The Whole Counsel

Death is always a difficult topic for conversation. But Archibald Alexander focuses on the reality of death in this week’s letter to those in the autumn of life. John Snyder, using Alexander’s letters helps us see what can make death particularly bitter and how to seek comfort in times of intense distress. Alexander also shares his pastoral wisdom with us regarding improper ways of dealing with those who have died in an unknown spiritual state. There are times we are not to pronounce them sainted or damned. We must trust the judgment of Christ and be careful with our wording. But he goes further to address the reality of deathbed conversions and how we are to think of them. Lastly, Alexander points us to the One who is our only comfort in life and death. We can hold up the torch of Scripture on our path to the grave and be confident in our steps leading to our eternity with our Savior. While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

It is a common refrain, “That’s a young man’s work.” But the opposite is true in God’s economy. There is some work reserved for those who have had the Book of Providence (Letter One) opened to them. In this week’s episode, John Snyder is discussing Archibald Alexander’s third letter to elderly Christians focusing on the work God has laid before them. Alexander says that time seems to be going by faster and faster. And while we see the signs of aging in the mirror, our minds want to believe we are still young and full of physical ability. We aren’t. We simply can’t do what we once could. While that could be a source of discomfort and even jealousy, to allow our souls to wallow in would be to miss the opportunity God has given for this specific time of life. The elderly Christian has the opportunity to please God in obedience and prayer. While Christians today can often overlook these two simple offerings to God, Alexander says they are great gifts God is pleased to accept. He gives us specific things we can be doing and praying to be a blessing our families, our churches, and our world. While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

As we age, the body becomes weaker and our sense of usefulness can wane. But this is a lie of the enemy. God has given older believers a gift not available to those young in years. The Book of Providence, as Archibald Alexander coins it, is the ability to look back over years of your life and see God’s hand moving you to where you are, even before you were a Christian. In this week’s episode, John Snyder discusses Archibald Alexander’s second letter to those in the autumn of life. Archibald’s wisdom is not just for those who are in the twilight years of life. His words carry much practical application for the young as well. We pray it is a blessing to you. While we had hoped to give away a biography of Archibald, it is currently unavailable. In its stead, we are giving away five pamphlets of the letters published by Log College Press: https://www.logcollegepress.com/shop/aging-in-grace-letters-to-those-in-the-autumn-of-life. You can sign up for the giveaway here https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

This week we begin looking at the letters of Archibald Alexander to those in the autumn of their lives. We have an enemy who whispers many lies that can be effective in slowing down the Christian’s pace or cause us to turn our eyes away from Christ. One such lie is that when the body becomes frail and weak, we have nothing we can offer the local church. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those in the later years have a great deal to offer their local congregations and Alexander gives us some examples to look for. Another lie leads to ungodly introspectiveness and false repentance. We can somberly look back at our lives, at the time wasted or sins committed and feel regret. But there is hope even in those circumstances. Christ can redeem even that. Alexander, in a very pastoral way, puts our gaze upon our only Hope, Christ Jesus. We are giving a copy of Archibald Alexander’s book away at the end of this podcast series. Make sure you are signed up to win the giveaway by clicking here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway If you want to get a copy of book before the series is over, check it out here from The Banner of Truth: https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/christian-living/thoughts-on-religious-experience/ You can read his “Letters to the Aged” online here: https://gracegems.org/26/letters_to_the_aged.htm Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts

Sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Archibald Alexander was a pastor, theologian, and president of Princeton Seminary in the early-mid 1800s. He was deeply effected by the Great Awakening and was careful in his understanding and teaching of the theology of revival during his day. While there are a great many of his writings we could spend time discussing, we want to begin a new series this week honing in on five letters he wrote while ministering to those “in the autumn of life.” But before we get into the content of his letters, we want to introduce you to Archibald himself. He was a rare mixture of intellect and heart. That reality comes through in his writing and ministry. For this series we will be doing two giveaways. The first will be this week where we are giving away one copy of Revival and Revivalism by Ian Murray. We have spoken of this book before. If you don’t have a copy, sign up to enter to win this one. If you already have a copy, sign up to win this one just to give it away to a friend. It is a very helpful work to explain the development of our current religious culture. You can sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Dan Pugh has been a friend to Media Gratiae almost from our beginning. He is an independent director and filmmaker based out of Wales in the United Kingdom. Over the last few years, Dan has produced two feature-length documentaries focusing on the theme of revival. The first, Revival: The Work of God (https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/revival-documentary-dvd-streaming.html) was made in partnership with Reformation Heritage Books and covers the history and theology of revival. The second project, Welsh Awakenings: The Story of God’s Work in Wales (https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/welsh-awakenings-the-story-of-gods-work-in-wales?_pos=4&_sid=4bde9523e&_ss=r), was funded by donors and tells the story of the revivals in Wales. The tiny nation is well-known for its numerous revivals throughout the centuries. So if you have ever wanted to learn more about the theme of revival, or be exposed to what God did in Wales over the last few centuries in revival, we believe these two resources are a great place to start. Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Last year Dr. John Snyder spent a great deal of time in his personal study on Psalm 119. In looking for helpful resources in studying this psalm, he came across a modern book called Great Spoil by a writer he was unfamiliar with, Stephen Yuille. After reading Great Spoil and finding it particularly warm, helpful, and devotional, John decided to check out more of Dr. Yuille's work and was continually helped by his writings. We wanted to take an episode and introduce you to Dr. Yuille's writing, ministry, and the Puritans he has been most influenced by. Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

We are grateful for the Lord's provision throughout 2023. We have been blessed with very encouraging supporters and we have been able to invest in creating materials we pray God will be pleased to use in churches and families.   If you would like more information about becoming a supporter and helping us make careful, Christ-honoring material, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/give

This week’s giveaway is a Schuyler Bible. We will be emailing the winner chosen at random to ask them their preferred translation before we order the Bible and have it shipped to them. If you would like to see Schuyler Bibles, click here: https://evangelicalbible.com Get 15% off all single Welwyn volumes by using the code WelwynMG15 at https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ *Discount unavailable on bundles This is our final week in R. C. Sproul’s work Knowing Scripture. In this final chapter, Sproul walks us through some of the best tools available to us for studying, understanding, and applying the Bible to our lives. Dr. John Snyder is by himself this week as he wants to share not just the available tools, but how he uses them in both daily devotion and sermon preparation. He also shares the strengths and the weaknesses of tools such as Study Bibles, paraphrases, and the different types of commentaries available to you. Get your copy of Knowing Scripture: https://www.amazon.com/Knowing-Scripture-R-C-Sproul/dp/0830844686/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TPV8B2FP8KHN&keywords=knowing+scripture+by+r.c.+sproul&qid=1694013462&sprefix=knowing+Scripture%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1 All items in the giveaway: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels by J. C. Ryle https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/collected-workssets/expository-thoughts-on-the-gospels-16/ Matthew Henry in One Volume https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Henrys-Commentary-One-Henry/dp/0310260108/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUSNG4WTVG3C&keywords=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume&qid=1693281109&sprefix=matthew+henry+commentary+in+one+volume%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1 New Testament Commentaries 2 Volume Set by Geoffrey B. Wilson https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/commentaries/new-testament-commentaries-set/ Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible https://www.heritagebooks.org/kjvstudybible/hardcover Schuyler Bible https://evangelicalbible.com/schuyler-bibles/ Welwyn Commentary Set https://us.10ofthose.com/series/welwyn-commentary-series/ Get 15% off* commentaries using the code: WelwynMG15 *Discount unavailable on bundles Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

The podcast discusses the importance of understanding cultural aspects in Biblical literature. It emphasizes the need for humility and open-mindedness in interpreting scripture. The chapters explore applying timeless principles from scripture, influential Christian figures, and recommended readings for deepening faith.