Sunday, June 27, 2010

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!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

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!

Friday, June 18, 2010

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.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Sunday, June 13, 2010

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.

Friday, June 11, 2010

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.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Sunday, June 06, 2010

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)!

Friday, June 04, 2010

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.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4