#118. Christmas is Meaningless Without God's Grace

Dr Alfonse Javed, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Metuchen, shares a Christmas message on God's Grace on Christmas (Ephesians 2:8-10).

What is grace and why do we need to talk about God’s grace on Christmas? What if I told you that the Christmas story is the story of God’s grace and that most people celebrate Christmas without considering God’s grace, the first cause behind Christmas?

There is no greater good than telling people what grace is, what it does, and why people need God’s grace.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• The Message of Grace
• The Means of Grace
• The Miracle of Grace

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Dr. Alfonse Javed, the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Metuchen, has planted a church abroad, has been a missions pastor and has served as a missionary in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Born in Lahore, Pakistan — the son of a pastor — Pastor Javed began serving in church at a young age. He has served as a missionary in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. He has also planted a church in Greece. In the 1990s, a providential relationship formed when Calvary Baptist Church started supporting his ministry efforts; he would later serve as the missions pastor of that congregation. Eventually, in 2009, he moved to New York with a new vision — mobilizing churches to engage Muslims in the NYC metro area.

Dr. Javed’s advanced theological training is from the Greek Bible College, Davis College and Liberty University. He has earned three undergraduate, three graduate, and three doctoral degrees. His dissertations have explored various subjects from religious influence on the American school system to evangelism and church planting, to Islamic madrases and the treatment that Muslims students have received in the post 9/11 New York City school system. He maintains a blog, www.alfonsejaved.com, and is the author of The Muslim Next Door: A Practical Guide for Evangelism and Discipleship. Dr. Javed and his wife, Sarah, have four children.

RELATED LINKS:

• Dr Alfonse Javed's Recent Book
• Our Urban Voices Podcast
• First Baptist Metuchen Website
• Father's Love Letter
• Email Dr Alfonse Javed

TIMESTAMPED SHOWNOTES:

00:04 - What is grace and why talk about it at Christmas?

01:08 - Graceful Athiest

02:21 - Grace is impossible without God

03:35 - It's meaningless to celebrate Christmas without God's grace

04:53 - The Message of Grace

05:05 - ... What is God's grace?

14:38 - ... What does grace do?

17:54 - ... Why do we need it?

20:55 - ... Application

23:08 - The Means of Grace

28:17 - ... Application

29:05 - The Miracle of Grace

32:43 - ... Application

35:47 - Action Step

37:32 - Appeal

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