old covenant – Page 5

645. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 16): Contradictions or Different Covenants?

April 1, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Why did Jesus sometimes tell Jewish people to keep the commandments and obey the law? How do we reconcile that with writings from the Apostle Paul and others who revealed in Scripture that all people have been freed from that very same law? The contrast is clear, yet it is seldom addressed head-on by Church Incorporated. Religious tradition has adopted most of what Jesus taught as a new Christian teaching, when instead He was frequently ministering the law to people from Israel who were under that law. Gentiles were never under the law of commandments which came through Moses, and in fact, we find in New Testament writings where they (we) were never to be considered under that former ministry. Jesus delivered people from it, and brought them into a New Covenant (Himself), to live within a new life by the ministry of God’s Spirit.

644. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 15): What the Teachings of Jesus Were Meant to Accomplish

March 25, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Generally speaking, the Bible talks about two kinds of people — Jews and Gentiles. Jesus said He came to minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The book of Galatians states He was born of a woman, born under the law in order to redeem those who were under the law. They needed to be redeemed from the curse the law brought. This wasn’t a ministry extended to us who were born outside of the Jewish race. Gentiles were never given the law. Many of the teachings of Jesus were not meant to be considered as Christian doctrine under a New Covenant. But rather, Jesus was often elevating or magnifying the law so the Jews could see it for what it really was, which was the requirement to keep it perfectly… it was impossible for them to enter life through those commands within the first covenant. It was meant to close their mouths and stop their boasting. Occasionally, Jesus would point to the new and better covenant that would be given to all people after His death, and both Jew and Gentile would become one, grafted into Himself.

643. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 14): The Transition to a New Covenant

March 18, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Many beliefs found in the world of the organized Christian church are based upon certain assumptions, which in some instances, have led people down the wrong path or the wrong mindset. This is why so many traditionalists will sound the alarm and issue “grace warnings” whenever they hear about faith-based righteousness that comes apart from the law of works. It will be beneficial for us to shift to an entirely different paradigm in order to rethink many foundational teachings we’ve been bombarded with over the years. As we do this, and begin growing in our understanding of the gospel of grace, we start to see things from a fresh and new perspective. We’ll even begin to realize some of the inconsistencies and contradictions found within our (previous) belief system.

One example from this week’s program: The New Testament page, found between the books of Malachi and Matthew. The New Covenant/Testament did not begin with the birth of Jesus, but after He died. Begin to transition into realizing that much of what Jesus taught was not a new Christian teaching for believers living in a New Covenant, but was ministry aimed at the Jewish people who were still under the law. They were without life, and in a hopeless situation living under the command. They needed something new. They needed Jesus to do the will of God and fulfill the law on their behalf.

During this week's program we mentioned the twenty-part Growing in Grace podcast series that we'd recorded a couple of years ago entitled "Why Jesus Taught Two Covenants." In that series we (obviously) went into much more detail on Jesus' ministry to the Jews who were under the Old Covenant. Here's a link to Part 1 of that series in case you're interested in listening to it. (Then click on "Newer Post" to hear each subsequent part of the series).

640. Summarizing the Scripture (Part 11): The Psalms: Beware of Old Covenant “Law Talk”

February 25, 2018 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It’s common for Christians to seek comfort and direction when reading the Bible, and the Psalms and Proverbs are often one of the first places people will turn for guidance. However, it is frequently assumed that everything within the Psalms is pointing us towards precepts and principles that are not necessarily meant to be applied for us who are in Christ, living in a New Covenant. We’ll find all kinds of passages written from a very different perspective from those who were under the burden of the impossible law… something from which people have been delivered from since the cross.

The Old is Good Enough (Luke 5:39)

December 6, 2017 by Paul Ellis

Here’s a verse that perplexes some folk: No one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, “The old is good enough.” (Luke 5:39) If the new wine is the new covenant, why would anyone prefer the old? People go with the law only because they haven’t tried grace right? The new covenant is better in every way – the Bible says so. Surely no one who has tried both would prefer the old. It doesn’t make sense. But it makes perfect sense to someone like me. The obsolete covenant Those of us who use desktop PCs occasionally get messages that say “this program is no longer supported by the developer.” This means the program has become obsolete, and we are supposed to download the newer and better replacement. Obsolete does not mean the program has stopped working, but it does mean we will no longer get support from the people who made it. The problem is some people resist change. If the old program is still working, we won’t replace it. We’ll keep using the old email program or the old browser and ignore the persistent reminders to upgrade. At first this is not a problem. Everything [...]

