covenants – Page 2

Clash of the Covenants – new book from Mike

May 11, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The brand new book, Clash of the Covenants - Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee, from Growing in Grace co-host Mike Kapler is now available for Kindle on Amazon! Remember, you don't need a Kindle in order to read. Download the Kindle app on your computer, tablet or smartphone.

GOD IS NOT YOUR PAROLE OFFICER, HE BROKE YOU OUT OF PRISON!

Have you been robbed by religion? Have you ever wondered where you really stood with God? For everyone trapped in a mindset of wondering whether God is angry or disappointed with them due to a lack of performance or dedication, help is on the way. In fact, it already arrived more than a couple thousand years ago.

Christian churches are filled with people who have been hearing Bible teaching built upon a foundation of mixing together two very different covenants that are not alike. Frequently embraced in most Christian circles, the practice of combining the old and new covenants has resulted in a diluted version of the gospel. This religious formula has caused many to avoid the institutional church altogether, often puts them in a state of confusion, and leaves them hungering and thirsting for a new identity of righteousness, unaware it has already been provided.

The current reality of unconditional love, peace, freedom, forgiveness, and everything else that is good, has been gifted to us by God's grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is the message most people have been longing to experience, but it may require a complete change of mind from a lifetime of traditional church doctrines that have left many drowning in guilt and feeling as though they are in a state of bondage. God has provided a way of escape from the burdensome religious business—it is through a New Covenant where it is impossible for us to fail, because Jesus is the mediator and guarantee of this better covenant, and it has been established on better promises.

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.

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.

519. Old Testament Vs. The New: What Changed?

October 18, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Some may conclude the Bible seems to have a split personality between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of the differences can seem somewhat confusing, especially when portions of both are mixed into various Christian doctrines. So what changed? Was it God? No, he doesn't change. But there was a change to a different covenant, which resulted in a change of law and a change of priesthood. Our discussion this week revolves around these changes and what it means for us today in Christ.

518. The Old Covenant Had to End and Be Replaced

October 11, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Let's describe the Old Covenant God made with Israel: It caused sin to increase, it brought death, condemnation, it once had glory but came to an end and no longer has glory. Why? In order for a new and better covenant to be established through Jesus Christ, the old arrangement had to be completely put aside. It was replaced with the New Covenant of Jesus Christ which took the place of that former law. These are not covenants that are compatible with each other.

516. Leaving the Old Behind

September 27, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Continuing with our conversation on mixing the Old Covenant with the New, this week we discuss some common sense reasons from Scripture why the Old had to come to an end and be replaced with something very different. This is the basis for the gospel. If our life in Christ is meant to be centered around our dedication and effort, we've fallen back to a religious system that exalts ourselves and diminishes the work of Jesus Christ.

515. The Bible Blender

September 20, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The beliefs and mindsets of people in Christianity often have their roots planted deeply in a doctrinal mix of two very different covenants. We know all Scripture is truth but we can wrongly assume the entire Bible and everything in it is a book that is always meant to apply to us today in a personal way. Paul said to rightly divide the Word of Truth. What form of division is he talking about? The Old Covenant failed, came to an end and was replaced with something much better. The challenge for the typical believer of today is learning to separate these two covenants and having a complete change of mind about the gospel.