The Whole Counsel: Recent Episodes
Media Gratiae
John Snyder, host of the Behold Your God Study and Chuck Baggett, are both elders of Christ Church New Albany. They come together every week to discuss the timeless truths of the whole counsel of Scripture with modern applications.
This week on The Whole Counsel, John is joined by Louis Sacran to discuss how to handle difficult problems biblically. Louis has many years of experience as both a pastor and a counselor. John has asked Louis to discuss the most common problems he encounters among believers.
We all, from time to time, face problems that are especially hard for us. In this first episode, Louis offers us wise advice on viewing our problems in light of Scripture and practical insight into handling those difficulties. Louis lays the groundwork for a biblical perspective of ourselves. How we view ourselves affects everything. All of us are saints, sinners, and sufferers, and we must keep those three views of ourselves in proper balance.
This week we are taking a short break between series and re-airing a favorite episode in which John Snyder is joined by a long-time friend and fellow minister, Jordan Thomas. You may recognize Jordan as a contributor to the studies Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically and Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. John and Jordan spent a few weeks discussing the descriptions of Jesus found in the book of Hebrews. This week's discussion focuses on Hebrews 1 and the 34 descriptions of Jesus in those 14 verses.
Next week we will begin a new, short series with pastor and biblical counselor Louis Sacran. Louis and John will spend several weeks discussing wise counsel for common problems we face.
SHOW NOTES:
📖 Looking Unto Jesus by Theodore Monod
📖 Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose
Check out Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews: https://www.gracechurchmemphis.com/sermons?offset=1436720400215&reversePaginate=true&category=Looking+Unto+Jesus
There is a secret to finding contentment. The secret has been revealed in the Bible, and Christians have proclaimed it for 2000 years. Despite this, humanity seems stubbornly confused about the source of happiness. We are naturally inclined to look for it in all the wrong places. The secret to finding contentment is that you don’t find it by pursuing contentment itself, but by looking for it in Christ.
In this final episode of the Life of Joy series, John Snyder and Justin Miller discuss how Christ is the foundation, the center, and the cornerstone of Christian contentment.
They conclude the series not only by reflecting on Justin Miller’s forthcoming book, A Life of Joy, but also by recommending several books that have encouraged them in their pursuit of Christ-centered contentment and joy.
SHOW NOTES
📖 Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
📖 A Life of Joy: Learning Christian Contentment by Justin Miller
📖 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs:
- Free from Chapel Library
- Banner of Truth edition
📖 The Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11, by Thomas Watson
- ebook
- physical copy
📖 The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent
📖 Mortification of Sin by John Owen
📖 The Diary of Andrew Bonar
There is a vast difference between contentment and complacency, though we may be tempted toward the latter.
In this episode of The Whole Counsel, John Snyder and Justin Miller explore why biblical contentment is never passive, indifferent, or spiritually stagnant. Rather than settling for “enough” of Christ, the believer who is truly content finds that satisfaction in Him creates an even greater desire to know Him, obey Him, and enjoy deeper fellowship with Him.
Looking to passages such as Proverbs 1, Philippians 4, and Colossians 3, they discuss the danger of spiritual complacency and the joy of a life that rests in God’s wise providence while pressing forward in holiness. Along the way, they show that Christian contentment is not stoicism or resignation to circumstances, but joyful submission to a sovereign Father whose gifts always draw His children closer to Himself.
If Christ is the object of our contentment, then contentment will never diminish our pursuit of holiness. Instead, it will continually fuel it.
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
A Life of Joy: Learning Christian Contentment by Justin Miller - https://freegracepress.com/collections/coming-soon/products/a-life-of-joy
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs -
Free from Chapel Library: https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/rjoc/rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment-the-burroughsjeremiah
Banner of Truth edition: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Contentment is one of the distinguishing marks of the Christian life—but it is also one of the most difficult graces to cultivate. Why is it so hard to gain and so easy to lose?
In the third episode of our A Life of Joy series, Justin Miller and Dr. John Snyder examine five of the greatest obstacles to Christian contentment: worldliness, busyness, bitterness, grief, and opposition. Drawing from Scripture, the Puritans, and personal experience, they show how these common struggles pull our hearts away from Christ and how God uses even painful providences to deepen our joy in Him.
Rather than settling for shallow happiness or stoic resignation, believers are called to find lasting satisfaction in Christ alone.
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In the first episode of this series, Justin Miller helped us understand what Christian contentment is and why it differs from both complacency and stoicism. But if contentment is not something we naturally possess, how do we learn it?
In this episode, Dr. John Snyder and Justin Miller explore Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content.” Together they consider how God uses trials, hardships, disappointments, and even unanswered prayers to teach His people that Christ is sufficient. Drawing from Scripture, the Puritans, and the lives of believers who have walked this path before us, they discuss why contentment is learned in the school of providence.
They also examine the truths that fuel Christian contentment: God’s sovereignty, God’s goodness, His commitment to work all things for the good of His people, and His wise use of affliction to wean us from the world and teach us to treasure Christ above all else.
Show Notes
A Life of Joy: Learning Christian Contentment by Justin Miller - https://freegracepress.com/collections/coming-soon/products/a-life-of-joy
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs -
Free from Chapel Library: https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/rjoc/rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment-the-burroughsjeremiah
Banner of Truth edition: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
For years, believers have turned to Jeremiah Burroughs’ classic work The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment to learn what it means to rest in God’s wise and fatherly providence. In this new series, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Pastor Justin Miller to discuss his forthcoming book, A Life of Joy: Learning Christian Contentment, which seeks to bring these timeless truths to a new generation of Christians.
In this first episode, Justin explains how his own struggles in ministry led him to study the biblical doctrine of contentment more deeply. Together, he and Dr. Snyder explore the difference between true Christian contentment and its counterfeits. Christian contentment is not complacency, spiritual laziness, or stoic resignation to circumstances. Rather, it is learning to receive every providence from the hand of a wise and loving Father, finding our joy not in changing circumstances but in Christ himself.
Whether you are facing trials, disappointments, unanswered questions, or simply desire a deeper joy in Christ, this conversation provides a helpful foundation for understanding one of the most neglected and necessary graces in the Christian life.
Show Notes
A Life of Joy: Learning Christian Contentment by Justin Miller - https://freegracepress.com/collections/coming-soon/products/a-life-of-joy
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs -
Free from Chapel Library: https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/rjoc/rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment-the-burroughsjeremiah
Banner of Truth edition: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Samuel Rutherford’s letters are often remembered for their soaring descriptions of the beauty and loveliness of Christ. But Rutherford was not content merely to comfort sleepy Christians. He also knew how to awaken them.
In this final episode on Samuel Rutherford, Dr. John Snyder examines a series of Rutherford’s letters written to stir believers out of spiritual lethargy and call them to earnestness, holiness, and wholehearted pursuit of Christ. Whether addressing young converts, careless professors, or discouraged saints, Rutherford repeatedly presses the same point: Christ is too precious to be followed lazily.
These letters confront the danger of spiritual drift, warn against assuming salvation without evidence of perseverance, and urge believers to cultivate prayer, holiness, watchfulness, and delight in Christ. Yet Rutherford’s exhortations are never cold or merely moralistic. Again and again, he reminds us that true obedience flows from hearts captivated by the sweetness of Christ himself.
This episode also includes one of Rutherford’s most beloved warnings to dry and wandering believers: “We are rather dry than thirsty.” His counsel is simple and searching — stop dwelling far from the well and return to Christ.
As this series on Rutherford concludes, Dr. Snyder reflects on the enduring value of these prison letters and the way they continue to call believers to sincerity, diligence, and deeper communion with Christ.
“Keep Christ and entertain him well.” — Samuel Rutherford
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Samuel Rutherford knew suffering, imprisonment, isolation, and loss. Yet from his prison cell came some of the richest descriptions of communion with Christ ever written.
In this episode of Dr. John Snyder continues exploring Rutherford’s letters by focusing on one central theme: the nearness of God. Drawing from Rutherford’s prison correspondence, Dr. Snyder examines the different ways Scripture speaks about God’s presence and how Rutherford experienced the sweetness of Christ in ways he once thought impossible on this side of heaven.
Rutherford writes of the believer’s regret over loving Christ so little, the overwhelming abundance of Christ’s love toward his people, the dangers of idolizing spiritual experiences, and the diligence required to pursue deeper fellowship with God. Again and again, his letters press us beyond merely knowing truths about Christ into delighting in Christ himself.
What happens when a believer discovers that his soul is too small to contain the love of God? Rutherford’s answer is simple: stop standing on the shore and throw yourself into the ocean.
“If this whole world were the beam of a balance, it would not be able to bear the weight of Christ’s love.” — Samuel Rutherford
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we continue our study through the letters of Samuel Rutherford by looking at the cost Rutherford paid for following Christ faithfully. Dr. John Snyder gives an overview of Rutherford’s turbulent life, including his imprisonment, exile from his congregation, work at St. Andrews, influence at the Westminster Assembly, and his final years under house arrest awaiting trial for treason.
From those seasons of suffering came some of Rutherford’s richest letters. In this episode, we read selections where Rutherford calls Christians to make their choice clearly: Christ or the world. Again and again, Rutherford compares the passing pleasures of sin and worldly comfort with the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ.
Rutherford’s words are not theoretical. They come from a man who lost family, freedom, reputation, and security, yet still testified that Christ was worth every sorrow. His counsel remains deeply relevant for believers today as we count the cost of following Christ in a world that continually calls us elsewhere.
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Samuel Rutherford’s letters are filled with counsel for Christians walking through suffering, affliction, persecution, and grief. Having endured imprisonment, bereavement, sickness, and deep ecclesiastical conflict, Rutherford wrote not as a detached theologian, but as a pastor acquainted with sorrow.
In this episode of The Whole Counsel Podcast, we examine Rutherford’s teaching on Christian suffering and the believer’s union with Christ in trials. Looking at passages such as Matthew 5, Romans 5, and James 1, we consider how Scripture speaks of joy in tribulation, sanctification through affliction, and the temporary nature of earthly crosses.
Rutherford reminds believers that Christ often comes with a cross, but never without purpose. Trials loosen our grip on the world, expose remaining sin, and conform us to the image of Christ. Yet suffering is not permanent. As Rutherford wrote, “Christ and his cross part ways at heaven’s door.”
Show Notes
Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
You can read the letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/samuel-rutherfords-9-marks-of-a-true-christian
Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson
Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In this episode of The Whole Counsel Podcast, Dr. John Snyder returns to the letters of Samuel Rutherford to consider a central theme of his writings, the love and loveliness of Christ.
Drawing from The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson, this episode highlights Rutherford’s emphasis on experiential Christianity, where truth is not only understood but lived.
Rutherford presents Christ as beyond comparison, infinitely full and endlessly satisfying. His letters illustrate both the greatness of Christ’s love and our incapability of expressing it. Yet Christ remains an inexhaustible well, never diminished by the needs of his people.
He also reminds us that Christ himself is the glory of heaven, the one who makes eternity desirable. As reflected in the hymn by Anne Cousin (The Sands of Time Are Sinking), the focus is not the crown, but the King.
Next week, we will consider Rutherford’s teaching on suffering and the cross in light of Christ’s surpassing worth.
Show NotesKingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson: https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Rutherford-Andrew-Thomson/dp/1164013874
You can read the letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/samuel-rutherfords-9-marks-of-a-true-christian
Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson
Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We appreciate you giving us time to prepare new studies and to let you know about the study with Dr. Stephen Yuille that we just released. You can find more information about that study in the show notes.
But this week Dr. John Snyder returns to the letters of Samuel Rutherford. As Dr. Snyder says, those we read can become lifelong friends and counselors who speak truth to us in times of need. This is particularly true of Samuel Rutherford. While he did write polemical works, he is especially remembered for his warm and compelling descriptions of Christ and for his helpful words regarding the sanctification of the Christian.
In this week’s letter, Rutherford presents nine evidences of saving faith. He is helping us answer the question, “Am I truly the Christian I say I am?” Every Christian experiences uncertainty in particular seasons, and many experience it without realizing how common it is. This letter is written for them.
Rutherford calls us to consider whether these evidences are present in our lives:
- A willingness to prize Christ above all things
- Obedience that is driven by love and not fear
- Humility and self-denial
- A profession of faith that is accompanied by good works
- A desire to live for God’s honor in all things
- A genuine hatred of sin
- A careful commitment to biblical truth and worship
- Conscientiousness in everyday calling and relationships
- A life marked by habitual prayer
As we listen to or read this letter (linked in the show notes), we pray God uses these evidences to both encourage and convict us, strengthening true assurance and directing us again to Christ.
Show NotesKingdom Life: Sutdies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
You can read the letter here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/samuel-rutherfords-9-marks-of-a-true-christian
Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thompson
Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
For the past two weeks, we’ve mentioned an upcoming study with Jeremy Walker. This week, we’re pleased to announce that our new study with Dr. Stephen Yuille is now available.
Dr. Yuille’s study focuses on the longest recorded sermon of Jesus Christ—the Sermon on the Mount. In this episode, Dr. John Snyder asks Dr. Yuille about the personal impact this portion of Scripture has had on his life and why he chose to teach it. The conversation then turn to how God has used it in Dr. Snyder’s ministry in shaping the life of Christ Church New Albany over the years.
You can find more information about the study at the link in the show notes.
Show Notes:Kingdom Life: Sutdies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
As we mentioned last week, Media Gratiae is currently producing a new study with Jeremy Walker. We’re excited about this project and will share more details with you in the coming months. This week we bring you the final conversation between Jeremy Walker and Teddy James on the corporate prayer service. While last week’s episode focused on preparing the heart for gathered prayer, this week turns to the practical side: How can a church begin a regular prayer service if it doesn’t have one? And once it exists, how can we participate more faithfully—whether leading out or following along? We pray this episode equips and encourages you, your family, and your church as you approach the throne of grace together.
Show Notes:The Corporate Prayer Service Sermons:
Leading in Prayer: https://youtu.be/WjI_2I8O5Do
Engage in Prayer: https://youtu.be/pLCHOFliU7Q
Piercing Heaven - https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/piercing-heaven-prayers-of-the-puritans-9781683593348?variant=31497830793278
Valley of Vision - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotional-books/the-valley-of-vision/
Prayer by John Bunyan - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/prayer-by-john-bunyan/
A Way to Pray (A Method of Prayer) by Matthew Henry - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/way-to-pray/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, we began work on a new Media Gratiae study by Jeremy Walker on the topic of killing sin. We always find Jeremy’s teaching careful, warm-hearted, and helpful. We are excited to start this new project with him.
Last year, Jeremy joined Teddy James on our podcast to discuss a sermon series Jeremy preached to his congregation at Maidenbower Baptist Church in England. The theme was the corporate prayer service. We are rebroadcasting the final few episodes we recorded with Jeremy on the topic. If you would like to hear more from this podcast series or the full sermons, we invite you to check the link in the Show Notes.
The Corporate Prayer Service Sermons:
Leading in Prayer: https://youtu.be/WjI_2I8O5Do
Engage in Prayer: https://youtu.be/pLCHOFliU7Q
How to ruin your spiritual life sermon series - https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/185833
A Word in Season - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
From the Heart of Spurgeon Podcast - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
Some of our favorite books by Jeremy:
Life in Christ - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/life-in-christ-becoming-and-being-a-disciple-of-the-lord-jesus-christ-walker.html The Brokenhearted Evangelist - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-brokenhearted-evangelist-walker.html
Books by Jeremy Walker at Reformation Heritage Books: https://www.heritagebooks.org/Search.html#/Search.html?search=Jeremy+Walker
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we continue reading from the prison letters of Samuel Rutherford. Though he was suffering under house arrest, Rutherford never lost his pastoral concern for his people.
Many in his day had been baptized into the national church and assumed themselves to be Christians. Yet Rutherford recognized that outward identification did not necessarily mean true conversion. As a result, many were left either with false assurance or deep uncertainty, and they turned to him for help.
In this letter, Rutherford offers careful and tender counsel on the nature of assurance. Drawing from 1 John, he points to evidences of grace within the believer, including a growing awareness of sin and a genuine grief over it. Importantly, he shows that such grief is not a sign of spiritual death, but may in fact be evidence of spiritual life.
At the same time, Rutherford is careful to direct the believer away from resting in these inward evidences. Our assurance is not grounded in the strength of our faith, the depth of our repentance, or the intensity of our feelings. It rests ultimately in Christ himself—his life, his death, and his resurrection on behalf of sinners.
This episode is both searching and comforting, reminding us to take sin seriously while fixing our eyes firmly on Christ.
Don’t forget to use the link below to sign up for our giveaway featuring books on Samuel Rutherford.
Show NotesSign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In this week’s episode, John Snyder continues exploring the letters of Samuel Rutherford. Rutherford is known for his poetic descriptions of Christ. Even when his life was difficult, he continued to speak of Christ’s worth and beauty.
In this letter to a young Christian, Rutherford gives counsel in two main areas. He urges him to seek Christ early. He also shows why Christ is worthy to be followed at any cost.
First, he tells the young man to give Christ his “virgin love.” This means giving Christ the first and best of his affections. His heart should not be claimed by lesser loves.
Then Rutherford explains why Christ deserves this kind of devotion. He points to the beauty of creation. He speaks of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Then he stops and corrects himself. Compared to Christ, even these are not truly beautiful. What once seemed bright is dark next to Him.
Rutherford’s goal is simple. He wants us to see Christ as He truly is. When we do, everything else changes.
We pray this episode lifts your view of Christ and helps you seek Him, no matter what you face today.
Show NotesSamuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week on The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues our series on the great letterwriters in Christendom: Letters of Samuel Rutherford. After introducing the Scottish Puritan pastor last episode, we now focus on his deep friendship with Marion McNaught, a godly woman who encouraged her family, supported Rutherford during trials, and even mentored others amid persecution.
Marion traveled far to hear Rutherford preach because, as she beautifully put it: “Though other ministers show me the majesty of God and the plague of my own heart, Mr. Samuel does both these things, but he also shows me as no other minister ever does the loveliness of Christ.”
In one poignant letter from a time of intense trial (as Rutherford faces exile and separation from his flock), he urges her: “Swim through your temptations and troubles to be at that lovely, amiable person, Jesus.” These aren’t mere words, Rutherford lived upon this truth, finding Christ sufficient even in suffering and heaviness of heart.
If this stirs your soul for more of Rutherford’s Christ-centered comfort and the lives of those around him, pick up Faith Cook’s Samuel Rutherford and His Friends (Banner of Truth). It brings fresh insight into the people who received these treasures.
Show NotesSamuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ebooks/samuel-rutherford-and-his-friends/
Letters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, Dr. John Snyder continues exploring classic Christian letters by focusing on one of the greatest Puritan letter writers, Samuel Rutherford. If you’re new to Media Gratiae, don’t worry—we welcome you!
Samuel Rutherford was a Scottish Puritan pastor who endured intense persecution, the loss of several children, and the deaths of two wives. His letters on faith, holiness, and the beauty of Christ have been praised by contemporaries and modern readers alike, often called second only to Scripture.
In this episode, we begin with a brief biographical sketch by Andrew Bonar, who highlights six types of readers who will find Rutherford’s letters especially helpful. If you see yourself in any of these categories, consider getting a copy of Rutherford’s letters from The Banner of Truth Trust (link below).
Show NotesLetters of Samuel Rutherford: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/letters-of-samuel-rutherford/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, we conclude our journey through the letters of John Calvin, exploring the final days of the Magisterial Reformer. Dr. John Snyder shares the accounts of Calvin’s last words, showing his heart for the church, his love for Christ, and his enduring impact on the Reformation.
Throughout his life, Calvin addressed disloyalty, royalty, the joys of marriage, and the sorrows of losing loved ones. In his final days, he reminds us that Scripture is the highest authority, even above his own teachings, and he meets with pastors in Geneva to guide the continuation of both local church work and the broader global Reformation.
In these closing scenes, we witness Calvin’s devotion to his people, his unwavering faith, and his desire to see evangelism and discipleship thrive after his death. His words remain profoundly relevant for Christians today, inspiring us to make Christ known in our families, churches, towns, and nations.
Join us for this moving conclusion to the series on John Calvin’s letters, and discover timeless lessons from one of the most influential figures in church history.
Show NotesMichael Nelson article: https://credomag.com/2017/11/the-best-companion-of-my-life-john-calvins-search-for-a-wife-michael-nelson/
The Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
JohnCalvin #QueenOfNavarre #ReformationHistory #ChristianLetters #FaithAndLeadership #BiblicalWisdom #WholeCounselPodcast
This week Dr. John Snyder continues our series on the letters of John Calvin, one of the most influential figures of the Protestant Reformation. In this episode, we take a different approach: instead of reading a single letter, we explore an article by Michael Nelson in Credo Magazine (link below) that sheds light on Calvin’s marriage and personal life.
Nelson’s article traces Calvin’s search for a godly wife, his thoughtful approach to finding her, and how God graciously provided her. Through these events, we witness Calvin’s humanity, humility, and dependence on God—qualities that shaped both his personal life and his ministry.
We also see Calvin’s pastoral heart become deeply personal as he faces the loss of children and eventually the death of his gentle bride. It is a story of tragedy and comfort, grief and solace, revealing how faith sustains a believer even through the heaviest trials.
We pray this episode, unique in the series, gives you a deeper appreciation for John Calvin, his writings, and the faith he modeled in the midst of suffering. May it encourage you to read his letters and reflect on the steadfast God he followed through all circumstances.
Show NotesMichael Nelson article: https://credomag.com/2017/11/the-best-companion-of-my-life-john-calvins-search-for-a-wife-michael-nelson/
The Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
What happens when a queen discovers Christ in the midst of wealth, luxury, and political turmoil? John Calvin’s letter to the Queen of Navarre offers timeless wisdom for every believer.
In this episode of the Whole Counsel Podcast, Dr. John Snyder explores a 1561 letter from John Calvin to a recently converted queen. Learn how God’s mercy transformed her life and the lessons Calvin shares for all who seek to walk faithfully with Christ.
This week Dr. John Snyder continues our series on the letters of John Calvin. We have seen him write to friends with both admonishment and encouragement, and we have seen him write to royalty to clarify matters of faith. But this time, Calvin writes to a recently converted queen of a bygone kingdom, offering guidance and counsel during a time of both personal and political upheaval.
The Kingdom of Navarre existed from 834 to 1841, its former territory now divided between France and Spain. During Calvin’s lifetime, it was a small but vibrant kingdom, and its queen had come to faith in Christ. She possessed every human comfort: wealth beyond measure, endless distractions, and every luxury a princess could desire. Yet in the midst of worldly abundance, God revealed himself to her and rescued her.
In a 1561 letter from Geneva, John Calvin reflects on the mercy of God that awakened her soul and called her to himself. He warns of how easily the gospel can be choked out by the love of the world and the busyness of life—a truth as relevant for a 16th-century queen as it is for us today. We all need rescue from our sins, focus amidst distractions, and the saving grace of Christ. The counsel Calvin offers this young monarch reminds us that God’s mercy calls each of us to treasure his truth, to walk faithfully, and to live fully for him.
This episode offers a window into Calvin’s pastoral heart and the Protestant Reformation, showing how even royalty can be brought low and lifted up by God’s grace. It is a story of spiritual awakening, divine mercy, and a reminder that no throne, no wealth, and no worldly pleasure can replace the joy found in walking with Christ.
Show NotesThe Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, the Media Gratiae team is back at work. We are grateful for the patience and kindness many of you showed as we navigated the aftermath of the recent ice storm.
In this episode, we continue our series on the letters of John Calvin. Last time, we looked at a letter Calvin wrote directly to John Knox. This week, Knox again stands at the center of the discussion, though the letter itself is addressed to William Cecil, the chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, written in 1559.
Knox had published a book forcefully opposing female monarchs during the reign of Queen Mary. Because of Calvin’s well-known friendship with Knox, the English court assumed Calvin shared Knox’s views. In this letter, Calvin carefully clarifies his own position regarding female rulers and explains why he believed Knox was unwise to publish the book at all. Writing with pastoral restraint and theological clarity, Calvin seeks to correct a serious misunderstanding without inflaming an already fragile situation.
This letter provides a valuable example of how to address misrepresentation—whether directed at ourselves, our friends, or our beliefs. It also serves as a thoughtful case study in speaking truth without unnecessary offense, and in knowing when secondary matters should not be elevated to defining battles. Finally, it stands as a sober reminder to weigh our words carefully. Are the things we publish truly glorifying to Christ and genuinely edifying to those who read them?
We pray this episode is a help and encouragement to you.
Show NotesThe Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
As we continue to recover from the winter storm that affected northeast Mississippi, we’re grateful for your patience and prayers. We didn’t want to leave you without encouragement this week, so we’re returning to the second episode in our series on John Owen’s Mortification of Sin, originally published on October 20, 2022. We trust the Lord will use it again to strengthen and steady your walk.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne described the human heart as gunpowder and temptation as a spark that will ignite the heart in sin. The most careful practice we can have is to keep our hearts damp by gazing upon Christ.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Jeremy Walker share how Owen encourages us to keep our hearts damp by the dual command to watch and pray. What must we watch for? How must we pray? John and Jeremy share some of the most practical help from Owen in this week’s episode.
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ch...
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/ch...
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/co...
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
You may have heard about the significant ice storm that has swept through northeast Mississippi. Like many in our area, the Media Gratiae team has been affected, and the disruption has made it difficult for us to release a new episode this week. Still, we didn’t want to leave you without encouragement.
So this week we’re returning to one of our most well-received series, originally published on October 13, 2022, featuring a conversation between Dr. John Snyder and Jeremy Walker on John Owen’s Mortification of Sin. Our prayer is that the Lord would use these conversations to strengthen your faith and stir your hearts toward holiness, even in a week marked by disruption.
We at The Whole Counsel love Puritans. We have benefited so much from their sermons, prayers, and books, it is our delight to discuss them and hopefully whet your appetite to read their words. In this new series of podcasts, Dr. John Snyder is going to walk through two books from the Puritan, John Owen, with our longtime friend Jeremy Walker.
In this first episode, Jeremy and John are discussing Owen’s, “On Temptation” and they discuss how to define, identify, and deal with temptation and testing. What are the differences and how should we approach them differently?
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Show NotesWant to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel podcast, Dr. John Snyder continues reading from the letters of John Calvin. As he noted in the previous episode, Calvin’s correspondence was addressed to an impressively diverse range of individuals—prisoners, pastors, fellow reformers, nobles, and monarchs. For those interested in church history and the Protestant Reformation, Calvin’s letters offer a rare window into the personal relationships, struggles, and pastoral concerns that shaped the movement from within.
This episode focuses on a letter written by Calvin to the Scottish reformer John Knox. Both men were being greatly used by God to advance and strengthen the Protestant Reformation, and yet, through no deliberate fault on either side, tension arose between them. Dr. Snyder carefully explains the circumstances that led to this strain, providing historical context while allowing Calvin’s own words to reveal the spirit in which the letter was written.
Rather than responding defensively or dismissively, Calvin models Christian humility and wisdom. He takes care to clarify a misunderstanding, to explain his actions, and to assure Knox of his continued affection and respect. At the same time, Calvin uses the opportunity to encourage Knox in his labors and to offer pastoral counsel regarding church reform, unity, and endurance under pressure—counsel that remains strikingly relevant for believers and church leaders today.
This letter reminds us that faithfulness in ministry does not remove the possibility of misunderstanding or wounded feelings, but it does shape how such moments are addressed. Calvin’s careful, brotherly response provides a helpful example of how truth, patience, and love can preserve unity even in difficult circumstances.
Show NotesThe Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we begin a new series of letters, this time reading directly from John Calvin. We often read about Calvin—about his theology, his controversies, or the defense of his legacy—but we wanted to slow down and listen to Calvin in his own words, particularly to see his pastoral heart.
For our first letter, we read a piece Calvin wrote to Protestant believers imprisoned and persecuted in Catholic France. Dated February 18, 1559, the letter comes just before the most severe waves of persecution. But Christians in France were experiencing fear, suffering, and imprisonment. Calvin writes to men whose faithfulness to the gospel had placed them in chains, some facing permanent exile and others far worse.
Dr. John Snyder provides not only the historical context of the letter, but the heart context as well. Calvin does not address these men as a distant reformer or detached theologian. He was well acquainted with suffering, physical weakness, and the cost of faithfulness. He grieves over the delay in writing and speaks to them as one who understands their fear and pain. That shared suffering gives weight to his words as he calls them to look beyond their present circumstances and fix their eyes on Christ.
Calvin urges them to anchor their souls in the promises of God, to resist misreading their weakness as unbelief, and to follow the pattern Christ himself set in suffering—with humility, patience, and hope. Even in prison, they are reminded that their calling is not merely to endure, but to honor God and bear witness to the gospel.
While most of us will not face magisterial persecution, the Christian life still includes seasons of hardship, opposition, and quiet faithfulness under pressure. In those moments, Calvin’s counsel remains deeply relevant. We pray this episode—and the series to follow—will be a help and encouragement to you as you seek to walk faithfully before God.
Show NotesThe Tracts and Letters of John Calvin - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/tracts-and-letters-of-john-calvin-8/
The Church Bible Study - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, Dr. John Snyder continues reflecting on spiritual weariness by returning to a lecture Charles Spurgeon delivered to ministerial students on what he called “the fainting fits” of a servant of God. Though Spurgeon addresses pastors directly, the wisdom he offers speaks to every Christian who has known seasons of exhaustion, discouragement, or the quiet temptation to lose heart.
Drawing from Scripture and Spurgeon’s own hard-earned experience, we explore times when faithful servants are most vulnerable to weariness. Spurgeon reminds us that discouragement often follows seasons of great usefulness, precedes seasons of greater blessing, or settles in during long stretches of unbroken labor. He speaks candidly about the weight of criticism, the pain of betrayal, the sorrow of seeing others fall, and the unique loneliness that can accompany spiritual responsibility.
Most searching of all, Spurgeon addresses seasons of darkness that seem to come without clear cause—times when resolution fails, human help feels insufficient, and the soul is tempted to turn inward in accusation rather than upward in faith. Yet his counsel is not despairing. Again and again, he points weary believers away from their own strength, moods, and feelings, and calls them to treasure even a single grain of faith more than a ton of spiritual excitement.
If you are walking through a season where faithfulness feels costly and joy feels distant, Spurgeon’s words remind us that God does not waste the weariness of his servants, and that even in the dark, the safest place is still under the shadow of his wings. If you are in a season of joy and happiness, may we hope these words encourage you to pray for those around you, particularly your pastors, who bear a weight that may be hidden from your view.
Show NotesEncouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon (Forward by Randy Alcorn)
https://www.crossway.org/books/encouragement-for-the-depressed-tpb/
Scripture passages referenced: 2 Corinthians 3–4 1 Kings 19 2 Corinthians 12 Mark 6:31 1 Samuel 30
Additional Media Gratiae resources: Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series The Church study: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church Through the Eyes of Spurgeon (documentary by Stephen McCaskill): https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package
From the Heart of Spurgeon: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
This week on The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues a thoughtful discussion on seasonal depression—whether that season is influenced by winter’s effect on our mood and mental state, or by a particularly difficult chapter of life. In the previous episode, Dr. Snyder introduced this theme through a candid letter from John Newton. In this episode, he turns to pastoral wisdom from Charles Spurgeon, drawing from a series of lectures recently published in a new book from Crossway, “Encouragement for the Depressed.”
Though Spurgeon originally delivered these lectures to vocational ministers, the gospel-shaped truths he presents are deeply relevant for every Christian. Spurgeon addresses a common misunderstanding in the church: faithful service to God should shield believers from fear, doubt, or sadness. Scripture and experience show otherwise. God may allow seasons of depression and weariness not as a sign of failure, but as a means of deepening compassion, sympathy, and patience.
Spurgeon also speaks with unusual honesty about the isolating nature of faithful ministry. Pastors are often entrusted with heavy burdens that must be carried quietly and cannot be shared freely. While congregations may express love and appreciation, they cannot fully know the weight their pastors bear. This calling is a blessing, but it is also costly. For that reason, pray regularly for your pastors and to offer thoughtful encouragement whenever possible.
Show NotesEncouragement for the Depressed by Charles Spurgeon (Forward by Randy Alcorn)
https://www.crossway.org/books/encouragement-for-the-depressed-tpb/
Check out Jeremy Walker’s podcast on Charles Spurgeon:
www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
We often remember John Newton for his wisdom, joy, and enduring hymns. But like every Christian, Newton knew seasons of profound sadness and spiritual coldness. We know this because he wrote candidly to his close friend John Berridge—the author of “The Means of Grace are in My Hands”—confessing that he was experiencing what he called a “January inside and outside.”
In this opening episode of our new series, Winter of the Soul, Dr. John Snyder reads from and reflects on this short but deeply revealing letter. Newton’s honesty gives hope to weary believers by showing that spiritual dullness and heaviness of heart are not signs that we have been forsaken by God, but common experiences even among the most faithful saints. In this episode, we consider how Newton diagnosed the condition of his soul, the distractions and pressures that contributed to it, and the prayer he asked his friend to offer on his behalf.
Yet Newton offers little by way of immediate remedy. His letter exposes the problem more than it resolves it. For help in warming cold hearts and enduring seasons of spiritual depression, we will turn next to a lecture by Charles Spurgeon, where he addresses the causes and comforts for the believer’s inward winter. That discussion begins next week.
Show NotesThe Gospel Pedlar: The Story of John Berridge and the Eighteenth-century Revival
https://www.amazon.com/Pedlar-Berridge-Eighteenth-Century-Revival-Biography/dp/0852342365#detailBullets_feature_div
Merry Christmas from Media Gratiae. In this special episode, Jordan and John conclude their series on meditating on the incarnation of Jesus. They explore what it means that Christ took on our flesh without sin, how the incarnation shapes our reconciliation with the Father, and much more.
Of particular focus is a practical application that has been especially meaningful to Jordan: how the incarnation of Jesus equips us to wage war against and mortify our own sin. Christ is the only human to fully experience the weight of temptation, yet He never yielded. He endured to the very end, glorifying the Father fully.
