The Whole Counsel

The Scriptures are filled with metaphors and descriptions of the Christian’s union with Christ. Each of them expresses a different reality of that union. But even with all the words dedicated to explaining and describing that union, it still holds a mystery that escapes even the best theologians. But the existence of the mystery should not stop us from taking our time to study, examine, and medita...

Dr. John Snyder is joined this week by Acey Floyd, co-elder of Christ Church New Albany and Media Gratiae’s Office Manager, to start a new series discussing the Christian’s union with Christ. This doctrine is central to the letters of Paul in the New Testament and should therefore be central in our lives. Union with Christ can be seen as the central hub of the wheel that is the Christian life. If...

Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church in Crawley, England (a town just south of London) is a long-time friend of Media Gratiae. We turn to him when we have difficult questions and value his wisdom and godliness. Several months ago, while Jeremy was preaching in Lusaka, Zambia, he was approached by a man who was burdened for the orphans on the streets of Lusaka. This man had been seek...

This week, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James will wrap up our series on a talk given by Hudson Taylor to several missionaries in the late 19th century. His main emphasis throughout the talk was the significance of the missionaries living a life that aligns with their teaching. While we are focused on living consistent lives, we also have to be aware of the contradictory nature of the Christian life....

This week we continue discussing a talk Hudson Taylor gave to a group of missionaries in the late 1800s. His talk was grounded in 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 and focused on the importance of leading a life consistent with the teachings of Christ. There is so much to highlight, Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James couldn’t fit it all into one episode (or even two). So today they take a deep look at what it mean...

Hudson Taylor is no stranger to anyone who has been through a Media Gratiae study. He was a pioneer missionary to inland China and founded the Inland China Mission. There is a great deal we could say about his life and ministry, but Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James wanted to spend the next two weeks walking through a particular talk Taylor gave to his missionaries in the 1880s. The talk is recorded...

his is the final episode of our series focusing on Christians fulfilling our responsibility to speak God’s words carefully, accurately, and timely. We started last week looking at our ultimate example in our Lord Jesus Christ. He perfectly spoke the words the Father gave Him to speak. He spoke comforting words to the hurting, convicting words to the lost, and glorifying words to the Father. We are...

In what was supposed to be our final episode of the current series, John and Teddy are in the studio again discussing the type of person who can be trusted with God’s words. The conversation begins by asking how we should view conversations on the Internet. Are we commanded as Christians to answer every question we see on social media? Are we to respond to every criticism of Christianity? Or are w...

See the new study here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/christ-our-treasure   We have spent the last four episodes dealing with the types of people God will and will not entrust with His words. But how can we, a fallen, weak, and sinful people know that we are capable of accomplishing the tasks or delivering the messages God has entrusted to us? God leads His children to difficult, and e...

We have been discussing the type of person God has and will entrust His Word and His messages to. These are those who do not turn a blind ear to the truths of God, those who find application to HIs Word in their lives, those who repent when truth shines light on sins. We have also discussed those who God will not trust with His words. Those who harbor idols, those who have the form of religion wit...

This week Dr. John Snyder and Teddy James are continuing our series on looking at the people God entrusts with His words. Though we spent the last two episodes examining the type of people God does entrust with His words, this week we examine the negative example. In Ezekiel 14, and 33, we see a scene where idolators are coming to the prophet to hear a word from the Lord and God refuses to speak t...

very Christian wants have the right words to deliver to their family, friends, children, coworkers, and fellow church members. We want to speak timely truths in love. But some things can hinder this and make our words weightless. Last week Dr. John Snyder introduced us to our new series and this week he is joined by Teddy James, the guy who belongs behind the camera. They discuss the reality that...

This week we begin a new series discussing the weight of our words. We will focus particularly on speaking weighty words. We have the words of Scripture, which are the most important words to read and speak. But we’ve all had the experience of listening to someone teach or preach Scripture and we feel as though listening to them is optional. Their words are weightless. So what gives weight to a pe...

Last week we teased an interview Teddy had with Greg Jones, president of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust. This week we can deliver it to you. During the discussion, Greg and Teddy discuss the purpose and mission of the MLJ Trust, where Greg would recommend people begin with Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ sermons, and how you can pray for the team behind the trust and the work they do. We pray the episode is a part...

Sometimes we make plans for a podcast and then have to change them after we finish recording. Such was the case this week. Earlier last week, Teddy filmed an interview with Greg Jones, president of the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust. Because we wanted to properly introduce the MLJ Trust to you John jumped into the studio for a “10-minute introduction” that lasted over 30 minutes. We thought the discussi...

Earlier this month Ian Hamilton came to the office of Media Gratiae to begin production on a new study focusing on genuine discipleship. While he was in town, we asked him to preach at Christ Church New Albany. His chosen text was Psalm 44 and he focused on the seasons of life when our theology and life experience seem to be at odds with one another. How should we pray when overwhelemed by life’s...

Last week John took a look at John the Baptist bringing doubts to Jesus Christ. It was the result of John’s study of Scripture not matching up with what he was seeing and expecting. So he brought doubts to Jesus. This week, John Snyder is taking another look at Christ in a way that will, prayerfully, help us as we enter 2024. The central thought comes from Matthew 11, with Jesus saying, “Come to M...

In Matthew 11, we see this incredible scene of John the Baptist questioning whether or not Jesus is the promised Messiah. This is the man who had prepared the way for Christ. He was the final Old Covenant prophet. He had stood before kings and refused to turn from the truth. That’s why he was in prison. But this strong, faithful man had questions and doubts. The fact he had doubts isn’t the only i...

This week we end our special episodes publishing the interviews from Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. We chose to end these with Paul Washer. In the concluding part of his interview, Paul points out the necessity of making the realities of God more than mere head knowledge. The truths of God and the Christian life must be applied. It is dangerous to have the head knowledge of Jonathan E...

Continuing with our final series of interviews from Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, we present to you the final installment of our interview with Richard Owen Roberts. Roberts has dedicated his life to studying, teaching, and writing about the reality of revival. He is a well-known itinerant preacher and he was very instrumental in the spiritual development of Dr. John Snyder. We pray...

We will be spending the next three weeks publishing the rest of our complete interviews conducted for Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. We pray you have benefited from these interviews as much as we have. It has been an indescribable joy to go back through this old material with the knowledge of how the Lord has been pleased to use it over the last decade. This week we are releasing the...

One of our favorite episodes to create every year is our book recommendation episode. Each year, close to Christmas (sorry if it’s too close to Christmas for you this year) we record an episode recommending some of our favorite books we have read over the last year. If you want to see previous years’ book recommendations, we have an entire playlist on our YouTube channel. We’ve provided links to a...

  Media Gratiae is an independent, donor-funded publisher. We both create and distribute material focusing on the experiential Christian life. Throughout 2023, we have been blessed to produce materials such as Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early, and distribute the film Welsh Awakening. In addition to creating study resources for churches, families, and small groups, we also produce several podcast...

If you have listened to The Whole Counsel for any length of time or gone through the Behold Your God studies, you know that Dr. John Snyder has great appreciation and affection for Samuel Rutherford. But he doesn’t appreciate of Rutherford’s work equally. In fact, there is one book that he calls, “My least favorite book from my favorite Puritan.” That work is Lex Rex. Lex Rex: The Law and the Prin...

This is our final look at the five letters of Archibald Alexander written to those in the Autumn of Life. In this last letter, Alexander wants to teach his readers how to prepare to end their lives well and it perhaps the most applicable letter to those who are far from the grave. Alexander starts the letter by saying we can be best prepared for death by living intentionally, walking closely to ou...