TGC Podcast

In his message at TGC's 2018 West Coast Conference, Juan Sánchez teaches the importance of discerning false teachers and ungodly influences within the church. He discusses the challenge of discerning between those who are open to repentance and those who are hard-hearted, unrepentant, and opposing the truth. Sánchez encourages pastors to pursue righteousness and patience, cleansing themselves from...

“I want to be content in the presence of God with me, no matter what the circumstances are around me.” – David Platt David Platt preaches a message at TGC21 based in Hebrews 13:1-21. He begins by reminding us that we have an adversary who wants to destroy our intimacy with Jesus and divert his people from his mission in the world, which is why we have the book of Hebrews. Platt gives 25 ways that...

In this panel discussion from TGC's 2018 West Coast Conference, Collin Hansen, Ray Ortlund, Kevin DeYoung, and Juan Sánchez discuss the prevalence of suffering in the lives of faithful Christians, citing examples from history and encouraging listeners to embrace their own suffering as a means of deeper spiritual growth.  They advise younger pastors and ministry leaders to trust in the Lord as thei...

In his message at TGC's 2018 West Coast Conference, Kevin DeYoung teaches from 2 Timothy 2:1–13 on what it means for Christians to be strong, not according to their own strength, but by that which has been given to them by God through Christ. When Paul writes to Timothy, he compares spiritual strength to a soldier's readiness for battle. DeYoung emphasizes the importance of understanding that suff...

In his message at TGC's 2018 West Coast Conference, Michael Horton teaches on 2 Timothy: 9–18, encouraging believers to live unashamed of the gospel, even amid suffering. Focusing on the centrality of the gospel in suffering witness according to God's power within us, Horton says the ministry of Paul and Timothy isn't merely about their personalities or abilities but about Christ's testimony. Just...

In his message at TGC's 2018 West Coast Regional Conference, Ray Ortlund emphasizes the importance of enduring faithfulness and making sacred commitments to the Lord. He draws inspiration from the book of 2 Timothy and highlights the theme of God's enduring faithfulness. Ortlund reads verses from 2 Timothy where Paul expresses gratitude to God and encourages Timothy to not be ashamed of the gospel...

Are you ready to tell someone about Jesus? How can you be prepared? Matt Smethurst, author of Before You Open Your Bible and companion book Before You Share Your Faith , outlines seven tips for becoming “evangelism ready.” “The greatest obstacle to evangelism is not unbelievers,” Smethurst says. “The greatest obstacle to evangelism is Christians who don’t share the gospel.” Hosted by Simplecast, a...

Today’s generation of young people is more anxious, more depressed, and less Christian than ever before. What is causing this? Chris Colquitt, campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Northwestern University, explores how safetyism and fragility are hazards to Generation Z's mental health and spiritual health. Colquitt says the Christian gospel provides realism that challenges o...

Trevin Wax, general editor of The Gospel Project and author of the book, Rethink Your Self , observes that today's common wisdom says you’re free to create yourself, design yourself, and define yourself. Yet the way of Jesus, Wax argues, would have us realize we’re already created, designed, and defined. Jesus confronts a “me first” way of life with a “God first” world. The world says we should lo...

Gavin Ortlund—writer and pastor at First Baptist Church of Ojai (California)—ponders the question, why do we feel a sense of transcendence when we listen to beautiful music? Where does that feeling come from? What's the best explanation for it? Ortlund compares the naturalistic and theistic answers to these questions, ultimately concluding that music is not a distraction from reality but a window...

Jeremy Treat, pastor at Reality LA in Los Angeles, observes how our longing for God does not disappear in a secular society. It just reappears in different forms: sports, politics, sexuality, and more. Treat describes how secular people today seek power, purity, and peace—traditionally sought in religion—in things like witchcraft, wellness, and mindfulness apps. Yet our deepest longings, Treat say...

Michael Horton explains why there is no such thing, in the new covenant, as a “Christian nation” apart from the worldwide body of Christ. “The problem with Christian nationalism is not that some Christians are taking a biblical idea too seriously,” says Horton, professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, “but that they are confusing America with Israel unde...

