ZERO METER READING

Table of Contents

1. Opening Greeting and Love for the Church
2. A Desire to Hear Testimonies
3. Continuing the Previous Messages on Grace
4. The Internal Battle Between Law and Grace
5. The Finished Work of Jesus Christ
6. The Old Covenant Way of Thinking
7. Deuteronomy 28 and the Performance-Based Mindset
8. Joshua 1 and the Burden of Trying Harder
9. Why the Law Could Never Produce Victory
10. Entering the New Covenant Through Faith
11. Hebrews 13: God's Promise to Equip Believers
12. God Produces What Pleases Him
13. Rejecting Performance-Based Christianity
14. Christ Living Within the Believer
15. The Zero Meter Reading
16. Closing Encouragement and Ministry Update

Opening Greeting and Love for the Church

Pastor Leonard begins by warmly welcoming everyone and expressing heartfelt appreciation for the viewers. Before teaching, he wants everyone to know how deeply he and Pastor Lori love them. He explains that although many people write letters, send cards, and leave encouraging comments about how much the ministry has meant to them, the pastors feel even greater love for those who faithfully watch and support the ministry.

He explains that they pray daily for every person who has requested prayer. This is not simply something they say; it is part of their routine before God. Because of this commitment, they are expecting to begin hearing testimonies of answered prayer.

The testimonies they long to hear include:

• Physical healing
• Financial provision
• Restored relationships
• Reconciled marriages
• Healing between parents and children
• Every area where God's grace has brought restoration

Rather than focusing on problems, they encourage believers to begin expecting victories that demonstrate God's goodness. They explain that it is time for God's people to begin sharing what He has done in their lives instead of only speaking about their struggles. This opening establishes the atmosphere for the teaching. The message is not about condemnation or pointing out failures but about encouraging believers to recognize the goodness of God and the reality of His grace.

A Desire to Hear Testimonies

Pastor Leonard explains that this teaching is connected directly to the previous Sunday and Tuesday messages. Rather than introducing a completely new topic, he continues building upon what has already been taught concerning the Gospel of Grace. As he reflected on those earlier messages, he began examining his own heart. He speaks honestly about the ongoing renewal of his own soul, mind, will, and emotions. Even after years of preaching grace, he admits that renewing the mind is still a process.

He explains that many Christians experience an internal conflict because they have spent so much of their lives believing that their relationship with God depends upon what they do rather than what Jesus has already accomplished. The Gospel of Grace teaches something radically different. Jesus declared that His work was finished before giving His life on the cross. Pastor Leonard emphasizes that Jesus did not merely begin salvation or make it possible; He completed everything necessary for the New Covenant.

Because of Christ's finished work:

• The covenant between the Father and the Son has already been established.
• It has been sealed with Jesus' own blood.
• It is flawless.
• It is faultless.
• Believers enter that covenant simply by believing in Jesus Christ.

No amount of human effort helped establish that covenant. No amount of human work can improve it. No amount of striving can make God love believers more. This truth, Pastor Leonard admits, can be difficult for people who have spent decades believing that blessings must be earned through obedience and performance.

Continuing the Previous Messages on Grace

The Internal Battle Between Law and Grace

Pastor Leonard begins describing the questions that often arise when believers have waited a long time for healing, provision, or other answers to prayer. Many people quietly ask themselves:

"What am I doing wrong?"
"What do I still need to do?"
"What does God want me to do?"

He explains that these questions reveal something much deeper than simple curiosity. They reveal that many believers are still thinking according to an Old Covenant mindset. For approximately thirty-five years of his Christian life, he says that one central message was repeatedly reinforced:

"You must do."
"You must obey."
"You must perform."
"You must work."

The result was a constant feeling of falling short. Every failure reinforced the belief that God's blessings depended upon personal performance.
This produced:

• Guilt
• Shame
• Condemnation
• Discouragement
• Repeated feelings of failure

Instead of resting in Christ's finished work, believers become trapped in measuring themselves by their own performance. Pastor Leonard explains that this was his own experience for decades before discovering the freedom found in God's grace.

The Finished Work of Jesus Christ

As Pastor Leonard continues the teaching, he emphasizes that one of the greatest struggles believers face is accepting that salvation and the Christian life are no longer based upon personal effort. He explains that Jesus' final declaration from the cross—"It is finished"—was not simply an announcement that His suffering had ended. It was the declaration that everything necessary for mankind's redemption had been completed. The covenant between the Father and the Son had been fully established. It was forged by the Father. It was sealed with the blood of His own Son. It was not based upon man's ability to obey. It was not dependent upon human effort. It was not strengthened by good works. Because Jesus completely fulfilled His part of the covenant, believers now enter into that perfect covenant simply by believing in Him.