We pray that this episode, along with the linked Scriptural meditations and the series as a whole, nourishes your soul this Christmas season and strengthens you in the year to come
25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming
00:00 – Welcome & Overview
01:00 – Incarnation in Life
03:30 – Fighting Sin Through Christ
06:00 – Christ Our Example
10:00 – Beholding and Being Transformed
13:30 – God’s Humility
17:00 – Identifying with Sinners
20:30 – God Takes Our Name
24:00 – Stooping to Save
27:30 – Historical Hope
30:00 – Emmanuel: God With Us
The incarnation is one of the most familiar doctrines in Christianity—and yet one of the most overlooked. This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined again by Jordan Thomas to slow down, look closely, and recover the awe that Scripture invites us to feel as we consider the eternal Son taking on human flesh.
Last week they walked through key biblical passages on the incarnation. This week they turn to the profound reflections of Isaac Ambrose in his classic work “Looking Unto Jesus.”
The book can be difficult to find today, but we’ve linked an ebook edition and a print-on-demand copy in the show notes. You can also monitor the Reformation Heritage Books website and sign up for updates when it comes back into print.
Ambrose is deeply helpful here because he lifts our eyes to the person of Christ Himself—and to all the benefits that flow from Him into the life of every believer. As we move through this Advent season and fix our hearts on the incarnate Christ, we pray that this episode—and the timeless insights of Isaac Ambrose—will strengthen your faith and warm your soul.
Show Notes:25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Isaac Ambrose Looking Unto Jesus
ebook: https://www.monergism.com/looking-unto-jesus-book-1-ebook
physical: https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Unto-Jesus-Everlasting-Gospel/dp/1166391787
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming
25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Jordan Thomas, a familiar voice to longtime Media Gratiae listeners. Jordan contributes to the Behold Your God study series, is the author of Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church, and has appeared on the podcast several times.
In this episode, Jordan and John explore the mystery of the incarnation of Christ. To guide your reflections this Christmas season, Jordan has chosen 25 Scripture passages for meditation. We pray both the podcast and passages serve as helpful resources for you.
The passages Jordan has selected are available as a free Media Gratiae Online course. The link is below.
Show Notes:25 Meditations on the Incarnation:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/pages/advent-meditations
Good Tiding of Great Joy by Charles Spurgeon
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Jordan recommends this Christmas Devotional:
https://grace-ebooks.com/library/J. C. Philpot/JCP On The Sacred Humanity of The Blessed Redeemer.pdf
Christ Our Treasure:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/christ-our-treasure-enjoying-the-preeminence-of-jesus-in-the-local-church-dvd-streaming
In this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder welcomes pastor and author Jeremy Walker to discuss his new devotional, A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times. Many of you will know Jeremy from his two Media Gratiae podcasts—From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season.
In this conversation, Jeremy shares the story behind both projects, the pastoral concerns that first prompted the daily A Word in Season recordings during the uncertainties of 2020–2021, and how these brief meditations have continued to encourage believers across the world. He also reflects on the process of shaping those recordings into a written devotional and the unique value books offer for Christian growth.
If you are new to Jeremy’s preaching and writing, we commend him to you wholeheartedly. You can find links to all those below.
Show Notes:
– A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times
– A Word in Season podcast
https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
– From the Heart of Spurgeon podcast
https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
– Sermons by Jeremy Walker on SermonAudio
https://www.sermonaudio.com/broadcasters/mbc/
– Weekly Walkthrough / Daily Doctrine
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLydzd6kZnPWdDUP1Dj9CIV_hSp42WEeMb&si=oTsh0cRj5BK0G76j
Subscribe to the podcast - Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-counsel/id1439465486 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F7FovDzhh7Mi2Fe0xgQBC?si=tGk_NWu3QTqMatauGVAxJg&nd=1&dlsi=bc847f4a2de64f49
See other Media Gratiae materials, including resources for small group studies and family worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products-1
In recognition of the upcoming 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, we are presenting a special episode from our Navigating the Classics series.
Dr. John Snyder is joined by attorney and elder Steve Crampton and pastor Jamie Crampton to discuss Athanasius’s classic work On the Incarnation. Together, they trace the historical context of the writing, the theological debate that prompted it, and its influence on the Nicene Creed and the broader Christian tradition.
They also walk through the content of the work itself, considering Athanasius’s central arguments concerning sin, the incarnation, redemption, and the defeat of death.
This episode is for listeners who want to understand why On the Incarnation has endured for centuries as one of the most important works in Christian literature.
We pray it is a blessing to you this Thanksgiving season.
To read the book and C. S. Lewis' introduction online: http://www.onthewing.org/user/Athanasius - On the Incarnation.pdf
To purchase the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/673655.On_the_Incarnation
Subscribe to the podcast - Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-counsel/id1439465486 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F7FovDzhh7Mi2Fe0xgQBC?si=tGk_NWu3QTqMatauGVAxJg&nd=1&dlsi=bc847f4a2de64f49
See other Media Gratiae materials, including resources for small group studies and family worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products-1
As this year comes to a close, we want to present to you a report on what the Lord has guided Media Gratiae to accomplish over the course of 2025. This week, Dr. John Snyder highlights new Bible studies, books, and expanded translations of our material. He also discusses the relaunch of our Media Gratiae Online and our growing podcast reach. We are grateful for your prayers and support.
With every podcast we want to point you to Christ and our annual update is no different. John closes this year’s update with a phrase that has become precious to him. In Matthew 15, a Syrophoenician woman comes to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter. She is discouraged by the apostles and seemingly discouraged by Jesus himself. But her response is, “Yes, Lord, but…” That is a sweet response available to every Christian right now.
📌 Highlights From This Episode* New 2025 releases: + Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians — Stephen Yuille - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/gospel-realities-lessons-from-galatians-workbook + A Word in Season: 50 Days of Hope for Hard Times — Jeremy Walker - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times + Kingdom Life: Lessons from the Sermon on the Mount — Stephen Yuille (coming soon; includes streaming) - https://www.mediagratiae.org/kingdom-life * New digital platform: Media Gratiae Online (MGO) now fully in-house - https://www.mediagratiae.org/online * Expanded homeschool & Christian school resources for Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum * New distributors: Banner of Truth, Amazon, Westminster Bookstore, and more * Translation work: Spanish complete; Portuguese, Dutch, German, Russian in progress * New potential translations: Italian and Albanian * Upcoming 2026 studies: Jeremy Walker, Joel Beeke, Hugh Morrison, and Dr. Snyder
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
It’s one of our favorite episodes of the year—sharing new Christian books worth reading and giving. In this 2025 edition, Dr. John Snyder highlights an updated commentary, a missionary biography, a devotional from Jeremy Walker, and more. Perfect for Christmas gifts or planning your 2026 reading list. Find links to every book below!
Every year around this time, we take a look at recent Christian book releases and share our top recommendations for reading or giving. Whether you’re building your 2026 reading plan or searching for thoughtful Christmas gifts, this list is a great place to start.
You might even send this episode to someone who’s shopping for you!
But this conversation goes beyond book suggestions.
John reminds us that our reading life, like our eating life, needs balance. We can read lazily or we can read wisely—stewarding our time and shaping our minds. Read widely, but let Scripture remain central. Read books that stretch both your heart and your understanding—balancing the objective truths of God’s Word with the personal experiences of His people.
A Word in Season
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/a-word-in-season-50-days-of-hope-for-hard-times
Good Tidings of Great Joy
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/good-tidings-of-great-joy/
Cardiphonia
https://www.amazon.com/Cardiphonia-Utterance-Correspondence-Complete-Unabridged/dp/1789876036/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_1/143-1962832-2492564?pd_rd_w=yF1Zs&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=MVP80S95F6QV77PV7B2N&pd_rd_wg=dJlLA&pd_rd_r=d9ee057f-9582-4291-aefb-ff0a4c6acd69&pd_rd_i=1789876036&psc=1
John G. Patton autobiography
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/john-g-paton/
Harmony of the Gospels
https://www.prpbooks.com/book/the-gospel-of-jesus
J. C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospel Box Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781783974801/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-modernised-boxset
John Newton’s final letter to Mrs. — reminds believers that suffering is never wasted. Dr. John Snyder explores Newton’s insights on sanctification, God’s glory in affliction, and Christ’s inexhaustible compassion.
In this final episode on John Newton’s Letters to Mrs. —, Dr. John Snyder explores Newton’s tender counsel to a believer walking through prolonged difficulty. Newton reminds her — and us — that though human compassion is limited, the compassion of Christ is infinite: deeper than every sorrow and sufficient for every need.
Drawing from this sixth letter (1772), we hear Newton explain that the believer’s suffering is never meaningless. Every trial is woven by God for two great purposes: the sanctification of His children and the glory of His name. Even in affliction, the Christian’s contentment and quiet trust adorn the gospel.
This letter also offers a glimpse into Newton’s weekly rhythms — his Saturday evening walks through Olney, spent praying for the ministers and congregations who would gather the next day. It closes with one of his most beautiful meditations on the inexhaustible riches of Christ, who can fill and satisfy all His people without measure.
The remaining letters Newton wrote Mrs. — are about topics we have already discussed so this will be the final letter between that we will discuss. But if you want to read the text of all the letters he wrote her, you can find them below. We pray they are a blessing to you.
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik
Dr. John Snyder continues the Letters that Continue to Speak series with John Newton’s Letter 5.
In this pastoral letter, Newton teaches how God uses trials to cultivate humility, Christlikeness, and dependence on Him alone. He warns that comforts can quietly divide our hearts, but through trials, Christ—the perfect Teacher—draws us back to Himself.
Newton closes with four exhortations: gratitude for Christ as Teacher, attentiveness to daily lessons, obedience on the path of duty, and drawing strength from prayer and Scripture.
This episode is a reminder that God’s kindness is never absent, even in our hardest seasons.
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik
In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder continues our series on Christian letters from the past, focusing on Letter 4 to Mrs. —, written by John Newton. These letters, though centuries old, still speak powerfully into our lives today.
This week’s letter reveals Newton’s pastoral heart as he guides a friend through illness and spiritual struggle. He addresses a question many believers wrestle with: Why does God allow difficulties in the life of a Christian? Newton doesn’t offer simple answers or platitudes. Instead, he points to the sovereign wisdom and tender care of our Shepherd, reminding us that even the most painful trials can serve our spiritual growth.
Newton encourages Mrs. — to see her hardships in light of God’s greater purposes. He reminds her that God’s love is both merciful and wise, allowing what is necessary to purify, teach, and strengthen His children. And when life feels bleak, he offers hope: God is always present, His ear always attentive, and His power sufficient to sustain us.
Whether you’re walking through illness, disappointment, or other trials, this episode offers practical insight and encouragement for leaning on God in every season.
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs
Read all eight letters to Mrs. —
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Watch all the episodes of this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK What all Whole Counsel episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMtoTMNlcPdqOqkg0vuNlYG See Media Gratiae Original Project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDPqcYtQL-uT7Dx4OcprVlik
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Last week, we introduced “Mrs.. —.” She is a lady whose name is lost to history, but John Newton’s “shepherding through the post,” as Dr. John Snyder phrased it in the first episode of this series, is timeless to her. Newton wrote a series of eight letters to Mrs.— and this week is the second letter. In it, John Newton helps her see the battle of the Christian life. New believers may be surprised that conviction doesn’t end after conversion, but can often feel even worse. As we draw nearer to God, two things are brought more into focus: his holiness and our sinfulness. So how do we continue drawing near to him while it feels so uncomfortable? As Newton said, “It becometh the Lord's people to be thankful; and to acknowledge His goodness in what we have received, is the surest as well as the pleasantest method of obtaining more. Nor should the grief arising from what we know and feel of our own hearts, rob us of the honor, comfort, and joy, which the word of God designs us, in what is there recorded of the person, offices, and grace of Jesus, and the relations He is pleased to stand in to His people.”
We pray this letter is as much of a blessing to you as it has been to us. You can find all the letters to Mrs.— in the links below.
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Show Notes:
Watch all the episodes of this series here:
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, we return to our series of Christian letters from history. Previously, we have looked at letters John Newton wrote about stages of the Christian life and a letter he wrote concerning corporate prayer. This week, we begin looking at a series of eight letters Newton wrote to a “Mrs. . —.” We do not have her name, as Newton removed most identifying information from the letters when he published them. But we do know some things about her. She lived in London and wrote to Newton early in his pastoral ministry. She was bothered about the indwelling nature and influence of sin in her life. Newton’s counsel to her applies to every Christian who grieves their sin and desires a closer walk with Christ. As we work our way through this series, we will not discuss every letter he wrote to her. However, we will have the text of each letter available on our website for you to read. You don’t have to wait week to week to see the letters. All eight letters are linked below for you to read and consider before listening to John discuss them week by week.
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Show Notes:
Watch all the episodes of this series here:
Read all eight letters to Mrs.
First Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Second Letters to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/second-letter-to-mrs
Third Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/third-letter-to-mrs
Fourth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fourth-letter-to-mrs
Fifth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/fifth-letter-to-mrs-
Sixth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/sixth-letter-to-mrs
Seventh Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/seventh-letter-to-mrs
Eighth Letter to Mrs.: https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/eighth-letter-to-mrs
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This is our final week of previewing studies Media Gratiae has produced through the years. If you have been through Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, or Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, you have seen Jordan Thomas. He contributed to the interview segments of those two studies.
When we started producing smaller studies, we knew we wanted Jordan to make one. We approached him and asked for a topic or passage he felt was needed in today’s church. He unhesitatingly answered that a study on treasuring Christ corporately would be the topic of his choosing.
The resulting study is Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church. Jordan wanted to create this study based on the belief that many Christians in our modern, individualistic culture have lost their grasp on the value of the local church. Through this eight-week study, he aims to teach congregations —the local expressions of Christ’s bride —how to treasure Christ as a body.
As with our other studies, Christ Our Treasure consists of video sermons and a workbook. The workbook is the heart of this study. To learn more about the study, follow the links below:
Show Notes:
Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/christ-our-treasure
The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/true-hearted-discipleship
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-media-gratiae-online-course
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty Workbook
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-workbook
We are continuing our special series highlighting studies Media Gratiae has produced through the years, and this week, we are presenting to you one of our newer studies. Published in 2024, The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship was written and taught by Dr. Ian Hamilton.
If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Hamilton, we highly encourage you to seek out his books and preaching. His style is simultaneously direct and disarming.
As with our other studies, there are two components: a workbook and eight video sermons. In each chapter, Dr. Hamilton guides us back to Scripture to examine what Jesus says about what it means to be his follower. The life of a disciple begins with a radically transformative new birth, and from that birth flows a life of following Jesus in obedience.
We pray that this first session and the entire study may be a blessing to you. You can learn more about the study at the link below.
Show Notes:
The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/true-hearted-discipleship
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-media-gratiae-online-course
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty Workbook
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-workbook
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We are taking a break from our series on letters from Christian history to give Teddy James and his family a short break while they care for their new addition, Jack. During this time, we are presenting to you the first session from several studies that Media Gratiae has produced over the years. This week’s special is Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, which is a follow-up to our first study.
After people went through the first Behold Your God study, they asked if we could recommend a study specifically focused on the attributes of God. These requests led us to create a 12-week multimedia study on God’s attributes. These attributes are discussed in a specific order, allowing them to build upon one another. The study begins with God’s incomprehensibility, self-existence, and independence, and then moves on to His holiness, wrath, and love. The order is intentional, as the beginning attributes add weight to the later ones.
We have heard from many who have watched the videos and been blessed by them. When we asked for their thoughts regarding the workbook, they revealed they were unaware that the workbook existed. That reality is heartbreaking to us because the workbook is the heart of the study. It is where participants work through passages of Scripture and see how God’s attributes are not just found in the Old Testament or the New Testament, but that he is the same throughout the entirety of Scripture.
If you have been through Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty before, we pray this first session may remind you of the things God taught you through it. If you haven’t been through the study, you can learn more about the videos and accompanying workbook at the link below.
Show Notes:
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-media-gratiae-online-course
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty Workbook
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-workbook
Learn more about Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
See the workbook here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-workbook
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We are celebrating an addition to the Media Gratiae family over the next few weeks. If you have listened to The Whole Counsel for a long time, you may remember Teddy James. His family is welcoming their newest addition, Jack. To give Teddy some time to focus on his home needs, we are running a series of special episodes highlighting some of the studies produced by Media Gratiae over the years.
First in this series, we are highlighting the study that started Media Gratiae, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This 12-week study seeks to help you deepen in your knowledge of God.
Of all our studies, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically has reached the widest audience. It has been translated into multiple languages and has been used in churches across the globe. We have heard from many who have watched these videos and been blessed by them. But so often, people are unaware of its accompanying workbook. That is sad to us because the workbook is the heart of the study. It is where you work through the Scriptures, wrestling over the truths taught in the video material. If you have never completed the workbook, our prayer is that this first session will encourage you to consider doing so. You can learn more about it at the link below.
Show Notes:
Learn more about Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
See the workbook here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-workbook
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Public prayer, whether it is praying in a corporate setting or simply asking a blessing over a meal with friends, can cause many Christians to feel uncomfortable. It may be easy to think we are the only ones who feel awkward in the practice, but this has been a reality for much longer than we think. In this week’s letter from the past, Dr. John Snyder reads a helpful correspondence from John Newton on five principles to keep in mind when we have the opportunity to exercise social prayer. Far from making us wooden in our prayer or afraid to lead out in praying, these are to help us make the most of our opportunity to both glorify Christ and edify the body in which we are praying alongside. Newton’s concluding advice is helpful to have in mind as you begin this episode: “I shall be glad if these hints may be of any service to those who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth.” May it be so for us today.
We are running a giveaway this week for Select Letters of John Newton. If you already receive weekly emails from Media Gratiae, there is nothing for you to do. You are already entered. If you would like to be entered to win, you can sign up for the Media Gratiae email list below.
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/thoughts-on-the-exercise-of-public-prayer
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/first-leter-to-mrs
Show Notes:
Watch other episodes of our letter series here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDMzuC301aRv8v3tga_psAcK
The Works of John Newton:
https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/
John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty
https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Dr. John Snyder has spent the last two weeks looking at John Newton’s seasons of the Christian life, which he likens to a growing stalk of corn. The Christian life starts as a blade sprouting from the soil. Then there is a small, immature, but very real fruit showing. Lastly, the season we are discussing this week is the mature Christian life. Each stage has its distinguishing marks, and this season is marked by contemplation.
The mature believer learns and grows not only by studying Scripture and applying it to his life but also by looking at how God providentially moves, convicts, and grows other believers. This growth of wisdom and maturity comes with a warning. The mature believer must beware the temptation to think of himself as more powerful in himself. It is actually the opposite. The believer is more dependent on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
We are running a giveaway this week for Select Letters of John Newton. If you already receive weekly emails from Media Gratiae, there is nothing for you to do. You are already entered. If you would like to be entered to win, you can sign up for the Media Gratiae email list below.
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read this week's letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/the-full-corn-in-the-ear
You can read next week’s letter here:
- https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/thoughts-on-the-exercise-of-public-prayer
Show Notes:
Grace in the Ear:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/grace-in-the-ear
Grace in the Blade:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/grace-in-the-blade
Letter to a Student of Divinity:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/extract-of-a-letter-to-a-student-of-divinity
The Works of John Newton:
https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/
John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty
https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We are doing a giveaway. You can sign up for it here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway The book we are giving away can be seen here: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/select-letters-of-john-newton/
If you have been following The Whole Counsel for the last few weeks, you know we are looking at helpful letters throughout Christian history. We aren’t taking the letter chronologically. Dr. John Snyder has instead opted to jump straight to the letters he has benefited most from in his life and ministry. To that end, we have begun with three letters John Newton wrote describing three phases of the Christian life: Life in the Blade, Life in Ear, and Life in the Full Corn.
This week’s episode focuses on Newton’s second letter and details the particular blessings and challenges of the “Ear” season of the Christian life. This is the time where feelings become more unreliable, and the believer is led to a deeper reliance on the objective realities of the gospel. This reliance feeds our humility, grows our prayer life, and teaches us to set the eyes of our heart on Christ and not on ourselves.
Next week’s letter:
The Full Corn in the Ear
https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/108.htm
Show Notes:
John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty
https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4
Grace in the Ear:
https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/108.htm
Grace in the Blade:
https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/108.htm
Letter to a Student of Divinity:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/extract-of-a-letter-to-a-student-of-divinity
The Works of John Newton:
https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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We are doing a giveaway (that we will announce next week). You can sign up for it here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway The book we are giving away can be seen here: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/letters/select-letters-of-john-newton/
Last week we looked at a letter from John Newton to a student studying for ministry work. This week’s letter is also from Newton, but it is general in its focus. Titled Grace in the Blade, Newton displays his shepherding heart to a young believer. He described the experience of many Christians who are babes in Christ, including the doubts, fears, encouragements, and victories.
This is not the season when a Christian is, as he says, “laden with ripe fruit,” but he rather “has a peculiar beauty in blossom.” The fruit is not fully present as it will be, but the beginnings of that fruit are being produced. The young Christian may be discouraged by this reality, but Newton says it should be encouraging because there is currently life where before there was only death. There is an interest in and a love of God where previously there was only apathy, disdain, or enmity.
For those who are further down the path of walking with Christ, Newton also offers some sweet and practical advice for walking alongside these baby Christians and helping them grow in grace.
Next week we will read the second letter of this three-installation communication letter titled Grace in the Ear. You can find the text of all the letters we have discussed in this series at the links below.
Show Notes:
Grace in the Ear:
https://www.gracegems.org/Newton/108.htm
Grace in the Blade:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/grace-in-the-blade
Letter to a Student of Divinity:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/extract-of-a-letter-to-a-student-of-divinity
The Works of John Newton:
https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/
John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty
https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4
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John Newton is best known today for his hymn, Amazing Grace. But in his day, he was better known for his letters. Christians, pastors, and others would write to him for pastoral advice. In our ongoing series about timeless letters from the past, we will spend a large percentage of our time reading his letters. In part because he was so prolific in his letter-writing. But lots of people have written lots of letters. The bigger reason we will spend so much time on his letters is that so many of them are incredibly beneficial to us.
For our first letter, we are looking at correspondence between Newton and a young man training for ministry. The young man is concerned that he is growing in knowledge, but his spiritual maturity is not keeping pace. Newton encourages him, saying this is something to be worried about, and gives practical help in continuing his pursuit of Christ.
Every week, we will spend some time introducing you to the author of the letter we are looking at. For Newton, we have a special opportunity. When creating our second study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, two of the historical introductions covered the life of John Newton. To help you become better acquainted with him, we have posted those videos in the link below.
Each week, we will post the letter of focus in next week’s episode to give you a chance to read ahead if you would like. Make sure to check below for that.
Show Notes:
John Newton Introductions from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty
https://youtu.be/m9riTq53Vg4
Next week’s letter, Grace in the Blade:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/grace-in-the-blade
Letter to a Student of Divinity:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/resources/extract-of-a-letter-to-a-student-of-divinity
The Works of John Newton:
https://banneroftruth.org/uk/store/christian-living/works-john-newton/
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We are beginning a new series this week on The Whole Counsel. It is a series our team has wanted to make for a long time, but we have finally decided on the best way to deliver it to you. For much of his Christian life, Dr. John Snyder has benefitted from the letters of Christians throughout history. These are far from historical curiosity or museum exhibits to be visited from time to time. They are living treasures sound in doctrine, rich in theology, and abounding in practical applications to the Christian life.
For this introductory episode, John takes some time to give you reasons to read letters and briefly introduce you to some of the letter writers we will be pulling from. John Newton is one of the most prolific letter writers we have, so we will be reading several of his letters.
Because we find these letters so helpful, we want you to be able to read them before we publish the episode discussing it. To that end, make sure you check the description of each episode where we will link to the next week’s letter for you.
Show Notes:
The Letters of John Newton ebook: https://www.monergism.com/letters-john-newton-ebook
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This week we have Dr. Stephen Yuille in the studio again. During his last visit, he told us about a reading challenge through George Swinnock’s The Blessed and Boundless God.
Today, Dr. Yuille and Dr. John Snyder have a broader discussion in mind. Because of his profession and experience, many people ask Dr. Yuille how they can read and benefit more from the Puritans. He sought to develop a concise, systematic, scalable answer to that question.
Instead of trying to read as much of Puritan writings as possible, Dr. Yuille encourages us to approach these spiritual giants devotionally. Just read a few pages each day.
Reformation Heritage Books Puritan Treasures for Today is a great place to start. These books have been edited and modernized to remove the language barrier so many find difficult to overcome. Dr. Yuille’s approach is to take six books and read them across six months.
The goal is not quantity of reading but quality. Read the Puritans as they intended their books to be read. Read them with your heart, not just your mind. Meditate on what you read that day. We believe, as Dr. Yuille does, this is wonderful food for your soul and your will benefit by this practice. Each of the books Dr. Yuille suggests starting with are listed below with links to where you can find them.
Want a great introduction to the Puritans? Check out our feature-length documentary Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/puritan-all-of-life-to-the-glory-of-god-feature-edition-digital-streaming
Show Notes:
Month 1 - The Blessed and Boundless God by George Swinnock
Physical: https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-swinnock.html
Ebook: https://heritagebooks.org/products/ebook-the-blessed-and-boundless-god-swinnock-puritan-treasures-for-today.html
Month 2 - A Perfect Redeemer ****by William Perkins
Physical: https://heritagebooks.org/products/a-perfect-redeemer-perkins.html
Ebook: https://heritagebooks.org/products/ebook-a-perfect-redeemer-perkins.html
Month 3 - All Things for Good (A Divine Cordial) by Thomas Watson
Physical: https://heritagebooks.org/products/all-things-for-good-watson.html
Month 4 - Triumphing Over Sinful Fear by John Flavel
Physical: https://heritagebooks.org/products/triumphing-over-sinful-fear-flavel.html
Ebook: https://heritagebooks.org/products/ebook-triumphing-over-sinful-fear-flavel.html
Months 5 & 6 - The Fountain of Life by John Flavel
Physical: https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-fountain-of-life-2-volumes-flavel.html
Other Titles Mentioned:
The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-doctrine-of-repentance/
On the Holy Spirit by John Owen
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-holy-spirit/
The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-God-Updated-W-Tozer/dp/1622452968
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
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This week, we are happy to announce a new project from the personal study of Dr. John Snyder. This study originated from a desperation within John’s own heart. It deals with the life of a person whom God trusts with leadership in his kingdom.
Titled Studies for Christ’s Under-Shepherds, this 11-week study is a series of talks by Dr. Snyder to a group of ministers local to New Albany, Mississippi. This group has met together for several years to read, study, and pray together. John asked the men if he could take several weeks to focus on this topic, and they were eager to be a part.
As of Friday, July 18, 2025, this study will be available to everyone for free. While it was taught with the pastor in mind, its application reaches much further. We believe that deacons, Sunday school teachers, parents, and anyone with the opportunity to disciple a young believer will benefit from this study. At the end of this podcast, we have attached the first several moments of session one to give you a sense of what the full study will be like.
One notable difference between this study and others is its interactive nature. After each teaching session, the men who were attending had an opportunity to ask John questions. For a limited time, we want you to have a similar chance. While you are going through the study, you will be given opportunities to submit your questions to John. John may not be able to answer every question, but we will choose some we believe to be of the widest benefit and answer them in a future podcast episode.
Show Notes:mediagratiae.org/studies-for-undershepherds
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We spent the previous several weeks discussing Charles Spurgeon’s small work on the weighty responsibility of parents and Sunday school teachers. While we covered everything Spurgeon said in that series, we wanted to leave the topic with an example of how we can speak to our children about eternal issues. To that end, we pull help from a contemporary of Spurgeon, an Anglican bishop named J. C. Ryle.
Dr. John Snyder is joined again by his wife Misty as they look through a book of sermons for children preached by Ryle. The book is published under several titles and it is linked below. But the particular sermon they focus on is called “Seeking the Lord Early.”
In this sermon, we see many of the principles discussed during earlier weeks but applied in ways that make our appreciation of Ryle grow deeper. He utilizes the character of God, the promises and warnings of Scripture to draw children’s hearts to Christ. We pray the content of this episode is an encouragement to you to read the sermons and consider afresh how to help your children seek Christ early.
Show Notes:J. C. Ryle Addresses to Children: https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Leading Little Ones to God by Marian Schoolland:
https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/leading-little-ones-to-god-marian-schoolland-9780802851208
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On this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Dr. Stephen Yuille. Dr. Yuille has been with us before when he produced a study on the book of Galatians (https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/gospel-realities-lessons-from-galatians).
He is in the studio this week with us because he just filmed a new study focusing on the Sermon on Mount. Make sure you are following us for updates on that study. But for this episode, we wanted to have him on to discuss his role with Reformation Heritage Book and a new summer reading challenge they started on June 30. This reading challenge consists of a chapter of George Swinnock’s The Blessed and Boundless God every day. The chapters are short and approachable. The book has been slightly edited with updated language to make it accessible to everyone. We highly encourage you to visit the link below and participate in the reading challenge.
Show Notes:Reformation Heritage Books: https://heritagebooks.org/
Blessed and Boundless God by George Swinnock: https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-swinnock.html
Summer Reading Challenge: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PV73J_bsiy7Zd5wV9_fYlcjXPUeea99Udg8TRV07chI/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Puritan Treasures for Today: https://heritagebooks.org/PuritanTreasures
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This week we conclude our series based on Charles Spurgeon’s pamphlet Feed My Lambs. In these final segments, Spurgeon gives us three admonitions: remember whom you are teaching, remember that you are teaching on behalf of God, and remember that your children need this teaching. Keeping these things in mind will be a help in both preparing and in teaching theological matter to children.
Spurgeon likens teaching children to the responsibility of ministers. He says we must bear the weight of the reality that children will accept what we teach them, even if what we teach is incorrect. They are not educated enough to correct us if we misspeak a truth. They cannot choose a different Sunday school teacher if we are not careful enough. They will often adopt what we say as gospel truth and may hold those truths for the remainder of their lives.
So remember who is accepting our teaching, but also remember that we are given the opportunity to teach by God Himself. He has placed us in positions to teach and we should take it as a weighty privilege.
Lastly, if we see the need in our children to teach them truth, we will be moved to study deeply and think with focus on how best to convey these truths to them.
We pray this episode, and indeed this series, is helpful to you. Please share it with your Sunday school teachers to edify them in their work for the Lord with children.
Show Notes:Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early -
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum
Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm
J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:
https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent - https://www.amazon.com/Christians-Unseen-Christ-Puritan-Writings/dp/1877611573
Christ is All by Henry Law - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-All-Pentateuch-Classic-Reprint/dp/0243899300
Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose - https://www.trinitybookservice.com/looking-unto-jesus/
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In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, John and Misty Snyder come together again to continue discussing the small pamphlet Feed My Lambs written by Charles Spurgeon. He wrote this small work with Sunday school teachers in mind, but John and Misty find particular help for parents in this week’s segments.
When it comes to presenting the warnings of hell to children, we must do so carefully. Too harsh, and we can manipulate them into behavior modification to merit God’s favor. But if we never share God’s warnings of his wrath, we risk making sin a light matter in their eyes. The best practice is to let God speak for himself through the scriptures and share his warnings as they come up in family worship or applicable conversations. Knowing our children and their temperaments comes into play here as well.
While we share the kindness and warnings of God, we must also avoid giving our children “keepable standards.” We must give them God’s standard of holiness. When our children fail to keep God’s standards, we are presented with wonderful opportunities to point them to our sinless Redeemer, Christ.
All of this must be done while depending on God to do the work He must do for our children’s salvation. We can no more do God’s work of giving our children spiritual life than we do our children’s work of repenting and believing.
Show Notes:Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early -
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum
Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm
J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:
https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent - https://www.amazon.com/Christians-Unseen-Christ-Puritan-Writings/dp/1877611573
Christ is All by Henry Law - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-All-Pentateuch-Classic-Reprint/dp/0243899300
Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose - https://www.trinitybookservice.com/looking-unto-jesus/
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In this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder and his wife Misty continue discussing Charles Spurgeon’s small pamphlet, Feed My Lambs, focusing on teaching the gospel to young children. Today they focus on getting the most out of Sunday school. Some argue the practice is worse than unnecessary but claim it is bad. Provided that the Sunday school teacher is converted, we, along with Charles Spurgeon, disagree.
But Spurgeon gives us some helpful advice that extends beyond Sunday school teachers to include parents of children at any age. He reminds us of the necessity to be living on the truths we are teaching and not attempt to put a lesson together on the way to church on Sunday morning. Beyond that, we must be driven by love. Our love and duty is first to Christ, and then that love and duty must be pointed toward the children.
Throughout the conversation, John and Misty share how they have been impacted both by learning as children and by teaching them. We pray this encourages you to think carefully of the privilege and responsibility we have to share our faith with the youngest generation.
Show Notes:
Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early -
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum
Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm
J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:
https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent - https://www.amazon.com/Christians-Unseen-Christ-Puritan-Writings/dp/1877611573
Christ is All by Henry Law - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-All-Pentateuch-Classic-Reprint/dp/0243899300
Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose - https://www.trinitybookservice.com/looking-unto-jesus/
The list from Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Amrose
- Of considering Jesus in that respect
- Of desiring after Jesus in that respect
- Of hoping in Jesus in that respect
- Of believing in Jesus in that respect
- Of loving Jesus in that respect
- Of joying in Jesus in that respect
- On conforming to Jesus in that respect
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This week we continue our series on presenting the gospel to children in our churches and families with Dr. John Snyder and his wife, Misty. The pair has spent years considering the topic, not just as parents, but as the authors of Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early, a curriculum that aims to present the realities of the gospel to children on their level.
We are continuing to get help from Charles Spurgeon’s small pamphlet, Feed My Lambs. In that work, Spurgeon warns against several ditches in presenting Christ to children. The first is not speaking on their level. This doesn’t mean we should just replace big words with small words. But it does mean defining the words we use carefully and in a way the kids can grasp. Additionally, when the Lord has done the miraculous work of converting a child, we must be careful not to expect perfect fruit or exceptional spiritual maturity before we embrace him or her as a member of the body of Christ.
