| Speaker Ron Dunn shared about a time he took | | | | really life. |
| his son and six of his classmates to a carnival for | | | | And while some of the Apostle Paul's words have |
| his son's birthday. Once there he bought a roll of | | | | been abused in the making of religions, in fact he |
| tickets, and each time the group arrived at a new | | | | prayed that people would be able to "grasp how |
| line he would pull off seven tickets and hand them | | | | wide and long and high and deep is the love of |
| to the kids. When they arrived at the Ferris wheel | | | | Christ" (Ephesians 3:18-19). |
| all of a sudden there was an eighth kid in the | | | | Even more incredible is how the Bible describes |
| group holding out his hand. | | | | the scope and broadness of the love of God. |
| Ron said, "Who are you?" The kid said, "I'm | | | | Though many people are used to trying to earn |
| Johnny." Ron said, "Who are you, Johnny?" Johnny | | | | approval and acceptance, the love of God is |
| said, "I'm your son's new friend. And he said you | | | | something that is beyond our attempts because it |
| would give me a ticket." Ron then said, "Do you | | | | flows from the very nature of God. It is neither |
| think I gave him one? Absolutely." Why would Ron | | | | earned nor bought, it is simply given. |
| give a ticket to a kid he never met before? The | | | | In fact, the same Paul who is often accused of |
| simple reason is because of his son. | | | | being legalistic shared the love that we receive |
| In the song "Fields of Grace" Darrel Evans sings, | | | | from God is, "not because of anything we have |
| "There's a place where religion finally dies." The | | | | done but because of his own purpose and grace. |
| word "religion" means "to bind." In its proper sense | | | | This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before |
| it can mean to bind us to God; in a negative | | | | the beginning of time" (1Timothy 6:19). |
| sense it means to leave people feeling bound to | | | | Stunning isn't it? Don't miss the weight of his |
| impossible rules, demands and guilt, something | | | | words. Before time began, before we took our |
| Jesus never taught. | | | | first breath, God's grace was already given to us. |
| Easter is about the death of religion and the | | | | Grace simply means being given something that |
| revelation of life. It is about the elimination of | | | | was not deserved or earned. It was not worked |
| religious lists of "do's" and "don'ts" being replaced | | | | for, but freely given. |
| by the love and grace of God. | | | | The wonder, the awesome picture, the |
| With over forty thousand denominations, | | | | magnificent promise is that Easter is about God's |
| countless people have been left feeling confused | | | | love, grace and so much more for one reason; |
| and bound, rather than finding freedom to live | | | | simply because we are friends of the Son. |
| what the New Testament calls the life that is | | | | |