Jesus Resurrection and Grace: This Changed Everything!

Friday, March 30, 2018 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments




Acts 4:33, And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

Grace is God's favor and bountiful benefits for your life. This changes everything!

Grace is your greatest provision. God's grace is the power that caused Jesus to rise from the dead after suffering and dying for your sins and mine. Think about the greatness of the power that raised Him from the dead! That same power is available to you!

The root meaning for the Bible Greek word for "resurrection" is anastasis. This word literally means "to cause to stand up." After taking our sins to the cross and carrying our sins to the grave through death, He rose from the dead. He "stood up" for you and me, providing forgiveness, peace, joy and a new life with God.

Along with this new life comes the promise of helping you to stand up when the circumstances of life have knocked you down. The same grace/power that raised Christ from the dead is available today to raise you up in your challenges! (Romans 8:11)

Rejoice! Everything has changed in your favor!

Join us on Resurrection Sunday at New Covenant Church, April 1 at 10:30am EST
www.NewCovenant.org

How to Stay Encouraged...The Grace of Encouragement

Thursday, March 22, 2018 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments


Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Encouragement can help you in extraordinary ways. The grace of encouragement can help you empower others. 

After the death of the great leader Moses, when the Lord spoke to Joshua, he didn’t talk about resources, strategy, and knowledge. He spoke about courage and the importance of guarding against discouragement. The Lord encouraged Joshua. In the book of Deuteronomy, there is the record of the words that Moses spoke to the people of Israel to remind them of their legacy and purpose. In the midst of that discourse was this remarkable statement;
“But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.” (Deuteronomy 3:28)

Notice the importance of encouraging a man who had the capacity to lead others to a better place. Joshua was that man and his “commissioning” came through the grace and power of encouragement.

The Hebrew root definition for the word encourage means, “To fasten upon.” Other definitions of the word include: Strengthen, prevail, harden, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute Other uses of Old Testament Hebrew word “chazaq” include: strong (48x), repair (47x), hold (37x), strengthened (28x), strengthen (14x), harden (13x), prevail (10x), encourage (9x), take (9x), courage (8x), 

The New Testament Greek word, paraklesis for encourage means:  To urge forward, persuade, an exhortation; A calling to one's aid. 
(From the compound word: para, "by the side," and kaleo, "to call")

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Encouragement inspires hope. Hope in the Lord renews strength. Strength causes you to soar, run, and walk victoriously.

 When you are encouraged in the Lord, you become inspired to do extraordinary things! Joshua, will all of his ability, could not have succeeded without encouragement. The same is true for you and me. A assignment from God is very empowering, but we has people thrive on divine motivation and participation/partnership with others. 

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25 )

Encouraging others is very important to their success! So go “spur” on another person toward love and good deeds! Do it today!

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Be encouraged by my teaching on this topic on the Firm Foundation podcast:
iTunes: https://apple.co/2G8PSSO
Podbean: http://bit.ly/2GGIPhW
TuneIn: http://bit.ly/2HOgGVI


Gifts of Grace: Your Design & Destiny, Pt. 3 “Embrace Your Gifting” (Video)

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments




Your gifts are blessings from the grace of God upon your life. There are three groups of gifting:
1. Natural - Comes by birth
2. Motivational  - Comes by new birth
3. Spiritual  - Operates as God wills

This teaching explores and explains how God’s gifts work in your life. It is not a question of IF God has gifted you, it is only a question of HOW you embrace your gifts, use them, and allow God to use you.

You can listen to the podcast using the links below or watch the video with PowerPoint slides. This teaching from the Word of God is VERY IMPORTANT to your growth and progress in life! Let me know how you are blessed and what you learned.

Listen to Sunday's teaching "Gifts of Grace: Your Design & Destiny, Pt. 3 “Embrace Your Gifting” on the Firm Foundation Podcast:

Podbean: https://bryanhudson.podbean.com/e/gifts-of-grace-your-design-and-destiny-part-3-embrace-your-gifting/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/firm-foundation-with-bryan-hudson/id81271386?mt=2
TuneIn: https://tunein.com/radio/Firm-Foundation-with-Bryan-Hudson-p1088629/

Gifts of Grace: Your Design & Destiny, Pt. 2 “How to Use What You Have” (Audio Message)

Wednesday, March 07, 2018 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments



"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." ~ Ephesians 4:7 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God..." 1 Peter 4:10

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Creativity or talent, like electricity, is something I don't understand but something I'm able to harness and use. ~Maya Angelou

Grace = God’s ability
Measure = How much God gives
Gift = What God gives

What you will become is already inside of you. Talent is like potential, it does not amount to much unless you do something with it.

A GIFT is an ability or potential ability you received from God when you were born. It must be developed. “Use it or lose it.”

An ABILITY is a learned skill

An APTITUDE is a talent or capacity to do something. Some people have a gift to sing, draw, or run fast. People with ability to sing, draw or run fast learn to do it better. People with an aptitude to sing, draw, or run fast need to discover it and do something with it. 

The concept of talent is overrated. When someone does something very well, we usually say that person did it because of "talent." Talent is a starting point for some, but people who work hard at something become more successful than people who only have talent. More than anything else, success comes from working with what God has given you, following your heart, being trained, practicing, and doing your best. 

Sometimes people think they have no talent, but that’s only because they think talent is something visible like singing and drawing. There are many kinds of talents/aptitudes.

The purpose of training and education are to develop your gifts, acquire ability, and exercise your talents/aptitudes. 

Romans 12:3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

Paul did not say to think less of yourself. He said think of yourself in proper context and according to your faith.

“Don’t think you are better than you really are...” We would say today, “Don’t have the big head.”

Who you are right now is more than enough, if you are looking through the perspective of grace and the eyes of grace (God’s ability).

Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3

“.....But to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 NKJV

You are what you believe you are. Your measure of faith is vital. When someone expresses doubt in what they can do, they won’t do it...not because they can’t do it, but because they have become unwilling to believe. 

“Without faith, it is impossible to please God....” (Heb. 11:6)

Listen to this teaching on the Firm Foundation Podcast:


Firm Foundation Broadcast | "Gifts of Grace: Your Design & Destiny, Part One"

Friday, March 02, 2018 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments


Firm Foundation with Bryan Hudson | "Gifts of Grace: Your Design & Destiny, Part One"