Growing In God with Gary Hargrave

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.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #308
Title: Blood That Cries to God From the Ground
 
Web Description: If you want God to hear your prayers, then remember that there is nothing God hears more than the blood that cries to Him from the ground. The cry from the spilled blood of those who gave their lives for God is still rising up to Him from the earth. We join with their cry to see the full redemption by the blood of Christ that removes the pollution and futility that was imposed on the earth by man's shedding of innocent blood.
 
Show Notes: Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. But we should have a daily gratitude in our hearts for the ones who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy. Those freedoms were secured by the blood of men and women who fought and died to preserve this country that was dedicated in its foundations to God. And the tragedy today is that the love for this country is being eroded away. It is appalling to see so many who are tearing down our nation and tearing down what it stands for. They are literally spitting on the blood of those who died for this nation to exist.
 
God said to Cain, who had murdered his brother Abel, "Your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." And there is a cry going up from those whose blood was spilled fighting for this country. They may be dead, but they are still praying. Their blood is crying out to God from the ground. It is crying out to see the purpose for which they gave their lives fulfilled. They gave their lives for a vision. And that vision is that the United States of America would be a righteous nation that does the will of God in the earth.
 
We know that our personal salvation comes from the shedding of Christ's blood. But we also know the ground was cursed when it received Abel's blood at Cain's hand. And the Scriptures tell us that the land is polluted by bloodshed. So the blood of Christ was also spilled on this earth to cleanse it of the pollution and the curse that began with the blood shed by Cain. Even in His agony before the cross, His sweat fell as drops of blood on the ground. The greatest way we can pray for our country today is to join our hearts with this cry of the blood that is going up to God. God hears that cry, and He will bring justice because of it.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Romans 5:6–8. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
•       John 15:12–14. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
•       John 10:11–15. "The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."
•       Genesis 4:8–12. "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground."
•       Luke 22:39–44. "His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground."
•       Genesis 9:3–6. "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed."
•       Numbers 35:33–34. "You shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land."
•       Deuteronomy 21:6–9. "You shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst."
•       Revelation 6:9–11. "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood?"
 
Quotes:
 
•       "If you're going to criticize this country, if you're going to tear down the symbols and statues of heroes who have given their life and stood to create this country, the first question before you start speaking under these liberties should be, 'Are you willing to spill your blood for it to survive or are you just tearing it down?'"
•       "You can look for weather patterns and this and that and explain the change in the earth and all that's going on. But if you really want to see where it comes from, it's the cry of the blood. It's the earth refusing to be a partner with that which is spilling the blood on the earth."
•       "We need to pray for the land. We need to pray for this nation as the ground that God has given us that is bound by futility because it has received the pollution that comes from the blood being spilled upon it."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    When we talk about Memorial Day, we are talking about those who have given their lives for this country. There must be a daily remembering of those who paid the ultimate price of death for the principles of freedom, of faith, and of knowing that this country was dedicated to God.
2.    God never forgets the spilled blood of Abel that is crying out to Him. If we believe God hears our prayers for this country, how much more is God hearing the cry of the blood of our brothers and sisters that was spilled for the vision of this country?
3.    The land is polluted, and the nations are oppressed under the futility of the earth caused by the spilling of blood. Our redemption by the blood of Christ must result in the release of the earth from the futility and pollution that man's bloodshed has brought to God's creation.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #307
 
Title: Don't Battle Flesh and Blood
 
Web Description: As Christians we are not to be like those who do not understand what is happening in the world and are helpless to do anything about it. Instead, we must separate ourselves from the influence of this world and deal with the spiritual causes that are actually influencing it, just as Christ did in His ministry.
 
Show Notes:
We live in an era of anger, rage, outrage, and division. It is what we are fed every day in the media. We are continually bombarded by social media with content that is keyed to polarizing our society, our lives, and our hearts. It is dangerous because it motivates people to take negative and destructive actions. It is a serious problem that we as Christians need to be better equipped to deal with. We need to recognize that all this hatred and violence occurring between people is not just rooted in human thoughts and actions; it is being driven by spiritual forces.
 
