Guardians of Grace

He begins the episode as a man with an empty, restless life and ends it on fire with revelation. In a personal, unguarded testimony, the host recounts how God apprehended him 35 years ago and turned his nights and days into a single, relentless devotion to Scripture—an addiction not to rules but to revelation. What started as a search for meaning after a secular spiral led him through churches, gu...

On this episode of Guardians of Grace, Steve pours out a river of spiritual reflection about what it truly means to be "born again"—better translated, "born from above." Through vivid imagery and personal testimony, he guides listeners from the frustration of failing human effort to the freedom of a life empowered by God’s Spirit. You’ll hear how the new covenant, inaugurated at Pentecost, reverse...

Step into a restless night and a weary heart: Steve Lenart invites you to walk beside him from the wreckage of a worldly life to the quiet, revolutionary discovery of what it truly means to be born again. This episode reads like a late-night conversation—honest, raw and tender—where a seeker’s exhaustion becomes the soil for a deeper hunger. Steve describes his years of searching through churches...

Welcome into a night conversation that changes everything. In this episode Steve Lennart throws down a bold challenge: the words "saved" and "born again" are not interchangeable. As he unpacks John 3 and walks us beside Nicodemus under the hush of midnight, the familiar Gospel flips into a living mystery — one that begins with water, but is completed by an invisible wind. Picture the Pharisee appr...

On a quiet night a respected Pharisee slips through the darkness to meet a teacher who will turn his world upside down. In this episode the host opens with a bold, unsettling thesis: the words "saved" and "born again" are not the same. That one claim sparks a heartfelt, urgent exploration — not to wound, but to illuminate the Gospel’s deepest imagery. Through storytelling, scripture, and personal...

Pastor Steve explores how the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our heart to recognize Christ at work within us and others. He explains the difference between human effort and spiritual life under the new covenant, emphasizing that true good comes from God in us, not from our flesh. Throughout the episode he cites scripture—John, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians—urging listeners to give God the credit f...

This episode prays for and explains Paul’s request in Ephesians 1:17—receiving the spirit of wisdom and revelation so the eyes of your heart are enlightened. Steve shares a personal testimony of how that revelation transformed his life, urging listeners to pray, memorize Eph 1:17-19, and seek the mind of Christ. The episode also explores the coming of the kingdom of God, Pentecost, the new covenan...

This episode teaches listeners how to develop spiritual vision to discern the difference between the human (flesh) and the spiritual (Christ) in themselves and others. Using passages from Genesis, Paul, and John, the speaker explains how being born again opens the eyes to the kingdom of God, enabling believers to recognize God’s activity, give Him credit for good works, and live in the new covenan...

Steve Lenart explores how the Holy Spirit enables believers to read and understand scripture, distinguishing spiritual sight and hearing from natural perception. Using passages from Mark, Matthew, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Hebrews, the episode emphasizes abiding in Christ, receiving the Spirit’s wisdom and revelation, and training spiritual senses to discern flesh from spirit.

In this episode Steve Lennart examines John the Baptist's confrontation with the Pharisees and explains how their exchange reveals the judicial language of the new covenant: repentance, Spirit-birth, and works tested by fire. He connects John, Jesus, Paul, and Revelation to show that true Christian living depends on Christ in us, not human effort, and outlines how believers can bear lasting fruit...

In this episode, Steve Lennart examines John the Baptist’s confrontation with the Pharisees at the Jordan, explaining key "terms of art" in the New Covenant—baptism, repentance, and being baptized with fire. Using passages from Matthew 3, John 3, 1 Corinthians 3, and Revelation, he shows how works done in human strength (the chaff) are burned up, while Spirit-led works (the wheat) are stored as he...

Steve Lenart hosts Guardians of Grace in a focused Bible study on John the Baptist's confrontation with the Pharisees, unpacking the new covenant language behind baptism, repentance, wheat and chaff, and what it means to bear lasting fruit. The episode contrasts human effort with Spirit-led life, explains the spiritual meaning of baptism and circumcision in Christ, and previews a deeper look at th...