Pastor Leonard describes this covenant as both flawless and faultless. Since God Himself established it through Christ, nothing is lacking in it. Nothing needs to be added by human effort. Yet he openly admits that this truth is difficult for many Christians to embrace because they have spent decades believing that every blessing from God depends upon what they themselves must do. He explains that this way of thinking especially affects believers who have waited a long time for healing or breakthrough. Instead of resting in Christ, they begin asking themselves what they are still doing wrong. This, he explains, is evidence that the old covenant mindset is still influencing the renewed believer.

The Old Covenant Way of Thinking

Pastor Leonard shares personally that for approximately thirty-five years, nearly every message he heard reinforced one central idea:
"If you obey enough, God will bless you." Every sermon seemed to emphasize personal responsibility. Every teaching focused on performance. Every failure pointed back to something that the believer supposedly had not done correctly. As those messages accumulated year after year, they became deeply rooted in his thinking. Even after discovering the Gospel of Grace, he admits that renewing the mind is still a process because decades of law-based thinking cannot simply disappear overnight.

Pastor Lori agrees, confirming that this experience is common among many believers. Pastor Leonard explains that this performance-based system always caused him to feel as though he had fallen short. Instead of experiencing confidence before God, he constantly evaluated himself. Instead of enjoying peace, he questioned whether he had obeyed enough. Instead of resting in Christ's finished work, he continually searched for something more that he needed to do.

The result was never freedom.
The result was guilt.
The result was shame.
The result was condemnation.

He describes this system as a "do-it-yourself" covenant. The emphasis was always upon human effort rather than God's completed work through Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 28 and the Performance-Based Mindset

Pastor Leonard now turns to one of the passages that shaped his thinking for decades. Pastor Lori reads Deuteronomy 28:1.

Deuteronomy 28:1 (KJV)- "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth."

After hearing the verse again, Pastor Leonard explains how it was taught throughout much of his Christian life. The emphasis was always placed upon words like:
• diligently
• obey
• observe
• commandments

The conclusion that he repeatedly heard was simple: "If you obey perfectly, God will bless you." For thirty-five years this message became deeply embedded in his thinking. Whenever blessings seemed delayed… Whenever healing had not yet manifested… Whenever circumstances became difficult… His immediate conclusion was that he must not have obeyed enough. He believed that he personally was preventing God from blessing him. Rather than producing freedom, this understanding continually reminded him of his shortcomings. He explains that every attempt to perfectly obey only revealed more failure.

The Old Covenant continually exposed his inability to measure up. Instead of producing peace, it continually reinforced feelings of inadequacy. He explains that this mindset eventually convinced him that God's blessings depended almost entirely upon his own performance rather than Christ's completed work.

Joshua 1 and the Burden of Trying Harder

Pastor Leonard next introduces another passage that has greatly influenced his thinking over the years. Pastor Lori reads Joshua 1:7.

Joshua 1:7 (KJV)- "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper thou whithersoever goest."

Pastor Leonard explains how he interpreted this passage for many years. Whenever life was not going well… Whenever prosperity seemed absent… Whenever difficulties arose… His immediate assumption was that he must have turned "to the right" or "to the left." If something was wrong, he assumed the fault rested entirely with him. He recalls how nearly every Sunday evening he would walk to the altar once again. He would recommit himself. He would rededicate himself. He sincerely desired to serve God with all of his heart. Yet despite his sincerity, the pattern never changed. Each week he promised to do better. Each week he eventually failed again. The cycle repeated itself over and over.

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that his commitment was genuine. His desire to please God was real. The problem was not a lack of sincerity. The problem was that he was attempting to live according to a covenant that was never designed to produce righteousness through human effort. The Law continually demanded perfection. Because no one could keep it perfectly, it continually exposed human weakness. He explains that this is precisely why Jesus came. The Law could never accomplish what Christ accomplished through His finished work. The believer's confidence is therefore no longer found in personal performance but in Jesus Christ alone.

Why the Law Could Never Produce Victory

Entering the New Covenant Through Faith

Having explained why the Law could never produce lasting victory, Pastor Leonard now shifts the focus entirely to the New Covenant. He explains that believers must not only understand that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled, but they must also learn to live from the reality of the covenant that Jesus established. He reminds listeners that for much of their lives they were taught that everything depended upon their own efforts. Even after coming to Christ, many continue to think that way because those teachings have been deeply ingrained over many years. However, the Gospel of Grace announces a completely different reality.

