What was the Apostle Paul’s secret to living the Christian life?  In Galatians 2:20 Paul says “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in this body, I live by faith…”  Well there it is, Paul’s secret was to let Jesus live His life in and through him.

I was reading an article on sacrifice.  A question posed went something like this:  “Are you willing to be poured out for others, to have them recognized and you ignored, to totally lose your life to be a door mat?”  It went on and on, but you get the point of the challenge. 

The gist is that one must decide today that when those opportunities come, he or she will pour out their lives.  I think all such challenges should be met with the attitude of saying, “Lord, You know me.  I would save my life at every opportunity.  I have learned from the Apostle Peter that it is easy to say, “Yes”, now, and then in the midst of the event to deny You.” 

I cannot rise to the challenge.  I am weak.  But this I would ask of you Lord:  When the moment of pouring out comes, would You grant me the grace to turn to You, to recognize abiding, and thus let the life that has been poured out, your life, the life of Christ, be poured out again through me? 

Now some believe that the Christian standard is higher than any other, and that their job is to raise the bar for all of us.  If that be true, I quit!  I know myself, and in my flesh dwells no good thing.  The standard that Jesus kept is higher because He was the one keeping it, and the only hope I have is that He keeps it through me.

Here it is again, Paul’s “secret” made known to you and me in Colossians 1:27 which states, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Put your trust in that truth and fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the faith.

Sadly, the believers in Galatia compromised their freedom with legalism.  Angrily Paul wrote, “You foolish Galatians!  Who bewitched you?…It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”   (Gal 3:1, 5:1)

If you are a born again believer, you have been given the very nature of Jesus Christ.  (II Peter 1:4).  You have been “created in righteousness”.  (Eph 4:24)  It isn’t up to you to improve yourself, but instead to recognize and appropriate the truth concerning who you already are.  For years I believed that we should strive toward becoming more righteous by doing the things I believed were expected of the Christian by God.  But the fact is there is nothing you can do.  It has all been taken care of by Jesus Christ. Our place is simply to receive His gift and then rest in the reality of His indwelling life.

LIFE LESSON:  There is only one who has ever lived the Christian life and there is only one who ever will.  His name is Jesus and He will live His life in and through you, the follower of His way…by faith.  That’s the Secret to Christian Living.!

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need  both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.  He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods.  He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.  Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck.  Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.  He was shocked and grieved.  In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching.  Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”  But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.”  Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?  So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.”  Sally just smiled and said, “Well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.”  She whispered again, “Remember the duck?”

So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.  After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer.  He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.  Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know.  You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing.  But because I love you, I forgave you.  I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done, know that the devil will keep throwing it up in your face, but know also that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.  He has seen your whole life.  God wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.  He’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that our sins are FORGIVEN AND REMEMBERED NO MORE.  It is by God’s Grace and Mercy that we are saved.

In Hebrews 10:14, 17, it reads “For by that one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are sanctified…their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”  Thank you Jesus!

LIFE LESSON:  We are not in a power encounter with the devil; we are in a truth encounter.  And God’s Word tells us that once you know the truth, the truth will set you free.  (John 8:32)

“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more!  Amen.”  Jude 24, 25

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1,2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”  The Word of God teaches us to die to self, but on the other hand the world teaches us to build up self.  It’s self image, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-assurance, self-realization, self-actualization, all of which lead to self-centeredness, i.e. life in the flesh.

Now, here are the characteristics of self-centered people:   I won’t write any that apply to me.  (Ha, Ha!)  They are angry, bigoted, blame others, they can’t receive compliments, and they are compulsive.  They are controlled by their emotions, they are controlled by others, they are critical, defensive, falsely humble, they gossip, and they are greedy.

They are full of guilt, they are harsh, and hate themselves.  They hold grudges; they are hyper-sensitive, impatient, impulsive, inadequate, indifferent, inferior, inhibited, insecure, insensitive, intolerant, introspective, jealous, and judgmental.  They lack compassion, love, moderation, and self-control.

They don’t have any trust, they want power, they manipulate, they are opinionated, and overbearing.  They like to play God, they won’t listen, they are proud, they rebel, they are resentful, self-absorbed, self-centered, self-motivated, self-indulgent, and self righteous. 

