Deeper Roots: Recent Episodes
NewBranch Community Church
Deeper Roots is a podcast intended primarily for members of NewBranch featuring short conversations to help equip our congregation.
In this episode, Ken and Tyler discuss Tyler's testimony, ministry background, and life.
Ken and Tyler continue their discussion of millenial views including why they land where they land.
In this episode, Ken and Tyler discuss the major views of the Millenium. What are the major views? What view do each of us hold?
Ken, Matt, and Tyler discuss Elder meetings. What do the Elders do in their monthly meeting?
Ken, Matt, and Tyler discuss the Lord's supper and our practice of it. What is the Lord's Supper? What are the reasons we observe it the way that we do at NewBranch?
In this episode, Ken and Matt discuss baptism. What is baptism? Why do we practice baptism the way that we do? Why is this important?
Ken and Tyler discuss the ongoing Revelation series. How has it been going? What's been encouraging? What's been difficult?
In this episode, Tyler, Ken, and Jonathan are joined by Nathan R. to discuss his internship this summer and to discuss how NewBranch does internships. What is an internship at NewBranch? What should you do if you sense that God might be calling you into ministry?
In this episode, Tyler and Jonathan discuss how Jonathan came to know the Lord as a junior in college and how he was discipled thereafter. If you'd be willing to share your testimony in a future episode, e-mail us at DeeperRoots@newbranch.com .
Ken, Matt and Tyler are joined by Bob to discuss congregational singing. Why do we sing? What is the purpose of singing? How do we choose the songs?
In this episode, Ken, Matt and Tyler discuss how to get the most out of the Sunday morning sermon. If we're going to listen to up to 52 sermons per year, how can we get the most out of them? How should we listen well to God's Word being preached?
In this episode, Ken, Matt, and Tyler discuss the Sunday gathering. Why do we gather on Sundays? Why is that important? Why is it important to gather in person? How can we get the most out of the gathering?
In this episode, Tyler debriefs with Matt and Ken on their visit to the SBC Annual Meeting. What is the Southern Baptist Convention? What happened at the 2021 SBC Annual meeting?
What is "mission together"? How do Base Groups go together advance the gospel? How can we grow in this as a Base Group?
In this episode, Ken, Matt, and Tyler talk Base Groups and geography. How should I choose a Base Group? Why does geography matter in selecting a group?
Ken, Matt, and Tyler talk about Base groups during the summer. How do we manage Base groups and summer busyness? Why don't Base groups take a break during the summer? How can we make the most of Base groups even while people might be in and out during the summer?
How does the work we do exhorting and admonishing one another fit in with the overall process of church discipline? How do we go about exhorting and admonishing one another well?
Dan and Jonathan join Tyler and Ken to continue their discussion of personal worship. What are barriers that keep us from spending time with the Lord? What are some ways to get started? How would we encourage and exhort people to be more faithful in personal worship?
Dan and Jonathan join Tyler and Ken to discuss personal worship. What does our own time of personal worship look like? What are some ways others can be more faithful in personal worship?
In this episode, Ken, Matt and Tyler discuss things they are encouraged by in our local church right now and they discuss books. What are we encouraged by right now? What books are we reading? What is a book every Christian should read?
In this episode, Matt, Ken, and Tyler discuss the new Foundations classes. Why classes? How are they different than our other groups? What does each class cover?
In this episode, Matt, Ken, and Tyler discuss the present series through the book of Revelation. Why Revelation? Why now? What do we hope our members take away from this sermon series?
In this episode, Matt, Ken, and Tyler discuss how NewBranch does elder shepherding. Why does NewBranch assign each member family a shepherding elder? What should members expect from their shepherding elder? Note: Audio will improve in future episodes of Deeper Roots.
If you are looking for some good reads as we begin a New Year, here are some of my recommendations…
Several years ago I read A Praying Life by Paul Miller for the first time (I highly commend the book). One of my major takeaways was his prayer card system that he used in order to keep track of prayer requests. I began to implement this system of prayer in my daily devotions and it has been a tremendous help to me to pray for others more faithfully. n short, I pray for different groups of people each…
Our Gospel Jump-Start this week comes from early Church Father, Augustine. Reflecting on the glories of the incarnation, he wrote:
Our Gospel Jump-Start this week is a reflection on Isaiah 9 from Sinclair Ferguson.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government…
One of the blessings of the Christmas season is we get to spend extended time with our family (this can also present challenges and frustrations). Christmas is also a time when many people are open to discussing and considering spiritual matters. The combination of extended time with family and a spiritual openness may produce opportunities for evangelism.
