255. Where Did Our Sin Go?

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God's Law was powerless to do anything about sin, and in fact the only thing that came from the Law was condemnation and death. But through the blood of Jesus, something was accomplished that could never come through the Law: Our sin was completely, utterly and sufficiently taken away! So where did it go? We talk about that on this edition of Growing in Grace.

Always remember the good news that the record that stood against you has been wiped clean forever. There is no longer a record against you! Your sin has been taken away, forgiven, forgotten... Never to be brought up again!

254. Freed from Guilt and Shame

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Jesus didn't come to declare people guilty or to put them to shame. He came to do just the opposite. Jesus knew the Law very well and was without sin, so He, of all people, would've had the "right" to use the Law against people and to put guilt and shame on them. But instead, He lifted away their burden of guilt and shame through love, mercy and grace. He helped people who had been hiding from God and who were afraid of Him to instead trust Him and draw near to Him and love Him!

Guilt and shame should no longer be the reality for us as we relate to God. Jesus not only released all our guilt and shame, but He took away the very sin that caused guilt and shame! Guilt and shame is really only a mindset that people carry around with them. We can get rid of that mindset by believing the truth of how Jesus has, in reality, taken away all our sin, guilt and shame!

253. Freed from Sin By Being Freed From the Moral Law!

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It's a pretty common mindset that in order to be free of the entanglements of sin, we must follow God's moral laws (the "Ten Commandments"). But is that what the Bible says? To the contrary, God's moral laws are known as the ministry of death and condemnation, and they are called "bondage" by the Apostle Paul.

After the Galatians had been set free through having the gospel declared to them, and they had initially believed in the free gift of the righteousness of God, they eventually went back to the Law. They had gone back into the bondage of the prison from which they had been set free! Paul wrote to them to set them straight again on all of this, reminding them that what had come from Mt. Sinai (the Ten Commandments) had only given birth to bondage. He told them to cast it out and instead to live in the freedom for which Christ had set them free!

252. More On What We Have Been Freed To

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Continuing on from last week in our conversation about the things that we've been freed "from" and the things that we've been freed "to" in Christ. We've been freed from "slavery" and "bondage" and we've been made legitimate sons of God through faith, and heirs of God, and coheirs with Christ.

In another form of the word "slave" - a good form of the word - Paul called himself a "slave of Christ" (a "bondservant of Christ"). This is a willing type of devotion to a Master, rather than unwilling slavery. We've been freed to be devoted to the One who is devoted to us!

251. What We Have Been Freed To

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As believers, it's wonderful to understand the various things that we have been freed from.  We've been freed from the demands of the law. The law demanded perfection but was powerless to provide it. We've been freed from religion. We've been freed from sin. And so on and so forth.

But now that we've been set free, are we simply to wander around aimlessly, with no real direction or devotion to something? The truth is, we've not only been set free from many things, but we've also been freed to many things! For example, we've been freed from Mr. Law to Mr. Grace (Jesus). We've been freed from dead religion to an alive relationship with someone - a union with someone. This union is described in many ways in the Bible. In addition to a relationship, it's also described as a "marriage."  It's also said that we've received "adoption as sons."  We're not simply out there on our own.  We're freed to a vital relationship with the One who gave us His life!

There is a very tiny minority of people who say that we have been freed to sin. And there are some who say that if we preach this wonderful freedom that we have in Christ, then people will just go out and indulge the flesh.  Either way, it's a perversion of the gospel of grace.  It's a perversion of the true meaning of freedom. It's not what freedom in Christ is about.  However, just because some pervert the gospel, that doesn't mean we should stop telling the truth about the freedom that we have in Christ! Those lies shouldn't stop us from telling the truth!

The truth is that we are free indeed! And we should never submit ourselves to the bondage of the law or religion. The truth is, we have been freed to love God and to love others.  We have been freed to serve others. We've been freed to be devoted to our Lord Jesus Christ!

250. Does Grace Free Us to Do as We Please?

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As children of God, we "abide" in Christ, just as a branch abides in a vine. God produces His fruit in and through us as we rest in Him. A branch itself doesn't produce fruit. A branch bears the fruit that came from the life of the vine.  The life is in the Vine.  As branches in the Vine, we can do nothing apart from Christ.

The grace of God - not law or religion - is what motivates us and also enables us to live godly lives. And not only that, but God has given us a brand new nature. This new nature is the essence of who we are. The things that our new nature wants to do are natural expressions of the life of Christ that we've been joined together with.

