Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #283 Title: You Are the Temple   Web Description: Hanukkah celebrates the reality that we are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in us. We take this time to dedicate ourselves on a deeper level to be those in whom God is living and moving. Therefore, as those who are His dwelling place, we wash away any unbelief and separate ourselves from the pollution of this world.   Show Notes: Hanukkah celebrates a time of miracles when the people of Israel defeated the powerful kingdom that was oppressing them and took back the Temple in Jerusalem. But after these miracles, the Temple had to be cleansed and rededicated. Likewise, the miracles in our lives are because of the miracle Christ accomplished on the cross, which happened for our cleansing and dedication to be His temple, the holy dwelling place of God in the earth.   When Yeshua (Jesus) walked in the Temple during Hanukkah, He did so as the One who would cleanse the Temple, the One sent by the Father to be His true temple, and the One who has sent us with the same purpose of being the temple that God will indwell. By the miracle of His cross, Christ took us out of the hands of satan and cleansed us from sin. And when we receive Him, He gives us the power to dedicate ourselves to Him as the physical bodies in which He dwells.   Therefore, we cannot minimize this aspect of our Christian life. We must apply the true cleansing of our hearts and minds that Christ has provided. We must walk in the power that we have received from Him to separate ourselves from the world and to not be touched by any of its corruption. It is time to cleanse ourselves from any unbelief about what God has called us to be as His people. We give ourselves to His working in us to build us together into the temple that He will live in on this earth.   Key Verses:   •       John 17:21–23. "The world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." •       John 10:22–25. "The Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem … and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       1 Corinthians 3:16–17. "You are a temple of God." •       1 Corinthians 6:19–20. "Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit." •       2 Corinthians 6:16–17. "We are the temple of the living God." •       Ephesians 2:18–22. "You also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." •       Philippians 2:12. "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." •       2 Corinthians 13:5. "Jesus Christ is in you." •       Ephesians 3:16–19. "Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."   Quotes:   •       "We should have a very aggressive attitude during this time of Hanukkah as we look at the things in the world that need to conform to what God has already said, what He's already spoken, what He's already prophesied. And we just stand up and say, 'It is finished. It is already done. And enough is enough!'" •       "Christ comes and reconciles us to the Father as the temple of worship. But then we become those who dedicate ourselves and make sure there's the cleansing, the reviving of the temple to a state of purity through which the worship can come." •       "They had to go cleanse everything in the Temple during Hanukkah that had been polluted by the world. And there's a pollution in us that blinds our hearts and minds from really accepting and seeing and believing and understanding that God is in us."   Takeaways:   1.    Hanukkah means standing firm in the miracle of Christ's victory that establishes His Kingdom in the earth and delivers us from the wickedness, sin, and corruption of this world. 2.    Just as the Temple was taken from the evil ruler, cleansed, and dedicated back to the Lord, so Christ delivers us from satan, cleanses us from sin, and makes us the temple of God, His dwelling place. 3.    We must not diminish the indwelling of God within us; rather, we apply the power that Christ gives us to dedicate ourselves to be wholly His temple.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #282 Air Date: 12/31/2025 My Resolution for the New Year Web Description: The period from the ascension of Christ to the present has been labeled the Church Age. In reality it should be called the Age of the Holy Spirit. Yeshua (Jesus) did not tell His disciples, "The Father will teach you how to have good churches." He promised that they would be endued with power by the Holy Spirit and be His witnesses in the earth. My New Year's resolution is to change my emphasis from church to being filled with the Holy Spirit first and endued with power to be His witness today.   Show Notes: The Church Age is the term most widely used to identify the years since the ascension of Christ until now. This label, I think, misdirects the focus of our faith in this generation. When Yeshua (Jesus) prepared His disciples for His departure, He did not give them instructions about church. He taught them about the Holy Spirit directing them and guiding them and about their being witnesses in all the world to make disciples of the nations.   Christ could have said, "Go to Jerusalem and focus on gathering everyone together who believes in Me and establish an order and a structure for the Church." But He did not do that. He said, "You are to go and receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses." Eventually those who had this experience were drawn to assemble together. But their assembling together was secondary to their individual experience of having this promise of the Holy Spirit resting upon them.   We tend to lose this emphasis. To be honest, our emphasis is more on being led and taught by Church leaders than on being led and taught by the Holy Spirit. And what I want to do this year is focus on being filled with the Holy Spirit, not dependent on anything that is not provided by the Father through the Holy Spirit. If we can do that as individuals, I believe the Church will have the power and witness in the earth that Christ promised to His disciples.   Key Verses:   •       Luke 24:49 (NKJV). "Tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." •       Deuteronomy 23:3. "No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD." •       Matthew 16:15-18. "Upon this rock I will build My church." •       Matthew 18:15-17. "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." •       Acts 1:6-8. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses." •       John 14:16-18. "You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." •       Jeremiah 31:31-34. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me." •       John 14:26. "He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." •       John 16:6-15. "It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." •       John 7:37-39. "The Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."   Quotes:   •       "What was necessary and what He had promised them was the Holy Spirit, not church." •       "How do we learn about Christ? How do we know Christ? How do we understand Christ? By the Holy Spirit that comes to us." •       "It's endless what the Lord gave to us when he gave us the Holy Spirit upon His departure, and I don't want to make it secondary to anything else."   Takeaways:   1.    The ecclesia, what we call the Church, was initiated by virtue of the experience the disciples had of being filled with the Holy Spirit and being endued with the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. 2.    When Yeshua used the Greek word ekklesia, He was not speaking in terms of our understanding of the Church. He was speaking in terms of the assembly of the Lord or the assembly of Israel. And He applied it to those who would be taught and directed by the Father through the Holy Spirit. 3.    How much are we depending on the Church to provide for us what Christ has already provided through the Holy Spirit?

