The Gospel Coalition

Aug 6, 2020 • 34 min

In this episode, the guys continue to talk about the sometimes challenging relationship between the worship leader and the senior pastor.

Aug 6, 2020 • 52 min

In the years I’ve spent in the church listening to sermons and teaching, I can think of very few times that I have heard direct applications from the text made to the sin of racism or the sin of apathy toward injustice. Maybe I just didn’t have the ears to hear it. In my own teaching, I may have mentioned racism in a list of sins, or mentioned it as one of the things that will be “no more” in the new heaven and new earth, but I don’t think I’ve ever used an opportunity teaching in a passage to challenge these sins. I want to do better, and I imagine there are a lot of others who do too. That is why I asked two excellent Bible teachers who bring a great deal of experience and credibility to this topic to have a conversation with me about how to rightly and helpfully apply the Bible to the sin of racism. Irwyn Ince is a pastor at Grace DC Presbyterian Church and director of the Grace DC Institute for Cross-Cultural Mission . He has contributed to the books  Heal Us Emmanuel  and  All Are Welcome: Toward a Multi-Everything Church and is author of the new book  The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best . Sean Michael Lucas, senior minister of  Independent Presbyterian Church , Memphis, Tennessee, is the author of numerous books on people and institutions with a history tainted by racism including,  Robert Lewis Dabney: A Southern Presbyterian Life , The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards: American Religion and the Evangelical Tradition ,Blessed Zion: First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, 1837-2012, and For a Continuing Church: The Roots of the Presbyterian Church in America. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 1, 2020 • 34 min

"What if every anxiety was an opportunity for you to look at the cross and remember that Jesus' sacrifice covered this circumstance? Do not be afraid." Laura Powell led a workshop during The Gospel Coalition’s 2018 Women’s Conference titled, “Journey with John Flavel Toward Fearlessness.” Fear is a common emotion that drives each one of us in one way or another on a daily basis. In her message, Powell defined the types of fear people face and referenced the writings of Puritan preacher John Flavel along the way to bring context and clarity. Powell’s message reminded her listeners—and reminds us today—that the fear of the Lord is good, that sin caused our fears to be fallen, and that our fears are redeemed by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 25, 2020 • 40 min

During a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference, Josh Byers and Tim Challies teamed up to deliver a message titled, “How Visual Theology Displays the Truth About God.” There may be no time quite like the present in which the world has been so acutely aware of the importance of visual communication. The power of images to shape culture, communication, and education is undeniable, including within the church. Yet imagery has been troublesome at times in church history. In order to help people within our churches become good theologians, we must teach sound doctrine in words, but we also need to engage them visually in order to undergird and communicate truth in ways we might not otherwise clearly accomplish. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 23, 2020 • 35 min

In this episode, the guys talk about the sometimes difficult relationship between the worship leader and the senior pastor.

Jul 23, 2020 • 55 min

Few teachers are rushing to teach the book of 1 Chronicles. Perhaps that's because they have already taught through 1–2 Samuel and 1–2 Kings and so much from these earlier books is repeated in 1–2 Chronicles. But according to Richard Pratt, president and co-founder of Third Millennium Ministries and author of the volume on 1–2 Chronicles in the Mentor Commentary series, to not study these books because of repeated material would be similar to a person not studying Mark or Luke because they’ve already studied Matthew. The Chronicler intentionally diverged from the records of Samuel and Kings to reveal his theological perspectives, and, according to Pratt, this perspective does not take away from the credibility of the book. Rather it serves the purpose of the book, which is to direct his audience to reconsider what they believed about the people of God, about the king and the temple, and about God’s blessings and curses. Rather than simply thinking of the book as historical chronology, we should also view it as representing an underlying logical argument, a step-by-step effort at persuasion. In this conversation, Pratt talks about how best to handle the first nine chapters of the book (a lengthy genealogy of the twelve tribes), the importance of the term “all Israel” that is used throughout the book, and the unique contribution the book makes to what we understand about the role of music in worship. Recommended Resources: Pratt’s section on 1–2 Chronicles in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament: The Gospel Promised 1 & 2 Chronicles: A Mentor Commentary by Richard Pratt ESV Expository Commentary: Ezra–Job, Volume 4 Who Needs The Chronicles? We Do. Knowing the Bible: 1-2 Chronicles, a 12-week Practical Study Series on the Books of 1-2 Chronicles (TGC Course) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 18, 2020 • 56 min

"Awareness of death weakens our attachments to false hopes." Matthew McCullough delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled, “Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope” based on his book by the same name. McCullough focuses on the importance of paying careful attention to death, removing the taboo around the subject, allowing it to deepen our spiritual walk, and encourage us with hope. In a culture that prioritizes pleasures, certainly death seems a morbid and unexpected topic of conversation. Yet McCullough focuses on two benefits in the lives of Christians, not in simply preparing for death, but in knowingly living with death on the horizon—learning to number our days. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 11, 2020 • 57 min

Jackie Hill Perry delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been” based on her book by the same name. In it, she addresses same-sex attraction through her own story couched within the larger story of God. She encourages listeners to trust that that the simplicity of the gospel message—even when it seems to bear no fruit—can and does lead people out of sin and into a life that glorifies God. She calls the church to think holistically and frame the work of loving and serving same-sex attracted people in the fullness of the gospel. Simply love those in need of the gospel and help them understand it in its simplest form—Jesus loves you and died for your sins.       Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jul 7, 2020

In this episode, we discuss how to deal with disappointments in worship ministry.

