Overview
Rev. Rico Magnelli closes the conference by returning to the pattern of the early Christians: praising God, sharing grace, speaking the Word with conviction, and trusting the Lord to add growth. The teaching contrasts an inward, performance-centered life with an outward focus on Christ and emphasizes that believers plant and water while God opens hearts and gives the increase.
Transcript
The Early Christians Lived and Shared Grace
Living and sharing God's grace. We've learned so much about living it, how Jason just showed us how to live it, how to grow in it. But what about now sharing it? Living and sharing grace is the pattern set by the early Christians.
And to look at the first Christians, even before they were called Christians, is to have an original and pristine view, unhindered by time and unbelief. A view of God's heart and intent for our lives as his children. A pure prism of truth, reflecting God's light before worldly forces got involved to dilute and dismiss the message of Christ.
We do not have a complete list of these people. There was no roster handed down. It wasn't recorded.
We know a few of their names that are recorded in Scripture. They were your brothers and sisters and are now asleep awaiting the return of Christ. But like us, dealing with challenges of their day and time, they dealt with them, we deal with them.
They were under Roman occupation and oppression and control. Yet the message of Christ pierced through all the noise and touched them so deeply that they praised, magnified, and honored God and reached others with the grace that they had found. And the Lord added, and he added growth, he added opening the eyes of people's understanding through truth.
And they began to live a life free from judgment and fear. It is this grace that elevated the early Christians to that God-given justification through the faith of Christ, which the book of Romans so clearly details. And it's been there for 2,000 years.
Justification, as a reminder, is to be legally declared innocent from Adam's disobedience and the consequential curse he passed on that carried a death sentence. This justification released their hearts from the judgments and fears, as I mentioned. And as these first Christians lived and shared this magnificent grace with others, they set an example that we can follow.
Praising God and Sharing Grace
It's recorded in Scripture. Acts chapter 2, please. This is where we began, and we want to look at this again.
Acts chapter 2, and in verse 47, we see that God's people were connecting with him and connecting with each other. It's both. It's not just being delivered yourself, it's sharing it.
Because what ends up happening is many people get delivered, many people see the power of God, many people see the answers and solutions, but without sharing it, those thoughts and those experiences of grace become deteriorated over a period of time. It is incumbent upon us, it is absolutely vital, if you please, that we just not only experience the grace, but we share the grace. That's how you stay ahead of your enemy.
That's how you stay ahead of your adversary. God is not using you to promote his message. It's actually beneficial and necessary and vital to promote his message for you, for me.
It brings us into balance and a sense of community spiritually. It says, praising God and having favor or sharing grace with or toward all the people, and the Lord added, he was adding growth, he was opening the eyes of people's understanding, daily such as should be saved or being made whole with this salvation. The result of active grace in our lives is an outward-facing praise, an honoring God, declaring his kingdom.
See, God never intended for you and I to take grace and hide in a closet somewhere. Grace is to be shared. It's just like love.
That's when we fully experience it. We begin to see that grace through other people's lives that we've touched, and it reignites us again. It rekindles that fire within us.
Laboring Together While God Adds Growth
As I mentioned earlier, the praising God and the sharing of grace with all the people, in a Greek grammatical construction, that happens at the same time that the Lord adds, happens at the same time. What is that telling you? They are inextricably linked. They are inextricably linked.
God will add that growth and that opening the eyes of people's understanding as we praise him and share that grace. It's beautiful. We labor together with God.
When we're praising God and sharing grace, the Lord adds that growth and opens people's eyes to the truth. Remember, we read in Acts 2, verse 14 and 15, after the great demonstration of the receiving of the gift of Holy Spirit by the twelve apostles, they were speaking in tongues and people heard them speak in their own languages. Many stood up and mocked.
That's exactly what the world is going to do. They were saying that they were full of new wine, they were drunk. Peter said, no deal, no deal.
I love that it says Peter standing up. You stand up, you stand up to that stuff, because the power of the message of Christ will push it off, will push it away, because it's too bright. Not your opinion or mine, but the message of Christ is more brilliant than the Sun, and it will back off any darkness in its presence.
Conviction Without Harshness
It will. He says, hearken to my words. Can you say that? Now you don't have to say those exact words.
