Secret Church: Recent Episodes
Radical
Due to hostility from the government, from the surrounding community, and even from their own families, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are forced to gather in secret, sometimes at the risk of their lives. With few opportunities to gather and little access to biblical teaching, our persecuted brothers and sisters may meet for eight to twelve hours at a time simply to sing, pray, and study God’s Word. This God-centered focus is a helpful corrective to the desire for entertainment that characterizes many church gatherings in the U.S.Encouraged by our persecuted brothers and sisters’ example, each year, we gather for over 6 hours of intense study of God's Word and passionate prayer for the persecuted led by pastor, teacher, and author David Platt.
In this final episode, David Platt points us to four biblical guarantees as we seek to respond rightly to the Great Imbalance. We can be assured of God’s power and the effectiveness of the gospel. The church will accomplish its mission and a great multitude from every nation, tribe, tongue, and language will praise God for his salvation.
Visit Stratus (stratus.earth) to learn more about the world’s most urgent spiritual and physical needs as well as many of the barriers that prevent the spread of the gospel.
In this episode we consider three practical steps to respond rightly to the Great Imbalance: we must pray differently, give differently, and go differently.
Based on the realities we’ve seen thus far, David Platt closes with one final charge, two spiritual reminders, three practical steps, and four biblical guarantees. In this episode, we consider one final charge about what being a disciple of Jesus should involve, as well as two reminders about the spiritual war we’re engaged in.
Following the four changes mentioned in the previous episode, the final five changes needed to rectify the Great Imbalance are explained in this episode.
In addition to a God’s-eye view of the world, rectifying the Great Imbalance requires a God-centered perspective of our lives. This requires changing the way we view our lives and the mission Christ has given us. The first four of nine changes are addressed in this episode.
In order to rectify the Great Imbalance, we must see the world as God sees it. This involves seeing the needs among the nations, seeing the barriers to reaching the nations, and considering wise ways to meet needs and overcome barriers through faith in God.
God’s desire is for people from all nations to enjoy and exalt him, yet our current missions efforts are largely ignoring the over 3 billion people who are still considered unreached. In this episode we are introduced to this Great Imbalance, as we consider three problems, two conclusions, and one prayer.
David Platt continues unpacking four truths to help us see that the ultimate purpose of Christians and churches should align with God’s ultimate purpose. The Great Commission is God’s appointed means of bringing all nations to enjoy and exalt him in all his glory.
In this first episode, David Platt introduces this year’s topic and asks us to consider whether we are missing the point of the Great Commission. He then begins identifying four truths to help us understand how our ultimate purpose in the world should align with God’s. The ultimate purpose of God is to bring people from all nations to enjoy and exalt him in all of his glory.
During this Secret Church, Radical unveiled a free online tool called Stratus (stratus.earth) that helps Christians and churches see and respond wisely to the world’s most urgent spiritual and physical needs.
Join us for Secret Church 21, The Great Imbalance, April 21 at 7 PM EDT.
Learn more and register for Secret Church 21 by clicking here --> bit.ly/30fSW85
Having examined God's Word and the truths of the gospel to better understand how we are to think about government, we can apply those truths to our everyday lives in interaction with our various governments and government leaders throughout the world.
The gospel affects everything in our lives and in the world, including how we approach government. After reflecting on the gospel and after surveying what the Bible says about God and government, we then filter those truths through the gospel to better understand how we are to respond.
What biblical truths can we learn from the New Testament—the Gospels, Acts, and the Letters—about Jesus and government and about how followers of Jesus should view, respond to, and participate in government in light of who He is, all He has done, and all He is going to do?
What does the Bible say about government and about how both God and humans relate to government? There are truths to be learned throughout the Old Testament: Law, History, Wisdom, and Prophets.
The gospel is not simply one aspect of what Christians believe. The gospel is the lens through which we see everything else. Therefore, we must understand the gospel before we can understand what God's Word says about government and how those truths affect us.
When approaching the topic of "God, Government, and the Gospel," we are inundated with questions and issues to consider. But ultimately, we must seek to hear clearly what God has said in His Word about government; distinguish carefully between God's Word and our wisdom; unite joyfully around God's Word in the church as we work charitably according to our wisdom in the world; live justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God in our nation; and live zealously for the spread of God's love and the glory of God's name among all nations.
This episode looks at various texts from the non-Pauline letters on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Letters of Paul on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the book of Acts on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Gospels on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Prophets on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Old Testament's Wisdom Literature on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Historical Books on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode looks at various texts from the Pentateuch on prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God.