Pastor Leonard declares that it is no longer up to us. The responsibility for fulfilling the covenant was not left in human hands. It was entrusted entirely to Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled every requirement. Jesus satisfied every demand of God's justice. Jesus provided everything necessary for mankind to stand accepted before the Father. Because of Christ's finished work, the Father is now free to bless those who have placed their faith in His Son. The basis for God's blessing is no longer man's ability to perfectly obey, but Christ's perfect obedience on behalf of mankind.

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that believers have entered into a covenant that is entirely different from the covenant of law. This New Covenant was not established by imperfect human beings making promises to God. Instead, it was established between the Father and His Son and sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Since God Himself established this covenant, it is perfect. It is faultless. It cannot fail. The believer's role is not to improve the covenant through personal effort but simply to place faith in Jesus Christ and rest in what He has already accomplished.

Because of this, Pastor Leonard urges listeners to make a conscious decision to leave behind the old covenant mindset. He says it is time to "get rid of the old and live in the new." This does not mean ignoring Scripture or disregarding holiness. Rather, it means changing the foundation upon which the Christian life is lived. Instead of striving to earn God's approval, believers are invited to rest in Christ's finished work and allow God's grace to transform them from within. To illustrate this truth, Pastor Leonard introduces the passage that God used to begin changing his own understanding many years earlier. He explains that this Scripture became one of the foundational passages in his own journey into the Gospel of Grace. Pastor Lori is then asked to read Hebrews 13:20–21.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (KJV)- "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Pastor Leonard explains that these verses reveal a truth he had overlooked for many years. Instead of placing the responsibility upon believers to make themselves acceptable to God, the passage declares that God Himself is the One who equips His people and works within them to accomplish His will. This realization became a turning point in his understanding of grace and serves as the central theme for the remainder of the message.

Hebrews 13: God's Promise to Equip Believers

Having encouraged believers to leave behind the Old Covenant mindset and embrace the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ, Pastor Leonard turns to the passage of Scripture that God used to begin transforming his own understanding of grace. He explains that this passage from Hebrews became one of the foundational truths in his personal journey away from striving and into resting in the finished work of Christ. Pastor Lori reads Hebrews 13:20–21.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (KJV)- "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Pastor Leonard shares a personal testimony about how this passage first came to him. Approximately twelve to fifteen years earlier, he awoke around three o'clock in the morning unexpectedly speaking these very words. The experience immediately caught his attention because he had not been studying Hebrews, preparing a message from it, or even meditating on the passage before going to sleep. As he lay awake, he realized that the Lord was revealing something that would eventually reshape his understanding of the Christian life. Looking back, he recognizes that this moment marked one of the earliest stages of what would become his walk in the Gospel of Grace. He explains that the first truth God impressed upon his heart was found in the opening words of verse 21: "Make you perfect in every good work to do his will."

For decades he had believed that becoming equipped to do God's will depended upon his own efforts. The messages he had heard throughout much of his Christian life consistently pointed him back toward personal responsibility. If he wanted to fulfill God's will, he believed he needed to pray more, work harder, become more disciplined, and continually strive to improve himself. However, Hebrews presents a completely different picture. The verse does not tell believers to equip themselves. It says that God is the One who equips them. That realization completely changed the way Pastor Leonard approached his relationship with the Lord.

Instead of beginning each day wondering whether he had done enough to qualify for God's service, he now begins with thanksgiving. He explains that he regularly thanks the Father because, through faith in Jesus Christ, God Himself is equipping him for everything He has called him to do. He repeats this truth several times to emphasize its importance:

"God equips you."
"God equips you."
"God equips you."

Pastor Leonard explains that this truth removes an enormous burden from the believer's shoulders. Under the Law, the responsibility rested upon the individual to become spiritually capable. Under Grace, God Himself assumes that responsibility. Rather than trying to manufacture spiritual strength through human effort, believers can rest in the confidence that the Father is continually supplying everything they need. Pastor Leonard explains that from this understanding, the believer's role changes dramatically. Instead of constantly asking:

"What do I have to do to please God?"
"What do I have to do to fulfill His will?" the believer simply cooperates with God's grace. He explains that cooperation is very different from striving. Striving attempts to earn God's approval. Cooperation trusts what God is already doing. He summarizes the contrast between the two covenants in simple language. For more than thirty years, the message he continually heard was:
"What do I have to do?"
Grace now declares:
"I will equip you."