Spurgeon also gives us an opportunity for self-reflection. Do our actions reveal that we don’t believe children can be or need to be saved right now? Jesus makes it clear throughout the gospels that he desires the little ones to come to him. He also makes clear how dangerous it is to be guilty of preventing them.
Let us bring our hearts to the Lord through this episode and pray he shows us areas we need to rethink and trust that He is able and willing to save our little lambs.
Show Notes:Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm
J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:
https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week we begin a new series with a new guest, Misty Snyder. Misty is the coauthor of Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early and the wife of Dr. John Snyder.
For help in this series, we are looking to Charles Spurgeon and J. C. Ryle. Spurgeon’s little work, Feed My Lambs, was written for Christian parents and Sunday School teachers. This week, we focus on the opening section where Spurgeon hones in on what it means to feed the little ones.
This feeding means that we must speak in a way that children can understand. It doesn’t mean simply replacing big words with small words. But it means defining and communicating in a way they can follow and grasp.
Last in the series, we will look at a sermon preached by J. C. Ryle, a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon. Check the show notes for the full text of Spurgeon’s pamphlet, Ryle’s sermons, and links to purchase physical copies, plus other helpful resources for nurturing the faith of the little ones in your life.
Show Notes:Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early -
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum
Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm
J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:
https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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On this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder hosts a former member of Christ Church New Albany, Josephine Rose. Josephine began coming to CCNA while she was in college. It was during her time in the fellowship there that God revealed Himself to her and rescued her. After graduation, she came down with a serious illness that forced her to move back in with her parents. Bedridden and anxious, she and her mother prayed for God to show her something useful she could do with her time. The next day, she opened her laptop and began blogging.From the simple act of sharing the realities of God that she was learning through her illness, Josephine was approached by numerous ministries to write for them. She accepted, and doors continued to be opened for her. Recently, LifeWay published a Bible study written for teenage girls focused on prayer. The title is Talking to God: A Bible Study on Prayer. The study is based upon the foundation of God’s attributes and the Lord’s Prayer.
We pray the testimony of God’s faithfulness to Josephine and the conversation between her and John encourage you to seek afresh a close communion with God as our Father.
Show Notes:See Josephine’s Blog: https://josephinedrose.com/
Talking to God: A Bible Study on Prayer - https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/talking-to-god-teen-girls-bible-study-book-P005847913
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This week's sermon is the final in our series of revival sermons from Rev. Vernon Higham. Isaiah saw the need for revival in his day, and he cried out for it. We are also in great need of revival, and we hope the previous episodes have led you to cry out to God for it.
In this final sermon, Rev. Higham shares with us the hope for revival from Isaiah 64:8-12. This hope is not the hope the world has. It is a solid, tangible thing because crying out for God’s ungrieved presence among us is a prayer that pleases him.
Dr. John Snyder ends this week’s episode, as he has several others, with a book recommendation. He opted to leave you with a book edited by Richard Owen Roberts. If you have participated in the Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically study, you know Mr. Roberts. His book is titled Scotland Saw His Glory and recounts accounts of revival going back to the Scottish Puritan era.
Show Notes:W. V. Higham Trust:
https://www.wvhigham.org/
The Turn of the Tide by W. Vernon Higham: http://churchawakening.com/product/the-turn-the-tide/
Lectures of the Revival of Religion, by Ministers of the Church of Scotland edited by W. M. Hetherington
https://www.abebooks.com/Lectures-Revival-Religion-Ministers-Church-Scotland/31027820289/bd
Free ebook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lectures_on_the_revival_of_religion_by_ministers_o?id=T-kDAAAAQAAJ&hl=en_US≷=US&pli=1
Scotland Saw His Glory by Richard Owen Roberts
https://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/scotland-saw-his-glory-a-history-of-revivals-in-scotland/
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This week’s podcast is the third of four sermons on revival preached by Reverend Vernon Higham in 1984. Rev. Higham felt the need for revival in his own land, and his desire for revival is expressed throughout this powerful sermon based on Isaiah 64:1–7.
We pray this series benefits you and burdens you to pray for revival in your own soul, family, church, and land. If you would like to hear more sermons from Rev. Higham, you can see the link in the show notes below for the Vernon Higham Trust.
Show Notes:W. V. Higham Trust:
https://www.wvhigham.org/
The Turn of the Tide by W. Vernon Higham: http://churchawakening.com/product/the-turn-the-tide/
Lectures of the Revival of Religion, by Ministers of the Church of Scotland edited by W. M. Hetherington
https://www.abebooks.com/Lectures-Revival-Religion-Ministers-Church-Scotland/31027820289/bd
Free ebook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lectures_on_the_revival_of_religion_by_ministers_o?id=T-kDAAAAQAAJ&hl=en_US≷=US&pli=1
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“Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah? This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? ’It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’” Isaiah 63:1
This week’s podcast continues the sermon series by Reverend W. V. Higham. Mr. Higham was the pastor of John Snyder and his family while he spent time in Wales working on his doctorate. In this sermon, Mr. Higham continues discussing the need we have for revival but also highlights the fruit of true revival such as powerful preaching, earnest prayer, and a commitment to biblical worship. The discerning hearer might realize all these things are the ordinary means of grace through which God meets His people. That is true. But in revival, all these ordinary means are made effectual to an extraordinary degree. Same means; different degree. We pray this sermon is not only an encouragement to you in the troubled days we live in, but that it also gives fuel for you as you pray for revival in our day.
Show Notes:W. V. Higham Trust:
https://www.wvhigham.org/
The Turn of the Tide by W. Vernon Higham: http://churchawakening.com/product/the-turn-the-tide/
Lectures on Revivals by William Sprague: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Lectures of the Revival of Religion, by Ministers of the Church of Scotland edited by W. M. Hetherington
https://www.abebooks.com/Lectures-Revival-Religion-Ministers-Church-Scotland/31027820289/bd
Free ebook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lectures_on_the_revival_of_religion_by_ministers_o?id=T-kDAAAAQAAJ&hl=en_US≷=US&pli=1
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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While Dr. John Snyder was in Wales pursuing his doctorate, he and his family attended Heath Evangelical Church, where Mr. W. Vernon Higham was the pastor. Mr. Higham was also a close friend of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones and his wife. Through the years spent at Heath Evangelical, John and his family benefited greatly from Mr. Higham’s preaching, but there has been one series that John has gone back to time and again. He has also recommended it to many others. Mr. Higham preached this series on revival at the Evangelical Movement of Wales Conference. This first sermon highlights our world’s need for revival and is based on Isaiah 62. As we at Media Gratiae have been blessed by these messages, we pray you will be as well.
Show Notes:W. V. Higham Trust:
https://www.wvhigham.org/
The Turn of the Tide by W. Vernon Higham: http://churchawakening.com/product/the-turn-the-tide/
Lectures of the Revival of Religion, by Ministers of the Church of Scotland edited by W. M. Hetherington
https://www.abebooks.com/Lectures-Revival-Religion-Ministers-Church-Scotland/31027820289/bd
Free ebook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lectures_on_the_revival_of_religion_by_ministers_o?id=T-kDAAAAQAAJ&hl=en_US≷=US&pli=1
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Sitting in the prayer service of a church can feel like a passive experience. But it does not have to be. As we conclude our series on the corporate prayer service, Jeremy Walker preaches to his local flock at Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England about the practice of engaging with the prayer service. It may seem there isn’t much to do with your head bowed and eyes closed, but nothing could be further from the truth.
We pray this series has been a blessing to you. If you are blessed to be in a church with a healthy prayer service, our hope is that this gives you a renewed appreciation for it and equips you to be prepared for your next opportunity. If you are in a church without such a meeting, we pray there have been some helpful information in these episodes that you can apply to your situation.
Show Notes:Resources from Jeremy Walker
A Word in Season - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
From the Heart of Spurgeon Podcast - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
Some of our favorite books by Jeremy:
Life in Christ - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/life-in-christ-becoming-and-being-a-disciple-of-the-lord-jesus-christ-walker.html The Brokenhearted Evangelist - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-brokenhearted-evangelist-walker.html
Books by Jeremy Walker at Reformation Heritage Books: https://www.heritagebooks.org/Search.html#/Search.html?search=Jeremy+Walker
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We’ve now spent two weeks focusing on the corporate prayer service. It is our prayer that, if you are not participating in your church’s prayer service, or if your church does not have one, you will find a way to begin this sweet means of grace.
In this episode, Jeremy Walker and Teddy James discuss some helpful resources on learning to pray, both privately and corporately. Teddy also asks Jeremy for his counsel toward those in churches without a prayer service. How can a pastor begin to lead his flock toward this precious practice? How can a church member encourage his or her pastor to consider it?
Next week we will wrap up this series with the second sermon from Jeremy Walker, which offers counsel to those sitting in the prayer service and not praying aloud. This is not an hour of passiveness for them. It should be a time of great, intentional activity.
Show Notes:Piercing Heaven - https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/piercing-heaven-prayers-of-the-puritans-9781683593348?variant=31497830793278
Valley of Vision - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotional-books/the-valley-of-vision/
Prayer by John Bunyan - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/prayer-by-john-bunyan/
A Way to Pray (A Method of Prayer) by Matthew Henry - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/way-to-pray/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we continue our series on the corporate prayer service. As stated last week, we are sharing the first of two sermons Jeremy Walker preached to his congregation on corporate prayer. Taken from 1 Corinthians 14:16 and Acts 4:24, Jeremy seeks to give practical counsel for those leading out in the prayer service. He discusses how we can come into the service prepared to pray. He also hits on ways we can be a blessing or a discouragement to brothers and sisters in the congregation with us by things as simple as the volume of our prayer.
Next week Jeremy and Teddy will continue the series by seeking to answer the question: What if my church doesn’t have a prayer service? How can I help get one started as a pastor? How can I encourage my pastor to start one?
Show Notes:Resources from Jeremy Walker
A Word in Season - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
From the Heart of Spurgeon Podcast - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
Some of our favorite books by Jeremy:
Life in Christ - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/life-in-christ-becoming-and-being-a-disciple-of-the-lord-jesus-christ-walker.html The Brokenhearted Evangelist - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-brokenhearted-evangelist-walker.html
Books by Jeremy Walker at Reformation Heritage Books: https://www.heritagebooks.org/Search.html#/Search.html?search=Jeremy+Walker
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Recently some of our team members listened to a sermon series preached by Jeremy Walker on the corporate prayer service. We were so blessed by it that we wanted to share it with you. But Jeremy preached those sermons for his own church where there is already a foundational understanding of the purpose and focus of the corporate prayer service. To better help our audience, we thought it would be beneficial for Jeremy and Teddy James to have a few discussions to help establish that foundation and answer a few questions that may arise from the sermons.
So in some ways this new series will be different than what we have done in the past. For this introductory episode, Jeremy and Teddy are talking in our normal format. Next week we will share the first sermon of Jeremy’s series. The following episode will be Jeremy and Teddy again in our normal format. And the final episode will be Jeremy’s second sermon. We are excited about this series and pray it is a blessing to you.
Show Notes:How to ruin your spiritual life sermon series - https://www.sermonaudio.com/series/185833
A Word in Season - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
From the Heart of Spurgeon Podcast - https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
Some of our favorite books by Jeremy:
Life in Christ - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/life-in-christ-becoming-and-being-a-disciple-of-the-lord-jesus-christ-walker.html The Brokenhearted Evangelist - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-brokenhearted-evangelist-walker.html
Books by Jeremy Walker at Reformation Heritage Books: https://www.heritagebooks.org/Search.html#/Search.html?search=Jeremy+Walker
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We have spent the last several weeks discussing the life of prayer in the Christian. Only those who have cried out to the Lord for the salvation of a child, parent, spouse, or other loved ones know the desperation one can feel in this situation. We are regularly tempted with the whisper of the enemy that our prayers aren’t working. We continually pray, but that loved one seems to only put more distance between himself and God. So what do we do?
Dr. John Snyder and Hugh Morrison discuss how we can approach these situations in faith and how we can answer the enemy’s lies with Scripture. A danger the duo points out is that one tactic of the enemy is to make us withdraw from prayer and turn to our own schemes. But God has told us that he will only be found by seeking his face. And prayer is one of the primary means by which we seek his face. So do not despair and do not surrender the sacred privilege of prayer in your life today, particularly in regard to loved ones.
Show Notes:
Psalm 102
Exodus 2
Psalm 107
Psalm 116
To hear Hugh’s sermons at Christ Church New Albany: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvnJqlEs5pO6h_fRk2vMVWJqEL112dvIW
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
How do Christians pray when we aren’t sure God is going to answer positively what we pray for? That is the heart of the discussion this week between Dr. John Snyder and Hugh Morrison, pastor and HeartCry missionary in Canada.
As Hugh says in the podcast, our role in prayer is to ask; God’s role is to answer. So how do we ask? We bring questions God has told us to ask. He has told us to pray for the salvation of loved ones. He has told us to pray for the healing of the sick. He has told us to pray for sanctification and holiness. And he has told us to pray for all of those things without doubting.
But when it comes to praying for healing or for the salvation of a loved one, how do we persevere when we doubt? We begin by confessing the doubt to God and giving it up to him. As Hugh later said during one of his sermons at Christ Church New Albany, we reject what we see as reality and replace it with God’s reality.
This is not an easy task to accomplish. But it is one that God has obligated himself to help his children do. So cry out to him for help, and he will, like a loving father, walk alongside you and help you pray to him.
Show Notes:
Autobiography of George Muller: https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-George-Muller/dp/0883681595 Hudson Taylor Biography: https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/amy-carmichael/ The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd: With Notes and Reflections by Jonathan Edwards: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/diary-and-journal-of-david-brainerd/
To hear Hugh’s sermons at Christ Church New Albany: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvnJqlEs5pO6h_fRk2vMVWJqEL112dvIW
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In one sense, prayer is the simplest thing for a Christian. It is simply a child going to his father and talking. But it is also mysterious because it is a relational transaction between our soul and the only uncreated being in the universe. We can have communion with the Redeemer of our souls. We can walk into the presence of almighty God to have his attention. Hugh Morrison, you may remember his talk to church leaders a few weeks ago, is on the podcast this week to discuss the labor of prayer with Dr. John Snyder. This will be a three-episode series with this opening discussion focused on the necessity of meeting with God in prayer. Because prayer is seldom studied, it is often seen as something to do as part of our morning devotion, part of a worship service, part of eating a meal. But prayer is much more. Prayer should be the heartbeat, the breathing of a Christian. It is a thread through which nearness and communion with God is woven into our lives. So how can we have the prayer life we yearn for? How can we perform that work of praying to God? One help is to read all that Scripture has to say about the issue. A secondary help is to find someone you know who practices prayer. A third help, particularly if you do not have someone who can disciple you in prayer, is the use of biographies. John and Hugh share how God had used several biographies to shape their prayer lives.
Show Notes:Autobiography of George Muller: https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-George-Muller/dp/0883681595 Hudson Taylor Biography: https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/amy-carmichael/ The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd: With Notes and Reflections by Jonathan Edwards: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/diary-and-journal-of-david-brainerd/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
If you would like some help in studying Galatians, consider Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians.
Watch the study trailer here: https://youtu.be/HlAIb5uSBOI
Find more information here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/gospel-realities-lessons-from-galatians
This week we present to you session one of Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians. In this session, Dr. Yuille focuses on the intent of the Bible study and what he hopes to teach throughout all eight sessions.
What others are saying about this study:
“The gospel is the beautiful, glorious, and central message of Christianity. All of history and all of Scripture revolve around it, and unless we lay hold of it by faith, we will perish eternally. But it was precisely this gospel that was under attack among the first-century churches of Galatia. Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, wrote this forceful letter to remind the Galatian Christians of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. With faithful exegesis, concrete application, and experiential meditation, Dr. Yuille guides us into the glories of the gospel and the implications of the gospel for our lives. Excellent for personal devotions, small groups, and Bible studies!”
Dr. Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor and President, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Galatians needed Christ. They needed the whole Christ. They needed all of Christ. They needed nothing and no-one else apart from or in addition to Christ, as revealed by the Holy Spirit, to bring them into and keep them in the family of God. Clearly, warmly, sweetly, earnestly, logically, and consistently, Stephen Yuille presents to us that Christ whom Paul preached to the Galatians. In doing so, he walks us through the gospel in all its brilliance and beauty and blessing. To spend two happy months in this study would be a worthy investment of your time and effort.
Jeremy Walker
Show Notes:
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Media Gratiae is pleased to announce our newest, Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians, written and taught by Dr. Stephen Yuille. Yuille is the professor of church history and spiritual formation at The Southerwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the preaching pastor of a local church, and serves as a content director and editor at Reformation Heritage Books.
We at Media Gratiae found the writing and editing of Dr. Yuille so helpful we asked him to create a study for us. Even though he has an incredibly full schedule, he was happy to do the work of preparing, writing, and preaching this study. We are grateful for his work. We pray after hearing from him you will be encouraged to study Galatians alongside us.
If you would like some help in studying Galatians, consider Gospel Realities: Lessons from Galatians.
Watch the study trailer here: https://youtu.be/HlAIb5uSBOI
Find more information here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/gospel-realities-lessons-from-galatians
Show Notes
William Perkins volumes from Reformation Heritage Books: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-works-of-william-perkins-the-10-volume-collection.html
A Perfect Redeemer by William Perkins: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/a-perfect-redeemer-perkins.html
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Several weeks ago, Canadian pastor and HeartCry missionary Hugh Morrison came to visit New Albany. While here, he preached to our congregation a number of times. We also asked him to speak to local ministers on prayer.
His talk was so beneficial to us that we wanted to share it with you. Because the talk was so long, we opted to split it for you. So this week, we present to you the second half of Hugh’s talk on the necessity of prayer for every Christian, and particularly for those in positions of leadership.
If you would like to see or hear Hugh’s sermons at Christ Church New Albany, see the links below:
YouTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvnJqlEs5pO6h_fRk2vMVWJqEL112dvIW&si=xNEI9YMhJuXxxssB
SermonAudio playlist:
https://www.sermonaudio.com/speakers/67539/sermons?sort=newest
A few weeks ago, Christ Church New Albany hosted Hugh Morrison, a missionary pastor in Canada and invited him to preach to our congregation. During his visit, he also recorded a few podcasts with us and spoke to local ministers.
His ministerial talks were so helpful and broadly applicable that we decided to publish them. So, for the next two weeks, we will deliver his talk to ministers, focusing on the necessity of prayer in the Christian life. We pray it blesses you as it has us.
If you would like to hear Hugh’s sermons at Christ Church New Albany, you can find those here:
YouTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvnJqlEs5pO6h_fRk2vMVWJqEL112dvIW&si=xNEI9YMhJuXxxssB
SermonAudio playlist:
https://www.sermonaudio.com/speakers/67539/sermons?sort=newest
For the last several weeks, we have considered the sweet command of Hebrews 12:2: looking, fixing, focusing our eyes upon the author of finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James have previously discussed the foundational principles necessary for obeying this command. Today, they will address whom we are blessed to look towards. Have you considered what a blessing it is to behold Christ? He is the image of the invisible God. Those throughout the Old Testament who wanted to behold God could not do so and live. But in Jesus Christ, we have the full deity of God and all of his attributes coming to meet us in friendship and mercy. So how do we gaze upon Christ? There are many passages we could look to, and we have them listed below for you to look up and examine for yourself. In these passages, we see him in eternity past, in his incarnation, learning and growing, teaching, persecution, the cross, the resurrection, and now in his enthronement in heaven! These gazes should fill our souls with hope and love for God. Charles Spurgeon said it well, “And we invite you to look to this scene that you may be lightened. What are your doubts this morning? Whatever they be, they can find a kind and fond solution here, by looking at Christ on the cross. You have come here, perhaps, doubting God's mercy; look to Christ upon the cross, and can you doubt it then? If God were not full of mercy, and plenteous in his compassion, would he have given his Son to bleed and die? Think you, that a Father would rend his darling from his heart and nail him to a tree, that he might suffer an ignominious death for our sakes, and yet be hard, merciless, and without pity? God forbid the impious thought! There must be mercy in the heart of God, or else there had never been a cross on Calvary. But do you doubt God's power to save! Are you saying in yourself this morning, ‘How can he forgive so great a sinner as I am?’ Oh! look there, sinner, look there, to the great atonement made, to the utmost ransom paid. Dost thou think that that blood has not an efficacy to pardon and to justify?” If your gaze has been fuzzy and unfocused. If you have found yourself looking more at life, stress, or even the good gifts of God more than at God, consider the words Theodore Monod wrote in his small pamphlet: Looking unto Jesus—NOW, if we have never looked unto Him! Looking unto Jesus—AFRESH, if we have ceased doing so! Looking unto Jesus—ONLY! Looking unto Jesus—STILL! Looking unto Jesus—ALWAYS! With a gaze more and more constant, more and more confident, "changed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18), and thus awaiting the hour when he will call us to pass from earth to Heaven, and from time to eternity—the promised hour, the blessed hour, when at last "we shall be like Him, for we shall Him as He really is!" (1 John 3:2).
Throughout this series we have been conducting a giveaway. If already receive emails from Media Gratiae then you are already entered to win. If you don’t get them, you can sign up here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Show Notes:Sign up to win a copy of Looking Unto Jesus here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/looking-unto-jesus-ambrose.html
Theodore Monod’s Looking Unto Jesus
https://www.gracegems.org/30/looking_unto_jesus.htm
John’s Sermon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOLMyt5SYpI
Scripture References:
John 1
1 Peter 1:20
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:52
Hebrews 5:8-9
1 Peter 2:21-23
Hebrews 12
Colossians 2
Zechariah 12:10
John 19
Ephesians 1
Romans 4:25
Revelation 5:6-14
1 Thessalonians 4:16
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Last week we looked at the Greek word apherontes eis, which translated literally is “away from look toward.” And we shared how we must look away from certain things if our eyes are going to focus on Jesus Christ. This week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James share specific things we must look away from.
First on the list is the temptation to long for the old life. This common refrain is found in the book of Exodus. The Israelites complain that life in Egypt was better than walking in the desert with God. The Christian can be tempted to look fondly upon life before Christ. We must fight this.
Second on the list are sins that perhaps were not very tempting at one time, but they are now. It will be impossible to run the race of life with Jesus if we hold on to sins such as greed or the idolization of people’s opinions.
The third item to look away from are the good things. Paul said he counted all things as rubbish. He was willing to let go of all he knew previously, all his “right” upbringing, in order to gain Christ. If we as individual Christians or careful churches take pride in our past relationship with God, we will not run today’s race well.
We are still giving away two copies of Isaac Ambrose’s Looking Unto Christ. Sign up here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Show Notes:John’s Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-aPhM2DO4k
Sign up to win a copy of Looking Unto Jesus here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/looking-unto-jesus-ambrose.html
See our previous episodes where we mentioned Looking Unto Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLLiw_Xqa08
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Last week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James introduced our new series that will, by the grace of God, help us walk closer to Jesus in 2025 than we did in 2024. We will spend a great deal of time focusing on that sweet command to "look unto Christ."This week we are still getting help from Isaac Ambrose's book "Looking Unto Christ" (details on the giveaway linked below).
In order to look toward an object, we must first look away from all other objects. Imagine a groom who sees his bride walking down the aisle. There are many people in the church with them, but his eyes are fixed on one. That is how the Christian life should be. There are many things in our lives, but our focus should be on the one thing needful.
In this week's episode, John and Teddy dive into a bit of Greek language in Hebrews 12:1-2, hence the odd title of this episode. Your English translation of Scripture may say "fixing our eyes on Jesus," "looking to Jesus," or "looking only at Jesus." But there is a nuance in the Greek term apherontes eis that is hard to convey. The literal translation is away from look toward. So the writer of Hebrews is telling us that in order to look to Christ, we must first look away from every other thing in life.
We pray this episode helps you identify the things in your life you have been looking to for hope, comfort, and help that are not Christ, so that you may look to Christ alone.
If you are interested, you can sign up here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Show Notes:John’s Sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-aPhM2DO4k
Sign up to win a copy of Looking Unto Jesus here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/looking-unto-jesus-ambrose.html
See our previous episodes where we mentioned Looking Unto Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLLiw_Xqa08
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Even the sweetest commands from our King are still commands. We may be tempted to view commands such as "Do not kill" as more weighty than the command "Look unto Christ." But both are spoken from the same authority, God himself. Therefore, they are worthy of the same attention, effort, and obedience.
For the next few weeks, we will be discussing the command to look unto Jesus. There are several passages that state this command, each in a different way. But it is a theme of both the Old and the New Testaments. For this week's episode, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James are getting help from a journal entry written in 1773 by John Newton. Many of you will know Newton as the author of "Amazing Grace," among other hymns. But the particular journal entry we are resourcing in this week's episode reads:
This is the Ninth New Years day I have seen in this place. I have reason to say, The Lord crowneth every year with his goodness. The entrance of this finds me and my _ [dear Mary] in health and peace. I am still favoured with strength, and with some liberty for my public work and hope the Lord is still pleased to work by me, for the edification of his people already called, and the awakening of sinners. As to myself, It is given me to trust in the Lord Jesus for life and salvation – I know he is both willing and able to save. Upon him as an All-sufficient Saviour and upon his word of promise I build my hope, believing that he will not suffer me to be put to shame. My exercise of grace is faint, my consolations small, my heart is full of evil, my chief sensible burdens are, a wild ungoverned imagination, and a strange sinful backwardness to reading the Scriptures, and, to secret prayer. These have been my complaints for many years, and I have no less cause of complaint than formerly. But my eye and my heart is to Jesus. His I am, him I desire to serve, to him I this day would devote and surrender myself anew. O Lord, accept, support, protect, teach, comfort and bless me. Be thou my Arm, my Eye, my Joy and my Salvation. Mortify the power of sin, and increase the image of thy holiness in my heart. Anoint me with fresh oil, make me humble, faithful, diligent and obedient. Let me in all things attend to thy word as my rule, to thy glory as my end, and depend upon thy power and promise for safety and success. I am now in the 49th year of my age, and may expect in the course of a few years at most to go whence I shall no more return, nor have I a certainty of continuing here a single year or even a month or a day. May thy grace keep me always waiting till my appointed change shall come, and when the summons shall come may I be enabled to rejoice in thee, as the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
For the rest of this podcast series, we will be getting help from the first few chapters of Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose. This 17th-century book was written after a prolonged illness and has been helping Christians gaze at the surpassing beauty of Jesus Christ for over 400 years.
Looking Unto Jesus was out of print for some time, but we were happy to find it available for sale again. We were so happy, in fact, that we bought two copies to give away at the end of this series. If you would like to be entered to win a copy, you can join the Media Gratiae email list. Our email subscribers get two emails a week: the first is a devotional thought from trustworthy writers and sometimes our own studies, and the other email highlights the podcast content we are publishing that week. If you are interested, you can sign up here:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Show Notes:Sign up to win a copy of Looking Unto Jesus here: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/looking-unto-jesus-ambrose.html
See our previous episodes where we mentioned Looking Unto Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLLiw_Xqa08
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"If my God preserves you, and preserve you he must, or else you are not his; if he will keep you, and keep you he will if you have committed your souls to his faithful guardianship, that an honor awaits you!" These words by Charles Spurgeon perfectly summarize the objective promise for every believer in Christ.
God has promised that every Christian will finish this life clinging to Christ. He has done all the work necessary to fulfill this promise and will see it to completion. Yet this doesn't mean we are without responsibility. We must press on, fight, and run forward. We must run the race set before us. We can do so confidently, knowing He will make our efforts effective.
This week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James continue our discussion from last week about how our union with Jesus Christ should quicken our spiritual pace in 2025 and beyond. We pray this becomes a watershed year for you—one where you can look back and see that you made greater use of God's means of grace than in 2024, continuing this pattern in the years ahead.
Show Notes:John 10:28
John 6:35-40
Matthew 10:22
Matthew 14:10-14
Romans 11:22
Colossians 1:21-23
Revelation 2:7
Revelation 2:11
Revelation 2:17
Revelation 2:26
Revelation 3:5
Revelation 3:12
Revelation 3:21
1 John 5:4
Philippians 1:6 and 2:12-13
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Last week we mentioned a new series with Teddy James and Jeremy Walker. This week we decided to postpone that series because Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James recorded a two-episode series for the conclusion of 2024 and beginning of 2025. John and Acey Floyd recorded a series focusing on Union with Christ several months ago. As we said during those episodes, there was much more we could say on the topic, and so we wanted to revisit it with a particular emphasis on looking ahead to a new year.
Likely everyone has heard the adage "Once saved, always saved." While that is a true statement, it is also incomplete and far too small to truly convey the depth of finishing this life united to Christ. But one of the biggest problems with that statement is that it leaves no room and no application for the warnings of Scripture. It also leaves large questions for those who apostatize from the faith. This is dangerous for every Christian because it means we will miss what God is saying in those passages, and it could cause us to finish slowly and poorly.
To help us think about finishing well, John and Teddy discuss what faith is, what apostasy is, and why understanding those things is crucial to living a life and dying a death close to Christ.
Show Notes:Scriptures mentioned:
Hebrews 3:12-4:2
Hebrews 6:4-8
Hebrews 10:26-39
2 Peter 2:30-21
The story of Alexander:
2 Timothy 4:14-15
1 Timothy 1:19-20
Acts 19:29-34
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See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
Over the last three weeks, Dr. John Snyder and Jordan Thomas have been discussing the ultimate jewel of the Christian life. We all know that Christ is to be the precious treasure of our individual and corporate Christian lives, but sometimes we must fight a difficult battle to keep Him as our focus.
After John mentioned session four in last week’s episode, we thought it would be a good idea to present that entire talk to you for this week’s podcast. We pray you are encouraged by this session and it fuels your love for both Christ and your church.
Show Notes:See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
See the 2024 Media Gratiae Ministry Report
-https://report.mediagratiae.org/
See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
If we are going to see growth in our Christian lives, we must learn to see Christ through the entirety of the Bible. When the New Testament was written, the writers constantly pointed back to the Old Testament to make Jesus known. When Paul tells the Corinthians that his only objective was to make Christ known, he was talking not just in his preaching and writing but also every aspect of his life. He was a man truly marked by his love for and preoccupation with the person of Jesus Christ. So how can we follow that example? How can we be a people so preoccupied with Jesus that he permeates every conversation, every thought, every action? We are fallen people who still struggle with sin, so this will be a battle. But we will be given every grace of God to fight the battle well. The entirety of Scripture is the best weapon and tool we have in this warfare. But this emphasis isn’t just for the individual Christian life. It is for the corporate life as well. How can a local expression of Christ’s bride have a preoccupation with our Redeemer? How can a pastor lead in such a way that his flock gazes upon Jesus every worship service? John and Jordan ask and seek to provide some answers to these questions in this week’s episode.
Show Notes:See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
This week we continue our series with Jordan Thomas discussing the greatest treasure of the Christian life. If our eyes are fixed on anything other than Christ, we are looking in a fatal direction. While this sounds very noble and spiritual, it is essential. But just because it is essential does not mean it is easy. In fact, it is one of the hardest things for an individual Christian, a faithful family, and a careful church to do consistently. Dr. John Snyder and Jordan Thomas share some encouragements and examples of how we are to do this in our everyday lives. Perhaps the greatest example given to us is the Apostle Paul. There are multiple instances through his letters where he breaks out in worshipful doxologies in the middle of a logical argument. And this reality isn’t reserved for Paul because he was a “superChristian.” This is meant to be the experience of every Christian. If we want to pursue holiness, if we want to fix our churches, if we want to prioritize evangelism and missions, the driving force must be a fixation and obsession with the person of Jesus Christ. Nothing else has the power to move us and the fuel to make us fight the temptation of looking elsewhere. Another major point John and Jordan tackle is the idea of Jesus being boring. Why do so many find Jesus unattractive and not worth following? Is there something wrong with Jesus? Any Christian can answer that with a resounding “NO.” But how often do we find ourselves bored in our praying to him, reading of him, studying his Word? How do we fight the battle and warm our hearts by the beautiful reality of who he is? By gazing more and more at him. If we find Jesus boring, the problem is not with him. It is in us.
Show Notes:See Jordan’s study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
See Jordan’s study, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/jordan-thomas
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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We are incredibly thankful for each of you that follow our podcasts, participate in our studies, and support our work. We could not do this work without you.
As we are looking to finish 2024 and prepare for 2025, we wanted to take a few minutes to let you know what your support helped us achieve over the last 12 months.
To see the full 2024 Ministry Report from Media Gratiae, visit www.report.mediagratiae.org
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/christ-our-treasure
Those of you who have followed Media Gratiae for a time will know Jordan Thomas. He is a contributor to both Behold Your God studies and has a study of his own produced by Media Gratiae. Released earlier this year, Christ Our Treasure: Enjoying the Preeminence of Jesus in the Local Church, is an 8-week study examining how the local church body is to enjoy and treasure our Savior. In this new series of episodes, Dr. John Snyder and Jordan discuss not just the development of the study, but the heart behind it. Churches choose many things to focus on. It may be mercy ministries, confessional statements, clarity of doctrine, etc. All these are good and worthwhile, but Scripture makes it clear that only one thing is ultimately needful - a clear, consistent, persistent, undistracted view of Christ. Everything else will fall into place if we truly seek first the kingdom of God. Confessional statements are wonderful tools (and we at Media Gratiae use them), but we must not allow them to take preeminence in our hearts. And notice the plural use of “our” hearts. The commands to treasure Christ are not just given to individual Christians. They are given to bodies of Christians. We cannot truly obey Christ without the element of the local expression of his bride. We hope this episode is a blessing to you, and we will see you next week when John and Jordan continue their discussion.
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/christ-our-treasure
One of our favorite episodes to record every year is our annual book recommendations. This year, Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd agreed to a three-book limit. If you have ever watched one of our book recommendation episodes before, you will not be surprised to learn they both cheated (but only slightly).