The Gospel of Mark gives an account of a man who was continually screaming and cutting himself with stones, and no one could restrain him because he would break their shackles to pieces. Yet after Yeshua (Jesus) cast the demonic spirits out of him, he was seen sitting calmly and in his right mind. Clearly, when Yeshua delivered this man from the spiritual forces that had possessed him, his violent behavior stopped. Delivering people from the effects of demonic power was central to Christ's ministry. But we today consider ourselves too educated and scientific to believe in things like demon possession or that the spirit world impacts human behavior.
 
That is not how we should be thinking as Christians. Yeshua did not deal with problems by reacting on a human level, but by dealing directly with the spirits behind the problems. Why are we not doing the same thing? One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the discerning of spirits. As those who have the Holy Spirit, we should be able to discern the spirits behind what is taking place in the world around us. We should not be struggling with flesh and blood. We should have the discernment and authority as the Body of Christ to cast out the spiritual forces that are the real cause of the problems in the world.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Mark 5:1–18. "'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!' … And he said to Him, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'"
•       2 Corinthians 4:4. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving."
•       John 12:31. "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out."
•       Revelation 12:12. "The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
•       1 Corinthians 12:8–10. "To one is given … the distinguishing of spirits.
•       Ephesians 6:10–13. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness."
•       2 Corinthians 10:3–4. "The weapons of our warfare are … divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
•       Matthew 16:13–19. "Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "I don't think we're simply supposed to pray and be throwing prayers up to heaven saying, "Oh, dear God, please change this; stop this." I think that we need to be a voice on this earth that is going to have the same authority that Christ had in order to end the demonic control."
•       "We're not being moved by what Facebook says, by what YouTube says, by what the media says, by what the nightly news says. That is not what's moving us. But instead, we're moved by revelation, the revelation that comes from God the Father in heaven."
•       "We cannot turn this battle into one against flesh and blood. We must see that it is ours as the Body of Christ to bind on earth that which has been bound in heaven and to see these forces that are holding humanity captive cast out once and for all."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    As Christians we are not supposed to be part of this age of outrage and spread division and polarization. Instead, we are supposed to spread the love of God, the oneness, and the truth of who we are as children of God, as God's creation.
2.    The world thinks it is too smart to believe in the influence of spiritual forces, while at the same time accepting false beliefs and being driven by anger and violence.
3.    As Christians we are to follow the example of Christ who did not deal with people's problems on a human level but dealt with the spiritual forces that were actually causing the problems.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #306
Title: The Oneness of Christians
 
Web Description: Is oneness among Christians just a nice idea that we cannot expect to see actually happen? No. According to Psalm 133, oneness is where the Lord commands eternal life. Jeshua (Jesus) prayed to the Father that we may all be one. Our oneness is already created by the Word of God, and we can fully expect it to be manifested within the Body of Christ.
 
Show Notes: In this podcast Silas Esteves talks about recent meetings he held with Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant ministers who gathered to pray for the oneness of Christians. Silas has been involved with the vision for oneness within the Body of Christ for years, conducting meetings with Christians from every denomination. This vision for oneness has been a major emphasis for our fellowship, and it is something we have been tested on. But we are determined to have faith that the Body of Christ will be one just as Christ and the Father are one.
 
We know it is not something we make happen by ourselves. It will take God and Christ, who is seated at God's right hand, by the power of the Holy Spirit to make this a reality. But a reality it will be. It is something that has already been created because Yeshua spoke it. Oneness was Yeshua's prayer to the Father, and the Father will absolutely fulfill it. Our oneness in Him is something that is finished. It is complete. And all we are doing by faith is watching the manifestation of it unfold.
 