Some people might even not know what hearken means, but can you say that with a conviction? And you don't have to be forceful and combative and arrogant and coarse. That's not what I'm saying. Conviction comes from the inside, because you know he saved you, you know he's giving you grace, and then when you speak, that's what comes out.
That's right. It could be very soft-spoken, it could be very gracious, doesn't have to be loud, but Peter said, hearken to my words. That's a man that understood grace after everything he had been through with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, we spoke about this. Who and what you listen to determines so much of your success. What you put in your heart will make a huge difference.
Does it align with grace? And I want to go back to verse 40 that we mentioned on Friday night, because it talks about with many other words, remember that? Many other words, and the word other is when there's only two. Many other words. Oh my gosh, if this isn't a generation of words, there is more information floating around this place, the earth, than perhaps anybody's ever seen.
And you've got to be wise in what you choose to put in your heart and what you listen to, because it will affect you. It will affect you. That's why it's so great to be around people that love you.
Continuing Together in the Teaching
When you're going off trajectory, when you're going off, they'll tell you, because you may not recognize it. Being around people and assembling ourselves one with another, provoking one another to love and good works as we see the day approaching, is not optional. It's not like, well, I don't know, maybe I will assemble, maybe I won't.
Again, that doesn't mean you got to go to everything and do everything. That's not what I'm saying. What do you need to keep your bubble in the middle? What do you need to stay balanced? I don't know, but ask God for sure, and if there's people around you that love you, they'll tell you.
With many other words, did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward, crooked, unfair, and morally warped generation. Stop complaining about it and make some decisions, because like I told you, grace was never meant to be kept to ourselves. It's the same thing with love.
It was meant to be shared, and I know sometimes that's uncomfortable in certain situations, but God will apply himself and tailor himself, as he did the spirit within you that he created, to your specific interests and abilities and hobbies and everything else, your family arrangement. He will do that. Look at the variety of nature.
There's so much variety in nature. Maybe there's a lesson. Maybe there's a lesson, and it all works, because God set it up.
We are to save ourselves from this warped generation. That's right. How do we save ourselves from this crooked generation? You continue in the teaching.
You continue in the shared space in Christ, in the fellowship and in breaking of bread, is a manner of saying it. You continue in the prayers, and you certainly continue as a result in the mutual respect. You do.
That's how you do it. That's how I do it. Look at Romans chapter 7, please.
Romans chapter 7. What led to the continuing praise and sharing grace with others? What led to that? That is a very key question, and we answered it Friday night. What's that word? Change. That's what led to praising God and sharing grace, but sometimes we're afraid to change.
Grace Turns the Heart Outward to Christ
Sometimes we're too comfortable in our surroundings. Sometimes we feel, well I've put in my time. I don't think God works that way.
The change was to face outward, looking to Christ, not inward. The law of works, the Mosaic law, caused man to be conscious of sin and look inward. Grace turns us outward.
Paul expresses this so beautifully in the book of Romans, and I want to point out one small section to you. Romans 7 verse 18. For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, that the flesh came from Adam, dwelleth no good thing.
For to will is present with me. I really want to do it, but how to perform that which is good I find not. I can't figure it out.
I've tried everything. I've tried relationships. I've tried travel.
I've tried academics. I've tried, you know, self-help books, ad infinitum. It doesn't help.
For the good that I would, verse 19, I do not. But the evil which I would not, that I do, because he's inward facing. That's why he can't figure it out.
Now, if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but the sin that dwelleth in me. That's the heritage of Adam. I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. Now we're getting to the answer. Christ, that's who the inward man is.
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. That's the law. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
See, he tried to figure it out by looking inward. That'll never work. Now, honest reflection, that's fine.
The Wisdom and Power of God
Look at 1st Corinthians 1. Honest reflection, 1st Corinthians chapter 1, there's nothing wrong with honest reflection. That's constructive. In fact, that's very healthy.
Very healthy. Honest reflection. But anytime you reflect, anytime you look on these things, make sure you bring Christ with you.
Tag team it. 1st Corinthians. See, when you leave here, you're gonna go right back into the world.
This is a kind of a retreat, it's probably a good word. It's a space where you can, you know, you can breathe, you can think, people will love you, tell you the truth, you know, no one's trying to use you or anything, but you're gonna go back out there, and we need to be prepared for that. 1st Corinthians chapter 1, here's some of the other words.
For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. They can come up with their, all their learning that's out there, and they don't know God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that belief, because unto the world it's foolishness.
