TEMPTATION - Why can't I say no?

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on November 19 th 2023  by Navaz. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

TEMPTATION - Why can't I say no?

 James 1:12-21 

¹³ When tempted, no one should say,“God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

INTRODUCTION

I love spy, detective, and medical dramas. What do they have in common? They both uncover the truth that lies behind the mystery of a crime or a disease.

WHY DOES TEMPTATION COME?

  You may be wondering about this: why do I fall into the trap of temptation over and over again? I turned away from my sinful past and gave my life to Jesus. I am a Christ follower who is supposed to live a victorious life. Then why does this happen?

We need to go back to the beginning. Was there absolute freedom in the Garden?  From God’s perspective, YES. The world and the devil would like to tell us otherwise and therein lies the problem. This is what the devil tempted the first couple with and that is to believe that they were not truly free as long as they obeyed God and lived within the boundaries, He gave them. Satan tempted them with independent thinking outside of God’s instructions and got them to change their belief that God could be trusted and had indeed given them true freedom. The boundary around the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was a boundary of love.

Thank God the story does not end there.

CHRIST SETS US FREE

God always had a plan of redemption; to set us free from this trap once and for all. He sent His son Jesus who did not fall for the tree of temptation rather he took all our sins on a tree by being crucified so that we could know freedom. The cross sets us free from the penalty and the power of sin. This is why Jesus’ resurrection is so pivotal to our faith. Just as sin could not control Jesus, so it is powerless to control those who’ve been placed in Jesus by faith.

However, many believe that a magic wand is waved over our heads when we are saved and that is why they get disillusioned when we find those old habits still around.

We know that our old nature was crucified on the cross along with Jesus. We were made alive and new in Jesus. Our old self was not raised to life. We are Born again – a new creation in Christ. The old is gone! Yet we find this struggle in our hearts. While need to realize that while we are new creations, and our desires are changing we still need to deal with sinful habits.

What we know by faith we must act upon.

We need to distinguish between temptation and sinful habits that we form because of giving in to temptation repeatedly.

WHY DO I STILL GET TEMPTED?

Even as a Christ follower there are behaviours, sinful habits lifestyles, and thought patterns that we need to work on. This process is called sanctification. Our behaviour is influenced by how we think which is influenced by what we believe.

I want to pause and ask a question. What are your core beliefs?

WHERE DOES TEMPTATION COME FROM?

Firstly, understand that God does not tempt us nor make us sin. (James 1:13). God may allow us to be exposed to temptation as Jesus told us that in this world you will have many troubles.

FIVE ELEMENTS TO THE PATTERN OF TEMPTATION

James shows us the structure so that we can slow down and examine what is happening in our hearts. You must have seen this while watching cricket/football on TV. They do a replay in slow motion to show you how the wicket was taken or how the goal was scored. So, we are doing a slow motion to the process of temptation. This will help us detect the presence of the evil one, resist, stand firm or flee.

1 ATTRACTION

We see things or experience things through our senses, and we are then lured by “our own evil desires” (James 1:14a) which lead us into temptation. As one preacher put it so well, we need to see everything through our ears!! This is true from the beginning of scripture. The devil gets Eve to rely on what she sees rather than God’s word spoken to them.

David saw Bathsheba and the rest followed.

2. DECEPTION

V16. Don’t be deceived. Satan deceives us by blurring our vision. When we think and start to rationalize our behaviour repeatedly and then the reasons we give ourselves become truth rather than ‘THE TRUTH’.

3. PREOCCUPATION

Each person is tempted when he is lured or enticed by his own desire. What does enticement do? It draws you in. It is like holding something so close to your eyes that you cannot see anything else (tunnel vision) and it fills up your mind.

4. CONCEPTION

This is the real clue to what James is thinking. Then desire when it is conceived gives “birth to sin”. Sin begins in the thoughts and emotions before we act upon it.  

5. ENTRAPMENT

Ironically the very freedom that you chased eludes you. You become a prisoner of your sin and the consequences thereof. Sin results in bondage to that sin.

 

HOW ARE WE SET FREE? DEBUGGING THE BRAIN

BELIEFS

We must get rid of old beliefs and thought patterns and replace them with new ones. What do we replace them with? We replace them with the truth found in the Bible. In John 8:31-32 we are told that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

You might say that you read your Bible Day in and out, yet do not experience freedom. Why? This knowing is not head knowledge. It is not information. Information that challenges us to change our beliefs and thoughts will lead to transformation.

Do not try it on your own because you will give up. We need His empowering enabling Grace in our lives that comes by being immersed in the Holy Spirit.

THOUGHTS

What you believe about God, yourself, the world etc will affect how you think. Beliefs are like the filter or lens through which we perceive life. If you believe you are unloved it will be the filter through which you experience the world, and it will colour your thoughts. The Bible tells us as a man thinks so he is. What this means is that your thought life dictates how you live and respond to your environment.

FEELINGS

What the mind is preoccupied with will preoccupy the emotions.  Feeling can only respond to thoughts and through what lens we experience our world. If my thoughts about a situation change my feelings will soon follow feelings are very subjective, and we can control them by what we feed our minds on.

BEHAVIOUR

Our behaviour is a sum of what we believe, think, and feel. The former three are the drivers of our behaviour. That is why it is so important to renew our minds. James clearly shows this progression in his text.

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THOUGHT PATTERNS I NEED TO BE SET FREE FROM?

What I have seen is that the battle for freedom from wrong beliefs which lead to wrong behaviour is one of the biggest battles, we face as Christ followers.

Let us look at only 3 patterns or idols of the heart that become strongholds of thinking. An idol is anything I over-desire and desire more than God.

LOOK GOOD

 This is all about keeping up appearances. You live life pretending to be someone else. This happens when we do not live out of our identity in Christ. So, you lie, cheat, deceive and create false impressions.

Because you want people’s approval you find it difficult to say “NO” because you want the maintain the image of the ‘nice guy’.

This idol will mask itself in good works. Also, because I want to feel good about myself, I indulge in comparison and unhealthy competition.

FEEL GOOD

We live in a very sensual world. You can make some harmful lifestyle choices if everything is about making you feel good. You can’t always feel good. God has given us a lot of emotions. God feels angry, grieved, jealous, sad, happy, joyful etc. So, while we are NOT ruled by our emotions, they are markers about how we are experiencing the world around us.

Our feelings are a response to our thoughts which are dictated by our beliefs. If we believe that all negative emotions are from the devil or an indication that we do not have faith; the result will be that we deny those emotions and live with unreality. I suppress my true feelings masking it with religious mumbo jumbo. There is a place for the right confession. While we declare the truth, we do not deny the fact. E.g.) I am sad that my daughter is unwell (FACT) but I know God can and will heal her (TRUTH). I am sad I lost my job (FACT) but I know God is my provider (TRUTH)

Feeling driven people don’t like to move out of their comfort zone. Comfort and pleasure are idols. The need to feel good can also result in self-medicating addictive behaviours that give you that constant “high”.  This is seen with overconsumption of social media, movies, gaming, and porn.

 

BE RIGHT

This behaviour is fuelled by the belief that I need to be perfect. Perfectionism drives what I do and how I relate with people. It keeps me from being who I truly am because there is no place for weakness.

So, we need to be right at any cost. This leads to lying, cover-up, deceitful behaviour, rationalizing our faults, blaming others, and inability to take responsibility for our behaviour. Apologizing and owing up is the hardest thing for them to do because their identity and self-worth are attached to what they do and not to who they are in Christ.

All of us have elements of all 3 of these wrong belief systems. But as we renew our minds, we will get healthier and learn to walk in true freedom.

 

HOW DO I FIX THIS PROBLEM?

God has given us several means of Grace viz His Word, His Grace and His people.

Knowing the word is critical because it changes our thought patterns. People need to know that the Word does its work through the Word. We are transformed by the renewing of the mind. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

God’s Grace is always sufficient. He will not allow us to be tempted more than we are able to resist. His grace is empowering and gives us the strength to say no to sin and yes to godly living. Titus tells us that the Grace of God that has appeared to all men teaches us to say no to ungodliness. Those who call this legalism have not understood grace.

Community – We are not called to live in isolation but in community. There are so many ‘one-another’ verses in the New Testament. We are told to confess our sins one to another so that we might experience healing.

We also need to change our appetites. If you have eaten junk food all your life you will not know how good gourmet food is till you have experienced it. We do enjoy our sin till we begin to cultivate a new appetite and then the old sin will not be enjoyable anymore.

So it is quite simple. What we feed our minds with will fuel our behaviour. Is it the world or the Word?

