Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #321
 
Title: Love God With All Your Heart
 
Web Description: The biblical feasts are a divine time in which we can break through into things that are available to us. Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, is one of those times. As we finish Sukkot this year, let us do it with a drive of spirit that says we will walk with God, we will obey His Word, and we will love Him with all our hearts and souls. We can do this because His provision and equipping have enabled us.
 
Show Notes: The Feast of Tabernacles is a time to celebrate the preparation God has for us in this life, just as Israel observed the feast as a remembrance of their preparation in the wilderness. A major aspect of that preparation was the Lord commanding His people to love Him with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all their might. He also told them, "This commandment is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach." God was not commanding them to do something that He was not also enabling them to do.
 
Now apply this to yourself as a believer in Christ today. John reminds us that we do not have a new commandment. It is the same commandment we have heard from the beginning. We know that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves, but obeying that sometimes seems too difficult or out of reach. We need this realization that if God tells us to do something, He also equips us and enables us to do it.
 
Therefore, we cannot continue making excuses for not loving God and observing His commandments to us, especially in these days in which we live. There is an urgency on this age to obey God, just as He commanded Israel to do. So as you continue to celebrate this great Feast of Tabernacles, I encourage you to reach in with an even greater faith that God will enable you to love Him with all your heart in order to please Him and be capable of performing the works that He has prepared for us.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Deuteronomy 30:5–8. "God will circumcise your heart … to love the LORD your God with all your heart."
•       Deuteronomy 30:9–14. "This commandment … is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach."
•       Deuteronomy 30:15–20. "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live."
•       2 John 1:4–6. "This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning."
•       Leviticus 19:18. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
•       Romans 10:6–8. "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART."
•       Deuteronomy 6:4–13. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
•       Jeremiah 31:33. "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "God doesn't command you to do something that He doesn't also equip you and enable you to do."
•       "We can do this. He's putting it in our heart. He's putting the words of faith in our mouth that we may speak them into existence."
•       "This promise comes not because you say, 'I'm saved,' and you go on and live your life in some other way. It comes because we literally live a life in which we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and we obey His voice."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    This is not out of reach for us. We can do this. We can come into the reality of loving the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul. This Word is near us. It is in our mouths and in our hearts that we may observe it.
2.    There are Words that He has commanded us. There are the Words that He has put upon our hearts. And we have to stop saying, "This is too difficult for us." It is not too difficult. God has made it possible.
3.    Let us celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in such a way that we come out of it living in days of life and prosperity, and we walk away from the age of death and adversity.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #320
Title: The Feast of Tabernacles – An Introduction
 
Web Description: Imagine the Kingdom of God on this earth: a time when the presence of God is always with us and leading us, when knowledge and understanding of His Word is always available, when there is no disease and people have all the food they need. Well, the Feast of Tabernacles is a remembrance of the time when the children of Israel experienced all those things in the wilderness. We pray, "Thy kingdom come on earth." But through Tabernacles, God can show us exactly what that means.
 
Show Notes: How important is the Feast of Tabernacles to us as Christians? All the biblical feasts have relevance for us, but the Feast of Tabernacles is particularly significant to the days we are living in now. Of all the feasts, Tabernacles is the only time the Lord commanded the children of Israel to include the servants and strangers and others living in their towns. It points to the time of His Kingdom when those who were formally strangers and aliens are included, and the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14).
 
The observance of this feast involves living in simple booths for seven days. This was to remind the children of Israel of the time they lived in tents as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. We usually think of the wilderness as a time when God's dealings are on us or negative things are taking place surrounding us. But the Feast of Tabernacles is about being all together joyful, about celebrating the harvest, about God reminding them, "When you were in the wilderness, I was with you."
 
