Growing in Grace is a weekly podcast airing on various internet sources. Sit down with Mike and Joel as they casually chat about growing in understanding the gospel and living in the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ. New episodes air every Sunday and all past episodes are archived here. Feel free to download and distribute.
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Mike Kapler Podcasts
Growing in Grace is a weekly program featuring informal conversation to help with growth in understanding the gospel, and to live in the freedom that comes through Jesus Christ.
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1034. "Even His Brothers Did Not Believe in Him"
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Our conversation this week takes a different approach on avoiding the judgment of others when it comes to trying to identify whether or not they are saved or considered as believers in Christ. We find passages in the Bible where it's easy to jump to the wrong conclusions and allow human speculation and misdirected theology of the written pages to p…
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"So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you'" (John 6:53).This was one small piece of a passage that had people trying to figure out just exactly what Jesus was saying. This not only included those opposed to Jesus but also those who had been following …
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Chairs within church buildings are filled with people week after week who just want someone to tell them what they need to do to experience God's blessings and acceptance. They just want to know they are right with God.In John chapter 6, after seeing Jesus perform some miracles, a group of people went looking for Him across the sea—who previously h…
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Have you been told that God will not provide blessings to you until you pass a test ... or a series of tests throughout your life? Imagine being in a state of mind that constantly has people wondering if God is withholding blessings as they try to figure out how to make themselves worthy. It's another one of those foggy notions religion likes to th…
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1030. Overcoming the Need to Convince Others to Agree With You
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This week is a spontaneous conversation we were not planning on doing—as it happened in real time. There are tons of different church brands out there. Most consider the pages of the Bible as the source for their beliefs. And yet, consider there are millions of different opinions and perspectives that may be very contrary to each other. Even within…
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This week is a spontaneous conversation we were not planning on doing—as it happened in real time. There are tons of different church brands out there. Most consider the pages of the Bible as the source for their beliefs. And yet, consider there are millions of different opinions and perspectives that may be very contrary to each other. Even within…
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"Working for God" is a theme that gets tossed around in the religious world. The memo suggests that too much grace will throw things out of balance and will deceive people. You may have even heard some say grace is dangerous. Experiencing God's grace, peace and rest doesn't mean people should be encouraged to do nothing while their earthly life pas…
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1029. Laboring/Working by the Grace of God
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"Working for God" is a theme that gets tossed around in the religious world. The memo suggests that too much grace will throw things out of balance and will deceive people. You may have even heard some say grace is dangerous.Experiencing God's grace, peace and rest doesn't mean people should be encouraged to do nothing while their earthly life pass…
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If repenting is required in order to be saved, justified and sanctified, it might be good to know exactly what it means. How is it defined? Well, that will depend on which church brand you do business with. Some will tell you one thing while others communicate something quite different. But most will be quite vague and not very specific. If repenta…
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1028. Religion's Definition of Repentance: "Changed Behavior"
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If repenting is required in order to be saved, justified and sanctified, it might be good to know exactly what it means. How is it defined? Well, that will depend on which church brand you do business with. Some will tell you one thing while others communicate something quite different. But most will be quite vague and not very specific. If repenta…
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What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words repent, repenting, and repentance? When someone from ChurchLand says people need to repent, they are usually communicating that the person who sins needs to stop sinning. But the messenger stating this hasn't stopped ... in spite of whatever sin reduction they may boast. So where does tha…
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1027. Repentance: It Isn't Just for Sinners and Legalists Any More
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What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words repent, repenting, and repentance? When someone from ChurchLand says people need to repent, they are usually communicating that the person who sins needs to stop sinning. But the messenger stating this hasn't stopped ... in spite of whatever sin reduction they may boast. So where does tha…
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1026. The Righteousness of Works vs. The Righteousness of Faith
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Once upon a time there was a covenant made between God and the nation of Israel. It was based upon a law of hearing it and *doing* it. The ultimate goal was to be a doer of that word of law as they pursued right standing with God. In spite of how many may have thought they were performing as required, nobody could actually do it.About 1,500 years l…
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Once upon a time there was a covenant made between God and the nation of Israel. It was based upon a law of hearing it and doing it. The ultimate goal was to be a doer of that word of law as they pursued right standing with God. In spite of how many may have thought they were performing as required, nobody could actually do it. About 1,500 years la…
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1025. Did Jesus Send the Spirit to Convict You of Sin?
