The Whole Counsel

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.

There are questions that take only seconds to ask but years to answer. That was the case when someone on X (formerly Twitter) asked Jeremy Walker, “How long would it take to read the published sermons of Charles Spurgeon if you read at a rate of one sermon per day?” After doing the math, Jeremy concluded it would take around 10 and 1/2 years. And the decision was quickly made to begin the reading scheme. Shortly after making his intention to read a sermon a day public, Media Gratiae talked with Jeremy about turning the journey into a podcast, and From the Heart of Spurgeon was born. We are having Jeremy on The Whole Counsel to highlight his podcast and commemorate that this week those following the Spurgeon Reach Plan will read sermon 1,000. That is quite a feat. To celebrate with his audience, Jeremy is releasing a lively reading of Sermon 1000, and publishing a collection of eight sermons from the Prince of Preachers. Jeremy and Dr. John Snyder discuss why Spurgeon is so helpful to modern Christians and ministers today, where to get started with Spurgeon, and more in this week's episode. To check out From the Heart of Spurgeon, click here: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts You can see the book From the Heart of Spurgeon: Volume 1 here: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Spurgeon-Preachers-selected-introduced/dp/B0BYGQNPZQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N4XODRLPHO7X&keywords=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon&qid=1695674418&sprefix=from+the+heart+of+spurgeon%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1 Watch the feature-length documentary Through the Eyes of Spurgeon for free here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a6R96XhPaA You can order a copy of Through the Eyes of Spurgeon here: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/through-the-eyes-of-spurgeon-feature-edition-dvd-package 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’s giveaway is a sampling of Welwyn Commentaries. You can see the volumes and sign up for the giveaway here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway 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 Any piece of literature has rules around reading and interpreting it. We intuitively know that reading Lord of the Rings is different from reading a biography of John G. Patton. In the same vein, reading a scientific journal requires a different approach than reading Beowulf. But we tend to drop that understanding when it comes to reading different books in the library of Scripture. The Bible is filled with different types of literature. There are historical narratives, poetry, letters, and apocalyptic literature, sometimes several genres are included in one book! So we must be aware of the rules involved in properly reading, interpreting, and applying the different types of writing. Acey Floyd, an elder of Christ Church New Albany and office manager of Media Gratiae, joins John Snyder this week to discuss chapter four of Knowing Scripture: Practical Rules for Biblical Interpretation. In this chapter, John and Acey discuss important rules to a general and specific reading of Scripture to make sure we get the most out of it. 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

This week’s giveaway is the Matthew Henry Commentary in one volume. Sign up here: https://www.mediagratiae.org/the-whole-counsel-giveaway Ron Franks joins Dr. John Snyder to discuss chapter 3 of Knowing Scripture this week. In the chapter, R. C. Sproul focuses on the practice of hermeneutics, a big word refering to the practice of interpreting the Bible. In the conversation, Ron and John discuss the analogy of faith, the problems of methaphor, source criticism and more. 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