Rather than creating a long list of links in the show description this year, we will just have one link. It will take you to our Media Gratiae blog where all the books are listed, along with links where you can purchase them.
Our prayer for these book recommendation episodes is that you may consider buying them for yourself if you have never read them and that they may challenge and bless you in 2025 as they have us in 2024. If you have read them before, consider gifting them to loved ones so their hearts may be drawn nearer to Christ.
List of books and links:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/2024-book-recommendations
Show Notes:*Growing in Christ was written as a book and is not a collection of sermons.
https://www.mediagratiae.org/true-hearted-discipleship
Last week Dr. John Snyder introduced you to our newest study, The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship. The eight-week study is written and taught by Dr. Ian Hamilton. As a further introduction to the study, we wanted to give you a preview of the video sessions. So this week we present to you session one, Where Authentic Discipleship Begins. The full study will officially launch November 15.
In the 8 workbook lessons and accompanying video sermons, Dr. Ian Hamilton seeks to guide you back to Scripture in order to examine what Jesus has to say about what it means to be His follower. The life of a disciple begins with a radically transformative new birth, and from that birth flows a life of following Jesus in obedience.
Embracing all that Jesus says about discipleship will cost you everything, but as you unequivocally surrender your life to Him, you will truly find it.
If you would like more information about the study or to order it, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/true-hearted-discipleship
Endorsements for The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship:
“What does it mean to be an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ? The Bible gives us clear answers to this question, but many have not considered its teaching carefully and systematically. In this valuable little book, Ian Hamilton helps us walk step-by-step through the teaching of scripture. Each lesson is brief and interactive, with examples and application seamlessly interwoven throughout. I highly commend this study for individuals and families. It gives Bible answers to some of the most foundational spiritual questions.”
Jonathan Master, President, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
"In this deeply encouraging and timely study on the nature of Christian discipleship, Dr. Hamilton shows believers that following Jesus is not merely a way of words, but a way of life. He challenges God’s people to beware of superficial forms of spirituality, and reminds us that biblical discipleship is Christ-centered, countercultural, and costly. Perfect for individual and group studies, I cannot recommend this volume highly enough."
Dr. Jon Payne, Senior Minister of Christ Church. PCA, Charleston
Show Notes:Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
https://www.mediagratiae.org/true-hearted-discipleship
Behind the scenes at Media Gratiae we have been busily working on our next study, The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship by Ian Hamilton. This eight-week study focuses on a topic near and dear to Dr. Hamilton’s heart. The study will be available for purchase on November 15, but we wanted to give you a bit of the heart behind the content. To that end, Dr. John Snyder has a conversation with Dr. Hamilton about the study, why he chose the topic, and why it is so important for today’s church.
Next week we will give you session one of the study so you can see a bit of it for yourself. If you want more information visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/true-hearted-discipleship
Some words about The Nature and Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship
“What does it mean to be an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ? The Bible gives us clear answers to this question, but many have not considered its teaching carefully and systematically. In this valuable little book, Ian Hamilton helps us walk step-by-step through the teaching of scripture. Each lesson is brief and interactive, with examples and application seamlessly interwoven throughout. I highly commend this study for individuals and families. It gives Bible answers to some of the most foundational spiritual questions.”
Jonathan Master, President, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
"In this deeply encouraging and timely study on the nature of Christian discipleship, Dr. Hamilton shows believers that following Jesus is not merely a way of words, but a way of life. He challenges God’s people to beware of superficial forms of spirituality, and reminds us that biblical discipleship is Christ-centered, countercultural, and costly. Perfect for individual and group studies, I cannot recommend this volume highly enough."
Dr. Jon Payne, Senior Minister of Christ Church. PCA, Charleston
This year our podcast happens to be published on Reformation Day, October 31. We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and present to you a special episode commemorating the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to Wittenburg Castle Church. To do so, we are presenting to you Session 9 from our study, The Church: Her Nature, Authority, Purpose and Worship. In this session, Dr. Jeffrey Johnson is before Martin Luther’s house in Germany to discuss the teachings of the true Christian church. We pray it is a blessing to you. If you want to see more from the study, click the link in the description below.
Also, for today only we are discounting the price of the The Church: Pillar and Ground of Truth documentary. You can see more here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-church
Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges - https://www.mediagratiae.org/lessons-from-judges
For the last three weeks Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James have been discussing the book of Judges. Our desire has been to make you aware of how much this book speaks to our current era.
To conclude this short series we want to present you with session one of our study, Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges. If you would like to get a more complete preview of the study by going through chapter one of the workbook follow the link below.
Show Notes:Weeks 1 preview: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/a/members/326e6bce-c6c4-4d33-afb8-a70d9e341652/b31729a2-2f15-4aaf-922c-2f731b0cfdbd
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Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges - https://www.mediagratiae.org/lessons-from-judges
The refrain of Judges is “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.” When we stop to consider this statement it can become quite shocking. Gideon, a man who feared God, shaped a golden ephod and led his family into idolatry for generations. Jephthah committed human sacrifice. Eleven tribes attempted genocide against Benjamin. And through all this, each person was convinced he was doing what was right. In many cases, the people convinced themselves their actions were pleasing to God.
In this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James have their final discussion on the heartbreaking book of Judges. There was so much to say we couldn’t keep it to our normal 30 minutes and instead chatted for an hour. And there was still so much more we wanted to say!
While the content of this episode is shocking and heartbreaking, we pray it pushes you to pursue holiness in Christ with a renewed vigor and earnestness.
Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges - https://www.mediagratiae.org/lessons-from-judges
The book of Judges is an extraordinary book. It records times of great peril, eras of God’s grace, and heartbreaking seasons of idolatry. The people of Israel wrongly believed that since the battle for Canaan was over their battle against idolatry and sin was as well. As New Testament believers reading this account know, the battles for their hearts was just beginning.
In this week’s episode of our series giving you an overview of the Judges, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James discuss the season of the Christian’s life that can seem so mundane and ordinary. It is the everyday life where the greatest victories of the Christian life happen. We can certainly celebrate victories over sin we once thought unbeatable. But when the battle is over and we return home, we must continue to be vigilant. We must continue leaning on our Beloved.
Again, this episode is just a fly-by of this often-misunderstood book of the Old Testament. For a more in-depth study of Judges, consider the Media Gratiae study, Living with the True God: Lesson from Judges. https://www.mediagratiae.org/lessons-from-judges.
The book of Judges can be a difficult book to understand. There are scenes and characters that confuse and alarm us. There are actions of God’s people that bother us. Sadly this can result in many Christians misreading or completely neglecting the book. But we must remember this is part the inspired word of God (2 Tim 3:16). God considers it necessary for the Christian life, and so must we.
That begs the question: Why? Why is Judges so important? What can we learn of Christ? What would the Christian life be missing with out? This week we begin a series highlighting this piece of Scripture. If you want to go deeper into the book, Media Gratiae has a seven-session study called Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges. We briefly mention it in the beginning of the podcast, but if you want more information about the study, you can click the link below.
Show Notes:Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges - https://www.mediagratiae.org/lessons-from-judges
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week we are presenting a special episode to you. Several years ago Andrew Davies, a long-time friend of Media Gratiae and contributor to our Behold Your God studies, visited New Albany, MS. While he was here we asked him to read select sermons preached during the Great Awakening. One of those sermons was originally preached by William Chalmer Burns.
Burns was a contemporary of Andrew Bonar and Robert Murray M’Cheyne in Scotland. Because of his godliness, he was offered a number of offices in large churches but turned each one down because he had on his heart to preach the gospel in China. He saw very little fruit there, but took the opportunity to mentor a young missionary by the name of Hudson Taylor. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Taylor, you can search through our archives as we have mentioned him multiple times throughout our podcasts. We also highly recommend his two-volume biography and will put a link to it below.
We pray this sermon is a blessing to you.
Show Notes:
Hudson Taylor Biography - https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html
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During the gold rush of the 1800’s, men packed up their families and moved out west in search of treasure. Friends and family may have thought them crazy for taking such risks on the small chance of riches. But no one would have faulted the same men if they suddenly found a vein of gold and refused to eat or sleep until they have dug to the end of that vein.
When it comes to studying Scripture, it is helpful to think of it as digging in a mine. We go where others have found treasure before, trusting that we will find it as well. But there is one major difference between those who mine the Scriptures and those who mine for gold: we are guaranteed a reward for our efforts.
God is the author of Scripture and the same Holy Spirit that worked in the lives of its human authors is living and working in every believer. But that does not mean the work of reading, studying, interpreting, and applying will be easy.
As you do the hard work of studying and praying, keep the end goal in mind. God’s ultimate purpose is not that you would have the ability, like the Puritans, to write multiple volumes on one verse of Scripture. God’s purpose in your life is for you to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Let that aim, that goal, that purpose, be the fuel that prevents you from stopping short and getting lazy. Follow the example of Martin Luther said that he would beat against the Scriptures until he wrung our every drop of truth and application from its pages.
Show Notes:
Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
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In this week's episode, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James engage in an imaginative discussion. What if we could bring back masters in their fields like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George Whitefield, Albert Einstein, or Hudson Taylor to teach us in Northeast Mississippi? If they were to offer tutoring near our homes, we'd do whatever necessary to be present and prepared to learn from them.
As previously discussed, wisdom has called out to us. God Himself has promised to teach us His word. Sadly, we often approach Scripture unprepared, uninterested, and unwelcoming. Yet, there's no greater privilege in human life than meeting with our Creator. Therefore, we must come to Scripture filled with prayer, crying out to the One who is willing and able to teach us all we need to know.
But how do we read and study well? John provides helpful tips on approaching personal Bible study. He and Teddy then discuss how to pray while studying Scripture to maximize its impact on our pursuit of holiness. We'll delve deeper into this subject next week.
Resources mentioned:
Hendrickson Commentaries https://www.accordancebible.com/product/bakers-hendriksen-kistemaker-nt-commentary-12-volumes/
New International Commentaries
Old Testament: https://www.christianbook.com/page/academic/bible-commentaries/nicot?srsltid=AfmBOorKYTUSA9vqpFT4J28fPCsHtRUqdWc4Y6KgJKScSgsH33N0UkaS
New Testament: https://www.christianbook.com/apps/easyfind?Ntt=nicnt&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCQ&nav_search=1&cms=1&ps_exit=KEYWORD|legacy&ps_domain=www&aq=NIC
Geneva Commentaries: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/series/geneva-series-of-commentaries/
John MacArthuer commentaries: https://www.gty.org/store/macarthurcommentaries
Welwyn Commentaries: https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series
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This week, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James continue our series on Proverbs 2, examining our biblical response to wisdom. As a refresher, we've explored what it means to welcome wisdom into our lives, treasure her, and turn our ears to her. Now, we focus on how we can incline our hearts to wisdom.
Inclining our hearts is an active exercise. We'll never achieve this if we approach wisdom lazily. The heart must be moved by the will. Just as a relationship can grow cold without effort, our spiritual lives will wither if we don't actively and regularly warm our hearts by heeding wisdom's voice.
In this episode, John presents 10 definitions of what it means to incline our heart to wisdom:
- To spread out — Picture a river overflowing its banks in the rainy season.
- To stretch out or extend — Imagine reaching for something you desperately need.
- To bend down — Like a worker setting their shoulder under a heavy burden (the heart bends to embrace the task of the Word).
- To turn aside or swerve — Someone pausing their journey to closely examine something off the path.
- To plot or scheme — Desiring something and realizing it requires careful planning.
- To be inclined to a certain view — When a strong opinion manifests in your daily life and conversations.
- To be won over — Being convinced of something's value and inclining toward it.
- To engage in a new relationship — Think of a honeymoon and the heart's enthrallment at the start of a marriage.
- To stay or remain — The heart finding a sweet resting spot (John 15). No longer running to find happiness, but abiding in Christ.
- To be enticed — In this context, it's the pleasing experience of meeting God in His Word, drawing us back again and again.
We challenge you, as we did in the podcast, to write these definitions on a bookmark and keep them nearby as you read Scripture. Choose one and pray over it. Ask God to win you over to holiness, help you remain in Christ's reality, or entice you with Jesus' beauty. Incorporate this into your Bible reading this week.
Resources mentioned:
Proverbs 4:23
Luke 6:45
Jeremiah 15:16
John Flavel - Keeping the Heart https://www.wtsbooks.com/products/keeping-the-heart-john-flavel-9781845506483?variant=9996757598255
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A few weeks ago, we had Jeremy Walker on The Whole Counsel, and he introduced us to an organization in Zambia called Hope Project. This ministry works to take children off the streets and provide them with four pillars of support: physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual. We were so moved by Hope Project's work and ministry that we wanted to have its founder, Gilbert Mulubwa, on the podcast so he could speak directly to you. We invited Jeremy back to help us cover all our bases. Because were having a conversation on three continents, we had to overcome some technical difficulties with the audio and video quality, which was not up to our usual standard. We appreciate your patience with that. We encourage you to see the show notes for more information about the Hope Project, including how you can sponsor a child. While you’re there, don't forget to check out the video produced by Hope Project.
Show Notes
A note from Gilbert Mulubwa: CARE4 KIDS CHILD SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM At Care4 Kids - Hope Project (a Gospel Initiative), we believe every child deserves to be cared for and loved. Even vulnerable and orphaned Children like the ones in our care, deserve an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. For just $48 per month, you can make a life - changing difference. The love you show by sponsoring a child ensures that the child will receive the following things: • Free Quality Christian Education • School Uniforms, Books, Pens, Pencils and other School Supplies • Nutritious Lunch every School Day • Evangelism & Discipleship • Biblical Counseling & Mentorship Program As a sponsor, you are becoming more than a financial contributor but an answered prayer to us as you’re becoming an essential link in our pursuit to maximize the God given potential of these children’s lives, enabling them to end the cycle of poverty in their families and communities. Your support is a lifeline, a chance to bless/ change a life forever. Being a sponsor is an opportunity to build a relationship, offer encouragement, and see the direct impact of your generosity. Join us on this journey of love. Together, we can make a world of difference, one child at a time. Email us on info@care4kidshopeproject.com website is care4kidshopeproject.com You can reach out directly to Hope Project by emailing Info@care4kidshopeproject.com
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Are you listening? It is a common refrain of parents to children, teachers to students, etc. But it is an incredibly important question to us to ask ourselves when it comes to wisdom’s voice. As our highlighted instruction tells us, we must be actively listening, bending our ears, or making sure our ears are cleaned out, to hear her voice.
The battle for truly listening to God’s voice is a constant one that is fought on multiple fronts. We must realize that we live in a world filled with distractions. Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that we have an enemy who seeks to distract us. Lastly, we have a internal will that wants to distract us. With so much stacked against every Christian, it takes the work of God in our souls to make us listen attentively to His voice. So do not fall for the lie of self sufficiency and believe you can just make yourself try harder. It takes the work of God. So come out of the wilderness leaning on your Beloved.
Show Notes:
God Tells a Man Who Cares by A. W. Tozer - https://awtozer.com/books/god-tells-the-man-who-cares
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There are treasures that are placed in safety-deposit boxes, rarely seen and more rarely used. Then there are things we treasure that are used every day, and the more worn and scarred they become, the more precious they are to us.
Wisdom should be seen in the second category. It is a thing to be truly treasured by the Christian, but if it is left on the shelf and collects dust, it is worthless. We must use God’s wisdom in every aspect of life. We must welcome it in, as Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James discussed last week in our series, but we must also treasure it.
This sounds like a very spiritual thing to do. We know we should appreciate wisdom, but to treasure it? To the average person, that sounds like something only academics or the spiritual giants of the past could do. But this command isn’t given just to them. It is delivered by our King to us, the common, ordinary Christian. And we must obey.
But we don’t live on an island. A healthy Christian is living in a community of other believers, and so we must help others treasure it as well. John and Teddy also give some commentary on how we can help church members and our family members walk down this path of answering Wisdom’s call.
Show Notes:
Colossians 3
1 Thessalonians 2:13
Psalm 119
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
A Way to Pray by Matthew Henry - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/way-to-pray/
Dr. Beeke’s sermon on Church and Family Life Conference - https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/65bd3672fbd7d4eaadeacd07
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See more podcasts, small group studies, and theological studies for children at www.mediagratiae.org.
Last week, we introduced our new series examining the metaphors Proverbs 2:1-5 gives us for responding to the call of wisdom. The first metaphor the writer of Proverbs gives us is to receive, or take, wisdom. This is not a passive reception; it requires intentionality, purpose, and effort.
Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James focus on two primary applications. The first is to take the word of God into every area of life. We must apply God’s truth to our minds, thoughts, imaginations, relationships, stewardship, worship, and more. To receive God’s Word means to give it full access to every closet, drawer, and dark corner of our lives.
The second application is equally important. We must take care to receive every part of God’s Word. We must fight the temptation to only dwell in our favorite books or passages. All of Scripture is given to us by our King, and it is all necessary for the complete Christian life.
So this week, put forth the effort, do the work, and take wisdom into your life. Next week, we will look at treasuring Wisdom’s commands.
Show Notes:
1 Thessalonians 1 &2
James 1:22-23
Acts 17:11
Philippians 2:3
Zephaniah 3:16
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See Media Gratiae resources including, Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, Christ Our Treasure, and more: https://shop.mediagratiae.org
Proverbs 1 tells us that “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice.” Religious systems throughout history have taught wisdom as something often hidden and difficult to find. But Proverbs clearly tells us the opposite. Wisdom is shouting in the busiest part of the city, calling out to anyone willing to listen. The problem isn’t the availability of wisdom; it’s our willingness to hear her.
The writer of Proverbs gives us great insight not only into the call of wisdom but also the response every Christian should have to her call. This is what we will discuss over the next seven episodes. Dr. John Snyder is joined by Teddy James in this new series focusing on our response to wisdom’s call. In this introductory episode, we focus on what that call is and what we must do if we have rejected God’s call for years.
A life that walks closely with wisdom is a happy life, blessed by the presence of God. The life that rejects wisdom is filled with calamity, and God will laugh as calamity strikes. Does this make God mean and vindictive? Quite the opposite. It is out of love that God warns of this reality. We will reap what we sow. If we sow selfishness and self-rule, we will reap destruction. If we sow humble obedience to Christ, we will reap His righteousness.
That leaves us all with one question: How long?
For the Christian, how long will we dull our ears to wisdom’s call before coming to repentance and walking closely with Christ?
For the unbeliever, how long will you resist God’s gracious call to follow Him?
The good news is that if you can read Scripture and hear God’s call, it is not too late for you. Listen today, obey today, repent today.
Next week, we will begin looking at the first of six practical steps Proverbs gives us to respond to wisdom’s call.
Show Notes:
See Media Gratiae resources including Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, Christ Our Treasure, and more: https://shop.mediagratiae.org
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This week, we conclude our series on the union between Jesus Christ and the Christian. We’ve explored several aspects of this union and now reach its apex—the culmination of everything. However, to fully grasp it, we must first correct some common misunderstandings.
Many Christians believe that once we die, we enter into our glorified state. Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd held similar views until they studied the topic in-depth and discovered that Scripture teaches something different. This distinction is crucial because a wrong understanding can lead us to see glorification as an isolated reality in the Christian life. It isn’t. It is interconnected with every other aspect of the Christian’s union with Christ and the Father’s promises to the Son.
Seeing glorification as part of these broader realities, rather than as an individualistic event, can significantly impact our assurance of salvation, our pursuit of sanctification, our confidence that God will conquer sin in our lives, and more.
Throughout this series, we have recommended John Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied. As we conclude, we want to highlight it once more. If you haven’t read it yet, we highly encourage you to do so. You can find the link below.
Show Notes:
Communion with God by John Owen https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/communion-with-god/
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See the Media Gratiae resource mentioned here:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products-1
Our current series has focused on our union with Christ, with the last few episodes emphasizing our adoption. In the last episode, Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd explored the biblical foundation for our adoption in Christ.
This week, they examine the privileges available to every Christian because of our adoption. For this, they refer to John Owen's small work “Communion with God.” While the entire book is a treasure, they focus on chapter 17 in this episode. In these pages, Owen discusses what we have access to because of our relationship with Jesus and some of the objective realities that should appear in the life of a Christian.
Show Notes:
Communion with God by John Owen https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/communion-with-god/
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A few times a year we want to visit a classic work of Christendom. Rather than spending a long series walking through the work, we try to discuss it all in one long-form discussion. For this episode of Navigating the Classics, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Chris Green and Steve Crampton to take a look at Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo, which translates to “Why God Human.”
Anselm, who was a church leader eleventh century and sought to answer two criticisms of the Christian faith. The first was a claim that God is too holy to have become a human. The other claim was that if Jesus was the God-man, His death on the cross was no essential to our salvation.
The approach of the book was not unique for Anselm’s time, but he utilizes a device not often seen today. It is written in the form of a conversation between Anselm and a pupil. He sets up questions from his pupil that he wants to answer and then begins the conversation.
Throughout the work, Anselm shows that he is very gifted in both logic and communication. While Cur Deus Homo is a work of philosophy, it is a treasure trove for the Christian.
Perhaps you have never heard of this book, but if you have and you have put off listening to it, let us encourage you to take on the task and reap the rewards it contains.
Read what R.C. Sproul had to say about Cur Deus Homo: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/cur-deus-homo
Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/Cur-Deus-Homo-Saint-Anselm/dp/1411646436
Digital Copy: https://www.monergism.com/search?keywords=cur+deus+homo&format=All
A few weeks ago, Teddy James visited Granbury, Texas, to meet with Dr. Stephen Yuille. Dr. Yuille is Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation in the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and pastor of Fairview Covenant Church.
The Media Gratiae team was introduced to Dr. Yuille through several of his books including The Blessed and Boundless God and The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mysical Union with Christ. Both of these books we wholeheartedly recommend to you.
Teddy’s visit wasn’t just to spend time in one of the most welcoming little towns he has ever seen. It was to film a new study for Media Gratiae, taught by Dr. Yuille, on the book of Galatians. You can expect to hear more about that study in the coming months. But this week we wanted to give you a chance to meet Dr. Yuille and hear a bit of his heart for Christ and His bride, the church.
We pray this episode will be a blessing to you, but also give you fuel to pray for us and Dr. Yuille as we continue serving in the ways and means God has given us to further His kingdom and train the church.
Show Notes:Blessed and Boundless God - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-swinnock.html
The Inner Sanctum of Puritan Piety: John Flavel’s Doctrine of Mystical Union with Christ - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-inner-sanctum-of-puritan-piety-john-flavels-doctrine-of-mystical-union-with-christ-ebook-yuille.html
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This week, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Acey Floyd again to continue discussing the Christian’s union with Jesus Christ. If Jesus were only our kinsman redeemer, high priest, and propitiation, that would be more than anything we could dream of. But Scripture goes further and tells us He is also our elder brother. We are joint heirs with Him. This is a reality that, if we were told it by a preacher, we would say he was going too far. But we can read those very words in Hebrews 12.
So what does this relationship with Christ have to do with adoption, and what effect does adoption have on our Christian lives? Everything. Adoption is how we can be certain that our relationship with God isn’t based on our merits or on our progressive sanctification. Our relationship with Him is as certain as His relationship to Jesus. Even though Jesus is begotten and not adopted, the Father is still pleased to call us His children. That will never change because it is based on Himself and upon the work of Jesus Christ.
We have mentioned this book throughout this series, but if you have not gotten a copy of John Murray’s "Redemption Accomplished and Applied," let us encourage you to find a copy and read it. Then read it again. Then read it again. It has been a tremendous blessing to us, and we believe it will be a help to you as well.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
John 1:12-13
Galatian 4:6
Romans 8:15-17
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We are back in the studio this week with Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd. Continuing our discussion on the believer’s union with Christ, the duo this time focuses on the doctrine of sanctification. Salvation is a massive reality. It takes a person who was once spiritually dead and makes them alive. It takes a person who was once an enemy of God and brings him or her to adoption. We hate what we once loved and love what we once hated. And all of this is done by the work of our Triune God.
But sanctification is more complex because it involves unpredictable, inconsistent us. We fluctuate from warm to cold-hearted, from completely focused on Christ to distracted by the cares of the world. We sin and repent. To understand this complex reality, we need to look at sanctification in two categories: positional and practical.
On the positional side of things, we see that we have been purchased by Christ and therefore are made holy. That means we are separated to everything in Him and from everything not in Him.
In the practical category, we see a life being progressively transformed to reflect the new family we have been adopted into. This means every day we will see more and more areas taken captive for our Lord and brought to submission of His will.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers wonderful help in this part of the conversation through his commentary on Romans 6. We are now dead to sin and therefore cannot have sin reigning in our mortal bodies. We highly recommend that if you have not read through that commentary, make the investment and read through it now.
Show Notes:
Exposition of Chapter 6: The New Man by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/sermons-and-expositions/romans-6/
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A few weeks ago, Dr. John Snyder was in Nova Scotia, Canada, to teach a theological intensive for local pastors. The theme of the seminar was Union with Christ, a familiar topic if you’ve been following the podcast. During a short break in the teaching, John sat down with Dave Story and Hugh Morrison. These two men have been faithful pastors in their areas for years. They have also been instrumental in discipling and training many of the younger pastors at the retreat.
John, Dave, and Hugh take the opportunity to share with you the spiritual needs of Canada, what community evangelism and engagement can look like, and some practices for training young men with an interest in ministry.
Because we were recording with limited equipment, our audio is not up to our normal standard. We have cleaned it up to the best of our ability and apologize for the subpar quality.
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aul writes in Ephesians commanding us to address one another with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart (Ephesians 5:19). The Christian faith is a singing faith. We worship, learn, and fellowship in song. We praise, worship, and mourn to timeless melodies.
But not all hymns are created equal. And not all hymns are equally timeless. Even some of today’s most beloved hymns are substantially different from their original versions. In this special episode, Dr. John Snyder has Jeremy Walker on the podcast to discuss a work he has been actively pursuing for over 10 years. He is seeking to recover and update classic hymns for today’s churches.
Make sure you follow Media Gratiae over the coming months as we will work in conjunction with Jeremy to make this project widely available.
Show Notes:
Spurgeon’s Our Own Hymnbook: https://hymnary.org/hymnal/SOHB2019
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The topic of justification, the objective reality of being united to Christ, is so vast that we couldn't cover it in a single episode. To be honest, we could spend several weeks focusing solely on this topic and still only scratch the surface of what could be said.
Last week Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd talked about justification from our side: How can we be made right with God. This week we look at justification from God’s perspective: How can a holy and just God declare the guilty man right?
We start by looking at God’s character and then what He has said throughout Scripture. As theologians of the past have stated, God constitutes sinners to make them right with the law by uniting us to Jesus Christ. His innocence before the law, His perfect obedience to the law are imputed to every Christian. And every sin committed by the Christian is imputed, or placed upon, Jesus Christ on the cross.
Show Notes:
Romans 3:25-26
Romans 5:17
For further reading:
God’s Gospel of Grace - https://www.chapellibrary.org/book/ggog/gods-gospel-of-grace
Ligonier 12-session study on Union with Christ by Sinclair Ferguson - https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/union-with-christ
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God reveals Himself to be perfectly just, perfectly holy, and perfectly wise. So how could this perfect Being unite His perfect Son to fallen humanity? How can man, who has rebelled against God's sovereignty since our first parents, ever have a right standing before this Supreme Judge?
Therein lies the sweet doctrine of justification. That is the focus of this week’s conversation between Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd. They explore God’s plan to justify a fallen people so there can be communion between us and Him, what justification does not do, and what the final, eternal result of justification is.
Show Notes:
Key Scriptures: Job 25
Job 15
Psalm 89:14
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
Deuteronomy 25
Proverbs 17
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So far in our series, we've discussed how we are united with Christ in life. His perfect and obedient life is credited to our sinful and rebellious lives. However, Scripture goes further, stating that we are also united with Him in His obedient, yet horrific death because Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.
This week, Acey Floyd leads the discussion with Dr. John Snyder, exploring Old Testament descriptions of Jesus's death and their New Testament fulfillment. All the scriptures Acey summarizes can be found below.
But what does it mean to be united or baptized into Jesus's death? As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones articulates in his commentary on Romans 6, it means that we are dead to the power of sin. The death of Christ empowers every Christian to overcome sin. While we will never be perfectly sinless, we will ultimately conquer sin to the glorify of God.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
Blog Post: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/union-with-christ-ii-the-nature-of-our-union
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans 6: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/sermons-and-expositions/romans-6/
Scriptures mentioned:
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
Psalm 22:6-8
Psalm 22:12-21
Isaiah 53:1-3
Isaiah 53:4-6
Isaiah 53:7-9
Isaiah 53:10-12
Mark 10:37-38
Galatians 3:13-14
Romans 6:3-4
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Union with Christ doesn’t begin after we have reached a certain point of spiritual maturity. Jesus doesn’t wait until we know Him “well enough” to unite Himself with us. Our union with Him was decreed by the Father in eternity past and is experienced by every Christian from the moment of conversion, through every scene of life, upon death, and into our eternal rest.
Focusing on Ephesians 1:3-4, Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd put on their thinking caps (make sure to check out the YouTube channel!) to discuss this glorious mystery. Whether you want to use the word foreknowledge, predestination, or election, the reality the duo discusses this week is like a mountain whose peaks are obscured by clouds too high for us to see clearly. We cannot understand every aspect of it. However, God has revealed enough for us to know His choosing is sourced solely in Himself.
This gracious choosing of the Father should drive us to worship Him and tell every person united to Adam to turn to Christ as their only hope.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
Blog Post: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/union-with-christ-iii-the-origin-of-our-union
Scripture to meditate on after this podcast:
Luke 22:22
Acts 2:23
Acts 4:27-28
1 Peter 1:2
Ephesians 2:8-10
2 Timothy 1:9
John 6:37
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The Scriptures are filled with metaphors and descriptions of the Christian’s union with Christ. Each of them expresses a different reality of that union. But even with all the words dedicated to explaining and describing that union, it still holds a mystery that escapes even the best theologians.
But the existence of the mystery should not stop us from taking our time to study, examine, and meditate on our union with Christ. In fact, it should motivate us. So this week, Dr. John Snyder and Acey Floyd spent time doing exactly that, discussing what we can know of our union with the second Person of the Trinity.
We pray this episode will lead you to a time of sweet worship and communion with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Show Notes:
Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
Blog Post: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/union-with-christ-ii-the-nature-of-our-union
Dr. John Snyder is joined this week by Acey Floyd, co-elder of Christ Church New Albany and Media Gratiae’s Office Manager, to start a new series discussing the Christian’s union with Christ. This doctrine is central to the letters of Paul in the New Testament and should therefore be central in our lives.
Union with Christ can be seen as the central hub of the wheel that is the Christian life. If we put that hub as anything else, the wheel will become warped and our progress will be slowed.
For this first episode, John and Acey focus on the Who we are united to. We are united to the only Being in history to have two distinct natures. Jesus Christ is truly the Godman. If He is not God, as some have claimed, our union with Him would be worthless. If He is not human, as others have claimed, our union with Him would be impossible.
Show Notes:Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray
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Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England (a town just south of London) is a long-time friend of Media Gratiae. We turn to him when we have difficult questions and value his wisdom and godliness.
Several months ago, while Jeremy was preaching in Lusaka, Zambia, he was approached by a man who was burdened for the orphans on the streets of Lusaka. This man had been seeking a way to help educate, evangelize, and disciple these children. After a short conversation, Jeremy understood the need and decided he had to become involved in the ministry himself.
Currently, The Hope Project is seeking to provide education so the children can learn to read Scripture for themselves. While meeting their spiritual needs, the team behind The Hope Project is also working to meet their physical needs.
We pray this special episode of our podcast will pique your interest, and you will begin praying for The Hope Project. If the Lord enables you to financially support the ministry, a link to where you can do that is provided below.
Show Notes:
Project Hope
Go Fund Me - Help the Hope Project Care for Vulnerable Children
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-hope-project-care-for-vulnerable-children
Learn more about The Hope Project here:
https://hopeprojectzambia.org/the-great-commission/
See more from Jeremy Walker here:
From the Heart of Spurgeon: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon
A Word in Season: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/a-word-in-season
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package
This week, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James will wrap up our series on a talk given by Hudson Taylor to several missionaries in the late 19th century. His main emphasis throughout the talk was the significance of the missionaries living a life that aligns with their teaching.
While we are focused on living consistent lives, we also have to be aware of the contradictory nature of the Christian life. But the contradictions aren’t between teaching and life. They are between what is happening to us and how we respond.
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:8-10, “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.”
So, as we strive for consistency in our lives, let us also embrace those contradictions the Lord brings for the glory of His name and the growth of His kingdom on earth.
And if you haven’t taken the time to read Hudson Taylor’s short talk to his missionaries, let us encourage you to do so at the link below. We pray you will find it beneficial.
Show Notes:
Days of Blessing in Inland China: Being an Account of Meetings Held in the Province of Shan-Si
Digital: https://www.brethrenarchive.org/bookshelf/missionary/china/days-of-blessing-in-inland-china/
sPhysical: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Blessings-Inland-China-Meetings-ebook/dp/B00MW7YMRG
Hudson Taylor Biography
https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html
Poor Richard
https://issuu.com/omf_international/docs/poor_richard_gospel_tract#google_vignette
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This week we continue discussing a talk Hudson Taylor gave to a group of missionaries in the late 1800s. His talk was grounded in 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 and focused on the importance of leading a life consistent with the teachings of Christ.
There is so much to highlight, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James couldn’t fit it all into one episode (or even two). So today they take a deep look at what it means to commend oneself to the world. We do not do so to bring glory to ourselves, but to show the world our message is true and can be lived upon.
There are other fruits beyond evangelism. By living in the power of Christianity before those we love, we protect them from false teachers. Heresies are not powerful enough to live upon. Only the gospel is. So if we want to teach others the true gospel and give them answers to the false teachings, we must lead holy lives.