During this Feast of Tabernacles, study the Scriptures about it. Learn how it has been celebrated and the events that transpired during the feast, both in the history of Israel and in the life of Christ. It will give you something not just to remember, but to look forward to. Use your imagination and picture in your mind what those days in the wilderness would have been like when the presence of the Lord was always with them protecting them, leading them, instructing them, and providing for them. Wait on the Lord and say, "Show me, Lord. What are these days of Tabernacles? And what do they hold in store for us as believers today?"
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Leviticus 23:34–44. "You shall live in booths for seven days."
•       Deuteronomy 16:13–17. "You shall rejoice in your feast."
•       Deuteronomy 31:10–13. "At the end of every seven years … you shall read this law in front of all Israel."
•       1 Kings 8:2–6. "At the feast … the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place."
•       2 Chronicles 5:1–7. "Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark."
•       Ezra 3:1–6. "They celebrated the Feast of Booths, as it is written."
•       Nehemiah 8:13—9:3. "The entire assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in them."
•       John 7:2–14. "When it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach."
•       John 7:37–39. "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water."
•       Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
•       John 18:36. "My kingdom is not of this world."
•       Romans 8:14. "All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
•       Isaiah 11:9. "The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "We see some of these tremendous advantages of this time in the wilderness that only existed for Israel or on the earth during this time."
•       "God is saying, 'I want you to remember this time because I'm going to bring My Kingdom to this earth.'"
•       "This Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of His presence on the earth, and let us believe to see the glory of the Lord fill all the earth at this wonderful time of Tabernacles."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    This feast is referred to as Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, or the Feast of Tabernacles. And one of the great titles for this feast is the Feast of the LORD. This indicates how important this time is; we are to spend it with the Lord.
2.    In our Christian mindset, we often think of the wilderness as a negative experience. But the reality is that there are many aspects of the wilderness experience that describe the experience of God's Kingdom on earth.
3.    Isaiah tells us that "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." And it was during Tabernacles that Yeshua (Jesus) prophesied that out of us will flow rivers of living water. So Tabernacles is about the presence of God, the knowledge of God, and the understanding of God that will flow into the earth through the believers in Christ.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #319
 
Title: The Day of Atonement – Yom Kippur
 
Web Description: If you are in Christ, you are a new creature and old things have passed away. So have the old things passed away from you? Has your old Adamic nature passed away, and you no longer struggle with sin? Is that an experience you have had? I think, for the most part, people do not believe that that experience even exists. Yet that experience is what the Day of Atonement is about. And as we celebrate it this year, I think we should appropriate that experience to be the reality in our lives.
 
Show Notes: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is observed as a time of fasting and repentance. It was a day appointed by God to make atonement for the people and to cleanse them of their sins. That involved animal sacrifice. But an important aspect of that day was that one goat was not sacrificed but sent out alive to remove the sins of the people. Christ did this for us on a permanent basis. Yet as Christians we emphasize the forgiveness of sin, and this aspect of permanently removing our sin is something we have difficulty believing.
 
Regardless, this is something God emphasized for the Day of Atonement. Our understanding of forgiveness is rooted in Passover. As the Passover lamb covered the children of Israel and protected them from judgment, so the blood of Christ covers us and protects us from judgment. This covering is generally what we refer to as forgiveness of sins. But the cleansing and removal of sin was not at Passover; it was on the Day of Atonement.
 
