Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

832. Things Seldom Heard in Church: The 10 Commandments Not Written on Our Hearts

November 7, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

In the 8th chapter of Hebrews, the writer was looking back at a prophetic statement from the book of Jeremiah. He was explaining how the previous covenant containing the law was not the same as the New Covenant which was established by Jesus, our new High Priest. God declared to Jeremiah the New would not be like the Old when it was given to Israel at the time they were delivered from Egypt!

When God spoke about His laws being put in our minds and written upon our hearts in this better covenant, the assumption by many church folks is that this is a reference to the Ten Commandments. But why would God want to write something on the hearts of His people which brought condemnation, resulted in sin increasing, and wasn’t based upon faith? In the previous chapter, the writer had just declared that old ministry as one that became nullified or cancelled because it was weak and unprofitable, unable to bring a required spiritual perfection. Our hearts now contain and reflect something new and better than a law of sin and death—it’s “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” It’s based upon the ministry of God’s Spirit in us, the gift of righteousness, faith, love and liberty.

Get the book

831. Things Seldom Heard in Church: We Don’t Love God Because Law Commands Us

October 31, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Continuing from last week’s thread … in John’s first epistle, he explains the love of God from the perspective of the New Covenant. This also connects with our love for Him and for others. Jesus was asked what the greatest commandments were under the law (from the first covenant given to Israel). Jesus answered with this from Matthew 12: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Nobody has ever achieved being able to follow those commandments which had the entire law wrapped up in them. This is quite different from what John stated, where the truth revealed that it wasn’t that we loved God, but He loved us. As we begin to receive and understand the fullness of this perfect love, it allows us to freely love God apart from the commandment—because we want to do so—and that love which abides in us also enables us to love others in the same way God loves us. Perfect love casts out fear and provides us with confidence in the day of judgement. It’s better than depending on your own inconsistent strength and abilities which always leave people falling short.

Get the book

830. Things Seldom Heard in Church: Keeping Commandments – New Covenant Style

October 24, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

This week, we look at a couple of verses—from 1 John chapter 2—that the legalistic mindset will focus upon outside the context of the New Covenant. It’s a perspective based upon a mixture of law and grace which comes from sources who believe “maintaining” salvation involves the working of our own efforts instead of the work of Christ alone. They’ll pitch salvation as a gift apart from works, but then try to sell you an extended warranty, suggesting you can forfeit so great a salvation based upon your actions. It’s nothing but complicated double-speak.

John writes about keeping commandments, but he isn’t very specific in listing them out. Covenant clashers would try to have us believe he is referring to the Ten Commandments and may selectively throw in a few extras for good measure. If John was encouraging believers in Christ to embrace a stone tablet ministry of commandments, then he not only contradicted the Apostle Paul, but also would have contradicted himself in this very same letter. Peter and Paul stated the commandments which came through Moses were burdensome and unbearable. Jesus said the same thing. But John said the commandments he was referring to are not burdensome. Either John disagreed with them … or (and let’s go with this) he is referring to something different as it relates to the New Covenant.

Get the book

829. Things Seldom Heard in Church: We Live By the Spirit – Not Written Commands

October 17, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The law from the Old Covenant was holy, righteous and good. In fact, it was so good, nobody could ever achieve the required standard. Because of being taught a phony mixture of law and grace, the majority of church attendees have assumed the written commandments—at least a small portion of them—are meant to lead and guide us into a state of righteousness and approval from God. When they hear us talk about living under grace … and not being under the ministry of the stone tablets, they automatically jump to the false conclusion that we’re telling people it’s okay to sin as much as they want.

Instead of trying to live by the written letter (which kills), the more effective approach will be for believers to come to a greater knowledge of the truth about their identity in Christ and who God already declares them to be as a righteous, holy and perfected person, having inherited the very nature of God through belief and spiritual birth. As one who is described as a partaker of the divine nature, believers can begin to live from this place, thereby allowing the Spirit of God to more effectively bear His fruit through us, apart from the law of works. He is the one who will lead, guide and teach us as we allow Him to do so. The goal is not to work at becoming someone we think we are not, but to live and rest from who God has already declared us to be.

Get the book

828. Things Seldom Heard in Church: Law Fruit: Sin Abounded; Death & Condemnation

October 16, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When the Christian religion campaigns that the stone tablet ministry should be put on display as a guide to live by, they have completely missed the vast differences between an expired covenant of works once established with Israel … and a new and better way which came by grace through Jesus.

Things rarely heard in church buildings: The law given to Moses resulted in sin increasing, not diminishing. It was described by the Apostle Paul as a ministry of death, condemnation, and no longer has any glory because a more glorious ministry of the Spirit has surpassed it.

More from Paul … the law bore fruit for death, it was the strength of sin, it was a ministry of bondage, it could not provide life or righteousness. He stated how the law is not of faith but was a guardian … until faith would come (Christ), resulting in no longer being under the old guard of the law. The law demanded it be kept perfectly but could make nothing perfect, therefore was considered weak and useless. Jesus came to redeem Jews from it, not bring Gentiles into it. A new and better covenant replaced that old, ineffective ministry, which nobody could ever live by.

