Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

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."

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #316
Title: A House Divided Will Not Stand
 
Web Description: No nation will stand if its people are divided. And we have to be honest with the fact that this nation is in trouble because of the divisiveness that is happening in our society. Competing ideologies that want to reshape our society are dividing people into groups that function as separate countries within this country. We as Christians need to repent of our own divisiveness, make our voices heard, and pray for His heavenly Kingdom to come here on this earth.
 
Show Notes: It should be a great concern to everyone that this country has become so fractured and divided. Division weakens us and prevents us from moving forward. We read in the Scriptures how nations are destroyed because "every man's sword will be against his brother." Daniel also describes the last earthly kingdom as iron mixed with clay, elements that do not adhere together. We see this happening as fractional groups unite so they can achieve their separate goals. For example, LGBTQ activists and Islamists come together to push their agendas. But like iron and clay, their agendas are completely incompatible.
 
Our country has had truly effective unity under our Constitution. But Islamists in this country do not want to be under the Constitution of the United States. They want a separate government with their own set of laws and their own jurisprudence. And their stated goal is to bring everyone under Islam. Similarly, Socialists and Communists are aggressively campaigning for seats of power in government with the goal of changing the Constitution and imposing a different system of government. All these ideologies use the freedoms offered by the Constitution to tear apart our society.
 
Of all people, Christians should know that a house divided itself against itself cannot stand. Christ directed us to pray for His Kingdom to come in the earth, and we have the spiritual weapons to bring down strongholds. We should be bringing down this stronghold of division. But sadly, Christians are part of the problem rather than the solution when it comes to division. There are churches who focus on LGBTQ activism. There are churches who promote abortion. There are churches who want the destruction of Israel. We should get out of being churches separated by agendas and focus on being the spiritual Body of Christ that God can use to accomplish His purpose in the earth.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Daniel 9:25. "He will intend to make alterations in times and in law."
•       Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
•       John 18:36. "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world.'"
•       Mark 3:25. "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."
•       2 Corinthians 10:4. "The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
•       Ezekiel 38:21–22. "Every man's sword will be against his brother."
•       2 Chronicles 20:22–23. "They helped to destroy one another."
•       Daniel 2:40–44. "They will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "When what is being done—and what is being demanded to have the freedom to do—is to have a society that exists alongside another society, that's not freedom of religion."
•       "In the Constitution, there's nothing that provides for the right of a country to establish a simultaneous country within the borders of the United States."
•       "It's not a matter of fighting flesh and blood. It's a matter of the power of God's Kingdom coming to earth. And that's what we're praying for."
•       "What we're looking for—what we're initiating—may be initiated in the Spirit, but we cannot forget that what we're crying out to God for is the manifestation in the physical plane of this world."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    We must be bold to speak the truth concerning Islam and other ideologies that seek to undermine our Constitution and divide us into separate forms of government or into a society that is opposed to God's Kingdom.
2.    Division in Christianity weakens us and limits the effectiveness of our agreement and authority in intercession for God's Kingdom in the earth.
3.    We are not here as merely earthly people engaged in worldly ideologies. Neither are we just heavenly people with no concern for the earth. But we are here to pray for the heavenly Kingdom of God to be manifested in the physical earth.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #315
Air Date: 8/19/2026
Title: Our Maturity Triggers the Harvest
 
Web Description: In the end-time, how will evil be exposed and uprooted from the earth? Will it happen because we are focused on what satan is doing and fighting what he is bringing forth? Not according to Christ's parables of the end-time. The tares planted by satan are removed when the wheat planted by God matures. Evil is removed when we, who were born by the seed of God's Word, grow into our maturity as sons of God.
 
Show Notes: Islam is expanding and exerting control in Europe, with many areas under Sharia law. But this has been happening in the United States as well. Using our constitutional freedom of religion, Islamic centers continue to expand their influence in regions, working to impose rules of society that are contrary to the liberties assured by our constitution and to our Judeo-Christan values. This and the many woke agendas that are undermining our society operate behind a smokescreen of satanic deception. We must not be clouded and confused by the smokescreen but instead be those who bring the evil to light so God can judge it.
 
How do we do that? The answer is in the parable of the wheat and the tares. According to this parable, evil is exposed when the sons of God bear fruit. We are the good seed that God has sown in the earth, and we begin to grow. And the evil seed sown by the enemy is growing alongside us. But there is no clear distinction between us and the evil in the world until we become fruitful. And so our focus should be on our growing, maturing in God, taking on the fullness of His likeness, and moving in the things of God. This is what brings real solutions because it is the only thing that exposes evil and initiates the removal of that evil by the Lord.
 
