Practicology Podcast

Can produce from the grocery store really make you holy? Well… no. But Romans 6 does teach us about fruit that leads to holiness. Mike & Matthew wrap up their Romans 6 study by reminding us how much better it is to serve God rather than sin. Scriptures Referenced: Rom 6:20-23 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.co...

Which is better at making people holy, grace or law? For Paul it’s no contest—grace wins every time. And in Romans 6:15-19, the apostle gives us 4 grace-based reasons to say no to sin and yes to righteousness: (1) you become a slave of the one you obey; (2) there are only two masters (and one of them is evil); (3) your conversion was a powerful rescue operation in your heart; and (4) don&#82...

As Christians we are dead to our old master (Sin) and alive to our new master (God). So why do we still show up at our old workplace? It’s not enough for us to understand the truth of Romans 6:1-10; we also need to count on it. Only as we bank on the truth that we are dead with Christ and alive to God will we consistently offer our skills and capacities to the cause of Christ. Holiness is a...

Just like in an escape room, where you sometimes have to collect several keys in order to unlock the final one, Romans 6 requires you to figure out several puzzling clues before it yields its meaning. But when the meaning of Romans 6 does open up to us, it provides us the key to living the Christian life. Join Mike and Matthew in this escape room episode as they try to figure out four keys to unde...

A common misunderstanding with the gospel of grace is that people may as well continue to sin once they are saved, since our abundance of sin showcases God’s abundance of grace. Of course this isn’t true, and one reason we know it’s not true is our baptism. But what does baptism have to do with not continuing to sin? And what does baptism really mean? Tune in for a concise explan...

Announcing our fourth August Summer Challenge! Mike and Matthew talk everything you need to know for this year’s memorization challenge, and announce a brief summer break in July for the podcast. Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

As a quick follow up to PP164 on addictions, Josh Smith joins us again to give us 10 wise and very practical life hacks to help us decrease the amount of time we spend stuck to our phones. Excellent ideas in this episode! Scriptures Referenced: Jam 1:26; Jam 3:2-10 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

A longer episode, but an important one! Many of us struggle with addictive behaviour. The addiction may be simple and not seem to harmful at the moment, but it can quickly become complex and lead us into deeper sin. Guest host, Josh Smith (M.A. in Counseling, LPC in the State of Michigan), helps us to understand what addictions are, why we struggle with them, and most importantly, how we can overc...

What does it mean that we are made in God’s image? Christians over the centuries have arrived at different answers. Mike surveys four views — resemblance, representation, relational, and reflection — and then, much to Matthew’s delight, declares all of them right! This doctrine serves as a reminder of the sanctity of human life and calls us to treat one another with the utmost respect...

Just in time for summer holidays comes our fifth edition of Cloak, Books, and Parchments. In this episode we discuss the following eight books. Which will you take with you on the trip or to the beach? – Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West, by Andrew Wilson (Crossway) – The Insanity of God, by Nik Ripken (B&H) – Safely Home, by Randy Alcorn (Tyndale Fiction) – Pride: I...

“There is no rock like our God,” says Hannah in 1Sam 2:2. What a statement… and what a God! But what is meant by this frequent metaphor of God in the Bible? And how does it point us to Christ? Be encouraged as Mike & Matthew teach us about God our Rock. Scriptures Referenced: Deut 32:4; 1Sam 2:2; Psa 18:2; Psa 62:6-7; Psa 71:3; Isa 26:4; 1Cor 10:4; Heb 13:8 Visit Practicology...

Have you ever found yourself asking God these questions: “What do you want with me? Why did you save me? What’s your purpose for me?” God’s answer is short and simple. He wants us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. That is, God wants us to spend our lives enjoying fellowship with him, becoming like him, and being agents of mercy in the world. Scripture...