Jul 7, 2020

In this episode, we discuss what worship looks like during a pandemic.

Jul 7, 2020 • 45 min

In this episode, we talk about how worship leaders can love their congregation during a pandemic.

Jul 5, 2020 • 55 min

Sam Chan delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “How to Tell Your Friends About Jesus Without Becoming That Guy.” He taught that many of the things that we believe will help to convince others of the truth of the gospel—sovereignty of God aside—such as facts, evidence, and data, are actually the least powerful factors in doing so. Far more powerful are community and experiences, which means that the most effective methodologies for helping others to hear and understand the gospel include experiences that offer a merging of Christian and non-Christian friends and the opportunity to listen and learn from one another. From these things, fueled by prayer, opportunities for gospel conversations will inevitably arise. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 27, 2020 • 55 min

"Change is not the absence of temptations but the raw spiritual ability to be holy even in the midst of temptations." Christopher Yuan delivered a message during a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “Holy Sexuality: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story.” Yuan taught that sexual identity has become an idol within our culture, and sexual freedom has become the religion of the land as a result of our hearts being set in defiance against God’s perfect design. Though sanctification is critical activity for every believer, he taught, the Christian life constitutes far more than the avoidance of sinful behavior. It begins with answering our ontological questions in terms of the Imago Dei and developing a “theological anthropology”—recognizing that our identity is not defined by our sin, but by Christ. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 25, 2020 • 52 min

What are the essentials to good Bible study materials? And what makes a small group Bible study work well? Are we going to take prayer requests? Will there be homework or no homework? What makes the difference between good questions in curriculum and questions that frustrate the group? These are the kinds of questions I talked through with  Lydia Brownback  who has just embarked on creating a new series of Bible study resources called the  Flourish Bible Study series for which she plans to create three new studies a year for ten years. We talked about the importance of defining terms, studying a book of the Bible in the larger context of the Bible’s story and message, and the best way to go about making personal application. Because Brownback is a senior editor at Crossway books, I also asked her about the advice she gives when people ask her about how they can get a book published. Her bottom line? It’s really hard. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 20, 2020 • 59 min

Karen Swallow Prior spoke at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in a breakout session called, “Why, How, and What to Read.” The relationship between God and his people, she posited, has always focused on the centrality of the Word with a specific emphasis on written words. In fact, it may be said that reading is a supernatural gift from God—one that can be accepted, rejected, or lost. It is therefore incumbent upon all believers to cultivate the ability to read the right things, in the right ways, in order to steward the wonderful gift of reading that both enriches our lives and deepens our relationship with the Word who took on flesh and dwelt among us. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 13, 2020 • 56 min

Harold Kim delivered a message in a breakout session titled “Bittersweet Sovereignty in Joseph’s Story and Ours” at The Gospel Coalition’s 2018 West Coast Conference. From Genesis chapters 37 and 50, Kim addressed three repeating themes in the life of Joseph: sins, sovereignty, and salvation. Driven by sinful, generational family dysfunction, Joseph’s life spiraled into chaos, yet God was sovereign over and working through it all. In the same way, we find hope in the promise that God causes all things—even the horrendous, atrocious dysfunction that often befalls us because of our own sin—to work together for our good. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 11, 2020 • 40 min

Jun 11, 2020 • 46 min

All of us who dare to stand up and teach the Bible are teachers in progress. We all have ways we can get better. Recently I got to sit down with Mark Meynell who, in his role as director of Europe and the Caribbean for Langham Preaching , spends most of his time traveling to different parts of the world to help teachers and preachers get better at handing the Bible. According to Meynell, Bible teachers all over the world lament the same thing—a lack of time to do the kind of study they want to do on the text. His word to teachers is: "You make time for what you think is important.” Meynell says that the marks of really good Bible teaching include faithfulness to the set, relevance to the audience, and clarity in delivery. Our discussion included tips on how to discover the tics we all have as teachers that make it hard for our audience to listen to us, how to and how not to bring in passages outside of our main text into our talks, and the way in which John Stott modeled for him what it looks like to be a life-long learner. Meynell is the author of numerous books including What Angels Long to Read  (Langham Preaching Resources, 2017),  When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend (IVP, 2018) and his most recent, Colossians and Philemon for You  (Good Book, 2018). He blogs at  markmeynell.net . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 5, 2020 • 49 min

Trip Lee led a breakout session at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana titled "Incredibly Normal: The Shocking Truth About Who You Really Are." He addressed the identity of believers and what it means to be a Christian on a planet filled with more than seven billion other humans.  The reality is that God made us in his image for his own purposes, knows each of us intimately, and loves us in a way that only he can, making us unique in the world. We are also incredibly normal—unexceptional—when compared to the greatness and glory of God. Therefore, our identity must be rooted in Christ, not in ourselves, lest we fall to either side and either become entitled or feel inferior. Both are distortions and keep us from focusing on who God made us to be.       Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jun 4, 2020 • 51 min

In this episode, four pastors reflect on their current ministry and what they hope the future will hold for churches in Canada.