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #281 Title: Christmas, Celebrating the Son of Man   Web Description: The symbolism that most often defines Christmas is the Nativity scene. And the Nativity scene is about the reality that Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the King of kings, was born and lived as a human being. At Christmas we are not celebrating His divinity. We are celebrating His humanity. We are celebrating the fact that He came to earth as a man who went through everything we go through and is thus able to lead us and help us through everything.   Show Notes: At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Yeshua (Jesus). When we do that, we are celebrating the birth of a human baby. Yet in our Christian faith, we think of Christ as a divine figure who always moved in a divine way. But the Christmas story is the opposite of that. The Christmas story tells us that He was a vulnerable baby who had to be cared for and protected. He had to be raised and taught like any human child.   As Christians we tend to put Christ so far above us that He is unattainable in today's life. We think, "He was perfect, but I am caught in my flesh, and I can't get out of it." That viewpoint is unscriptural. The Scriptures teach us that the Messiah is a human being. Yeshua was not born perfect. He learned obedience through the things that he suffered. He was made perfect by what He went through, just as we are being made perfect because of what we go through.   Yeshua could not be the Messiah without living in the flesh. He had to share in flesh and blood. He had to partake in the same things we partake in. He had to feel what we feel. He had to experience what we experience because He is our help. He is the aid to those who are tempted because He faced it all. He overcame the circumstances, the stress, the oppression, the futility of living in this earth where satan surrounded all that He did, seeking to kill Him every day. Therefore, He is able to help us through all those things in our daily lives.   Key Verses:   •       Read Luke 2:1–52. •       2 Corinthians 5:16. "We have known Christ according to the flesh." •       Matthew 6:10. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." •       Acts 1:6. "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" •       Hebrews 2:14–18. "Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." •       Hebrews 5:7–11. "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." •       Hebrews 4:14–16. "We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses." •       Hebrews 7:24–25. "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him." •       Romans 8:27–39. "Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren."   Quotes:   •       "If we are going to truly celebrate the concept that is called Christmas, it is about Him being born. It is about Him living in a human life." •       "I know we will live in the days of glory. I know that we will live with Him in His Kingdom. But right now in the days of our flesh, we need help." •       "He lived in the flesh. And in the flesh, He was successful in being a human who related to God, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, who was enabled to move and enact and bring the will of God into the earth."   Takeaways:   1.    Let us celebrate Christmas this year by identifying with our Messiah as a human being—a son of man.[SP1]  2.    Let us celebrate that Yeshua did not exercise His divinity during His days on earth, but He was tempted in all things and felt our every human suffering. There is nothing we go through in our lives that He cannot relate to. 3.    Let us celebrate that Yeshua lives to intercede for us every day and ministers to us in our times of crisis and need. He is our Messiah. Our lives are meant to be lived in Him and through Him.  