1st Corinthians chapter 1, verse 22. For the Jews, the Judeans require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. There's your two, your two kind of schools of thought, generally speaking.
But we preach who? Christ, crucified unto the Jews, Judeans, a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks, foolishness. But unto them which are called both Judeans and Greeks, that's the Gentiles and Israel, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than man, or men. For you see your calling, brethren, now hear these words.
These were written 2,000 years ago, but I'm telling you, they are just as applicable right now, today, in this room, and whoever hears these teachings. For you see your calling, brethren, pay attention, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound things which are mighty. So many people do obeisance to the mighty, in culture, in athletics, in politics, in business, in the medical field, they bow themselves down.
You bow to no man, that's right, you bend your knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, period, and base things, verse 28, of the world, and the things which are despised had God chosen, yea, and the things which are not to bring to naught the things that are. Now I want to read you the passion translation of verse 28, I just think it's so fantastic. Here's verse 28, he chose the lowly, the laughable in the world's eyes, nobodies, so that he could shame the somebodies.
For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent. He chose us, he chose preaching about a man that left 2,000 years ago, he chose a message that is not conveyed through buildings, and money, and all the other means that man uses, it's conveyed heart-to-heart, it's conveyed one-on-one in so many ways, and it pierces through all the noise of this world, and that message is Jesus Christ. Look at 1st Corinthians chapter 3, please, 1st Corinthians chapter 3, you know, in Corinth, Paul had come and spoke the word to these wonderful folks, and then Apollos followed him, Apollos was another minister, and the Corinthians after Paul's departure and Apollos' departure, they began to be divisive and separate into groups, Paul's group and Apollos' group, and you know, one had a P on their hat, the other one had an A on their hat, and then they started selling, you know, A shirts and P shirts, and are you going to the Paul meeting or the Apollos meeting? That's people, people, we don't follow people, we follow Christ, now if I'm following Christ, then you can follow me, if you're following Christ, I can follow you, if you're not following Christ, I'm not gonna follow you, and you shouldn't follow me, we follow Christ, but Christ isn't here, we're here as his representatives, and 1st Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1, and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ, I fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able, for ye are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are you not carnal and walk as men? That's not how grace works, grace does not promote this kind of divisive carnality, for while one saith I am of Paul and another of Apollos, are you not carnal? That's right, and who then is Paul and who's Apollos, but ministers by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man? Keep your finger here and look at 2nd Corinthians 4, see we don't preach ourselves, not about us, it's about Christ, but the squirrels and the chickens are not going to talk to you about Christ, as much as we enjoy squirrels and chickens, I guess you can throw some other things in there too, your favorites, but somebody has got to speak, 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 4, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Planting, Watering, and Trusting God for the Increase
For we preach not, who? We don't preach ourselves, we don't, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake, meaning the mission of Jesus, in a sense. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the face of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, they could see him, he's the representative, like people talk about he's the face of that organization, he's the face of this institution, Jesus Christ is the face of the light of the glory of God, that's what's out front, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us, absolutely.
Back to 1st Corinthians 3, it's really important for us to get to the point that we believe that the Word of God is that powerful, that it's not your personality or what you look like or anything else, but the Word of God has intrinsic power in it to deliver people, to rescue people, to enlighten people, to heal people, to restore people, and it needs to be shared with people, that's each of our decision. Back to 1st Corinthians 3, it says in verse 6, I have planted a polis watered but God gave the increase. I love that, you know throughout somebody's lifetime there's going to be a lot of planting and in your own life there have been people, starting maybe for some of you at a very young age, that planted the seeds of Christ and then somebody came along and watered it, but God gives the increase.
