Who are we and why do we exist?

Purpose Statement

By grace, to encourage the use of the mind to facilitate loving and delighting in Christ, thereby glorifying God

To God be the Glory

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

The ultimate aim of all things, the very reason why the created universe and all of its components exist, is to glorify God (Romans 11:36). By ‘glorify’, we mean to acknowledge the infinite worth and beauty of his manifold perfections. That involves both seeing the superior wonder of his greatness and the unmatched excellence of his goodness as praiseworthy (Psalm 48:1; 96:4; 145:3) and sincerely rejoicing in what is seen (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). According to 1 Corinthians 10:31, even the most seemingly mundane aspects of life can potentially function in fulfilling that purpose. That is God’s ordained purpose for His creation, hence our aim through this ministry.

Through Him and For Him: The Supremacy of Christ

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him.

Colossians 1:15-16 (ESV)

The glory of God, which is the beauty and excellence of his manifold perfections, can be partially seen in the created universe (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19-20). However, in John 5:23, Jesus says that one of the end goals of human history is, “That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him”. Just as the Son was the means by which everything was created (John 1:1-3), God the Father, in His infinite wisdom and sovereignty, has ordained that Christ be the sole means by which He is glorified (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:18, Colossians 3:17). Jesus Christ is the perfect and fullest expression of God (Col. 1:19, 2:9; Hebrews 1:3). Therefore, seeing the glory of God is best accomplished by beholding the person and work of Christ (John 1:18; John 10:30; 14:9-10). Hence, the goal of our ministry is to glorify God through Christ.

Our Duty to Delight

And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Matthew 22:37-39

God, as creator, knows that the depths of the human soul (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and its quest to find security, fulfillment and satisfaction can only be filled by the infinite weight of His glory (Psalm 16:11). Therefore, our loving Sovereign commands us to delight in Him. The Bible uses the words for ‘heart’, ‘soul’, and ‘mind’ in interconnected ways; nevertheless, the meaning is clear. We have a moral obligation to use all of the resources, faculties, and energy (Psalm 103:1, Mark 12:30-31) available to us in order to experience the fullness of love and joy that is found in God through Christ by His Spirit (Galatians 5:22, Romans 14:17). Out of this fullness, overflows the love of God for the rest of His creation. Hence, we desire to utilize all aspects of life to love, treasure, and delight in Christ to the glory of God.

What is worthy of praise is worthy of thought

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

Our ministry seeks specifically to focus on how the mind can be utilized to further the goal of loving and delighting in Christ. As mentioned earlier, the Bible uses the words for ‘mind’, ‘heart’ and ‘soul’ in varying, interconnected ways. For the sake of clarity, we define ‘the mind’ (in our purpose statement) as the faculty of the soul responsible for thinking and reasoning. We believe that proper thinking is indispensable to knowing and loving God profoundly. In addition to Matthew 22:37-39, further biblical support for this includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• The mind is portrayed as a vital battleground in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

• We are exhorted to discern what is worthy of thought from what isn’t and focus on the former (Philippians 4:8)

• Shallow depth of thought concerning the truth of biblical doctrine is associated with spiritual immaturity (Ephesians 4:14)

• The Christian life involves glorifying God by becoming like Christ, which entails spiritually maturing in all aspects of life (Ephesians 4:13, 15) including our thought life (Romans 12:1-2).

• Spiritual maturity involves utilizing thinking in meditating on the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2)

• Regular meditation on the Word of God is characteristic of those who truly delight in God (Psalm 1:1-2; 119:97).

• Sound reasoning is often important in evangelism (Acts 17:1-4, 11-12; 1 Timothy 2:4) and decision making (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Therefore, we aim to utilize thinking as a means of loving God and to encourage others to do likewise.