There is a difference between having our sins forgiven and having our sins removed. You can be forgiven of your sins and still have the nature of sin in you. And it is clear that we Christians still have that sin nature. Therefore, just as Passover is an important part of our deliverance, so the Day of Atonement is a time when we look to the Lord—not just for the forgiveness of our sin but for the removal of the nature of sin. Can we believe for that? I think we can.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       1 Corinthians 5:7. "Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed."
•       Leviticus 23:26–28. "It is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD."
•       Leviticus 16:1–34. Read about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
•       Leviticus 16:11. "Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself … and for his household."
•       Leviticus 16:15. "He shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people."
•       Leviticus 16:22. "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land."
•       Leviticus 16:30. "It is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you."
•       Hebrews 9:18–28. "Christ … will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin."
•       2 Corinthians 5:15–17. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature."
•       John 3:1–13. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
•       Romans 6:1–13. "Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with."
•       Ephesians 4:22–24. "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self."
•       Colossians 3:9–10. "You laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self."
•       Romans 12:1–2. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "Every Sunday you receive Communion, the Lord's Supper, and the purpose of that is to remember the sacrifice that was made. And most people use it in applying the blood once again and looking for forgiveness of the sins that have transpired since last Sunday."
•       "I think we should humble ourselves and reach for a level of experience that we have not yet received, which is this new creature that is freed from the conditionings and the nature of the past."
•       "There is a process where we transcend through the good, the acceptable, and the perfect into a renewal of our mind, which transforms us into His likeness and His image. And I believe this is the purpose of the Day of Atonement."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    It is one thing to be forgiven of sin, but we cannot dwell with God in His presence with sin still dwelling within us. Atonement involves the removal of that sin.
2.    We understand that through forgiveness we receive eternal life, and we are accepted into the family of God. But we should not continue to live—and feel like it is acceptable to live—with this nature of sin still dominating or at least existing within us.
3.    Yes, we need to be forgiven of our sins, but likewise, we need to lay aside the old self and put on the new self, "which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness."

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #318
Title: The Day of Trumpets – Yom Teruah
 
Web Description: The Day of Trumpets is a day appointed for the sounding of trumpets. And it is important to understand its significance to the time in which we live. The Hebrew word for blowing trumpets is teruah, which can mean to sound an alarm. And that is what we need right now. We need an alarm clock to wake us up from our dullness, our lack of awareness, and our passivity. We must wake up and be alert to hear what the Lord is speaking to us for the coming year.
 
Show Notes: When enacting the Day of Trumpets, the Lord spoke to Moses, "You shall have … a reminder by blowing of trumpets." And in Hebrew, "blowing of trumpets" is teruah. By understanding the meanings of the word teruah, we can understand how the Day of Trumpets is not just a historical observance that involved people blowing into physical trumpets or rams' horns. It is a specific time that God appointed to meet His people and is very applicable to us today.
 
Teruah can be a signal to announce an important day or the arrival of a king. Teruah can be a shout, making a noise before the Lord. It can be praise and worship of the Lord. It can be an alarm to alert people to attack or to be alert in battle. These are all ways we can celebrate the Day of Trumpets. We can shout to remind the Lord of His promises; we can announce the fulfillment of His Kingdom; we can praise and worship Him; we can sound the alarm in spiritual warfare.
 
This year especially, our teruah needs to be an alarm like an alarm clock next to our bed to wake us up. We need to wake up to what is happening around us. We need to wake up to the day we are living in. We need to wake up and take account of our own personal walk with the Lord and make sure that we are doing what He is directing us to do. We need to be aware of the battle in these last days and cry out before the Lord that He remember us and fulfill His Word over His people.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Leviticus 23:24–25. "You shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets."
•       Isaiah 55:6–7. "Seek the LORD while He may be found."
   Numbers 29:1. "It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets [teruah]."
•       Leviticus 25:9. "On the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land."
•       Jeremiah 4:19. "You have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war."
•       Amos 2:2. "Moab will die amid tumult, with war cries and the sound of a trumpet."
•       Psalms 150:3. "Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with harp and lyre."
•       Numbers 10:8–10. "The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets."
•       Psalm 100:1 (KJV). "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD."
•       Luke 21:28. "When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads."
•       Isaiah 55:11. "My word … will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire."
•       Romans 13:10–14. "It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep."
•       Ephesians 5:14–19. "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead."
•       Isaiah 52:1–11. "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion."
•       Isaiah 60:1–5. "Lift up your eyes round about and see."
Isaiah 51:17, 22–23. "Rouse yourself! Rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem."
 
