Last Updated on April 18, 2017 by pastor.rocklyn

Note (April 13, 2017): This post will be updated (something it badly needs) over the next few weeks!

Old Word – New Meaning

Several years ago (probably sometime in 2006), while attending a meeting for local clergy, I heard the keynote speaker make a statement that I have never forgotten:

“Grace is the empowering presence of God enabling you to be who God created you to be, and to do what God has called you to do – right where you are.”

The speaker was the late Pastor James Ryle; he had been invited to address the monthly meeting of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston (BMA) by then BMA President Bishop Gideon Thompson. Later that year Pastor Ryle (again at Bishop Thompson’s invitation) taught several sessions at the 2006 Jubilee Christian Church annual convention. He elaborated on this same truth. Up until this time I had always thought of grace as “God’s unmerited (i.e. undeserved) favor” or “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”, but on that day Pastor Ryle gave me a new and extremely helpful way to understand this critical concept. It blessed me so much that I wanted to share it with others; I began looking for Pastor Ryle’s teaching in written form.

Google It

I made heavy use of Google searching for a good writeup of Pastor Ryle’s particular take on grace; my search paid off. I quickly found other bloggers who quoted Pastor Ryle on the subject of grace, but eventually I discovered his TruthWorks web site and blog. As it turns out, back in 2011 Pastor Ryle began a series of blog posts about grace that originally ran from January 1, 2011 through March 2, 2011 and was reposted in 2014. He begins the series with the following post:

The Pen of a Ready Writer – June 1, 2014

I encourage you to read the whole series – all 61 posts. Of course you probably won’t do this all in one sitting, but I’m confident that you will be blessed by it all the same.

Watch It

The TruthWorks web site also has powerful video of Pastor Ryle’s teaching on grace. Watch it here:

Buy It

This teaching is also available for purchase via the TruthWorks online store:

GRACE – The Complete List

Here is a complete listing of all of the blog posts in Pastor James Ryle’s GRACE series:

1. The Pen of a Ready Writer – June 1, 2014
2. So, You Wanna Go On a Journey? – June 2, 2014
3. Forty Years in a Library – June 3, 2014
4. A Long Journey to a Place Nearby – June 4, 2014
5. A Word Fitly Spoken – June 5, 2014
6. The Distant Lights of a Great City – June 6, 2014
7. Grace – God’s Unspeakable Gift – June 7, 2014
8. A Man with Grace on His Mind – June 8, 2014
9. Clearing the Way So We can Move Forward – June 9, 2014
10. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – June 10, 2014
11. The Measure of God’s Will for You – June 11, 2014
12. The Two Great Temptations – June 12, 2014
13. The Heart of the Matter – June 13, 2014
14. The Measure of Grace – June 14, 2014
15. The Moment When Everything Changed – June 15, 2014
16. A Conversation with the Apostle of Grace – June 16, 2014
17. On the Road Again…with New Provisions – June 17, 2014
18. The Final Measure – June 18, 2014
19. Life Outside the Measure…a Real Bad Deal – June 19, 2014
20. The Merciful God – June 20, 2014
21. “So, Whats the Funnel All About?” – June 21, 2014
22. The Ancient Library – June 22, 2014
23. A Man Full of Grace and Power – June 23. 2014
24. Grace in a Place called Antioch – June 24, 2014
25. A Man in Exile – June 25, 2014
26. The Iconic Miracles – June 26, 2014
27. Be Strong in Grace – June 27, 2014
28. Bringing Back a Good Report – June 28, 2014
29. Looking Forward to a Bad Stretch of Road – June 29, 2014
30. The Word of His Grace – June 30, 2014
31. When I First Saw the Light – July 1, 2014
32. The Bible for Dummies? Seriously? – July 2, 2014
33. What Were You Thinking?! – July 3, 2014
34. Does it Really Matter All That Much? – July 4, 2014
35. Grace – The Greater Power – July 5, 2014
36. The Life That is Far Above – July 6, 2014
37. The Grace Awakening – July 7, 2014
38. Reigning in Life – July 8, 2014
39. Unveiling the Big Picture – July 9, 2014
40. “Look Who I’ve Become” – July 10, 2014
41. When Jesus Comes – July 11, 2014
42. Fifteen Days in a Friendship of Grace – July 12, 2014
43. Peter’s Parting Words – July 13, 2014
44. Entering Into This Place Called Grace – July 14, 2014
45. Right Where You Are – July 15, 2014
46. Brother James in The Great Hall of Truth – July 16, 2014
47. The Greatest Mystery Ever Uncovered – July 17, 2014
48. Embracing God’s Best – July 18, 2014
49. The Good News of God’s Empowering Presence – July 19, 2014
50. The Rubble of Zerubabel – July 20, 2014
51. The Shout of Grace! – July 21, 2014
52. Monumental Park – July 22, 2014
53. The Law of the Lord is Perfect – July 23, 2014
54. Living in the Overlap of Two Worlds – July 24, 2014
55. The Pavilion of Praise – July 25, 2014
56. The Dark Corner of The Disgraced – July 26, 2014
57. That No One Fail – July 27, 2014
58. Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound! – July 28, 2014
59. “Are We There Yet?” – July 29, 2014
60. The Gateway to the Kingdom – July 30, 2014
61. Go Home to Your Friends – July 31, 2014

More About James Ryle

Pastor James Ryle was the President and Founder of TruthWorks and one of the founding board members of Promise Keepers. You can learn more about him through the following links:

• Pastor James Ryle Biography (TruthWorks)
• Pastor James Ryle Video Profile (CBN)