Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #313
 
Title: Before the Foundation of the World
 
Web Description: At the Lord's Supper, we are to examine ourselves and judge ourselves rightly. But are we actually doing that when we focus on digging up every negative thing in our flesh? We need to view our flesh according to all that we are in Christ. We operate from the heavenly realm, not from the fleshly realm, and His power is in us to fulfill what He sent us in the flesh to do.
 
Show Notes: The apostle Paul wrote concerning the Lord's Supper that we should examine ourselves. But does that mean we focus only on the negative things of the flesh? If we examine ourselves, we should also see that we are not of this world just as Christ is not of this world. We should see that He sent us into this world just as the Father sent Him. We should see that we are the ones God chose before the foundation of the world to be with Him, to be in His image, to be in His likeness, to be filled up to His fullness.
 
It is important that we see ourselves correctly in relation to the flesh. Christ took on a physical body to minister to this world, and we have a fleshly body for that same purpose. He came in the flesh to be the firstborn among many brethren. That means we share in His sufferings in the flesh, but we also share in all that He is spiritually. This is the perspective Paul had when he instructed us to examine ourselves. Paul had not known Christ in the flesh. He only knew Christ as He is to us now in resurrection life at the right hand of the Father.
 
We examine ourselves according to that perspective. That means understanding the purpose for which God created us before the foundation of the world and sent us into the world to fulfill. That means understanding that Christ came in the flesh to die to the flesh and remove the flesh nature from us. That means understanding that we are with Him in the heavenly places, functioning in this world from that place of authority in the power of His resurrection. When we come before the Lord at the Communion table, let us do it in remembrance of all that He is to us and all that He predestined us to be.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       1 Corinthians 11:23–30. "He … eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly."
•       John 12:26. "Where I am, there My servant will be also."
•       John 17:13–18. "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
•       Romans 8:26–39. "Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son."
•       Ephesians 1:2–11. "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world."
•       Philippians 3:20. "Our citizenship is in heaven."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "The Communion should be an experience that takes us back to the understanding of who we are because we are examining that reality in detail."
•       "We were foreknown by Him. But to be put into the image of Christ, it was necessary that we go through this time being in a human body because that is the image of Christ."
•       "Our eternity started before we landed in this realm of the material world, before we were born into this fleshly body."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Paul's perspective was not from his experience with Christ in the flesh on the earth but from his experience with the resurrected Christ in the heavenly places at the right hand of the Father.
2.    It is from this perspective that he told us to examine ourselves, not negatively according to the flesh, but according to what Christ is, what He has done, and what He is doing in us.
3.    Just as we share in the flesh with Christ, we also share in the power of His resurrection and victory over the flesh.
4.    Judging ourselves rightly means we are seeing ourselves as those predestined by God before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #312
Title: Our Prayer for Our Nations
 
Web Description: Daniel's prayer for Israel while they were in captivity is not simply a historical story. It is an example for us to follow. Just as Israel ignored the warnings from God that led to Jerusalem's destruction, the nations today are ignoring the abundant warnings in the Scriptures about the destruction set to happen in our day. It is time that we follow Daniel's example of seeking God, asking His forgiveness, and praying for His blessing to be on our nations.
 
Show Notes: The United States of America has enjoyed tremendous blessings since its founding. And we celebrate those blessings every July 4th. But even more than that, we celebrate the fact that God was involved with our founding. This nation began because people were seeking God and acknowledging Him in its formation. But we must do more than remember what great things God did in the founding of this country. We need to be walking with Him today in such a way that the blessings, the gifts, and the peace that we have experienced in this country will continue.
 
This applies to all nations; and Christians everywhere need to be seeking God that His covering and blessings will rest on their nations. A great example of this from the Scriptures is Daniel. Daniel was very concerned about his nation, the nation of Israel, and he prayed, "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You." When we look at all that is turning our own nation away from God and away from the values that are the source of the blessings we enjoy, we should feel a deep personal shame and seek God as Daniel did.
 
Daniel walked uprightly before the Lord and had not done any of the things God was judging Israel for. Yet he humbled himself and accepted responsibility along with all Israel for the situation they were in. As Christians we cannot exclude ourselves from responsibility for our country. Let us evaluate our own hearts and minds. Let us lift our own thinking and ways of acting before the Lord for Him to examine. Let us be honest with ourselves about why we are in the circumstances today that are troubling the nations. Those circumstances are God's way to get us to turn to Him. Let us turn to Him with all our hearts and seek Him for His blessings to be restored to us.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Daniel 9:2–12. "Open shame belongs to us … because we have sinned against You."
•       Psalm 132:14. "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it."
•       2 Chronicles 7:16. "My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."
•       Daniel 9:16–22. "For Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "I wish we as a global community of the Body of Christ would seek God on behalf of all our nations."
•       "God so loved the world and He so loved mankind that He's bringing about an opportunity of grace for us to cry out to Him and find deliverance through Him."
•       "If we get instruction and answers from God, let us not this time harden our hearts. Let us not at this time close our ears and our minds to what His Word is speaking to us. And let's believe that He brings, in this generation, the insight and the understanding that will, by His grace, bring deliverance to this age."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    We should be those who acknowledge our own responsibility for whatever direction our nation is going and whatever troubles it finds itself in. And we should be seeking God for our nation to return to Him and see His blessings return to us.
2.    Let us not follow the example of those who ignored the warnings, hardened their hearts, and turned away from the prophets and the Word God was speaking. Instead, let us follow Daniel's example of admitting our guilt and seeking God for His grace and forgiveness.
3.    We need to change the atmosphere of anger in this country. The drive to not listen, to not learn, to not love, but rather to hurt one another leads to violence. And violence will beget violence until we find ourselves on the brink of civil war once again.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #311
Title: The Fast of Tisha B'Av
 
