After Class Podcast

Who Has Your Allegiance? Your Nation... or the Kingdom of God? Can a Christian faithfully serve both their country and the Kingdom of God? Or, when push comes to shove, must one always come first? Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters." But what if your nation's values appear to align with God's? Can patriotism and discipleship coexist? Where does your ultimate allegiance belong? Building on l...

Continuing last week's conversation, we explore how God's set-apart people are to relate to the nations. Israel was forbidden from making alliances with the nations, and its way of life stood in stark contrast to the surrounding cultures. Kings, prophets, and priests each served a unique role in advancing God's purposes. But that was then. This is now. Did Christ's fulfillment of the prophecies ov...

Up to this point, we've identified who the powers and principalities are and the role they play. Today, the guys shift the conversation to how God's set-apart people should relate to them. Who are we? What is our role in the world in relation to the nations? How did God begin with His covenant people and shape them for a fundamentally different purpose? And how does that purpose grow into our call...

If God holds the nations accountable, shouldn't we, in the spirit of the prophets, join Him in calling the nations to account for their actions? But what does God actually hold the nations accountable for? The answer may not be what you think. Join the guys as they explore the prophetic witness of Scripture and examine how God judges nations, rulers, and empires— Is your nation at risk of God's ju...

All things were created through Him and for Him. Above all creation, this includes the powers and principalities of this world. Christians proclaim a God who is above all governors, governments, nations, rulers, and even angelic beings. This is a deeply subversive message—and a dangerous one. Throughout history, earthly powers have demanded ultimate allegiance, loyalty, and recognition. The early...

Who really rules the nations? God, governments, or something else entirely? Today, the guys continue their discussion on governing authorities by looking at one of the Bible's most intriguing and often misunderstood themes: powers and principalities. Are earthly governments merely human institutions, or is there something deeper at work behind the scenes? What did Paul mean when he spoke of rulers...

Is God on your political side? Scripture may say otherwise. Sam, John, and Ron continue their series on governing authorities by challenging one of the most common assumptions Christians make: that God automatically supports "our" nation, party, or political tribe. From Isaiah's shocking blessing of Egypt and Assyria, to Nahum's judgment against violent empires, to Daniel's warning that even admir...

What if the nation you despise most is actually on God's payroll? In this episode of The After Class Podcast, John, Ron, and Sam trace what the Bible really says about God and governing authorities — from Babylon and Assyria to Cyrus the Great — and why the "lesser of two evils" argument might be more sub-Christian than you think. If politics has been messing with your faith, this one's for you! ...

How does the language of the Bible talk about how God's people should relate to governing authorities and the level of our engagement with them? What do we do when differing groups of Christians land on different sides regarding the same administration? Split? μὴ γένοιτο ("May it never be!"). Today the guys begin investigating different approaches Christians take when approaching government and po...

Today, the guys wrap up the series and share some final observations and takeaways. But first, Paul writes that in the Supper we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, through the bread and the cup. But how often do we do this? And what does it mean to proclaim His death? Who is guilty of eating in an unworthy manner when they come together for the Lord's Supper? Are we doing the right thing in...

So far guys have covered the following aspects in the Lord's Supper series: * Building on OT sacred meals * Commemorating key events in sacred history * Meal practices with Jesus and His disciples * An experience of the Kingdom of God—"a Kingdom meal" Today the guys dive into the body of the Lord's Supper—specifically, "this is my (Christ's) body." So, are Christians cannibals, or is this some for...

Today, the guys look into the Last Supper accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, investigating the differences and what they reveal about the Lord's Supper, the influence of Passover, and how it impacts our practice today. What do Passover and the Last Supper have in common? And what don't they? Tune in today to find out.

Ritual? Meal? Nourishment? Remembrance? Micro-banquet? Flesh and blood? What is the Lord's Supper—and how are we meant to practice it? What does it have to do with the other meals we share as believers, and how do the practices of the early church shape our understanding today? Join the guys as they dig into the meaning behind the meal—and how it reveals Christ and His Kingdom, and the first fruit...

Who do you eat with? Sinners? Tax collectors? Church leaders and influencers? Today, the guys survey the wider narrative of meals presented in the New Testament in hopes of enriching our understanding of the Last Supper.

What is the Lord's Supper? Who can partake in it? What is it about? In today's episode, the guys set the table for how the Bible speaks about food, festival, and feast. Pull up a chair and prepare to dig into what the Bible has to say about food, as we begin to unpack the Lord's Supper.

When another Christian falls in a big way on the public stage, what is the responsibility of the broader Christian community? Do we have an obligation to respond right away and offer our perspective? And what is the Christian perspective? Do we do it publicly or privately? How do we handle the unfortunate moral failings of our brothers and sisters in the faith in a way that still offers a Christia...

Is the truth in you?  Are you one who loves in deed and truth, obeying what Jesus has commanded? Or do you find yourself often falling into the trap of lip service and well-meaning thoughts instead? Truth is action, and in today's episode the guys follow suit with some of the stronger warnings in Scripture that call us to a way of life grounded in truth. But where is life found? With so many voice...

Today the guys reach the completion of John's Gospel. Truth is framed through the new revelation brought to us in Christ as we grow beyond the need for a pedagogue under the law and into the living way. But how did Christ, in His conversation with the Jewish people, communicate this—and how did they receive it? Perhaps more importantly, what do we do with it today? Why did Jesus unite the way, the...

Today we step into the Gospel of John, where truth is described as coming from above — and where John provides a fresh framing of truth. Grace and truth — why are they paired together? And what shifts in our understanding of truth in light of Jesus that transcends time and place? So who will you listen to — Moses, Jesus, or Ron as he defends his thesis? Tune in to today's episode to explore truth...

False teaching is real. Some people will intentionally try to rile you up or pick you off when you are away from the body. Others tie their teaching to their own glory and financial gain. They may be proclaiming Christ, but their aim is bereft of truth. Are we serving Christ for status and a wealthy, easy life — or because He is enough? Phew… this episode steps into some uncomfortable truth territ...

We have a duty to reflect God's truth to the world. If truth is something worth living — and dying — for, do Christians have a duty to correct error throughout the world, in legislation, governance, and social policy? God calls us to align with truth, yet that sometimes places us at odds with the powers that be. And when Scripture speaks of God sending a "powerful delusion," are we hearing divine...

Biblically, truth comes from God , and intermingling truth with perversion or distortion—no matter how sincere—removes us from God's truth. Yikes. What is the difference between affirmation and love, and how do they fit within God's kingdom? How do we ensure we are not mixing them inappropriately while still upholding truth and speaking it in love? What does truth have to do with how we treat othe...

Truth defined by God stands in contrast to truth claims grounded primarily in experience.
In this episode, Ron rides confidently through his home terrain in the New Testament, while John drifts into theological questions that reveal just how complex "truth" becomes in the biblical writings. As we move through the New Testament, the guys explore the tension: the closer we get to the truth, are we m...

Truth and justice. Is there truth apart from justice? What are the implications of knowing the truth without acting justly? This week on After Class, the guys turn to the prophets. Can God's people claim truth while walking unjustly? Do we hide our thoughts and motives in the dark, or do we expose ourselves in the light no matter the consequence? As resident aliens in kingdoms that don't always sh...

If you are not committed to the truth, your witness is compromised.  If truth has an agenda, how does the Bible weigh in on truth in a world where it may be twisted? We need a revelation from God, lest we spiral into despair as we sift through the conflicting worldviews of subjective truth. So what  is God's truth agenda? Definitions, hot takes, and a call to truth all await you in this episode. U...