 
Quotes:
 
•       "This is a day of reminder. Lord, we remind You of the promises. We remind You of the prophecies that You've spoken. We remind You about Your Kingdom."
•       "It's time for us to take stock of how we are walking. We wake up, lay aside the deeds of darkness, put aside our walk with God from yesterday, and put on the armor of light."
•       "He will remember His people, He will remember His Word, and He will come down to fulfill it. He will comfort His people, and He will redeem Jerusalem. All that He has spoken will be fulfilled."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    The Hebrew word teruah, translated as "blowing of trumpets," can mean shouting unto the Lord. It can mean sounding an alarm. It can mean announcing the warning of battle that is coming. It can mean praising God and making a joyful noise unto the Lord.
2.    The Day of Trumpets will be a day of crying to the Lord, waking up in our walk with God, purifying ourselves, coming into a righteousness before God, and God responding and remembering us, and remembering His Word and fulfilling it.
3.    The alarm is being sounded just like it goes off in the morning next to your bed and shocks you out of your sleep. God wants us to be awake now. The time for sleeping is over. He wants us to get right with Him as we wait on Him, cry out to Him, and live in His Word, believing for the fulfillment of all that He has spoken.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #317
Title: Our Giving During the Biblical Feasts
 
Web Description: The Lord commands us to comfort His people and speak kindly to Jerusalem. And a perfect time to follow that commandment is during the upcoming feast season. Take this time to give to the people of Israel, who have suffered greatly since October 7, 2023. Please consider supporting Israel through Hargrave Ministries, where all your donations for Israel go directly to organizations that assist the people there, combat anti-Semitism, and educate Christians on our Jewish heritage. 
 
Show Notes: Hargrave Ministries is committed to following the command of the Lord to comfort His people. We consistently give to projects in Israel that provide not only financial support but also physical and emotional support to the people. And Israel needs our support today even more than when we started our ministry of giving. Ever since the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023, and the wars that followed, the people of Israel have experienced great trauma and difficulty. Now is the time to minister comfort to Israel.
 
Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. And Christians need to be blessing Israel. When we give to Israel, something comes through to the people there, letting them know that people from all over the world are with them, comforting them, standing with them, and believing with them to see all the prophecies and the promises of the Word of God come true over the Jewish people and over the land of Israel. The coming feast times are a wonderful opportunity to express our faith for the fulfillment of God's blessings on Israel.
 
The projects supported by Hargrave Ministries are an excellent way to express this faith. Listen to this podcast and visit www.hargraveministries.org/israel-projects to learn about these organizations and the tremendous work they do to bring healing and material aid to those who have suffered greatly in this time. These are all nonprofit entities in Israel that we have worked closely with for more than eight years and affirm their integrity. And 100% of your donations for Israel through Hargrave Ministries goes to these organizations.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Isaiah 40:1–2. "'Comfort, O comfort My people,' says your God. 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem.'"
•       Genesis 12:1–3. "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse."
•       Matthew 25:31–40. "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you."
•       Luke 6:38. "Give, and it will be given to you ... a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over."
•       James 1:27. "Pure and undefiled religion … is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress."
•       Jeremiah 32:41. "I will … faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "God blesses and will continue to bless Israel. And when you really see the motivation of God behind it, it is through Israel that God does intend to bless all the families of the earth."
•       "How are we blessed? Because we first have blessed Abraham and the seed of Abraham and all of God's Word and promises for Israel and the Jewish people."
•       "God Himself is saying this is what He is doing with His whole heart and His whole soul. He is bringing His people back to the land and planting them once again in Israel. And we want to be part of helping that happen."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    During this season of the fall feasts, we can be a blessing to Israel through our prayers, our finances, and our faith. We can speak kindly to Jerusalem, and we can comfort His people in this time of great tragedy that they have faced since the October 7 attacks.
2.    If we can sweep away the lies of satan about Israel that come through anti-Semitism, we will see God's love and purpose in choosing Israel.
3.    In all the celebration and rejoicing of the feast season, let us also find a place in our hearts to give to Israel and bless the seed of Abraham according to the Word of God in Genesis 12: "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you."