God is the One who equips His children. God is the One who supplies what is needed. God is the One who prepares believers for every good work. Pastor Lori responds by saying that this truth removes a tremendous weight from the believer's life. She describes the Gospel as "the too good to be true news," explaining that this is exactly why it is called the Gospel. The Christian life is no longer built upon what believers can accomplish through determination, but upon what Jesus Christ has already accomplished and what God continues to accomplish within them through His grace. Together, they encourage believers to stop carrying burdens that Jesus has already carried and instead rest in the Father's promise to equip every believer for His will through the everlasting covenant established by Jesus Christ.

God Produces What Pleases Him

Continuing with Hebrews 13, Pastor Leonard now draws attention to what he considers one of the most liberating statements in the entire passage. After explaining that God is the One who equips believers to do His will, he focuses on the next phrase, which reveals who is responsible for producing a life that is pleasing to God. Pastor Lori again reads the second portion of Hebrews 13:21.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (KJV)- "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Pastor Leonard pauses on the words, "working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight." He explains that for more than thirty years, these were not the kinds of words he believed described his relationship with God. Instead, he lived with the constant belief that it was his responsibility to become pleasing to God. He recalls the emotional toll that this mindset took on him. For more than three decades, he shed countless tears because he sincerely believed he had failed God over and over again. His intentions were always genuine. He prayed earnestly. He made sincere commitments. He determined in his heart that he would serve God with everything he had. Yet despite those heartfelt resolutions, he continually found himself falling short.

He remembers leaving church full of determination, promising himself that this time he would live differently. But before long, he would recognize another failure. The disappointment would return, followed by guilt and discouragement. Then, when the next Sunday arrived, he would once again go forward to recommit his life, only to repeat the same cycle. Looking back, Pastor Leonard emphasizes that his sincerity was never the problem. He truly wanted to please God. He truly desired to obey Him. The issue was that he was attempting to live under the wrong covenant. He explains that he was living according to what he believed he had to do for God instead of resting in what Jesus Christ had already done for him.

That realization completely changed the way he understood the Christian life. Instead of continually asking how he could make himself pleasing to God, Hebrews 13 revealed that God Himself is the One who produces within believers everything that pleases Him. Pastor Leonard emphasizes the wording of the passage repeatedly.

"God is going to produce in me."
"God is going to produce in you."
"He is the production agent."

By repeating these phrases, he seeks to impress upon listeners that spiritual growth is not the result of human striving. It is the work of God operating through His grace. He explains that believers certainly cooperate with God's grace, but they are not the source of the transformation. God is. The Father is actively producing in every believer the very qualities that are pleasing in His sight. This understanding removes the pressure of trying to manufacture righteousness through human effort. Instead of constantly evaluating themselves, believers are invited to trust that God is faithfully carrying out His work within them. Pastor Leonard encourages listeners to reject every message that returns them to a performance-based understanding of Christianity.

Whenever they hear teaching that continually says:

"You need to…"
"You must…"
"It's up to you…"
"You have to work harder…"

they should recognize that those messages reflect the mindset of the Law rather than the message of grace. He even says that if believers continually hear messages centered on self-effort, they should "shut those eargates." If necessary, they should simply turn the message off because they do not want years of renewed understanding to be replaced by the same performance-based thinking that once kept them in guilt and condemnation. This does not mean believers no longer desire to please God.

Pastor Leonard makes it clear that he deeply desires to please the Father. The difference is where that pleasing life comes from. It is no longer produced by self-effort. It is produced by God Himself, working through Jesus Christ within every believer. This, he explains, is one of the greatest differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Under the Law, the focus remained on what man must produce. Under Grace, the focus is on what God produces through Christ living within His people.

Rejecting Performance-Based Christianity

As Pastor Leonard continues the teaching, he moves from explaining what God does under the New Covenant to challenging believers to reject the performance-based thinking that kept many of them in bondage for years. Reflecting on his own experience, he explains that he spent more than thirty years believing his relationship with God depended upon his own performance. He constantly measured himself by what he had done right and what he had done wrong. Every failure convinced him that he had disappointed God, and every fresh commitment eventually led to another cycle of discouragement.

Although his desire to serve God was sincere, he now realizes that he was living from the wrong covenant. Instead of living from Christ's finished work, he was trying to establish his own righteousness through personal effort. Pastor Leonard explains that the Gospel of Grace calls believers to completely abandon this mindset. The New Covenant is not built upon what believers must accomplish for God.

It is built upon what God has already accomplished through Jesus Christ. Returning to Hebrews 13, he reminds the audience that God is the One who equips believers to do His will and that God is the One who produces within them everything pleasing in His sight.