Host Steve Lennart examines John the Baptist's confrontation with the Pharisees in Matthew 3, highlighting that they came to be baptized and introducing the new covenant meanings behind repentance, baptism, and judgment. Referencing Hebrews 6, Romans 7, and Colossians 2, the episode explains key "terms of art"—dead works, the axe at the root, and the baptism of fire and the Spirit—to reveal how th...

Steve Lenart examines John the Baptist’s rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 3, explaining new-covenant terms like wrath, repentance, fruit, and the fire and Spirit of baptism. He argues that John’s call was not about avoiding hell but about receiving the Spirit so believers can bear lasting spiritual fruit. Throughout, Lenart connects Matthew 3 to Romans and the New Covenant to reveal how these te...

Hosts Bill and Steve explore what it truly means to be a disciple: experiencing the truth of Christ—"the I Am"—so the Spirit can live through us. They contrast human effort and law-based righteousness with relying on God’s Spirit, showing how acknowledging Jesus in all our ways turns off sin and brings freedom, rest, and the power of resurrection life.

The host opens a new study connecting 1 John with the rest of the Bible, focusing on Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7 about judgment. The episode distinguishes judgments we must avoid (condemnation) from righteous discernment — knowing people by the fruit they bear and watching for false prophets and antichrists. Practical guidance is given on fellowship: minister to the lost but do not closely fellows...

Steve Lennart walks through Romans 9–10 to reveal a fresh perspective on the new covenant: salvation from shame and daily disappointment rather than only eternal deliverance. He contrasts Israel’s attempt to earn righteousness by the law with the Gentiles’ reception of righteousness by faith, explaining how the Spirit in us fulfills the law’s righteous requirements and enables Christ-centered livi...

Steve Lenart explores the heart of the Christian life: not human imitation of Christ but Christ living inside believers by the Holy Spirit. He traces the theme from Genesis and Old Testament sacrifice through the prophets to Jesus' fulfillment and the birth of the new covenant. Using passages like John 15, John 17, Romans, and Galatians, the episode emphasizes abiding in Jesus, Spirit-empowered ob...

Host Steve Lenart opens with gratitude and a personal testimony about his 2016 stroke and humility, emphasizing that the insights shared are from God through him, not from him alone. The episode recaps 1 John chapters 1–4, highlighting the central theme of fellowship with the Father and the Son, the difference between spirit and human nature, the new covenant, and the visible fruit of God’s love i...

In this episode the host walks through 1 John to show how the new covenant teaches Christians to experience God and build joy-filled fellowship. He emphasizes that true love is God's love flowing through us—not human effort—and explains how to recognize and manifest that spirit in everyday relationships. Practical encouragement and biblical insight on waiting for God, becoming His instrument, and...

This episode walks through 1 John and unveils its single life-changing message: learn to fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, not human nature. It reassures listeners about assurance of salvation and explains how to discern when someone is manifesting the Spirit versus the flesh. Practical and encouraging, the talk urges listeners to abide in God, let His power work thro...

In this episode the host begins a study of 1 John, explaining that the letter is about the new covenant and spirit-to-spirit fellowship rather than proving or maintaining salvation. He clarifies key themes like discerning the Spirit versus human nature, abiding in Jesus, and how the Holy Spirit’s anointing makes Christian relationships joyful and life-giving. Listeners will learn practical insight...

This episode is an overview of the book of James, explaining its central thesis: trials test for manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and those manifestations produce spiritual maturity and reward. It covers practical application — asking God for wisdom, being doers of the word, controlling the tongue, patience and prayer of faith, and turning others back to the truth — all framed as living under th...

Host Steve (Guardians of Grace) walks listeners through James 5:8–20, explaining the new-covenant reality where God’s Spirit manifests through believers rather than human effort. The episode emphasizes patience in trials, faith as a manifestation of the Spirit, the power of prayer and anointing for healing, and restoring those who stray from this truth. Practical illustrations (Abraham, Rahab, Job...

Host introduces the Guardians of Grace podcast, prays for a friend harmed by internet fraud, and shares a passionate study of the letter of James. The episode explains James’s central theme: tests reveal manifestations of the Spirit under the new covenant, where God’s work through us earns heavenly rewards while our self-made prideful deeds burn away. Key passages from 1 Corinthians, Colossians, a...