Display a Growing in Grace Banner on your site!

Mike and Joel are very thankful for all the wonderful support from friends and listeners of the Growing in Grace podcast. People are finding out about the program all the time, and many lives are being touched weekly through the message of God's unconditional love and grace. This is due in large part to people like YOU who are spreading the word! Thanks so much for telling others about the program.

Here's one more way to get the word out. If you have a blog or other site on the web, feel free to add a Growing in Grace Banner to your site. It's very easy - simply choose from the banners below, and then copy and paste the HTML code that's below the banner onto your web page.



(172 x 242 pixels)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.growingingrace.org/"><img border="0" width="172" height="242" src="http://www.graceroots.xyz/gigcast/images/banners/gigbanner172x242.jpg" /></a>




(239 x 144 pixels)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.growingingrace.org/"><img border="0" width="239" height="144" src="http://www.graceroots.xyz/gigcast/images/banners/gigbanner239x144.jpg" /></a>




(200 x 120 pixels)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.growingingrace.org/"><img border="0" width="200" height="120" src="http://www.graceroots.xyz/gigcast/images/banners/gigbanner200x120.jpg" /></a>




(100 x 100 pixels)
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.growingingrace.org/"><img border="0" width="100" height="100" src="http://www.graceroots.xyz/gigcast/images/banners/gigbanner100x100.jpg" /></a>

197. Law: Bondage, Jesus: Freedom

Download/Play MP3

Continuing on from last week's program in which we talked about being delivered from the Law, this week we talk a little bit more about the ministry of the Law, which is bondage, and the "better hope" that we have in Jesus, which is freedom!

The Apostle Paul uses very strong language when talking about the Law. Sometimes we glance over these things, but we've got to look at the reality of the Law's purpose and ministry so we can have a clearer understanding of the ministry of Jesus! Did you know that Paul refers to the Law as "the law of sin and death," "the ministry of death" and "the ministry of condemnation?" He brings up the Old Testament characters of Hagar and Sarah, saying they are symbols of the two covenants - one that gives birth to bondage and the other that brings freedom. Are we of the child that was born according to the flesh, or of the child that was born according to the promise!

196. Delivered From The Law

Download/Play MP3

This week we talk about our relationship with the Law. The Law is good, holy and perfect. Is it "good" to remain in a relationship with the good, holy and perfect Law? This "marriage partner" points out all our faults and demands perfection... but yet is powerless to provide it! The end result is nothing but guilt and condemnation. And so somehow we needed to be delivered from this bad relationship. Using Paul's illustration from Romans 7 and his words from Galatians 2, Mike and Joel discuss what needed to happen in order for us to be "delivered from the law."

Guest on 'The Good and Noble Heart' podcast

This afternoon Jim Robbins had Joel as a guest on his podcast, The Good and Noble Heart. Jim and Joel had a really great discussion, talking about several things including:

-The new Grace Roots community on ning.com
-People being alone in their grace walk
-The worldwide body of Christ being able to connect with and encourage one another in God's love and grace through the internet
-How community is not just about one person's agenda, but rather everyone has things to bring to the table
-What it looks like when people aren't walking according to God's grace and their new good heart
-Several other things revolving around being established in grace and growing in grace

Just as Joel had found in studying Jim's Recover Your Good Heart study guide with other people, Jim asked really great questions that provided for a really great discussion on this podcast. You can download the podcast and/or listen directly by clicking on the widget below.

195. The Purpose of the Law

Download/Play MP3

Last week we asked the question, "Don't we need to commit ourselves to the laws of God?" This week we begin exploring that question by going back and talking briefly about what the gospel is (in short, we talk about God's righteousness that is given to us as a gift, apart from the Law) and we move on from there.

Was the Law given to help us live right and overcome sin? The Bible says that we've been set free from sin and that sin does not have dominion over us! Why? Does God's Law have anything to do with this? What is the Law's purpose? We'll talk about this and more on this week's episode of Growing in Grace.

194. What Place Does the Law Have in the Life of the Christian?

Download/Play MP3

As we talked about last week, a recent Barna study showed that a majority of Christians believe that spiritual maturity is about keeping the rules. Many people think that God gave the Law to teach people how to live righteously and according to His "standards." It may be surprising - or even shocking - to some Christians that the Bible actually says that the Law was added so that sin might increase. It also says that sin's strength is the Law!

So what place does God's Law have in the life of the Christian? Listen in as Kap and the Breezeman begin a series of podcasts on the true purposes of the Law and of the true source and motivation of the living out of the Christian life. We hope you'll be greatly encouraged and freed from the chains of legalism!