God’s abundant grace / 1 Timothy Bible Study (Part 3)

“I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:12-17.) I like to tell the story of one of the greatest messages I have ever preached: it was to 1,400 criminals in a high security prison in Siberia. I told them of a God of love and forgiveness - and out of those 1,400 violent men came 140 evangelists and pastors! So many of the men from all over the former Soviet Union, who have followed me in ministry - and whom I am proud to call my sons - came from such a background! Because, as Paul says in v15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!”