Some people say that if we remove law, rules, religion, etc, and preach the grace of God, this will cause people to go out and do whatever they want to. Well, in light of all of the above, what do you think? Would this really be a bad thing?? :)

249. If It's Not About Morality and Religion, Then What?

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As we talked about last week, life was never meant to be lived according to what some have called the "religion tree" or the "morality tree" (the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil).  But if people think life in Christ is based in any way on their morality or performance, they end up resorting back to religion - to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  They know no other way to live, than according to their own knowledge of good and evil.

But if life in Christ is not about morality and religion, then what is it about?  If it's not about our own pursuit of right and wrong, then how do we know how to live?  It involves getting away from the religion and morality tree, and in many ways it begins with understanding our new identity in Christ.  We're not trying to become something by maintaining a certain level of performance or morality.  Rather, God has already made us righteous and He's already given us a brand new identity that He is already fully pleased with and that He fully accepts!  So rather than "doing" in order to try to become what we think God wants us to be, we are meant to rest and relax in who He has already made us to be, and to live from our new identity.

248. Freedom from the Religion Tree

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According to one definition, "religion" means "to bind," as in being bound to a list of obligations. Religion was never meant to be how mankind lived, or how they related to God. Where did religion begin? This week we go back to the Garden of Eden, to the time when Adam and Eve chose "religion" by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Were Adam and Eve pursuing "sin" as we would call it today? Were they pursuing a certain form of "sinful" or "evil" behavior? Actually, the Tree wasn't just an "evil" tree. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good AND Evil. Their problem wasn't that they were pursuing "sin," but really that they were pursuing a form of godliness!

In the pursuit of the knowledge of good and evil, they were trying to be like God on their own - through their own sense of morality.  They were exchanging a free relationship with God for religion.  It became bondage for them, rather than providing further freedom.  And people still do the same today!  We have exchanged the life of freedom in Christ for a life of following moral obligations.

Some have referred to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as the "Morality Tree" or the "Religion Tree."  We need to get away from the bondage of this tree - living by our own morality and religion - and get back to the Tree of Life!

Mick Mooney - Searching for Grace - Part 4

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In the fourth and final part of my interview with Mick Mooney, creator of the Searching for Grace comic strip, we cover a range of subjects, but stay mostly on the idea of walking by the Spirit and not walking according to religion. Mick says that being under grace is being under the very nature of God. He also talks a bit about the idea of rules and accountability partners vs. walking according to the Spirit of God.

Many today seem to be trying to walk in the Spirit inside the confines of "religion," which is of course something too small for God to fit in! Many try to fit the various aspects of their faith into the things they are doing (programs, institutions, etc), and end up twisting theology to fit their systems.

When the world looks at us, they shouldn't see religion, but rather a genuine expression of the nature of God. Mick goes into all of this and much more this week, so we hope you'll tune in and hear the good things he has to say about living a genuine life in Christ, apart from religion!

Check out the Searching for Grace comic and other things about Mick at searchingforgrace.com.

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247. The Gospel Is Good News for All

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The gospel is good news for everyone! For the person who hasn't yet come to know Christ, it's the good news that the gift of God's righteousness is freely given to all who believe. For the person who has already known Christ, it's the continuing good news that all their sins - past, present and future - are completely forgiven and done away with, and that they are kept eternally by God, not because of their continuing good deeds, but solely because of God's grace.

The gospel reveals that what we do or don't do doesn't make us who we are! Our identity is by birth.  A sinner is born a sinner because they are born in Adam, and all their righteous deeds can never change that.  A saint has also become a saint through birth - this time through the second birth - being 'born again' in Christ.  Again, none of this has anything to do with our actions.  It's all based upon the free gift of God's righteousness.

"The gospel" is called several things in the Bible, including the "gospel of peace," "the gospel of Christ," "the gospel of grace" and "the gospel to the poor."  Does the phrase "the gospel to the poor" mean that the gospel is for those who are poor materially in this world, or does it mean some other type of poverty (ie: spiritual poverty)?  We'll talk about that and these other things this week on Growing in Grace.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for sharing with a friend!

246. You Are Righteous Apart from Your Behavior and Performance

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Righteousness is a gift from God that we can never earn. All the blessings of God are given to us freely as the gift of God. If we thing we've worked or performed or behaved well enough to receive something from God, then that's not the gospel and it's a lie!

The book of Romans says that all have fallen short of the glory of God.  In Romans 1, Paul makes a list of many examples of "the unrighteousness and ungodliness of all men."  After making this list, he concludes in Romans 2 that there is therefore absolutely no place for judging one another, since all of us are in the same boat.