Great Task, Greater God: Grace at Work in Us

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We say that our mission is ‘to encourage’ because we are aware of the extent and depth of the obstacles that limit persons from using the mind to love and delight in Christ. A shortlist would be as follows:

• Distorted reading habits, desire and ability

• Distorted doctrine (Ephesians 4:14; Col 2:4)

  • Erroneous, superficial, or insufficient exposure to Biblical teaching

• Distorted character

  • Unaddressed character flaws such as idleness (Proverbs 13:4), disproportionate busyness (Luke 10:38-42), indiscipline (1 Timothy 4:7-8), and pride (Proverbs 11:2)

• Distorted bodies

  • Mental disorders, especially uncontrolled anxiety disorders (Proverbs 12:25)

• Distorted stances

  • Anti-intellectual sentiments within some Christian communities that decouple affection and zeal from knowledge and proper thinking (Romans 10:1-4)

  • Intellectualism at the expense of passion for God (1 Corinthians 16:22)

• Forces of Distortion

  • The unregenerate mind and heart (Ephesians 4:17-19; Isaiah 29:11-12)

  • Pervasive and antagonistic cultural influences, both subtle and conspicuous (1 John 5:19)

  • Worldliness and Supernatural opposition (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Clearly, the task is great and well beyond the powers of human reasoning alone. The Apostle Paul was an immense thinker and scholar who frequently utilized logical thought in evangelism (Acts 17:1-4, 11-12) and to display the intricacies of the Christian faith (see Romans). But he knew that His success ultimately came from reliance upon the sovereign grace of God in his life and ministry (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Ephesians 3:7-8; Galatians 1:15).

Not only was he reliant on God’s grace, Paul encouraged the ministers whom he mentored to do the same (2 Timothy 2:1). It’s not a coincidence then that ‘grace’ is a recurring theme that precedes Paul’s discourse in also every letter! As such, we, at May Grace Precede, joyfully embrace the need for God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) upon our lives and ministry and grasp steadfastly to Christ, the embodiment of that grace (John 1:14, 16-17).

Think About This

In 2 Timothy 2:7 (ESV), Paul also gives Timothy this advice,

“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

That’s amazing! Essentially, he’s saying that God works through (not in the absence of) our thinking to give us insight (Psalm 119:130). We see this beautiful God ordained divine-human collaboration in other parts of scripture also (Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9). Biblical meditation guides and shapes our thoughts. That’s why it brings success (Psalm 1:3; Joshua 1:8) because, by the Spirit of God (John 16:13), our minds are redirected to our true love Jesus Christ, who is our joy (John 5:39; 15:5, 8-11).

Therefore, May Grace Precede

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

If we had to select one segment of scripture that best serves to discuss the ministry, it would likely be 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. In it, you can see, the grace of God, our role in proclaiming, the supremacy of the person and work of Christ, the profound obstacles, the sovereignty of God in overcoming those obstacles, the overflow of joy in servitude and the end point, the glory of God in Christ. It’s all there and much more!

Founder: The ‘May GP’

Chico J. Collie was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas, on May 3rd, 1991. Although various members of his extended family contributed to his personal development, it was his maternal grandparents (Luther and Lullian Collie, as well as grand aunt Hilda Gibbs) and mother (Beverley Musgrove nee Collie) who cherished and nurtured the growing male child and provided the biblical foundation for his life through their teachings, instructions and consistent lifestyle. However, while his external environment was mostly warm and welcoming, Chico wrestled with anxiety and bouts of depression from an early age. But, by grace, he continued to mature in wisdom and faith. Multiple events during his college years including the formal development of critical thinking skills, exposure to opposing views from skeptics as well as thought provoking discussions with fellow Christians awakened Chico’s passion for Christ. That passion was tested and further erupted following the fiery trials of medical training. It was during this time, broken in the midst of a spiritual crucible, that the concept of 'may grace precede’ was revealed to him through careful reflection of scripture and has since served as an anchor for the storms of his life.

In 2020, God in his infinite wisdom saw it fit to allow the COVID-19 pandemic. While the world seemed solely preoccupied with their temporal existence, May Grace Precede was formed to address the cultural pandemic of theological shallowness nourished by ubiquitous sensuality and diversion that, like a malignancy of the soul, continues to invade and erode the body of Christ.

Chico serves as the lead minister/teacher for May Grace Precede and is supported faithfully by his wonderful wife Tareia. He is also currently a lay minister for Workmanship Ministries International, Nassau, The Bahamas, as well as physician and anatomical pathology resident at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.