This episode explains what Theological Liberalism is, what beliefs characterize it, and how we should respond to it.
This episode explains what the Prosperity Gospel is, what it teaches, why it's so dangerous, and how we should respond to it.
This episode explains who Catholics are, what they believe, and how we can share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who Jehovah's Witnesses are, what they believe, and how we can share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who Mormons are, what they believe, and how we can share the gospel with them.
Here we survey some heresies from church history and identify what constitutes a cult or a counterfeit gospel.
In order to identify cults and counterfeit gospels, we must make sure we can identify the one true God and the one true gospel.
In this first episode, David Platt identifies some common myths surrounding cults and counterfeit gospels. He then identifies three clear purposes for addressing these false beliefs.
In this final episode, David Platt draws five critical conclusions and offers some final exhortations.
The goodness of the Bible is directly related to God's own goodness. This reality has implications for our studying, preaching, praying, etc.
This episode addresses Scripture's sufficiency for our salvation, our sanctification, and our satisfaction.
The clarity of Scripture, including its overarching, unified story, is explored in this episode.
Three foundations of the Bible's truthfulness are explored in this episode, along with one important implication.
In this introductory episode, David Platt highlights recent trends in terms of how the Bible is viewed in our culture as well as the frequency with which people read it.
In this final episode, David Platt draws three general conclusions and offers three exhortations in light of everything covered in Secret Church 16.
This episode explains who atheists are, what they believe, and how to share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who Muslims are, what they believe, and how to share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who Buddhists are, what they believe, and how to share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who Hindus are, what they believe, and how to share the gospel with them.
This episode explains who animists are, what they believe, and how to share the gospel with them.
Evangelism and conversion are defined biblically in order to set the stage for upcoming episodes about engaging other world religions.
The gospel is explained with respect to God's character, the offense of sin, the sufficiency of Christ, the required personal response, its eternal urgency, and the life transformation it produces.
In this first episode, David Platt introduces us to the world's religious current religious makeup as well as future projections.
In this final episode, David Platt highlights the greatest injustice of all––the fact that there are thousands of unreached people groups who have little or no access to the gospel. We have the responsibility and privilege to proclaim Christ to peoples and places that have never heard.
Here we consider religious liberty and the purpose of government. We'll also look at the way we should respond when we face persecution for our faith.
Our view of ethnicity and immigration must be shaped by God's design in creation and by the gospel. Loving our neighbor includes caring for all who are created in God's image.
In light of our culture's rejection of God's design for marriage and sex, followers of Christ must know and embrace Scripture's teaching on sexuality. Issues addressed include divorce, pornograpy, same-sex attraction, etc.
Christians must think carefully and respond appropriately to the injustice of slavery and human trafficking.
God's concern for the poor and oppressed should be reflected in the church's concern to care for the most vulnerable among us. Relevant to this concern is a biblical view of wealth and prosperity.
We consider the issue of abortion in terms of what it says about God and His creation. We'll also consider the church's response to this massively important issue.
This episode covers the basics of the gospel: who God is, who we are, why Jesus is unique, what we must do, and what is at stake.
In this first episode, David Platt points to a variety of pressing cultural issues as well as Christ's call submit to His Word and His lordship in the midst of opposition.
In this final episode, David Platt applies the truth of the gospel to the way we view both temporal and eternal rest.
Here we consider the relationship of the gospel to knowing God's will and to glorifying God in our work.
Loving your neighbor includes the relationship between a husband and a wife, a parent's relationship to children, a single's approach to others, and a Christian's daily approach to other Christians.
We consider what it means to love God through Scripture intake, through truth in God's world, through caring for your body, and through controlling your body.
Christ's death changed everything in history, and it changes everything about our lives today.
In this final episode, David Platt identifies seven critical conclusions from the book of Revelation based on the truths covered in this study.
In this final episode, David Platt identifies seven critical conclusions from the book of Revelation based on the truths covered in this study.
This episode addresses three controversial questions about the book of Revelation: (1) What does this book mean and why do we have it? (2) What is the millennium and when will it happen? (3) What is the tribulation and who will experience it?
The picture of heaven painted in Scripture provides Christians with a glorious future hope.
The topic of hell is not popular, but Scripture has much to say on this sobering topic.
A look at Scripture's teaching on God's final judgment and how this affects the way we respond now.
We consider Christ's resurrection and how it relates to the resurrection of His people. Both believers and unbelievers will be resurrected for the day of final judgment.
Christ's Second Coming is the focus of this episode. We'll consider what we know, what we don't know, and what we're to do as we await Christ's return.
This episode addresses Scripture's teaching about the condition of people between their bodily death and their bodily resurrection.
