Through the Fire Podcast

In Matthew 7 Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock." This house is the one that wisdom built and is built on faith in Jesus Christ. This is a house that believes in the Lord Jesus and seeks to do his will. Are you that wise house? Listen to this excellent podcast by Pastor Russ to learn more about "The House that Faith Built."

Have you ever been confused about what to believe? Have you heard of something that sounds too good to be true but you are not sure? This is what the Galatians are experiencing after Paul is gone from them. The good Christians in the churches of Galatia have been told by Paul that all they need is faith in God and then some other folks in the congregation are now telling them all the things they need to do before they will be accepted by God. Don't be confused. Be sure of your faith in God and your acceptance by God.

Paul talks about the new covenant of Jesus Christ in this important podcast based on the 4th chapter of Galatians. As believers in Jesus Christ we are no longer bound by the old covenant of Moses that demanded obedience to the many and varied laws of the Jews. We are now bound to Jesus and are saved by the sacrifice he has made for us. Claim that free gift of grace today.

In this important podcast Paul tells us that all of us are chosen to be free in Christ – that we are all children of God through faith. It matters not if you are of a certain religion, gender, or anything else – we are all invited to come to a saving relationship with God through Christ. Pastor Russ discusses Galatians chapter 3 in this important podcast.

In this part of his message to the Galatians Paul asks us if we would prefer to live under the blessing of Jesus Christ or the curse of the law. Although we are saved by faith alone we still live by the law. One purpose of the law is to show us our total dependence on God for we cannot perfectly keep the law and be saved. The only one who has perfectly kept the law is Jesus and our salvation depends not on what we have done but what Jesus has done for us. Listen to this important podcast that shows you the way to salvation.

Paul continues his letter to the churches in Galatia by admonishing the congregation to live an honest and straight forward life. He accuses Peter of living like a Gentile while demanding that the Gentiles first convert to Judaism before they can become a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul says that we are saved by our faith in Jesus and not our obedience to the law of Moses. This podcast discusses how to live by faith alone.

Sometimes we need to let go. We may be following some bad advice or perhaps we have been deceived into following the rest of society down the path of destruction instead of the path to victory. Paul had taught the churches in the region of Galatia the true gospel of Jesus Christ but now he has found out that they have abandoned this gospel and have been following some bad advice. This podcast highlights the letter to these congregations in Galatians 1 verses 6 through 9.

This verse written by the beloved disciple John is probably the cornerstone of belief for most Christians. In 27 words, John states the penultimate hope of every believer. If we are just to have a good life here on earth while we eke out an existence for a few years and then, when we die, there is nothing else; Christians should be pitied more than any other people. The ultimate hope of every Christian is salvation – living forever in heaven with Jesus. The word for today is salvation and what that word means. The process is said very plainly by John – God loves, God gives, we believe, and we live.

Paul says in Colossians that we should encourage each other with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”. This means that we need to use all kinds of music to encourage each other. In fact, the word for this day should be – encouragement. For the believer we should find encouragement in music, and this should lift our hearts and give us hope. Sometimes only music can adequately express what the soul feels.

Joel tells us that one day this earth and our life on it will come to an end. On that day those who have hope in the Lord will be saved from judgment. No one knows when the end time will come so it is incumbent on each of us to decide while we still have breath in our bodies what we believe and in whom we place our hope. The word for this podcast should be “security”. For the believer we can be assured that we are safe in Christ.