 
Web Description: The fast of Tisha B'Av this year will be another time of fasting and mourning for the Jewish people. But also this year there are many who cry out as the comforters of God's people—who speak kindly to Jerusalem, and who voice in faith the Words of the Lord that prophesy the rebuilding of the city and the reestablishment of the fortunes of Jacob.
 
Show Notes: The fast of Tisha B'Av is observed on the ninth day of the month of Av, which in 2026 begins at sundown on July 22 and ends at sundown on July 23. Tisha B'Av is a fast of mourning for the tragic events in Jewish history occurring on the ninth of Av, but primarily for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The prophecies of Yeshua (Jesus) concerning the destruction of the Second Temple, which are recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21, are applicable to this fast.
 
As Christians we need to see how specific these prophecies are to Jerusalem and to Israel. And it is important that we observe this time with the Jewish people because we have a purpose to fulfill. That purpose, as we read in Isaiah 40, is to comfort God's people. With that purpose in mind, how do we pray for Israel and the Jewish people at this time when they are suffering so much from war and the threat of war? We pray for God's promises of restoration to be fulfilled.
 
God's promise through Zechariah is that the times of fasting will be replaced by feasts of joy and that the nations will not return to Jerusalem with sword and spear but will go up to the house of the Lord. Also Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos prophesied that the fortunes of Israel and Judah will be restored. We step up to be those who speak kindly to Jerusalem, who comfort God's people, who declare that God will restore their fortunes today.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Luke 21:5–9. "See to it that you are not misled."
•       Matthew 24:1–6. "See to it that no one misleads you."
•       Luke 21:24–28. "Straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
•       Isaiah 40:1–2. "'Comfort, O comfort My people,' says your God. 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem.'"
•       Zechariah 8:18–23. "The fast … will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts."
•       Isaiah 41:8–14. "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God."
•       Isaiah 61:1–4. "The LORD has anointed me … to comfort all who mourn."
•       Ezekiel 39:25–29. "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel."
•       Amos 9:13–15. "I will restore the captivity of My people Israel."
•       Jeremiah 30:15–20. "I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob."
•       Jeremiah 33:7–9. "I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "Many say, 'Oh, you know, we have been hearing of wars and rumors of wars around the world forever.' Well, He is not necessarily addressing rumors of wars around the world. He is talking about the destruction of the Temple. He is talking about events that are going to happen in Jerusalem"
•       "When these things begin, then you're to take a certain position, which is that you're to stand up. You're to lift up your head because your redemption draws near."
•       "It's so easy to look around in this time of mourning to anxiously wonder what will happen. What will tomorrow bring? What are the days ahead going to be like? But He says, 'Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God.'"
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Tisha B'Av is a time of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the Temple. And this is specifically what Yeshua's prophecies of the end-time are about, as we read in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. We generally apply His prophecies to events taking place in the world. But He was speaking of events that will happen in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, and in Israel.
2.    When we see these things happening, as we are seeing them in Israel today, we are not to be focused on those events. We are to look up. We are to reach into the heavenly places to be focused on God and on Christ and on what they are doing to bring forth the Kingdom.
3.    The command in Isaiah 40 is directed to Gentiles. We are to comfort God's people and speak kindly to Jerusalem. In our prayer and intercession, we need to declare God's promises of restoration to Judah and Israel.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #310
 
Title: Are You Willing?
 
Web Description: What is a sign? A sign tells us something. And when the families of Israel killed the lamb at the Passover, the blood they put on their doorposts was a sign. It told God that they had heard His Word, and they were willing to walk out of Egypt to be His people. Let our response to God be a sign to Him that we are willing to walk in His Word.
 
Show Notes: We often talk about signs in the Bible in the context of signs and wonders, connecting the idea of a sign with a wonder or a miracle performed by God. This was certainly true about the plagues of Egypt leading up to the Passover. But at the Passover, God told the children of Israel that the lamb's blood they put on their doorposts would be a sign. While the plagues were a sign from God to the Egyptians, the blood that the families of Israel put on their doors was a sign from Israel to God.
 
