Author: Hank

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Some time ago I’d spoken of Jeremiah’s prophecy: a new and much better covenant was coming! Let’s give it another look-see: it’s that good!

The OLD: full of fleshly conditions to be fulfilled in our own strength.
The NEW: unconditional. God would be OUR God, We would be HIS people. A covenant of mercy and grace. He would remember our sins no more, and forever.

And there’s more GOOD NEWS! It says,
“I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.”

This is beyond awesome, friends! It answers those questions, “What is the will of God for my life? What am I supposed to be doing?”

Meaning what? Instead of a rulebook to follow to the best of our abilities and subject to various interpretation and application, what He desires is already IN OUR MINDS, perfectly applied to each situation. And even better, our hearts cry out “Yes, Lord! We WANT to do your will!” And even better beyond that, He has given us the Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish His will despite the odds or demons or whatever.

I think that’s pretty good, don’t you? Forget trying to keep the Commandments; stop losing sleep over the will of God. Just do what He has written upon you – with GUSTO.

Feels good to COME ALIVE, doesn’t it?!!!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place – Fear GRACE? Embrace GRACE!

So many Christians become anxious at the mention of the word, GRACE. Perhaps you are one of them. Grace is no cause for alarm my friend, but for rejoicing. If you think about it you’ll realize John 1:16 says Jesus is God’s hyper-grace personified, for of His fullness which we have all received, and it is grace upon grace.

Many a preacher is scared about life without rules. “You need the Law,” they say. “You need rules for living, boundaries, like river banks—to keep a person in line,” they preach. “Beware greasy-grace – doing whatever you feel like. It’s having a license to sin.”

Time out! First of all, no one needs a license to sin: it comes naturally! I’ve done many Hank’s Place videos pointing out the Law, that is, rule-keeping, or trying to, is designed to point us toward Jesus, our Savior. He saves us, not on the basis of works, but by His grace, It is His unmerited favor toward us!

Consider: Ro 3:24 say, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” In Acts 20:32 Paul commends the Ephesians to ‘God and to the word of His grace,” which is able to build them up and give them the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Ro 5:2 tells us it’s God’s grace in which we now stand. 5:15 says the gift of salvation that has come to us by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” See? It’s not about you, it’s all about JESUS!

Best of all is Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”

Yes, the more you realize the grace of God, receive the grace of God, walk in the grace of God, WITHOUT a thought about RULES, the more you’ll be denying ungodliness, worldly unholy desires, and more sensibly, righteously and godly you’ll be living! Fear grace no longer! Embrace grace—and COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Hebrews 2:3 admonishes us not to neglect so great a salvation. The one Jesus, our Father, and the Holy Spirit accomplished for us. So GREAT a salvation. Let’s apply some of this great salvation reality to a bible passage that may be terrifying you, dear Christian friend!

It is John 15:1-2 and it begins this way: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away….” And how about verse 6 to feed your fears: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

At first reading it sounds very conditional, doesn’t it? Conditional upon our performance. Jesus has saved us, but we had better stay stuck close to Him, and even if we do, but don’t bear fruit, we will be thrown away and tossed into the fire, the fires of Hell!

Friend, the Gospel is GOOD NEWS, and what I’ve just said is NOT Good News. It is NOT the GOSPEL. Here is the Good News: In verse 2, it begins, “every branch IN ME.” That means believers abiding in Jesus. Remember, He did the grafting. You are grafted into GOD Himself. It’s a great salvation. Then there is the picture is of a vine. A vine is an odd sort of tree – it grows along the ground and climbs up on objects. The part on the ground does not, cannot, produce fruit. In contact with the ground it produces roots. Check it out! But when a branch of the vine can climb up something, it produces fruit.

Now listen, because the translators had a tough time here. The verb translated as ‘takes away’ is Strong #142, AIRO. It means, ‘to raise, to take up, to lift.’ What Jesus is telling us is really good news here. He is assuring us, that if we are in Him, that is, if we are believers, and are having trouble producing fruit because we are down, downcast, downtrodden, flattened by life – whatever – He will lift us up. And when lifted up it is an easy thing for the life that is in the vine to flow through us, the lifted up branches – fruit is produced: everywhere! Hallelujah!