They are quick to speak, slow to hear, sensitive to criticism, undisciplined, unemotional, unsympathetic, and unteachable. And whenever they read a list like this, they think of everyone they know that ought to read it. 

Self-centeredness is ugly, and as one of my friends recently said:  it’s like having bad breathe, stinky feet, and body odor.  It may not bother you, but it is knocking the rest of us out. 

This is why Jesus wants us to die to self so that we can be under the Spirit’s control in this world.   We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat.  We are here to have the full realization of Christ for the purpose of building His body. 

As Christians we are surely in this world, but we are no longer of this world.  Our citizenship is now in heaven and we are to be ambassadors for the kingdom of God as though God were making His appeal in and through us.  A child of God is not to take the initiative toward self-realization, but towards Christ-realization.  Scripture tells us that we died and that our life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3). 

I heard a wise man once say that the people of this world are trying to live a life they do not have substituting religion for God, but then he said on the other hand there are others in this world who are not of this world who have a life they never live!  This is the mystery of our faith revealed, Christ in you the hope of glory.  (Colossians 1:27)  Are you concerned about Christ realization in your life or only concerned about self-realization?

Our Lord’s teaching is anti self-realization.  His plan is to live His life in and through us, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure.  The nature of self-realization, on the other hand, leads one to say I am my own God.  So, Christ-realization is the only hope of glory.

LIFE LESSON:  Offer God your body as a living sacrifice, allowing Him to live His life in and through you, by the renewing of your mind.  And remember, greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness. 

An allegory is a story in which the characters and events symbolize a deeper underlying meaning.  With that being said, here is one I heard over ten years ago and the deeper underlying meaning really connected with my understanding of the grace of God. 

It was about a king who declared a complete pardon for all prostitutes.  Total forgiveness was granted to all and their past record was stricken from the books.  Now that would be good news if you were a prostitute.  To make this reconciliation even better, the king legalized prostitution, totally releasing them from the law.  Again, that would be great news if you were a prostitute. 

However, what would be her motivation to stop living her life in the streets?  Probably very little.  But then let’s say, the king asks the prostitute to be his bride.  She would then become a queen able to live a life of royalty.  What are the odds that she would choose to live her life in the streets again as opposed to living her life in a castle?  She would have to be out of her mind to choose the streets.  Wouldn’t you agree? 

Life Lesson:  Now, it doesn’t matter what someone’s sin is.  We have all been forgiven and released from the law and given a complete pardon in Christ Jesus, our king.  But what if we don’t know about the wedding and the wedding gift?  Would there be any change in our life style without this information?  Probably not.  Wouldn’t you agree? 

Oh, to be sure, we would be thankful that we are forgiven and would not be judged for our sins any more.  But again, would we have any significant motivation to change our behavior.

Key Point:  In the Bible the church is called the bride of Christ.  The gospel message is in effect a marriage proposal.  Our Lord Jesus is the bridegroom, and we Christians are betrothed to Him.  When we come to understand that we are royalty, the bride of Christ, children of God; our actions will change to correspond to our new identity.  We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.  Hallelujah!

Romans 5:17 reads, “…how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”  

II Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we would receive the righteousness of God.”

So you see, His righteousness is our wedding gift.  Well, amen!

Jesus Christ gave His life for us, to give His life to us, to live His life through us.  We are literally the bride and body of Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Let your hearts and minds mediate on this truth for a while.  Praise be to God!

We love and appreciate you very much and thank you for your continued prayers and support. May this New Year be the greatest ever for the body of Christ our Lord,  Savior, and our very lives.

Growing in His Grace

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

HERE ARE TEN CHRISTMAS GIFTS FROM THE BODY OF CHRIST

1. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”  Apostle Paul
2. “I’m not saying Jesus Christ is in your life, I’m saying Jesus Christ is your life.”  Kent Delhousaye    (Col. 3:3,4)
3. “Christianity is not a self-improvement  program; it is a self-replacement.”  Charles Stanley 
4. “Christianity is not a changed life; it is an exchanged life.” 

 Hudson Taylor

1. “Jesus died for us to give His life to us to live His life through us.”

Major Ian Thomas

1. “The quickest way to make someone bad is to try to make them good.”

Ruth Graham  (Jesus is our good.)