We consider Scripture's teaching about how finite and fragile our lives are as well as the finality of death.
In this first episode, David Platt introduces us to the topic of "Heaven, Hell, and the End of the World." As those who are tempted to focus on the temporal, we're reminded of the priority of eternal truths.
In this final episode, David Platt draws some critical conclusions related to suffering based on the seventy-five key texts covered in this study.
Key texts on suffering are identified in the book of Acts and throughout the remaining books of the New Testament.
In this episode David Platt looks at the theme of suffering throughout the Major and Minor Prophets (Isaiah–Malachi).
The theme of suffering continues to be traced through Psalms and the Wisdom Literature (Psalms–Ecclesiastes).
The theme of suffering is traced through the first five books of the Bible (Genesis–Deuteronomy).
In this first episode, David Platt introduces us to the topic of suffering––suffering in the world around us and suffering as it is addressed in God's Word.
In this final episode, David Platt discusses sexual satisfaction in marriage as a good gift of God to be enjoyed according to God's design.
Abortion offends God, as kills those created in His image. Gratefully, His grace is sufficient for all who repent and trust in Jesus.
In this episode we consider how the gospel compels us to care for widows and how it should shape our approach to divorce.
The gospel should shape the way we think about singleness and how it is to be used for God's glory.
In this episode we consider how the gospel informs our parenting and our care for orphans.
A biblical view of sexuality and marriage are important in understanding God's design for us in creation and in redemption.
Here we consider the essential truths of the gospel as a foundation for approaching the issues of family, marriage, and sex.
In this first episode, David Platt points to the importance of having a biblical view of family, marriage, and sex, particularly in light of the ways these truths are distorted in our culture.
In this final episode, David Platt shows us how crucifixion and salvation relate to global mission and the glory of God.
Consider how God continues and completes His saving work in us: preservation, perseverance, and glorification.
In order to grasp what God has done for our salvation, we need to understand the depth of our depravity and the power of God's regenerating work.
This final episode surveys Scripture's teaching on how the church is led and what the church's future is.
In this first episode we consider various ways we cheapen the church as well as why we must cherish the church.
After looking at some applications of Scripture's teaching on possessions, this final episode looks at prosperity in the light of Scripture.
Based on what we've seen throughout this study, we'll draw some conclusions related to the threads of the gospel.
In this episode we consider the topic of possessions based on the life and ministry of Jesus.
We continue considering the Old Testament's teaching on possessions in this fourth episode.
What does the Old Testament teach us about how to think about and use our possessions? This third episode answers this question.
Here in the second episode David Platt presents five threads of the gospel: the character of God, the sinfulness of man, the sufficiency of Christ, the necessity of faith, and the urgency of eternity.
This episode introduces us to the topic of possessions and prosperity in the context of the world and in the context of God's Word.
In this final episode David Platt exhorts us to engage in spiritual warfare in light of the victory Christ has won and in the context of His mission in the world.
What about deliverance ministries? How should we think about our relationship to demons? This episode explores these and other controversial questions.
Continuing from the previous episode, we consider more of the weapons God has provided for us so that we might stand against Satan's attacks.
God has provided us with weapons to engage in spiritual warfare, and in this episode we consider some of those weapons.
This episode considers the church's approach to spiritual warfare, including a comparison between Christ's role and ours in this eternally important conflict.
In this episode we take a look at spiritual warfare from the perspective of Christ's identity, teaching, life, death, and resurrection.
This episode explores the Old Testament's contribution to our understanding of spiritual warfare.
What are demons, and who is Satan? These and other related questions are covered in this episode.
What are angels, and what role do they play in the purposes of God? These and other questions concerning Scripture's teaching on angels are covered in this episode.
It's important that our understanding and engagement in spiritual warfare is grounded in the teaching of Scripture. In this first episode, David Platt lays some biblical foundations for understanding this important biblical theme.
In this final episode David Platt considers the effects of Christ's death by identifying seven reasons why we can boast in the cross.
This episode considers the intent of the cross by answering the question "For whom did Christ die?"
In this episode we consider the good news of Christ's dying yet triumphal words––"It is finished." He has accomplished our redemption.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In this episode we consider what these mysterious words reveal about Christ's death on the cross. The curse due sinners was born by the Sinless One.
This episode examines Christ's death from the perspective of His words in the Garden of Gethsemane. Through Christ had no sin, He bore God's wrath in our place. The cross testifies to Christ's willingness to do His Father's will.
