Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

657. When Church Teaching Misses the Gospel Target

June 24, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

We are not against the church. But it’s unfortunate that much of what has been heard and taught through various denominations and organizations has led people down the wrong path. Sometimes they are taught a mixture of law and grace which will lead to more sinning and more guilt instead of less. We have heard from people around the world through our podcast ministry, and in some cases they needed to seek professional counseling for various kinds of depression and fear which resulted in having medication prescribed to treat their condition… and it was related to their church experiences or Bible teaching that brought them to this place. The gospel is meant to bring a blessed assurance, and God’s unconditional love and grace has been given to us in abundance to bring peace of mind and to equip us for every good work. Our intention at Growing in Grace is to teach and remind people of how God has freely given us all things that are good.

656. “Am I Right with God?”

June 17, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Something many people wonder deep inside is the question of whether they are right with God. Even those who call themselves believers in Jesus Christ may question at times as to where they stand with God. Their fear or uncertainty is sometimes triggered by their behavior and performance. They may tend to assume their identity as a child of God is filtered through their works and actions, or religious rule-keeping. The gospel reveals something that isn't always heard through weekly church teaching, and it's the greatest news you could ever want to hear. We've been gifted with God's very own righteousness. Right-standing with Him is no longer something you'll ever have to wonder about ever again.

655. Dead to Sin, Alive to Righteousness

June 10, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Behavior is important. Avoiding sin is profitable. But these are not the components that represent who you are as a believer in Jesus Christ. Your spiritual identity is based purely on a work that God did in you by faith as a result of the finished work of Jesus at the cross. Many new believers are told to repent from sin, stop sinning, work at avoiding sin, etc. — and if they blow it, they should seek a renewed forgiveness from God, and work at trying harder to become more holy and sanctified. This ends up pulling people into the very thing they are trying to avoid. If we would start letting believers know they are truly declared to be the righteousness of God and have been forgiven by blood that was shed once and for all, they can begin to realize and experience God's unconditional love. This unlimited supply of eternal grace provides the ability for us to be empowered in a way that religious rules and commandments cannot.

654. Sharing the Gospel with Others (Part 2)

June 3, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Following up on last week’s program, we discuss some thoughts about effective ways to communicate the simple gospel message. It may be with someone who has never claimed to be a believer, or it may be someone from your church who has been bound by external religion. The message of God’s grace and unconditional love has changed how we communicate the good news. Many times, well-meaning Christians will tell people the gift of eternal life is free, but after the gift is received, a list of “Christian stuff” is handed to them, telling them all the things they need to do from now on (or the things to avoid). We’ve learned through our growth in grace that a better approach will be to let believers know who they (already) are now in Christ so they can grasp the new identity they have inherited. In Him they have become partakers of the divine nature and are considered holy, righteous, forgiven, sanctified, and much more.

653. Sharing the Gospel with Others

May 27, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Oh sure, you can go out and purchase all kind of instructional books that will turn the sharing the gospel into a perfect science. You can memorize a list of Bible verses in the correct order and work on developing a script to make it sound conversational. But there may be a more effective way to share the good news of Jesus Christ — do it from the heart. Your growth in God’s abounding grace and learning about your identity as a righteous child of God will provide you with a much stronger tool than developing a sales pitch. Instead of attempting to empower yourself, the Spirit of God will empower you to communicate this message of life because He knows the heart(s) of the person with whom you are sharing. We sometimes make the gospel message far too complicated. As shared on this week’s program, here’s the gospel in a nutshell:

1. God’s demand: Be perfect.
2. God’s diagnosis: You’re not perfect.
3. God’s deliverance: Jesus was perfect for you. (Simply believe it).

652. Freedom from a Sin Consciousness

May 20, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

“How many here are sinners?” Ask that question in most churches and the vast majority of hands will go up. “How many here are righteous?” Ask that question and you’ll typically see the hands remain on their lap. Why? Empty religion that has mixed the Old and New Covenants has left people with a mistaken identity, frequently trapped in a consciousness of sin… the very thing Jesus came to deliver people from (Hebrews 10). In fact, we have been delivered from the powers of darkness, and guilt and condemnation has been removed forever. We can’t do anything about our own sin problem, but Jesus did — by giving His own life. The reason people fall into condemnation and get confused about their identity is because they have tied it into their behavior and performance, instead of the gift.

