that others may see the unconditional and supernatural joy You alone bring.
Further Study
We have shared a blog from Scotty Smith before in this ‘Further Study’ section of the blog, and today we’re sharing another. In this blog - entitled ‘A Prayer About God Comforting the Downcast’ - Scotty confronts the reality that we’re not always on top of our game, and celebrates the fact that there’s nothing wrong with that.