TGC Podcast

Unpacking James chapters 3 and 4 at TGCW21, Paige Benton Brown teaches us how to discern where worldliness has crept into our lives:Worldliness in Our LogicWorldliness in Our LongingsWorldliness in Our LoyaltiesAs we recognize our worldliness, we can become humble, draw near to God through repentance, and reflect the wisdom God gives. Worldly striving is no longer necessary since Christ already exalted us and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. Brown ends with the glorious news that Jesus rescues us by giving more grace—and there is always more grace.

Courtney Doctor teaches at TGCW21 on James 2:14-26, and carefully examines the true meaning of “faith apart from works is dead.”Are we justified by faith alone or justified by works along with faith? In her keynote address, Courtney Doctor explains that true and living faith transforms us and changes what we do, creating the good works to which James calls us. We should not muster up these good works to be right with God. Instead, we can follow the four examples of living faith James gives us in his letter:1. Living faith shows itself in active compassion.2. Living faith shows itself in a deep love for God.3. Living faith shows itself in radical obedience to God.4. Living faith shows itself in full identification with all of God’s people.If we can simply love and abide in Christ, our good works will be a response from our hearts rather than a striving towards salvation.

At TGC's 2021 Women's Conference, K. A. Ellis presents a message called, “Whose Story Will You Follow?” based off of James 1 and 2.Ellis explains that the Bible is an ancient and true story that God has created for his people. She also speaks of the false stories and idols that we, as humans, are so quick to follow. Ellis, preaching from the Book of James, lays out what it means to choose to follow God’s story, instead of all the other false stories that lead us astray.The theme she creates is that our “say” should match our “do.” When our words (our say) match our actions (our do), we show the story of the Kingdom of God, but when they do not match, our idols lead us to destruction and dehumanization. Ellis uses James’ words to encourage us to ask which story we are following—God’s true story, or the idols of our hearts.

“Our conversations will produce more light than heat if we can focus in on one argument at a time. By more carefully isolating our real disagreements, we will be better equipped to talk responsibly, listen respectfully, and find common ground and move in the direction of possible solutions.” – Isaac AdamsIsaac Adams delivers a message at TGC21 addressing the question, “Why is it so hard to talk about race?” He begins with the most basic and foundational of answers from James 4: sin is the reason for the quarrels and fights among brothers and sisters in Christ. Adams identifies 11 reasons he believes sin specifically affects conversations about race. He encourages us listeners to repent, to seek wisdom and listen to one another, and fix our eyes on Jesus.Though we may not fully agree on questions of race and racism, we can be unified through our conversations if together we are fixated on Christ.

“It's by relying on the Father of every good and every perfect gift that we can remain steadfast under trial.” –– Mary WillsonMary Willson delivers a message at TGCW21, teaching from James chapter 1, addressing the questions and concerns that have arisen within the Church over the last couple of years around sickness, financial strain, joblessness, loneliness, disorientation, anxiety, and how to faithfully stand firm in the midst of such compounding adversity. She encourages listeners to remember who they are and, ultimately, whose they are, as James describes in verse 1.Willson also addresses three sets of instructions that follow in James’s teaching in light of our identity in Christ, crescendoing into a glorious remembrance of who God is and the sovereign grace he bestowed on us, that we might be first fruits of his kingdom—reflecting his love in broken creation.

“I want to be content in the presence of God with me, no matter what the circumstances are around me.” – David PlattDavid Platt preaches a message at TGC21 based in Hebrews 13:1-21. He begins by reminding us that we have an adversary who wants to destroy our intimacy with Jesus and divert his people from his mission in the world, which is why we have the book of Hebrews.Platt gives 25 ways that God directs his people through instructions, expectations, declarations, and a benediction in the final chapter of Hebrews. Platt exhorts us to fix our eyes on the Son of God, our reward, our Savior, our Sympathizer, our Intercessor, our Great High Priest who covers over all our sins, and the Great Shepherd who oversees our soul.

Every society has concepts of right and wrong, including overlaps and differences, and those concepts formulate moral ecosystems that pass down values from generation to generation. As described by Tim Keller, moral ecosystems display four distinct characteristics: moral cosmology (who we are and why we are here), moral instruction in some authoritative text, moral imagination (the stories we tell), and cohesive community made up of moral discourse, moral modeling, and moral practices.In her talk from TGCW21, Betsy Childs Howard addresses each of these characteristics from both historical and practical viewpoints with a particular focus on moral imagination—how the stories we tell shape our children.Check out the new book, Polly and the Screen Time Overload, written by this episode's speaker, Betsy Childs Howard.  

Collin Hansen delivers a message at TGC21 titled “The Duty and Delight of Catechizing Your Children.” He begins with the thesis that someone will catechize your children and follows with the pivotal question, “Will it be you or someone else?”From Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Hansen addresses the nuts and bolts of catechesis, beginning with its theological foundation and detailing how parents might engage in both formal and informal catechesis, as the Scriptures command.As parents lay the foundation of catechesis for their children, duty gives way to delight, while Biblical truth begins to shape their families for the glory of God.

Lloyd Kim delivered a message at TGC21 from Hebrews 8:6-13 titled “Christ’s Greater Covenant.” The author of Hebrews makes a case, he taught, that the New Covenant through Jesus is based on better promises of God than the Old. Those promises he described as three-fold:God will remember our sins no moreGod will write his laws on our hearts, and we will be his peopleAll will know him, from the least to the greatest

Sam Allberry, Rebecca McLaughlin, and Jackie Hill Perry participated in a panel discussion during TGCW21 titled “Sexual Identity and Loving Our Neighbor.” Having experienced same-sex attraction and taught extensively on issues of sexuality, each participant in the panel spoke from their own experiences—both being confronted personally by the gospel and engaging in conversations with others around the confrontational and controversial topics of sexuality. They encouraged their listeners to engage honestly, with open ears and a humble posture, recognizing that every image bearer has a story that is worthy of our careful attention.