Verse 6 is not directed at you, if you are a believer in Jesus, my friend. Notice how it begins, “If anyone does NOT abide in Me, he is thrown away….” Do you see? Unbelievers do not abide in Jesus, only believers do. Do you believe? Then you abide in Him! Never forget that it is GOD who did the grafting in – and it happened when you first believed. And it does not ‘unhappen’ based on your performance. Salvation, eternal life, is a gift by God to those who INHERIT salvation, they DO NOT EARN IT! So today, rest in Him, knowing you are abiding in Him, by inheritance. Let those life-giving juices of the Spirit flow into you, and Come Alive!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Watch the video! See Hank explain about the famous Twelfth Man at Kyle Field and Aggie football. And move onto spiritual truth of a Greater One who believes in you. Who never gives up on you. Who will always help you. Always deliver you. Is always on your side.

And there is more—but watch the video!

With the help of the spiritual Twelfth Man, my dear friend, you will COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Watch the video from College Station, Texas. It’s about FREEDOM.

Freedom comes with a cost—ever since Adam and Eve there have been challenges to freedom. And great challenges await before the return of THE King of Kings.

Check out Daniel 11:32b, which says, “…but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. (or ‘go on adventures’ from the Diane Layton translation for little people) And how about the next verse, “Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.” Sounds pressure packed, what’s to come. 

But do NOT fear, my friend, for God has faith in YOU! Walk by the Spirit, know what it means to COME ALIVE and those days will be glorious!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place on Thanksgiving Day

Watch the video! See Hank speak about FREEDOM. Freedom will win. It’s for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Give THANKS to God today dear friend!

Live in that freedom as Galatians 5:1 declares. Seek to walk in the Spirit. You will soon know what TRUTH is, the Truth about Jesus. Jesus IS TRUTH. 

Know THAT truth, and it will set you FREE. You will have COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

Watch the video! See Hank speak about going up/down the tower. (He really did—I know—because I’m Hank.)

Hank had a blast being free to go up/down. Until he found all the rules about tower usage. Where was the fun then, eh?

Life’s like that: live by the rules and there isn’t much life to your life. On the other hand, walk/live by the Spirit of the Living God and there are oceans of life to enjoy. Personally! And don’t worry about getting into the flesh and making a scene. When you are walking in the Spirit there’s no room for the flesh to mess things up.

And remember, as you walk in the Spirit, you will COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

In Gal chapt 3 Paul begins by asking, “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” You see, people were fooling the Galatians into taking their eyes off of Jesus and putting them on themselves, especially in following rules, and religious observations. See your sins? Well, see them on Jesus, for He took them all, one time, for all time. He suffered the punishment for each and every sin, of everyone in the world including us yet unborn, and when it was FINISHED, He yielded up His spirit, and died. For everyone.

He succeeded! The proof is the resurrection, my friends. And for those who believe it, there is justification. Justification means to be made righteous before God. Eternally.

Justification is a gift by His grace (Ro 3:24). It’s by faith (Ro 3:28). It’s by His blood (Ro 5:9). Justification and righteousness are abstract terms. Let me help you understand with this little story I read on the Internet.

A college student was busted for marijuana. Totally guilty. Time for his trial. Totally guilty. Before he could even make a plea however, it was discovered that the police did not have the proper documents when they entered his apartment. Although the judge was unhappy, he had no option but to toss the case out of court, to dismiss it. The young man was not guilty by law – even though he was totally guilty in fact! Friends, we have been justified by grace, through faith, by His blood. It’s totally true we were guilty, but our sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). Sunk to the depths of the ocean (Mic 7:19). Never to be found. Even if search is made, they cannot be found (Jer 50:20).

The Almighty Judge of the universe has pronounced us NOT GUILTY. And He is happy about it! We have been justified. Just like that young man, there is no admissible evidence we have ever sinned. We are righteous forever. It’s OK if you dance a happy dance right now!

