The Gospel Coalition

Dec 19, 2022 • 31 min

Dec 16, 2022 • 45 min

In his message at TGC's 2021 National Conference, John Yates teaches on the successes of The Great Awakening of the 1700s to1800s and what this historical revival can show us. Yates explains five things that made the ministry and revival of the early awakeners so effective: 1. Their message always started with man’s lostness and inability to live up to the standard of God. It always ended with the atonement of Christ and a call to new birth and true faith that brings assurance of salvation. 2. Their delivery was filled with a great sense of duty and responsibility to bring others to Christ. 3. Their community was set up from the beginning to have small groups with high commitment where honesty and accountability for Christian living were the focus. 4. Their emotions, flowing from their devotion to Christ, had a place, and the awakeners used them in their music and writings. 5. Their leaders were well trained and educated. Yates closes with encouragement and urges us to pray for revival now as we rely on the Holy Spirit to move. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 15, 2022 • 35 min

We sing ‘Joy to the World’ each Christmas but don’t often feel joy filled. Our circumstances and situations can rob us of joy. A difficult family situation, a challenging health diagnosis, a crushing job loss can all rob us of our joy. Jesus has just told His disciples that He is going to leave them for a little while. They don’t understand what He is saying or where He is going. Their paradigm of Him is skewed. They want Him to free Israel from the Roman tyranny. How can He be going? He came to free them from a greater tyrant than Rome. We are often like the disciples, longing to find our joy in our agenda and plans instead of His. How is Christmas truly good news of great joy?

Dec 9, 2022 • 47 min

A few years ago, Jen Wilkin coined the term “celebratory failurism” to describe an acceptance of the thought that Christians will never be able to fully obey because of total depravity. Wilkin pushes back on that idea, and she and Mike Kruger discuss why there seems to be a misunderstanding on total depravity, legalism, and obedience to the law.  They discuss the struggle between antinomianism (lawlessness) and pharisaical tendencies (lawfulness) and find that the relationship between law and grace is: obedience that pleases God has right motive combined with right action. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 9, 2022 • 49 min

Dec 6, 2022 • 37 min

We all need hope. Hope when facing a medical crisis. Hope when bankruptcy looms. Hope when the overwhelming uncertainty of our future is crushing. Hope when we’re devastatingly hurt by the actions of another. Hope when we’ve lost our way. Hope when our soul is aching. Advent Hope is not whimsical or ambiguous. Advent Hope is certain and true. It is a confident expectation. Advent hope is secured in the person and work of Christ – it is as dependable as God is. In a world of uncertainty we need an unmovable anchor we can cling to. That anchor is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Dec 2, 2022 • 46 min

“We can’t love Christ and love his word and ignore the gospel imperative to love each other .” — Courtney Doctor In our polarized world, Christians should be constantly demonstrating a better way toward unity. In this panel discussion at TGC21 (moderated by Vanessa Hawkins), Courtney Doctor, Suzanne Bates, Ruth Chou Simons, and Dennae Pierre discuss the barriers to gospel-centered racial unity and practical ways we can move forward. Some of these barriers to racial unity can include: fear of people who are different from us, lack of awareness of others’ experiences, and the cost of investing time into these hard conversations. In foolishness and pride, we might see these as simple problems that need to be fixed. In humility and grace, we can listen to and learn from each other’s complex experiences. If we are going to build a diverse church, we must be intentional. The panel discusses that reading books on ethnic and racial diversity, attending an ethnic church different from your own, and creating local spaces to have hard conversations, are some practical ways forward with Christ at the center. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 2, 2022 • 46 min

Nov 25, 2022 • 42 min

Nov 18, 2022 • 48 min

“Go online for a purpose, go for a reason. Stay online only as long as you need to, and then go offline.” — Brett McCracken In his message at TGC21, Brett McCracken addresses an issue of today's generation of quick information—how to develop wisdom in the midst of all that is being thrown at us, online. He shares three things that are making us sick: We have too much information We receive it too quickly The information is too focused on the individual (self) As an antidote to these problems, McCracken forms a “wisdom pyramid” which is similar to the food pyramid. In each level of the pyramid, he describes how much time we should be spending in relation to the other levels. For example, most of our time should be spent in the Bible, which is the foundation of the pyramid, and the least amount of time should be spent on social media and the internet, which is the top of the pyramid. Like a healthy diet, The Wisdom Pyramid  is a guide to lead us into better spiritual and physical health. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nov 18, 2022

Nov 11, 2022 • 48 min

Along with his other brothers and sisters, James started out as an unbeliever—though he was a half-sibling of Jesus—until Christ's resurrection. Nancy Guthrie takes us through verses from the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and historical writings to show us James's journey as the leader of the church in Jerusalem, a pastor, peacemaker, doer of the Word, and a man who remained steadfast under trial. In all this, we learn the significance of why James refers to himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oct 21, 2022 • 42 min

