There’s enough disorder in life without disconnecting what you believe from how you live. The Practicology Podcast is bridging the gap between Scripture and every day life.
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People long for the good life – a life of happiness that is free from diseases and death. Many are placing their hope in technology, but technology can’t solve the problem of indwelling sin, and what they wish technology could provide is something the gospel already offers them. Romans 8:9-11 speaks to the fantasies of transhumanism and cybernetic immortality and Mike and Matthew explain how by 1) Defining the Technological Terms; 2) Discussing True Spirituality; 3) Debunking the Transhumanism Fantasy; 4) Distilling Timeless Hope. Scriptures Referenced: Romans 8:9-11 Visit PracticologyPodcast.
When God designed our redemption, he thought of everything: freedom from Death, Sin, and Law (Romans 5-7), and power to live a brand-new life (Romans 8). As we learned last week, this power comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. This week we learn how the Spirit empowers us. He does it by giving us a new mindset—the mindset of the Spirit. Scriptures Referenced: Romans 8:5-8; Romans 5-8; Ephesians 4:28 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
The Lord Jesus taught that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, and will be filled (Mt 5:6). The key to satisfying that hunger and thirst is the indwelling Holy Spirit – He empowers righteous living and produces the sea change that fallen creatures require. In the words of Chuck Swindoll, “trying to live the Christian life without the Spirit of God is as futile as trying to earn righteousness apart from faith.” In this first of four August episodes on Romans 8, Mike & Matthew also discuss how the law relates to our Christian life, an important point of confusion for some
For this year’s August Summer Challenge, we’re going to be memorizing the first half of the greatest chapter in the greatest letter ever written! Tune in to find out everything you need to know for this year’s memorization challenge in Romans 8:1-17. Click here for a weekly schedule. Scriptures Referenced: Romans 8:1-17 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
Before leaving His disciples, the Lord promised in John 14-16 to give them another Helper, the Holy Spirit. Guest contributor Mitchell Taylor joins us to consider how the Spirit’s helping work involves teaching through instructing and revealing. He does this work by (1) reminding us of truth, (2) guiding us into a fuller understanding of Christ, (3) revealing to the apostles things to come, and (4) glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ. The question is not whether He will teach believers, but whether we are willing to learn and allow Him to display Christ’s excellence through our lives. Scriptures
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) obedience to God can be very costly. There is no such thing as convenient Christianity. Also, catch the announcement of this year’s summer memorization challenge at the beginning of the episode! Scriptures Referenced:
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 Distant: Surprising Ways God Deepens Our Faith and Draws Us Near by Kyle Strobel and John Coe (Baker Books) – The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (UpdatedWorks.com) – Everything Is Neve
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 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
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 episodes.
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 episodes.
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: 1Thess 3:1-13 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
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, and inward. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 5:23-24; 26:17-20; 1 Cor 10:16; 11:17-22; Heb 13:15; Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
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 the Bible, God works again through his words. Scriptures Referenced: Rom 1:19-20; Ps 19; Dt 8:3; Mat 4:4; Rom 10:13-17; John 17:3; 20:30-31; 1John 5:13; Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
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 interpretation of a passage of Scripture. Scriptures Referenced: Eph 3:3-4; 2Tim 3:14-15 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.
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 salvation, sanctification, and service. It doesn’t mean Christians never need medicine or counselling. Scriptures Referenced: Luke 16:29-31; 2Tim 3:14-17; Ps 119:1; Mark 7:1-13; 2Pet 1:3-4; John 16:12-15; 1Joh
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 satisfy me?” Maybe it’s time to give historic Christianity another look. Because it’s only in Jesus Christ that we can experience a spiritual connection real enough to satisfy our minds and personal enough to
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.