The purpose of a sign is to provide information. A street sign, for example, gives you information about the road ahead of you. What information did the sign of blood on a doorpost provide? That sign on a home informed God that the people inside had prepared the lamb and were ready to leave Egypt as He instructed. It was a sign that the home was to be protected, and the people were to be saved. But it was their initiative to apply the blood according to the Lord's command. Otherwise, they would not have been spared from the final plague that came on Egypt.
 
God had spoken to the children of Israel, and He was expecting a sign from them to show Him that they were walking in His Word. We too have heard Words from God, and He is looking for a sign from us. What sign can we give Him? The sign Abraham gave God was to walk out, leaving everything behind, just as God told him to do. He physically responded to God's Word. And we should not over-spiritualize what we have received from the Lord. As we move forward in these days, let us give God a sign with our lives that says, "We are moving in obedience to the Word You have spoken to us over all these years."
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Exodus 12:12–22. "The blood shall be a sign; … when I see the blood I will pass over you."
•       Samuel 3:10. "Speak, for Your servant is listening."
•       Hebrews 4:12. "The word of God is living and active."
•       Revelation 12:6–11. "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb."
•       Exodus 1:22. "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "This sign was a sign from Israel to God. It was on the outside of the door where God could read it. It was each family that came and put the blood on the doorpost so that God could read, 'I am one of Your people.'"
•       "God has done so much for us, and He has given us His Word. He has spoken to us. He's given us instructions. He's given us the warnings. He's given us His signs of what is going to take place. But there is this moment in Pesach where we must respond to Him with a sign."
•       "Let's post our sign on the highway of the Kingdom and say, 'Here we are, Lord. We're coming into an obedience and into a walk in all that you have already spoken and given to us.'"
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    The blood on their doorposts was a sign from the children of Israel to God that they were willing to walk out of Egypt and be His people.
2.    Like the children of Israel, Abraham walked away from everything he knew into an uncertain future as a sign to God that he was willing to be what God wanted Him to be.
3.    We partake of the provision of Christ and put His blood afresh on the doorposts of our hearts as a sign to God that we are here to walk, like Abraham, in everything the Lord has spoken to us.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #309
Title: Know God's Love for You
 
Web Description: Ephesians 3 tells us to "know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." Above everything you know, God wants you to know how great His love is for you. Do not let any other knowledge take priority—whether it is about your problems, about religion, about doctrines, or about anything else in the world—over knowing God's love. Take down your walls to Him and let His love touch your heart.
 
Show Notes:
At Hargrave Ministries the purpose of our solidarity trips and our giving to Israel is simple. We are showing love to the Jewish people. We are not trying to convert them to Christianity; we are expressing the love of Christ. But while we do that, are we feeling the love of Christ for ourselves? The truth is that we need to be much more aware of His love for us. How do we give to others what we ourselves do not have? To minister love to others, we must open our hearts more fully to the depth of the Lord's love for us.
 
Christianity should not be a religion. It should not be theology or customs and rituals. It should be a life-changing revelation of the love God has for us. The power of His love can overwhelm every problem that we have, every need that we have, everything about this life and what this world is going through. God's love is a love beyond words, a love that is inexpressible, and yet we must find a way to express it. And I think the only way it can be expressed is if we are overwhelmed by it. Therefore, we must remove from our hearts anything that separates us, shields us, or lessens our awareness of His great love.
 
God's love is beyond our personal issues, beyond religion, beyond doctrines, beyond denominations, beyond all these things that are like walls preventing us from knowing the full depth of His love. Whatever awareness of His love we have now is still not to the depth He is looking for. That is what God wants for us as we minister to Israel. It is His hope that we will know Christ's love for us and come to know the full depth of God's love for the world, which is in Christ and through Christ.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       1 John 4:19. "We love, because He first loved us."
•       John 3:16. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son."
•       Deuteronomy 4:37. "Because He loved your fathers, … He personally brought you from Egypt by His great power."
•       Deuteronomy 7:6–8. "The LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers."
•       Ephesians 3:14–19. "Being rooted and grounded in love, … know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge."
•       2 Corinthians 5:14–20. "The love of Christ controls us."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "There is nothing more powerful than the love of God."
•       "God so loved the world that He gave to the world His Son. Why? So that His Son would make people aware of the Father's love for them on every level, from every nation, every tongue, every belief system."
•       "Christ opened the door to reconcile us to the Father. What does that mean? It means that we're reconciled to the love that God has for us and to the place where we should be just speechless over that level of love."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    The more we give love to others, the more we realize our need to be aware of God's love for us. Let us reach into His love.
2.    People who have had a near death experience describe being overwhelmed by God's love for them. But we should be overwhelmed by God's love every day. Let us take our walls down to His love.
3.    God's love is beyond comprehension. That means it supersedes whatever concepts we have, whatever beliefs we have. Let us appropriate a deeper revelation of His love.