He then goes on to share the good news of the gift of God's righteousness that is freely given by God Himself to those who believe.   It's not our good behavior or performance that makes us righteous, and it's not our poor behavior or performance that keeps us from being righteous.  It's the gift of God that makes us and keeps us righteous!  The good news is that you are righteous.  You are not merely a "sinner saved by grace."  You are no longer identified as a sinner, no matter what your behavior.  You are a holy and righteous saint!

Mick Mooney - Searching for Grace - Part 3

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Here is Part 3 of Joel's interview with Mick Mooney, creator of the Searching for Grace comic strip. This week Mick shares his fascinating testimony of how he came to know God, and I don't think you want to miss this! Having no background in knowing the theology or doctrine of being born again, being filled with the Spirit, becoming a new creation, etc, and without an altar call or someone telling him about Jesus, and even without a Bible, Mick came to know God in a way that only the Spirit can do.

Walk with Mick through the series of events and circumstances that led up to this dramatic change in his life, and be encouraged with the ongoing truth that it's only the work of the Holy Spirit through which we can truly know God.

Check out the Searching for Grace comic and other things about Mick at searchingforgrace.com.

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245. The Gospel is About God's Righteousness, Not Man's

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After starting to talk about what "the gospel" is in the first half of Romans 1 (the revealing of God's righteousness), Paul backtracks for two chapters until picking back up again on his talk about God's righteousness in the second half of Romans 3.  Paul talks about the wrath of God and he mentions various behaviors that are symptoms of "all of the unrighteousness and ungodliness of men."  During all of this, Paul talks about things that are not part of the gospel.  So often we confuse all his words as pertaining to the New Covenant (to the gospel), but here we have a case in which he purposely backtracks to he can better set up what he's trying to say.

All this talk about God's wrath and about sinful behaviors and judging one another has nothing to do with the actual gospel, but Paul brings all of it up to show how the gospel cannot be about the righteousness of man.  Man's righteousness falls very short of God's righteousness.  ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.  That's Paul's big point, before he gets back to talking about the gospel in the middle of Romans 3.  Again, the gospel cannot be about man's righteousness.  It's all about the gift of God's righteousness that He freely gives.

Mick Mooney - Searching for Grace - Part 2

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We're back this week with Part 2 of Joel's interview with Mick Mooney, creator of the Searching for Grace comic strip. This week's conversation went in an unplanned direction - and the spontaneity led to some great discussion about many things! Much of it revolves around Old Covenant "shadows" (such as the Sabbath, the sacrifices, tithing and circumcision) vs. the New Covenant "substance" - Christ Himself.

If we try to live out any of the Old Covenant ways, even with a label of "grace" or "Christianity" on it, Christ is of no value to us at all! All that matters is "a new creation" and "faith expressing itself through love."

We think you'll glean a lot from Mick's wisdom as he shares about these things and much more!

Check out the Searching for Grace comic and other things about Mick at searchingforgrace.com.

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244. What is the Gospel?

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It sounds like a very basic question, but for various people there are so many thoughts that come to mind when they hear the word "gospel." This week we look at what we consider to be a cornerstone scripture when it comes to understanding "the gospel" and the New Covenant.

Rom 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Many are familiar with the first verse above (verse 16), but we believe the next verse (verse 17) holds the key to what the gospel is about. Listen in as we discuss how the Old Covenant, which was no "gospel" at all, was about man's righteousness (and which is why a new covenant was needed, as we discussed during the past two programs) and how the New Covenant is about God's righteousness, which has been given to us as a gift, and is therefore good news (gospel)!

Mick Mooney - Searching for Grace - Part 1

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After a few months without a Growing in Grace Together program, Joel is back with a four-part series with Mick Mooney, creator of the Searching for Grace comic.  Mick has a huge passion for the gospel of God's grace, and we're sure you'll enjoy this series of interviews!

This week Mick talks a little bit about the main characters in the comic, Pastor Moses (representing 'law') and John (representing 'grace'), and he talks about how the comic came about and about the overall purpose of the comic.

Mick also talks about how various people are in different situations when it comes to the expression of being the church.  Some have left the institutional setting of the church and have joined together with others in a more organic expression of church, which is what Mick himself has done.  Others remain in the institutional setting, where a mixture of law and grace is taught, which is what the character "John" in the comic has done.  Mick talks about how to approach pastors and others with the message of grace in loving and gracious ways.

Check out the Searching for Grace comic and other things about Mick at searchingforgrace.com.

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243. A New Covenant - Not a Hybrid Covenant

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In much of the church world today, what we seem to have is a mixture - a hybrid - of the Old Covenant and the actual New Covenant. But are we meant to mix the two Covenants? Hebrews says that God has made the first covenant "obsolete" and that it is "vanishing away." And so questions come up such as, "If the Old Covenant is a valid part of the Bible, why then don't we keep it?" "Why is it said to be obsolete?"