If we want our kids to love Jesus, we must also want them to love the church. In her message at TGCW21, Megan Hill gives five ways to practically teach our kids to love the local church. Acknowledge our kids’ experiences. Know that church isn’t always easy for them, and talk to them about it. Remove practical obstacles. Sometimes what they don’t like about church isn’t spiritual and can be changed. Teach them that church is good. Disciple children at home so that practices at church don’t feel foreign or awkward for them. Affirm their Kingdom value. Make sure kids don’t feel like an afterthought, but know they are valued and can be used by God. Invite them to participate. Call them to serve and invite them to love others with you in tangible ways. Hill closes with an encouragement to parents who are feeling overwhelmed. “Sunday by Sunday, seek to show your kids how good it is to love God’s people and to worship alongside them—you have an advocate in the heavenly places.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oct 14, 2022 • 43 min

“At the core of our identity as Christians is this thing that says, ‘Jesus is more important to us than anything else,’ and it causes us to lean toward one another, not away from each other.” — Mark Vroegop At TGC's 2021 National Conference, Mark Vroegop, Kori Porter, and Irwyn Ince discuss why lament is a key component of racial reconciliation. The panel answers tough questions: What is racial reconciliation? Why is it so important? Why is it so difficult? Lament is a tool Christians must use in order to enter into each others’ pain. We must not be tempted toward denial or despair, but instead, we embrace brokenness together as the gospel heals racial wounds. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oct 7, 2022 • 45 min

“We don’t persevere in order to be saved. We persevere because we have been saved. God has made it possible for us to maintain faithfulness to Jesus, and God is invested in our faithfulness to him.” –– Glenna Marshall At TGCW21, Glenna Marshall delivers a practical message on how to be faithful in the small things, noting that it takes time to see spiritual growth. This perseverance and faithfulness are only possible in the Christian life with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Teaching through Hebrews 10, Marshall outlines three calls to action in pursuing and maintaining faithfulness: Let us draw near to God and pray. Let us hold fast to the gospel—we cannot grow apart from the Scriptures. Let us not neglect meeting together and encouraging one another. Being faithful in these ways allows us to remain connected to the vine and continue growing in Christ as we wait for his return. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 30, 2022 • 46 min

“Whatever [sin] it is, God is still gracious to redeem you and to keep you. He will never leave nor forsake you.” — Kori Porter Kori Porter outlines the steps of sin through King David’s adultery and murder: sin always starts with desire, sin leads to more sin, and sin produces death. Through this progression, Porter teaches that we have many points of escape when we’re in sin—God will give us a way out and give us the power to fight sin through prayer and the reading of his Word. Just as David was restored through repentance and grace, so will we be restored as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and die to sin in order to have true life Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 23, 2022 • 48 min

In their breakout session at TGC21, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan, Melissa Kruger, and Nancy Guthrie discuss what it means to have a healthy, biblical view of complementarianism. Melissa Kruger defines complementarianism as understanding men and women to be “equal in worth and dignity, and different in how we live that out in the world.” The panel answers questions like “What does healthy and unhealthy complementarianism look like?” and “How do we graciously argue for it when others disagree?” As the panel discusses the differences in the roles of men and women, they also encourage us to keep the gospel central and to follow the example of Jesus in how he treated both men and women. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 15, 2022 • 46 min

When it comes to selecting a book of the Bible to study or teach, Revelation is a book that is often avoided. We’re a bit intimidated by it—afraid we won’t be able to understand it, afraid of the controversy that surrounds it, and afraid of the realities it presents in its graphic strangeness.  We also know it is a book some people have an unhealthy obsession with. The book of Revelation actually begins and ends with a promise—a promise of blessing for those who hear what is revealed in it and allow that revelation to shape their perspective about what is real, what will last, and who is worthy of worship.  In this workshop, recorded live at The Gospel Coalition's 2022 Women’s Conference, Nancy Guthrie addresses fears many have in regard to the book of Revelation—the fears of not understanding it, fears of controversy, persecution, and its depictions of God’s judgments— offering reasons to invest ourselves in understanding this challenging book as well as keys that will unlock its meaning and impact. Click here for more from Nancy on the book of Revelation.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 9, 2022 • 49 min

“I believe we need to read, interpret, and preach Christ and his gospel from all the Scriptures.” – Julius Kim At TGC21, Julius Kim explains how to deliver a sermon with wisdom and grace for the growth of God’s kingdom. Kim says that it is critical to preach Christ through every passage, and he gives four specific ways to prepare a sermon, with key tips on how to preach it once prepared: Discover the truth about the text according to the human author. Discern Christ in the text according to the divine author. Design a sermon according to truth, goodness, and beauty. Deliver the sermon for maximum attention, retention, integration, and transformation. Kim gives further tips like how to ask the right questions, how to pay attention to body language, and how to use patterns for retention of the message being proclaimed. The preacher must preach Christ, but ultimately, it is up to the Spirit to transform. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 2, 2022