Show Notes:
Days of Blessing in Inland China: Being an Account of Meetings Held in the Province of Shan-Si
Digtal: https://www.brethrenarchive.org/bookshelf/missionary/china/days-of-blessing-in-inland-china/
Physical: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Blessings-Inland-China-Meetings-ebook/dp/B00MW7YMRG
Hudson Taylor Biography
https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html
Poor Richard
https://issuu.com/omf_international/docs/poor_richard_gospel_tract#google_vignette
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Hudson Taylor is no stranger to anyone who has been through a Media Gratiae study. He was a pioneer missionary to inland China and founded the Inland China Mission. There is a great deal we could say about his life and ministry, but Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James wanted to spend the next two weeks walking through a particular talk Taylor gave to his missionaries in the 1880s.
The talk is recorded in “Days of Blessing in Inland China” and the story of its creation is worth noting, as John does in the podcast. But the heart of his focus is 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 where Paul is teaching that Christians do not have to rely on the same tools and deceitful approaches of the world for success. We do not have to alter the truth of the gospel to affect change. We use His means and trust His hand.
While Taylor’s talk is aimed at missionaries, his applications speak to the pastor, the Sunday school teacher, the parent, or the Christian friend witnessing to a lost soul. Because we wanted to give a brief biography of Taylor in this episode, we only get through the first major point of his talk. We will finish it next week. If you would like to read it for yourself, find the link below.
Show Notes:
Days of Blessing in Inland China: Being an Account of Meetings Held in the Province of Shan-Si
Digtal: https://www.brethrenarchive.org/bookshelf/missionary/china/days-of-blessing-in-inland-china/
Physical: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Blessings-Inland-China-Meetings-ebook/dp/B00MW7YMRG
Hudson Taylor Biography
https://www.davidsonpublishing.org/hudson-taylor.html
Poor Richard
https://issuu.com/omf_international/docs/poor_richard_gospel_tract#google_vignette
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
his is the final episode of our series focusing on Christians fulfilling our responsibility to speak God’s words carefully, accurately, and timely.
We started last week looking at our ultimate example in our Lord Jesus Christ. He perfectly spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak. He spoke comforting words to the hurting, convicting words to the lost, and glorifying words to the Father. We are called to do the same.
But how was He able to do that? This week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James look at the tools Jesus used to learn how to glorify God in His life. How did He know what would please His Father? How did He know the words to say, the path to walk? It wasn’t a mystical, magical power. He didn’t have a secret antenna through which He heard the Father speak. He had the same Scriptures, the same prayer, and the same indwelling Holy Spirit available to us. Now, He was able to study with an uncorrupted mind and heart. But He had a fully human mind and heart, the same as us. How can we know those things will be enough for us? Because God promises they will be.
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In what was supposed to be our final episode of the current series, John and Teddy are in the studio again discussing the type of person who can be trusted with God’s words.
The conversation begins by asking how we should view conversations on the Internet. Are we commanded as Christians to answer every question we see on social media? Are we to respond to every criticism of Christianity? Or are we merely adding to the noise by doing so?
After this, John and Teddy move to the central point of the episode: following the pattern of Christ in being a person entrusted with God’s words. Jesus had the perfect word for every situation. He knew how to apply the Scriptures to every circumstance. And He spoke experientially, not from secondhand knowledge. This is an important distinction.
But is His path one that a redeemed sinner can walk? Can a believer in today’s world have such wisdom and speak such words? The answer is yes. We will not do it perfectly, but we can do it faithfully.
Though we hoped to make this the final episode, there was too much to say for a 30-minute conversation, so we decided to add one more. Next week, we will conclude the series by diving deeper into Jesus's path and how we are to follow in His footsteps.
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See the new study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/christ-our-treasure
We have spent the last four episodes dealing with the types of people God will and will not entrust with His words. But how can we, a fallen, weak, and sinful people know that we are capable of accomplishing the tasks or delivering the messages God has entrusted to us?
God leads His children to difficult, and even impossible, situations every day. This is nothing new. In this week’s episode, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James come together again to share three such examples from Scripture.
God led Moses, a man of slow speech, to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. He chose David, the leader of a weak nation, to devote materials for the building of the Temple. He chose Paul, a blasphemer and murderer, to become an Apostle and missionary to the Gentiles.
Each of these men had to ask two vital questions: Who am I? and Who is sending me to accomplish this task?
Those are the questions every Christian must ask throughout the day-to-day tasks of life. Whether we are in the midst of the mundane or overwhelmed by the impossible, we must keep in mind Who it is that sends us, and who it is we are in Him.
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We have been discussing the type of person God has and will entrust His Word and His messages to. These are those who do not turn a blind ear to the truths of God, those who find application to HIs Word in their lives, those who repent when truth shines light on sins. We have also discussed those who God will not trust with His words. Those who harbor idols, those who have the form of religion without the power.
This week we take a look at a strange passage of Scripture, Psalm 119: 43, “And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for I wait for Your Ordinances.”
It is as though you have had the words of God on the tip of your tongue, but now they escape you. You know the best words that are right for the person in front of you, or even for your own soul, but now you can’t find them. We can find this happening in our praise, in our prayer, in our evangelism, and more.
So how do we turn this request from the Psalmist into our own prayer, and what do we do if we have found the Lord has removed His word from our mouths? Dr. John Snyder and Teddy discuss these realities in this week’s episode.
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This week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James are continuing our series on looking at the people God entrusts with His words. Though we spent the last two episodes examining the type of people God does entrust with His words, this week we examine the negative example. In Ezekiel 14, and 33, we see a scene where idolators are coming to the prophet to hear a word from the Lord and God refuses to speak to them because they have idols in their hearts.
A natural question that arises from this passage is what an idol actually is and how can we identify idols in our lives?
The duo follow these Old Testament examples with Paul’s letter to the Colossians where Paul tells the saints there to let the Word of God dwell richly in them. God will trust His Word to people who will not limit its access into their lives.
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very Christian wants have the right words to deliver to their family, friends, children, coworkers, and fellow church members. We want to speak timely truths in love. But some things can hinder this and make our words weightless.
Last week Dr. John Snyder introduced us to our new series and this week he is joined by Teddy James, the guy who belongs behind the camera. They discuss the reality that if we want to be a people who are listened to by those we love, we must be a people who listen well. That means primarily two things:
First, we must be active listeners to God. Whether it is reading Scripture, participating in a sermon on Sunday morning, or having a spiritual conversation with others we must win the battle of actively listening, rather than being passive and lazy.
Second, we must do the hard work of plowing up our lives to make room for the truths of Scripture. How much of the sermon you heard on Sunday has found application in your life? How are you living on and applying what God showed you in your morning devotion? Do not leave truth unapplied in your life.
For reading and meditation:
Psalm 111:10
Matthew 25:14-30
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This week we begin a new series discussing the weight of our words. We will focus particularly on speaking weighty words. We have the words of Scripture, which are the most important words to read and speak. But we’ve all had the experience of listening to someone teach or preach Scripture and we feel as though listening to them is optional. Their words are weightless.
So what gives weight to a person’s words? It is the fact they have been entrusted by God. In this series, John Snyder will be joined by Teddy James to discuss what makes a person trustworthy with God’s messages. This is something special that goes beyond hermeneutics. It is a particular help that only comes after we have done the hard work of studying and applying Scripture to our lives.
Can your family, your church, your community afford to have you speak good and true things but without the weight and effectiveness that only God can give? The simple answer is no. But how do we pursue that gifting from God?
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Last week we teased an interview Teddy had with Greg Jones, president of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust. This week we can deliver it to you.
During the discussion, Greg and Teddy discuss the purpose and mission of the MLJ Trust, where Greg would recommend people begin with Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ sermons, and how you can pray for the team behind the trust and the work they do.
We pray the episode is a particular blessing to you. Make sure to check out their website, apps, youtube channel, and more.
The MLJ Trust website: https://www.mljtrust.org
The MLJ Trust App (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mljsermons.mljsermonsappnew&pli=1
The MLJ Trust App (iOS): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mlj-sermons-christian-audio/id819555751
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MLJTrust
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4x1iiTSZyRxNu4SeaJihBa
Support: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/mljtrust
Martyn Lloyd-Jones Two-Volume Biography: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-3/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Sometimes we make plans for a podcast and then have to change them after we finish recording. Such was the case this week.
Earlier last week, Teddy filmed an interview with Greg Jones, president of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust. Because we wanted to properly introduce the MLJ Trust to you John jumped into the studio for a “10-minute introduction” that lasted over 30 minutes.
We thought the discussion was so good and hopefully would whet your appetite for more, we decided to split everything into two episodes. So this week, we present to you Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James discussing the MLJ Trust and the impact Dr. Lloyd-Jones has had on the two of them. Next week we will present the interview with Greg Jones.
In case you don’t want to wait until next week for all the pertinent links teased in the episode:
The MLJ Trust website: https://www.mljtrust.org
The MLJ Trust App (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mljsermons.mljsermonsappnew&pli=1
The MLJ Trust App (iOS): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mlj-sermons-christian-audio/id819555751
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MLJTrust
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4x1iiTSZyRxNu4SeaJihBa
Support: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/mljtrust
Martyn Lloyd-Jones Two-Volume Biography: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/d-martyn-lloyd-jones-3/
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Earlier this month Ian Hamilton came to the office of Media Gratiae to begin production on a new study focusing on genuine discipleship. While he was in town, we asked him to preach at Christ Church New Albany.
His chosen text was Psalm 44 and he focused on the seasons of life when our theology and life experience seem to be at odds with one another. How should we pray when overwhelemed by life’s problems? How should we worship when all seems hopeless?
We as a team and as a church found his sermon warm, encouraging, convicting, and most importantly, Christ exalting. We share it with you praying it will be a blessing to your soul.
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Last week John took a look at John the Baptist bringing doubts to Jesus Christ. It was the result of John’s study of Scripture not matching up with what he was seeing and expecting. So he brought doubts to Jesus.
This week, John Snyder is taking another look at Christ in a way that will, prayerfully, help us as we enter 2024. The central thought comes from Matthew 11, with Jesus saying, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden.” The problem with golden passages like this is that we are so familiar with them that we think we have mastered all the meanings and applications of the passage, but we certainly have not. So John seeks to add weight to the passage by examining it closer, particularly focusing on the little word “all.”
This word is incredibly important, weighty, and precious to those who have come to Christ. And it should be terrifying those who are independent and rebellious against the Savior who has stooped to offer salvation to them.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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In Matthew 11, we see this incredible scene of John the Baptist questioning whether or not Jesus is the promised Messiah. This is the man who had prepared the way for Christ. He was the final Old Covenant prophet. He had stood before kings and refused to turn from the truth. That’s why he was in prison.
But this strong, faithful man had questions and doubts. The fact he had doubts isn’t the only important detail of this passage, we also need to see what he did with those doubts. He took them to Jesus Christ. He asked Jesus directly the questions that burdened his soul.
And Jesus chose to answer John in an interesting way. It wasn’t simply, “Yes.” It was pointing John to the Old Testament passages he already knew so well, but shifting his perspective on them.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder, author of the Behold Your God series and an elder of Christ Church New Albany, teaches us how we are to apply this scene of Scripture to our lives. What do we do when we have questions? What dangers are there when we are facing difficult questions in our souls? And what do we do when we receive an answer we weren’t expecting?
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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This week we end our special episodes publishing the interviews from Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. We chose to end these with Paul Washer. In the concluding part of his interview, Paul points out the necessity of making the realities of God more than mere head knowledge. The truths of God and the Christian life must be applied. It is dangerous to have the head knowledge of Jonathan Edwards without also having his heart.
We pray these special episodes have been a blessing to you. If you want to see the study they came from, you can view that at the link below. If you have already gone through the study, we pray and hope these interviews have reminded you of the truths you wrestled with during those 12 weeks.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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Continuing with our final series of interviews from Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we present to you the final installment of our interview with Richard Owen Roberts. Roberts has dedicated his life to studying, teaching, and writing about the reality of revival. He is a well-known itinerant preacher and he was very instrumental in the spiritual development of Dr. John Snyder.
We pray this interview warms your heart to the joys of Christ and encourages you to pursue holiness with clean and intentional hands.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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We will be spending the next three weeks publishing the rest of our complete interviews conducted for Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. We pray you have benefited from these interviews as much as we have. It has been an indescribable joy to go back through this old material with the knowledge of how the Lord has been pleased to use it over the last decade.
This week we are releasing the interview with Jordan Thomas. Jordan is a pastor in Memphis, Tenessee, and was discipled by Clyde Cranford, the same man who discipled John Snyder.
As you watch or listen to this week’s episode, let us ask that you pray for Jordan and the Media Gratiae team as we put the finishing touches on his study on treasuring Christ.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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One of our favorite episodes to create every year is our book recommendation episode. Each year, close to Christmas (sorry if it’s too close to Christmas for you this year) we record an episode recommending some of our favorite books we have read over the last year. If you want to see previous years’ book recommendations, we have an entire playlist on our YouTube channel.
We’ve provided links to all the book recommendations below, and for those that are out of print, we have the digital versions.
Books:
Mercy Revealed by Gerald Bilkes
https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/mercy-revealed-a-cross-centered-look-at-christs-miracles-bilkes.html
Daniel Rowland by Effion Evans
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/history-biography/daniel-rowland/
Proverbs by Charles Bridges
(Digital) https://www.monergism.com/exposition-book-proverbs-ebook
(Kindle) https://www.amazon.com/Proverbs-Charles-Bridges-ebook/dp/B07JMY75KL
(Out of Stock) https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/proverbs/
Revelation by Joel Beeke
https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/revelation-the-lectio-continua-expository-commentary-on-the-new-testament-beeke.html
All that Jesus Commanded by John Piper
https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Jesus-Commanded-Christian/dp/1433585057
(Free Digital) https://www.desiringgod.org/books/all-that-jesus-commanded
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-rare-jewel-of-christian-contentment/
(Box Set) https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/puritan-classics-box-set/
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Media Gratiae is an independent, donor-funded publisher. We both create and distribute material focusing on the experiential Christian life. Throughout 2023, we have been blessed to produce materials such as Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early, and distribute the film Welsh Awakening.
In addition to creating study resources for churches, families, and small groups, we also produce several podcasts such as The Whole Counsel, From the Heart of Spurgeon, A Word in Season, and Hymn Stories.
Every year we publish a ministry report to let those who support us know how their money was used. We are very grateful to those who helped us produce this content. But we also produce the ministry report so everyone who follows us can know how to pray for us in the upcoming year. We do not ask for donations, funds, or support. But we will ask you to pray for us. Pray that we would live lives pleasing to our King. Pray that we will produce material that honors Him. Pray that we would have hearts in line with His will.
You can read our ministry report here: https://report.mediagratiae.org
If you have listened to The Whole Counsel for any length of time or gone through the Behold Your God studies, you know that Dr. John Snyder has great appreciation and affection for Samuel Rutherford. But he doesn’t appreciate of Rutherford’s work equally. In fact, there is one book that he calls, “My least favorite book from my favorite Puritan.” That work is Lex Rex.
Lex Rex: The Law and the Prince, though John’s least favorite, is an incredibly important work by the Scottish minister. It was influential not just in his own day (published in 1644) but also in today’s legal realm. Many lawyers and legal practictioners have found the content to be incredibly helpful in defining, description, and developing the proper boundaries for government and individual liberty.
With John not being well versed in this book, we have called into two men who have both read, benefited, and used this work in their professions. Those who have followed The Whole Counsel have already met Steve Crampton. Steve is a lawyer who has argued cases before the Supreme Court. He specializes in religious liberty litigation and has worked with several organizations across his storied career.
But new to our listeners this week is Chris Green. Chris is a Professor of Law and Jame L. Whitten Char in Law and Government at the University of Mississippi. He was educated at Notre Dame, Yale, and Princeton. He is the author of several books focuses on constitutional law.
In this episode of Navigating the Classics, the trio walk through the historical setting of Lex Rex, the biblical philosophis that undergird the work, and lastly they bring this 500-year-old work into current events helping us see how we as contemporary Christians are to both submit to and, when necessary, stand against governing powers.
If you want to step into reading Samuel Rutherford, but aren’t quite ready to the giant work that is Lex Rex, we recommend “The Loveliness of Christ:” https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/the-loveliness-of-christ/
If you would like to read through Lex Rex:
Physical and ebook: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BHKNF88/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20
Free ebook: https://www.monergism.com/lex-rex-ebook
This is our final look at the five letters of Archibald Alexander written to those in the Autumn of Life. In this last letter, Alexander wants to teach his readers how to prepare to end their lives well and it perhaps the most applicable letter to those who are far from the grave.
Alexander starts the letter by saying we can be best prepared for death by living intentionally, walking closely to our Savior while we still have the vigor of health. He gives us some great help in how we walk the path Christ has set before us in confidence and holiness.
But there is another important point Alexander makes. When we know our end is coming near, it is easy to lose assurance that we are Christ’s and Christ is ours. Alexander points out that it isn’t assurance we should seek, but the face of Christ Himself. If we do that, not only will we gain assurance, we will obtain much more. A good test for our souls to see whether we are seeking assurance or Christ Himself is to note if we slacken our pace when we are certain, or if we press on.
While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm
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Death is always a difficult topic for conversation. But Archibald Alexander focuses on the reality of death in this week’s letter to those in the autumn of life. John Snyder, using Alexander’s letters helps us see what can make death particularly bitter and how to seek comfort in times of intense distress.
Alexander also shares his pastoral wisdom with us regarding improper ways of dealing with those who have died in an unknown spiritual state. There are times we are not to pronounce them sainted or damned. We must trust the judgment of Christ and be careful with our wording. But he goes further to address the reality of deathbed conversions and how we are to think of them.
Lastly, Alexander points us to the One who is our only comfort in life and death. We can hold up the torch of Scripture on our path to the grave and be confident in our steps leading to our eternity with our Savior.
While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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It is a common refrain, “That’s a young man’s work.” But the opposite is true in God’s economy. There is some work reserved for those who have had the Book of Providence (Letter One) opened to them. In this week’s episode, John Snyder is discussing Archibald Alexander’s third letter to elderly Christians focusing on the work God has laid before them.
Alexander says that time seems to be going by faster and faster. And while we see the signs of aging in the mirror, our minds want to believe we are still young and full of physical ability. We aren’t. We simply can’t do what we once could. While that could be a source of discomfort and even jealousy, to allow our souls to wallow in would be to miss the opportunity God has given for this specific time of life.
The elderly Christian has the opportunity to please God in obedience and prayer. While Christians today can often overlook these two simple offerings to God, Alexander says they are great gifts God is pleased to accept. He gives us specific things we can be doing and praying to be a blessing our families, our churches, and our world.
While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
As we age, the body becomes weaker and our sense of usefulness can wane. But this is a lie of the enemy. God has given older believers a gift not available to those young in years. The Book of Providence, as Archibald Alexander coins it, is the ability to look back over years of your life and see God’s hand moving you to where you are, even before you were a Christian.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder discusses Archibald Alexander’s second letter to those in the autumn of life. Archibald’s wisdom is not just for those who are in the twilight years of life. His words carry much practical application for the young as well. We pray it is a blessing to you.
While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we begin looking at the letters of Archibald Alexander to those in the autumn of their lives. We have an enemy who whispers many lies that can be effective in slowing down the Christian’s pace or cause us to turn our eyes away from Christ.
One such lie is that when the body becomes frail and weak, we have nothing we can offer the local church. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those in the later years have a great deal to offer their local congregations and Alexander gives us some examples to look for.
Another lie leads to ungodly introspectiveness and false repentance. We can somberly look back at our lives, at the time wasted or sins committed and feel regret. But there is hope even in those circumstances. Christ can redeem even that. Alexander, in a very pastoral way, puts our gaze upon our only Hope, Christ Jesus.
We are giving a copy of Archibald Alexander’s book away at the end of this podcast series. Make sure you are signed up to win the giveaway by clicking here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
If you want to get a copy of book before the series is over, check it out here from The Banner of Truth: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/thoughts-on-religious-experience/
You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Archibald Alexander was a pastor, theologian, and president of Princeton Seminary in the early-mid 1800s. He was deeply effected by the Great Awakening and was careful in his understanding and teaching of the theology of revival during his day.
While there are a great many of his writings we could spend time discussing, we want to begin a new series this week honing in on five letters he wrote while ministering to those “in the autumn of life.”
But before we get into the content of his letters, we want to introduce you to Archibald himself. He was a rare mixture of intellect and heart. That reality comes through in his writing and ministry.
For this series we will be doing two giveaways. The first will be this week where we are giving away one copy of Revival and Revivalism by Ian Murray. We have spoken of this book before. If you don’t have a copy, sign up to enter to win this one. If you already have a copy, sign up to win this one just to give it away to a friend. It is a very helpful work to explain the development of our current religious culture.
You can sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Dan Pugh has been a friend to Media Gratiae almost from our beginning. He is an independent director and filmmaker based out of Wales in the United Kingdom. Over the last few years, Dan has produced two feature-length documentaries focusing on the theme of revival. The first, Revival: The Work of God (https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/revival-documentary-dvd-streaming.html) was made in partnership with Reformation Heritage Books and covers the history and theology of revival. The second project, Welsh Awakenings: The Story of God’s Work in Wales (https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/welsh-awakenings-the-story-of-gods-work-in-wales?_pos=4&_sid=4bde9523e&_ss=r), was funded by donors and tells the story of the revivals in Wales. The tiny nation is well-known for its numerous revivals throughout the centuries. So if you have ever wanted to learn more about the theme of revival, or be exposed to what God did in Wales over the last few centuries in revival, we believe these two resources are a great place to start.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Last year Dr. John Snyder spent a great deal of time in his personal study on Psalm 119. In looking for helpful resources in studying this psalm, he came across a modern book called Great Spoil by a writer he was unfamiliar with, Stephen Yuille. After reading Great Spoil and finding it particularly warm, helpful, and devotional, John decided to check out more of Dr. Yuille's work and was continually helped by his writings. We wanted to take an episode and introduce you to Dr. Yuille's writing, ministry, and the Puritans he has been most influenced by.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We are grateful for the Lord's provision throughout 2023. We have been blessed with very encouraging supporters and we have been able to invest in creating materials we pray God will be pleased to use in churches and families.
If you would like more information about becoming a supporter and helping us make careful, Christ-honoring material, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/give
This week’s giveaway is a Schuyler Bible. We will be emailing the winner chosen at random to ask them their preferred translation before we order the Bible and have it shipped to them. If you would like to see Schuyler Bibles, click here: https://evangelicalbible.com
Get 15% off all single Welwyn volumes by using the code WelwynMG15 at
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
*Discount unavailable on bundles
This is our final week in R. C. Sproul’s work Knowing Scripture. In this final chapter, Sproul walks us through some of the best tools available to us for studying, understanding, and applying the Bible to our lives.
Dr. John Snyder is by himself this week as he wants to share not just the available tools, but how he uses them in both daily devotion and sermon preparation. He also shares the strengths and the weaknesses of tools such as Study Bibles, paraphrases, and the different types of commentaries available to you.
Get your copy of Knowing Scripture:
https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15
*Discount unavailable on bundles
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week’s giveaway is J. C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels. Check out the end of the podcast to see how these devotional commentaries have been so beneficial in John Snyder’s life and ministry. We want to thank Banner of Truth for donating this copy. You can see the set here: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Get 15% off all single Welwyn volumes by using the code WelwynMG15 at
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
*Discount unavailable on bundles
While the Bible is a timeless work that will be read, studied, and applied until the end of the world, we must keep in mind that it is a product of its geography, time, and culture. Not only that, but each reader who opens the Bible is a products or his or her own geography, time, and culture.
Why does it matter that we understand this? Because if we are going to be careful students of Scripture, we must keep the cultural aspects of the Biblical literature in our minds. To help discuss this reality, Zach Anderson joins Dr. John Snyder to discuss chapter five of Knowing Scripture, Culture and the Bible.
Get your copy of Knowing Scripture:
https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15
*Discount unavailable on bundles
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
There are questions that take only seconds to ask but years to answer. That was the case when someone on X (formerly Twitter) asked Jeremy Walker, “How long would it take to read the published sermons of Charles Spurgeon if you read at a rate of one sermon per day?” After doing the math, Jeremy concluded it would take around 10 and 1/2 years. And the decision was quickly made to begin the reading scheme.
Shortly after making his intention to read a sermon a day public, Media Gratiae talked with Jeremy about turning the journey into a podcast, and From the Heart of Spurgeon was born.
We are having Jeremy on The Whole Counsel to highlight his podcast and commemorate that this week those following the Spurgeon Reach Plan will read sermon 1,000. That is quite a feat.
To celebrate with his audience, Jeremy is releasing a lively reading of Sermon 1000, and publishing a collection of eight sermons from the Prince of Preachers. Jeremy and Dr. John Snyder discuss why Spurgeon is so helpful to modern Christians and ministers today, where to get started with Spurgeon, and more in this week's episode.
To check out From the Heart of Spurgeon, click here: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can see the book From the Heart of Spurgeon: Volume 1 here: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Spurgeon-Preachers-selected-introduced/dp/B0BYGQNPZQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N4XODRLPHO7X&keywords=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon&qid=1695674418&sprefix=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1
Watch the feature-length documentary Through the Eyes of Spurgeon for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6R96XhPaA
You can order a copy of Through the Eyes of Spurgeon here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week’s giveaway is a sampling of Welwyn Commentaries. You can see the volumes and sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Get 15% off all single Welwyn volumes by using the code WelwynMG15 at
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
*Discount unavailable on bundles
Any piece of literature has rules around reading and interpreting it. We intuitively know that reading Lord of the Rings is different from reading a biography of John G. Patton. In the same vein, reading a scientific journal requires a different approach than reading Beowulf. But we tend to drop that understanding when it comes to reading different books in the library of Scripture.
The Bible is filled with different types of literature. There are historical narratives, poetry, letters, and apocalyptic literature, sometimes several genres are included in one book! So we must be aware of the rules involved in properly reading, interpreting, and applying the different types of writing.
Acey Floyd, an elder of Christ Church New Albany and office manager of Media Gratiae, joins John Snyder this week to discuss chapter four of Knowing Scripture: Practical Rules for Biblical Interpretation. In this chapter, John and Acey discuss important rules to a general and specific reading of Scripture to make sure we get the most out of it.
Get your copy of Knowing Scripture:
https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15
*Discount unavailable on bundles
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week’s giveaway is the Matthew Henry Commentary in one volume. Sign up here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Ron Franks joins Dr. John Snyder to discuss chapter 3 of Knowing Scripture this week. In the chapter, R. C. Sproul focuses on the practice of hermeneutics, a big word refering to the practice of interpreting the Bible.
In the conversation, Ron and John discuss the analogy of faith, the problems of methaphor, source criticism and more.
Get your copy of Knowing Scripture:
https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15
*Discount unavailable on bundles
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Christians have the privilege and responsibility of reading Scripture for communion with God. But that responsibility is not just for the act of reading. We must also study, understand, and apply it. But who are we, the average Christian, to say we have a proper understanding of Scripture when we are reading it privately?
That was one of the largest criticisms from the Catholic church toward the Protestant Reformation. Their argument was that if every individual had the ability to read and interpret Scripture by themselves, there would be no end to the heresies that would develop.
R. C. Sproul offers us some wonderful help in this regard by explaining some of the rules we must adhere to when individually reading and interpreting Scripture. In chapter two of Knowing Scripture, John Snyder sits down with Christ Church New Albany member Will Boyette to discuss what Sproul teaches us about the difference between objectivity and subjectivity and the importance of listening to the right teachers. Get your copy of Knowing Scripture here:
https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1
For this week’s giveaway, we want to thank Reformation Heritage book for donating the Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible:
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Sign up for the giveaway: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
Most Christians with any long-term experience in walking with Christ can sympathize with the sentiment that reading the Bible can be difficult. There are times where we open Scripture and the pages become alive and we meet with God. Other times it can feel—as sad as it is to say—boring. How do we overcome the challenges to the life-long discipline of studying the Bible?
The best way to overcome any obstacle in understanding Scripture is to realize why it was written. The Bible is perfectly worded, constructed, and delivered to reveal the character of God to us. If we believe the Bible is the means that God has given us to get to know Him, it will become our most treasured possession and an object of pure delight.
To that end, we are beginning a new series of episode this week walking through R. C. Sproul’s book, Knowing Scripture. Unlike series we have done before, we won’t walk through this book with Dr. John Snyder and one guest. Instead, we are pulling different members of Christ Church New Albany because they each bring an interesting perspective and life experience to the chapters they will be discussing. For this first chapter, we have Lindsey Williams, who has been a member of Christ Church New Albany for 10 years.
We have another special aspect to this series. Each episode we will be giving away one resource that we have found helpful in studying Scripture. These will include Bibles, commentaries, and other writings. This week, we are giving away Matthew Henry's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. To sign up for the giveaway, click here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway
All items in the giveaway:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/
Matthew Henry in One Volume
https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1
New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/
Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible
https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover
Schuyler Bible
https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/
Welwyn Commentary Set
https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We have been commemorating the 10th anniversary of our initial study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. But many are unaware of its followup study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. We wanted to take two special episodes to highlight the interviews we conducted during the production of that study.
In this week’s special episode, we ask Andrew Davies, Sinclair Ferguson, and Jordan Thomas questions about God’s immutability.
Next week we will begin a new series of episodes with an emphasis on studying Scripture and the discipline of hermeneutics.
You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we have spent several weeks this year releasing the complete interviews from that study. We hope those have been helpful to you.
But many people are unaware of the follow-up study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. Rather than releasing the full interviews, as we did with the first study, we want to take a few special episodes and present to you all the answers to a given question and topic. In this week’s episode, we are asking Andrew Davies, Jeremy Walker, and Dr. Joel Beeke about God’s holiness.
You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
If you have been following the podcast, you know we have been releasing complete interviews from our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. For the next two weeks, we want to release some of the content from the followup study Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty. While we get those ready for you, we wanted to present to you session one of Weight of Majesty. It’s focus is on the incomprehensibility of God.
You can purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Of all the men who contributed to Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, Mr. Richard Owen Roberts was the one who had the most influence. This was not because he was directly involved with the writing, or production of the study. It was because of his influence on Dr. John Snyder early in his life and ministry.
Mr. Roberts has been a close friend and mentor of John Snyder for decades and that is why John desired to have Mr. Roberts contribute to the study. We pray you will also be blessed by this third installment of his interview. There is one more segment of his interview left. We will release it before the end of the year.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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It has been 10 years since we released our first study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. During the production of the study, each man was chosen by Dr. John Snyder to contribute to interview sections that conclude each video session. Of all the men chosen, Conrad Mbewe was the only one Dr. Snyder had not met previously.
But we are glad Conrad was included in the study. His unique perspective and insight has proven invaluable over the years. We pray seeing his full answers to the questions we posed to him will be beneficial to you.
See the full study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
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10 years ago we released our first large study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. In that study, we interviewed men such as Paul Washer, Conrad Mbewe, Andrew Davies, and more. With any project of this size, a great deal of interview material is left out due to time constraints. We wanted to take a few podcast episodes and let you see their complete answers to our questions.
This week we are showing part 2 of Paul Washer’s interview. In it, we ask him about personal holiness, idolatry in churches, and more. We pray it is a blessing to you.
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This week we conclude our series on 2 Corinthians 2:12-6:10. As we have mentioned before, this passage is the longest autobiographical writing we have of Paul. He concludes this small autobiography by commending himself to the Christians of Corinth. Why?
One simple answer is from the context. Paul was under attack from enemies of Christ who had infiltrated the church. His defense was not focused on himself but on Jesus Christ and the gospel. False teachers had their aim on Paul, but their target was the gospel. Paul uses the opportunity to showcase and call the Corinthian Christians, and us as well, to pursue lives of holiness no matter the cost, the hardship, or the apparent defeats. Paul entrusted himself to Christ and became the example to us that we can entrust our lives to this worthy King as well.
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Moving along in our series, we come to 2 Corinthians 5. In this passage, Paul describes the thoughts and ambitions that fill his soul.
We often think of ambition as a negative thing, and it easily can be if it is motivated by self. But there is a holy ambition the Christian should strive for. In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Chuck Baggett discuss what this proper ambition is and how to pursue it.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul presents several parallels in the his life: Afflicted, but not crushed; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
Today, John Snyder is once again joined in the studio by Chuck Baggett as they pick up with 2 Corinthians 4:7 to explore the topic of how these parallels are applicable to every Christian.
Modern Christians may not be called to suffer in the same ways Paul did, but God still intends to use our weakness as an indisputable billboard for His power.
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The Christian has been entrusted with the most important message in the history of mankind: How can man be made right with God? This question has one answer and it is a person: Jesus Christ. But Christian face a world that hates the question and the answer. Because of this reality there is constant temptation to soften the question, alter the answer, or adulterate the message in some form.
The book of 2 Corinthians is a wonderful help in this temptation because we get a glimpse into the mind of Paul who was constantly faced with this temptation amid indescribable trials. Much of his trouble would disappear if he only compromised a little. But through the grace of the Holy Spirit, he refused and remained faithful. It is that faithful we get to read about in the passage we have been walking through the last several weeks.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder is by himself because Chuck Baggett is on vacation. But John focuses on two fronts we can find temptation. The first front is when we present the gospel over and over to a loved one only to see them reject Jesus again and again. We can despair and listen to the lie of the enemy that there is no hope in this battle.
The second temptation deals with our own weaknesses. We can see the trials we face, our perceived defeats, and feel there is no hope for us.
But the glorious reality is that God is sufficient enough, the gospel is sufficient enough to change the lives of those around us and sustain us even in our weakest moments. We pray this week’s episode is an encouraging balm to your soul.
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We’ve all experienced dark nights of the soul. We know what it feels like to swim in the waters and despair and want to give up on evangelizing a child, leading a ministry, or even progressing in the Christian life. Paul was no stranger to this reality.
So what do we do when we feel the sense of losing heart creeping upon us? We can take the same path Paul took in holding firm to the glorious descriptions of Jesus found in Scripture. We realize that our lives are lived out before two audiences. First, we live in front of God our Father and Sustainer. Second, our lives are lived in front of the people around us.