See, only God can cause His Word to grow in the hearts of people and open up their eyes, that takes a lot of pressure off of you and a lot of pressure off of me, I can't tell you how much that's helped me in my life to finally realize it's not up to me, and me, it's just not, God gives the increase and the increase isn't what people think, they think it's in numbers, it's not, God doesn't look on the numbers, I don't read that scripture, what I see is He looks on the heart, it's the increase of the Word in people's lives, it may translate into numbers, no problem, I understand there's numbers in here, but that's not what He's after, He's after the heart, what's good, what good is you have a stadium filled with 10,000 people and you only reach one heart, and then if you just have two people at your house and you reach both of them in their heart, true planters and waterers are on the same page when it comes to Christ, but the point is that God gives the increase, and that's going to take some patience because He's got to work with that person's free will, doesn't He, He's got to work with that person's free will, but God will give the increase, and what's so interesting about this is the planting and the watering in the Greek grammatical construction is a finished, accomplished work, in other words, you're not planting and I'm not watering and planting 24 hours a day, you plant, you move on, you water, you move on, not so with God, the word increase is an imperfect in its construction, meaning it never ceases, that means when you plant and you water, God works with that seed and that watering incessantly, without stop, you put God to work, if you will, when you plant and you water, and He wants that, that's His job, that's His role, you are allowing Him to partner with you, He doesn't plant and water, you plant and water, I plant and water, He brings the increase and He's working day and night, seven days a week, 365, 24 hours a day, He never stops, that's pretty amazing, it says, now the he planted and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor, sure, for we are laborers together with God, you're God's husbandry, you're God's building, how beautiful that God would explain it this way, we are laborers together with God, when we are praising God and sharing grace, the Lord is adding His part, what's He adding? The growth, He's adding the eyes being open, He's adding, and it says we are God's husbandry, we are God's building, the husbandry is metaphorical, of course, so is the building, we're not a building, we're not necessarily a farm, what it's talking about is the genuine planting and watering is organic, it's natural, it just flows, it's not difficult, it just flows from within, it's actually a natural kind of spiritual response to the grace of God growing within an individual, it just flows, it just comes, but it's also systematic, like construction of a building, you have to have a foundation and then you build from there, what good is it if you build the second story and you haven't poured a foundation, right? Well, that's where the verse comes in, according to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, it's the word where we get architect from, an architecton, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereupon, but let every man take heed or everyone take heed how he buildeth thereupon, so he's going back to now this building or this construction metaphor to help us understand it is a building process, it is, see with each generation, with each generation and with each person, the foundation has to be laid, it can be lost for generations, that's unfortunate, but it still needs to be laid, Paul received it from God, recorded it in Scripture and yet each generation needs the foundation laid and then each person needs specific care and attention to have the foundation laid for them, that's right, many can contribute to the foundation over a lifetime, but grace is the only way to build this foundation, Paul says according to the grace of God which is given to me, only grace can build this foundation, there can be no other way to build it, no other way, for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ, what is this foundation, what is it, how can we describe it, well here's one way to consider it, it's a new life, it's a new life today with a resolved past and a guaranteed future, that foundation is a new life, with a resolved past and a guaranteed glorious future, Jesus Christ is the foundation we build upon, what do we build upon, it's our trust in the crucifixion that resolved our past and the resurrection that guarantees our future, everything we plant must be rooted in these two truths and they never change, that's fantastic, Jesus represents your resolved past and Christ your guaranteed future, and then when you add the Lord to it, the Lord Jesus Christ it emphasizes the relationship to his accomplished work, we are submitting ourselves, he's the Lord, we're submitting to our Lord on his accomplished work, that's all it means, are you submitting to what he did in regard to your past, are you still in turmoil about it, well that's where humility has to come in, you gotta let it go, are you submitting regarding your resolved future, your glorious future, well if not you need to submit to Jesus Christ, that's what obedience to Christ means in a manner of speaking, then it says for other foundation can no man lay that is laid which is Jesus Christ, now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, all of those are earthly materials right, they are found on the earth, they're physical earthly materials, there's nothing on this earth that can be laid on that foundation, there's no building, there's no physical material representing the physical realm, the temporary life that we are now living can be laid on that foundation, it all has to have eternal kind of roots to it, for every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is, the fire is a cleansing agent of the future, it's not literally a fire, in the Bible fire can mean fire, but it also means a cleansing agent, anything we try to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ that is earthly does not have the staying power that will last into eternity, it does not have it, if any man's work abide he shall, he hath built thereupon he shall receive a reward, if any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so is by fire, your salvation is sealed, you have eternal life, but the sharing of grace one with another, that's what we want to build with people, because that's going to last, know ye not that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you, the temple represented access to the presence of God, that's all it represented, it represented access to the presence of God, we are the temple of God, it's not our physical bodies, it's what he's put within us in the body of Christ, each of us has Christ, if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are, in other words, what he's talking about is building on that foundation things that are earthly, they do not produce the results, let no man deceive himself, if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, all the people that proclaim to be, they've got the skinny on what's going on, the pundits, and the voluminous amount of information, God calls it foolish, for it is written, he has taken the wise in their own craftiness, why am I telling you all this, because you're going to go back out there and that's what's going to hit you, it's preparing you again, this wonderful experience can be duplicated in a small setting, in a large setting, but it cannot have the influence of these worldly forces, because you will not experience that grace, if you allow too much of that to come in, and again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain, like we read about in Ecclesiastes, with Jason, therefore let no man glory in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, that's another name for Peter, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ, and Christ is God's, you're on the right team y'all, let's close in John 4, you are on the right team, God's team, Jesus Christ's mission, and commissioning, and ministry, was so absolutely remarkable, but he was always endeavoring to help people rise up above themselves, get their eyes off themselves, and get their eyes on God, and here in John chapter 4, here's a great record, he's talking to this woman at the well, but the Apostles are concerned about, did he, did he have anything to eat while they were gone, and Jesus says in verse 34, Jesus said unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work, that was his meat, that was his sustenance, that's what he survived on, if you will, or thrived on, might be better, say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest, that was what they were expecting, meaning that was the season, behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and that's what I'm saying now, lift up your eyes, stop looking at yourself and each other, and get our eyes on Christ, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest, lift up your eyes, set your affections on things above, not on the things of the earth, we labor together with God, when we're praising God and sharing grace, the Lord will add the growth in people's lives, he'll open the eyes of their understanding, he'll show them how grace applies to them, most specifically, he opens their eyes and sets them free, Jesus Christ is saying lift up your eyes, stop following the schedules that people define for you, again that doesn't mean stop going to work, that's not what I'm saying, you know that right? I'm gonna work, I'm gonna work one hour a week, and then I get in trouble, yeah that's not what it means, don't follow that in your heart, lift up your eyes, everybody wants your attention, have you noticed that? You get all these texts and these ads pop up, why are they doing that? Because they want something from you, it's like a barrage, it's like a tsunami, it's like whoa, what is God saying? Lift up your eyes, I'm here, kids I haven't gone anywhere, I've been here all along, I've walked you through each day of your life and you don't even know it, like the Sun that I put in the sky, it's been there all along, I've never left you, I never will leave you, I will always be with you, and you can rest in me because I am the Lord thy God, that's God's heart, I'm bigger than anything you're ever gonna face, I'm more powerful than they know, they think they got me in a corner, how wrong they are, I'm allowing things to play out because I instituted free will, but it'll all come to closure when I say so, so rest in me, God says, be at peace, be still and know that I am God. Paul ends, or at least the record of Acts ends this way, in verse 31 of chapter 28, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence or boldness, no man forbidding him, and that is the heart that we want to continue with, that's the legacy of our brothers and sisters that went before us, praising God and sharing grace one with another, and the Lord added to the church daily, that's what we want, and from there we build towards preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, no man forbidding us, with great confidence we persevere and move forward, so that's living and sharing grace, God bless you, love you.
Key Takeaways
- Living and sharing grace follows the pattern of the first Christians, whose praise and witness were joined with the Lord’s work in people.
- Speaking with conviction does not require arrogance or harshness; grace can be communicated clearly and respectfully.
- Christian growth is sustained by continuing in sound teaching and by believers encouraging one another toward love and good works.
- Grace redirects attention from self-evaluation and performance toward Christ and His accomplished work.
- Believers faithfully plant and water the Word, but only God can open understanding and give genuine spiritual increase.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does planting and watering with grace mean?
It means faithfully speaking, teaching, encouraging, and serving while recognizing that God—not human personality or pressure—produces spiritual growth.
How can Christians speak with conviction and still show grace?
They can communicate clearly and confidently without becoming combative, arrogant, coarse, or dependent on forceful methods.
Who is responsible for the increase in a person’s spiritual life?
Believers can plant and water the Word, but God is responsible for opening understanding, producing growth, and giving the increase.
Scripture References
Acts 2:41–47; Hebrews 10:24–25; Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 1:18–31; 1 Corinthians 3:1–11; 2 Corinthians 4:5–7; John 4:34–38; Acts 28:30–31
Verification Note
Prepared from a recovered machine transcript. Verify names, quotations, verse references, punctuation, and unclear phrases against the original video and a Bible before publication.
