TGC Podcast

“If it costs me my life, to deny you, you possession-loving self, you praise-loving self . . . I'll die gladly to be with Jesus forever.” – John PiperJohn Piper delivered a message at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference titled “Unashamed to Be Scorned with Jesus.” Expounding on Mark 8:31-38, Piper clearly laid out the gospel—that Christ suffered, was rejected, killed, and rose again, and the Father planned, prophesied, and performed it. As a response, Piper challenged listeners to five applications in evangelism.Tell unbelievers the news.Urge them to look at Jesus in the news.Warn them that to love this world—to love its possessions and to love its praise more than they love Jesus—will cost them their lives forever.Promise them in the name of Jesus that whatever must be denied in this life bears no comparison to the joy of being with Jesus for eternity.Make sure they know from the start that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom.This episode of The Gospel Coalition Podcast is sponsored by Lifeway, publisher of Christine Hoover's new Bible study, Seek First the Kingdom: God’s Invitation to Life and Joy in the Book of Matthew. Throughout eight weeks, you'll reorient yourself solidly around the kingdom and the King who gives life in abundance. Learn more at lifeway.com/seekfirst 

Mindy Belz taught a workshop during the The Gospel Coalition 2018 Women’s Conference titled “The Wilderness Experiences: How God’s Suffering People in Faraway Lands Can Teach Us in the West.” Recounting her own experiences as a journalist and the deep oppression she witnessed toward religious people—Christians, in particular—around the world, she addressed the systems and situations that have led to such oppression and continue to drive it now. She also offered lessons she learned from the persecuted believers that can only be learned through facing down oppression.

The Gospel Coalition hosted a workshop during the 2018 Women’s Conference titled “University and Beyond: Discipling Students for a Lifetime with Christ” with Aimee Joseph, Kori Porter, Danielle Sallade, and Shar Walker. The panel discussed the importance of intentional discipleship that prepares college students to follow Christ long after their university days are behind them. They addressed key elements of discipleship, teaching versus sharing, content and context of relational discipleship, biblical literacy, glorifying Christ through their studies, apologetics, facing cultural issues with a biblical world view, and a number of other specific topics regarding best practices for leading college students into deep, lasting relationship with Christ. 

Kevin DeYoung delivered a message at TGC’s 2019 Southwest Clarus Conference titled “Laodicea,” drawing from Revelation 3:14-22. Closing out a series on Jesus’s words to the seven churches, DeYoung addressed the spiritual apathy of the church in Laodicea as the worst of the seven, and pointed out that the most comfortable and prosperous church of the seven was, in Jesus’s estimation, the one who had gotten things wrong the most—they were a stale, stagnant, smelly church.To those who said, “We are something,” Christ responded as a gracious warning, “You are far less than you think.” Many in the American church need to recognize that we share the same tendencies as Laodicea, therefore we need to humbly listen for similar words from Christ to our own churches.

Expounding on Mark 10:28-30, and in response to a question he received in regard to how Jesus views homosexuality, Sam Allberry spoke to how the gospel addresses people in committed homosexual relationships. First, he said, Jesus assumes people will leave things to follow him. Second, Jesus assumes the most costly things to leave will be familial and relational. But Jesus also says that however much a person might leave, it will absolutely be worth it.   

“The lower the depth of the suffering, the greater the resurrection.”Paul Miller delivered a message at Bethlehem College & Seminary’s PasCon 2020 titled “J-Curve: Dying and Rising with Jesus in Everyday Life.” He introduces the idea of the J-Curve—a very simple idea that the letter “J” traces the path down into Jesus's death and up into his resurrection—from Philippians 3:7-11. Miller emphasized the idea that we share in the suffering of Christ and become like him in death, making two points and asking one question in regard to that truth:It’s strange.We usually flee from suffering.Aren’t Jesus’s sufferings over?

“Hope is borrowing the joy of tomorrow, today.”Jason Cook delivered a message at The Gospel Coalition Carolinas Regional Conference called “Groaning til Glory.” From Romans 8:18-25, Cook addressed the manner in which Christians must anchor themselves through storms and suffering, building from the thesis, “Suffering exists as a divine tool to wean us off of the lower pleasures of this world and encourages us to persevere because we have hope.”

Danté Upshaw led a workshop with the Bay Area Chapter of The Gospel Coalition called “Race in the New Community.” Speaking of the new community created by God through Christ—his church—and sharing from his own experiences and Scripture, he opened a conversation around the necessity of handling race in a gospel-centered manner. Speaking from Ephesians 3, Upshaw encouraged a grace-filled approach to dealing with our divided history and experiencing the mystery of the gospel together.

“True revival is not preached up. It's prayed down."From the prayer recorded in Acts 4:23-31, H. B. Charles examined the manner through which the church experiences spiritual breakthrough and revival—when believers pray with confidence in the sovereignty of God. He detailed what moved the church to pray, what the church prayed, and what happened when the church prayed.

Tim Keller, minister and theologian, discusses being born again. He emphasizes the transformative nature of spiritual rebirth, the importance of loving God above all else, and personal stories of finding identity in God's love. The podcast explores the profound impact of salvation through grace and the societal transformations that occur.