620. The Law Package: No Changes Allowed

October 8, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

The predominant mindset within most Christian churches is that parts of the law that came through Moses are to be applied to believers today, while other parts have been eliminated after the cross of Jesus Christ. This demonstrates the widespread ignorance about that law under the Old Covenant, because God had declared that as long as the law was in effect, there would be no changes to it. Nothing could be added and nothing could be taken away from it. The hundreds of commands, rules and statutes were bundled together in one package known as “the Law.” Many ingredients; but one package that was never meant to be broken up and applied in many different ways, based upon personal perspectives or man-made doctrines. This is why people needed to be delivered from the entire law package, and why we are declared to be dead to the law under a new and better covenant.

612. Brought to an End: The Law (The Ministry of Death and Condemnation)

August 13, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Continuing this week in part two of our short series in the 3rd chapter of 2 Corinthians. The ministry of the Mosaic law (including the ten commandments written on stones), is defined by the Apostle Paul as the ministry of death and condemnation. It’s a ministry that once had glory, but now has come to have no glory at all. Why? It’s a glory that was fading from the beginning with Moses, and was replaced with something more permanent and more glorious… the ministry of the Spirit of the living God, now written upon our hearts within a New Covenant established by Jesus Christ. Although Christian “religion” has been built upon combining the Old with the New, the covenant of death and the covenant of life should never be mixed together.

Make A Positive Impact

July 28, 2017 by Sandra

If you are a Jesus-follower, Jesus said you are the light of the world! Wow! A few months ago someone who had influence over my girls, Angel and Starr, at the time, asked a whole group of kids the following question: What did Jesus say about you? One of my girls answered, “Jesus said we’re […]

The post Make A Positive Impact appeared first on Sandra McCollom.

609. The Wall of Law Torn Down: Jews and Gentiles Brought Together

July 23, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul explains the gospel in the context of two different groups: Those who were born of the Jewish race, and the Gentiles who were born from another tribe or nation, outside of Israel. The Jews were under the law and had a hope within their (first) covenant with almighty God. We who would have been considered Gentiles were without a covenant, without hope, and without God in the world. The Jews were near, Gentiles were far off. What is it that divided or separated these two groups? It was the law of commandments found in ordinances. The Jews pursued righteousness through their works under the law but could not attain it, because “the law is not of faith.” Jesus broke down this wall of separation (the law and commandments) and brought the two together as one man, into one body (the body of Jesus Christ). Instead of works, it is through faith that Jews are made righteous, and we Gentiles are no longer far off or strangers and aliens, but are now members of the household of God.

608. Jews, Gentiles and the Gospel

July 16, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Today in the New Covenant, Jew and Gentile have been merged together as one. However, gaining an understanding of the separation or the differences between them prior to the cross will help us to see a clearer picture of the gospel, and why Jesus ministered (to the Jews) in the way that He did. Because it is often erroneously assumed by Christians today that Jesus was always ministering a New Covenant teaching that was meant for everyone, believers will lack understanding that references to Gentiles were simply non-Jewish people — those born outside of the Jewish race. Coming to a realization of this will help us to avoid getting confused when it comes to the (expired) old covenant law, and the New Covenant that we abide in today.

601. Clash of the Covenants: Kap Talks About His New Book

May 28, 2017 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

Joel interviews Mike about his new book now available on Amazon Kindle. It's like a Growing in Grace podcast in written form! The target audience is for anyone who has had exposure to Christian churches or doctrines, but may struggle with wondering where they stand with God. It's for those who wonder if God can really forgive them and whether they have truly been accepted. It will help to bring a greater understanding of what the finished work of Jesus Christ provided for them, and the book will help remove some of the confusion associated with many common teachings that have mistakenly jumbled the old and new covenants together. The book addresses issues such as why the old commandments and rules will never work; the ministry of Jesus and why He taught things that weren't always meant for future believers; sin confession; repentance and other hot-button topics that have caused many to live in religious bondage.

The new book is available on Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713ZSKY7) under the title of Clash of the Covenants: Escaping Religious Bondage Through the Grace Guarantee, by Michael C. Kapler.

If you do not have a Kindle device, no problem, simply download the Kindle app for free to your smart phone, tablet or computer and then purchase through Amazon.

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.