1.  “Jesus doesn’t make us better; Jesus is our better.  It’s Christ in you the hope of glory.”  Len Baker
2. “The majority of the Christian world does not know that Christ is the life of every born again believer.”  Anonymous Gift
3. “To the God who does much with little, more with less, and everything with nothing.”  Michael Wells
4.  “Holiness is not something Jesus puts in me; it is Himself He puts in me.  He is our holiness.”  Oswald Chambers  (I Cor. 1:30, 31)

The ministry is praying that your Christmas is blessed with what matters most, God’s amazing love for you and the indescribable gift of His son, Jesus Christ.  He is our righteousness, holiness, Redeemer, Lord, Savior, and our very life.  And all of His teachings in the Bible are all meant to be applied to the life He puts within us at salvation.  Therefore, let Him who boasts, boast in the Lord.  Well, Amen!

Please keep Growing in Grace Ministries in your prayers and in your year end giving plans.  We need both.

Have a blessed New Year and thank you for partnering with us.

You will hear people say, “Oh, be careful of that grace teaching.  Too much grace is not good for you.  It must be balanced with the law.”  I can’t understand why many believers are still trying to balance (mix) law and grace.  If you are for the law, then I pray you be for the law completely.  If you are for grace, then I pray that you be for grace completely.  It is impossible to balance (mix) the two.  That is why Jesus also said in Revelation 3:15, 16…”I know your deeds, they are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

For years I have heard preachers preaching that in this passage Jesus was referring to people who are not red hot for Jesus.  Have you ever heard this expression before?  And what does being red hot for Jesus mean?  Traditionally we have been taught that it means that you are reading many chapters of the Bible each day, witnessing to your co-workers and attending every Bible study or prayer meeting that you can find.  But to be cold means just the opposite, you stop doing these things entirely.

These verses have always been preached as though it were about our actions and behavior.  But Jesus said that He would rather you be cold or hot and not lukewarm.  Now this would not make any sense if He was referring to actions or behavior because wouldn’t being lukewarm for Jesus still be better than being completely cold?  So why would He want the church of Laodicea to be cold if they were not hot? 

Let’s not just take in everything we hear; let’s put on our thinking cap.  You have to test the message and make sure it is consistent with the gospel of Jesus.  These two verses would only make sense when they are interpreted in the light of the mixing of the covenants of law and grace in the church of Laodicea.  The Lord was saying He wished the church be cold entirely under law or hot entirely under grace.  You see, if you were at least completely under the law, it would lead you to despair and into the saving arms of Jesus.  The law would unveil to you your sinfulness and inability to keep the full measure of it, and this would cause you to see your need for His grace.

In Romans 3:20 Paul writes, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

But when you have mixture where you believe in grace but still hold onto the law, you neutralize the convicting power of the law to bring you to the end of yourself so that you will cry out for the grace of the Savior.  That my brothers and sisters is why you cannot be cold and hot at the same time, or be for both law and grace at the same time.  The moment you attempt to balance (mix) grace with the law, you neutralize both and each covenant is robbed of its full effect in your life.  You become lukewarm because of the mixture, and God hates mixture because it robs you of the power to reign in life through the abundance of His grace.

Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law but under grace.”  Think with me what this scripture is saying, if we are trying to live under law, sin would be our master. 

Therefore, mixing law and grace makes lukewarm Christians and furthermore it is dangerous.  It will cause you to live in confusion and our God is not the author of confusion.  It is time to stop the mixture and confusion.  You cannot live under both covenants.

The Apostle Paul said in II Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 

Remember last month I mentioned our dear brother in Christ, Michael Wells, a mentor and friend to this ministry, one of the best expositors of the grace message, went home to be with the Lord on October 11, 2011.  He was in Costa Rica doing grace missionary work.  His last book completed just before he passed was published in October as well, titled My Weakness for His Strength.  If interested in purchasing the book, visit his website for more information www.abidinglife.com.

I thank and praise God every day for your prayers and financial support as you partner with Growing in Grace Ministries for the glory of God.  You are the best!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

What does falling from grace mean? The Apostle Paul told the Galatians in Galatians 5:4: “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.” My dear brethren this is the true definition of “falling (away) from grace.” Today when someone sins, most people say that they have fallen from grace, but the Apostle Paul never told anyone in the church that they had fallen away from grace because of their sins. Now hear this…to fall away from grace then is to fall into the law…look again at the above scripture…Galatians 5:4…”You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

One of the biggest problems in the church today is the mixing of the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace. Some believe you are justified by grace alone through faith alone, while others believe you must keep the law to be justified. Well, who is right and does it really matter if we believe differently?