The answer is quite simple: The Cross of Jesus Christ changed everything. Everything changed at the Cross. This week we discuss some more of the differences between the Old and the New, and some of the changes that took place due to the Cross.

For example, one of the differences: The Old Covenant had many priests, who offered sacrifices continually, but they were prevented by death from continuing and nothing they did could ever make us perfect or take away our sins. The New Covenant came about came about through One Person, one sacrifice for all, through a Priest who lives forever and therefore has an "unchangeable priesthood," and through this one sacrifice our sins have been taken away and we have been "perfected forever" and "saved to the uttermost."

The Old had to be taken out of the way; It had to be made obsolete.  By the very nature of each covenant, it's impossible to mix them.

242. A New Covenant Was Needed

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Coming up in future weeks we're going to be talking about a seemingly basic question, "What is the Gospel?" But before we get into that, and as kind of a set-up for it, we're going to spend a couple of weeks talking about some of the differences between Old Covenant and the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah (and other OT prophets and authors) looks ahead to the coming of a new covenant, which came in as a result of what happened on the Cross. In the New Testament, the book of Hebrews (and other NT books and authors) looks back to the Cross and speaks of this New Covenant, which it calls "a better covenant, established on better promises."

We'll talk about how both Jeremiah and Hebrews establish the fact that there was a problem with the Old Covenant. In short, the problem was that the people couldn't (and didn't) keep it! So a new covenant was needed that wasn't based at all upon mankind keeping it and that wasn't based upon anyone's behavior or law-keeping.

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241. Grace Giving

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"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." (2 Cor 9:7-8 NKJV)

This week we talk about what it is to give grace-fully.  It's not about giving to get something back from God.  Rather, God provides for us sufficiently, by His grace - not by anything we've done to earn it - and enables us to give to others.  It may be money and it may have absolutely nothing to do with money, but as God provides for us we are able to be generous to others, and we're able to do it cheerfully, not grudgingly!

240. Sowing and Reaping is All About Benefiting Others

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"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

Those are Paul's words to the church in 2 Corinthians 9. This verse has often been interpreted in a rather self-centered way, as if to say that if you sow generously or sparingly then you yourself will reap generous or sparing benefits from your sowing.  But is that what Paul is talking about?  Paul is talking to the Corinthians about their ministry/service to other people.  Rather than this being about God blessing the Corinthians according to how much or little they give, isn't Paul saying that the blessings are actually what takes place in the lives of the people who are receiving what they're giving?  Does God bless us because we've blessed others, or does He bless us so that we can bless others?

239. Give Out of Love, Not Out of Rules

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There is definitely a lot of manipulative, arm-twisting, scripture-twisting teaching out there in regards to the subject of "giving." We've all seen it, and we're wary of it, and for many of us it causes our defenses to go up whenever the subject is mentioned. That's quite understandable.

Hopefully what we share this week will cause some of those defenses to go down, as we begin to talk about what giving can look like when it's done from a heart of love and relationship, rather than from a set of rules or guilt or compulsion.

238. So Jesus Mentioned the Tithe...

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Some people who teach that tithing is a Christian principle have said things such as, "Jesus mentioned the tithe, so that means that tithing is for Christians." Well, it's true that Jesus mentioned the tithe. But when He did, who was He talking to? What was He saying? What was His overall point? If we look at His words in the larger context of what He was saying and doing, can we truly glean from it that He was making a case for Christian tithing?  Or did it have nothing at all to do with that? We discuss this on Growing in Grace this week.

With all this talk the past few weeks about "tithing," we're leading up to something else, but we first wanted to lay a foundation of what "giving" for the Christian is not, and why it's not. We'll begin talking more about true "grace giving" as this series progresses!

237. Why Hebrews 7 is Not About Tithing

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Because Hebrews 7 mentions tithing (Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek), many people these days use this passage to make a case that tithing is a Christian principle. But that's not what this passage is about at all. That's not how the Hebrews saw this passage.

This week we take a look at what is really being said in Hebrews 7, especially in light of the entire book of Hebrews. A major theme in the book as a whole, that Kap and Joel have talked about many times, is the superiority of Christ and the New Covenant over the Levite priesthood and the Old Covenant. Hebrews 7 is a part of that larger theme. The writer uses the example of Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek, by no means to make a case for Christian tithing, but rather as part of his case about how Christ supersedes everything!