The Last Supper vividly portrays Christ's death as the fulfillment of God's redeeming work in Israel's history. The Passover, the Day of Atonement, and the entire Old Covenant point us to Christ's sacrificial death on the cross.
The only way for God's divine justice to be satisfied was through a divine substitute. In this episode we'll see that Christ, who was fully God and fully man, was the only sufficient sacrifice for sinners.
While the cross certainly meets our greatest need, it is first and foremost the way in which God meets His own righteous standard. In this episode we consider how Christ's death fully satisfies God's righteousness and justice.
How does the cross save us? Many answers have been given to that question throughout history, though not all of them have been biblical. In this episode we'll look at the various theories that have been used to explain how the cross provides salvation. It's only through the lens of Scripture that we can rightly consider the various dimensions of Christ's atoning work.
There is no Christianity apart from the cross of Christ, for it is the lifeblood of everything we believe. In this first episode, David Platt introduces us to the centrality of the cross as well as the timeline of events that led up to his final hour on earth. Our faith, as well as all of history, revolves around the death of the Son of God.
The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts to make the glory of God known throughout the entire world. In this final episode of Secret Church 5, David Platt concludes that the Spirit will complete His sanctifying work in and through His people.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
We should regularly seek to be filled with the Spirit and to use the gifts of the Spirit for the building up of the church. But many Christians continue to ask, Are all of the Spirit's gifts––including healing, tongues, etc.––still available today, and should we seek them?
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
What does Scripture say about the unpardonable sin? Should we be looking for a second baptism, a baptism of the Spirit? In this episode David Platt answers these questions by looking at some relevant Scripture passages.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
How can I know God's will for my life? Many Christians struggle to answer that question. However, we are not called to understand the secret will of God but rather to believe and obey His revealed will. According to Scripture, we are saved by the Spirit, filled by the Spirit, and submissive to the Spirit. Obeying what we do know helps us gain the godly wisdom and perspective needed to make decisions in areas that are less clear.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
In this episode David explains how the Spirit works in the church through individual believers. If we are going to rely on the work of the Spirit, we must first understand how Scripture defines His work.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
Following the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, we see His work in and through the early church. This same Spirit is at work in the church today, opening the eyes of our hearts and enabling us to turn from sin and trust in Christ. Have you been born again by God's Spirit?
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
The Holy Spirit is fully God and has therefore existed eternally. We see His work in the Old Testament among God's people, Israel, and in the New Testament through Christ and His people. We see the Spirit's work in the book of Acts as the gospel spreads to the ends of earth, overcoming opposition and unbelief.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
Scripture is clear that the Spirit acts according to His own power and authority. In this episode we'll what else Scripture says about the attributes and works of the Spirit.
Download the study guide to follow along with this episode here.
Why do Christians see the Holy Spirit as mysterious? In this session David Platt answers this question with some foundational truths about the Holy Spirit. Historically, there have been various movements that have shaped the church's view of the Holy Spirit. But the most important question is, Which view is rooted in Scripture?
As believers we have been given the Holy Spirit, but many of us rely on ourselves rather than being desperate for the Spirit's help. So how does the Spirit equip us to grow in holiness? David Platt sets the stage for Secret Church 5 by introducing us to questions like these that will be answered in the upcoming episodes.
If God is good and in control, then how can there be evil in the world? In this episode, David Platt concludes Secret Church 4 by answering this question through the lens of Scripture.
What does it mean for God to be sovereign over all things? Can humans be responsible over anything on the earth if God is in charge? In this episode, David Platt explains the intersection between the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.
What makes a mystery a mystery to the human race? As Christians should we be able to resolve the mystery of the gospel? In this episode, David Platt teaches on the trinity and the soverign will of God through the lens of Scripture.
In this episode, David Platt analyzes seven attributes of God that point to His goodness. As believers we must understand His goodness so that we will be zealous for God's glory and our good in all of the earth.
In this session, David Platt explains how we are never alone as believers—God is always present. In times of confusion, God has all knowledge and widsom at all times. We can trust in these promises because God's perfections are unchanging.
This question exists over all of creation: "Where did God come from?" God is not a force to be reckoned with or an object to be manipulated. God is a person to be loved for all of eternity.
The God who created life on Earth came to be from nothing. The greatness of God can be found throughout the story of creation. This same God has not left us in the dark but allows us to know his perfect attributes.
David Platt continues to explain how the names of God display the glory of God. The God who sits enthoned upon all glory still allows the children of God to call Him Father.
In this episode, David Platt begins to analyze the different names of God that we read throughout the Bible. David explains how these names were a refuge for the people of that day and for generations to come.