The maturity we need is explained in another parable. The Parable of the Sower describes the Word of God as the seed sown on various types of soil. The good soil that bears fruit is compared to the one who hears the Word and understands it. We are to grow in understanding until we can cut through the confusion that is currently clouding people's ability to make the right decisions for their lives. God is not confused, and the Scriptures tell us that He will give understanding to His people, so they can walk in a clarity of knowing what to do and how to do it. When we possess this understanding in our full maturity as sons of God, the tares will be removed, and wickedness will be pulled from the earth.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Matthew 13:24–30. "When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also."
•       Genesis 1:31. "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."
•       John 4:35. "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest."
•       Matthew 13:18–23. "This is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit."
•       Ephesians 4:13. "Until we all attain … to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."
•       Daniel 12:8–10. "None of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand."
•       Ephesians 5:17. "Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
•       Proverbs 2:1–11. "The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
•       Proverbs 4:5. "Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!"
•       Psalm 33:15. "He who fashions the hearts of them all … understands all their works."
•       1 Corinthians 14:33. "God is not a God of confusion."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "We in our hearts are oriented to a purpose to see God's Kingdom come into this physical earth where Christ rules and reigns as King and sits on the throne of David to accomplish that."
•       "I want to have us come into a clarity, out of the fog, out of the confusion, and be able to move in what God wants us to do."
•       "We need to be praying for the Body of Christ to come to this fullness of what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to grow up in all ways into the likeness of Christ."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Satan likes to hide what he is doing in a fog, clouding the issues to bring confusion. But we are not to be confused about what our focus should be and how we should intercede.
2.    Evil needs to be exposed. But that does not happen because we focus on the negative. The tares are removed when the wheat matures. And as the wheat that was planted by the Lord, our focus must be on our maturing in Christ.
3.    One of the most important things we need in our maturity is understanding. We need the understanding of the Word that brings clarity and direction for our prayers and for the things we are to act on.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #314
Title: He Has Committed to Us Reconciliation
 
Web Description: When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we are brought into God's plan for the earth. And God's plan is that all the people of the earth will be reconciled to Him. That is why He gives us the ministry of reconciliation. Our personal salvation makes us part of God's holy Kingdom of priests who minister to others the reconciliation that He provided for all by the sacrifice of His Son.
 
Show Notes: We can see God's heart for the world in His relationship with Israel. When God brought them forth as a nation, He told them to be a kingdom of priests. And what is the purpose of being a kingdom of priests? It is to minister to all the nations of the earth. As Christians who have been grafted into the covenant and promises of Israel, we share in this same purpose to be a kingdom of priests. As our High Priest, Christ reconciled us to God by His blood. This ministry of reconciliation is how a priest functions. And when we receive Christ, we also receive the ministry of reconciliation.
 
We miss this aspect when we focus only on our personal salvation. God commanded Israel to be a kingdom of priests, but He also told them to be a holy nation. You cannot have one without the other. God wanted Israel to be holy so that they could serve as His priesthood that would minister to the nations. The same is true of our salvation. When God saves us, He forgives our sins. But that does not mean we are supposed to do nothing except sit around and be forgiven. We are forgiven and cleansed of our sins so that we can be the priests who serve Him in His presence.
 
If we truly are concerned about what is going on in the world today, then it must be real to us that God wants salvation for all mankind. We are not here to be caught up in the hostility of this age that pits one nation or people or individual against another. We must be those who stand in the presence of the Father and contend with Him, by the sacrifice of His Son for all the world, that everyone in this age will be reconciled to Him. If we are Christians, then we have become His royal priesthood. We have become His priests with the ministry of reconciliation for the nations.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Exodus 19:5–6. "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
•       Revelation 1:4–6. "He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father."
•       Revelation 5:9–10. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God."
•       Romans 11:17. "You … were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree."
•       Genesis 12:3. "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
•       2 Corinthians 5:18–20. "God … reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
•       1 Timothy 2:1–6. "God our Savior … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
•       2 Peter 3:9. "The Lord is … patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
•       Isaiah 60:10–12. "Foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you."
•       John 3:15–17. "God did not send the Son … to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "There's a fulfillment of the promise to Abraham in that all the nations now are being included. And you know what? God has made you also, like Israel, to be a kingdom and priests unto God."
•       "The purpose of the Church is that it become the priesthood of God ministering in the earth."
•       "For people to die in judgment means that they became part of satan's kingdom. I don't like that. I don't want him to have anybody in his kingdom. I want all to come to the understanding and the knowledge of the salvation that the Father has given us through His Son."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Our personal salvation is not an end in itself. It is what enables us to stand in His presence so that we can function as His priests.
2.    We have been reconciled to God in order to enter His Kingdom as the priests who will minister His reconciliation to all the nations.
3.    Let us contend with God that He exercise His true heart for the world that all people come to Him, be saved, and be part of His Kingdom.

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.