If you see things differently or are on the fence with this one (or if you simply want to be encouraged in the wonderful truth of the superiority of Christ!) we invite you to spend a few minutes with us as we talk this out.

236. Tithing - Not a Model for New Covenant Giving

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Continuing on in our "tithing/giving" series this week with a look at a pretty big supply of Old Covenant passages that have to do with tithing. Last week we talked about the "go-to passage" that is brought up by Christians who teach tithing - Malachi 3 - and this week we look a bit more into that, including a brief look at what the "storehouse" is and isn't. Is today's "church" the New Covenant version of the Old Covenant storehouse? Is today's "pastor" the New Covenant version of the Old Covenant priests? Did tithing and the storehouse have anything to do with income?

We then talk about the multitude of passages that have to do with the Old Covenant laws on tithing, as Malachi 3 was simply the Lord's rebuke of Israel for not staying with the system that He had set in place for specific purposes under that covenant. The system of tithing was set up as one part of a much larger system/covenant that has nothing to do with Christianity! We in the church today have mistakenly "Christianized" this old system. Next week we'll talk about Hebrews 7, as well as what Jesus was talking about when He briefly mentioned the tithe.

235. Is Tithing for Christians?

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Giving and tithing. How (and if) does this fit into the Christian life? This week we begin a brand new series in which we'll look at this. When it comes to living in God's grace, questions come up such as, "Is tithing for Christians?" and "What does grace-giving look like?" We'll start out by looking at what the Old Testament says about tithing. Who tithed? What was the purpose of the tithes? Does any of it fit into New Covenant living?

Specifically this week we'll look at a common "go-to passage" that is brought up when the church today talks about tithing - Malachi 3. What does this passage say, and who was it directed at? Does this passage have anything to do with Christian living and giving? Also, we'll look briefly at Abraham's one-time tithe to Melchizedek, which we'll also cover in greater detail later.

234. Crucified and Risen with Christ

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We left off last week saying that we'd begin talking this week about tithing and giving as it relates to our life in God's grace, but with this being "Passion Week" or "Easter Week" (or whatever you want or don't want to call it), we decided on a whim to record one program about the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Many of us know the whole story - we know the events that took place during the final week of Jesus' earthly life. But these were not simply historical events. These are happenings that we can personally identify with, since we were crucified with Christ and then we were risen again with Him!

233. Fear Comes from a Wrong Perspective of God

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Many people unfortunately live with a very unhealthy fear of God (being afraid of Him), all because of a wrong perception of who He is and how He sees us and relates to us. A message of law and of God's wrath and anger toward sinful behavior is taught as a means of trying to stop people from sinning and to keep in a right relationship with Him. But that message doesn't stop sinful behavior and it doesn't help people turn to God or draw close to Him, not to mention that it doesn't represent God or His good news!

This week we talk about how a true biblical 'fear' of God does not mean that we are to be afraid of Him, but rather is more closely defined as "awe and reverence" or "worship."  Joel's recent Growing in Grace Together guest Doug Meeker gave a great definition of the essence of worship - "love responding to love."  The message of a God who is angry with us and who we are to be afraid of certainly doesn't cause people to respond in love!  And that message comes from a wrong perception of God.

We encourage you to believe God's astounding opinion of you! (in the words of another recent guest, Ralph Harris).  Believe His love for you and believe how He passionately pursues you!

232. Let Love Displace Fear

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Fear can be crippling. There's no doubt about that. The sad fact is that even many believers live in fear (afraid) of God, and don't understand all that He's done for us and that He is for us, not against us. It's easy for many to believe He loves them when they're doing 'right,' but it's harder to accept the reality of His love when they're not. But He loves us unconditionally. He is love. We were never meant to live in fear of Him, even when we've done wrong.  God is not the "accuser of the brethren."  Satan is.  God is not our destroyer; He's our deliverer.

There are too many people living in fear and condemnation.  Fear changes our perception of our loving Father.  It negatively changes how we see Him and relate to Him.  But fortunately it doesn't change the reality of His unconditional love and it doesn't change His view of us.  It doesn't change how He relates to us.  So we need to let love have it's way with us.  We need to displace fear with love.

Doug Meeker - Worship is About Jesus - Part 2

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When Doug Meeker visited my home a couple of weeks ago, and when we sat down to talk about the topic of "worship," I had no idea how rich the time and conversation would be! You're not going to get the usual, common, standard thoughts and perspectives from Doug when it comes to talking about worship.  In this chat we discuss the question of "what worship looks like," and Doug gives an illustration that shows how it doesn't have to look any certain way and in fact can look lots of different ways to different people.

