After the Cross: The Mixing of Law and FaithBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Throughout the pages of the New Testament, we see numerous examples of how there were Jewish people coming to believe in Jesus, but understandably also believed the law of Moses was still in place for them. The Apostle Paul came along a short while later with a gospel message he claimed was taught directly to him by divine revelation ... to declare…

"The Law of Liberty" - Something New or Something Obsolete?By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Continuing with program #3 of our series on being a "doer of the word" and what this was meant to be about... The "law of liberty" is seen twice in the New Testament, both times used by James in the first two chapters of his letter written to the twelve tribes of Israel which had been scattered to different regions. If doing an online search to fin…

James made a statement in his letter to the twelve Jewish tribes ... believed by most historians to be the earliest writing in the pages known as The New Testament. "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). This passage, along with what follows has a consistent but curious theme of externals, doing and works—a…

"Be Doers of the Word" (But What Is the "Word" in This Instance?)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

The popular phrase from the Old Testament known as, "The Ten Commandments" is more rightfully interpreted as "The Ten Words." Is it a big deal? Perhaps not, but we wanted to point out a few things about this to lay some groundwork before getting into something that James wrote to his believing Jewish brothers and sisters from the twelve tribes. Jam…

Can We Have a Word? (A Look at the Word "Word")By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Identifying as a Doer... Or a BelieverBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

When we shrink the message of the good news down to a few Bible verses which have been yanked out of context, it can turn into a scary place to hang out. For example, Jesus spoke about some people who would one day be told to depart from Him ... and that He never knew them. Believers can misunderstand such a passage and make it their life's goal to…

Never mind the millions of opinions, interpretations, and thousands of church corporations and denominations about what is inside the pages of the Bible ... there is also an immeasurable number of thoughts and assumptions just about the Bible itself and what it is or isn't. Some of us were instructed to make it required reading on a daily basis. Ot…

Thou Shalt Read Your Bible (And Like It!)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

This week, we take a look back at some of the things we were coaxed into thinking and doing as it was being fed to us through our legalistic religious surroundings and misunderstandings ... as we strived to do whatever we thought was necessary to make sure we were in "God's good graces." After all, we were told of the risks of potentially losing fe…

The Things We Do for LoveBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

"I'm Exhausted" (How Can I Rest in the Finished Work of Christ?)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Try harder, do more, read the Bible more, be extra dedicated to church, pray more (and sometimes pay more). Someone wrote to us to share their background of feeling obligated to spend as much time as possible working to do everything they could "to connect with God." Many of us can relate to chasing the imaginary spiritual golden carrot that seemed…

God desires to reveal Himself to us. It is not something that is comprehended with the mind or intellect but is spiritually discerned. While our knowledge may grow and our minds become renewed when it comes to understanding the truth of the gospel, the revelation comes from God's Spirit to our spirit in the heart of our innermost being. It opens th…

The Living God Revealing HimselfBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

"Flesh and Blood Has Not Revealed This to You"By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" After they answered, He then asked, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke up and said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus declared that Peter was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him, but it came from the Father in heaven. Pe…

Having Knowledge of God's Love Vs. Knowing God's LoveBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Love may be the most talked about thing in every corner of the world while also being at the forefront of what people think about throughout their daily life. After all, we're pretty much bombarded with it everywhere we turn—at least in various forms—in our songs, books, entertainment, relationships, etc. Certainly, our churches focus much on love,…

Not One Command From the Law Brings LifeBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Stop and think about the emphasis that is placed on the topic of faith within our churches and even within multiple religions. Those who believe in a supreme being may often identify themselves as "people of faith." The Apostle Paul stated that the commandments contained within the Mosaic law are not of faith—and yet we find a tremendous emphasis b…

In Matthew 22, Jesus had just silenced the Sadducees at one of His press conferences. After seeing this, and after a quick huddle with his co-workers, a reporter for the Pharisees couldn't resist a follow-up question in the attempt to test Jesus when it came to the subject of something near and dear to their hearts. "What is the great commandment i…

"The Great Commandment" According to Jesus (But That You Were Never Under)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

If repentance is based upon changes in behavior or if it specifically means to turn from sin, how can someone know they have truly reached a place where they can be defined as one who has attained the required plateau of having repented? Turning from sinful behavior is good advice, but when religion includes it in the context of repenting, things g…

Behavioral Changes - How Do You Know if You've "Repented" Enough?By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

John stood in the middle of a river calling for Jewish people to repent—because the kingdom of heaven was at hand—and to be cleansed with water. Although there is no record of the Pharisees being baptized by John, they also were not surprised or shocked by such a cleansing ritual where people would confess their sins ... which was common under the …

Religion's Well-Meant Bent to Misrepresent How to RepentBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Many interpretations of scripture are rooted from a certain mindset. Assumptions about certain things related to the Bible and its content can lead to a point of view which may or may not be true. Bible verses that get singled out and quoted without the proper context of the passage or even the gospel message itself can result in people being misin…

Question: "How Can I Properly Interpret Bible Context?"By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

When we talk about the once-for-all forgiveness found in the one sacrifice through the blood of Jesus, we'll often notice a variety of spiritual muscle spasms from those who had a (1) particular Bible verse taken out of context and pounded into them for many years, found in 1 John 1:9. Considering what we have covered in recent programs about forgi…

Fleeing From Falling into the Forlorn Futility of Frequent ForgivenessBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke