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,…

Having Knowledge of God's Love Vs. Knowing God's LoveBy 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…

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

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

If a believer in Christ becomes tempted to ask God for more forgiveness over and over, this is a sign they have not yet come to realize the plenitude of God's forgiveness that came through the one sacrifice of Jesus. It implies a lack of confidence in His shed blood. But since this is what the bulk of the religious message has coached people to do …

Forgiveness Assured for All Time - The High Priest Sat DownBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Even those claiming to be believers in Christ have experienced a fear of not being forgiven by God, sometimes walking around in guilt and condemnation rather than peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Many have been taught that repeated forgiveness is needed when we stumble—that we are forgiven for past sins up to this moment, but frequent requests mus…

How Can I Be Sure I'm Completely Forgiven?By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Even many who are stuck in certain degrees of legalism might agree with our recent discussions about salvation being offered as a gift by grace through faith. But they can't resist the temptation to somehow make works a part of the equation. One way of doing this is to suggest salvation is free and instantaneous (then listen for the "but"), BUT san…

Salvation as a Gift - But What About Sanctification?By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Welcome aboard ... as it occurred to us after starting this program that we have now been doing the Growing in Grace podcast for 19 years. Springboarding off of recent programs, we examine the typical mindset that is often adapted within a multitude of church buildings where they focus on what they consider to be wrong with people instead of the go…

Is Jesus Truly a Savior or Not? (19th Year-Anniversary Podcast)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

Deep down within the hearts of people, ultimately everyone desires to know they are in a good place with their creator and are considered acceptable and right with Him. Most will pursue a religious path that attempts to do certain things—or avoid doing certain things—that will bring them to this place. Sometimes even those claiming to believe in Je…

How Can I Be Sure I'm Right With God?By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

We've heard from so many listeners around the world over the years who came to be enlightened by God's perfect love, grace and once-for-all forgiveness. It can be stunning when coming to realize just how good the gospel message is while experiencing freedom from religious routines ... and coming to grips with how very different it is when compared …

Freed From Religion - Now What? (Access to a Living God by His Spirit)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

The Apostle Paul said: "But now we have been delivered from the law." We often apply a phrase such as this to us who are believers in Christ today who typically are not from a Jewish background. We'll offer a perspective on who Paul was specifically addressing from Romans 7 and how removing the dividing wall of separation (the law of commandments) …

A Covenant of Law and a Covenant of Grace: Recognizing the DifferencesBy Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

The Christian religion has notoriously attempted to mix the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ with a hodgepodge of works-based rules and requirements that will vary with great extreme from one denominational brand to the next. Leapfrogging through various Bible verses which are often taken out of the context of the New Covenant can leave people i…

You Are Not Under Law but Under Grace (No "Balance" Required)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

We're concluding our series on salvation coming to the Gentiles (this is the 10th program). After the endeavor by James and the church leadership in Jerusalem of trying to convince Paul to deny what he was teaching and to participate in an Old Covenant cleansing ceremony in the attempt to make peace with Jews who were zealous for the law ... Paul w…

Paul Arrested - But Still Proclaimed Salvation for Gentiles (Series Conclusion)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke

We're nearing the conclusion of our series on the challenging time of transition after the resurrection related to Gentile controversies from the book of Acts. Taking a look at Acts 21, where Paul went to Jerusalem to address some issues head-on ... knowing he may end up suffering or even facing death. This would have been about a decade after the …

"Hey Paul, Issue a Retraction About Your Teaching" (Signed, the Jerusalem Church)By Mike Kapler & Joel Brueseke