TOUCHED AND TRANSFORMED BY GRACE

Today is Monday 18th March 2025. When we look into Church history, on this date, we have three very interesting incidents recorded. All three of those incidents speak about God’s amazing and transforming grace.

On 18 March 1767 – John Newton, the former slave trader, who is transformed into an Anglican clergyman and a prolific hymn writer, writes in a letter: 
– ”The more you know him, the better you will trust him; the more you trust him, the better you will love him; the more you love him, the better you will serve him.’

On 18 March 1813 – Abdul Masih [also known as Shekh Salih], a convert to Christianity, arrives in Agra, India, where he begins the ministry entrusted to him by His LORD and His Saviour, wholeheartedly, as an evangelist, and an educator. Whenever and wherever he preached in public places, people always crowded the rooftops, to hear him speak about Jesus His Redeemer.

On 18 March 1830 – Seeta-Ram, a firm believer in the LORD Jesus Christ, dies, at Gorakhpur, India, due to ill health. Despite his ill health, and all that it cost him in social ostracism, because of his faith in Jesus, always shared the gospel in public, and in private, with his family and friends, for about twelve years.

The above three lives, which were TOUCHED and TRANSFORMED BY the GRACE of the LORD Jesus Christ, speak about God, and His heart, for the fallen human beings. A slave trader, and the two others from, different religious background, many times hostile towards Jesus, are not only touched, but are transformed into instruments of grace, dispensing the love and forgiveness found only in the LORD Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They are demonstrating to us, the fulfilment of the Scriptures as found in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.
– ’17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

How about us? Are we touched and transformed by the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ? If so, are we dispensing that grace to others, both publicly and privately, which we ourselves have experienced? May the LORD Jesus help us to be His witnesses, in words and in deeds, for His glory. Even so the LORD help us.