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It's with his typical insight and simplicity that theologian Warren Wiersbe opens his commentary on James : "Not everybody who grows old, grows up. There's a vast difference between age and maturity. Ideally, the older we are, the more mature we should be; but too often the ideal does not become the real.  "The result is problems—problems in personal lives, in homes, and in churches. As a pas...

When thinking of the conclusion of Matthew's gospel, the so-called Great Commission often comes to mind for many believers. But as we explored chapter 28 this past Sunday, we saw there is more to this text as well. This week on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew discuss the Great Commission alongside our Great Imperfections that ultimately push us to rely on Christ's Great Provision; all concluding wi...

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Prayer is just as essential to ministry as it is to the life of every believer, and yet many of us still wrestle with questions or struggles in our prayer life. Why do we need to pray if God already knows everything? How do we overcome the typical obstacles in the way of our healthy prayer life? How do we distinguish between prayer as a discipline and prayer that is legalistic? This week on the po...

One author has summarized the books of Colossians and Philemon with the following sentence: "When Christians know the supremacy of Christ in his person and work, they will be transformed and learn to live in his ways as the body of Christ, including forgiving and being reconciled with one another." Assuming that's an accurate representation of the little latter letter—and we'll see ( again ) in th...

The Passover meal has been eaten, Judas has done his betrayal, and as we conclude Matthew 26 and begin chapter 27 we see Jesus facing various trials, each marked by the failure and guilt of man. And while we know with hindsight, as those who have read the story, that Jesus needed to die, it doesn't make these scenes any easier to stomach. The injustice is rampant and the trials are anything but fa...

In his 2007 book, " Opening Up Titus ," David Campbell helpfully introduces this third pastoral epistle. Frank Houghton’s well-known hymn Facing a task unfinished challenges us with the needs of those who are as yet unreached with the gospel: "with none to heed their crying / for life, and love, and light, / unnumbered souls are dying, / and pass into the night."But it is not just our missionary a...

The middle section of Matthew 26 shows us the beginning of Jesus' misery as he moves ever closer to the cross, and in this garden narrative, we witness the suffering that befalls him. Yet while it's hard to imagine the anguish he was going through at this time, this is also one of Jesus' most relatable moments for many of us as we are faced with trials and suffering in this life. So what does it l...

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is warm and personal in its tone, containing the advice and encouragement of the aged apostle to Timothy, the young pastor. It also gives us a deeply moving insight into the way the great apostle, shut up in his cold damp prison cell and chained like a criminal, faced the closing days of his life prior to execution. ...This epistle is immensely relevant for the life...

One of the topics that comes up in scripture more than most is that of trusting God. We trust God with our salvation, our choices, our livelihoods; we trust that he is good, he is God, and that what he says is true; or at least we ought to. The reality is that while there are many positive examples in scripture of people trusting God, there are just as many, if not more examples of people failing...

In this stop on our journey through the biblical books we arrive at the first of what are commonly referred to as the pastoral epistles: 1 Timothy. It’s short but by means does its brevity dampen its importance nor its significance. TheBibleBrief.comThis letter to Timothy forms an excellent instruction manual on setting up a new church, as it covers church leadership, discipline and administration...

Through a demonstration of ugly corruption and beautiful provision, the first portion of Matthew 26 invites the reader to ask themselves a question: What is the death of Jesus worth? We see that to Judas, it's not much, yet for the unnamed woman it is a lot. As we read through this introduction to the passion narrative, we can't help but consider our own depravity and yet marvel at the perfection...

Most of the New Testament letters contain both affirmation and concern for the people receiving them, both praise and correction for their respective original audiences. The Corinthians were new creatures in Christ but tolerating carnality. The Colossians were strong in faith but wrestling with issues of unity within the body. Timothy was a gifted pastor but battled timidity. Good and bad, all mix...

In Matthew 24 and 25 in the so-called Olivet Discourse, Jesus spends some time teaching (and warning!) about things to come. Yet like students reading a hundred-year-old wartime letter, we recognize that this teaching was not addressed to us, but still has much for us to take in, acknowledge, and learn from. This week, Josiah and Andrew discuss how we can get ready and stay ready for the Lord's re...

As a local church grows in size, it can become increasingly difficult to actually know everyone in the community and, thus, to be blessed by everyone in the community. This is unfortunate because there are no unnecessary members (1 Corinthians 12:7), none who are ungifted (Romans 12:6), and not one who isn't called to the "work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" unto spiritual m...

One topic that seemingly comes up more than most on our podcast is that of assurance of salvation, most likely because it can be a common concern and struggle for even the most mature of believers. How can we know for sure that we are saved? Well today we called in an expert. Phil Congdon is a pastor and host of the Assured By Grace podcast, and on this week's episode, he and Josiah discuss what i...

We are constantly bombarded with truth claims. With information coming at us from friends and family, social media, the news, our education system, our church—often information that contrasts or opposes other things we've heard—it can be hard to know what's real and what isn't. This becomes especially prevalent when something we believe is unpopular, or something we hear seems easier to swallow. S...

In an attempt to articulate the "big idea" of Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica, one author has written the following : Impressed by the faithfulness of the Thessalonians in the face of persecution, Paul wrote to encourage the Christians in that community with the goal that they would continue to grow in godliness. Paul knew that the people had been exposed to errant teaching from...

Matthew 23 brings something of a conclusion to the current section of Matthew, as Jesus the King, rejected by the leaders of Israel, rejects them in kind. Specifically, he takes time to call out their poisonous hypocrisy, while also teaching his followers that the antidote to such a toxin is humility. In the midst of such a harsh call-out, it's understandable that the reader might be asking themse...

One author has summarized the book of Colossians with the following sentence: "When Christians know the supremacy of Christ in his person and work, they will be transformed and learn to live in his ways as the body of Christ, including forgiving and being reconciled with one another." Assuming that's an accurate representation of the letter—and we'll see in this episode that it is!—this text is pa...

In Matthew 22, the formal rejection of Jesus continues, as groups of unlikely allies come together to oppose him with riddles and challenges designed to entrap him. But not being one to waste a teaching moment, Jesus uses these oppositions as opportunities to teach those who would listen about submission, and what it means to fully give ourselves, our futures, and our affections to God. Today, Jos...

"Philippians brims over with often quoted passages: 'He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus' ( 1:6 ), 'To live is Christ and to die is gain' (1:21), and 'I can do all things through Him who strengthens me' (4:13) are just a few. But the portrait of Jesus Christ as a humble servant serves as the core of Paul’s teaching in this letter (2:5–11). "Paul’s joy at t...

No, Jesus wasn't "hangry"; but he did a curse a fig tree that, despite it's leafy appearance, refused to bear fruit. It's a small, strange story that leads into some intense confrontation, accusation, and teaching in parables. Today on the podcast, Josiah and Andrew discuss this passage from Matthew 21 and 22, how to rightly understand the parables contained within, and what it looks like to pract...

Ask ten Christians which book of the Bible is their favourite, which book has been the most impactful in their lives, and which book has provided the most clarity as to their position in Christ and the power they have with which to follow him and it’s likely that more than one will answer, “Ephesians.” “By common consent, the Letter to the Ephesians ranks very high in the devotional and theologica...

Have you ever felt spiritually stuck in a rut? Don't worry, we've been there too. Whether it's a season of dryness or perceived distance from the Lord, in times of suffering or times of prosperity, we all know what it feels like to recognize that we aren't where we want to be. So what do we do to get out? Are there things we can do as individuals or as part of a church family to fight against thes...