While our conversation is mainly in the context of corporate worship, in which people get together to sing and praise God, everything that is said is easily translated into our life in Christ in general as well.  In the end, if our focus is on Christ (with worship being defined as "whatever you ascribe worth to"), then we don't have to be worried or concerned about what it looks like.  Doug shares things that are helpful in moving away from being self-conscious about what worship looks like and instead to having a Christ-consciousness.  That is, simply being focused on the object of our worship - Christ Himself - and simply responding to Him and His life and love.

Find out more about Doug Meeker at dougmeeker.com.

231. Love vs. Fear

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"We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us. So you see, our love for him comes as a result of his loving us first." (1 John 4:18-19 TLB)

It could be argued that the one thing that will hinder a relationship more than anything else is fear.  God's perfect love for us is meant to drive away all fear (being afraid).  We're not meant to be afraid of Him.  But from the very beginning, man has hidden from God even while God has relentlessly pursued a love relationship with man.  Adam and Eve hid from God in fear and shame, even when He went out looking for them, and we often do the same.

This week we talk about how a view of God as a harsh, mean taskmaster who we are to be afraid of, is a faulty view of God.  We're not meant to be afraid of God or what He'll do to us!  What we should be entrenched in is not fear, but in the perfect love and acceptance of God.  A relationship based upon love, not fear, is what life in Christ is about.

Doug Meeker - Worship is About Jesus - Part 1

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I recently had the privilege of having Doug Meeker in my home when he came to Iowa to lead a worship workshop at a church in a nearby town.  We had a great time together, and had some very wonderful conversations about many things, including the topic of 'worship.'  We sat down to record some of our thoughts, and here is Part 1 of 2 of our recorded chat.

When it's said that "worship is about Jesus," some might say, "Well, duh!"  :)  But Doug has a great way of distinguishing between what worship is and what it isn't, as compared to what it seems to have become for many in the church today.  For some, worship seems to be more about "the music" or about the style or the atmosphere.  And it's not as if those things can't play an important role in worship.  Music is a very powerful thing that can truly be used by God to move us.  But yet music is not what worship is about.  Worship is about Jesus.

And so even though Doug is gifted as a musician, he's the first one to try to help us get our thoughts off of the music, and instead to draw our attention to what true worship is.  He says the word 'worship' means "whatever you ascribe worth to."  Listen in to see the thoughts he draws from that definition.  In the end, worship is about relationship.  It's about intimate fellowship with Jesus.  It's about love responding to love.

We also talk about a few other things, so I invite you to join me and Doug on this Growing in Grace Together discussion and then join us next week to for Part 2!

Find out more about Doug Meeker at dougmeeker.com.

230. Communion - Ritual or Relationship?

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What comes to mind when you think of "communion?" Do you think of some sort of ritual or ceremony or do you think more along the line of relationship and intimacy? We don't get into a deep teaching on this subject this week, but we throw out a few suggestions about what communion may be and what it may not be. Jesus simply told His disciples that when they ate bread and drank wine, to remember Him. Remember His body which was broken for them and remember His blood which was shed for them. Perhaps communion can be as simple as remembering the finished work of Christ and celebrating the life of Christ.

And of course, what would a conversation about communion be without mentioning food! Everywhere Jesus went, there was eating and drinking going on! (Well, except for that 40-day desert experience). :) Food, fellowship, relationship, remembrance... could this all be a part of communion, rather than it being a religious ceremony or ritual?

Ralph Harris - Better Off Than You Think - Part 2

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Part 2 (of 2) of my chat with Ralph Harris, who is with LifeCourse Ministries and has written a book called Better Off Than You Think - God's Astounding Opinion of You. Part 1 is here.

Last week Ralph mentioned that during the last few years, he's seen more and more people "getting" this truth about God's astounding opinion of them and the truth about their new nature.  He shares some of his experiences in telling people about the wonderful way that God and everyone in the heavenlies sees them!  Ralph also talks about various authors and various books he has read that line up with what God has shown him over the years.

Among other things, Ralph also talks about what he terms the "Monster Mash" - the conflict within that is between the Holy Spirit and the flesh - but that is not our conflict.  We are not the Spirit and we are not the flesh.  We are who we are!  The monster that I sometimes think I am, because of what's going on inside of me and because of my outward behavior, is not me at all!

I think you'll be highly encouraged all throughout this conversation.  The truth will make you free as you see and accept the wonderful truth of who God has already made you to be, and of His astounding opinion of you!

