Visible Grace (Paperback) by Caleb Batchelor

Transform your view of your church family in under an hour!

When Jesus looks for grace in your church, it’s like spotting the sunrise in the dark sky. The smallest rays of grace eclipse sin, each sunbeam from the Spirit stirring the heart of the Son.

Unfortunately, apart from the Spirit, we don’t naturally see the church as Jesus does. We know grace is there—somewhere—but as hot tempers, cold relationships, bitterness, unremarkable sermons, lackluster programs, and unmet expectations fill the page, grace seems invisible. We must confront sin. We must disagree. But as we learn to see the church the way Jesus does, we’ll become less focused on other people’s failings and more alive to God’s remarkable grace in their lives.

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Title

Visible Grace
Author(s)

Caleb Batchelor
ISBN

9781915705471
Format

Paperback
Publisher

10Publishing
Topic

Church
Audience

Adults
Pages

48
Published

02/05/2024

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Caleb Batchelor

Caleb Batchelor studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is now the Assistant Pastor at First Baptist Church, Boynton Beach, Florida.

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"Visible Grace is really an excellent, practical little book! Caleb's insights help readers discover grace in the lives of fellow believers and navigate conflicts with a compassionate approach. It's a valuable resource that will undoubtedly benefit those seeking to deepen their understanding of grace and foster godly, grace-filled relationships within the church."

- Greg Gilbert, Senior Pastor, Third Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville

"When you think of your church, do you briefly glance at grace but stare at the sin? Then this book is for you. Batchelor prescribes lenses to give us a God-like view of Christ's beloved community – the church."

- J. Mack Stiles, Director of Messenger Ministries Inc.

"Read this wonderful book to recall the grace of God in your own life and how you can be an agent of grace to others."

- Dr. Tom Schreiner, Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Great book! We bought a copy for every River City member. Read and ask God to help you see others the way you hope they’ll see you."

- Matt Smethurst, Author and lead pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia

"In this book, Caleb Batchelor helps Christians love the local church by looking at the church through the lens of Jesus. When Jesus looks at His bride, He sees her beauty, her obedience, her service, her love for Him, even if imperfect. And yet, the reality is we often look out at our churches and focus on flaws and faults. Visible Grace comes in, then, and provides something of a spiritual LASIK surgery, correcting our view of Christ’s people by pointing us to God’s Word and the heart of Jesus."

- Omar Johnson, Pastor of Temple Hills Baptist Church

"An impatient generation is slow to perceive sanctification in others. A cynical generation loves to find fault. A hopeless generation will forget that glory is coming. We often dwell upon our fellow church members’ shortcomings and not their status in Christ. Batchelor’s alternative encouragement to marvel God’s handiwork - His grace in His people even amid disagreement - is an apt message for Christians today."

- Jonathan Worsley, Pastor of Edgefield Church, Nashville

Overall rating

4.0 based on 1 review

Visible Grace

Many Christians, when they look at the church, their own included, see little apart from faults and failings. These may indeed be present, but, as Caleb Batchelor points out, God’s perspective is strikingly different. Of course he sees the failings, but ‘Our heavenly Father celebrates every flicker of grace in his sons and daughters, and he invites the watching world to marvel with him (Matt. 5:16).’ This is the case, he argues, because ‘God’s grace is a reflection of himself.' If we are seeing the church as Jesus sees it, we will find the presence of God’s grace more remarkable than the remaining sin.’ In six short but challenging chapters Batchelor considers the nature of ‘visible grace’ and then examines it in your church, in other churches, in disagreements, in action, and, in conclusion, in heaven. This is not a recipe for blandness and pretence in the church – along with ‘disagree infrequently’, Batchelor also notes the need to ‘disagree occasionally’. In a day when the manner in which Christians speak to and about one another, especially online, is too often a disgrace to the Saviour, we need to hear Batchelor’s gentle but firm and biblical counsel.