We are entering the Christmas season, the season of Advent, where we focus on the coming of Christ. These next several weeks, our Gospel Jump-Start posts will have an Advent focus. As we enter this time I want to offer two reflections from two great preachers.
We are preparing as a church to take part in the annual Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO). Pastor Ken recently did a great post on the history of this effort, if you missed it be sure and read it here. I love taking part in the LMCO and I love that it happens during the Christmas season each year. I cannot think of a more appropriate time of the year for a missions offering. As we are celebrating the greatest gift that has ever been given, Christ our Savior, we taking part in a giving effort that is solely focused on making sure all hear of this great gift.
While preparing to celebrate a season of giving thanks in a couple of days, we should also note that this Sunday, November 29th, is the first Sunday of Advent. We call it Christmas season, but for centuries it has been Advent on the church calendar. During Advent we celebrate that God kept His promise to send a Savior.
Today’s Gospel Jump-Start post is a special Thanksgiving edition. Several years back, I read Robert McKenzie’s book, The First Thanksgiving. Not only is his work a helpful historical account, it is also an excellent book on how to study history. As we prepare to enjoy what we call Thanksgiving this week, McKenzie’s concluding reflections are helpful. He wrote…
Every year, NewBranch participates in what is called The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) for International Missions. If you’re not familiar with Great Commission Baptist (a.k.a. Southern Baptist) history, then you might be wondering, “What is a Lottie Moon?”. Well, Lottie Moon isn’t a “what”, it’s a “who”, and the LMCO is taken up each year in her honor. We will be doing so again this December, and in preparation for this offering, we wanted to give a brief biographical sketch of who this woman was and why we collect an offering for international missions each year.
Today’s Gospel Jump-Start post comes from John Owen. In his book, The Transforming Power of the Gospel, Jerry Bridges quotes Owen’s work, Communion with the Triune God. I found the quote to be a much-needed Gospel reminder and wanted to share it with you. It’s lengthy and not an easy read, but worth working through. Bridges quoting Owen wrote:
Since we are only two days past Reformation Day, let’s have one final Gospel-Jumpstart from Martin Luther. Here is one of Luther’s most famous statements of gospel encouragement to the people of his day…
Daniel was sent into Babylonian exile after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem (Daniel 1:1). Daniel was faithful to the Lord and also rose in the ranks of society as a wise man. In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he had a dream that none of the wise men could interpret (Daniel 2:1, 10). Just before all the wise men were destroyed…
We often talk about God’s sovereignty when it comes to elections and politics. God is in control and He alone will determine the outcome of elections. But just because we know that God is sovereign over our elections doesn’t mean we don’t exercise our responsibility to vote. Why is that? It is because we understand that God is sovereign over both the “end” (the result of the election) as well as the “means” (how the results of the election happen). God has sovereignly placed us in a country where elections are determined by our votes, and so…
As we look at our world and in particular our nation, we see that our culture is severely broken. The brokenness of our world is evidenced by racism and riots, abortion and gun violence, hunger and poverty, and by wars and greed. This brokenness is observable on both sides of the political divide, and every politician provides a set of policies that they assert will eradicate the brokenness.
Beware of gospel fatigue! This is the warning from Martin Luther in our Gospel Jump-Start post this week. Listen to the counsel of Dr. Luther…
I was sitting at the bedside of a dear church member who was in palliative care during the 2016 Presidential election cycle. On one particular day, as I primarily sat there with him because of the intermittent nature of our conversation due to his sporadic sleep and winces of pain, I had a thought. Moments like this are sobering, as we witness the ugliness of death things are often put into perspective. My thought in this particular moment…
Our Gospel Jump-Start post comes from Lady Jane Grey (1537 - 1554). Grey was a Protestant during the English Reformation and was known as the Nine Day Queen before she was martyred. Listen and be encouraged as she boldly stood for and clearly articulated the gospel…
On this day in 1555, Bishops (Church of England) Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake under the reign of Mary I. The Unquenchable Flame is one of my favorite little books on the Reformation written by Michael Reeves. Reeves summarized their martyrdom as follows…
During the month of October our Gospel Jump-Start posts are coming from various Reformation figures. Today’s post comes from John Calvin. Here are some words Calvin spoke in one of his final addresses about a month before he died. As his very full life came to an end, notice what he emphasized. Calvin stated…
Christian, are you still amazed by God’s grace? I hope the following from the late J.I. Packer will lead you to amazement again. In his book, Knowing God, he asked…
During the month of October our Gospel Jump-Start encouragement will come form Reformation figures. Today’s post comes from the Scottish Reformer, John Knox. In the final hours of his life, as Knox lay on his deathbed, he was in and out of consciousness and was heard groaning while in a restless sleep. When he had awakened, those who accompanied him asked what the cause of his groaning was. This was his reply…
October is upon us and that means it’s Reformation season. It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of Castle Church and thus unintentionally sparked the Reformation leading to the recovery of the Gospel. There are many helpful and accessible resources on the Reformation. I thought I would offer some recommended reading for those who are interested.
Our Gospel Jump-Start post this week is an encouraging gospel illustration from Australian David Jackson. He reminds us that as Christians we stand on “burned ground.” Jackson writes…
In our final post of the Beholding Christ Series, we will focus on Christ and His office as King. When Jesus began His public ministry He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand and He called people to repent and believe this good news (Mk. 1:15). Immediately preceding this proclamation…
I preached on Mark 7:14-23 on September 6, 2020. One of the implications from this text is that Christians ought to keep our hearts with all vigilance. I quoted John Flavel’s motivations for keeping one’s heart, one of which was for the edification of the saints. More specifically, as one keeps their heart, it will transform conversations with others. In this blog post, my desire to unpack this a little more.
Today our post in the Gospel Jump-Start Series focuses on how the gospel fuels our prayer life. Theologian Michael Reeves explains that the gospel is about us receiving from God the gift of eternal life in Christ. This posture of receiving fuels our prayer life as God’s children.
Today, in thinking about the Threefold Office of Christ, we are looking at Christ as Priest in our series, Beholding Christ. Early in His ministry Christ made it clear that He was the fulfillment of the Temple (John 2:19). This means that everything that happened there in the Temple was fulfilled in Christ. Then Temple (and the Tabernacle before) was where God’s people could come into His presence by His grace.
As we continue our series, Beholding Christ, we are going to look at the Threefold Office of Christ (Prophet, Priest and King). Today we will focus on Christ as Prophet and while we could look in many places in the Bible, we will fix our attention on the Gospel According to John for the sake of brevity…
Our post in the Gospel Jump-Start Series this week is focused on prayer. It is the gospel that gives us the ability to pray and give us great confidence in prayer. In his book, Why We Pray, William Philip offers four reasons why Christians pray. One of the reasons that he emphasizes is our adoption in Christ. We pray to God the Father because we have been adopted as His sons.
Today’s post in our series on Beholding Christ will be on Christ as the Second/Last Adam.
This week’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series is a reflection on the justification Christians have in Christ. Romans 8 begins saying, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul, here, is speaking of the justification of the believer. We would do well to often reflect on and be reminded of the beauty of our justification in Christ. Read and be encouraged by Bryan Chapell’s brief explanation of this grand truth.
Today I want to start a series of posts entitled, Beholding Christ. In this post we will take a brief look at the main dimensions of Christ’s life and work; His incarnation, perfect life, death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming. Please know that what is below is certainly not exhaustive and entire books have been written on each of these subjects. Let’s dive in…
Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series comes from John Calvin. He reminds us that the cross of Christ teaches Christians to despair in self-trust and instead trust completely in God. Calvin said it this way:
Suffering in the life of the Christian should produce a homesickness. Suffering reminds us that things are not as they should be and we are still awaiting Christ’s return. At the same time, this homesickness or longing for Christ’s return is the hope we cling to in the midst of suffering. Hope because current suffering is not all there is for the believer…
Our Gospel Jump-Start post this week comes from John Stott’s comments on Galatians 6:8. Stott reminds us that in the life of a Christian, holiness is a harvest. Let us be reminded that we have been gloriously saved by grace (Gal. 2:20) and adopted into God the Father’s family (Gal. 4:4-7). As those who have been brought into the family, we are to seek to live according to the family ethic of holiness…
Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series reminds us that Christ exhausted the wrath of God on our behalf. Read the quotes below and be reminded of the great love the Father and the Son have for us. In his book, The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ, Ray Ortlund shares a reflection from John Flavel that richly illustrates the love of both the the Father and the Son (John 3:16, Gal. 2:20). Ortlund wrote…
This past Sunday we focused on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and will continue in the passage this coming Sunday. Years ago, I came across where Jerry Bridges had put the content of these verses into actions statements. I found this to be simple, yet helpful and wanted to post it here for your reflection as we continue to study this passage together.
I thought these comments would be appropriate in light of yesterday’s sermon focusing on the life of the church illustrating the gospel we proclaim. In short, the life of the church should display gospel fruit.
Today, in our Gospel Jump-Start post we will focus on some words from Tim Chester that remind us of the rich grace God extended to sinners at the cross. Christian, as you read his words be reminded that you don’t have to earn your salvation from God…be reminded that you can’t earn salvation. Therefore, as we begin a new week let us remember that we aren’t living in an effort to earn, but…
God’s plan is not for us to go about our Christian walk alone, but instead with others in the local church. In his book, The Christian Life, Sinclair Ferguson says Christians are like coals in a fire (pg. 180). If you remove a coal, isolating it from the others, it cannot produce the same amount of heat on its own and it will quickly go out. Yet, when those coals remain together…
Today in our Gospel Jump-Start post, Pastor Ray Ortlund offers encouragement to Christians in their fight against indwelling sin…
I’ve been attending various Bible studies ever since the Lord rescued me from sin and death over 36 years ago in high school. Many of these Bible studies have been excellent. But Dr. Luke records a story in his gospel account of the world’s greatest Bible study ever (Luke 24:13-35). It was a really small Bible study…
Our love for neighbor flows from our love for God. It is through the gospel we are reconciled to the Father and in which we are made one with God. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:4-5). Believers are compelled by the gospel to walk in the good works which God prepared beforehand for us (Ephesians 2:10). The gospel motivates our love for neighbor…
As Christians, we should care about political engagement. Scripture teaches that God has ordained government to serve the good of civilization (Rom. 13:1-7). As Christians living in America, we are privileged to play a role in government. Therefore, our political engagement is a part of obeying the command to love our neighbor (Matt. 22:39; see also Jer. 29:1-14). However, with political engagement comes the temptation…
The Greek term for “rejoice” is the root for the word “joy.” Paul used the terms rejoice and joy in twelve verses in his letter to the Philippians. These two words communicate great happiness, gladness, or pleasure. Most people would say they want to find true joy in life. The question is, where does ultimate joy come from? Let’s take a look at the theme of joy in Philippians to help answer this question…
Today in our Gospel Jump-Start Series, we are going to let John Newton preach to us. Be encouraged by his comments of the Gospel’s continual work in our lives…
The apostle Paul uses the word “walk” in seven verses in his letter to the Ephesians. To walk means “to live or behave in a specified manner…
This past Sunday, I preached on The Gospel and Racial Injustice. It’s not the first time we’ve looked at the issue of race and racism in America and it won’t be the last. I lament that we must still address the issue of racism in America. I wish we didn’t need to, but we do. In this post I’d like to begin a conversation revolving around some of the points I made in the sermon and also introduce a few others. I’d love to hear back from you regarding your thoughts, concerns, worries, and fears. In our conversation…
This week’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series focuses on how the Gospel brings a beautiful otherworldly unity within the church. In a fractured world fraught with divisions, the Gospel is good news and it’s fruit is a sight to behold. Brett McCracken wrote on the beauty of unity within the church…
In the last post we thought about how, for the Christian, hope is a sure and concrete reality. I thought it would be helpful to think further on our hope and let the Apostle Peter help us. In 1 Peter 1:3-5, he wrote…I want to point out four things Peter tells us about our hope in Christ…
When the Bible speaks of hope it is speaking of the concrete certainty God’s people can have that He will make good on His promises. Paul, speaking of our future glory, in Romans 8 writes…
oday’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series is a reminder that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Yesterday during the sermon, I made the statement that the power is in the message, not the messenger. This truth has always been encouraging to me and reminds me to not put confidence in myself, but in the gospel itself when we share it with others…
O, LORD, we thank you for being our refuge and strength amid the dark times we are presently experiencing as a nation (Psalm 46:1). We mourn the loss of precious human beings who are made in Your image. Specifically, we grieve the death of George Floyd. We lament the deaths of civilians and police officers that have occurred during protests throughout the nation. We pray for comfort for their families and for justice in each of these cases…
The horrific events surrounding George Floyd’s death surely warrant a national outcry for justice. We should demand better and strive for never allowing such to happen again in a Nation that pledges to be “indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” Tragically, for many in our nation, the news of Floyd’s death was not an anomaly, but it was instead the familiar haunting of a nightmare that will not end. For many in our Nation the news coming from Minneapolis is suffocating like a knee bearing down on the back of the neck…
Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-start Series focuses on the encouragement we have in knowing the ascended Christ sits at the Father’s right hand on our behalf. J.I. Packer said…
During the sermon on Genesis 29:31-30:24 this morning, Pastor Ken exhorted us to find our identity in Christ, and Him alone. He displayed from the text how we are continually tempted to find our identity in various idols. One of the helps Pastor Ken offered in doing heart evaluation is the four root idols of comfort, approval, control, and power from Eric Geiger. We thought it would be helpful for everyone to dive a little deeper into these root idols than what the sermon would allow…
“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” -1 Peter 2:2-3
A couple of weeks ago Pastor Ken wrote a post entitled, Fighting for Unity During a Pandemic, in which he referenced the above passage as the foundation of our unity as a church. By God’s grace through Christ, we have unity, but as these verses instruct, we must be eager to maintain that unity. As we begin to gather again physically for worship this Sunday and as our Base Groups begin to move toward returning to physical gatherings, I thought it important to draw your attention again to Pastor Ken’s post linked above and to think more on this call to maintain unity…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5
Apart from Jesus, you can do nothing.