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Overheard inside a church building near you:"The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.""Sin separates us from God.""Sin will hinder our fellowship with God."What if none of these things are accurate? Would it positively change how you see God in your daily life? What if the blood of Jesus was stronger than sin ... stronger than your fleshly works ... wou…
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Overheard inside a church building near you: "The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin." "Sin separates us from God." "Sin will hinder our fellowship with God." What if none of these things are accurate? Would it positively change how you see God in your daily life? What if the blood of Jesus was stronger than sin ... stronger than your fleshly works ...…
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The practice of inviting God into our presence may be something many of us have done and may still do without stopping to think much about it. There are various phrases used when the invitation is extended but they all pretty much imply that God isn't with us, and we would like Him to show up and make some sort of appearance. God never leaves you. …
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The practice of inviting God into our presence may be something many of us have done and may still do without stopping to think much about it. There are various phrases used when the invitation is extended but they all pretty much imply that God isn't with us, and we would like Him to show up and make some sort of appearance. God never leaves you. …
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1023. Your Lifestyle Is Not Your Testimony
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Behavior improvement is a great thing. It can be profitable in multiple ways for yourself and those around you. Avoiding sinful options is always good advice. But our conduct and good works should not be considered as our testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. To do so is boasting in the flesh with an attitude of self-righteousness. It proudly screams…
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Behavior improvement is a great thing. It can be profitable in multiple ways for yourself and those around you. Avoiding sinful options is always good advice. But our conduct and good works should not be considered as our testimony of faith in Jesus Christ. To do so is boasting in the flesh with an attitude of self-righteousness. It proudly screams…
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1022. Why You Can't Be a Disciple of Jesus (According to Jesus)
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When Jesus spoke about being His disciple, it contained some pretty overwhelming requirements to even qualify for a shot at the position. It's not unusual to see the world of religion try to "Christianize" something Jesus said that was specifically intended for those to whom He was speaking ... Jewish people who were still under the Mosaic law, bef…
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When Jesus spoke about being His disciple, it contained some pretty overwhelming requirements to even qualify for a shot at the position. It's not unusual to see the world of religion try to "Christianize" something Jesus said that was specifically intended for those to whom He was speaking ... Jewish people who were still under the Mosaic law, bef…
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1021. Identifying as a Disciple (And How to Avoid It)
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"Discipleship" is often a big theme inside of many church buildings. But when we are told to be disciples, what does it mean? What pops into your mind? What do you need to do to get there? Is it your level of dedication? Your commitment to God? To the church corporation? To unwavering Bible reading and prayer? Maybe you just automatically think of …
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"Discipleship" is often a big theme inside of many church buildings. But when we are told to be disciples, what does it mean? What pops into your mind? What do you need to do to get there? Is it your level of dedication? Your commitment to God? To the church corporation? To unwavering Bible reading and prayer? Maybe you just automatically think of …
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1020. Written and Engraved on Stones: The Strength of Sin
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Imagine seeking guidance from a trusted clergy or spiritual counselor who taught and instructed you to work hard at keeping a code of stone-tablet commandments in order to succeed at securing favor and blessings from God. Chances are good you won't have to imagine because you've experienced it firsthand. You were exposed to the two-headed monster k…
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Imagine seeking guidance from a trusted clergy or spiritual counselor who taught and instructed you to work hard at keeping a code of stone-tablet commandments in order to succeed at securing favor and blessings from God. Chances are good you won't have to imagine because you've experienced it firsthand. You were exposed to the two-headed monster k…
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1019. A Ministry of Works That Was Not of Faith
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We're continuing on the question as to why the Christian church world has largely mixed law and grace. Something that is often overlooked from the legalistic side of the fence is that the old Mosaic law of stone tablets was not rooted in or based upon faith. Think about that. The religious mixture emphasized so frequently has confused "doing" with …
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We're continuing on the question as to why the Christian church world has largely mixed law and grace. Something that is often overlooked from the legalistic side of the fence is that the old Mosaic law of stone tablets was not rooted in or based upon faith. Think about that. The religious mixture emphasized so frequently has confused "doing" with …
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1018. A Listener Asks: Why Do So Many Churches and Christians Mix Law and Grace?
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There is a wide array of different church affiliations out there around the world and many have *very* differing points of view on many different things. But there are some common threads found through the spectrum. First, most believe that they pretty much use the Bible as the source for their beliefs. Second, they mix an "old covenant" that Israe…
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There is a wide array of different church affiliations out there around the world and many have very differing points of view on many different things. But there are some common threads found through the spectrum. First, most believe that they pretty much use the Bible as the source for their beliefs. Second, they mix an "old covenant" that Israel …
…
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1017. "Recalculating" When Feeling Lost on a Guilt Trip
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Religion is man's attempt to do enough to make themselves acceptable to God. The grace of the gospel reveals something different ... and that is ... God did everything necessary to draw us near to Him. It's wrapped inside an eternal inheritance—guaranteed in Jesus Christ.When feeling overwhelmed by condemnation, know that you will never be able to …
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Religion is man's attempt to do enough to make themselves acceptable to God. The grace of the gospel reveals something different ... and that is ... God did everything necessary to draw us near to Him. It's wrapped inside an eternal inheritance—guaranteed in Jesus Christ. When feeling overwhelmed by condemnation, know that you will never be able to…
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