(This lesson is taken from “Amazing Grace – God’s Power To Be”
* Is the church a denomination?  Of course not! Yet the church divides.
* BIG TASK = GOING DEEPER/ BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING NT CONCEPTS.
* (J.W. Debate) Dad conducted a small debate with a Jehovah Witness when he was a young minister. The debate was over, IDENTITY OF THE N.T. CHURCH. Dad began: “AD 33, Jerusalem, Pentecost, Acts 2:38, Organization, Worship… all explained with scriptures to back up each point. Then his opponent began… The NT Church is a PRAYING CHURCH, A LOVING CHURCH, A SOUL WINNING CHURCH, A UNITED CHURCH…all with scriptures to back up each statement.
* Need to re-examine our approach… What dad said was not wrong… but he recognized that something was missing.
* What a/GRACE? Ephesians 2:4-10 Read NEED TO GROW /BROADEN OUR U/STANDING/ MARVELOUS CONCEPT “God’s power to GROW”.
* Not cheap grace (Jude 4/ Romans 6:1-2)
* Not small grace (Romans 5:8-10) It’s a ‘much more’ grace!

1. PROCESS OF SALVATION
    A. Hearing the Gospel (Romans 10:17)
    B. Believing/ faith/ trust (Romans 10:17; Heb. 11:1,6; James 2:17, 26)          
    C. Obedience (John 14:21, 23-24)
    *** These are not important by themselves. These are important only because the
          end result is BEING ADDED TO, PUT IN, RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD thru
          JESUS CHRIST.
    *** BEING ADDED TO THE CHURCH, PUT INTO CHRIST AND IN RELATIONSHIP
         WITH GOD THRU JESUS MEANS ONE IS REDEEMED, SANCTIFIED,
         FORGIVEN, SEALED AND HEAVEN BOUND….
    *** THIS MAKES ALL THE OTHER THINGS IMPORTANT!
     D. One may say, “I don’t believe in repentance, confession, and baptism…. I
          BELIEVE IN JESUS! HE COMMANDS IT AND I OBEY IT! Yet it all finds value in
          the ‘end result’ of relationship with God thru Jesus.
2. FIRST CENTURY EXAMPLES – SALVATION BY GRACE THRU FAITH
     A. Pentecost (Acts 2)
     B. Samaritans (Acts 8:12)
     C. Saul (Paul) (Acts 9; 22)
     D. Cornelius (Acts 10)
     E. Philippian jailor (Acts 16:25-33)
3. VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL (Ephesians 2:8-10)
     A. VERTICAL = MOST IMPORTANT – 1^st Place – 1^st Allegiance – Cause/Effect –
         Power
          1.) Matthew 6:33; Luke 14:25-33
          2.) All other relationships/allegiances= governed by this
          3.) Law and prophets hang on this one.
          4.) Faith is the cable that “gets hold of God”. It’s not how much faith or how great
               the faith…the power is in the OBJECT of faith which is vital.
          5.) Give up everything…. But never give up your connection w/God. (HUB OF
               WHEEL)
4. THE HORIZONTAL RELATIONSHIP  IS ALSO IMPORTANT (Can’t have vertical w/o
     horizontal)
     A. Look up to God – look out to people (wife/husband/children/friends/work/enemies)
     B. “I belong to Christ” THEREFORE….
     C. Family – (2 Timothy 3:15)(Acts 2:36-38, 41, 47)
     D. Horizontal relationship = seen in FRUIT/ACTION/ cf. James 2:24-26
     E. I John 1:7 “Fellowship” w/each other.
     F. I John 3:14-18 “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love
         each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates a
         brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life
         residing in him. 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his
         life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If
         anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no
         pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us
         not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Conclusion: Yes, grace is all about being saved and remaining saved…. We will learn more about this in the weeks coming. Yet it is also about the horizontal (people) relationships we as God’s children have.
I Corinthians 12:12-27 The hand does not hate the foot. The eyes are not jealous of the toes. WE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER.