Practicology Podcast

Charles Wesley’s Christmas carol, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is packed full of spiritual truth, including some precious lines about the incarnation – God being manifested in human flesh. What does it really mean, though when the song speaks of Jesus Christ as “incarnate deity?” Tune in to hear Matthew & Mike clarify the theology of the incarnation, as we...

“Try and see God’s glory when you read your Bible.” That’s great advice for every aspiring Bible reader, but how do do it? What does it actually look like to see the glory of God in a Scripture passage? In this episode we show what it might look to see God’s glory in Acts 2. This chapter records the first ever flash mob. Who was behind this flash mob in Jerusalem? (1)...

Christmas is right around the corner, and what better gift than a good book! 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 this second installment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13), Mike & Matthew share brief reviews of ten book titles for your reading pleasure. There is also heads up about our re...

“I’m so blessed.” “God has really blessed me this year.” We use blessing language a lot, but does our understanding of blessing need recalibrating? Jacob’s did. And we have guest contributor Jeswin Jeyasurya with us to help us understand what it means for us to be blessed. Scriptures Referenced: Gen 25-30 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow t...

How should we study the Bible to make sure we interpret it as God wants us to? Guest contributor Nathan Pratt helps us to answer this question, and also provides solid practical suggestions on how to make our Bible study personal and effective in our lives instead of an exclusively academic knowledge. Scriptures Referenced: Psa 19:10; Psa 119:103; 2Tim 3:16; 2Pet 1:20-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast....

Sometimes Christians come across passages in the Bible that they find culturally embarrassing. Passages that talk about slavery or the conquest of Canaan, for example. When we give a secular friend a Bible, these are the passages we hope they skip over on their way to one of the gospels. In this episode we go through 6 steps you can take in reading these passages. And if you take them, who knows?...

Over the past few years, controversial policies have led many Christians to think a lot more about how we should respond to government. How do we respond to the government when they act unjustly? Is there a time to resist the governing authorities? If so, what would that look like? Scriptures Referenced: Jer 29:7; Dan 1; Dan 3; Dan 6; Acts 5:29; Rom 12:18-18; Rom 13:1-7; 1Tim 2:1-2; 1Pet 2:13-17;...

“God is King of the whole earth” (Psa 47:7), but obviously the world currently functions under human governments, ordained by God. What should we expect from governments led by sinful men and women, many of whom possess little fear of God? And how do these failing governments direct our hearts to Christ? Vincent Kember (Episodes 37 & 39) returns to the podcast to give us three key...

In this episode Mike tells his personal story from doubts to conviction regarding the doctrine of the Trinity. Then we draw out some final lessons regarding deconstruction and reconstruction. Please note that our mixing software shifted some of the audio and that a few words are cut off as a result. Scriptures Referenced: Jude 20; Php 2:5-11 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow...

Why do people who once seemed like stalwarts of Christian discipleship leave the faith? What leads them to deconstruct what they once professed and defended? In part two of our three-part series on deconstruction, we look at four contributing factors and are reminded again that people questioning their faith – and sometimes, sadly, walking away – is nothing new. Scriptures Referenced:...

This is the first of three episodes on deconstruction, a term that has become all too familiar in Christian circles the last few years. We walk through Psalm 73 and hear Asaph tell us his massive struggle with doubt and how God brought him through it into a faith far deeper and stronger than the faith he had before. Scriptures Referenced: Psa 73 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Fol...

In this episode we go through four questions you can use to calm your stress-filled heart: (1) Have I forgotten who I really am? (2) Have I forgotten what my Lord really wants? (3) Have I forgotten that my Father really cares? (4) Have I forgotten what the voice of the Spirit really sounds like? Scriptures Referenced: Psa 131; Luk 10:38-42; 1Pet 5:6-7; Rom 8:15-17 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for...

What would it be like to belong to a different world but go to school in this world? Well, students who are Christ-followers could tell you! We know it isn’t easy being different, but Psalm 119 and other Scriptures help us look at this challenge with a Biblical perspective. Scriptures Referenced:Psa 119:19-24; Mt 5:11-12; 1Pet 2:11; 4:14-16 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Fo...

How great is God’s power to keep you safe? It is immeasurably great! After all, it is the same power that God exerted in raising Christ from the dead and seating him on the divine throne far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. At the end of Ephesians 1, Paul prays that the Holy Spirit would fill us with a pervasive sense of how safe we are in Christ! In this episode we also...

D.A. Carson says, “just as we allow God’s words to reform our theology and our behaviour, let us let it also reform our praying.” The prison prayers of Paul, of which this passage in Ephesians is one, are a treasure trove of spiritual wealth, and a valuable lesson on how to pray. But the prayers reveal not only the spiritual maturity of Paul, but the desires of God’s heart for hi...

In Christ we have obtained an inheritance that is as secure as the Trinity. Before a genuine believer in Christ can lose his or her inheritance, God the Son would have to lose his inheritance, God the Father would have to lose control, and God the Holy Spirit would have to lose his seal. Grace has struck us eternally rich! Scriptures Referenced: Eph 1:11-14; 4:30; Gal 3:27-29; Col 1:3-5; Mark 12:1...

Sometimes we feel very insignificant. But Scripture reminds us that Christ shed his blood for us, and that God’s grace has brought us into something very special, and very big – God’s plan for the ages in Christ. And God has revealed that plan to us because, if we understand it well, it will exalt the significance of our lives today. Scriptures Referenced: Eph 1:7-10 Visit Practi...

The first of our blessings in Christ that Paul celebrates in Ephesians 1 is the blessing of God choosing us. The doctrine of election is not an issue to get Christians fighting, but a blessing to get us praising. That’s not to say we don’t have lots of questions about it though. In this episode, Mike and Matthew take us through 6 questions Ephesians 1 raises, and answers, about the pre...

Many Christians feel stuck in their service for the Lord, wondering what exactly God wants them to do. Using the acronym ABBA, Matthew provides some guiding principles to help you know what the Lord wants YOU to do. Scriptures Referenced: Eccl 9:10; Rom 12:3-8; 1Cor 12; Eph 4:4-16; Col 4:17 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter and Facebook

There’s a pernicious myth out there that theology isn’t practical. So Mike and Matthew head over to Acts 15 and draw out three points that expose this myth for what it is: (1) theology is everywhere; (2) theology is life-changing; (3) theology is a war fought with words. Theology isn’t practical? Try telling that to the newly-saved Gentile gents in Antioch! Scriptures Referenced:...

Christians are still sheep, and sheep still need to be shepherded. Not only do we have the faithful care of our Chief Shepherd in glory, the Lord Jesus, but God has also provided us with men on earth to care for our souls. In our final study of 7 NT metaphors for the local church, we see the church as a flock, and flocks need shepherds. What makes a good shepherd? In addition to looking at Scriptu...

Get the lowdown on this year’s August Summer Challenge! This year we are calling all listeners, young and old, to join us in memorizing Ephesians 1. Matthew and Mike do a rapid-fire round of 10 reasons why you should take up the challenge and memorize this great chapter. Scriptures Referenced: Ps 119:11; John 15:4-10; Eph 5:18; Col 3:16 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow...

Our thoughts can be true, but incomplete. Which is why we need to practice our mental follow-through. Psalm 36 illustrates this well. David begins the psalm thinking about the wicked man who’s out to get him. But David doesn’t stop there, because that’s only half the picture. Thankfully for us, David goes on to round out his thoughts by thinking about the dimensions of God’...

When the risen Lord Jesus walks among the lampstands in Revelation 1, He is delivering Heaven’s verdict on the practices of seven real churches. He is the true judge and He is also the one who knows the true value of each local church – they are golden lampstands, precious in his sight. Scriptures Referenced: Revelation 1-3 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes. Follow the Pr...

Josh comes back one last time to walk us through Philippians 4:4-7, point us to some resources, and explain how a counselor can help us. Along the way he keeps calling Mike ‘Michael’ (something Mike quite enjoyed!), and smashes all previous records for longest episode on the Practicology Podcast. But for those who struggle with anxious feelings, it’s worth every minute of it! Scr...