Find out more about Ralph Harris and LifeCourse Ministries, as well as the book, at lifecourse.org

229. Intimacy and Communion with God

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This week we're talking about intimacy and communion with God. Is it possible that a person can be doing all the 'right things' in their walk with God, and still miss out on intimacy with Him? You bet. Even if a person is doing various things such as praying, reading their Bible, taking part in numerous church activities and other spiritual activities, which in and of themselves aren't "bad" things of course, they can still miss Jesus.

So we encourage you to relax and trust Jesus, and enjoy God and your life in Christ! We also talk a little bit about the 'ritual' of communion, and how we can all have communion with God anytime, no matter how many people are there or not there.

Ralph Harris - Better Off Than You Think - Part 1

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"Are you prepared to think better of yourself than you have been?"

In the relatively short time that I've known Ralph Harris (through his blog and Facebook, during the past year or so), I have immensely enjoyed both his shallow humor, that is similar to mine (hehehe) and his passionate and captivating way of sharing the good news that not only does God have a high opinion of you - but His opinion is right!

Ralph is with LifeCourse Ministries and has written a book called Better Off Than You Think - God's Astounding Opinion of You.  The book is an excellent and easy-to-read resource for learning and being encouraged in who God is and who you are, and what God really says about you and thinks of youl

You don't think God has too high of an opinion of you?  Has your behavior or other people's opinions of you (or any number of other things) quenched your view of God's astounding opinion of you? In our chat, Ralph says that people in general have an opinion of themselves that is not nearly equal to what God thinks.  That affects our daily approach to life and to God.  So, are you prepared to think better of yourself than you have been?  :)  Listen in, and I think your understanding of God's view of you will be refreshed and your countenance will be lifted up!  Let the truth of God's passion for you set you free!

Find out more about Ralph Harris and LifeCourse Ministries, as well as the book, at lifecourse.org

Here's Part 2 of the interview.

228. Present Day, Real, Living Jesus in Us

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Some ask the question, "WWJD - What Would Jesus Do," almost as if we're looking at some historical Jesus who did some things 2,000 years ago that we are now trying to imitate or copy. But this week we look at the reality of the present-day life of Jesus who indwells us and with whom we're in union.

Rather than looking at things from a perspective of us "trying to be like Jesus," we look at things from the perspective that Jesus has already made us all that we need to be, and we are living from that reality. The foundation of this life is what Christ has already done, not what would He do. We don't look to a historical figure to try to decide how to live, but we live from who He has already made us to be and what He is doing in and through us right now.

227. God is Good

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Even with all the "bad" that goes on in the world, we make the case this week of what we believe to be true - that God is only good!

226. Responsible or Response-Able?

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Sometimes the question comes up, "Do we have 'responsibilities' as Christians?" Are we responsible to live the Christian life? Does God do His part, and now it's up to us to be responsible to do our part?

This week we explore the idea that rather than God requiring us to be responsible to live a certain way, He instead has placed His very life in us and makes us response-able (that is, able to respond) to His working in and through us.

225. Freed From Sin

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Romans 6 talks about the "body of sin" being done away with and it says that "he who has died had been freed from sin." What does that mean? What does it mean that we're no longer bound by sin? The good news is that our sin has been taken away and no longer separates us from God! We'll talk about this and more on this week's edition of Growing in Grace.

224. Not Judging One Another By Our Performance

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This week Kap and Joel share some thoughts on Paul's words in 2 Cor 5:16, "From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh." People tend to focus on what we do and don't do - our performance and outward appearances - and to judge one another according to that, rather than focusing on what Christ has already done. We are to no longer regard ourselves and others according to our own efforts and performance. Rather, in Christ, our sin has been taken away and what counts is not our performance and abilities, but rather "what counts is a new creation" (Gal 6:15 NIV).

223. What About Those Who Continue in a Sinful Lifestyle?

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As we talked about last week, it's by One Man's obedience - the obedience of Jesus - that we have been made righteous. Jesus' obedience has been imputed to us, and He is not just "in" our life - He is our life.  The righteousness that we stand in, and even our faith, has been given to us as a gift.  Righteousness is "the state of him who is as He ought to be," "approved by God."

And so the question arises, if all of this has been given to us freely as a gift, what about those who continue in a lifestyle of sin?  Do they remain saved?  Do they remain righteous?  Obviously we all have to deal with the natural consequences of our sins, but do they stand between us and God, and do they negate the free gift of righteousness?

Everybody sins, but is there some "standard" by which we are to judge whether one person is still "ok" in front of God and someone else isn't?  If so, what is that standard?  Where do we draw the line?  Hmmm.

