own stories.
Kelinda: You believe the
church has it wrong on grace:
How so? Could you explain this
a bit?
Pastor Kyle: It’s not so much
that I believe the church has
the doctrine of grace wrong as
much as I see a need for the
church to be more intentional
with the directive of Hebrews
12:15, “See to it that no one
misses the grace of God.” That
could also me translated as,
“See to it that no one fails to
receive…” I suppose there are
any number of reasons why
people come to church and
miss grace. It could be a self-
righteous and legalist spirit that
puts the emphasis on works
as a way to earn God’s favor.
It could be an environment
where people don’t feel safe
to talk about the guilt and the
shame they are struggling with.
It could be an over intellectual
approach to the teaching of
grace making it difficult for
people to experience on a
more personal level.
Kelinda: How has this error
affected pastors and leaders
in the ways that they teach
about, and express, grace?
Pastor Kyle: As a pastor there
is a pressure to feel like I don’t
30 Solutions
deal with struggles, fears or
failures. If that’s the approach
I take, then it doesn’t leave
much room form me to show
of the Grace of God in my life.
Kelinda: What do you feel
needs to be done in order to
change this?
Pastor Kyle: My challenge
to pastors is to not just be
authentic, be vulnerable.
Here’s the difference –
authenticity is not pretending
to be someone I’m not, but
vulnerability is revealing who I
am. When I am willing to reveal
some of my weaknesses and
shortcomings, it makes room
for God’s grace to shine. That
vulnerability creates a safe
place for other people to be
vulnerable, and that’s where
grace often meets us most
profoundly.
Pick up Grace Is Greater
by Pastor Kyle Idleman today!