300. Game Changers - Part 1

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download)

WOW! It's somewhat difficult for us to believe, but today we celebrate the posting of Growing in Grace Podcast #300! Who knew we'd make it this far when we started out over six years ago - just two ordinary guys sitting down to chat about God's love and grace. We're very thankful to God in so many ways and we're also thankful that so many of you have sat in with us week after week as we've shared our hearts and minds in this casual discussion setting.

To "celebrate" this occasion, we're taking a bit of time off of the series that we were recording in which we were contrasting "bad news" with "good news," and we'll pick back up on that in a few weeks. Until then, we're going to take some time to look at some of the "game changers" in our lives in Christ. That is, we'll be looking at various life-changing concepts and truths that have revolutionized our thinking and our understanding of life in Christ that have helped us to become rooted, grounded and established in God's love and grace and to actually enjoy the Christian life!

We have peace with God through the Cross of Christ and we are fully accepted by God as dear, beloved children, but yet many Christians are not experiencing the reality of all of this.  How many people need to hear gospel truth that will help them to experience God's love and peace in their day to day lives? Do you need a breath of fresh air? Listen in this week as we begin to share these game changers - gospel truth that has helped to set us free from religion and helped us to experience the abundant life that we can have through Christ.

This week we'll start off by talking a bit about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ that provided the complete forgiveness of our sins.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(This is an easy way to listen and to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

299. Does Sin Affect Our Relationship with God?

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

Does sin cause us to lose fellowship with God? Are we cursed by God when we sin? Do we miss out on the blessings of God when we sin? Is it our job to overcome sin and fight it off? What are the consequences of sin? Is our relationship with God affected when we sin?

These are some of the questions Christians have, and this week we hope to put to rest some of the fears that Christians have as we discuss the radically good news of what the finished work of Christ has accomplished for us - the taking away of our sin!

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

"Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(This is an easy way to listen and to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

298. Do Prayer and Bible Reading Make Us Closer to God?

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

Last week we looked at some of the so-called "spiritual disciplines," including prayer and Bible reading. We talked about how these things can often become heavy and burdensome legalistic duties. They can become lifeless laws and rules in the lives of sincere people. And yet of course they can be really good things as well!

So this week we look at how prayer and Bible reading can be really wonderful things, while at the same time asking questions such as, "will we 'starve' spiritually if we don't pray and read our Bibles daily or on set schedules?" Do we need to have a regular "quiet time" in order to hear from God? Will our Bible reading "feed" us and will our prayers bring us "closer to God"? Why do we pray and read our Bibles? Join us as we chat about these things from a relational point of view, rather than a legalistic point of view.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

NEW! "Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(Also an easy way to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

297. Pray, Read Bible, Witness - Legalism or Life?

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

Continuing on with our theme that we began last week, this week we take a look at a few more things that may be considered "good news" by some but really amount to nothing more that "bad news." Or sometimes they may really be good news from a certain perspective, but have often been turned into bad news in the church today.

What about the "spiritual disciplines" (as they're often called in the church) of prayer, Bible reading and witnessing? These are some of the first activities or "disciplines" that people are introduced to when they come into a church or "discipleship" setting. All too often they are perhaps looked at with great joy at first, and people make great attempts to follow through on these activities frequently and faithfully... only to have them become heavy and burdensome activities over time. These things end up becoming lifeless laws and rules in the lives of sincere people.

So what would we say to give a "good news" perspective on these things? Listen in as we talk about these things as expressions of Christ's life in us rather than legalistic rules and rituals to follow.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

NEW! "Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(Also an easy way to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

296. Repent: To Think Differently

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

As most people know, the word "gospel" means "good news." So if someone is sharing the gospel, then it ought to be good news for the person who's hearing it! But yet much of what passes as "gospel" or "good news" in the church today really amounts to nothing more than bad news. For the next few weeks, we're going to be taking a look at some of the things that are known as gospel or good news these days, and contrast them with what the Bible really says is good news.

This week we'll start with the word "repent." It's often said that in order to be saved a person needs to repent. Quite often when people use that word, they mean "turn from sin" or "stop sinning." But if it's up to a person to stop sinning in order to be saved, doesn't that mean that they are saved by their own works/behavior? Is that really good news? Is that really the gospel?

We'll take a look at what the word "repent" really means and we'll also look at just what a person is repenting from and repenting to. The word itself really has nothing to do with changing your behavior, but really with changing what you believe.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

NEW! "Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(Also an easy way to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

295. What Does It Mean To Believe?

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

We're taking a little bit of a different direction this week, talking about "belief." What is belief? What does it mean to believe? Is there any given specific way through which people believe? Perhaps this week we present more questions than answers, but we thought it would be a neat subject to explore.

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

NEW! "Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(Also an easy way to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)

294. Growing in Grace

Download/Play MP3 (14 Min, 9.6 MB)

(Click to Play, Right-Click to Download, or use Player below)

Obviously with the title of this podcast being called "Growing in Grace," that's the gist of what we hope to encourage listeners in week after week. So what does it mean to "grow in grace"? Does it have anything to do with progressively becoming a "better" Christian? Does it have to do with striving to become better in our performance of living the Christian life?

We don't think so. Rather than trying to become "better" and rather than focusing on self-improvement, we believe that God has already given us all things and has already made us to be all that we are meant to be, and "growing in grace" means to grow in the expression of who we already are. It means to learn more and more about who God is and who we are in Him (our true identity) and to trust in Him to express His life through us.

Take the pressure off of yourself to perform for God or to improve your performance for Him and instead dig your roots deep down into the fertile soil of His love and grace!

Here's this week's GIG-Bite, a quick sample of this week's program.

NEW! "Watch" this episode on YouTube.
(Also an easy way to share the podcast with others on Facebook, your blog and other sites.)