Hebrews 13:20–21 (KJV)- "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Because this is God's work, Pastor Leonard urges believers to be careful about the messages they continually allow into their hearts and minds. He explains that whenever believers hear teaching centered upon statements such as:

"You need to…"
"You must…"
"It's up to you…"
"You have to work harder…"
"You have to make God pleased with you…"

They should recognize that those messages are directing their attention back toward themselves instead of toward Jesus Christ. Pastor Leonard says believers must guard what enters their "eargates." If a message continually points them back toward self-effort instead of Christ's finished work, they should not continue feeding upon it. He even says that if necessary, they should simply turn it off. His concern is not merely about choosing different teachers but about protecting the renewed mind from returning to years of religious conditioning that continually produced guilt, shame, and condemnation. He then makes an important clarification. Rejecting performance-based Christianity does not mean rejecting a desire to please God.

In fact, Pastor Leonard openly declares: "I want to please Him." He repeats this desire several times to make his point clear. His love for God has not diminished. His desire to honor the Lord has not disappeared. What has changed is his understanding of how that pleasing life is produced. He no longer believes that pleasing God comes through human determination. Instead, he believes exactly what Hebrews teaches:

God Himself is producing within believers everything that pleases Him. This truth completely changes the focus of the Christian life. Instead of asking: "What more must I do?" believers can now ask: "Father, how are You working in me today? "Instead of living under constant pressure to perform, believers are invited to rest in God's ongoing work through Jesus Christ.

Pastor Leonard explains that this is one of the defining characteristics of the Gospel of Grace. Under the Old Covenant, the emphasis remained upon man's efforts to satisfy God. Under the New Covenant, the emphasis rests entirely upon God's work within the believer through the indwelling life of Christ.

The Christian life therefore becomes one of faith and cooperation rather than striving and self-effort. As believers trust God's promises, He faithfully accomplishes His work within them, producing the very character and obedience that are pleasing in His sight.

As Pastor Leonard concludes his explanation of Hebrews 13, he answers an important question: How does God actually produce within believers the things that are pleasing to Him? He reminds the audience that the answer is not found in human determination or religious effort. Instead, it is found in the person of Jesus Christ living within every believer. Returning once again to Hebrews 13, Pastor Leonard emphasizes that God's work takes place "through Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 13:20–21 (KJV)- "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
Pastor Leonard asks a simple but profound question: "Where does Christ dwell?" He immediately answers it. "Christ dwells in you." He then personalizes the truth by saying: "Christ dwells in me." This, he explains, is the foundation of the Christian life under the New Covenant. God is not working from the outside, demanding that believers change themselves through willpower and determination.

Instead, He is working from within. The Father produces a life that is pleasing to Him through the power of Jesus Christ living inside every believer. Pastor Leonard explains that this is why the Gospel of Grace is entirely centered upon God. It is God's covenant. It is God's work. It is God's grace. It is God's power operating through His Son. The believer's confidence therefore rests, not in personal discipline or religious performance, but in the indwelling Christ. Because Jesus lives within every believer, God Himself is continually accomplishing His work from the inside out.

Pastor Leonard urges listeners not to shift the focus back onto themselves. He says they are imploring, exhorting, and admonishing believers not to make the Christian life about what they must do. Instead, they should continually remember what God is doing through Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Grace always directs attention toward Christ. Performance-based religion continually directs attention toward self. One produces peace.

The other produces guilt, shame, and condemnation. Pastor Leonard explains that the believer's responsibility is wonderfully simple. Believe. Cooperate with God's grace. Allow the renewing of the mind to continue. Trust the Christ who already lives within.

As believers rest in these truths, God faithfully performs His work through the life of His Son dwelling in them. Pastor Lori then offers her closing thoughts. She agrees wholeheartedly with the message that has been shared, once again describing the Gospel as "the too good to be true news." She reminds believers that they are not left to understand these truths alone. God has also given them the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps make these realities genuine in the believer's daily life. Rather than relying upon their own understanding or strength, believers can depend upon the Spirit of God to continually reveal the truth of the New Covenant and make the finished work of Christ increasingly real to their hearts.

Pastor Lori encourages everyone to remain in God's Word and to stay firmly grounded in the New Covenant. As believers continue renewing their minds according to grace rather than law, she says they will discover that life continually becomes better because they are learning to live from Christ's completed work instead of their own performance.

Christ Living Within the Believer

The Zero Meter Reading

Closing Encouragement and Ministry Update