John 15 provides us with an extremely helpful illustration…
In the previous post we thought about the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” This reality not only encourages us in our Christian life and sanctification, it also encourages us in our evangelism. Let me explain…
Beware of gospel fatigue! I hope Today’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series serves as both a warning and encouragement. There is a very real temptation to begin thinking; “I know the gospel, what I now need is some deeper theology.” Yet, we never graduate from or move on from the gospel…
Over the years, Job 38-42:6 has been one of my favorite sections of Scripture. Job, without a doubt, has experienced exceptional suffering. He has understandably sought answers and understanding in the midst of his suffering. Throughout the book Job has engaged with his unhelpful friends and has pleaded with God for a hearing and answers. When we reach chapter 38…
Theologians rightly speak of the self-sufficiency of God (the doctrine is formally called the Aseity of God). They rightly speak of this attribute because Scripture teaches it. God has no need outside of Himself and He is in no way deficient. Paul told the crowd at Athens…
Our encouragement in the Gospel Jump-Start Series this week comes from John Calvin. In his work, A Little Book on the Christian Life, Calvin wrote…
I recently read When Pain is Real and God Seems Silent by Ligon Duncan. This book is composed of two of Duncan’s sermons on Psalm 88 and 89. It was a very short, yet rich read. My reflections will primarily focus on Psalm 88:10-12…
One of the many things that has been on the hearts and minds of our elders over the last couple of months is how to maintain unity in the body of Christ during a season where the body of Christ is not gathering.
Have you ever had a disagreement with someone you love over the phone? Whether it was with your spouse or a friend or perhaps even an adult family member, chances are there was ample opportunity for miscommunication and misunderstanding…
This week’s encouragement in our Gospel Jump-Start Series comes from Jerry Bridge’s comments on 2 Corinthians 5:18-21. The passage says…
Earlier this week I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole coronavirus quarantine. Like everyone else, I’ve modified routines and adopted new habits, but I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I was done, and everyone around me (which was only my wife and kids) knew it. I was weary of social-distancing…
Often at NewBranch you will hear it stated that, as Christians, we have been freed from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day we will be freed from the presence of sin. In our Justification we are freed from the penalty of sin in that Christ took our penalty upon Himself and paid it for us (Gal. 3:13). Through Christ’s victory in His life, death, and resurrection He also freed us from the power of sin…
We are going to take a break from our Gospel Jump-Start Series this week. During the sermon yesterday we briefly looked at Psalm 67. The Psalm is a prayer asking the Lord to bless Israel for the purpose of making Him known to all the earth, and this toward the end of the nations praising Him for His saving power…
One of the resources Pastor Ken suggested in his blog titled “Don’t Waste Your Pandemic!” is a book titled “A Praying Life” by Paul Miller. The purpose of the book is to help readers cultivate a vibrant prayer life. I highly commend this resource to you.
I found this quote from Miller extremely challenging and convicting…
Back in 2013, I heard a sermon by John Folmar on evangelism that is still impactful to me today. To this day, I still remember hearing Pastor Folmar say:
Before you talk to your friend about God, talk to God about your friend.
This week’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series shows how preaching the Gospel to ourselves produces true humility in us. Philippians 2:4-5 says…
There has never been a time like this in our lives, and there probably never will be again. An appropriate word for this season of our lives, albeit a tad overused, is “unprecedented”. It’s true. The current world health crisis caused by the coronavirus is without precedent in our lifetimes…
When it comes to praying for our church family, many of our prayers probably focus on the specific needs of our fellow members. This should certainly be a part of our prayer lives and is to be commended. However, how should we pray for the corporate life of the church in general?
This week’s post in our Gospel Jump-Start Series shows how preaching the gospel to ourselves moves us toward others. It is the gospel that saves and it is the gospel that motivates and fuels the the Christian life. Listen to how Mark Dever, in his book Discipling, explains how the gospel moves us toward others…
Listen to these theologians, past and present, as they explain both the necessity and the beauty of the resurrection…
