TGC Podcast

Along with his other brothers and sisters, James started out as an unbeliever—though he was a half-sibling of Jesus—until Christ's resurrection. Nancy Guthrie takes us through verses from the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and historical writings to show us James's journey as the leader of the church in Jerusalem, a pastor, peacemaker, doer of the Word, and a man who remained steadfast under trial. In all this, we learn the significance of why James refers to himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“God’s eternal plan for your life includes your physicality.” — Sam AllberryAt TGC21, Sam Allberry gives five reasons why our bodies are good and how we should treat them as we wait for bodily redemption.Our bodies are not accidental, for we were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139)Our bodies are not incidental. God created Adam in the flesh and then breathed life into him. The flesh is not just a casing for our soul.Our bodies are not straight-forward. We are broken and have been subjected to futility with the rest of creation. (One common example of this brokenness is idolatry of the body.)Our bodies are not ours, for we were “bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19)Our bodies are not yet finished. One day, Jesus will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body.As believers, we can honor our physical bodies by seeing ourselves through a gospel lens, remembering that one day, God will—like all things—make our us new.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At TGC21, Michael Horton explains how we, as sinners, can take our sin to a holy God without fear because of our sympathetic high priest, Jesus. Horton takes Friedrich Nietzsche’s writing on “the ugliest man,” who claimed to kill God because he couldn’t bear to have someone know his dirtiest corners, and parallels it with how we can bring our dirtiest sins to the Father through Jesus, without shame. Using Hebrews 4, Horton shows how Jesus is a glorious High Priest, a sympathetic High Priest, and a gracious High Priest.In the person of Christ, we have advocate who can actually sympathize with us because he became like us, yet without sin. This is the greatest news of all—that we can take our dirtiness to the Father, knowing we will be met with grace because the Son fully understands what it is to be human. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If we want our kids to love Jesus, we must also want them to love the church. In her message at TGCW21, Megan Hill gives five ways to practically teach our kids to love the local church.Acknowledge our kids’ experiences. Know that church isn’t always easy for them, and talk to them about it.Remove practical obstacles. Sometimes what they don’t like about church isn’t spiritual and can be changed.Teach them that church is good. Disciple children at home so that practices at church don’t feel foreign or awkward for them.Affirm their Kingdom value. Make sure kids don’t feel like an afterthought, but know they are valued and can be used by God.Invite them to participate. Call them to serve and invite them to love others with you in tangible ways.Hill closes with an encouragement to parents who are feeling overwhelmed. “Sunday by Sunday, seek to show your kids how good it is to love God’s people and to worship alongside them—you have an advocate in the heavenly places.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“At the core of our identity as Christians is this thing that says, ‘Jesus is more important to us than anything else,’ and it causes us to lean toward one another, not away from each other.” — Mark VroegopAt TGC's 2021 National Conference, Mark Vroegop, Kori Porter, and Irwyn Ince discuss why lament is a key component of racial reconciliation. The panel answers tough questions: What is racial reconciliation? Why is it so important? Why is it so difficult?Lament is a tool Christians must use in order to enter into each others’ pain. We must not be tempted toward denial or despair, but instead, we embrace brokenness together as the gospel heals racial wounds. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“We don’t persevere in order to be saved. We persevere because we have been saved. God has made it possible for us to maintain faithfulness to Jesus, and God is invested in our faithfulness to him.” –– Glenna MarshallAt TGCW21, Glenna Marshall delivers a practical message on how to be faithful in the small things, noting that it takes time to see spiritual growth. This perseverance and faithfulness are only possible in the Christian life with the help of the Holy Spirit. Teaching through Hebrews 10, Marshall outlines three calls to action in pursuing and maintaining faithfulness:Let us draw near to God and pray.Let us hold fast to the gospel—we cannot grow apart from the Scriptures.Let us not neglect meeting together and encouraging one another.Being faithful in these ways allows us to remain connected to the vine and continue growing in Christ as we wait for his return. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“Whatever [sin] it is, God is still gracious to redeem you and to keep you. He will never leave nor forsake you.” — Kori PorterKori Porter outlines the steps of sin through King David’s adultery and murder: sin always starts with desire, sin leads to more sin, and sin produces death. Through this progression, Porter teaches that we have many points of escape when we’re in sin—God will give us a way out and give us the power to fight sin through prayer and the reading of his Word. Just as David was restored through repentance and grace, so will we be restored as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and die to sin in order to have true life Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In their breakout session at TGC21, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan, Melissa Kruger, and Nancy Guthrie discuss what it means to have a healthy, biblical view of complementarianism.Melissa Kruger defines complementarianism as understanding men and women to be “equal in worth and dignity, and different in how we live that out in the world.” The panel answers questions like “What does healthy and unhealthy complementarianism look like?” and “How do we graciously argue for it when others disagree?”As the panel discusses the differences in the roles of men and women, they also encourage us to keep the gospel central and to follow the example of Jesus in how he treated both men and women. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Megan Hill, Lauren Hansen, and Lindsey Carlson discuss what the wives of pastors and elders need in order to thrive as they support their husbands and churches. The panel answers questions like: How do you handle being seen as a spiritual giant in the church? How do you encourage your husband during a difficult time of pastoring? How do you transition out of relationships into new ones when you move for ministry?Lindsey Carlson closes by encouraging women, “Model to your congregations that you are a work-in-progress, and give yourself grace and compassion to be the creation that the Lord made you to be in the marriage that he placed you in.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

“I believe we need to read, interpret, and preach Christ and his gospel from all the Scriptures.” – Julius KimAt TGC21, Julius Kim explains how to deliver a sermon with wisdom and grace for the growth of God’s kingdom.Kim says that it is critical to preach Christ through every passage, and he gives four specific ways to prepare a sermon, with key tips on how to preach it once prepared:Discover the truth about the text according to the human author.Discern Christ in the text according to the divine author.Design a sermon according to truth, goodness, and beauty.Deliver the sermon for maximum attention, retention, integration, and transformation.Kim gives further tips like how to ask the right questions, how to pay attention to body language, and how to use patterns for retention of the message being proclaimed. The preacher must preach Christ, but ultimately, it is up to the Spirit to transform. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.