Chuck Baggett and John Snyder focus on 2 Corinthians 4 in this week’s episode and seek to show how God helps His children who are despairing in all situations.
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Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/180fUMbxRV0
Study the God who gripped Augustine’s soul so completely: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/behold-your-god-series
Augustine is one of the most prolific writers of early Christianity. He is considered one of the most non-canonical theologians in history. His writings and theology are still creating ripples today.
In this episode of Navigating the Classics, Dr. John Snyder and his son Andrew Snyder, walk through Augustine’s seminal work, Confessions. Andrew first read the book in high school, but he has recently read through it as part of his seminary coursework. John has read and been a fan of the book for years.
But for many Christians, Confessions is intimidating. It is long, sometimes dry, and can be easily confusing. Our aim in this prolonged discussion is to remove the mystique surrounding the book and make it as approachable as possible. Our prayer is that this episode will encourage you to check the book out for yourself for the first time or read it again with better preparation.
Our recommended translations:
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Everymans-Library-St-Augustine/dp/0375411739/ref=asc_df_0375411739?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333185695388&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932713748769&psc=1
Audio Book: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Confessions-of-St-Augustine-Audiobook/B002V5GQ64?qid=1686234245&sr=1-4&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_4&pf_rd_p=83218cca-c308-412f-bfcf-90198b687a2f&pf_rd_r=84XA7PM90DGSAA6M14JP&pageLoadId=levX5EDVrLFc5WoC&creativeId=0d6f6720-f41c-457e-a42b-8c8dceb62f2c
Ebook (free): https://www.monergism.com/confessions-ebook
Podcasts are a wonderful vehicle to convey ideas and information. But they are not perfect. Due to the limited time frame of our podcasts, we have a tendency to hit the highlights of a Scriptural passage, book, or idea and then move on. Because of this reality, we wanted to take one episode to reemphasize some key truths before we continue moving forward in our study of 2 Corinthians.
The first truth we want to emphasize is that Christ is spread from life to life, not library to library or even podcast to podcast. It takes us living the life of holiness before those God brings into our paths. Our lives must affirm and confirm that gospel truths we speak of Scripture.
Another truth we want to reemphasize and focus on is that we must look to the boasts of Christ when life become difficult. When the storms of life roll in, when the waves of despair begin crashing against us again and again, we can easily lose hope. Paul was tempted to despair, just as we are. But it was the glories of Christ that sustained Him. He refused to back down from the Holy Spirit’s boasts of Jesus and he daily chose to walk forward as though they are true. We must walk this same path.
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During one of the most difficult seasons of Paul’s life and ministry he had many opportunities to despair. He had multiple chances to switch his tactics and pursue something more pragmatic. Each time he refused. We began talking about the foundation of his confidence last week, and we continue doing so this week, but with an emphasis is on the glory of the New Covenant.
Whether Paul experienced encouragement and perceived success during his missionary trials, or whether he was chained in a Roman prison, he had one confidence, one thing to boast in: Jesus Christ. And his boasting in Christ and the glory of the New Covenant did not diminish when it would have been so easy to believe the church was failing and would be destroyed by the power of Rome.
Of course, we know the church wasn’t destroyed by Rome. Paul wasn’t able to see the things we see, but he never wavered from the fact that Jesus is faithful and will accomplish His good purpose.
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Paul tells the church of Corinth to follow him as he follows Christ. That would be an impossible task for us if Paul had been given special tools, a special skillset, a secret knowledge that only he could possess. Instead, he had the same Scripture, the same Holy Spirit, the same means of grace as us. As a result, when Paul commands us to follow him, we really can obey. We have the same Bible, as it were. We can pray to the same God. We can commune with God. So why don’t we find more success in following the pattern he laid out for us?
In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Chuck Bagget explore the topic of how Paul could have such confidence in the work he was doing. It wasn’t because he was so strong, smart, or faithful. It was because he knew the God he was serving. He trusted Christ with the fruit. That is a pattern we can and must follow.
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The largest biographical passage we have the Apostle Paul is found in 2 Corinthians. We are spending several weeks discussing this extended passage in our newest series, Following the Follower. Today we hone in on 2 Corinthians 2:12-13.
In these short verses, John and Chuck discuss some pictures of reality that held Paul steady in times of great trial and distress. The first is the great procession with Christ at the head. The second is the aroma God is spreading throughout the world. Third is the reaction from the world we can expect and prepare for. And lastly, there is a picture of a man doing gospel work as unto the Lord and not for worldly gain.
We pray these realities would be so present in our lives that at moments of deep distress, pain, confusion, and angst, we can see Christ and press on holiness in Him.
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When it comes to walking the Christian life, we can find few better examples of how close a saved sinner can walk with God than the Apostle Paul. Unlike the other Apostles, Paul did not spend years as an eyewitness to the earthly ministry of Jesus. He learned about Jesus through the Old Testament. He studied, applied, repented, and lived the gospel.
This week we begin a new series of episodes focusing on the most biographical section of Paul’s writings, 2 Corinthians 2:12-6:10. These show us not just what Paul did, but what realities drove his decisions and actions.
Jesus gives us the command to “Follow Me,” but how do we know what that looks like. Paul is a wonderful example and he provides a pattern for us. To that end, we seek to follow the follower to walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
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We are taking a few weeks to let you know about some of the teaching material Media Gratiae has produced outside our podcasts. In previous special episodes we have highlighted Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, and Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth.
This is our final episode highlighting these studies and we chose to end it with our latest study, Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges. This is a seven-session study walking through a book many find confusing, discouraging, and alarming. But this is a book filled with applicable truths to the Christian life.
If you would like to see the rest of the study, please click here to get 15% off for this week only: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-whole-counsel-specials
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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We are taking a few weeks to let you know about some of the teaching material Media Gratiae has produced outside our podcasts. In previous special episodes we have highlighted Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty and Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically.
This week we want to present you with a unique production for us. In Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth, we created both a feature-length documentary and a 12-session study walking through church history and careful ecclesiology. If you would like more information after watching the first session of the study, follow this link: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-whole-counsel-specials
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Last week we highlighted the first study Media Gratiae produced, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This week we are previewing for you the sequel to that study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
In this study, John Snyder spends 12 weeks teaching about the attributes of God and how we are to live upon Him. If you have been through this study before, we pray it reminds you of the greatness of our God. If you haven’t been through this study before, you can get 15% off the normal price this week here:
Get 15% off this study for this week only: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/15-off-behold-your-god-rethinking-god-biblically
Over the years more and more people are discovering Media Gratiae through our various podcasts. We praise the Lord for this reality. But our podcasts are only a fraction of the work we do.
Media Gratiae started over a decade ago with our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This 12-week multimedia Bible study seeks to challenge the low views of God that are very prevalent in our man-centered culture and reintroduce Christians, churches, and families to the God of the Bible.
Over the last 10 years, God has seemed to truly bless the efforts that went into the study. It has been translated into Dutch, Russian, and Spanish. A new translation effort is currently beginning to make the study available to German speakers.
This week we want to present you with the first session of the study. In the beginning is an introduction to A. W. Tozer, a man with a very high view of God. Then John Snyder presents a sermon on the fact that God is the great attraction to the adventure that is Christianity. Lastly, we have interviews with men such as Conrad Mbewe, Paul Washer, Anthony Mathenia, and others who discuss why we must have a high view of God.
You can get 15% off the price of the study this week at:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-workbook
It is one thing for the Christian to say I believe, my family believes, my church believes what the Bible says. That is a right and essential to the Christian life. But it is another thing to say, “I believe the Bible teaches…” And it is that second statement we want to focus on in this week’s episode.
For those unaware, Media Gratiae is rooted in Reformed Baptist theology. To that end, we believe that the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession is a very helpful, systematic summarization of what we understand the Bible to teach. And so we want to introduce you to two men and their efforts to help us digest the truths in this baptist confession.
The first man we want to introduce you to is Tom Ascoll. He is the founder and president of Founders Ministries, president of the Institute on Public Theology, and pastors in Cape Coral Florida.
The second man is Rob Ventura. A long-time friend of John, Rob is a pastor in Rhode Island and has written several books. His latest venture is being the editor of a commentary on the 1689 Baptist confession. Contributors to this work include Jeremy Walker, Sam Waldron, and others. John Snyder has even endorsed the book and we believe it will be a benefit to you.
Resources:
Founders Ministries: https://founders.org
Grace and Truth (Book 1): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-1/
Grace and Truth (Book 2): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-2/
Grace and Truth (Book 3): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-3/
1689 in Modern English: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-1689-baptist-confession-of-faith-in-modern-english/1689
1689 in Modern English (ebook): https://press.founders.org/shop/the-1689-baptist-confession-of-faith-in-modern-english-ebook/
To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: https://press.founders.org/shop/to-the-judicious-and-impartial-reader-baptist-symbolics-volume-2-ebook2/
Institute on Public Theology: https://www.instituteofpublictheology.org
A New Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/a-new-exposition-of-the-london-baptist-confession-of-faith-of-1689-ventura.html
Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers (Preorder): https://www.amazon.com/Expository-Outlines-Observations-Romans-Preachers/dp/1527110125/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1QL1Z139GYZQ5&keywords=rob+ventura&qid=1680617216&sprefix=rob+ventura%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-2
A Portrait of Paul: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/a-portrait-of-paul-identifying-a-true-minister-of-christ-ventura-walker.html
This week is our final episode on the realities of revival and we wanted to present to you another sermon used by God during a great time of revival. The sermon is from Hebrews 1:9. The preacher is Daniel Rowland. We chose this sermon specifically because so few people are aware of Daniel Rowland. George Whitefield went to hear Rowland and said it was like listening to the Apostle Paul teach. Rowland has been called the greatest preacher Wales has ever seen.
As in the last sermon episode we were able to present to you, this one is read by Andrew Davies, a retired minister living in Wales today. If you have gone through the first Behold Your God study, you may remember Mr. Davies.
We pray this sermon is a blessing to you and that you take time to wrestle with its content, making room in your life to apply its message.
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Books we found helpful in this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We have spent several weeks discussing the realities of revival. We have sought to share, using helps listed below, the fruits of revival, the means of revival, and more. This week John makes some concluding comments on revival. Many of his thoughts are found in the book Revival of Religion, a collection of essays from Scottish pastors serving during a time of revival. They point to three areas they saw greatly impacted by revival. These impacts begin in the church and then spread out. It starts with the fallow ground in the souls of Christians being plowed up and they begin producing fruit.
After that, those who have been religious hypocrites for years have their masks removed and they come to faith in repentance. Lastly, those outside the church are impacted. Not all are saved, but all are aware of the realities of God.
Then John moves on to recognizing true revival and that we shouldn’t be quick to judge too quickly whether or not revival is happening somewhere.
Lastly, John ends the series with a simple question: How do we seek God when we feel that we are in a particularly needy time of His nearness?
Next week we will have another sermon presented by Andrew Davies reading a sermon from Daniel Rowland. We hope it will be a blessing to you.
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Books we found helpful in this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Due to a sickness in the team, we were unable to film an episode for this week’s podcast. But this led us to a wonderful opportunity. Years ago Andrew Davies visited Christ Church New Albany. While he was here, we recorded him presenting five great sermons used during times of revival in America and England.
Since we highlighted the sermons of George Whitefield, a preacher God used mightily during the Great Awakening, in earlier episodes of this series, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to present to you one of his sermons read by Andrew Davies so many years ago.
The sermon is titled “The Method of Grace.” We have found it helpful to our souls in the past and we pray it is a blessing to you. Next week we will be back with our normal production.
If you would like the text of the sermon, you can read it here: https://www.monergism.com/method-grace
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Books we found helpful in this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
The idea that revival requires special means, special speakers, and special meetings, is often sourced in good intentions, but it comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of God’s work. When God chooses to draw close in revival, He uses the ordinary means of grace. But He seems to give an incredible and extraordinary fruit to that ordinary means.
Does this mean special meetings and extra time set aside for prayer are bad or dishonoring the Christ? Absolutely not. Those may be called for. But we must understand those things will not obligate God to bring revival, far from it. However, they may be a result of God giving a special desire to see Him draw near or after He reveals a particular need we need to cry out for.
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Books we found helpful in this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
After introducing our new series last week, John and Teddy are diving deeper into the topic of revival. This week they focus on a biblical understanding of revival. Attached to a historical understanding of revival, we also must seek to study the means and results of revival.
One helpful definition comes to us from Richard Owen Roberts. He defines revival as, “...an unusual manifestation of the power of the grace of God in convincing and converting careless sinners, and in quickening and increasing the faith and piety of believers.”
In the most succinct summary of this episode, we can say that revival is God drawing near, through the ordinary means of grace, in an unusual way. The means are not unusual. But the nearness of God is. And it is His nearness that both makes revival possible and makes us desire it.
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Helpful books we found for this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
There was a time when revival was the study and focus of careful theologians. Sadly that changed around the middle of the 19th century. Since then, careful writers have allowed the theological ground of revival to become fallow. In recent years, the study of this mysterious reality has become a more common focus of reading and request of prayer.
Because of this growing desire for revival, we are going to spend the next several episodes discussing the biblical signs and fruits of revival, along with how we are to respond when we hear reports of God visiting a particular place with revival.
In this initial conversation, John Snyder and Teddy James share some helpful works from the past and what we can do now to prepare our souls for the manifest presence of God in our midst.
Books mentioned in the episode (in order of appearance):
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
At this time 10 years ago we had just released our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. To celebrate a decade of the Lord’s blessing on this study, we are releasing the complete interviews from the project. Some men sat down with us for slightly over 30 minutes. Richard Owen Roberts gave us nearly two hours of his time.
Because we have such a wealth of answers from him, we are presenting to you part two of our interview with him. During this segment, we ask him questions regarding the use of Scripture to gain a clear understanding of Christ and our holiness, and how we can pursue holiness in our day.
To see previous installments of 10 Years of Rethinking God Biblically:
Anthony Mathenia, Pt 1: https://youtu.be/vRtl2F9pWJs Anthony Mathenia, Pt 2: https://youtu.be/kiE_RCBmKiE
Effion Evans: https://youtu.be/1xo0MsKkncY
Andrew Davies: https://youtu.be/FWygnPMbvcY
Richard Owen Roberts, pt 1: https://youtu.be/5a6KJyo_TRo
Paul Washer, pt. 1: https://youtu.be/ZPEESWW3cHc
Conrad Mbewe, pt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnrBAXxpvZQ
This week we are continuing our celebration of 10 years of Rethinking God Biblically. Ten years ago now we had just released our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. John had personally met with and been encouraged by the ministries of every contributor to the study, except one. Conrad Mbewe had been recommended to John. After investigating his ministry, John was grateful that Anthony Mathenia had pointed him in Conrad’s direction.
If you are unfamiliar with Conrad Mbewe, we highly suggest you look into his ministry. Several have called him the Charles Spurgeon of Africa, and we believe that to be an apt description. Conrad pastors a church, writes for numerous papers and magazines, and leads a seminary. You can keep up with his ministry efforts here: http://www.conradmbewe.com.
To see previous installments of 10 Years of Rethinking God Biblically:
Anthony Mathenia, Pt 1: https://youtu.be/vRtl2F9pWJs Anthony Mathenia, Pt 2: https://youtu.be/kiE_RCBmKiE
Effion Evans: https://youtu.be/1xo0MsKkncY
Andrew Davies: https://youtu.be/FWygnPMbvcY
Richard Owen Roberts, pt 1: https://youtu.be/5a6KJyo_TRo
Paul Washer, pt. 1: https://youtu.be/ZPEESWW3cHc
Our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically has been released for over a decade. In that time, we have been indescribably happy to see the Lord choose to use this study in so many ways across so many lands. We never could have imagined it going as far as it has.
One reason we thought it would be a small study was because so few of our contributors had recognizable names. The only person with any considerable following was Paul Washer. Paul had been a friend to us for many years before we made this study, but when the opportunity came we knew we could trust him to speak truthfully and boldly. We are grateful he took time out of his schedule to speak with us.
As with other interviews, Paul’s is longer than our typical podcast length. So we will release part two and part three of his interview in the coming months.
To see previous installments of 10 Years of Rethinking God Biblically:
Anthony Mathenia, Pt 1: https://youtu.be/vRtl2F9pWJs Anthony Mathenia, Pt 2: https://youtu.be/kiE_RCBmKiE
Effion Evans: https://youtu.be/1xo0MsKkncY
Andrew Davies: https://youtu.be/FWygnPMbvcY
Richard Owen Roberts, pt 1: https://youtu.be/5a6KJyo_TRo
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We have spent the last few weeks walking through principles to help us in how we can get the most out of our reading. In this episode, we share discussions we have had with friends of ours across the Christian publishing industry.
In the first section, we are with David Woolin, CEO of Reformation Heritage Books. While they publish several books we highly appreciate, David points us to some works recently published and books that will soon be released.
Second, we talk with Scott Brown, president of Church and Family Life. He recently wrote a book to help parents guide their children in worshipping God.
Lastly, we have a zoom call with Jeff Johnson, pastor of Grace Bible Church, founder of Grace Bible Theological Seminary, and president of Free Grace Press. We have found his latest book on the Sovereignty of God to be of particular help and he joined us on the show on the show to talk about it.
Reformation Heritage Books: https://heritagebooks.org
The Works of William Perkins - https://heritagebooks.org/Search.html#/Search.html?search=William+perkins
The Christian’s Reasonable Service by Wilhelmus A Brakel - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/the-christians-reasonable-service-4-volumes-brakel.html?_ga=2.226146527.439500687.1674682252-1007712609.1674682252
Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible - https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/
Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/come-and-welcome-to-jesus-christ-puritan-paperbacks-bunyan.html
War and Grace by Don Stephens - https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/war-and-grace-short-stories-from-the-world-wars-stephens.html
Church and Family Life: https://churchandfamilylife.com
The Family at Church: How Parents are Tour Guides for Joy by Scott Brown - https://churchandfamilylife.com/products/60d2164f47738a0534abf64b
Free Grace Press: https://freegracepress.com
The Sovereignty of God by Jeffrey Johnson - https://freegracepress.com/products/the-sovereignty-of-god?_pos=1&_sid=9b8aba062&_ss=r
A Choice Drop of Honey from the Rock of Christ by Thomas Wilcox - https://freegracepress.com/products/a-choice-drop-of-honey-from-the-rock-of-christ?_pos=1&_sid=181ac8b44&_ss=r
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Today we are releasing a new podcast that will be published every quarter. We named this new series Navigating the Classics because we want to spend time focusing on those classic works of Christianity that many find intimidating or antiquated.
For our inaugural episode, John Snyder is joined by Whole Counsel regular guest Steve Crampton and his son Jamie to discuss Athanasius' On the Incarnation of Christ.
To read the book and C. S. Lewis' introduction online: http://www.onthewing.org/user/Athanasius%20-%20On%20the%20Incarnation.pdf
To purchase the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/673655.On_the_Incarnation
You can also listen and watch this podcast on the Media Gratiae app: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Last week we republished a discussion between John Snyder and Jeremy Walker on the first five of six principles to keep in mind if you want to get the most benefit of reading careful books this year.
In this week’s episode, John and Jeremy both select six books that exemplify their approach to a balanced reading diet.
Check out Jeremy's podcasts:
The Heart of Spurgeon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon/id1546109129
A Word in Season:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDN2f0LSE4JiVmtrZtB6zsib
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-word-in-season-with-jeremy-walker/id1511364782
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
With the start of the new year, we wanted to revisit John Snyder's conversation with Jeremy Walker back in 2021 about six principles to reading well. We make through five of the principles in this episode. Next week we’ll return to give our final principle and a list of books to help get you started in this year’s reading.
Check out Jeremy's podcasts:
The Heart of Spurgeon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon/id1546109129
A Word in Season:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDN2f0LSE4JiVmtrZtB6zsib
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-word-in-season-with-jeremy-walker/id1511364782
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Last week we talked about the issue of biblical covenants. God reveals Himself progressively, meaning that He has revealed more of Himself and His plan of redemption by the book of 1 and 2 Samuel than He did in Exodus. The seeds are certainly contained in Exodus, and even in Genesis, but they are more developed through later passages.
In 2 Samuel 7, God lays out His covenant with King David. God lays out what He obligates Himself to do. But He also describes what is expected of the Davidic line. Basically, it is obedience.
In this final episode of our series focusing on the descriptions of Immanuel, John Snyder connects the dots for us, showing how Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of all the promises God made in the Davidic Covenant.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week, we continue our look at Isaiah’s descriptions of Immanuel.
John Snyder focuses on the connection between King David of the Old Testament and the coming Messiah. Scripture offers an illustration that the Immanuel will come from the root of Jesse. But why is this important to us today?
To understand this picture, we must consider the covenants God made with particular people, including Abraham, Moses, David, and, ultimately, Christ. Meditating on these promises will help deepen our understanding of God, His faithfulness, and His zeal in redeeming a people for His glory.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We are grateful to God for His kindness toward us over the last decade. To see a glimpse of what He has done through the work of Media Gratiae over the last 10 years, visit here and read our end-of-year ministry report:
https://report.mediagratiae.org
There are many passages of Scripture where God describes Himself to us. This week we are focusing on four such descriptions of God describing the coming Immanuel in Isaiah 9. Some 700 years before the incarnation of Christ, God chooses to give royal titles to the One who would be born a King. He would be Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Have you ever stopped to consider what these titles mean, and how much they can tell us about how we are to relate to our Redeemer? God made a promise not just the Immanuel would come to rescue His people, but that He would come in such a way that He would be known by these realities. Now, over 2,700 years removed from the making of this promise and 2,000 years removed from its fulfillment, what are you doing with these words?
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Last week’s episode ended on gloom and judgment. Ahaz has rejected the opportunity of God to ask for any sign of His faithfulness. Rather than obeying God in requesting that sign, Ahaz chooses to put his faith in his own plan and strategy. God’s astounding response is to give him a sign anyway, the coming of Immanuel. He also pronounces judgment on Ahaz and his kingdom in the form of Assyria.
This week we move from the gloom and destruction promised in Isaiah 8 to the hope and promise of Isaiah 9. No more will Zebulun and Naphtali be seen as an area that God has abandoned. They will, with the coming of Christ be seen as glorious because of Christ dwelling there.
Here is the question for us, removed some 2,700 years from God’s deliverance of the promise and 2,000 years from His fulfillment of that promise: How do we apply this? How should these truths live in our life? John gives us some application of this passage in this week’s episode.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we continue looking at descriptions of the coming Messiah in Isaiah 8. Last week we discussed how God mercifully gave the wicked King Ahaz an opportunity to ask for any sign to prove His faithfulness. Ahaz refused but God gave a sign anyway.
In today’s passage, God speaks through Isaiah and pronounces the coming judgment on the people of Israel.
Some of the Israelites respond to this news with despair, others respond in pride, relying on their own cleverness rather than God, while others look for the hand of God in the events of their day. Which group would you belong to?
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week we begin a new series in which we examine God’s descriptions of the forthcoming Messiah in the book of Isaiah. In this inaugural episode, we are examining Isaiah 8. When we slow down and really consider what is happening, the story is shocking. A wicked king is given an opportunity by God to receive any sign or wonder, as high as heaven or low as hell. He is the only person in Scripture given this opportunity. And he refuses.
But that isn’t the most shocking part; God mercifully gave him a sign anyway, and it was a wonderful sign. God described the Messiah He would send to rescue His people from the slavery of sin. Isaiah 8 is not a Christmas passage, though it is often read during this season. But let us take time to slow down, consider what God is speaking to us, and refuse to be like Ahaz who heard the words and left unchanged. Let us meditate on God’s words and consider how we can live on the realities of Immanuel.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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We have previously introduced you to our friend, Mr. Richard Owen Roberts. We walked through the book he assembled, Salvation in Full Color, we’ve had him on the podcast to discuss his upcoming conference (link below). But Mr. Roberts has been a part of our ministry much longer than we have been producing our podcast.
When we were discussing who we would interview for our inaugural study in the early days of Media Gratiae, Mr. Roberts was a must. We knew we wanted his wisdom and insight on the topic of rethinking God biblically. And he certainly did not disappoint. In fact, his interview is over two and a half hours long. Sadly, we had to cut the vast majority of his words in the study. But today we want to present you with some of his responses to our questions in their entirety.
Check out Mr. Roberts conference here: https://www.nbcknox.org/turn
Sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/sign-up
Giveaway books: Blessed and Boundless God - https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-puritan-treasures-for-today-swinnock.html
The Incomparableness of God - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/the-incomparableness-of-god/
Studies in Christian History and Thought: Puritan Spirituality by Stephen Yuille - https://www.christianbook.com/puritan-spirituality-affective-theology-george-swinnock/j-yuille/9781556358678/pd/358678
The Existence and Attributes of God - https://www.christianbook.com/existence-attributes-god-updated-unabridged-volumes/stephen-charnock/9781433565908/pd/565900?event=ESRCG
In years past we have given you long lists of books we recommend to fill your next year’s reading plan. This year, our list is short. The reading, however, is not. The list is only two books and they have been available previously. However, they have recently be republished and we believe they are done so well they are worth discussing. If you already have a copy of these on your shelves, you might want to look at getting an updated copy. If you don’t already own these titles, we believe they will be a great help in the coming year.
Sign up for the giveaway:
Books listed:https://www.mediagratiae.org/sign-up
Blessed and Boundless God - https://heritagebooks.org/products/the-blessed-and-boundless-god-puritan-treasures-for-today-swinnock.html
The Incomparableness of God - https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/the-incomparableness-of-god/
Studies in Christian History and Thought: Puritan Spirituality by Stephen Yuille - https://www.christianbook.com/puritan-spirituality-affective-theology-george-swinnock/j-yuille/9781556358678/pd/358678
The Existence and Attributes of God - https://www.christianbook.com/existence-attributes-god-updated-unabridged-volumes/stephen-charnock/9781433565908/pd/565900?event=ESRCG
Every quarter we give our supporters an update on what we are working on behind the scenes.
- Correction: This is not an end-of-the-year update. That will come later in December.
In this update, we let you know about where we are in our next study, the growth of our social media platforms, Behold Your God being translated in multiple languages, the Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early resource, and much more.
Media Gratiae is a 501c3 nonprofit ministry that is funded by the support of those have been blessed by our material and would like us to continue. If you have found our content helpful and would like information of how you can support our work, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/give
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In a way that only he can, John Owen ends his helpful work on the mortification of sin with two conclusions. The first contains eight preparatory points for consideration. Once considered, he gives two applications to help us make progress in mortifying our sin to the glory of Christ.
This week’s episode of The Whole Counsel is bittersweet because it is the last one with Jeremy Walker. But focusing on John Owen’s final points is a very sweet way to end the series. If you haven’t picked up a copy of these books for yourself, make sure you click the link below and read through the book. We trust it will be beneficial to your soul.
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Check out Jeremy’s book John mentioned: Jeremy’s book: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/passing-through-pilgrim-life-in-the-wilderness-walker.html
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
The battle to mortify sin can seem exhausting, discouraging, and overwhelming. But it is a battle that we as Christians will fight and, ultimately, we will win. We have promises throughout Scripture making it clear that we will shed this fallen nature. We will see God without the barrier of sin between us. Christ will conquer all the sin in our lives.
But while we live and breathe and walk in this life, that battle is not over. And we can never seek a respite from the battle. We must move forward in the battle. In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Jeremy Walker tackle more of John Owen’s helpful thoughts on mortifying our sins. They discuss what it means to put sin to death, what mortifying sin does not mean, and more.
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Check out Jeremy’s book John mentioned: Jeremy’s book: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/passing-through-pilgrim-life-in-the-wilderness-walker.html
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Having discussed the necessity of mortifying sin and the flesh, watching and praying through Christ, John Snyder and Jeremy Walker move to discuss the practical helps God provides for us in fighting sin, repenting when we fall, and seeing restoration in our communion with God.
We often look for a silver bullet when it comes to difficulties of the Christian life. We want an easier way to kill sin. But Owen is too wise to offer an easy and cheap solution. He gives us the tools God has given us. They aren’t easy; they do require effort. But He provides the energy, the will, and the desire to master them.
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Check out Jeremy’s book John mentioned: Jeremy’s book: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/passing-through-pilgrim-life-in-the-wilderness-walker.html
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Richard Owen Roberts is a long-term friend of Media Gratiae. Even before Media Gratiae existed, Mr. Roberts played an important role in John Snyder's life. In this special episode, we want to introduce Mr. Roberts and International Awakening Ministries to those of you who may be unfamiliar with them. We also want to let everyone know of an upcoming conference IAM is presenting on November 27-30 at Norwood Baptist Church. The conference is called "Turn" and its foundation will be Acts 3:19.
For more information about the conference, please see https://www.nbcknox.org/turn
Robert Murray M’Cheyne described the human heart as gunpowder and temptation as a spark that will ignite the heart in sin. The most careful practice we can have is to keep our hearts damp by gazing upon Christ.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Jeremy Walker share how Owen encourages us to keep our hearts damp by the dual command to watch and pray. What must we watch for? How must we pray? John and Jeremy share some of the most practical help from Owen in this week’s episode.
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We at The Whole Counsel love Puritans. We have benefited so much from their sermons, prayers, and books, it is our delight to discuss them and hopefully whet your appetite to read their words. In this new series of podcasts, Dr. John Snyder is going to walk through two books from the Puritan, John Owen, with our longtime friend Jeremy Walker.
In this first episode, Jeremy and John are discussing Owen’s, “On Temptation” and they discuss how to define, identify, and deal with temptation and testing. What are the differences and how should we approach them differently?
Check out Jeremy’s podcasts From the Heart of Spurgeon and A Word in Season here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Temptation Resisted and repulsed by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/temptation/
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/the-mortification-of-sin/
Volume 6 of the Works of John Owen: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-john-owen-6/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We have had 15 discussions of the Christian’s relationship to the God’s moral law in this series. If anything, we hope we have shown you this topic is important and worth a great deal of meditation. In the final conversation of this series, John Snyder and Steve Crampton ask what are the right and wrong ways of using the law.
We’ve already answered the lies of antinomianism, the belief we shouldn’t use the law at all. But now we discuss how how to properly use the law in our life, and inappropriate uses we as humans are tempted to pursue.
If you haven’t gotten your copy of Ernie Reisinger’s book “The Law and the Gospel,” we highly recommend it to you. Get your copy of it book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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Next week we will finish our series on The Law and the Gospel. In this series we have sought to study the New Testament Christian’s relationship to God’s moral law. Before salvation, the Law could only offer condemnation. It pointed out our flaws but could provide no cure for our sin-sickness. But now, because the Christian belongs to the Kingdom of Grace, God’s moral law has become the path we walk to please our King.
This is part of what Paul’s point in Romans 6. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are slaves to righteousness. Even though we still wrestle with sin and hear the whispers of our old master. telling us the law will condemn us, we are assured by the faithfulness of Christ that His grace is sufficient.
Get your copy of Reisinger’s book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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This week we return to our ongoing discussion of the Christian’s relationship to both God’s Law and His grace. The emphasis this week is simply to explain what Jesus meant when He said He came to “fulfill the law.”
We can understand this fulfillment in a few different ways, but Ernie Reisinger’s book offers us a great deal of help. Dr. John Snyder and Steve Crampton discuss not just how we can find rest and hope in Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, but also how we can follow His example to draw near the Father.
Get your copy of Reisinger’s book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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Regular listeners will know we have been releasing complete interviews from our production of Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This is to commemorate and celebrate the Lord’s kindness over the last 10 years.
This week we highlight the interview with Andrew Davies, a Welsh minister who met Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and J.I Packer as a child. He also served as a pastor in New Zealand for a time. Going back over Davies’ words was a genuine blessing for us and we pray they will warm your heart to Christ today.
Get your copy of the DVDs for Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically:https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/behold-your-god-13-dvd-set?variant=6841429637
Get your workbook for the study Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically:https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/behold-your-god-workbook?variant=6841804549
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
To watch the interview with Andrew Davies: https://youtu.be/eH8eP_gEV7M
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
At this time 10 years ago we were putting the final touches and beginning the process of manufacturing Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This study has gone much further in the last decade than we ever thought possible. But the Lord has seen fit to use it around America and outside her borders in places such as Russia, The Netherlands, South Africa, Canada, and more.
Each video session of Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically ends with interviews from men such as Paul Washer, Conrad Mbewe, Anthony Mathenia, and Eifion Evans. We sat down with these men for a long time. Some interviews were as short as 40 minutes. However, their total time in the study averaged 20 minutes. Because of that, the majority of their words have never been heard publicly. So to commemorate a decade of the Lord using this study, we want to present to you the complete interviews of our contributors.
This week we present to you the Welsh historian Eifion Evans. His interview is unique in that he is not asked questions. His heart was overflowing with the things he felt important to say we simply turned the cameras on and let him speak. We have been blessed by his words and pray you are as well.
Get your copy of the DVDs for Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically:https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/behold-your-god-13-dvd-set?variant=6841429637
Get your workbook for the study Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically:https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/behold-your-god-workbook?variant=6841804549
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If you have gone through the Media Gratiae study Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, you will know that God’s attributes include being just, good, and kind. So how can a just, good, and kind God require the adherence to a law that people may not understand or be able to follow?
That is the topic of discussion this week for Dr. John Snyder and Steve Crampton. They are sharing their notes from chapter nine of Ernie Reisinger’s book, The Law and the Gospel. In this chapter, Reisinger looks to David Brainerd, the son-in-law of Jonathan Edwards, for help. In his journals, Brainerd discusses the hatred and contempt he felt towards God’s law when he was unconverted. He then details how his renewed understanding of God’s law led to his conversion.
His journey is one that we believe can be very helpful to discuss the fairness of God’s law to unconverted people today. It is so helpful, in fact, that we allowed the discussion to go a bit longer than normal. If you haven’t picked up a copy of this book, we highly encourage you to do so and make sure to carefully read through chapter nine: Does Human Inability make God Unjust?
