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FIRST PERSON: Grace amidst gaming


WENTZVILLE, Mo. (BP) — “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel,” Jesus told His followers. He also said that if we love Him, we will feed His sheep. We are blessed to do both at TheWay_TV, a Christian channel on the Twitch.TV video game platform.

When non-Christians come to TheWay_TV, they often express opinions or pose questions we expect to hear. They may ask, for example, if God can lie or if we believe there was a literal Noah’s Ark. Their statements and questions haven’t really surprised us.

What has surprised us, however, is what we hear from many who profess to be Christians but are so bound up by guilt and shame that they doubt their own salvation. They have done things or continue to do things that make them question God’s forgiveness. They don’t seem to have any understanding of the concept of grace.

Of course, God does ask us to repent and turn from our sin. That is a given. However, as the apostle Paul states in Romans 7:15, we can still have struggles in our walk with Christ. Everyone has to constantly battle fleshly desires that go against God. Many Christians also deal with bad influences, habits and addictions.

When we have truly made the decision to be a Christ-follower and turn from sin, we enter into God’s grace. Romans 8:1 states that there is now, therefore, no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This means that grace covers all our sins. We should not be beaten down or neutralized by guilt and shame. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, according to 2 Corinthians 3:17. If we confess our sins, 1 John 1:9 tells us that God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We can do this a hundred times a day if necessary.

We must remember that God does discipline us as a Father who loves His children. This still happens even though we are under grace. He disciplines us because He wants us to grow and mature in Him. We must also keep in mind that sin often has very serious consequences. We have to face those consequences even if we are forgiven and right with God under grace.

We remind our viewers that, if they feel bad about their sins, it is a good thing. Their conscience is working and they are feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If someone is truly doubting their salvation, there is an easy fix. They should give their life to Christ and start forward from that moment. If they aren’t saved, they can be now. If they are already saved, it can be a rededication of their life to Christ. We all rededicate our lives to Christ daily with every decision and choice we make. Scripture says we must daily take up our cross and follow Jesus.

We encourage our viewers to constantly move forward, seeking God and drawing close to Him. James 4:8 in Scripture calls us to draw close to Him, and then He will draw close to us. We don’t want to see our viewers neutralized by sin, guilt and shame. We pray they will live in liberty and peace and joy. We pray the same for everyone who reads this article. Remember, Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God bless you!

    About the Author

  • Joshua & Daniel Greening

    Joshua and Daniel Greening host video game enthusiasts on their TheWay_TV channel on the Twitch.TV gaming platform at https://www.twitch.tv/theway_tv.

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