Well, it mattered enough to the Apostle Paul for him to pronounce the double curse for those who mix law and grace…In Galatians 1:6-9 Paul wrote: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned.”

For the record, it was the Judaizers who were encouraging the mixture of the old covenant of law with the new covenant of grace.

Now many believers do not think that it is a serious matter to have mixture. However, our response to the mixture of law and grace should be in alignment with the Apostle Paul. He was appalled that the Galatians were mixing the old covenant with the new. In fact in Chapter 3 Verse 1 Paul wrote: “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” In II Corinthians 3:6 Paul writes: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter (law) but of the Spirit (grace); for the letter (law) kills, but the Spirit (grace) gives life.”

While most people have no problem with agreeing that they have been saved by grace, they are nevertheless still subjecting themselves to the law. They are depending on their obedience to the law to earn God’s blessing. When they do well, in their own estimation, they expect to be blessed. When they fail or fall short, they expect to be punished. Such a system as this sounds awfully similar to the old covenant…the one under the law.

Grace is the undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor of God. The moment we try to merit the blessing and free favors of God by keeping the law, His grace is nullified….you have fallen away from grace.

God wants us to be blessed on account of what His Son Jesus did for us, not what we do for Him. Those trying to be justified by their law keeping still have an old covenant mentality even though they profess they are in the new covenant. They have reverted to the old system that was based on works and obedience rather than trusting in the new system that is based on faith and believing.

It’s not easy for a teacher to preach pure grace with no mixing of the law, because when you do, you make nothing of man and everything of Jesus. And man does not like that. Grace takes control away from man and forces man to live in the place of constant faith in Christ for everything. Remember John 15:5: ”Apart from Christ, we can do nothing…”

The law makes everything of man’s effort while grace gives all the glory to God. Religious people react when they hear that they can no longer boast in their self-efforts to keep the law.

The people who truly appreciate grace are those who have come to the end of themselves, to the end of their efforts to live the Christian life. They have tried over and over again until they have finally given up and admitted that they cannot meet the law’s unyielding standard. It’s at that time they realize all of God’s standards and teachings were really meant to be applied to the new life He puts within us at salvation. “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.” II Corinthians 5:17

Remember the mystery of our faith…”Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Mixing law and grace is dangerous. It will cause you to live in confusion and our God is not the author of confusion. It is time to stop the mixture and confusion. Choose either the new covenant of grace or the old covenant of law. You cannot live under both covenants.

The Apostle Paul asked the question, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.” (Romans 7:7) So then, the law is holy…righteous and good. But its purpose was to make us aware of our sin and drive us to Christ Jesus for His righteousness.

“Jesus Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

Mixing law and grace makes for lukewarm Christians. Look at Jesus’ message to the church on mixture in Revelations 3:15-16 for more insight.

Let’s close by looking at Galatians 5:4 in the New Living Translation: “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. “

The New Century Version is even clearer…”If you try to be made right with God through the law, your life with Christ is over—you have left God’s grace.” Well Amen!

MICHAEL WELLS CALLED HOME: Our dear brother in Christ, a mentor and friend to this ministry, one of the best expositors of the grace message, went home to be with the Lord on October 11, 2011. He was in Costa Rica doing grace missionary work. Please keep his wife, Betty and his family in your prayers. Visit his website for more information HYPERLINK “http://www.abidinglife.com” www.abidinglife.com

I thank and praise God every day for your prayers and financial support as you partner with Growing in Grace Ministries for the glory of God. You are the best!

Christianity is not about us; it’s all about Jesus!  How can I be so sure?  Well, the Word of God makes it crystal clear in Colossians 3:3,4 which reads “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  Well, there it is.  The Bible clearly states we died.  Therefore, Christianity cannot be about us; we are dead; it’s all about Jesus Christ.  Remember Verse 4 said “Christ is our life.” 