Get your copy of Reisinger’s book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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Throughout this podcast series, we have been following the flow of thought in Ernie Reisinger’s book The Law and the Gospel. In his discussion on antinomianism, Reisigner gives 20 errors connected to this heretical understanding of God’s law in the Christian life.
This week, we share most of those 20 ideas and stop to discuss a few of them. To help you better keep up with the flow of ideas, we wanted to write out the list here for you:
- The law is made void by grace. Justification by faith alone renders good works unnecessary.
- Since good works are unnecessary, obedience to the law is not required of justified persons.
- God sees no sin in the justified, who are no longer bound by the law, and is not displeased with them if they sin.
- God therefore does not chastise justified persons for sin.
- Nor can sin in any way injure the justified.
- Since no duties or obligations are admitted in the gospel, faith and repentance are not commanded.
- The Christian need not repent in order to receive par-don of sin.
- Nor need he mortify sin; Christ has mortified sin for him.
- Nor ought he be distressed in conscience upon back-sliding, but he should hold fast to a full assurance of his salvation in the midst of the vilest sins.
- Justifying faith is the assurance that one is already justified.
- The elect are actually justified before they believe, even from all eternity.
- Therefore they were never children of wrath or under condemnation.
- Their sin, as to its very being, was imputed to Christ so as not to be theirs, and His holiness is imputed to them as their sanctification.
- Sanctification is no evidence of justification, for assurance is the fruit of an immediate revelation that one is an elect person.
- No conviction by the law precedes the sinner's closing with Christ, inasmuch as Christ is freely offered to sinners as sinners.
- Repentance is produced not by the law, but by the gospel only.
- The secret counsel of God is the rule of man's conduct.
- God is the author and approver of sin, for sin is the accomplishment of His will.
- Unless the Spirit works holiness in the soul, there is no obligation to be holy or to strive toward that end.
- All externals are useless or indifferent, since the Spirit alone gives life.
Ernest Kevin’s book The Law and the Gospel- https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
Get your copy of Reisinger’s book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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It’s been a few weeks since John Snyder and Steve Crampton came together to discuss Ernie Reisinger’s The Law and the Gospel. But this week they are back and they are tackling the topic of antinomianism.
This term, which we believe to be coined by Martin Luther, describes a doctrine in which God’s Law has no place in the Christian life. Paul himself was accused of being an antinomian, as was Martyn Lloyd-Jones, because they preached a full picture of the gospel.
But at the heart of the accusation is a misunderstanding of God’s Law and its role in the New Testament Christian life. It is not a heavy burden by which we achieve justification with God. It is a path we are permitted to walk to be near our King.
Get your copy of Reisinger’s book here: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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While we don’t typically focus on contemporary issues on the Whole Counsel, we wanted to take one episode to introduce you to an author that we trust on a topic that has become the source of unexpected confusion in many churches.
Michael David Perkins, in his recently released book Dangerous Affirmations, provides a clear perspective on the recent trend of affirming “gay Christianity.” In a careful, thorough, and Christ-honoring way, Michael leads the reader through the fundamental beliefs behind this trend, as well as the Biblical reason for rejecting these beliefs.
Michael Perkins and John Snyder discuss the various misconceptions in many churches that have arisen from the misdiagnosis of homosexuality and the misdirected expression of compassion that has surfaced in many churches. While guiding us to a more Biblical and loving approach to those who have embraced this lifestyle, Michael and John also speak of the need for the believers to consider the “respectable sins” they themselves may be embracing. Perhaps you will find Michael’s book helpful in answering the question: How do we share the truths of our King, Jesus, with humility and reverence, in a world that craves affirmation for its newest expressions of self-rule?
For more information regarding the new book Dangerous Affirmations, visit www.dangerousaffirmations.net.
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Ten years ago we were working hard on creating the study that became Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. Part of that work included conducting interviews that would come at the end of each video session.
Those interviews often went on for more than an hour, but due to the time constraints of the study, only about 20 minutes of each interview has ever been seen. As a way of celebrating the upcoming 10-year anniversary of Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we are releasing complete interviews from each contributor.
Because the interviews are so long, we are releasing them in podcast-length segments. This week is part two of our interview with Anthony Mathenia and this episode, Anthony answers the questions:
The western church seems unsure that personal holiness is essential or even helpful in reaching the lost. How do you see a biblical rethinking of God's character influencing personal holiness?
How do you promote the highest views of God in your teaching? And what do you see in modern religious practice which you feel dangerously distracts from focusing on God in the corporate setting?
What can those who are not in leadership positions do to promote a biblical rethinking of God in their church and in their home?
How do you see a biblical rethinking of God as necessary in ministering to the entire body of Christ?
How do you see idolatry manifested in congregations who believe themselves to be careful, healthy, Bible-believing churches? And can you mention specific areas where people are embracing an idolatrously low view of God and church?
When a people worship an idol in God's name, God rejects it. Is there evidence of this reality in modern churches? Can you speak to earnest worship that is rejected by God today?
Respond to the pragmatist who has heard everything in this study but now says, “But what we are doing is working. People are coming in the door. How could this not be pleasing to God?”
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Ten years ago we were working hard on creating the study that became Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. Part of that work included conducting interviews that would come at the end of each video session.
Those interviews often went on for more than an hour, but due to the time constraints of the study, only about 20 minutes of each interview has ever been seen. As a way of celebrating the upcoming 10-year anniversary of Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we are releasing complete interviews from each contributor.
Because the interviews are so long, we are releasing them in podcast-length segments. This week is part of our interview with Anthony Mathenia.
If you haven't gone through our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, check it out for yourself here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-workbook
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Is it necessary for the New Testament Christian to observe and obey the totality of God’s Law? In one sense, the answer is clearly “YES!” But upon closer inspection, the answer requires more nuance.
To answer the question, we must first define what we mean by law. Throughout Scripture, the word is used to describe the entire Old Testament, the Torah, the rules laid out by God, or the 10 Commandments. But we must be more specific than this; there is a division within the law between the civil, ceremonial, and moral law of God.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Steve Crampton discuss the three division of God’s law and how the New Testament Christian relates to each.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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Last week John Snyder and Steve Crampton began discussing how a New Testament Christian should approach God’s moral law (the 10 Commandments). For help, they are using Ernie Reisinger’s book The Law and the Gospel. In his book, Reisinger gives us seven principles. John and Steve added a few of their own to make it an even 10.
These principles are not laws in themselves. We are not adding to God’s moral law. However, we are working to understand how we are to appreciate, approach, and apply these laws now that we are under grace. We pray these principles will help you walk closer with our King.
Principle 1: Context is king!
Principle 2: Progressive revelation.
Principles 3: These commands demand outward and inward obedience.
Principle 4: These commands are summaries of God’s moral demands on humanity.
Principle 5: Where a sin is forbidden, and by implication a positive act of obedience is commanded, then those things which lead to that sin are also forbidden.
Principle 6: Whatever is forbidden or commanded of us, we are bound, according to our position and opportunity, to discourage and encourage others.
Principle 7: There is a priority that is revealed in the order.
Principle 8: These laws are for your good.
Principle 9: What is forbidden is never to be done; what is implied or required is to be done as your have opportunity.
Principle 10: The sum of all the law is LOVE (Romans 13:13).
The Ten Commandments by Thomas Watson: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/the-ten-commandments/
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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It has taken us some time, but our discussion of the Gospel and the Law has finally gotten around to discussing the Law. This week, Dr. John Snyder and Steve Crampton take a look at the first table of the 10 Commandments. They also take a look at a historic, Baptist catechism and John’s initial hesitation to recommending it to the church he and Steve shepherd.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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This week John Snyder and Steve Crampton continue gaining help from John Calvin through his writings on the law. Just a reminder, we are not spending two episodes highlighting Calvin’s quotes because we idolize his words. We do, however agree with Ernie Reisinger that these particular quotes, along with much of Calvin’s writings, are clear and very helpful.
The quotes we are focusing on this week are:
The peculiar office of the Law [is] to summon con- sciences to the judgment-seat of God. John II:140
[On Heb. 10:1] Under the Law was shadowed forth only in rude and imperfect lines what is under the Gospel set forth in living colours and graphically distinct. To
both the same Christ is exhibited, the same righteous- ness, sanctification, and salvation; and the difference only is in the manner of painting or setting them forth. Heb. 222.
When Christ or the Apostles are treating of a perfect life, they always refer believers to the Law. Four Last Books of Moses III:69.
He who is the foundation of the covenant of grace, held also the highest rank in the giving of the Law. Gal. 102.
The law was the grammar of theology, which, after carrying its scholars a short way, handed them over to faith. Gal. 108.
If the Law be separated from Christ, it is a dead letter; Christ alone gives it life. Ezek. II:176, 177.
In all the ceremonies of the Law [faith] beholds the salvation which has been manifested in Christ. John ll :241.
Moses had no other intention than to invite all men to go straight to Christ.
John I:217
What Calvin is illustrating in each of these quotes is that God’s law is truly a treasure to the believer. It shows us how to live a pleasing life to the God Who rescued us. It teaches us what a happy life is. It leads us to repentance. It reveals Christ to us. It makes us lean more heavily upon Christ.
Keache’s Catechism: https://founders.org/library/the-baptist-catechism/
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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Scripture often draws a sharp contrast between the ministry of Moses in the Old Covenant and Christ in the New Covenant. Hebrews says the New Covenant in Christ is so glorious the Old Covenant has no glory in comparison. John, in his gospel, says truth and grace are realized and embodied in Jesus Christ. Reading these without careful attention can lead one to believe the Old and New Covenants in opposition to one another, at war even.
But in reality we have one Bible, one gospel, one God, one salvation. Rather than conflict, there is a wonderful harmony between Christ and Moses, law and grace. A good illustration of that harmony is to think of the law as the root and the New Covenant as fruit. There is a living connection between the two and one would be incomplete without the other.
In the book John Snyder and Steve Crampton are using for this podcast series, The Law and Grace by Ernie Reisinger, there are several quotes from John Calvin we have found incredibly helpful. Due to time, we will only get to half the quotes in this episode. We will discuss the rest of them next week.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
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The way we approach an object reveals what we think of it. Consider a child approaching a plate at dinner filled with broccoli versus that same child approaching a plate with dessert on it. So how do we approach the law of God? Or, to ask a more important question: how does God want us to approach His law?
The first step to answering that question is to realize that the moral law is a reflection of God’s moral perfection. It gives us an expression of God’s character applied to our human experience. Consider that it also expresses God’s authority as Law-Giver.
As we consider our approach the the law, we have to be aware of some ditches we can fall into. For example, we can fall into the ditch of divorcing the law and the gospel. We are tempted to put a deep division between the two. But we must realize it was God the Father, as much as God the Son and the Holy Spirit, who delivered the 10 Commandments to Moses. The law and the gospel are not opposed, though they do have different roles in redemption.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were given one rule to follow. Between their exile from Eden and the days of Moses, what law did they have to obey? Careful readings of Scripture reveal they had the same moral law of God that was codified in the 10 Commandments.
John Snyder and Steve Crampton spent some time on this reality last week. This week builds upon that reality by focusing on the fact that God rightfully commanded obedience to His moral law from all people at all times. This include us under the New Covenant.
This does not denigrate the freedom and liberty Jesus Christ purchased through His obedient life and death. Quite the opposite. By understanding Jesus’ relationship to the law, we know how to walk close with and have true intimacy with God. This understanding helps us see the moral law as indispensably beautiful and a treasure of indescribable glory.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Without a biblical grasp of the law and the gospel, we cannot understand the true magnitude of what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. By minimizing the law, we minimize the grace and mercy that must be poured upon sinners to reconcile us to God.
With that in mind, Dr. John Snyder and Steve Crampton spend this episode discussing the nature of the law before the giving of the 10 commandments. God condemned Cain for murdering his brother, but the command to not murder had not been given yet. However, Cain did not rebuke God for his condemnation, he asked for mercy. He knew it was wrong. There are many more examples.
But what does all this mean for us? It helps us to understand that we serve a righteous Being who has distinguished us from all other created beings, and why we have a conscience that speaks against us and for the righteousness of God.
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, John continues to use Psalm 119:57-61 to lay the foundation for a discussion of the Christian’s relationship to the law.
We heard last week about the foundational importance of having God as our portion. Today, we discuss 3 responses fueled by God as our portion:
- Love and gratitude that lead to obedience
- Dependence on God
- Determination to apply all that we find in His Word
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/CharlesBridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
The Law and the Gospel by Ernie Reisinger: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-law-and-the-gospel/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
In the coming weeks, we will be exploring the topic of the Christian’s relationship to the law. For the next two weeks, John will be visiting Psalm 119:57-61 to help us get a right approach to this question.
The primary question for the believer is to ask if Christ is my only portion? Do I look to other things for fulfillment, for security, for peace? Or do I look to Christ alone? Charles Bridges, in his commentary on Psalm 119, says, “He that chooses God in Christ for his delight and portion, may conclude confidently, that God has chosen him to enjoy Him, and be happy in Him forever.”
After John lays the foundation for this topic from Psalm 119, he will be joined by Steve Crampton for the remainder of the series. You may remember Steve from a previous series on revival.
Steve is a constitutional lawyer and has spent much of his life defending religious liberty in America. His life experience and knowledge will be a great asset as he and John Snyder discuss the relationship between God’s Law and God’s Grace in the life of a believer. This topic has caused much confusion and controversy over the years.
For now, may we pursue Christ as our only portion as we lay a biblical foundation for our discussion of the Christian’s relationship to the law.
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/CharlesBridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology: https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Law-Puritan-Theology-Puritanism/dp/1877611638
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Since the beginning of this podcast, we have often pointed you to the Banner of Truth Trust for very careful, helpful books. That book publisher was started by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a pastor in London in early-mid 1900s.
While we have pointed you to Lloyd-Jones, we have never truly shared one of his sermons. This week in our conclusion of his sermon from Romans 6:18 titled “Servants of Righteousness.” We pray it is a blessing to you.
You can learn more about the life, legacy, and teachings of Martyn Lloyd-Jones in Logic on Fire: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/logic-on-fire?variant=39481137332358
Learn more about the MLJ Trust here: https://www.mljtrust.org/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Since the beginning of this podcast, we have often pointed you to the Banner of Truth Trust for very careful, helpful books. That book publisher was started by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a pastor in London in early-mid 1900s. While we have pointed you to Lloyd-Jones, we have never shared one of his sermons.
So for the next two episodes, we want to share one of John’s favorite sermons from Lloyd-Jones. It is from Romans 6:18 and is titled “Servants of Righteousness.”
You can learn more about the life, legacy, and teachings of Martyn Lloyd-Jones in Logic on Fire: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/logic-on-fire?variant=39481137332358
If you don’t want to wait until next week for the rest of the sermon, click here to visit the MLJ Trust and see the other resources available through the ministry:
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons-online/romans-6-18/servants-of-righteousness/
Learn more about the MLJ Trust here:
https://www.mljtrust.org/
iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mlj-sermons/id819555751
Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mljsermons.mljsermonsappnew&hl=en
Want to watch the Whole Counsel podcast videos? https://youtu.be/gdeF_JN45ho
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This is our final episode focusing on Psalm 119. This week, John hones in on Psalm 119:44-45 with an emphasis on the liberty presented in these two verses. Liberty is a word Americans love to consider, but the cultural definition of that word is often not influenced by Scripture. John gives us six pictures of biblical liberty this week.
For us to be truly free, truly at liberty, we must have safety, provision, inner peace, clarity, freedom to fulfill a purpose, and the ability to do what we most desire to do.
Show notes:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/psalm-119-viii-six-pictures-of-real-liberty
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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Freedom is a precious thing. Throughout history, cultures have valued it and gone to war over it, while many individuals have sacrificed their lives for it. But there is a freedom that is more precious.
In today’s episode of The Whole Counsel, John Snyder discusses the meaning of the true spiritual freedom that is given to believers through Christ.
Psalm 119:44-45
So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.
Show Notes:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/psalm-119-vii-the-meaning-of-true-freedom
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We don’t know when Psalm 119 was written, but we do know it was written after man’s fall. This means the writer knew what it was to experience different seasons of the soul. He knew the warm joy of springtime, and the dreary darkness of winter. The prolonged dark seasons are particularly dangerous for the Christian. But God has given us all that we need in His Word to walk near to Him, even in the darkest of days.
In this week’s episode, John Snyder focuses on Psalm 119:41-42 and discusses how we can pray Scripture in these dark nights of the soul.
May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O Lord,
Your salvation according to Your word;
So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
Psalm 119:41-42
Show Notes:
mediagratiae.org/blog/psalm-119-vi-a-prayer-for-dark-seasons
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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The Christian life must be one of balance. In this particular verse of Psalm 119, we see that balance exemplified between heart and will; between the weight of our desires and emotions versus our duties as children of a King.
This protects us from sentimentalism and legalism. in other words, there is the head aspect of Christianity and the heart aspect. As John Flavel says, the distance between the head and the heart is great, but the distance between the heart and action is short. Psalm 119:10 gives us fuel for prayer to shorten that distance between the head, the heart, and the life.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Psalm 119:10
Show Notes:
https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/psalm-119-v-the-peril-of-half-heartedness
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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We often speak of balance in the Christian life on our podcast. That is especially true this week as we discuss the balance of dependence and action, heart and will. We are called to live holy lives, but we can only do that by leaning wholly on Christ. But there is danger in this reality because the enemy is always present with a lie. He whispers that we shouldn’t pursue holiness because it is impossible for us to do anything that pleases God. But to answer this question, and to pray that God will establish our way, we must look to Scripture alone.
Oh that my ways may be established
To keep Your statutes!
Psalm 119:5
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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Today on the Whole Counsel Podcast, John turns from the introductory observations in the early verses of Psalm 119 to the Godward cries of the Psalmist’s heart that begin in Psalm 119:4-5. Beginning in these verses, we get the chance to follow the Psalmist into his prayer closet; verses 4-5 show us how the Psalmist cries out to God in light of the truths He observed in the opening verses, and they provide a spiritual thermometer for how we ourselves are responding to God.
You have ordained Your precepts, That we are to keep them diligently. Oh that my ways may be established To keep your statutes!
Psalm 119:4-5
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/psalm-119-iii-into-the-psalmists-prayer-closet
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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What does an appropriate balance between heart, mind, and life look like for the Christian? What role does the law play in the Christian’s life? How should we approach Psalm 119? In today’s episode of the Whole Counsel, John discusses these topics and addresses an important issue that is foundational to understanding this Psalm as we continue our new series with a look at Psalm 119:1-4.
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
Who walk in the law of the Lord.
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
Who seek Him with all their **heart.
They also do no unrighteousness;
They walk in His ways.
You have ordained Your precepts,
That we should keep them diligently (Psalm 119:1-4).
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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We bring our short series on Christian liberty to an early close this week to begin a series on Psalm 119. As individuals, a team, and a body at Christ Church New Albany, we have been studying Psalm 119 and found truths that have greatly encouraged us and benefitted our souls. Now, we want to share those truths with you.
As John explains in this introductory episode, these episodes are going to be shorter than our typical length. That is intentional. We want these to be very focused episodes you can listen to and carry the truths contained in them with you throughout the day. But more importantly, our prayer is that these episodes will lead you to meditate on, be encouraged by, and apply the treasure trove of truths found in Psalm 119.
The Golden Alphabet by Charles Spurgeon: (PDF) https://www.spurgeongems.org/chs_golden-alphabet.pdf Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Alphabet-Charles-H-Spurgeon/dp/1683072804
Exposition of Psalm 119 by Charles Bridges:
https://www.grace-ebooks.com/library/Charles Bridges/CBr_Exposition of Psalm 119.pdf
Physical Book: https://www.amazon.com/Exposition-Psalms-119-Charles-Bridges/dp/1479242381/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HOP2QYZBFYUD&keywords=exposition+of+psalm+119&qid=1646843189&s=books&sprefix=exposition+of+psalm+119%2Cstripbooks%2C139&sr=1-1
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This week’s episode is a bit different from our usual setup. To begin, we are back in John’s office, but not like we have ever been before. This week you get to John’s office as it usually is, piled with books. But there is a method to our madness: we want to highlight some of the messy edges of the Christian life, particularly in the area of Christian liberty.
This week, we will be considering the question: when believers disagree, how do we know if activities or hobbies are part of our Christian liberty or if they are sinful? God does not have grey areas, so why is it okay for some people to enjoy certain things while others feel as though they can’t? In answer to this question, John Snyder presents six roadsigns, or principles, for us to consider in the realm of Christian liberty.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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To purchase “Living with the True God: Lesson from Judges,” click here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/living-with-the-true-god-lessons-from-judges-media-gratiae-online-course
This is the final episode of highlighting materials Media Gratiae has produced outside our podcast network. Up to this point, we have presented you with previously released studies. But this week, we are pleased to present to you the first session of a brand new study walking through the book of Judges and taught by Dr. John Snyder.
The study is “Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges.” Through these seven weeks, Dr. Snyder examines many of the important realities found in this strange book that have countless implications and application to our modern lives, families, and churches.
“Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges” is available for digital access right now! We will have physical DVDs and workbooks available in the coming months. Covid has slowed our production down. Make sure you are subscribed to our emails list and connected with us through social media so you will be alerted when physical studies have been manufactured.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Special Episode: Family Worship For this week’s special episode, we present a study written and taught by Dr. Ryan Bush on the discipline of family worship. The ancient practice is largely lost in our modern Christian communities. But it is slowly being rediscovered by families across the globe. However, many need help to understand its importance and build it into the rhythm of their home.
In this 8-week study, Dr. Bush teaches that Scripture is filled with an assumption that family worship would be conducted regularly in the context of everyday life. Each session ends with a discussion where Dr. Bush answers challenging questions about how to start and maintain family worship.
As with previous studies, we are discounting A Practical Guide to Family Worship on our website. Just visit https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/family-worship-study-guide-bundle to get your copy.
Next week, we will not present to you a previously published study, but something brand new!
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Having spent two episodes introducing you to our first two studies, we now take a look at our latest documentary and film combination we made with Dr. Jeff Johnson.
In The Church Bible Study Set, we seek to present the story of God's faithfulness as seen in 2,000 years of New Testament history. Over the course of this 12-week study, we take you to Carthage, Rome, Switzerland, Geneva, England, and more.
This week's episode is one of the 12 sessions from The Church. Shot in front of Canterbury Cathedral in England, Dr. Johnson teaches about the marks of a true church. For this week, we have knocked the price of The Church Bible Study Set down.
You can see the discount and purchase the study for yourself at https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/the-church?variant=34713462112390.
Many of you know Media Gratiae through our podcast network, but we do much more. We have also produced documentary films and multimedia Bible studies.
Every year we take a few weeks to present you with some of the teachings we have produced over the years. This week we want to highlight our second study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
This is session one: Knowing the God Who is Incomprehensible. In this session, Dr. John Snyder teaches that there are truths about God that we will never fully understand. But, far from allowing that to be a discouragement to us, it should be a fuel that drives us to an even deeper study of our King.
Because we are highlighting this study on The Whole Counsel, we are discounting it 20% off its normal price. The sale will end when next week’s episode is published.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Many of you know Media Gratiae through our podcast network, but we do much more. We have also produced documentary films and multimedia Bible studies.
Every year we take a few weeks to present you with some of the teachings we have produced over the years. This week we want to highlight our first 12-week study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically.
This is session one: Beholding God: The Great Attraction. In this session, John is in Chicago, Illinois to introduce A. W. Tozer. If you have been through this study, we pray it is a reminder of the things God taught you through this 12 weeks. If you have never been through the study, may it whet your appetite for more.
If you would like, you can find more information about Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically at https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/behold-your-god-13-dvd-set?variant=6841429637
Because we are highlighting this study on The Whole Counsel, we are discounting the study at the link above 10% normal price. The sale will end when next week’s episode is published.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This is the fifth and final episode of John Snyder and Steve Crampton discussing revival. Last week they introduced a little book called The Causes of the Lord’s Wrath against Scotland Manifested in His Sad, Late Dispensations. In that book, Presbyterian pastors across Scotland joined together to discuss why God’s wrath was being poured out on Scotland. They didn’t point to the rebellious culture, but to themselves and their own sins.
To aid in their repentance, they pointed out particular sins they were guilty of and then joined together in congregational repentance. In this episode, John and Steve pick some of the confessions they find most applicable to our day and time.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/consider-revival-v
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After three weeks of looking at Old Testament accounts of God’s nearness—what we would call “revival” today—John Snyder and Steve Crampton begin this week to examine a historical revival mentioned earlier in the series.
This revival took place in Scotland in the 17th century. Before it began, a group of Scottish Presbyterians ministers came together for their annual session. They saw the need for revival in their land, so they assigned men to preach. However, the focus of their sermons was not to be the evil of the land or the rebellion of that nation against God: they were to lead this group of ministers in repentance for their own sins.
In this episode, John and Steve discuss the importance of being a repenter who preaches repentance. And this need isn’t just for pastors—it is for every person whom God has entrusted with spiritual influence over others. You may be a Sunday school teacher, a parent, or a Christian with a little brother or sister. If you are a Christian and a leader, pay close attention to the example of these ministers and lead the way of repentance.
The Fulfilling of Scripture by Robert Fleming: https://www.amazon.com/Fulfilling-Scripture-Robert-Fleming/dp/1362156655
The Works of Jonathan Edwards: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/the-works-of-jonathan-edwards/
Causes of the Lord’s Wrath Against Scotland: https://www.covenanter.org/reformed/2016/5/13/causes-of-the-lords-wrath-against-scotland
Words to Winners of Souls: https://prpbooks.com/book/words-to-winners-of-souls
*The audio this week is a little “off.” Due to a technical difficulty, we had to use our secondary audio. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Hezekiah, as John and Steve discussed last week, was not a perfect king. But he was faithful. He trusted in the Lord and His hand. He destroyed the idols and returned the people of Israel to worshiping God as He prescribed.
But in the midst of this revival, Sennacherib began attacking Hezekiah’s kingdom. He threatened to destroy the land, the people, and even the God of the people. We can only imagine the fear and trepidation Hezekiah and his people must have felt. But they turned the lies of their enemy into prayer to the Lord and He answered in a miraculous way.
In the end, Sennacherib was shown to be a liar and God was proved faithful again. So it is the Christian life.
The story of Hezekiah is one of God's faithfulness. The king came from a line of wicked fathers who abandoned God. But Hezekiah's heart was turned toward God and He drew near to His people. We would call that a revival. In this episode, John and Steve Crampton discuss this Old Testament revival and how we can prepare for revival but never obligate God to it.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/consider-revival-ii
Revival: A People Saturated with God: https://www.christianbook.com/revival-a-people-saturated-with-god/brian-edwards/9781846256431/pd/256433
Want to watch instead of listen? Subscribe to the Media Gratiae YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
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We are all aware of the story of Nineveh, but how many of us every looked to this story to learn how we should pray for revival? John is joined by Steve Crampton, a member of Christ Church New Albany, to see what we can learn from Jonah and the pagans of Nineveh.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/consider-revival-nineveh
Link to Lord I Agree:
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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When Jordan came into the studio to record a few episodes, he and John recorded a bonus episode. They begin discussing the founding of Jordan's church in Memphis, TN. The duo also discuss some encouraging practices that have come from a resurgence of reformed doctrine, but also some dangers associated with that.
If you want to check out the Hebrews series John and Jordan talked through, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgUYzycx9N0&list=PLW0xuCgknPDPfNs5LWW4WoEXBg5wJtC0R
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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We spent three weeks skipping along the surface of Hebrews. There is so much more we would love to say. But we take a turn in this episode to see how God applied the priestly work of Jesus to the life of one sinner: Jordan Thomas. Like so many in our evangelical culture, Jordan prayed a prayer as a child and thought he was a Christian. But the Lord, in His kindness, showed Jordan the depth of his sin and used genuine Christ-followers to lead him to repentance. Jordan and John also benefited from the wonderful discipleship of a mutual friend.
Because We Love Him: https://www.amazon.com/Because-We-Love-Him-Embracing/dp/1576738655
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/gods-kindness-to-one-sinner
Check our Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews: https://www.gracechurchmemphis.com/sermons?offset=1256490000645&tag=Book%3A+Hebrews
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This week we return to our series on Hebrews with Jordan Thomas. We spent the first episode on the first chapter of the epistle and the second contemplating the command to look upon Jesus. In this episode, John and Jordan take a look at Hebrews 10 and Jesus' bloody, complete, and perfect sacrifice.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-offering-of-the-body-of-jesus
Check our Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews: https://www.gracechurchmemphis.com/sermons?offset=1256490000645&tag=Book%3A+Hebrews
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Last week we talked with Jeremy Walker about the first five of six principles in having a balanced reading diet in 2022. This week we pick up with the sixth principle and then get to our annual recommended books list.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/recommended-reading-for-2022
Check out Jeremy's podcasts:
The Heart of Spurgeon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon/id1546109129
A Word in Season:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDN2f0LSE4JiVmtrZtB6zsib
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-word-in-season-with-jeremy-walker/id1511364782
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App (along with both of Jeremy's podcasts): https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
We love books. That is no secret to anyone who has been watched or listened to Media Gratiae over the years. And for long-time viewers, you know we take one or two episodes every year to share some book recommendations for the upcoming year.
This year we called on Jeremy Walker to join us in our book recommendation episodes. We will get to specific books next week, but we wanted to spend this week discussing the first five of six principles to keep in mind when reading books. There is a way to read books that will bring benefit to your soul, and there is a way to waste your opportunity of reading. We want to encourage good principles and warn of dangerous ones.
Check out Jeremy's podcasts:
The Heart of Spurgeon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-heart-of-spurgeon/id1546109129
A Word in Season:
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0xuCgknPDN2f0LSE4JiVmtrZtB6zsib
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-word-in-season-with-jeremy-walker/id1511364782
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App (along with both of Jeremy's podcasts): https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
John continues discussing the book of Hebrews with Jordan Thomas this week. Taking their cues from Hebrews 12, John and Jordan discuss how we are to live our lives looking unto Jesus.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him (Hebrews 12:1-3a).
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/looking-unto-jesus
Theodore Monod pamphlet: https://bibletruthpublishers.com/looking-unto-jesus/t-monod/lbd23749
Check our Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews:
https://www.gracechurchmemphis.com/sermons/category/Looking+Unto+Jesus
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week John is joined by long-time friend and fellow minister Jordan Thomas. You may recognize Jordan as a contributor to the studies Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically and Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
John and Jordan are going to spend the next few weeks discussing the descriptions of Jesus found in the book of Hebrews. This week's discussion focuses on Hebrews 1 and the 32 (at least) descriptions of Jesus in those 14 verses.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-jar-dropping-beauty-of-Jesus
Check our Jordan's sermon series on Hebrews: https://www.gracechurchmemphis.com/sermons?offset=1256490000645&tag=Book%3A+Hebrews
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week, John and Chuck are back with the series on Salvation in Full Color, looking at the last sermon of Salvation in Full Color called “Final Warning” by Asahel Nettleton.
You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/Go1D_F57P1Y
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/final-warning
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
This week, John and Chuck are back with the series on Salvation in Full Color, looking at a sermon on divine retribution by Jonathan Edwards. It’s an extraordinary kindness that, if all of humanity is heading into judgment, we are given a warning in time to turn away from this end! The One who gives us (His enemies) the warning is the only Being who fully understands what is coming and has provided a way of rescue.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/divine-retribution
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week John and Chuck discuss the only sermon in Salvation in Full Color preached by a Baptist pastor. We don't know much about Isaac Chanler, but what we do know is very encouraging. At the heart of the very practical sermon, Chanler encourages believers simple to cling to Christ. This is the heart of sanctification and sanctification is the heart of this sermon.
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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William Tennent, Jr. (1705-1777) was the son of William Tennent I, a 17th-century pastor in America and founder of the Log College. Early in life, William Tennent, Jr. was deeply impressed with a sense of divine things and soon determined to devote his life to the ministry of the gospel.
He served as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Freehold. For love of Christ, we persevere, walk in the way He first walked. Perseverance is more than just doing our duty. There ought to be an earnestness in our following Christ. Every other pursuit in life should pale in comparison with our seeking Christ. Ask yourself if you have grown in your Christian walk in the last six months. If you are discouraged, do not give up. But rather, look to Christ, repent, and devote yourself again to Him. Seek to honor Christ with your life. Remember that you are presenting Him to the world around you. Make sure Scripture is your guide. Every Christian will reach the finish line. It won’t be easy, but it will happen. If you want to run the race well, love Christ more. Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/perseverance_of_the_saints
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get
The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Our producer is taking some time off to be with his newborn daughter this week. Because we have family on our minds and hearts, we wanted to present to you again the episode John recorded with Ryan Bush on Family Worship.
You can find the Family Worship study here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/family-worship-study-guide
Check out Ryan's Hymn Stories and other Media Gratiae podcasts here: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Sewall defines love to God as “a grace of the Spirit whereby we esteem and desire God above all and cleave to Him as to our chief good with holy delight from a spiritual sight of His most amiable perfections, as manifested in His word and works, and in the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We don’t, by nature, love God or find Him desirable. It is only by a work of the Spirit who changes us to see God as desirable that we can love Him.
Let the children of God abound more and more in their love to Him. There is no danger of exceeding where the object is infinitely excellent and gloriously superior. To make the fire burn, oh, remember God has loved you with an everlasting love and with loving-kindness he has drawn you to Himself. It is this love of God to us, that precedes any love we have to Him, that makes us love Him back.
Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/love-to-God
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
What happens when God gives spiritual life to a rebellious sinner? What do we mean by the word conversion? John Blair helps us answer these questions, and gives us many more questions to ask regarding the rescuing of fallen people in this week's sermon.
Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/conversion
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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God adopting fallen, rebellious humans is one of the most powerful displays of His love. In this very detailed sermon by John Tennent, John and Chuck discuss how human adoption differs from God's adoption and how it applies to every crevice of our lives.
Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/adoption
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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In this final servant song, God gives us a shocking description of His perfect servant. He tells us, through the prophet Isaiah, that although His servant is of infinite worth and glory will be esteemed by worthless men as worthless. He will be rejected by man, but His sacrifice will be accepted by the Father.
Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-vi
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If you were describe the coming Messiah, where would you begin? Isaiah begins in a strange place. He starts with the effective ministry of Jesus. He compares the perfect Servant of God with the failing servant in Israel. He contrasts the suffering of Israel due to their sinfulness and Jesus' suffering due to His obedience. There is a great deal to consider in this week episode of The Whole Counsel.
Show Notes for the full episode: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-v
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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This week we are continuing our series through the Servant Songs of Isaiah. The song in Isaiah 49 is unique because in it we get a glimpse of the internal thoughts of Jesus Christ, His prayers to the Father, and the Father's response to Him. There is great deal we can learn about how to pray, how to respond to God in faith, and how to walk the path Jesus walked during His earthly life.
To read the show notes of this episode, visit www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-songs-iv.
For more podcast content like this, check out www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
Did you know you can get the audio and video of The Whole Counsel a day early? Download the official Media Gratiae app to access all the Media Gratiae podcasts and stay up-to-date on our latest studies and special discount available only in our app: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Having gone through the backdrop and context of the Servant Songs, this week John begins discussing the first of the songs in Isaiah 42. As John says, this song is like a slowly brightening sunrise.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-songs-iii
Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
John is continuing his small detour from Salvation in Full Color to discuss the four Servant Songs from Isaiah. But before we dive into the texts themselves, there is still a bit of foundational work we need to do.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-ii
Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Chuck is still on vacation and rather than moving forward with Salvation in Full Color without him, we decided to start a short series walking through the Servant Songs of Isaiah. This week John gives important information that we need to have before going into the specific chapters.
Check out the Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-i
Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
This week Chuck is on vacation with his family. John wanted to take the opportunity and present you with a trustworthy ministry that has been a blessing to him for decades. That ministry is Chapel Library, a ministry of Mount Zion Bible Church.
Listen to this week's episode to learn about how Chapel Library will send you solid, trustworthy resources with a very unique payment method.
Visit Chapel Library directly here: https://www.chapellibrary.org
Learn more by checking out our show notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/chapel-library
Samuel Blair was a godly minister and used by the Lord in the Second Great Awakening. He was also a teacher. Blair was much heavier on the doctrine than the application.
Blair’s sermon is entitled “The Gospel-Method of Salvation” and his text is Romans 10:4: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
- The nature of true faith in Christ.
- The necessity of faith in Christ for justification.
- The glory and excellency of God’s method of justification.
Is faith a work? It’s essential, yes. But it is not meritorious. Our faith does not earn us anything. But faith unites us to a Person, to Christ. Faith is a gift from the Lord, but a gift we must exercise.
You can purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color here: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/justification-by-faith
For more Christian podcasts like this, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
“Repent, you must either in time or eternity, upon earth, or in hell. You cannot possibly avoid it. The question is not, Shall I repent? for that is beyond a doubt. But the question is, “Shall I repent now when it may reform and save me; or shall I put it off to the eternal world, when my repentance will be my punishment, and can answer no end but to torment me?” And is this a hard question? Does not common sense determine it in favour of the present time? Therefore, let the duty be as extensively observed as it is commanded: Let all men everywhere repent.”
— SAMUEL DAVIES
This week Chuck and John are back in the studio to discuss the sermon The Nature and Necessity of True Repentance by Samuel Davies, in which we are presented with five realities of repentance.
You can purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color here: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/repentance
For more Christian podcasts like this, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
John and Chuck are taking a much-needed week off. We thought the time would be best used to reintroduce new listeners to the book we are taking a long soak in on The Whole Counsel, titled Salvation in Full Color.
In this inaugural episode of The Whole Counsel (previously The Behold Your God Podcast) John introduces several of the changes to the podcast. We are in a new location, we have a new cohost (welcome Chuck Baggett) and we have a new sound.
Get your copy of Salvation in Full Color here: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
For more content like this, including other great podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
John and Chuck have mentioned a few times the importance of the order of the sermons presented in Salvation in Full Color. This week bears the fruit of that importance as it is the first sermon describing the sinner's response to God's rights, our need of regeneration, and the hope of the work of the Spirit.
In Seeking the Lord, Devereux Jarratt explains that having a right grasp of God's sovereignty and power will lead to a seeking of Him. Beat against the doors of heaven, in faith, until God answers.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blogs/seeking-the-lord
Get your copy of Salvation in Full Color here: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Want to watch John and Chuck record the podcast? Check out the Media Gratiae YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/mediagratiae.
For more Christian podcasts like this, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
We have mentioned the beauty and importance of hymns before, but in this special episode, John is joined by Ryan Bush, host of the podcast Hymn Stories, a weekly podcast that gives a glimpse into the lives and stories behind our favorite hymns. During their conversation, John and Ryan discuss why they use hymns in their corporate, family, and private worship over praise choruses and other Christian music. They also discuss how to overcome the difficulties of archaic language and unfamiliar melodies.
Subscribe to Hymn Stories with Ryan Bush on your favorite podcast app. For links to several podcast platforms, check out: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/hymn-stories
For more information about International Church Planters/Didache Institutes: http://intlchurchplanters.squarespace.com
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/hymn-stories
This week John sits down with Ryan Bush, editor of the Guide to Family Worship and teacher of the Practical Guide to Family Worship Bible Study Set. The duo discuss their experiences and obstacles to leading their families in worship and give practical tips you can apply right now to leading your family in the worship of the living God.
International Church Planters: http://intlchurchplanters.squarespace.com
Hymn Stories: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts-1/hymn-stories
Practical Guide to Family Worship Bible Study Set: https://www.mediagratiae.org/family-worship-study-guide
Guide to Family Worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/a-guide-to-family-worship?variant=31479935402118
Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in turning someone from a person who hates the law of God to someone who loves to meditate on it night and day? George Whitefield explains that while spending a great deal of his time pleading with sinners to cry out to the Holy Spirit to do the work that only He can do.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blogs/the-work-of-the-holy-spirit
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
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What is the effectual calling of the Lord to a rebellious soul? What makes it different than the normal conviction someone feels when listening to a sermon or reading Scripture? While the term may be unfamiliar in today's culture, its reality has been experienced by every true Christian.
Purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blogs/effectual-calling
Rather watch instead of listen? https://youtu.be/w_AUMJwd_x8
Get the podcast a day early and keep up with all Media Gratiae news on our app: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app
Chuck and Teddy conclude their discussion on the qualifications of elders and deacons in this week's episode. While there are specifics edicts, the principle behind each of them is that an elder and deacons must be a man "above reproach."
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/elders-and-deacons-part-ii
Chuck's Sermons: https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sortby=added&sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=ccna&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=The+Church
Al Martin's Pastoral Theology: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/pastoral-theology-the-man-of-god-three-volume-set-martin.html
This week Chuck is joined by Teddy James to discuss the importance of an elder's character. Chuck has been preaching through the qualifications of elders and deacons for several weeks at Christ Church New Albany.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/elders-and-deacons
Al Martin's three-volume set: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/pastoral-theology-the-man-of-god-three-volume-set-martin.html
Richard Owen Roberts says regeneration is one of the most important doctrines American Evangelicalism must reexamine. That is a bold statement, but it bears much truth. This week's sermon by Jonathan Dickinson, "The Nature and Necessity of Regeneration" is a prime example of how much understanding we lack when it comes to this doctrine.
For show notes, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-shekels-ii
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
In this concluding episode of 10 Shekels and a Shirt, Paris Reidhead takes a deep dive into what is wrong with a man-centered gospel. John also shares his first exposure to this sermon and how God used it in the early life of Christ Church New Albany.
For the text of the sermon and show notes, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-shekels-ii.
For the next two weeks, we want to present you with one of the most beneficial sermons John has ever heard. Preached by Paris Reidhead in 1965, the sermon's title is 10 Shekels and a Shirt. In the sermon, Reidhead tackles some very big issues and points us to Christ.
Show Notes: mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-sheckels
For more Christian podcasts like this, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
When it comes to the atonement of Christ's death, we are again presented with the importance of grasping the bigness of God, our sin, and His love. But what is the atonement and how can the death of one man atone for all the sins of every Christian in history? These are weighty questions deserving of a weighty conversation. For help in this, John and Chuck are looking to a sermon from Solomon Stoddard in the book Salvation in Full Color.
Watch John and Chuck record the podcast here: https://youtu.be/spdXy8iPxk8
To purchase your copy of Salvation in Full Color, http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-atonement
For more Christian podcasts: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
A few months ago we recorded a special episode with our friend Joel Tiegreen. Joel served as a missionary to the country of Turkey for five years. While there he was diagnosed with cancer. In the discussion, we asked how we could pray for Joel and he asked that we pray he would finish his race well.
On Tuesday, April 13, Joel finished his race well. We wanted to present this discussion to you again to hear again Joel's descriptions of the faithfulness of our Lord and the kindness He poured out upon Joel in the midst of great pain and suffering.
Continue praying for Joel's wife, Emily, and their family as they grieve and mourn a tremendous loss. If you would like to help in concrete ways, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/joel-tiegreen-cancer-support/.
"God loves you." That statement, divorced of the knowledge of the character of God or depth of man's depravity, is empty. But after spending time learning who God is and seeing Him as He presents Himself in Scripture, and contrasting His pure holiness to our rebellion and wickedness, it has an indescribably deep beauty. Why does God love us? For how long will God love us? What can make God stop loving us? All of these are discussed in this week's sermon by John Witherspoon.
Show notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/divine-love
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
Anyone who has been around The Whole Counsel long enough will know we love reading from the old writers and preachers. We believe there are incredible benefits to reading from men and women who were particularly gifted by God to speak truth into their times.
But as much as we love reading them, we are aware there are ditches we can easily fall into. To help discuss these benefits and dangers, Jeremy Walker, host of A Word in Season and From the Heart of Spurgeon podcasts, joins John via video call.
For more episodes, and to see Jeremy's podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/benefits-and-dangers-of-reading-old-writers
Salvation is no easy feat for man. In fact, it is impossible for man to save himself. It is a work only God can do. But that begs the question, why. Why is it so hard for man to be saved? Why is it impossible for man to save himself? John and Chuck dissect the sermon The Righteous are Scarcely Saved by Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen in this week's The Whole Counsel Podcast.
You can find the text of the sermon, more episodes, and likeminded podcasts at www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
Why does sin bother the Christian? It is because God gives His children an understanding of the ugliness of sin that an unbeliever simply cannot grasp. David's prayer, "Against you and you only have I sinned." is incomprehensible to one who does not understand sin. Presenting a biblical picture of sin is the point of Joseph Bellamy's sermon that John and Chuck are discussing in this week's podcast episode.
To purchase a copy of Salvation in Full Color and to see show notes, visit www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-heinousness-of-sin.
For other episodes and like-minded podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
Few doctrines have been so misunderstood and abused than that of total depravity. However, it is an important truth we must wrestle with in our pursuit of seeing salvation in full color. In this week's episode, John Snyder and Chuck Baggett highlight a sermon preached by Gilbert Tennent titled "The Wretched State of the Unconverted."
For show notes, visit www.mediagratiae.org/blog/total-depravity
For more episodes and likeminded podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
In this week's episode, John and Chuck discuss a sermon preached by Samuel Hopkins on the Law of God. The Law of God is an expression of God's character. It is perfect, infinite, authoritative, and beautiful to the believer. It is hated, despised, and ugly to the unbeliever. Hopkins give help to how we should understand and apply God's law to our New Testament stance with God and seven questions we should ask ourselves to see if we are right with God or if we simply have religion.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/the-law-of-god
For more episodes and likeminded podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
John and Chuck are beginning their slow walk through the book Salvation in Full Color. This week the discuss a sermon by Timothy Dwight on the character of God. John and Chuck share why this is the most important place for us to begin.
For more episodes and like minded podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
In this inaugural episode of The Whole Counsel (previously The Behold Your God Podcast) John introduces several of the changes to the podcast. We are in a new location, we have a new cohost (welcome Chuck Baggett) and we have a new sound. But lots of things are staying the same. We are still discussing the same eternal truths and we are still looking to writers and pastors of the past for help.
This week John and Chuck introduce the source material we will be using over the next several weeks. This book is Salvation in Full Color. Links to where you can find are at www.mediagratiae.org.
For more content like this, including other great podcasts, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
Pick up your copy of Salvation in Full Color: http://www.rorbooks.com/index.php/product/salvation-in-full-color-twenty-sermons-by-great-awakening-preachers/
Rather watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mediagratiae
Order A Practical Guide to Family Worship here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/family-worship-study-guide
In this episode of the Behold Your God Podcast, Ryan Bush leads us through the first session of the new project by Media Gratiae: A Practical Guide to Family Worship.
Also a special note: This will be the final episode of the Behold Your God Podcast. Don't worry, we will still produce new episodes, but it will be under a new name with John and a new cohost. Check back here next week for the first episode of the new podcast.
We are taking a few weeks to present to you the teachings Media Gratiae has produced over the years. This week's special episode is from Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God's small group teachings.
This session is taught by John Snyder and focuses on the Puritan teachings on Revival and Awakening.
Learn more about Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/originals/products/puritan-deluxe
We are taking a few weeks off to present to you past teachings from Media Gratiae. This week's special episode from our latest project: The Church.
Learn more about The Church here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/originals/products/the-church
We are taking a few weeks to highlight the teaching Media Gratiae has produced through our studies. This week's special episode comes from our second major study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
This particular session is Week One: Knowing the God Who is Incomprehensible.
Purchase Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/originals/products/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty-13-dvd-set
We wanted to take a few weeks to present a series of special episodes highlighting the teaching from various products produced by Media Gratiae.
For this week’s special episode, we present to you the first session of Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. In it, John introduces A.W. Tozer, and discusses how Jesus Christ is the great attraction to the Christian life.
Learn more about Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically at bit.ly/BYGRethinkingGodBiblically
As we begin a new year, we wanted to present some thoughts on deep reading in 2021. John highlights resources for taking a long soak in one book of Scripture, the strengths and weaknesses of reading all the works of one Christian author, and much more. You can find links to everything mentioned at www.mediagratiae.org.
As we did last week, we want to present you to a sermon Dr. John Snyder preached at Christ Church New Albany. These two messages are specifically given to draw out hearts to Christ and to see anew how He makes reconciliation with God the Father possible for us.
Subscribe to the Christ Church New Albany YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRId3R2ruI4jqMKeP6oo1ow
Media Gratiae: www.mediagratiae.org
For the next two weeks are presenting two sermon John preached at Christ Church New Albany. We feel these sermons are timely and will serve you better than turning them into podcast episodes. We hope you benefit from them as much as we have. Subscribe to the Christ Church New Albany YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRId3R2ruI4jqMKeP6oo1ow
Media Gratiae: www.mediagratiae.org
John speaks this week to Joel Tiegreen. Joel served as a missionary to Turkey for several years until he received a terminal diagnosis of cancer. John talks to Joel about his suffering and the Lord's kindness in it. Joel served for five years as a missionary to Turkey. He fully expected to die in that foreign land presenting people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But following a devastating diagnosis of terminal cancer, he came back to America for treatment. In this season, God has not abandoned Joel, his wife, or their five children. God has proved faithful and true through it all.
This is one of our favorite episodes of the year! This week we present to you our 2020 book Recommendations. For help this year, John has brought in Chuck Bagget and Acey Floyd. For a full list of the books, and links to where you can purchase them, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/2020-book-recommendations
John is in Radford, Virginia this week for the HeartCry Missionary Society board meeting. While there, he recorded a podcast with Anthony Mathenia. Anthony is pastor of Christ Church Radford and a contributor to many Media Gratiae studies.
Subscribe to HeartCry's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Heartcrymedia
Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically
https://www.mediagratiae.org/behold-your-god-rethinking-god-biblically
Teddy and Jeremy finish their conversation about the Charles Spurgeon sermon "Compel them to come in." The emphasis of this discussion is the progression of argument Spurgeon makes in his pleading sinners to come to Christ.
Jeremy's lively reading of "Compel Them to Come In:" https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=11920648192064
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon Feature Edition: bit.ly/Feat3Pack
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6R96XhPaA
Teddy continues talking with Jeremy Walker this week about Charles Spurgeon's sermon "Compel Them to Come In."
Listen to a lively recording of the sermon here: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=11920648192064
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God: https://www.mediagratiae.org/puritan
As we look toward the holiday season, many believers will be having meals with unbelieving loved ones. How do we approach them with the gospel? This week begins a new series where Teddy talks with Jeremy Walker through a sermon by Charles Spurgeon where obeys the command to compel strangers to the gospel to come to Christ.
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon: bit.ly/Feat3Pack
You can watch Through the Eyes of Spurgeon free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6R96XhPaA&t=4s
This week Teddy is back with Dr. Jeffrey Johnson. Last week the two shared stories from making The Church Project. This week they discuss the importance of understanding the history of the Church.
Show Notes - https://mediagratiae.org
The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth - https://bit.ly/church-study-set
This week Teddy is outside of John's office again. This time he is talking to Dr. Jeff Johnson, author and host of Media Gratiae's The Church project.
This week Teddy continues a conversation with Ryan Bush about family worship.
Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically: bit.ly/BYGRethinkingGodBiblically
Guide to Family Worship: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/originals/products/a-guide-to-family-worship?variant=31479935402118
This week, we’re beginning a new series on family worship with Ryan Bush. Ryan is the editor of A Guide to Family Worship and the President of International Church Planters | Didache Institutes.
International Church Planters: http://intlchurchplanters.squarespace.com
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God: bit.ly/PURITANDeluxe
This week we finish our series on presenting the gospel to our children. We have discussed how to speak the whole counsel of truth on a child's level, but now we focus on on how to cope with and respond to children who reject the gospel.
For more information about The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/originals/products/the-church
This week we continue our series-within-a-series in discussion how we can present the gospel to our children. For help in this episode we are looking to Philip Doddridge's and his writing, "Teaching Children about God."
The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth bit.ly/church-preorder
Scripture says Jesus was grieved when the disciples prevented children from coming to Jesus. In this week's episode, John and Teddy discuss a sermon by Edward Payson where he details several ways parents can intentionally and unintentionally prevent their children from coming to Christ.
Show Notes: https://mediagratiae.org
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God - bit.ly/PURITANDeluxe
John and Teddy continue their series-within-a-series this week. After spending several episodes diving deep into the realities of regeneration, they felt it necessary to take a step back and examine how to present the gospel to children. For help this week they are looking to a sermon preached by Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
For show notes and the full sermon, visit mediagratiae.org.
For more information about The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth - bit.ly/church-preorder
After spending several weeks in conversation about the details of God's work in regeneration, John and Teddy felt it necessary to take a few episodes and focus on how we can bring these deep, beautiful realities to children. For help this week we are looking at a pamphlet published by Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org.
As we continue our series on the influence of the Puritans on the Great Awakening (US) and the Evangelical Revival (UK), we’re looking at God’s work in regeneration.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/puritans-revival-divine-initiative
As we continue our series on the influence of the Puritans on the Great Awakening (US) and the Evangelical Revival (UK), we’re looking more closely at the doctrine of regeneration.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/puritans-revival-gods-work-in-regeneration
As we continue our series on the influence of the Puritans on the Great Awakening (US) and the Evangelical Revival (UK), we’re focusing on the importance of regeneration. This week, we’re looking at its definition.
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/puritans-revival-defining-regeneration
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God bit.ly/PURITANDeluxe
Both the Puritans and leaders of the Great Awakening spent a great deal of time surveying Scripture for and meditating on God's work in regeneration. Their experiences led them to observe and acknowledge some patterns God typically used in bringing sinner to faith and repentance. This week John and Teddy begin discussing these observable patterns.
The Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth - bit.ly/church-preorder
Show Notes - www.mediagratiae.org
With John and Teddy have completed their focus on the correct type of knowledge, the move on to how God uses the proper knowledge of Himself in a sinner, regeneration.
Show Notes: mediagratiae.org
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon: bit.ly/Feat3Pack
John and Teddy continue walking through the Puritan influence on the Great Awakening and Evangelical Revival of the 18th century. This week is actually a continuation of last week's conversation as they ran out of time.
Show notes: mediagratiae.org
American Gospel: Christ Alone: bit.ly/Feat3Pack
John and Teddy continue their conversation about the influence of Puritans on the Great Awakening and Evangelical Revival, this week focusing on how the leaders of these movements differentiated between types of knowledge.
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org
Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically: bit.ly/BYGRethinkingGodBiblically
Show Notes: www.mediagrtiae.org
After taking a break for several weeks, John and Teddy are getting back to talking about the influence on Puritans on the Great Awakening. But before we pick up where we left off, we wanted to give you a refresher of how we started this series. So this week we are reairing the first episode of this series. Next week we will pick up with new discussions.
This week John and Chuck finalize the Fear of the Lord series. If you haven't seen previous episodes, let us encourage you to go back and listen to the discuss from the beginning. In this final episode, John and Chuck focus on how believers and unbelievers should cry out to God for the gift of the fear of the Lord.
Puritan: bit.ly/PURITANDeluxe
Show Notes: mediagratiae.org
How is fearing God for our termporal and eternal good? John and Chuck discuss this biblical idea in this week's episode of the Behold Your God Podcast.
Weight of Majesty: bit.ly/BYGWeightofMajesty
Show Notes: mediagratiae.org
Scripture commands the fearing of God in multiple places. It is the beginning of wisdom. It is for our good. It is also our refuge. John and Chuck continue their discussion on fearing God in this week's episode.
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon: bit.ly/Feat3Pack
Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org
This week John is joined by his fellow elder at Christ Church New Albany, Chuck Bagget. During the Coronavirus isolation when many churches were not meeting together, including Christ Church New Albany, Chuck preached a series of sermons on fearing God. We thought they were so helpful we wanted to get him on the podcast to talk about the content.
Show Notes - mediagratiae.org/blog
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God - bit.ly/PURITANDeluxe
Watch the podcast here: youtube.com/mediagratiae
John and Teddy conclude their series focusing on man's greatest plague. If you missed any of the previous episodes, let us encourage you to go back and listen. Or even better, go buy a copy of The Sinfulness of Sin and read through it in light of the Coronavirus epidemic today.
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty:mediagratiae.org/behold-your-god-the-weight-of-majesty
Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog
This week John and Teddy begin wrapping up this series on the greatest plague of mankind by focusing on evidences of the church.
Show Notes: mediagrati.ae/blog
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package?_pos=1&_sid=e41acfef6&_ss=r
Last week's podcast focused on the fact that the only cure for man's greatest plague is not a plan or a path but a Person. And that person is Jesus Christ. This week they discuss how Christ's perfect righteousness is applied to the souls of sinners.
Show notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
American Gospel: Christ Alone - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/american-gospel-christ-alone-dvd
Don't forget A Word in Season is now its own podcast. Search for "Word in Season with Jeremy Walker" on your favorite podcast platform.
Subscribe to A Word in Season on iTunes podcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/word-in-season/id1511364782
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Ezekiel 34:10.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
Subscribe to A Word in Season on iTunes podcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/word-in-season/id1511364782
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Ezekiel 34:10.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
Subscribe to A Word in Season on iTunes podcast here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/word-in-season/id1511364782
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from John 17:24.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
Subscribe to A Word in Season on iTunes podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behold-your-god-podcast/id1439465486!
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Peter 1:3.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
We have spent several weeks discussing man's greatest plague. This week we begin several episodes detailing the cure. To begin, our cure is not a plan or a path (things we are both in control of). Our cure is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Watch the video of the podcast here: https://youtu.be/B0SXNikEu1k
More information about Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically here: www.online.mediagratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Proverbs 21:2.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Isaiah 50:4.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Corinthians 11:1.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 123.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Timothy 2:1-2.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Matthew 6:10.
Read more from Jeremy here Website: https://eardstapa.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peregrinus75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/perrugryn
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out www.MediaGratiae.org.
John and Teddy have spent the last few discussing all the things sin is against. This week they discuss how sin is against your very soul.
Click here for Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
Read the blog for this podcast episode here.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Corinthians 1:9.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 119:68.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Romans 3:26.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Timothy 1:15.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Acts 20:7.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Ephesians 1:19-20.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Ephesians 1:19-20.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
Imagine you had a disease that took away your sense of taste and made you believe what was good was poison and that poison was good. Imagine it impacted your eyes to what you thought was beautiful was actually vile and what is vile you saw as beautiful. Sin is not just against God, as John and Teddy discussed last week. It is also against you. Specifically, it is against your body. Sin turns every part of you against God.
Show Notes.
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Timothy 1:15.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Timothy 1:15.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
To see Media Gratiae projects and studies Jeremy Walker contributed to, check out MediaGratiae.org.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 119:59.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Hebrews 1.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 73:17.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Isaiah 44:8.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Peter 2.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Hebrews 1.
Read more from Jeremy here:
Website
While many may think the novel Covid-19 virus is the worst thing to hit modern mankind, it is not. the greatest plague began with our first parents. John and Teddy take this week to explain how sin is against God rules, existence, and character.
Through the Eyes of Spurgeon
Show Notes
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Luke 24:46-47.
For more from Jeremy Walker and other Media Gratiae contributors, visit thttps://www.mediagratiae.org/.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Proverbs 15:1-2.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Peter 2:9–10.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Luke 24:25-27.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 John 1:9.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Ephesians 1:3.
Continuing their discussion on mankind's greatest plague, John and Teddy focus on the importance of getting the right diagnosis for our sickness.
For more about American Gospel: Christ Alone - Continuing their discussion on the greatest plague of mankind, John and Teddy turn their focus on getting the proper diagnosis of our plague, and the consequences of getting it wrong.
For more information about American Gospel: Christ Alone: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/all-products/products/american-gospel-christ-alone-dvd
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Matthew 6:19-21.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Acts 11:23-24.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 130:1.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Revelation 1.9–10.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 119:19.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Daniel 9:17-19.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from John 6:68-69.
While the Coronavirus is taking over news stories and conversations across the planet, it is helpful to remember that God can and will work this for His glory. This week John and Teddy look to an old friend, J.C. Ryle to see what he says about how Christians can benefit from illnesses.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty: https://beholdyourgod.org/studies/the-weight-of-majesty/
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 2 Timothy 4:20.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Luke 5:27-32.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind us of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 84:1-4.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind us of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 33:13.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind us of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 50:15.
Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically - https://online.mediagratiae.org/library/behold-your-god-3/26828/about/
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
Churches and individuals across the world are questioning how best to respond to the current Caronavirus pandemic. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Plagues are nothing new to the Christian faith. John and Teddy discuss two particularly bad plagues and the responses of believers during their peak destruction.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Romans 5:1.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Philippians 4:8-9.
For this special season of uncertainty, Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England, began making short devotions to warm our hearts to Christ and remind of the certainty of the sovereignty of God. Today's devotion is from Psalm 61:1-2.
Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God - https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/puritan/products/puritan-deluxe
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
This week John and Teddy discuss the Puritan origins of the First Great Awakening and the rise of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist.
This week John and Teddy discuss the Puritan origins of the First Great Awakening and the rise of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
As John and Teddy will be continuing the series discussing Puritans and the 18th Century Revivals, we thought it would be a good idea to reach into our archives and remind you about some of the men we have talked about on the podcast who were also deeply influenced by the Puritans. This week we present you with the first episode from our series about William Mason's little book, "The One Thing Needful to Make Poor Sinner Rich and Miserable Sinners Happy."
You can find links to the rest of the episodes in this series at https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
As John and Teddy will be continuing the series discussing Puritans and the 18th Century Revivals, we thought it would be a good idea to reach into our archives and remind you about some of the men we have talked about on the podcast who were also deeply influenced by the Puritans. This week we present you with the first episode from our series about Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
You can find links to the rest of the episodes in this series at https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
As we are going through the world of the Great Awakening and Evangelical Revival, we wanted to revisit some old series we have done and introduce new listeners (or remind faithful listeners) of men whose ministries were shaped by Puritan writing.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
This week John and Teddy talk about a period of history often overlooked. It is the end of the Puritan era to the beginning of the Evangelical Revival in the 1700s. There is a great amount of hope and encouragement to be found in God's work throughout this era.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
This week John and Teddy begin a new series discussing the subject of John's Ph.D., the influence of the Puritans on the Eighteenth-Century Revival. In America, we call it the First Great Awakening. The work in the U.K. is called the Evangelical Revival.
https://mediagrati.ae/blog
We have spent two weeks discussing the tools of hermeneutics. This week John and Teddy focus on one: type and antitype.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
This week John and Teddy discuss how we are to be careful interpreters of the Word of God.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In this final episode of this series, John and Matthew discuss why the Holy Spirit is necessary to the life of every Christian.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In this second episode of our series on Thomas Charles' essays, we look at the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, particularly in regards to loving conviction of sin.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
We begin a new series this week looking at two essays by Thomas Charles. In this essay, Charles points us to where we must start if we want to walk closer to Christ in 2020.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
If you know this podcast, you know our love of books. Once a year we take an episode and recommend books to you with some encouragement and warnings regarding how they shoudl be read.
As always, a full list of the resources John mentioned in this podcast is available at mediagrati.ae/blog.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In this final episode of our bereavement series, John and Matthew take a look at John Newton's experience with grief as his wife experienced long-term, terminal sickness.
John and Matthew begin a new series this week focusing on bereavement. We will turn to several men for help, but for this episode, we look at Andrew Bonar after the death of his wife.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In our second discussion on bereavement, John and Matthew continue working through Andrew Bonar's helpful journal after the death of his wife.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
John and Matthew begin a new series this week focusing on bereavement. We will turn to several men for help, but for this episode, we look at Andrew Bonar after the death of his wife.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In the final episode of our series discussing the Protestant Reformation, John and Matthew focus on the final two Solas, Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In our third installment of this series focusing on the Protestant Reformation, we dive into Faith Alone and Grace Alone.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
This week John and Matthew continue our series on the Reformation by discussing the doctrines rediscovered by the reformers, the Five Solas. To begin, they discuss Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
This week we begin a new series focusing on the historical context and doctrinal truths rediscovered during the Protestant Reformation.
Pride has been with mankind since the fall. But it will end. Christ will reign victorious over all sin, including this one we find ourselves so often beholden to. Links to everything mentioned at mediagrati.ae/blog.
Show Notes: https://mediagrati.ae/blog
In the second episode of our series on Puritans, John and Matthew dispell several stereotypes of these stalwarts of the faith and focus on two of their core values: Sola Scriptura and Personal Conversion.
Why is sin such a pervading sin in our lives? For help we are turning to a treatment by Thoms Charles. For the full text of his treatment and links to all the resources mentioned, visit mediagrati.ae/blog.
This week begins a new series where we focus on the Puritans. Who were they? Where do they fit in history? Why and how do we find them so helpful?
This week we meet up with our friend and fellow filmmaker Daniel Pugh to discuss his freshman film, Matthew Henry: The Life and Times of the Bible Commentator.
Show Notes: mediagrati.ae/blog.
In our final special episode of this series, we present to you the week one session from Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
For more information about the podcast or the study, visit https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
We continue our series of presenting to you the cornerstone studies from Media Gratiae. This week is the introductory message to Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
More information at https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
This week we continue to present the Behold Your God studies with the week one session, Beholding God: The Great Attraction.
Since we started the podcast, we sought to present you with materials that have pointed our hearts to Christ. We do that again this week by highlighting the work that launched Media Gratiae, the Behold Your God study. For show notes and to download the Week One Workbook, visit https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
This week John and Matthew conclude their series on three letters from John Newton. In this last letter, Newton focuses on the mature Christian or Grace in the Full Corn.
For more information and to see links to all the resources mentioned in the podcast, visit the Media Gratiae blog at https://mediagrati.ae/blog.
How can the Chrisitan have assurance in the midst of difficulty? How can we know we are growing in the Lord? John Newton is a great help with these questions and more in his second letter we are discussing, Grace in the Ear.
John and Matthew discuss three letters from John Newton describing seasons of grace on the Christian life.
Matthew is on the road this week with Dr. Jeffrey Johnson. We are in Oxford, England filming the next major project for Media Gratiae. In this week's episode, Matthew and Jeffrey discuss the heart behind the study and film they are creating.
John and Matthew begin a new series examining what it means to "Put on Christ."A list of all the Scriptures and links to resources mentioned in the podcast are available at mediagrati.ae/blog.
John and Matthew conclude our series on obeying Jesus' command "Follow Me" by examining His self-descriptions in the Gospel of John.
John and Matthew continue our discussion on observing and imitating the example of Christ through the Scriptures. This week we focus on Old Testament descriptions.
John and Matthew begin a new series discussing what it means to obey Jesus' command to "Follow Me."
LInks to resources mentioned and more information is available on the Media Gratiae blog (mediagratiae.org).
John and Matthew finish our series examining six evangelistic letters from Robert Murray M'Cheyne.
John and Matthew continue discussing six letters from Robert Murray M'Cheyne to a soul seeking Christ.
Matthew sits down with The Banner of Truth Trust general manager John Rawlinson. The Banner's ministry has many aspects, though most know it for books. John discusses each arm of its ministry and gives a few book recommendations.
In this week’s episode, John and Matthew wrap up our Path of Evangelism series by going through Samuel Walker’s “Shorter Scheme of Private Instruction in the Christian Salvation.” Links to all resources and a video of the podcast is available at mediagrati.ae/blog.
John and Matthew make it to Samuel Walker's points on sanctification. The due discuss the means of grace, the killing of sin, and what it means to be a Christian.
Matthew Robinson sits down with Dr. Sinclair Ferguson to discuss his new book Maturity: Growing Up and Going On In the Christian Life.
Conviction, the topic of our last few episodes, is only the beginning of evangelism. It is a means to an end. But what are our next steps, and what dangers lie in the path? John and Matthew discuss these things and more in this week's episode of the Behold Your God Podcast.
The Path of Evangelism: Our Privilege and Command | Behold Your God Podcast by Media Gratiae
G3 Conference Special Episode II: The Banner of Truth Trust | Behold Your God Podcast by Media Gratiae
G3 Conference Special Episode I: Reformation Heritage Books | Behold Your God Podcast by Media Gratiae