Cultivated

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice!" Most of us have heard this verse before, but what can we make of the importance Paul is placing on the importance of rejoicing in the Lord? In today's podcast, Zach discusses the Why of Worship, how eschatology drives us, why we can worship always, and how to meditate on Scripture.

In today's episode Zach and Cody discuss the importance of creeds, confessions, and catechisms that have been passed down to us from centuries ago. How can we benefit from consulting and studying these resources?

When tension arises between us and another, how should we respond? Paul addresses a significant disagreement between two of the women at the church of Philippi, and helps us learn some principles for dealing with differences with believers and unbelievers alike.

In today's episode we continue our "Know Your Theologian" with a discussion of Charles Spurgeon, a 19th-century preacher, particular Baptist, and theologian hailing from Essex, England. Spurgeon is well known for his engaging sermons and devotional works such as Morning and Evening. Today, Zach and Cody discuss Spurgeon's influence in their own studies and great resources to recommend. Check out the end of the episode for a surprise!

1 John 2:2 says that Christ is an advocate for us and that He is not only the propitiation for our sins, but for the sins "of the whole world." What does this mean? Is John suggesting that Christ's death was a sort of universal redemption (He died for all of sin of all mankind), or is the atonement particular in nature? Today, Zach and Cody talk about the doctrine of Limited Atonement, break down 1 John 2:2 and offer some biblical and logical supports for a view of particular redemption. This is a critical doctrine to get right.

With the world reeling over recent tragedy and examples of human suffering, it is easy to lose track of our safety, both physically and spiritually. In this passage of Philippians, Charles walks us through Paul's exhortation to the people at Philippi and outlines the significance of having our citizenship in heaven.

The Christian life is oftentimes described as a journey. It is a lifelong, time-consuming, curvy road we walk down for our entire lives. In Philippians 3:12-16, Paul extends this metaphor out and talks about the one thing we should strive to do. Uniting the importance of "forgetting what is behind" with "straining forward to what is ahead," Paul is teaching us a fundamental discipline in living the Christian life.

The phrase "systematic theology" can come off as intimidating, but actually it's a really beneficial approach to studying God for all of us. What is systematic theology, why should non-seminary students study it, and what qualities make up a good systematic treatment of God? Zach and Cody seek to discuss these questions and more on today's episode.

In today's podcast, Zach continues the study of Philippians and draws out the four key implications of knowing Christ and why it's of "surpassing worth."

One of the key components of the Reformation was upholding and protecting Sola Gratia, or "grace alone." But what does this concept look like in our Christian walk, and according to Paul's letter to Philippi. In opening to the beginning of Philippians 3, Charles helps unpack this rich doctrine of grace.

On today's episode of Cultivated, Zach takes some time to examine another theologian in the "Know Your Theologian" series. This episode centers on the life and work of Dr. Herman Bavinck, a Dutch Reformed theologian who most notably was Abraham Kuyper's successor at Free University. Bavinck's classic Reformed Dogmatics just became fully translated in English only a mere 7 years ago. What did Bavinck contribute to our understanding of the Christian faith? Find that out along with key resource recommendations on today's episode.

The discipleship model of Epaphroditus is drawn out by Paul to close the second chapter of Philippians. In this passage we get to see the honorable qualities of Epaphroditus and his ministry. What does Paul mean when he calls Epaphroditus a "brother," a "worker," and a "soldier?" Zach spends some time discussing the relationships between Epaphroditus and us, and ultimately, Epaphroditus and Christ.

As a pastor once said, "Each Christian should have three things–A Timothy, a Paul, and a Barnabas." Who are the Timothys, Pauls, and Barnabas' in your life? As we dig into Paul's mentor relationship with Timothy near the end of Philippians 2, Charles helps us examine the characteristics of true discipleship.

This is a sermon from 1857 in which Charles Spurgeon preached on Philippians 1:21. He addresses what it means to live for Christ, to die with gain, and why and how we can improve in these matters today.

We are familiar with the passage in Matthew 5 where Jesus calls his disciples "lights of the world." But how does that look practically in our everyday lives? Charles walks us through Philippians 2:14-16 where Paul also recognizes our "lighting" of the "crooked and twisted generation" we live in, and how we walk in that attitude.

Paul continues in his letter to the Philippians, drawing off of Christ's example of humility and showing the church and believers everywhere that we obey God on the basis of fear and trembling. What does this fear look like? And where do we get the ability to work and will for His good? Zach unpacks these two verses in this week's episode.

In reading Scripture, it is easy to skip over transitional words and phrases. But when we step back and connect the dots, we see that words such as "therefore," "so that," and "to the" are helping us give the acts of the Bible purpose. As we continue our study of Philippians, Charles outlines these three words or phrases from Philippians 2:9-11 that indicate Christ's ultimate purpose.

Most Christians do not deny that God is powerful, that He is Creator, and that everything happens by His will. But when it comes to someone like megachurch pastor and celebrity Joel Osteen, can we honestly say that God put such a person in that position? If God is for His glory above everything else, how could He let Joel Osteen preach on Sunday mornings, and let such people sit under his false teaching? Zach and Cody are here to discuss the sovereignty of God, how God ordains and uses preachers like Joel Osteen, and why going on a cruise ship with Joel would be kind of fun.

Are we doing a better job on mission in our backyards, or overseas? Certainly a multi-faceted questions with a lot of discussion points to think about. In today's roundtable, Zach and Cody take some time to discuss their experiences on the mission field, what they see in how the Church is approaching domestic and foreign missions, and how we can improve both of these areas of ministry.

In coming to one of the most popular passages in the book of Philippians, Zach sets up how to live in gospel humility. To do that, we have to focus less on the vicious cycle of application and start focusing on the theology of the Incarnation. That will be the spark to our understanding of the importance of living humble lives. Today we'll talk about the purest form of humility in the example of Christ.

Charles starts off Philippians 2 with a word on church unity and how it requires a foreign mindset. We are going to consider three pieces concerning unity that are natural to the human nature, but unnatural to the Christian.

This week we are joined again by Charles Hampton as he finishes out the first chapter of Philippians. Charles highlights the importance of the word "granted" in this passage and discusses what it means to have "active faith" instead of "passive faith."

Unity in spirit, mind, and body has been one of the biggest hurdles the Church has faced in our society. Divisions and barriers are being built instead of being knocked down. The gospel is certainly powerful enough to destroy any barrier to unity, but how do we get to that point? And is church unity really that important? Zach discusses Philippians 1:27-28.

One of the most prominent twentieth-century theologians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer left behind a rich legacy of wisdom through his books and teachings. Even more so, his life reflected a commitment to Gospel truth, even to the point of being martyred in the faith by the Gestapo of Nazi Germany. In today's episode, Zach and Cody discuss a whole host of topics on Bonhoeffer, including his plot to kill Hitler, his best books, and what we can learn from him.