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 practice
• Jesus’ union with the Father as the pattern
• the promised indwelling of the Spirit
• new heart, new spirit, real regeneration
• abiding in the Vine versus self-effort
• jars of clay carrying divine power
• remembering cleansing to resist corruption
• serving from freedom, not for favor

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/080-christ-lives-in-me-galatians-2-20/

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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 obedience through suffering
• abiding as the source of true fruit, not activity
• rethinking timing and urgency language in the New Testament
• Revelation’s crowns as worship, not status
• practical shift from earning to receiving and stewarding

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/079-heavenly-rewards-and-crowns-oh-my/

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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
• plural elders and non‑domineering oversight in 1 Peter 5
• guarding the flock and spotting wolves in Acts 20
• qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1
• misuse of Proverbs 6 to silence correction
• corporate pulpits versus congregational participation
• moving from Moses to Joshua—entering rest by faith
• identity in Christ and the mind of Christ shared
• practical steps to hold leaders accountable in grace

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/078-what-is-a-pastor/

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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 the New Covenant
• Paul’s rebuke of law-keeping and the curse argument
• Jesus addressing Pharisees under law, not the church
• 2 Corinthians 9 and cheerful, non-compulsory giving
• early church patterns of sharing and aid in Acts
• questioning salaries, buildings, and career pastor models
• a call to loving correction and truthful generosity

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/077-will-a-man-rob-god-malachi-3-8/

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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
• half-truths and dependence on professional authority
• law-based tithing versus grace-led generosity
• baptism as celebration not salvation requirement
• forgiveness as finished, not a daily re-earning
• fellowship with God secured by the Spirit
• walking by the Spirit before behavior change
• discipleship as identity rooted in belief
• discipline versus punishment under the new covenant
• church buildings versus living fellowship in truth
• rethinking rapture assumptions in context
• practical steps to clear the slate and search Scripture

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/076-astonishing-list-of-false-teachings-in-the-church/

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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 wilderness as a warning against doing right in our own eyes
• faith as trust that yields peace and practical surrender
• grace versus hypocrisy contrasted across daily life
• casting anxiety on Christ as the mark of dependence
• moving from behavior management to Spirit-produced fruit

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/075-holy-living-hypocrisy/

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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 to reliance on resurrection power
• the difference between asking for help and seeking guidance
• surrender, rest, and counting the cost with Jesus
• guarding the mind, abiding in truth, and praying for love
• Spirit-filled living versus legalism and self-effort
• suffering for sin versus suffering for Christ and the fruit produced
• unbreakable assurance in the love of God through Christ

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/074-why-does-god-allow-us-to-suffer/

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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-effort and metrics
• Propitiation and the end of wrath for believers
• Love as Christ’s life in us, not a standard
• Exposing standards-based discipleship and hypocrisy
• Depend like Jesus: the Son does nothing alone
• Narrow gate faith in a world of sight
• Practical steps to pray, abide, and trust

Blog Post: https://wakinguptograce.com/073-love-like-jesus/

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