FROM REPENTANCE TO RENEWAL

What does renewing the mind look like?

Renewing involves removing and replacing.

Recognise – First, we need to recognise or acknowledge the area of sin we are struggling with. What beliefs have helped the sin stay in my life?

Repent- Realize that your sin breaks the heart of God. Seek His forgiveness and decide to change what you believe and do.

Replace – You cannot leave that space in a vacuum. Replace your beliefs and thoughts with the Word of God and find new patterns of behaviour or responses to situations. It will take time and you might slip into old habits but don’t worry. A step each day is 365 steps in a year! If you read James carefully, he gives you the clue in v21. God speaks to us and saves us through His Word.  The Holy Spirit may remind you of His word while you pray. In Ephesians we are told that we attack every flaming dart of the evil one with the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God. In Romans, we are told to renew our minds by soaking it in the WORD.

Renew- When you replace your beliefs and thoughts a renewed cycle of behaviour will be easier to follow.

CONCLUSION

WHAT IS MY RESPONSE?

I respond by changing my beliefs by identifying the patterns.

Here are two samples of how you can track what you believe, think, feel, and do. You can do this exercise for any temptation. Just ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light into your heart.

Remember, we will never reach perfection on this side of eternity, but we can get healthier. One day when Christ returns, or we go to be with Him we will never have to fight temptation ever again. But till then, fight the good fight of faith for God is also as work in you.

Be blessed in your journey of faith.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.  

 

 

 

CREATING A COUNTERCULTURE PART 8. CONCLUDING PART

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on December 5th  2021 by Navaz D via zoom. For the audio & video please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

CREATING A COUNTERCULTURE PART 8. CONCLUDING PART

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:10

 

1. INTRODUCTION

Over the last few weeks, we have been looking at how Jesus came to usher in the Father's Kingdom-We called it an upside-down, inside out Kingdom.

 

Actually, Jesus came to turn his Kingdom from the right side up and lived from the inside -out. The Pharisees had turned it upside down and corrupted the beautiful law of the Lord.

I was thinking about this. How did David love the law of the Lord so much that he wrote amazing psalms around it? In fact, the longest Psalm 119, is a tribute to the Law of God. Surely it could not have been so bad!!! It was the interpretation and practice of it that was messed up.

It’s like someone using a Ferrari as a waggon being pulled by 2 bulls. It is a complete misuse and abuse of a beautiful car. Till the maker of the car comes along and shows you how to use it. He unhinges the car and shows them its proper use.

So, let’s dive into today’s concluding verse in this series. And it is a timely word given the season in which we are living.

Remember we said the Beatitudes cannot be understood nor practised in isolation of each other. They build upon each one another.

Notice that the beatitudes have a progression. We first need to be poor in spirit, recognizing your spiritual bankruptcy, which leads us to mourn over our condition, and then we are meek and humble because of that condition and realize we need to hunger and thirst for His kingdom. From that place, we can grant mercy to others because we have experienced it first. Those who seek righteousness will cultivate a pure heart and want to bring peace in every situation.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

True happiness, the blessing of God and favour come from living in the right relationship with Him and in the right manner with people. When we fulfil the law of God we are truly blessed.

The first 7 are about what is expected of a Christian who is living our Kingdom culture.

The last one tells you what will happen to you when you want to be Christ-like!!! Any takers? This is the litmus test. If we are living up to the other 7, the eighth one will follow. Will we give up the standard of Kingdom culture to avoid being persecuted?

Blessed are the persecuted for the sake of righteousness.

I like the way Jesus is not careless with His words. HE is very clear who is blessed and why.

2. WHAT PERSECUTION IS NOT.

·       Now if we do something foolish we are not blessed. Even if it is a Christian thing. We are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

We must be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks. And our speech needs to be seasoned with salt. Our deeds must speak more than our words. Let your love provoke the questions asking about the hope you enjoy.

·       Do not be offensive in your language toward other people’s faith.

·       Do not force people to do things against their conviction.

·       Do not provoke the authorities by being brash or obnoxious. The church in China and South Korea survived and flourished because they learned to be wise as serpents. If you are living the beatitudes right, trust me you will face persecution. Why? Am I not living a good life?

Exactly for that reason. Light and darkness have nothing in common. We come from not only two different but opposing kingdoms. Our new nature in Christ is offensive and a stench in the nostrils of some.

As Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3:12, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Peter told his readers, “Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you . . . as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

Remember is it persecuted because of Christ i.e when we live like Him and do what He tell us to do.

 

3.     WHAT IS RIGHTEOUS LIVING?

It is living according to the Word of God.  There is a difference between being self-righteous and righteous for Christ’s sake. Self-righteous is when we think we are right and feel we need to defend our convictions.

 Righteousness for Christ’s sake is the qualifier. Not every moral person who is persecuted is blessed in this manner. Righteousness for Christ’s sake may sometimes mean letting go of your ego or the issue because in that situation love is the greater motive. That is why we need to always walk in step with the Holy Spirit and abide in His Word to understand what the will of the Lord is.

Putting the sermon on the mount into practice is not easy. We are asked to love our enemy, to pray for those who hate us and to bless those who curse us. This is counterculture. The Kingdom of God is not about entitlement, my rights etc. It is about laying down your life.

 

WHAT DOES PERSECUTION LOOK LIKE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?

Not everyone will be called to be a martyr or go to jail etc. Yet our convictions are challenged daily. And we need to learn to grow strong in our convictions by taking a stand in small steps.

·       At work –Doing what is asked without fudging anything even if team members are pressurizing you to do it. What will you do?

·       Those white lies you are asked to tell to cover up for deadlines missed

·       When the boss has it in for you when you work hard but want to establish a work life balance and log off on time so you can spend time with your family. Your promotion is denied.

·       When family taunt you for your faith or threaten to disown you.

“If you have run with men on foot and they have made you tired, then how can you run as fast as horses? ( Jer 12:5)

 

4. WHY DO YOU GET PERSECUTED?

Why would anyone have something against a meek person? Against someone who shows mercy, or the pure in heart or for that matter a peacemaker? It does not make sense.

Two responses to righteous living –

It can provoke someone to want to know the hope to which you are called.

Or

It can provoke persecution because they cannot deal with their guilty conscience. So, they blame you for making them feel the way they do.

When people love their evil lifestyle or choices or something false, they need to justify that love. And then they need to demonize you because unless they do that, they can’t hate you. So, they begin to believe false things about you to justify their hate. This is the root cause of persecution.

In church when you confront sin, people lash out at you. Don’t expect everyone to applaud your sacrifice. You did not do it for them. If you live for the praises of men, you will die by their criticism.

I would ask this question today – Have you been persecuted for righteousness’s sake. Be careful how you answer this? Sometimes we can be right, but our actions are so wrong that it invites brickbats. But if people have never noticed that you are different then you need to examine yourself. We are in this World but not of its values and systems.

God has given us His holy spirit to strengthen us, encourage and comfort us, guide and lead us into all truth. His Holy Spirit is the divine power that gives us the strength to say no to sin and yes to ungodly choices.

Examples of righteous living that got persecuted

·       Abel was killed by Cain

·       David was hunted by Saul

·       Uriah was murdered by David

·       Elijah by Jezebel

·       Daniel and his friends

·       The apostles

·       Foxes Book of Martyrs

·       Chinse church and elsewhere.

·        

5.  CONCLUSION: HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO PERSECUTION?

How do we display our kingdom culture? Firstly, do not go seeking persecution.

V11 says we are blessed when people falsely accuse us and slander us. We need to rejoice and be glad because we suffer the same fate as Jesus. No servant is greater than his Master.

We must bless them, pray for them, do good to them.

Remind yourself that these troubles are but for a while. (2 Cor 4:17) There is a crown that awaits all those who persevere till the end. We do not stand alone. We have 1000s stand beside us cheering us on – the great cloud of witnesses. (Heb 12:1)

The promise is the Kingdom of heaven – here and now and in the age to come.

 There is persecution at the individual level and then as the church. If you have been reading the posts Colin sends now and then you will see that the kind of persecution the early church faced is not unknown to us. Many churches and pastors are being persecuted for their faith here in our country and around the world.

Let’s pray for the persecuted church now.

By being salt and light (v13) We preserve society and prevent its decay

We are asked to rejoice and be exceedingly glad because we have a reward in heaven waiting for us.

 The Christian calling is a great one. It is the highest and the most challenging one you will ever have to live up to.