Irwyn Ince—pastor and author of The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best —explains why beauty compels us to pursue justice. The harmony and goodness of beauty reflect God’s creation as it was meant to be. Redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers should pursue justice because it foreshadows the coming perfection of beauty in the new creation. Check out...

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra—co-author (with Collin Hansen) of the new book Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age —discusses some of the reasons anxiety is on the rise. She explains how Christians can find peace in two seemingly contradictory ways: by thinking big, and by thinking small. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Pastor and apologist, Sam Allberry, addresses the reasons Christian pastors have become less trustworthy in society, and how they might become trusted again. Pastors need to appreciate why trust has been lost, Allberry says, and they should prioritize compassion, honesty, pointing people to Jesus, and striving to become more like Jesus themselves. The more like Jesus pastors are, the more trustwor...

Justin Giboney—co-founder and president of the AND Campaign—addresses the self-serving lies conservative and progressives tell themselves about issues like justice, identity politics, and critical race theory.  Many of us would prefer to be lied to rather than confronted with a truth that complicates our preferred narrative. Yet if we are going to address the race issue faithfully, Giboney argues,...

At TGC Chicago's 2022 Regional Conference, Colin Smith moderates a panel discussion with Kevin DeYoung, H. B. Charles, and Juan Sánchez on on ways to enhance your prayer life. Kevin DeYoung defines prayer as, “a lifting of conversation in our hearts Godward.” They consider different practical ways to deepen personal prayer—like prayer cards, walking while praying, praying as a family, using devoti...

In his message at TGCW22, Michael Kruger addresses the issue of doubt in Christianity, both in individual spiritual lives and within the larger culture. Kruger critiques two ineffective approaches to doubt: doubting shaming and intellectual superficiality. He argues that doubt should be approached with the compassion of God, and not seen as a virtue or as something to be shamed. Kruger also highli...

In his message from TGC Chicago's 2022 Regional Conference, Colin Smith teaches us how to pray the Lord’s prayer through five specific categories, drawing from Luke 11 when Jesus’s disciples actually requested that Jesus teach them to pray, not how to pray.  Smith highlights five things on which to focus while praying: God’s name should be honored in prayer. We ought to pray that God would raise u...

During a panel discussion led by Collin Hansen at TGCW22, Jackie Hill Perry, Preston Perry, Melissa Kruger, and Michael Kruger discuss what it looks like to have healthy, godly marriages. Both couples emphasize the need for respect, listening, authenticity, and confession. The panel also talks about the importance of focusing on the positive aspects of your spouse and being for your spouse in ever...

“God is so faithful. He says, ‘If you bring me your sin, if you uncover it before me, I will cover it. I will do the very thing that you're trying to do in your own strength and power. I will cover it in the blood of my Son.’” — Juan Sánchez In his message at TGC Chicago's 2022 regional conference, Juan Sánchez uses Nehemiah’s example of prayer to illustrate how we should earnestly seek the Lord....

In her message at TGCW22, Lydia Brownback addresses the topic of contentment and points to where we can find true fulfillment for the things in our life that just don't feel quite right. When there is discontentment in our lives, there are usually two avenues we typically take to deal with it: take it to the Lord or avoid it with busyness or another handy escape. Brownback uses Psalm 73 to teach a...

In his message at TGC Chicago's 2022 Regional Conference, Kevin DeYoung expounds on John 17, teaching us how to pray like Christ through his high priestly prayer. DeYoung summarizes Jesus’s prayer in three sections: Jesus prays for himself to be glorified, his disciples to be sanctified, and his church to be unified. Jesus also prays for the safekeeping of his disciples, knowing they'll sin and fa...

At TGCW22, Irwyn Ince explores the characteristics of love described in 1 Corinthians 13 and explains how to abide in that kind of love. Ince discusses the importance of love in relationships, specifically within the body of Christ, emphasizing the transformative power of God's love, which changes self-centered individuals into self-sacrificial lovers of God and neighbor. He proposes that love is...

In his message at TGC Chicago's 2022 Regional Conference, H. B. Charles explains what happens in David’s heart during his prayer of confession in Psalm 51. Through this psalm, we learn that confession and repentance can lead us to joy as we follow David’s example. First, David prays, “Forgive me,” which is essential to moving forward in our relationship with God once we’ve sinned against him. He p...