Church Must Defeat 'Enemies of Grace', Says Pastor

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009 Posted: 5:24:13PM HKT

Rev Rick Seaward, founder of Victory Family Centre, preaching on the second day of the annual Pastors' Summit in Malacca, Malaysia. (Photo: CPS)

MALACCA, Malaysia - While Christians may not be able to predict or determine the grace of God, they are able both to hinder and also facilitate it, according to Rev Rick Seaward.

The founder of Victory Family Centre, which local mission leaders say is the most mission-centered church in Singapore, also went on to identify six ‘enemies’ or hindrances to the infilling of God’s grace.

He was speaking during the second plenary session on day two of the annual Pastors’ Summit organised by the LoveSingapore movement, a gathering of church and Christian leaders aimed at the transformation of the republic.

In a message which lasted one and a half hours, Rev Seaward saw the grace of God as being central to the idea of transformation. Referring to a common vision shared by numerous pastors and leaders in the city-state whereby they see the seven spheres of Singapore society transfigured to reflect God’s glory and purpose by the nation’s 50th anniversary in 2015, a year known as Jubilee 2015, he said: “Unless we see and make room for the grace of God, this would not be possible.”

And this transformation must start from within the Church. “[We] can’t talk about transformation without the grace of God… [The] Church can’t go out [and transform the world] when it’s not transformed”.

He noted that while God’s grace is sovereign, its infilling is at the same time subject to human response, and highlighted six hindrances that could prevent God’s grace from entering the hearts of believers to transform them “from one grace to another grace” and change them into His very image.

The first hindrance to God’s grace is legalism and works. Here he rode the thin, often blurred boundary between the law and legalism. “God does not hate the law. He hates legalism. The law is still there [for believers]. People confuse law with legalism,” he said. But law has to be sanctified by grace. “The law without grace becomes legalism and works. We don’t live by the law but by our relationship with Jesus Christ.” He exhorted believers to ask themselves if they were having their quiet time with God out of love for His presence or a fear of punishment.

For the pastor, the fear of punishment is a misplaced one. Sharing his personal experience growing up in a conservative legalistic background and later out of it, Rev Seaward said that for him God had turned from a tyrant with a sledgehammer to One who awes him by His grace. For instance, there was a time he was being troubled by some rebellious youth in his church. And when he got together with others in a prophetic ministry he expected God to spank them. But He did not. In fact, He “said things that were good, nice” and that he “realised were true”.

He warned believers not to live taking either grace or law to their extreme points. “Grace to the extreme is anarchy. Legalism [is] on the other end,” he said. “Truth is always found between opposites.” Furthermore, he expressed appreciation for the ministry of New Creation Church Senior Pastor Joseph Prince. “[We] need his church and message to jolt the Church that’s legalistic.”

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Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com