 All of us have a Christian calling – to live to glorify Jesus. And if we are children then we are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ( Rom 8:17)

Kingdom culture is God’s will for the earth. Your kingdom comes you will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is what we are asked to pray for. And it will come as you and I usher it in by our lifestyle and our practice.

Over the last few weeks, we took you through what it is to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thrust for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker.

How has this teaching challenged and changed you? Ask God to show you how. He will strengthen you, guide you and lead you.

 

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.   

Creating A Counterculture Part 7

This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on Nov 21st 2021 by Lasya please click here.  To listen to the worship please click here.

 Creating a Counterculture: Part 7 - Blessed are the Peacemakers 

Close your eyes and imagine the most peaceful place on earth. What comes to mind? How many of you just thought of a place with a lot of people? None, I'm sure! Why is that? Because people disrupt peace. In continuation of our series on creating a counterculture, we are going to study not only how to get peace but how to make peace. Peacemaking is a divine assignment very different from peacekeeping.. Peacemaking is a completely different approach. It is much more involved and countercultural. Peacekeeping involves cover-up and control but peacemaking exposes the truth. 

Our verse for today is Matthew 5:9 - “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”

Let’s pray

Martin Luther King Jr said, “Peace is not simply the absence of tension, it is the presence of Justice”. The Bible actually takes it a step further. The word for peace in the Greek - Eirene comes from the root word eírō meaning “to join”. The word Eirene/ Shalom in Hebrew means one, peace, quietness, rest. It is a part of the High Priestly blessing, it is a greeting in the Jewish culture… but Jesus says, not only is it blessed to have peace but it is blessed to be a peacemaker. So that is what we are going to look at today. 

1. The person of peace 

1. Know Jesus: Peace is the person and the presence of Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Luke 2: 13-14 “13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

He restored ultimate peace between man and God, and to be a peacemaker, we need to know the prince of peace. We cannot have the peace of God without peace with God.  How can you be assured that you know the Prince of Peace? Romans 10: 9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

2. Receives His peace John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ” What are the keys of peace? 

1. Set our mind: Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you”; Romans 8:6 “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” Action Point (AP)- When anxious thoughts and cares to take over you, stop and listen for the voice of God by setting aside time for it, set your mind on him at random points in the day by reading the Word of God or reminding yourselves of the nature of God. Think about how you can practically incorporate this into your daily life.  

2. Pray - Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God which surpasses understanding will guard your hearts and minds” When you feel troubled or anxious, do you gravitate towards praying or something else? Watchman Nee wrote, ‘Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.’

3. Practice what you have heard - Phil 4:9 “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”. Faith may come from hearing, but peace comes with practice. AP - Obey the things you understand. Do the things you already know to do. If you want to stop stressing out about your to-do list, do the list. Don't wait for peace to do what God has called you to do.  The peace of God is hiding in our obedience.

3. Pursues His peace - Psalm 34: 14 repeated in 1 Peter 3:11 “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”; Ephesians 4:3 “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” Romans 14:19 “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” We cannot be neutral about peace - we are called to pursue it. Romans 12:18 says as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all. Is that you can not go any further or you’re not willing to? 

However, the pursuit of peace must not precede the pursuit of purity. There is a reason for the sequence of these beatitudes. Righteousness and then mercy. Purity and then peace. James 3:17 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving,” Any pursuit of peace over purity is unwise. Eg: of Aaron. It is in this context that Jesus says I’ve not come to bring peace but a sword. If you just dont want to ruffle any feathers, you’ll have a tough time truly following Jesus. We all need to carry our cross in order to follow Jesus. 

1. The product of peace

1. For us - shall be called sons of God. The word for shall be called in this means to call in a loud voice or to bear a name or title. We see this happen in Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This is what God does with peacemakers. 

2. For the world - Romans 8:19-21 “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” The rising up of the peacemakers is freedom to the whole world. 

3. For God - Ephesians 2 :22 “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Peace and oneness is to his ultimate glory. 1 Peter 2:5 “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”When peacemakers arise, the dwelling place of God is built and he is glorified! That is why we pursue peace. 

So I have been reconsidering some of my own relationships … with friends, with family… and saying maybe I will pursue peace in this relationship a bit more. Maybe there is more peace in store than we think is possible… beyond our understanding. Until we attain that eternal peace - when we will be face to face with God - let’s pursue peace on earth because it glorifies God and it pleases him. Let’s pray.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.