Shame, shame. We all feel it. How can we be free from it? Tune in to hear why it is that we experience and shame and how the gospel provides a way to deal with it. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 2:25; Isa 3:8-9; Rom 1:16; Rom 10:11; Heb 12:2 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

Doubt is a monster that can sneak up and surprise us whether we’re young or mature in the faith. One day it even took John the Baptizer by surprise. In this episode we learn the surprising truth about who has doubts, what doubts are, where to take our doubts, and the wonderful potential they hold. Scriptures Referenced: Luk 7:18-35; Isa 35 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Fol...

As they conclude a brief look at the Lord Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, Mike & Matthew broaden their discussion to specific temptations that believers face today. Listen closely for when Mike & Matthew believe abortion needs to be practiced… and stay tuned to the end to pick up 7 tips to avoid being tripped up by temptation. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 4:1-11; Mat 6:19-24...

How’s this for a novel idea: telling other Christians why you thank God for them. That’s what Paul does to his friends in Philippi, and there’s good reason to believe he wants us to do the same. In fact, this novel idea can change how we pray, and the way we encourage each other. It can also drive us to more Christlike behaviour, and to a richer, more God-centred, theology. In th...

Facing temptation is something we have in common with every other human being, including the Lord Jesus. In an episode that explores the combination of the Lord’s true humanity and sinless deity, we also learn from the Lord how we can become stronger in the face of temptation – even if that means going gluten-free. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 4:1-11; Luk 4:1-13 Visit PracticologyPodcast...

Sharing our faith in Christ with unbelievers does not come easy for most of us. How can the gospel go from being something we can’t get out to being something we can’t keep in? The Apostle Paul shows us how we can grow in this area in the opening verses of his letter to the Philippians. Scriptures Referenced: Phil 1:1-2, 12-13, 2:5-11, 3:1, 8, 20-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for mo...

Is Christianity’s vision of heaven less satisfying than Mormonism’s? Because Jesus taught that marriage in this life doesn’t carry over to the next? In this special March Madness episode, Mike and Matthew respond with a resounding NO! Tune in to hear other questions considered, including whether there’ll be Marmite or pets in heaven! More importantly, we discover that no ma...

“I want to be married, but the Lord hasn’t provided me a spouse. Am I missing out?” This is a common sentiment for many, and an important follow up to our recent discussions on dating and whom we should marry. Tune in as Mike & Matthew help us develop a Biblical perspective on singleness and provide some healthy counsel for all of us, singles and married people alike. Scriptu...

Are you weary of life’s burdens at times? Join Mike & Matthew as they direct us to Christ, to find rest for our souls. And in this episode, not only do we get Mike & Matthew, but J.C. Ryle and Charles Spurgeon as well! (Musical Credits: “Give Me Jesus”, Ken & Nancy Biddington, arr. Jeremy Camp) Scriptures Referenced: Mat 11:27-30; Mat 23:4 Visit PracticologyPodcast.co...

The way our culture prizes freedom gives us a huge opportunity to tell others of the freedom available in Jesus Christ. Unlike modern concepts of freedom, the freedom Jesus offers is not just freedom from, but freedom for. Only in the Lord Jesus can we enjoy both halves of freedom. As John Stott says in this week’s reading, “I have found Jesus Christ to be the key to freedom.” Sc...

One of the ways to keep our appreciation of Christ’s death fresh is to learn more about the cross. In this episode we learn that one of the reasons Christ died on the cross was to be our Christus Victor. When we view the story of the Bible from this lens, the incarnation becomes an invasion, Golgotha a battlefield, and the cross becomes the Snake Crusher’s mighty death blow to the head...

Do you know one of the greatest things about being a Christian? It means you are a follower of Christ! And there is no one like the Lord Jesus Christ. Refresh your appreciation of his uniqueness, and how the Christian faith is really all about Christ, in this first installment of our February reading challenge with John Stott’s Why I Am a Christian. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 11:28; Php 1:21...

Attention: the 2024 Practicology Reading Challenge begins now! This February we are reading through John Stott’s brief but compelling case for the Christian faith, “Why I Am a Christian” – a short book of wisdom for believers, seekers, and skeptics. Tune in to hear more or less everything you need to know to join in. There will be a prize draw for those who finish the chall...