Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

534. Religious Talking Points: Surrender Everything to God

February 7, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When religion tries to put you back in the spotlight where Jesus belongs, beware of those phrases that are found in sermons which will leave you wondering where you stand with God. One example: "You should surrender everything and give yourself completely to Him." It sounds right and preaches good but they will usually avoid getting very specific and will leave it to your imagination as to what it means. This week we bring the gospel back to center stage by us realizing it was Jesus who gave His all and surrendered everything. He paid it all because we could not.

533. Carry Your Own Cross?

January 31, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

When we assume Jesus was always speaking to us personally, we may get the covenants confused and miss the point of the message being spoken to those who were under the law at that time. A true disciple becomes like their teacher, which would mean leaving all of their family and giving up all their possessions. It would also mean they would literally be required to carry their own cross as He would do. When Jesus said to count the cost, He was showing them they could not pay the price that would be necessary to complete the task at hand. Only Jesus could carry the one cross that would pay the price in full with His blood.

532. God Justifies the Ungodly

January 24, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Sin is bad. It causes pain, hurts and destroys. We should exhort one another to live from the life of Christ in us which is based on perfect love. However, religion will attempt to convince you the work of Christ was not fully completed at the cross and will try to lay the burden of maintaining an acceptable relationship with God with your performance of works. As a believer in Him, you have been credited with the gift of righteousness. Our conversation this week centers around the result of Christ's finished work, the taking away of sin and what it means for us and our relationship with him.

531. Ananias & Sapphira

January 17, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It's one of those mysterious passages in Scripture that can leave one wondering exactly what it means and why it happened. A couple named Ananias and Sapphira were caught in a lie and both ended up dropping dead within a few hours of each other. Often it is assumed God killed them for their disobedience. Is this a correct assumption considering it is not clearly stated as to why they died? We discuss it on this week's GIG podcast.

530. The Lord’s Supper – Remembering Jesus, Not Sins

January 10, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

There are those in the church who would avoid partaking of communion or the Lord's Supper because of fear they may eat or drink judgment on themselves. This is often taught by those who want to make their case that sin has not been completely dealt with at the cross of Jesus Christ. So what did Paul mean when he said we should examine ourselves to avoid eating and drinking in an unworthy manner? Join us for this week's podcast.

529. Jesus Died; We Inherited

January 3, 2016 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

We have been gifted with an inheritance that could not be earned. This inheritance is "imperishable, undefiled and unfading." Inheritance is based upon the will and desire of the giver and it goes into effect after their death. So it is with our inheritance which was given through the new covenant of Jesus Christ:

"For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives." (Hebrews 9:15-17)

Podcast from the Past: Rules or Relationship?

December 27, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Mike and Joel are taking a break from creating a fresh podcast this Christmas week, but why not take a trip to the past with us! We're going back a few years to Podcast #149, entitled "Rules or Relationship?" This podcast originally aired on July 27, 2008. We hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas, and we're looking forward to more grace talk in 2016!

We'll be back next week, taking a look at the inheritance we have in Christ.

528. Born of a Woman, Born Under the Law

December 20, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Our discussion this week leads us to the birth of Christ and a look at some things that seem to rarely be a part of the conversation. Galatians 4:4-5 states..."God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." All of the ceremonial requirements from the Mosaic law had to be followed and applied after the birth of Jesus in order for his ministry to be valid under the Old Covenant. And what about the traditional view of those wise men from the manger scene? Merry Christmas!

527. Is the Law An Expression of God’s Character?

December 13, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It has often been taught that the law that came through Moses is an expression of God's character. We frequently begin to assume such phrases are actually found in the Bible. If this is an accurate statement, we should ask the question as to whether God went through a change or if his character went through some sort of transformation. Of course, we know God doesn't change, but with the New Covenant replacing the first one, we find there was a change of priesthood (Jesus Christ) and therefore a change of law occurred. Although the law was a reflection of God's perfection, we should avoid comparing it with God himself and realize it was Jesus (grace) who was manifested as an expression of God's character.

526. Is God Enabling Us to Keep the Commandments?

December 6, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Even after the cross where we abide in Christ and have entered into a new and better covenant, the religious crowd will advocate that Jesus now empowers us to fulfill the law. They claim the law from the former covenant did not end and the commandments within that law are still meant to be followed by Christian believers in order to acquire or maintain life, righteousness and sanctification. The question that never gets fully addressed is this: Exactly which of the 613 laws are to be followed and which are no longer meant to be applied? We discuss the inconsistencies with this type of mixed covenant teaching.

525. The Curse of Seeking Self Improvement

November 29, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It's one of the biggest deceptions known to mankind - the attempt to achieve a higher level of personal improvement through our works and efforts. Adam and Eve were distracted by the glossy appearance of its fruit and the rest of the world followed suit. Israel demonstrated the futility of trying to establish their own righteousness through the works of the law by pursuing a level of improvement that would make them acceptable to God. It falls short every time and fortunately, it is something Jesus redeemed us from.

524. The Christian’s Relationship to the Law

November 22, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The mixed covenant culture found in the church world has brought a wide variety of confusion among believers in Christ. As Gentiles who had come to faith in the early church, what were they instructed by the lovers of the law from the Jerusalem church who still believed the law was in effect? Even those elders shared that Gentiles were not to be troubled with keeping the law. What we fail to realize is there was no list of old rules given to the church from the law, because in Christ we have no relationship to that law from the former covenant because it was replaced with God's Spirit in us.