Practicology Podcast

The story in Leviticus 10 of two priests being burned alive for offering unauthorized fire to God is our entry point to exploring Leviticus 8-15, and to learning four lessons: (1) you can enliven your reading of ‘boring’ parts of the Bible by looking for the story; (2) God is the one who gets to tell us how to worship him; (3) relationship with God impacts every area of life; (4) obedi...

What should you read this summer? Matthew, Mike, and special guest Brynette Yee, have some ideas for you! There is no book like the Bible but we all learn from the ministry of others, including ministry that comes to us in written form. In our ninth instalment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13), we share brief reviews of seven books for your reading enjoyment: – When God Seems Dista...

Sin is no small thing in the eyes of God – nor should it be to us. And not only is God interested in our confession of sins to him, He calls on us to make things right with the people that we have hurt with our sin. Guest host Marcus Cain joins the podcast to help us learn these lessons from our concluding consideration of the five main Levitical offerings. Scriptures Referenced: Lev 4-5 Vis...

Confessing our sins to God is a basic part of the Christian life, but we still need to be taught how to do it. In this episode we explore what confession is, how to do it, and why it’s even necessary. The episode ends with some help for when you confess a sin, but struggle with whether God has forgiven it. Scriptures Referenced: 1John 1:6-2:2; Ps 51 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more epi...

Did you know there is a sacrifice in the Old Testament known as the fellowship offering? Tune in to see what Israel’s ancient act of worship teaches us about our acceptance with God, and how it leads to a very practical example of Christian fellowship today. Scriptures Referenced: Lev 3; Php 4:14-18 Visit PracticologyPodcast .com for more episodes.

What’s your type? Whether looking for a spouse, or trying to discern who the Lord is raising up for future leadership, the Scriptures urge us to screen for character. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 24, 29; Ex 18:13-27; Prov 31; 1Tim 3:1-7; 2Pet1:3-8 Visit PracticologyPodcast .com for more episodes.

Do you wear any fragrance? Many places have adopted scent free policies, but that need not prevent you from bringing in an aroma of Christ. The sometimes overlooked grain offering (or meal offering) of Leviticus 2 provides an abundance of material about the Lord Jesus and helps us to wear the right fragrance. Scriptures Referenced: Lev 2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Do you want to draw closer to God? Do you want to worship Him better? Then read Leviticus! Guest contributor Thomas Seale joins us to introduce the first of the Levitical offerings and gives us some clues to seeing Christ in these ancient sacred rituals. Scriptures Referenced: Lev 1; Rom 12:1; Eph 1:6 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Do you find it hard to tell others about your faith in Jesus Christ? In Exodus 18, Moses tells his father-in-law (a Gentile priest) what God has done in his life. In doing so, Moses models for us how to share our faith. In fact, Moses teaches us five lessons that can help wimps become witnesses of Christ. Scriptures Referenced: Ex 18:1-12; 1Thess 1:6-10 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episo...

In the midst of our suffering, when we are just trying to survive, we may feel like there is nothing we can do to bless others. But Scripture teaches that there is a vital contribution we continue make to the spiritual lives of our brothers and sisters, because of our afflictions. And listen for the three simple, practical, Biblical ways we can support suffering saints. Scriptures Referenced: 1The...

Do you long to become more God-centred? Learn how everything in your life—yes everything!—can become a call to worship and a prompt to prayer. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 1:14-19; 15:5-6; Ps 19:1-2; 1Cor 10:31 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

We normally think of jealousy as an ugly thing, but there is no ugliness with God – and yet the Lord is a jealous God. What is divine jealousy? And why should it not only challenge us, but also comfort us and make us worship God even more? Scriptures Referenced: Nah 1:2; 2Cor 11:1-2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Just as you might prepare for a special family event or meal, it’s good for us to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. This isn’t a legalistic chore; when a special occasion is a joy to us, preparing for it is part of the anticipation. Steve Buckeridge joins us again from the UK to share how we can prepare for the weekly breaking of bread in a direction that’s Godward, saintward,...

According to Kevin DeYoung’s helpful acronym, the Bible is SCAN: Sufficient, Clear, Authoritative. And in this episode we cover the ‘N’: Necessary. The only way we can have intimate relationship with God is if he speaks to us with words. And the fact that God has put his words into writing makes our relationship with him more—not less—dynamic and secure. When we read the words of...

Is the Eternal, Almighty God capable of communicating his mind to his creatures? This is one of the things at stake when we consider the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. Mike & Matthew give us a few reasons to embrace it and why it is crucial to hold to it if we profess to have any message of hope for the world. They also provide a few principles to bear in mind when we disagree on the in...

The sufficiency of Scripture is frequently mentioned and easily misunderstood. But because it touches on so many key areas of the Christian life—where to go to church, what gets preached in the pulpit, and how to deal with matters of personal conscience—it’s really important that we get this doctrine right. The sufficiency of Scripture means the Bible has all the divine words we need for sal...

The Bible claims to be the authoritative Word of God. But how can we know that? If you believe the Bible, why exactly do you believe that? Tune in to hear how Mike and Matthew know the Bible is true and why that matters for us today. Scriptures Referenced: 2Tim 3:16; 2Pet 1:19-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

It’s been said that you are what you eat. The same might be said about the company we keep and the friends we choose. Join us this week as we look at some principles and practical lessons from the book of Proverbs that can help guide us in cultivating wise friendships instead of foolish ones. Scriptures Referenced: Prov 13:20 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

More and more people are claiming to be spiritual but not religious. It offers an attractive alternative to the bleakness of atheism and the dogma of religion. After all, you get to come up with your own customized, bespoke approach to connecting with a higher power. But it also comes with some haunting questions: “How real is this spiritual connection I have? And is it personal enough to sa...

What’s in a name? Well, when the name is the LORD’s Name… a LOT! In this episode, we explain some of the significance of the Lord’s Name, Yahweh (or is it Jehovah?), and why knowing the Lord’s Name leads us into a deeper relationship of faith. Scriptures Referenced: Psalm 9:9-10 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

The hap-happiest season of all can also be the hardest. But then, that’s what Christmas is all about. The whole reason Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem was to help us in our suffering. The Son of God took on flesh to be our Saviour of Christmas Past, Saviour of Christmas Present, and Saviour of Christmas Yet to Come. Christmas isn’t just for the kids. It’s also for the crushed....

God sometimes leads his children into deep waters, but he walks through those waters with us. And from their experience in those deep waters, some of God’s children have used of the Lord to give us precious spiritual truth written in beautiful poetic form. In our second installment on hymn writers and their hymns, we consider the life behind one famous and one not-so-famous Christian hymn. S...

Steve Buckeridge is a Bible teacher and preacher in the UK, as well as an airport chaplain at London Heathrow. Steve joins us to talk about his new book, Above and Beyond, and to encourage us to use our hobbies and interests for the Lord. We also talk about the gift of physical presence and the importance of a biblical view of “self-care,” timely topics in the lead up to Christmas. &#8...

Just in case you are thinking of getting some books for Christmas (and who wouldn’t be?), we’re bringing you our eighth instalment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13). There is no book like the Bible but we all learn from the ministry of others, including ministry that comes to us in written form. Mike & Matthew share brief reviews of 7 books for your reading pleasure, and...

If carnival mirrors distort our image and make us laugh, the gospel mirror corrects our image and shows us our true selves. And standing in front of this gospel mirror is a crucial part of enduring trials with joy. We’re all haves or have-nots when it comes to things like money, looks, and romantic success, and so much of the pain we experience comes to us in these areas. Learn how seeing yo...