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #280 Categories: Biblical Feasts   Web Description: In Romans 12, Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to this world. That is what Hanukkah is all about. It expresses the refusal of the Jewish people to be converted into something that was against the will of God and against the teachings of God. We as believers in Yeshua (Jesus) should have the same resistance to the culture that is set to move us away from the Scriptures, away from our Christian values, and convert us to a different way of life. Hanukkah is not a substitute for Christmas. It is an observance very applicable to Christianity today.   Show Notes: Many people think that Hanukkah is just a celebration for Jewish people to compete with Christmas during December. That is not true. Hanukkah existed before the celebration of Christmas and was observed by Yeshua (Jesus). Called the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean Revolt when the Jews recaptured Jerusalem, recaptured the Temple, and purified it from its defilement.   At a time when Israel was under the suppression of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV (known as Epiphanes) determined to wipe out all the practices and beliefs of the Jewish people and replace them with Greek paganism. A small band of Jewish men and women who refused to be Hellenized and converted into pagans rose up and fought against the armies of the Greeks and won, taking Jerusalem and cleansing and rededicating the Temple. This spirit is what Hanukkah celebrates.   To celebrate Hanukkah is to follow after those who refused to be converted to the paganism of the Greek culture. As Christians we likewise should refuse the demands of today's culture and the pressures of society that would force us to deny our faith and convert us to the paganism of today's world, which is quickly abandoning the Scriptures, abandoning morals, abandoning pure thought, and the right ways of life. We, as believers in Christ, along with the Jewish people, should shine as a light on a hill as those who hold forth the Word of God, the promises of God, and the prophecies to come.   Key Verses:   •       John 10:22–23. "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       Romans 12:1–2. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." •       Matthew 5:11–16. "You are the light of the world. … Let your light shine before men." •       Matthew 24:22. "Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved."   Quotes:   •       "We are the salt of the earth. We are to be the light. And that is what you can say about those who participated in the Maccabean Revolt that refused to be removed off of their faith." •       "We are believers, and we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word." •       "Let us rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed during these days under the attempts of satan to bring about his purpose."   Takeaways:   1.    Hanukkah reminds us that as believers, we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word. 2.    Hanukkah reminds us that we are to be a light to this world—we should shine brightly as a light on a hill. We cannot let our light go out, and we certainly cannot live in fear and intimidation and hide our light under a bushel basket. 3.    Hanukkah reminds us that we are the salt of the earth. What we are to do today is to preserve the culture of the Kingdom of God. We are to preserve the ways of God. We are to preserve the love and the Word of God in this day and age. 4.    Hanukkah reminds us that we must put our faith into service. Like the ancient Maccabees, we must go in and cleanse the Temple—to rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed as satan has attempted to bring about his purposes in our world.

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #279 Categories: Biblical Feasts   Web Description: Hanukkah may be best known for the lighting of the menorah and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days in the Temple following the Maccabean revolt. But the true heart of the Hanukkah celebration is the cleansing of the altar and the rededication of the Temple after a small group of Jewish farmers had defeated their enemies. Just as there are eight candles burning on the menorah during the celebration of Hanukkah, there are at least eight good reasons for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah.   Show Notes: Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, is actually a biblical feast and has significance for us as Christians. Here are eight reasons why Christians should consider celebrating Hanukkah:   1.    Hanukkah is found in the Bible. In John 10:22 we see that Christ celebrated the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). 2.    We all need times for a new dedication and recommitment of ourselves to God and to a deeper level of service to the Lord. 3.    Once again the land of Israel is under the leadership of the Jewish people. This restoration was promised by God, and Christians should celebrate that we are yoked together with Israel and the Jewish people. 4.    Hanukkah foreshadows the days of the complete fulfillment of the messianic prophecies, where we see God's kingdom and God's rulership on earth as it is now in heaven. 5.    Celebrating Hanukkah looks forward to the end of anti-Semitism: the end of persecution and desecration of the Jewish people in our day and age. 6.    As Christians we should join with the Jewish people in the bold proclamation of their faith by celebrating Hanukkah. 7.    We are showing our oneness today with Judaism, with the State of Israel, and with the Jewish people everywhere as our elder brothers in the faith. 8.    In celebrating Hanukkah we reconnect ourselves with the Jewish Yeshua (Jesus) and return to our Hebrew roots—to recognize them, to be thankful for them, to engage with them, and to learn more deeply the ways that were the ways of Yeshua.   Key Verses:   •       John 10:22–24. "At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place … and Jesus was walking in the temple." •       Daniel 3:13–18. "We are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image." •       Matthew 5:14–16. "Let your light shine." •       Matthew 5:17. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law … I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."   Quotes:   •       "We should live our lives as Christians in oneness with the Jewish people in their fight against anti-Semitism, because their fight is our fight." •       "As Christians celebrating Hanukkah, we can celebrate the bold proclamation of Jews down through the centuries that say, 'We will not bow down to the idolatry of this age.'" •       "There's something very important in the coming together of Christians and Jews in today's world. Hanukkah can be a bridge for us to see that happen."   Takeaways:   1.    Go back and read the book of Maccabees, the Jewish encyclopedia, and the other sources to find out for yourself what was done and how it was done—so that Hanukkah will create in you a oneness with our Jewish brothers and sisters. 2.    Take time in this holiday season to open your heart, your mind, and your spirit to reconnect through the celebration of Hanukkah with the Jewish roots of our faith so that you will find something new and alive in your own Christian experience.