The Waking up to Grace Podcast

We challenge the modern end-times script by testing rapture language, second coming claims, and “watch the news” theology against Jesus’ own timeline in Luke 21. We argue that AD 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem sit at the centre of the prophecy many believers keep pushing into the future, and we call for a return to the finished work of Christ and our identity under the new covenant. 

• spiritual hunger created by rhetoric and d...

We take on the hardest form of the question “Did God create good and evil?” and refuse to settle for rhetoric that leaves us doubting God’s goodness. We read Isaiah alongside Paul, Jesus, and Martin Luther to find a sober, grace-filled way to trust God’s sovereignty without making him the author of sin.

• why Isaiah 45:7 and Isaiah 53:10 sound jarring at first read
• the difference between God revealed in the Word and God’s hidd...

We trace the fear around “I never knew you,” set it in its first century context, and show why Jesus’ demand for perfection aims to drive us to faith in him, not to tally our works. We contrast false confidence in religious performance with the simple obedience of believing the Son.

• why “be perfect” exposes need and points to Christ
• who Jesus addresses in Matthew 7 and why context matters
• the will of the Fath...

We challenge the habit of treating God as absent and call listeners to the freedom of Galatians 2:20—Christ living in us through the indwelling Spirit. Stories, Scripture, and honest questions expose legalism, replace anxiety with abiding, and invite a return to first love.

• the living center of Galatians 2:20
• Luther’s story as a grace wake-up
• mistaking church culture for self-help
• be still and know as a...

We question whether heavenly rewards are wages for effort or the present fruits of abiding in Christ, using Scripture and a Wizard of Oz parable to rethink crowns, timing, and Paul’s race. We land on a simple call: stop striving for what grace already gave and live from union with Jesus.

• the five crowns as facets of salvation in Christ
• Paul’s race as focused dependence, not merit
• Hebrews on Jesus’ perfected o...

We challenge the modern, single-pastor model by tracing “pastor” back to “shepherd” and showing how the New Testament envisions plural elders, shared gifts, and open participation under Christ. We call listeners to leave performance religion, enter rest, and practice courageous, Scripture-shaped discernment.

• the word pastor in translations and its link to shepherds
• Ephesians 4 gifts equipping all saints
• plura...

We challenge the common use of Malachi 3 and make the case that Christians are not under the Mosaic tithe. We walk through Scripture to show how grace reframes giving as free, cheerful, and focused on real needs rather than institutional maintenance.

• defining the biblical tithe as produce and livestock for Levites
• placing Malachi in Israel’s national covenant context
• rejecting church-as-temple claims under th...

We challenge comfortable assumptions and ask listeners to test church teachings against Scripture in context. We walk through ten common doctrines, contrast law and grace, and call believers to Berean-style courage, clarity, and confidence in Christ’s finished work.

• why “we teach the Bible” can still miss context
• fear and comfort as barriers to discernment
• Berean nobility as a model for testing claims
• h...

We challenge performance-driven “holy living” and show why it breeds fear, double standards, and burnout. We point to trust in Christ as the path to peace, assurance, and daily fellowship grounded in grace, not effort.

• how conditional fellowship teaching creates anxiety and confusion
• Jesus’ heart-level standard that exposes self-reliance
• the repent-repeat treadmill versus union with Christ
• Israel’s wild...

We trace a straight line from the words of Jesus about tribulation to Paul’s lived dependence, showing how surrender to Christ reframes suffering, heals legalistic striving, and restores peace. We call listeners to trade self-effort for Spirit-filled guidance and to anchor daily life in love.

• why God does not promise a pain-free life
• Jesus as the pattern for overcoming through suffering
• Paul’s despair turned ...

We challenge performance-driven faith and show how Jesus’ words to the healed man in John 5 point to a life of belief and dependence, not fear and striving. We walk through abiding in Christ, the end of wrath for believers, and how love fulfills the law when it flows from the vine.

• John 5 and the healed man as a picture of grace 
• “Sin no more” reframed as continuing belief 
• Abiding in Christ versus self-effor...

Tune in for a Waking up to Grace update, in the name of Jesus, and hear how meditating on grace will transform our lives in the new year.

• using the name Jesus vs Yeshua
• the assurance “It is Finished” 
• suffering endured through Christ in us
• dependence vs self-effort in daily walk
• language choices that remove barriers
• renewed focus on Romans through grace
• knowledge that serves life, not ...

We explore how salvation is both eternal and present, why zeal fades without abiding belief, and how grace—not performance—does the heavy lifting. Scripture guides us to work out what God worked in so we live as lights with courage, clarity, and rest.

• salvation as present power and eternal security
• working out salvation with awe and reverence
• truth over emotion in defining love
• shining without grumbling...

We probe how to discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance by anchoring decisions in Scripture rather than feelings, entertainment, or cultural approval. We challenge fear-driven living, critique church habits that confuse comfort for growth, and call for courageous love rooted in Jesus’ words.

• Spirit leads into truth, not mere feelings
• Triune guidance clarified through Jesus’ teaching
• Study Scripture first, test imp...

We trace how abiding in Christ reframes suffering, drawing on John 15–16, Hebrews 12, and stories from the early church to show why endurance is rooted in grace, not grit. We show how God turns what the world calls a curse into lasting fruit and how peace holds in real pain.

• abide in Christ as the source of strength
• stand firm, hold fast, endure across Scripture
• reconcile suffering with God’s love and purpose...

We challenge the fear that hardship equals punishment and show how John 15 reframes trials as pruning for more fruit. We press into abiding as believing, freedom from guilt through the finished work of Christ, and a humble dependence that endures.

• abiding as active belief and dependence
• pruning as spiritual growth, not punishment
• lessons from gardening applied to John 15
• fruit that remains into eternity...

We trace how abiding in Christ clarifies what we ask for and why some prayers are answered with confidence. Through John 15, 1 John, and Paul’s thorn, we show how dependence on the Spirit shapes desires, grows fruit, and keeps us from falling away.

• abiding defined as continuing in belief
• fruit as evidence of dependence on Christ
• prayer aligned to God’s will, not wishlists
• John 15 and 1 John on confident...

We trace the vine from the prophets to the upper room and show why Jesus calls himself the true vine and how abiding is believing. Fear fades when we see that withered branches picture unbelief, while pruning affirms those loved by God.

• the problem of church rhetoric versus grace clarity
• abiding defined as believing, not performance
• addressing “taken away” and “fire” without legalism
• Israel as the vine ...

We trace John 15 through the lens of the cross and the Spirit to show that abiding in Christ means believing the gospel, not performing for worth. Prayer, love, and confidence before God flow from this union and are sustained by the Spirit’s indwelling.

• timing and covenant context for John 15
• belief as the work of God
• discipleship and freedom after the cross
• new command to love one another
• prayer ...