Knowing God should lead to obeying God. The knowledge of the names of God alone leads the people of God to worship and obey the revelation of God.
God is incomprehensible, so how could we ever fully understand every single thing about Him? Becasue of our sin, we are hindered from glimpsing the fullness of God. Though we cannot understand God fully, we can understand God truly.
The Bible, though written by multiple authors, was ultimately written by one divine Author to you and me. These 66 books of ancient history are relevant to each of our lives today.
Four practical steps to approaching Bible study can be compared to going on a mission trip: Observe their home (What do I see?), Understand their home (What does it mean?), Bring it back home (How does it relate?), and Apply it in your home (What do I do?).
David Platt finishes an overview of how to study different genres of Scripture, giving specific examples and opportunities to practice from Old Testament Poetry, Prophecy, Wisdom Literature, and finally Revelation.
David Platt continues an overview of how to study different genres of Scripture, giving specific examples and opportunities to practice from the Old Testament Narratives and the Law.
David Platt continues an overview of how to study different genres of Scripture, giving specific examples and opportunities to practice from the Gospels, the Parables, and Acts.
After you observe, understand, and relate the text, you then must learn to apply it responsibly. First, you meditate on the truth, then relate it to today, and finally practice it. The episode ends by moving into how to use these methods across Scripture as a whole, specifically noting different genres and how they affect our study, starting with the New Testament letters.
In this episode, David Platt finishes walking through step 1 in the practical approach to Bible study and transitions to step 2: Understand their home (What does it mean?). Another way to put it, we move from exploration to interpretation of the text.
In studying God's Word, we must honor the way and time in which God chose to communicate. This book wasn't written just for us; it was written for His people throughout history. We must understand God's Word in this way to understand its meaning for us today.
After overviewing a guide to a dependable approach to Bible study, David Platt walks through each step using specific examples from Scripture, beginning with step 1: Observe their home (What do I see?).
The Spirit-inspired Word of God is alive today. This means that we must approach the Word carefully to discern its true meaning.
The New Testament only make sense in the context of mission. If the church does not advance the kingdom of God, we cannot understand His Word. His kingdom does not exist for us; we exist for it. And we hope in the kingdom that is to come. Are you advancing His kingdom, and are you anticipating it?
God has a plan, and His plan cannot be stopped. Will the church align with her King's plan? If we resist, we miss the whole point of why we're here. The point is that God would be glorified in a community of people from every tribe, nation, and language. The church is the living representation of the kingdom of God on the earth today.
Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God as both a present reality and a future glory. Have you accepted this gift of the kingdom? As we submit to Christ's lordship in our lives, we submit to His sovereignty over all.
When Jesus came, what was His message? Central to His message was, "Repent." And by the way He lived, He demonstrated the power of the kingdom. The King has come, and He has conquered.
The whole Bible points to Jesus. So who was He? The fading shadow of the Kingdom of God in the Old Testament has been illuminated by the glorious revelation of Christ in the New Testament.
David Platt finishes teaching through the New Testament letters, specifically 2 Peter–Revelation, and leads into an introduction of God's purpose for giving us the New Testament and its implications for His people even today.
The New Testament contains letters written by Paul and "general letters" written by others. David Platt continues to teach through the New Testament with more of these letters, specifically 1 Timothy–1 Peter.
David Platt continues to teach through the New Testament with more of Paul's letters, specifically 1 Corinthians–2 Thessalonians.
The book of Romans—one of Paul's letters—gives us a clear explanation of the gospel and is key to us understanding the purpose for and message of the New Testament.
David Platt continues an overview of the New Testament by going book-by-book and helping set the context for who wrote these books, when they were written, and what significance each one plays in the overall story of the New Testament.
What books make up the New Testament? How was it compiled? While the New Testament was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, it is also both a literary and historical work. To understand the New Testament, it is important, also, to understand it in its literary and historical context.
David Platt surveys the Old Testament to explain that God brings His people to His place for His purpose.
The God who worked in the lives of these men in the Old Testament is the same God who works in our lives today. As believers we are still a part of this story today.
The goal of wisdom literature is to apply the Word to practical living. God is the ultimate reality, the Creator of all. Jesus is the wisdom of God.
When the people of God look to man for direction, they are reminded God’s Word is the sole basis for obedience in faith.
The lineage of the Old Testment leads to the One who would ultimately bring salvation to His people.
There is a God who is in control and has a purpose in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and so on. In this session David Platt paints a picture of the people of God throughout the books of the Old Testament.
Why do we study the Old Testament? How do you study the Old Testament? The Old Testament is an invaluable set of signifigant books that remain relevant to each believer today.