651. Subscribing to Sin Management Inc.

May 13, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When many Christians consider repentance, it is usually viewed from the perspective of turning from sin. In essence, what they are really saying is to focus on reducing your sin count. This is not how repentance is defined. Less sinning is always going to be a positive thing for you and those around you. It’s simply not a part of the new righteous and holy nature that abides in you. However, falling into the trap of “sin management” will potentially cause us to chase after the flesh, develop a mindset of self-righteousness, and lead to boasting in ourselves while judging others who fall just as short as we have. Other than Jesus, nobody has ever been able to equal the requirement of perfect behavior as it was reflected through the law. Not one … before the cross or after. There is a better place to abide than working at managing your sin count, and that is with the power of grace found inside of a new and better covenant—where the Holy Spirit will remind us of God’s unconditional love, and that we have been gifted with His righteousness as a new creation in Christ.

650. The Conviction of the Holy Spirit

May 6, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

As a Christian, you may have heard it over and over in the local assembly: “The Holy Spirit will convict you of your sins.” But is this a true statement, or has it been twisted in a way that puts believers back under a sin consciousness that He came to deliver people from? Understanding our identity in Christ, and the ministry of the Spirit within us… the Helper… the Comforter. It’s part of our conversation on this week’s program.

649. Does “Hyper-Grace” Give People a License to Sin? (Part 2)

April 29, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Many of us have viewed grace as something that we fall back on whenever we sin or make a mistake. Grace is often seen as something we call upon when we need forgiveness. But the Bible declares the finished work of Jesus Christ removed sin and that it was taken away. The good news has revealed that forgiveness is a finished work and is received by all who believe. We can now begin to see grace as something more than a trigger we pull when we need to have sin covered or forgiven, since Jesus has already dealt with that issue once and for all. After all, Jesus never sinned but Scripture states He was filled with grace and truth. Grace isn’t just for sinners, but for us who have been gifted with righteousness and holiness in Christ Jesus. Grace empowers us to live in a way that abides in the supernatural life of God Himself, and causes us to realize truth. Grace is the Person of Jesus - He is our purpose and destination, and this free grace was given to us in Christ before time began. Beware of modern-day Pharisees who will sound a false alarm at the dangers of having too much grace, or you may both end up heading down a dead end street, where the ditch will become your destination.

648. Does “Hyper-Grace” Give People a License to Sin? (Part 1)

April 22, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The wolves who dress as sheep have issued a warning to their flock: Grace can become a dangerous doctrine and lead people into more sin. The red flags should be flying high whenever a believer hears such misguided teaching that would suggest grace encourages people to sin unless balanced with portions of the law and commandments. It’s a myth and a fable to think that grace will encourage sin, while a modernized version of the Mosaic law will decrease sin. Those who make such proclamations are providing church folks with teaching for their “itching ears.” The gospel teaches us quite the opposite… the law and commandments brought an increase in sin - and sin ABOUNDED under a system of works. But grace ABOUNDED all the more and it’s through grace that we reign through righteousness. The word "abounded" in the Greek is where we get our English word for hyper and it means to overflow beyond measure, exceeding what is needed. Jesus was grace manifested. He never encourages people to sin. Grace teaches and trains us to live godly in Christ Jesus - it empowers us to live in righteousness. Can we have too much of Jesus? Of course not. But this is what hyper-legalists are implying, and that’s the dangerous teaching we should be running from.

647. Those with “Itching Ears” – Who Are They?

April 15, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

With this message of the gospel of grace that we’ve taught and proclaimed over the years, sometimes legalistically based church-goers have accused us of sharing a message of cheap grace, easy grace, hyper-grace, etc. (although they seldom understand the fullness of what we’re saying). They’ll warn the sheep about “extreme grace teaching” by referencing a phrase that the Apostle Paul used when referring to people with “itching ears” … seeking teachers who would turn their ears from the truth and be turned aside to myths or fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Paul used the same language in his first letter to Timothy when he warned against such teachers. But was Paul warning against those who would wander from FAITH by teaching grace to an unbalanced extreme? No, he was warning people against those who desired to be teachers of the LAW. Galatians tells us the Mosaic law is not of faith, but many with itching ears would be turned aside by such teaching that will focus more about them “doing” instead of believing in what Jesus has done. And what about those who have had their own “conscience seared with a hot iron?” A reference to sinful activity or is it something else? It’s all part of our discussion on this week’s program.

646. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 17): Summarizing the Series: Adam Fell; Jesus Rose

April 8, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Our final program in the Summarizing the Scripture series takes a quick look back at the past 16 weeks of conversation. There is no reason to be afraid of God’s goodness and grace. Religious rules or a modernized version of the Mosaic law will only slow you down. Jesus came to deliver people from that type of bondage and has gifted us with righteousness and life in a new and better covenant. The ministry of the Spirit within us and upon us will lead and guide into all truth, and He can change your desires because of a new heart which came by believing — grace through faith has made us into new creations — and it is now God working in and through us. Adam fell and sin entered the world… Jesus rose and took sin away.