222. Made Righteous By One Man's Obedience

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Romans 5:19 says that it was through one man's disobedience (Adam) that people were made sinners, and that it's through One Man's obedience (Jesus) that many are made righteous. We were sinners, not because we ever sinned (not because of our actions), but because we inherited Adam's nature when we were born. And we have been made righteous, not because we ever did anything righteous (not because of our actions), but all because of the obedience of One Man --- Jesus!

221. Special Guest Steve McVey - Part 3

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We're very appreciative of Steve McVey of Grace Walk Ministries for joining us for a few Growing in Grace programs. This week is the third of three programs with Steve. Some of the topics discussed include the phrase "license to sin," as well as God not only being loving, but Himself being love.  We ask Steve about the purpose and value of the Old Testament in the life of a Christian, and about the upcoming Radically Better conferences in 2010.  As many people may know, Steve has posted a series of videos on YouTube called "101 Lies Taught in Church Every Sunday."  We ask Steve if any of this will turn into a book, and Steve also talks about the huge response that he's received regarding those videos - both positive and negative.

It's been very enjoyable spending time with Steve McVey, and we hope to do it again in the future!

Grace Walk Website
Grace Walk Internet Radio
Steve's Blog

220. Special Guest Steve McVey - Part 2

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This week it's Part 2 of our interview with Steve McVey of Grace Walk Ministries. Steve answers Mike and Joel's questions about whether grace will cause a person to sin and run away from God or cause a person to grow in intimacy with Him, how a guilty conscience is detrimental to the life of a Christian, and how (and whether or not) to interact with people who are of different mindsets about the message of grace. Among other things, we also ask Steve about the growing "grace revolution" that is happening all over the world.

Grace Walk Website
Grace Walk Internet Radio
Steve's Blog

219. Special Guest Steve McVey - Part 1

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The Growing in Grace podcast began almost five years ago on Grace Walk Internet Radio, and this week and the next two weeks we welcome special guest Steve McVey of Grace Walk Ministries.  Steve's ministry has impacted many, many people over the years, including both Mike and Joel since the mid 90's, and it's truly a pleasure to be able to spend some time with Steve talking about the wonderful grace of God!

Also check out:
Grace Walk Website
Grace Walk Internet Radio
Steve's Blog

218. Accepted in the Beloved

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God has made us accepted in the Beloved. God Himself has done this! It's not through anything we've done. It's not through our striving to reach out to God, but it's about recognizing that in Christ He has reached out to all of mankind and pursued us with great passion!

Special treat coming up for Growing in Grace listeners! To round out the month of December, Steve McVey of Grace Walk Ministries will be joining Mike and Joel as a guest on the next three programs!

Growing in Grace Together - Jim Robbins - The Good and Noble Heart - Part 2

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Part 2 of Joel's interview with Jim Robbins, author of the book Recover Your Good Heart.  Among other things, this week Jim talks about the desires of our hearts, and how God is a God of desire and how desire is a good thing and is integral in every part of our lives.  Using some personal stories, Joel and Jim talk about how our relationships with God and with each other should be motivated by desire, and not by duty or robotic obedience.

Also discussed is the question of what to do with the desires that we have that don't line up with who we are in Christ.  Are those really "our" desires?  Do those desires come from the new heart?  And Jim ends up talking about the question of whether or not a person should stay in a fellowship/local assembly in which the true message of grace and the new heart is not being taught.  A very thought provoking conversation that will help us to recognize and live from the new good and noble heart that God has given us!

Find out more about Jim's ministry - The Good and Noble Heart - which includes a blog, a Ning community and a Facebook community.

217. God's Acceptance of Mankind / Sins Taken Away

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We're taking a look this week at God's acceptance of us apart from our behavior - the unconditional love and grace of God for all of mankind. It's His love that sent Jesus to the cross, and it's the cross that showed His great love for all. When Adam fell, God didn't change - Adam changed. God didn't hide from Adam - Adam hid from God. In His passionate love, God pursued Adam and made the way for all of mankind to be saved. The issue isn't whether or not God loves and accepts people. The sins of all of mankind were dealt with at the cross. They have not only been covered - they have been taken away.The issue is whether or not people have believed and have received the gift of life that God freely offers.

Andrew Farley - The Naked Gospel - Part 3

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Part 3 of 3 of Joel's conversation with Andrew Farley, author of The Naked Gospel. This discussion includes the good news of the once-for-all forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  All our sins have been forgiven - past, present and future!  The New Testament speaks of our forgiveness in the past tense!  And so what do we do when we sin?  Do we need to ask for forgiveness?  How did everything change with Christ having taken away our sin (not just covering it), and with us already having been washed, and made clean and spotless?  Andrew provides some great biblical insight on all of this and much more.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3