Grace Sufficient for Good Works: Ian Montgomery
“I told Him that He’s my Lord, He’s the boss, and where He sends, I will go”
The first time I served in my local church, I cried. Nothing too serious! Just two or three tears and some quiver-lippin’. At the time, I was a twenty-one year old baby Christian who’d only been following Jesus as Lord and Savior for a few months. Before Christ, I grew up in church and had spent my whole life zealously pursuing religious piety, hoping that all my good works would somehow make a way for me to be respected by people and accepted by God. It wasn’t until 2019 that I was starting to come to the end of myself. I was starting to become self aware of just how broken and wretched I truly was. That spring, I was invited to a dance night hosted by Friends of Internationals at UMKC (it was the perfect hook for me — I love dancing). I had a blast, and at the end of the night I found out that a church had put this event on — Midtown Baptist Temple. My curiosity peaked and over the course of six-ish months, as faithful men continued to meet with me and point me to the Word of God, I started to transition into making MBT my church home. Once I was established, I started discipleship and Lesson 1, salvation, absolutely rocked my world and humbled me to the floor! For the first time I saw, as clear as day through God’s Word alone, that I was completely destitute in my sin, deserving of Hell and there was no amount of good work I could do to escape the just judgment of the holy God. On January 13th 2020, right there in the Whole Foods grocery store, I placed my faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. I told Him that He’s my Lord, He’s the boss, and where He sends, I will go.
Little did I know that only a few months later, God would be calling me to a seemingly impossible work: opening the front door for people on a Sunday morning. Seems goofy now, but I’m serious! I was so certain that there was no way God could use me in this way that I shed sad boy tears. I remember pacing back and forth early in the morning thinking to myself, “Don’t they know that I’m a hypocrite!? How could they trust me with a job like this? I will absolutely find a way to mess up even this most simple task.” To be honest, I was frustrated. Nevertheless, I moved forward in faith, and by God’s grace, no one was injured, physically or spiritually. Despite winning serving the Lord that day, I didn’t catch my severe lack of faith in God’s calling me to the work of ministry. My doubts were quick and subtle, nevertheless they hindered my ability to serve and to serve confidently.
“Going through the book of Ephesians not only helped me identify doubt and fear to their core, but also equipped me with the tools necessary to uproot them”
Over the past four years of my walk with my Lord, God has been so so so so so faithful and gracious to continue to set before me good works, that I should walk in them (Eph 2:10). Every step of the way, He’s just been good to me. Every time He has called me to some work and I follow in faith, He just comes through in ways I can only deem miraculous. Every time I cry out for help, He answers and makes a way. The work of winning souls and making disciples is wonderful with God! But still I’ve seen myself doubt! I actually hadn’t begun to see this subtle, yet dreadful, pattern in my life until we started going through the book of Ephesians Sunday mornings. After reflecting on the Word and the ministry God had called me to, to my shame I saw myself repeatedly doubting that God could use a man like me in the work of ministry. These seeds of doubt often grew into petrifying fear and sometimes even led me to blatant refusal to participate in the good works God had set before me. This subtle doubt cost me time, and I tremble at the possibility of it costing souls the opportunity to hear the Truth and choose It. It’s a heart-breaking reality that only the infinite grace of God can redeem. I believe He can. I’ve seen Him do it.
Going through the book of Ephesians not only helped me identify doubt and fear to their core, but also equipped me with the tools necessary to uproot them. I found that at the foundation of my fear and doubting lay an underestimation of God’s grace and love toward me, as well as a view of myself founded on ideas that God’s Word exposes as a total sham. “How could God use a guy like me?” has no ground to stand on against Scripture that says of Christ, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Eph 1:7). A guy like me is a guy who’s been miraculously redeemed by the grace of God!
What I found is that my view of myself was based on who I thought I am instead of who Christ says I am. When I doubt God’s calling in the day to day or even over the entirety of my life, it’s because I’m forgetting how God has abundantly redeemed and equipped me. Brandon pointed this out, and I know I’m not the only one who does this. This doubt usually starts because I’m obsessing over my past sin and shame, my present circumstances or my unknown future. Phew, that stresses me ouuuuuuut! Nevertheless, this is the consequence I face when I choose to go down a path that forgets God’s grace. In these moments, I’ve learned to remember and identify myself with Christ’s redemptive and forgiving work. This is displayed perfectly in the life of the apostle Paul. Certainly, he was a man who had room to feel unqualified or doubt God’s calling on his life. He had past sins, present circumstances, and unknown futures that are so crazy, I have trouble even imagining myself in his shoes. Nevertheless, here he is in Ephesians, right off the bat: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:1). Paul knew, remembered and walked in God’s will and Christ’s redemption. Because of that, he was able to have faith, hope and love that abundantly overflowed for the glory of God and the benefit of people as he confidently did the work God had set before Him. When my identity is founded on who Christ says that I am, I can be full of faith and confident that God can use me for His glory.
“Find rest knowing that the same grace that was sufficient to save you from sin and death is just as sufficient to produce good works in your life”
As we’ve been working our way through Ephesians, and as I’ve continued to conform how I view myself to God’s Word, joy has been abundant, obvious and overflowing in my life. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that I never feel afraid anymore. However, when God does call me to works that are particularly intimidating, and I’m tempted to shrivel up in doubt and self-obsession, I can now remember who He’s made me to be and place my confidence in His call and His power. Man, I’m Ian Montgomery: a sinner saved by the grace of God through the love and work of His Son Jesus Christ. God’s adopted me as His own child and has fully equipped me with His Word, His Bride the Church, and even His very own Spirit that dwells within me! Not only that, but God will never leave me or forsake me! This change of focus requires a complete reliance on God’s grace, and in it I find that the pressure to be accepted is gone and replaced with rest in God because He’s already accepted me. In the midst of all this, what I’m most stoked about is the fact that we as a ministry are only in chapter three of Ephesians! We’re just scratching the surface of what God has to say about our identity, and I’m excited to continue to grow in faith in what He says. Now when God calls me to the work of ministry, I don’t shed any tears of doubt; instead I rejoice and rest in the grace of my God, full of faith that He can absolutely, positively use a guy like me in the work of ministry.
Now, believer, have you seen what God has given you? Do you stand on His abundant grace that abounds even more when you fail (Rom 5:20)? God has indeed set before you good works that you should walk in them; and trust me, I know that they can be intimidating and sometimes seemingly impossible. However, God has fully equipped you with ALL spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:3). God has given you every tool and weapon necessary for every specific trial. He’s also extended you His infinite grace that reaches farther than you can fall. He won’t forsake you! So don’t lean on what you think about you. Believer, your identity is sourced in what Christ did, not what you did. Have you forgotten? Then remember the cross and how much God loves you (John 3:16). Find rest knowing that the same grace that was sufficient to save you from sin and death is just as sufficient to produce good works in your life!
Ian Montgomery is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and is a part of C&YA. He is a part of the C&YA AV ministry, and leads a men’s Grandview Bible Study.