Friend, the more this truth, that there is therefore NO CONDEMNATION for you – for you are IN Christ Jesus, dawns on you, the more you will COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Paul in Col 1:27 tells us of a mystery, a rich and glorious one – Christ, the Anointed One, God Himself, was LIVING IN the Colossian believers. How can that be? They were ignorant of the Mosaic Covenant and all that people must do to be acceptable to God. They were Gentiles. They had no covenant with God. No Ten Commandments. No rites, rituals and observations from on high. So what did they DO to earn the right to have God Himself living IN them, making them complete in Him, and blessing them with every spiritual blessing?

The simple answer: THEY DID NOTHING. OBEYED NOTHING. They BELIEVED the Good News friends, that GOD had accomplished salvation, and offers it freely to everyone. Forgiveness of sins. Justification. Righteousness. Eternal life. Thanks to the BLOOD of the CROSS, people w/o a clue to the ways of the Living God found this Living God—LIVING IN THEM!

A few miles to the east of Colossae, the Galatians were in a pickle. Some law-abiding Jewish believers had come by to try to get them to obey all the Jewish Laws in order to be ‘proper’ ‘authentic’ Christians.

Paul corrected them in the book of Gal, especially chapt 3, vs 2-12. Here are some snippets: “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? …does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? …

He reminds them, and us, that Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and God counted him RIGHTEOUS. And then he quotes from  the Old Testament, saying that you can’t obey just some of the law, but you must obey ALL the rules or you put yourself under a curse! He hammers the point that the Righteous (that’s YOU because of the Blood) live by faith and focusing on keeping the rules is NOT of Faith.

If you have been trying to be a good-little-obedient-rule keeping Christian that God can be proud of, well, your thinking is mixed up.

We were made to live by the Spirit. DON’T GO BACK to observing rules, even perfect rules like the Ten Commandments. Don’t look back. Stay on this side of the CROSS — keep looking to Jesus, learn more about living by the Spirit. That’s how you Come Alive and Stay Alive in this nasty generation!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place

In Moses’ day, people were afraid of God, and rightly so! They asked Moses to bring down orders from headquarters, and all that God says, they promised to do. That’s Ex 19:8. BOOM – there were the 10 C’s among others rules. All required strict adherence, through the power of the flesh. But flesh is weak, so although the commandments appeared to be rules to keep, they were in fact a mirror – to point out our shortcomings. And they were perfect at it.

Back in Jesus’ day there was trouble! For over a 1,000 years the Jewish leaders had opportunity to learn that mankind cannot obey God’s rules – we need a Savior. By Jesus’ time they should have or certainly could have, been ready to receive Jesus as that Savior – after all, it was the fullness of time.

But the Pharisees and law teachers placed their traditions and interpretations ahead of God’s Laws. They emptied the Law of the power to condemn. The Law’s perfect purpose was thwarted: sin was not being named as sin, and the self-righteous were not being silenced.

Today in so many places we hear a mixed message. Law – just listen for the “if’s” – “if you do this, then God will do…” or, “you need to do this before God will do… something” Mixed with GRACE – when you hear what God has done, especially concerning Calvary, you are hearing grace. Acts 20:24 says the Gospel is the Good News of His GRACE. You may hear that God gave us the Holy Spirit to help us keep the 10C’s. This is incorrect! Gal 3:12 says, “But the Law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”” The Law is a “to do” list. It is NOT of faith, and it’s faith that pleases God. Ro 1:27 “The just shall live by faith”. Heb 11:6 “…without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Here’s the point of today’s Hank’s Place. The Holy Spirit is NOT GOING TO HELP US KEEP A SET OF RULES. Rules are NOT of Faith. Read Gal 3:12 for yourself. It is only faith that pleases God.

There are a lot of voices out there, a lot of confusion when Law and Grace are mixed. Don’t be confused my dear friend. Simply walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit. Find true LIFE by simple faith in the Living God – you will enter His rest my friend. You will Come Alive!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*