Simply By Grace Podcast

Charlie and a team of instructors teamed with their ministry partners in Ghana, West Africa in July. You will be amazed at the report on how the gospel of grace was received. You might be more amazed at how Charlie was even able to make the trip. Listen as he tells his story and also hear from the three GraceLife Institute Instructors. Grace makes a great difference in Ghana!

There’s no friend like an “old” friend. Charlie talks to one of his best and oldest friends, Larry Butler. You will be surprised to find how their lives intersect and now remain close. Larry’s search for truth and meaning in life took him from Plato to Marx to Martin Luther King to King Jesus.

T365 Podcast of SWCC had Charlie on their podcast and we're rebroadcasting it on SimplyByGrace. Pastors Cody and John covered a variety of topics, everything from his books to the importance of having a clear definition of what salvation is and means.  Some questions include, why is it important to make a distinction between salvation and discipleship? What is "free grace"? What is discipleship?  What is Christ's Lordship and how does it all fit in? How does free grace relate to dispensationalism?

When talking about grace makes you weep with joy, you know you have discovered the true grace of God. After he made his life-changing discovery, Bill Boggess spent his life telling others about his discovery of God’s grace. He has gone through some serious trials, but you can hear and share his joy. Listen to him.

Back in May of 2022, Charlie spoke at a church and the topic was "unwanted grace."  In it he discussed a number of stories which you may have heard already as they've been posted in prior podcasts (see links below).  In all of these grace stories they met God's grace in one way or another. They were facing something that they weren't sure they could deal with. Doubt, fear grips the mind, but God reaches out in his grace. 

But what is grace?  What does it mean in salvation or generally speaking? Can it be earned? ...and what is "unwanted grace?"  Find out more in today's podcast!

• Ashlie https://www.simplybygrace.org/e/free-fall-into-grace/
• Sukhwant https://www.simplybygrace.org/e/my-dad-put-a-gun-to-my-head-%e2%80%a6/
• Adrianna https://www.simplybygrace.org/e/grace-stories-she-shouted-into-the-darkness-is-anybody-out-there/

When you hear Butch Simmons's story, you may think of a warrior. Once a troublemaker, then a karate expert and teacher, now a Christian saved by grace. You'll see that grace exudes from this retired fighter and carried him through some difficult trials in life. He could break 18 inches of concrete block with his bare hand. Now he is just as strong in the Lord.

It's summertime, so let's kick back and have a little fun. Dr. Dave Anderson and Charlie were recently in Canada on a spring bear hunt. Did they get their bears? And by the way, why is the millennium important to the Free Grace gospel? Believe it or not, in this random conversation, you'll find out the answers to both!

When everyone has abandoned you and you have nowhere to turn, who will hear a question like that? God was listening when Adriana reached the end of her rope. She was alone and hopeless, but that desperate cry for help was heard. What happened next will amaze you as well as how God changed her life and filled it with peace and purpose. When you hear her Grace Story, you will weep and rejoice with her.

There's a story about C.S. Lewis who was attending the British conference on comparative religions. To paraphrase, during this conference they were debating the question "Is there anything unique to the Christian faith?" The incarnation of Christ maybe? nope. The resurrection? nope. Miracles? nope. Changed life? nope. They couldn't find anything unique as all other religions had something similar (true or not). That is until C.S. Lewis walked in and asked, "What's the rumpus about?"  They informed him of the question and his response was "oh, that's easy, it's grace." ...and that was the end of the discussion.

There's really nothing else that comes close to Christ's teaching that God's love and relationship with Him come absolutely free. It is unconditional love with no strings attached. It's this idea that's not just unique amongst other religions, but to mankind's very nature. 

Mankind has a natural aversion to grace. There is something inherent within us that says that we must have something to do with our own salvation; be it the Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law. 

Christianity is built on grace, it's what makes our faith unique. If we don't understand this foundational truth, we can end up misapplying things in our daily walk and stunt our growth as believers. 

This is the topic Charlie takes on in this podcast as he focuses in on Ephesians 2:8-10. 

Do you want to know what it’s like to become a Christian in a hostile culture? We take a journey with Dr. Sukhwant Bhatia that begins far away in India, then on to the United States, and back to India where he leads a Christian college and seminary and Bible translation ministry.

Though his path was not easy, He found that Jesus Christ’s grace is sufficient. You will want to check out his web site at seekpartners.org https://seekpartners.org and watch a short video about his life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-M0qIylyMI before or after you hear his Grace Story.