Waking Up to Grace

What does the New Testament actually show about church leadership roles and responsibilities? Did the first-century church gather under one ruling pastor, or did elders share the work of oversight, shepherding, teaching, and care?

In this conversation, we examine Acts 20 and several supporting passages to consider elders, overseers, shepherds, deacons, apostles, and the participation of the whole body. The biblical picture is not leadership without order. It is leadership shaped by service, example, protection, generosity, and Christ as the Chief Shepherd.

Read the companion study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/church-leadership-roles-and-responsibilities/

What does a Christian look like? Is there a visible standard that proves someone is a genuine believer, or have we confused Christian identity with religious performance?

In this conversation, we examine the impossible picture of the “perfect Christian,” the pride and fear produced by comparison, and the difference between asking what we must do next and understanding who we are now in Christ. Grace gives us a settled standing with our Father, and the Christian life grows from that identity instead of striving to earn it.

Read the companion reflection and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/what-does-a-christian-look-like/

Sometimes life reaches a place where our feelings can no longer reassure us that God is near. In this conversation, Melissa speaks honestly about suffering, and Jack Eldridge shares how grace held him through a sixty-day hospitalization, time on a ventilator, and a moment when a doctor told him he would likely die.

Together, we reflect on trusting who God is when emotions fail, why hardship is not evidence of His abandonment, and the unforgettable assurance that God is always below the bottom.

Read the companion reflection and join the conversation:
 https://wakinguptograce.com/god-is-always-below-the-bottom/

Music from Jack Eldridge:
 https://open.spotify.com/artist/4R9fSByHAgqkdsbcJSYraE

Messages from Dr. Bruce Morgan:
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdbXwHy7GM4gNEmt51GWF-w/videos

How could David commit such grievous acts and still be remembered as a man after God’s own heart?

In this episode, we walk through Nathan’s confrontation with David in 2 Samuel 12. We consider David’s repentance, the Lord’s remarkable declaration that his sin had been put away, and the important difference between punishment and consequences. David’s story ultimately points us beyond his failure to the grace of God revealed in Christ.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation:

https://wakinguptograce.com/how-could-david-be-a-man-after-gods-own-heart/

Grace is not about following religious rules or checking spiritual boxes. In this episode, we discuss children, faith, baptism, and the joy of knowing Christ apart from fear-based religion.

Read the companion study and join the conversation:

https://wakinguptograce.com/knowing-christ-or-checking-boxes/

This Bible study explores whether infants and young children who die are automatically saved, working through several key passages. Starting with 1 Corinthians 7:14, the group concludes that a child’s “holiness” describes the covenant environment a believing parent provides, not a guarantee of salvation.

They apply the same logic to circumcision: it set Israel apart outwardly, but that never meant every Israelite was individually redeemed. Looking at Jesus’s own infancy, the discussion contrasts dedication (an act of parental faith and commitment) with baptism, arguing that Jesus’s baptism symbolized His inauguration into a Melchizedekian priesthood rather than modeling infant baptism. Since biblical baptism is consistently tied to conscious repentance, the group finds infant baptism doesn’t fit.

The strongest case examined is Matthew 19:13–15, where Jesus blesses children brought to Him. While this beautifully illustrates salvation by grace, the study pushes back on using it to establish a fixed “age of accountability,” noting the theological and practical problems that creates (like an arbitrary cutoff age). The post lands on humility rather than a firm doctrine, resting the unanswered questions on trust in God’s character.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation: https://wakinguptograce.com/are-children-holy-1-corinthians-7-14/

What did Paul mean when he said believers would be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air?

In this episode, we look closely at 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and question the familiar assumption that Paul was describing Christians physically leaving the earth in a future rapture. We consider what “the air” means in the New Testament, how Paul connects Christ’s coming with resurrection and immortality, and what the passage meant to believers who expected these things in their own generation.

From there, we follow the argument into the establishment of Christ’s Kingdom, the judgment associated with AD 70, the defeat of death, Satan and final judgment, and the New Heaven and New Earth described in Revelation.

The question is not whether Paul expected Christ to come. He clearly did. The question is what kind of coming, resurrection, and transformation he was describing.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/097-thy-kingdom-come-thy-will-be-done-part-2/

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” what exactly were they praying for?

In this episode, we look at the Lord’s Prayer in its first-century setting and follow the Kingdom language through Jesus’ teaching, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Old Covenant age, and the establishment of the New Covenant Kingdom.

We also consider the prophetic language of heaven and earth, the New Jerusalem, and why passages often read as descriptions of the physical end of the world may instead be describing covenant judgment and fulfillment.

Was Jesus giving believers a prayer to repeat indefinitely, or was He preparing His followers for something that was about to happen in their generation?

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/096-thy-kingdom-come-thy-will-be-done-part-1/

Do babies go to heaven when they die? Scripture gives us clear answers about how salvation comes through Christ, but it does not give us a simple statement explaining what happens to every infant who dies.

In this episode, we continue the discussion by looking at Peter’s words about David in Acts 2, Jesus’ promise of resurrection in John 6, original sin, Christ’s work at the cross, salvation through belief, and God’s sovereignty in choosing and giving life. We also consider what these truths mean for infants and people who are unable to consciously understand or respond to the gospel.

Rather than creating an age of accountability or another rule Scripture never gives us, the discussion lands on something more secure. Salvation belongs to God. We may not know exactly how He handles every circumstance, but we can trust His justice, His compassion, and His sovereign will.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/095-are-babies-saved-part-2/

What did David mean when he said, “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” in 2 Samuel 12:23? This passage is often used as proof that David expected to see his infant son in heaven, but is that what David actually believed?

In this episode, we work through the death of David and Bathsheba’s son and look at David’s own words about death, Sheol, and the hope of resurrection. When we read 2 Samuel 12 through the worldview David actually held, his statement takes on a different meaning than the one often assumed today.

The question is not whether infants can be saved. The question is whether this passage actually proves that David believed his child had immediately gone to heaven. Looking at the larger biblical context helps us separate what Scripture says from conclusions we may naturally bring to the text.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/094-are-babies-saved-part-1/