Now believing that you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God and that Christ is your life is the pure truth of God’s Word.  However, the temptation we have to add to this declaration of truth our successes, our abilities, our talents, and our contacts is at times overwhelming to us.  Before we know it, it is no longer “Jesus Christ plus nothing”; it becomes Jesus Christ plus us and all of our good works.

In I Corinthians 15:10 Paul says “…I work harder than all of you, yet not I,…”  Well then, who is it that is doing Paul’s work?  Answer, it’s Christ.  That is the mystery of Christianity.  “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

Paul also wrote in Galatians 2:20a “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”   If you are a born again believer, you have been given the very nature of Jesus Christ.  You have been created in righteousness.  It is not up to you to improve yourself, but instead to recognize and appropriate the truth concerning your new identity.  For years I mistakenly believed that we should strive toward becoming more righteous by doing the things I believed were expected of us by God.  But the fact is there is nothing we can do to become more righteous.  It has all been taken care of by Jesus Christ.  Our place is simply to receive His gift and then rest in the reality of His indwelling life. 

But don’t we have to do our part?  Of course, we do.  Our part is to trust and obey.  It is not a passive life style at all.  If you think it is, I challenge you to try it.  Trusting continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of our faith.  It is easier for us to do something, to do anything than to trust.  We are like Abraham when he thought going to Haggar made more sense than waiting on God to give him a child.

The Christian life is not a test.  It is a rest!  Rest meaning spirit-directed activity.  Jesus died for us to give His life to us to live His life through us.  That is why we are called the body of Christ.  Christianity is not a religion; Christianity is a life, His life in our bodies. 

Pastor Kent Delhousaye of Bethany Bible Church said it best to his congregation on November 7, 2010, in his sermon entitled “The Truth About Life”.  He said “I’m not saying Christ is in your life.  I’m saying Christ is your life.”  Amen!  Well, there it is “The Mystery of Christianity-Not I But Christ.”

I thank and praise God every day for your prayers and financial support as you partner with Growing in Grace Ministries for the glory of God.  You are the best!

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker 

It is truly amazing that religion is what people often want, but Jesus is what people really need.  Religion is all about achieving, accomplishing, and earning our way toward God’s approval.  Many say “just tell me what to do and I will do it.”  The Apostle Paul before his new birth was as religious a person as there has ever been and yet it left him spiritually bankrupt.  He called all that religious righteousness rubbish compared to knowing Christ. 

People who depend on religion are usually boasting about what they have done (their good works).  But a spiritually minded Christian has nothing about which to boast.  He or she boasts only in the Lord.

As Christians we are to put no confidence in the flesh.  The popular religious philosophy of today is “the Lord helps those who help themselves”.  It was also popular in Paul’s day and it is just as wrong today as it was back then.  The Bible has nothing good to say about the flesh and yet most people today depend entirely on what they themselves can do to please God.  It’s all about a works righteousness by observing the rules and regulations of the law.  However, God’s Word tells us, “no one will be declared righteous by observing the law…(Romans 3:20).

Losing your religion is all about living by a faith righteousness that is by grace, not a works righteousness.  Ephesians 2:8,9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  I Corinthians 1:30, 31 reads, “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written:  ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’”  Well, Amen!

Remember the secret mystery of our faith…Christ in us the hope of glory…it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me…for we died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God…and all this is by faith, not works.

I remember reading about a couple talking to their pastor about this matter of faith and works.  They said, “We believe that getting to heaven is like rowing a boat.  One oar is faith, the other is works.  If you use both, you get to heaven.  If you use only one, you go around in circles.”  The pastor replied, “There is only one thing wrong with your illustration.  Nobody is going to heaven in a row boat!”

There is only one good work that will take anyone to heaven, and that is the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross.  That’s it.  Praise God!

Life Lesson:  Christianity is not about us, it’s all about Jesus.  How can I be so sure?  Because the Bible makes it very clear.  We died, remember?  And our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).  Therefore, it can’t be about us, it’s all about Jesus living His life in and through us and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Bottom Line:  Lose your religion and trust in Christ’s righteousness in you, your only hope of glory. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  Amen again!

We truly appreciate you and thank you for standing with us.  We need both your prayers and continued support.  Your partnership in this ministry is very important.  Please consider putting Growing in Grace Ministries in your giving plans.