TGC Podcast

“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.

“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

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.

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.”

“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.

“If we were to delight in the Ten Commandments, we would begin to live on earth as a citizen of heaven, anticipating that future sweetness when we, like Christ, fully obey the law.” –– Jen WilkinJen Wilkin delivers a message at TGCW21 on expanding our understanding of and obedience to the Ten Commandments. Wilkin emphasizes the importance of delighting in God’s law and explains the good that comes from it: “Personal obedience always results in collateral benefit. When one of us obeys God's law, it is good for all of us.”As Wilkin walks through each commandment, she explains how to look for expansive obedience instead of just rote instruction. Obedience was always intended to be worshipful, and if we meditate on the law rightly, it can become that once again.

“At the end of the book of Revelation, we see that Jesus, the second Adam, will not fail to lead us into a garden that will be even better than Eden—where we will enjoy fellowship with him for all eternity. So, don't be afraid of Revelation.”Nancy Guthrie gives four common fears we may have when approaching the book of Revelation:1. We fear that we’re not going to understand it and, if we’re teaching it, that we’ll get it wrong.2. We fear the controversy that surrounds the book.3. We fear the suffering and persecution Revelation tells us to expect.4. We fear the judgment, blood, and wrath described in the book.As Guthrie explains each fear, she also offers encouragement and wise, biblical help for reading the book of Revelation with joy. The central message of Revelation, according to Guthrie, is that we are called to patient endurance in suffering for our allegiance to Christ, and that we are called to refuse to compromise with the world as we wait for the return of our King.

“The end of the ages has indeed broken into history. Christ is the perfect Adam . . . who has come to achieve what all those before him have failed to achieve.” – Benjamin GladdIn their message at TGC's 2021 national conference, Greg Beale and Benjamin Gladd explain the importance of eschatology in the Christian's understanding of all of Scripture.The storyline of Jesus—his death, resurrection, and ascension—is crucial to equipping the Christian for all of life. As we understand the Old Testament more fully, the person of Christ is magnified. As we understand that we have the same resurrection power of Christ in us, we’re enabled to obey his commands and conquer sin.

In her message at TGC's 2022 women's conference, Nancy Guthrie delivers a strategy on how to teach the Bible with both passion and personality.She encourages us to teach with passion—in a way that our love for the Scriptures is evident. And with personality—where the aim is to develop a relationship with our audience.Guthrie then provides 12 practical tools to help us overcome the fear of inserting ourselves into Bible teaching:1. Use humor as a way to break down barriers and unite the audience.2. Use story to serve the main thing, not be the main thing.3. Use drama in your reading and teaching of the passage.4. Use song or lyrics to drive home the point of the passage.5. Use emotion genuinely to prick the ears of your listeners.6. Use confession of your own sin and inability to follow the message perfectly.7. Use voice variation to keep your listeners' attention.8. Use body language to get their visual attention.9. Use unmentionable applications, like unmentioned but common sins among your audience.10. Use eye contact and get out of your notes in order to deliver the message effectively.11. Use prayer to infuse passion and an active dependence on God in the teaching.12. Make it your aim to get to the gospel and Christ’s passion.

“We don't live in a moralistic age where we need to prove people to be sinners, we live in an anxious age, where we need to prove to people they're worth something.” – Sam AllberryBrett McCracken, Sam Allberry, and Trevin Wax discuss how Christians should gracefully and biblically engage our current sexual culture, specifically with the rapid progression of LGBTQ and transgender identity.