This oneness is a key element in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The more we believe for oneness and declare it to be the reality for the Church, the more we challenge it to blossom into something that we see actively manifesting on this earth. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that the members of the Body of Christ minister the life of Christ to one another. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that we will see the manifestations of Christ's resurrection life. Let us continue to pray for the oneness of His Body to be our reality.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       John 17:20–23. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one."
•       Psalm 133:1–3. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"
 
Quotes:
 
•       "Maybe this is a time when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are drinking from the Lord, and the rivers of living waters will flow out."
•       "Oneness is something really that is finished. It is complete. It was completed when the Father spoke it. It was completed when Yeshua spoke it, when the prayer was voiced."
•       "If we really want to see a manifestation of life and resurrection, then it's going to be in an atmosphere where the oneness of His Body is our reality."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    Even though our oneness has been tested, we cannot let go of the faith that the Body of Christ will be one as Christ and the Father are one. This was the prayer of Christ to the Father. And the Father will not let that go until it is fulfilled.
2.    We are not trying to create another World Council of Churches. We are taking steps toward the reality that the Body of Christ is one.
3.    Psalm 133 tells us that oneness is where God commands eternal life. It is in the atmosphere of oneness where resurrection life manifests in the Body of Christ.

Growing In God Podcast
Program Number: GIG #305
Title: Set a Guard, Lord, Over My Mouth
 
Web Description: The Lord has freed us from sin so that we can worship Him. But if we have murmuring and complaining in our lives, then the things we voice about ourselves, about others, and about our circumstances work in opposition to the worship God is seeking. We ask the Lord, therefore, to set a guard over our mouths and to free us from the sin of murmuring that keeps us from worshipping Him as we should.
 
Show Notes: God had a clear, simple agenda when He delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. He delivered them so that they could worship Him. But we know what happened after that deliverance. As soon as they entered the wilderness, they began to murmur and complain, which is the opposite of worship. This is an important lesson for us because God's plan today is no different than it was for them. God wants a people who will worship Him. And our murmuring and complaining is in direct opposition to that plan.
 
In our human state, we are conditioned to complain about things. It is easy to fall into complaining about our health, our circumstances, our finances, our relationships, and so forth. These responses slow us down more than we realize. Have you been unable to pinpoint the source of certain defeats in your life? Have you been robbed of blessings just as soon as they began in your life? Look at a time when you grumbled, complained, and criticized. This is a sin that works directly against our worship of God.
 
In the midst of terrible circumstances, pressures, and dangers, David prayed, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth." He had much to complain about, but he knew that murmuring and complaining would prevent his worship from rising like incense before the Lord. We need to make the same prayer: "Lord, by Your grace, by the power of Your Spirit, refrain my mouth from murmuring." If we want to move forward, then we first need to go back to God's original plan for our deliverance. He delivers us so that we can worship Him. Let us free ourselves from anything that would still be working against that purpose.
 
Key Verses:
 
•       Numbers 9:10–11. "If any one … becomes unclean … he may … observe the Passover … in the second month."
•       Exodus 7:16. "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness."
•       Psalm 119:71. "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes."
•       Acts 3:18–21. "Repent and return … in order that times of refreshing may come."
•       Psalm 141:1–3. "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth."
•       Proverbs 18:21. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."
 
Quotes:
 
•       "The opposite of worship is murmuring."
•       "We are not going to do anything before going back to the basic foundational reason for God to deliver us. And I want to be delivered from the addiction to murmuring."
•       "Don't feel like you cannot worship Him because you are not in a huge congregation. You are the temple of the Lord. In your temple, in your personal life, there must be worship to God."
 
Takeaways:
 
1.    God delivered His people at the Passover so that they could be His worshippers. But their murmuring and complaining was the opposite of worship. God's plan is to deliver us so that we can worship Him. But our murmuring and complaining opposes that plan.
2.    God made provision for a second Passover, called Pesach Sheni, for those who had not been prepared for the original Passover. We tap into this provision to let God deliver us from our murmuring and complaining.
3.    Like David, we ask the Lord to refrain our mouths from murmuring and to keep us from voicing those things that work against God's plan and purpose for our lives.