Get the book

827. Things Seldom Heard in Church: Jesus Fulfilled the Law

October 3, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Religious corporations which tout the keeping of the stone tablet commandments have neglected to recognize or minister the New Covenant established by Jesus. Very few church attendees have ever heard that believers in Christ are not under that ministry of commandments which came from God through Moses. But spiritual legal advocates will attempt to argue against this truth by quoting a single Bible verse: “But Jesus said He did not come to destroy or abolish the law but to fulfill!” This is a true statement from Jesus as He was speaking to His disciples early in his earthly ministry.

But what religion has frequently failed to recognize is what was accomplished by Jesus at the cross and resurrection, which allowed for the annulment of that ministry—where Jews were unable to attain righteousness—and Gentiles had no hope or covenant at all. God was able to tear down the barrier of commandments and bring these two groups together in Christ by fulfilling the law perfectly in us.

Get the book

826. Things Seldom Heard in Church: “Mount Sermon” Not a New Christian Teaching

September 26, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

If you are under the assumption that most of what Jesus spoke was meant to be applied directly for you as a believer in Christ, you’ll end up with all sorts of inconsistencies and potential confusion in your belief system. Within those red letters found in the Bible, the majority of what Jesus spoke was aimed at Jewish people who were under a hopeless position, living under the law within what is now an obsolete covenant.

But if you’ve been taught by church ideology that when Jesus was speaking to His disciples … that He was also talking to you … then you’ll jump to some inaccurate conclusions when it comes to the gospel of grace.

Are we dismissing, ignoring or running from the words of Jesus? Absolutely not. Understanding the ministry of Jesus as a man walking the earth—and what He spoke at that time—needs to be considered in the proper context in order to come to a greater knowledge of the truth.

Five years ago we did a foundational 20-podcast series called "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants" that will help in understanding all of this. The first episode of that series can be found here, and you can listen to the subsequent parts from there, or you can listen via the YouTube playlist here.

Get the book

825. Listener: “Why Don’t They Teach Us Right?” A Conversation About Church Inc.

September 19, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

This week we have a spontaneous heart to heart about church denominations and the wide variety of different perspectives and teaching available. How did we get to this place where elements of both law and grace seem to be the norm?

This is a bit of a foundational introduction into upcoming podcasts where we’ll talk about some things that are seldom heard or taught in most churches—but should be.

Get the book

824. New Covenant Context: Believers Righteous – Unbelievers Not

September 12, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Imagine receiving a lengthy letter containing many pages and then focusing on just a couple of sentences. This is what happens frequently with individual Bible verses. It’s commonplace to set aside a few verses contained within a New Testament letter from an apostle—which are assumed to be saying something that gets translated into a doctrine or some type of religious theology.

In the meantime, the bigger point is missed because we’re thinking in terms of a lone verse or two instead of the bigger picture, which is the gospel of grace. We continue the emphasis on context in 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 … as we look at a couple of verses used by those on the legalistic side of the fence to bring doubt and uncertainty into the hearts and minds of believers in Christ.

Get the book

823. New Covenant Context: Galatians Chapter 5

September 5, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It becomes very easy to be misled or to misunderstand the truth of the gospel when becoming fixated with a Bible verse or two. Quite often we assume there is a complete thought encompassed within a verse or a short passage, and then we try to tie it into other solitary “island verses” within the pages of the Bible … which are surrounded by an ocean of other passages. Copy and paste them together and POOF! You’ve got instant indoctrination. The goal becomes trying to “prove” one’s pre-assumed mindset about the dogmatic doctrines they have been taught. Regardless of what one believes, anybody can do this … and it’s a common practice in the world of religion.

This week, we look at a short passage contained within the 5th chapter of Galatians that is often considered by covenant clashers as a not so veiled threat by the Apostle Paul regarding their eternity and their works. Considering the new covenant context about everything he said in his letter up to this point over several chapters, Paul is attempting to reassure people, not to suddenly shift gears and scare them into going from grace back to trusting in their works.

Get the book

822. Memorizing “Verses” While Missing the Context of the New Covenant

August 29, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

“But what about this verse!” It has become common practice to view the Bible through individual Bible verses. What was meant as a method to reference the writings more easily can often turn into tunnel vision when it comes to the complete truth contained within the New Covenant of Jesus. A verse or two by themselves can turn into being used as a memorization technique, which sounds like a good thing to do—but the context is more important than any one verse which can often lead people into false assumptions and misunderstandings.

Individual verses can be used as “topics” for sermons, while the pastor may have little or no understanding about the gospel from a New Covenant perspective. We’re working toward a short passage containing a few verses in Galatians chapter 5 which is often used to bring people back into a works mentality … and leaving them in a state of confusion when it comes to God’s grace.

Get the book

821. “What Can I Do to Ensure I’m Right With God?”

August 22, 2021 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When religionists insist on a balance between law and grace—or works and faith—it often leaves people in a state of uncertainty. When not very familiar with the accomplishments of the cross of Jesus, they may try putting forth some type of effort to ensure they are in right standing with God… even to make sure they “maintain” their salvation. It becomes more about doing instead of being.

The question we need to ask is … exactly what work or works can people do to ensure they are in an acceptable position with God? What act can we possibly perform to ensure we’re saved, forgiven, accepted, blessed and perfectly loved? Our honest answer should be that we can add nothing to the finished work and shed blood of Jesus. He “did” for us what we can never “do” for ourselves.