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Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts move into Judges 3, where the nations remaining in the land become instruments for testing Israel and the book introduces Othniel, its first major judge. They discuss what it means for Israel to “learn war,” why warfare in Judges is inseparable from covenant faithfulness and dependence upon Yahweh, and how divine testing makes God's knowledge of His people a publicly demonstrated covenant reality. Along the way they explore Israel's intermarriage with the Canaanites and the resulting religious syncretism, the contrast between pagan intermarriage and faithful incorporation of converts such as Ruth and Rahab, failures of generational covenant formation, the nations surrounding Israel as distorted mirror images of Israel itself, Cushan-Rishathaim and possible echoes of Abraham's Mesopotamian origins, Othniel's connection to Judah and Caleb, the Spirit's empowerment of the judges, and Othniel as an example of generational faithfulness amid Israel's growing generational decline. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/
Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts continue through Judges 2, where the death of Joshua gives way to the recurring pattern of Israel's apostasy, oppression, and deliverance that will structure the rest of the book. They discuss the generation that arose without knowing Yahweh or His works, the importance of passing covenant memory from one generation to the next, and why the cycles of Judges should not be understood as an inevitable or fatalistic pattern of history. Along the way they explore faithful communities within declining cultures, the attraction of Baal worship and its transactional view of religion, the judges as more than merely political or military deliverers, the Exodus-like character of Yahweh's repeated rescues, God's compassion toward Israel even before explicit repentance, and the role of testing, hardship, punishment, and fatherly discipline in forming God's people toward maturity. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/
Hey everyone! Welcome to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, an RPC podcast where we dive deeper into the sermon that was preached the previous Sunday. We head on our newest sermon series: Mark's Good News! In this episode, our associate pastor, Rev. Victoria Robinson interviews our Senior Pastor, Rev. Jeff Meyers on Mark chapter one. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Alastair Roberts, and Jeff Meyers finish Judges 1 and move into the opening of Judges 2, where Israel's incomplete conquest gives way to the angel of the Lord's covenant lawsuit at Bochim. They explore the increasing failure of the northern tribes to drive out the Canaanites, the contrast between Israel dwelling among the Canaanites and the Canaanites dwelling among Israel, and the withdrawal of Yahweh's empowering presence as Israel compromises in the land. Along the way they discuss the geography and fertility of northern Israel and Judah, the movement of the tabernacle from Gilgal toward Shiloh, the possible identification of Bochim with Bethel, the chronology of Judges 2, the angel of Yahweh's appearance to the gathered tribes, parallels between Joshua and Joseph, and the Adamic overtones of Israel's failure to listen to Yahweh and faithfully inhabit its Edenic land. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/ Website: theopolisinstitute.com Twitter: @_theopolis
Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Alastair Roberts, and Jeff Meyers continue their discussion of Judges 1 by examining Israel's partial conquest of the land and the tribal fractures already beginning to emerge. They explore how differing levels of faithfulness, compromise with the Canaanites, and the geography of the land anticipate the later division of Israel, as well as the role of common worship in holding the tribes together. Along the way they discuss the Kenites and their relationship to Israel, Judah's conquest of the Philistine cities, the problem of the iron chariots, the gradual character of the conquest, the movement from Hebron to Jerusalem, the distinction between destroying and possessing, the limits of archaeological population estimates, and the house of Joseph's conquest of Bethel as a distorted echo of Jericho. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/ Website: theopolisinstitute.com Twitter: @_theopolis
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life. In this episode, we continue in the Summer Series: Sidekicks! Rev. Senior Pastor Jeff Meyers and Director of Worship Trenton Durham discuss Silas and Paul's tough compassion in the midst of hardship. This episode is highlights the perseverance needed to maintain tough compassion, Star Wars, and sports. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life. In this episode, we continue in the new Summer Series: Sidekicks! Rev. Senior Pastor Jeff Meyers and Rev. Ryan Jensen discuss John the Baptist's steadfast assurance in his identity. This episode is highlights the value of maintaining one's own identity, stories from seminary, and thoughts on the World Cup. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Judges is a book of riddles, grotesque comedy, tribal fracture, liturgical chaos, and unexpected deliverance. Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, Alastair Roberts, and James Bejon open a new Theopolis series on the book of Judges, considering why this strange and violent book rewards close attention. The conversation explores the legacy of James Jordan's work on Judges, the book's intricate literary design, its unusual heroes and weapons, its recurring images of mutilation and deliverance, and the long Christian tradition of reading figures like Samson as types of Christ. Along the way, the discussion moves through Jonathan Edwards on Samson, E.T.A. Davidson's work on the book's visual “tableaux,” the role of women like Deborah and Jael, the political and tribal tensions of Israel, and the repeated refrain that “there was no king in Israel.” The episode closes by considering how Judges exposes Israel's liturgical disorder and points beyond human kingship to the reign of Yahweh. Give to our work and become a partner! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the new Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! ______________________ Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres ________ Theopolis on Youtube www.youtube.com/c/Theopolisinstitute Theopolis Blog: theopolisinstitute.com/theopolis-blog/ Website: theopolisinstitute.com Twitter: @_theopolis
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life. In this episode, we continue in the new Summer Series: Sidekicks! Rev. Morgan Burge and Rev. Jeff Meyers sit down and talk about the friendship between David and Jonathan. This episode is filled with understanding Jonathan's role in David's story in the book of Samuel, how Jonathan being a spy was a good thing, and how their friendship compares to the friendship between Maverick and Goose in the 80's film, Top Gun. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life. In this episode, we continue in the new Summer Series: Sidekicks! The Director of Worship, Trenton Durham, and Rev. Jeff Meyers sit down and talk about Ruth and her story. This episode is filled with insights into Ruth's role in her loyalty with Naomi, how God helped her through her change in community, and the insight into Jeff's own "Ruth" story. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
In this Q&A episode, Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, and James Bejon take up listener questions on John Webster, the structure of 1 Corinthians, church polity, and the modern debate over race and marriage. They commend Webster as a rigorous and uplifting Reformed theologian, then trace the unifying threads of 1 Corinthians through Paul's concerns for love, unity, the body, and rightly ordered freedom. The conversation also explores Theopolitan instincts on polity—holding together local rule, presbyterial order, and episcopal responsibility—before turning to the church as the new humanity in Christ, a chosen people drawn from every tribe, tongue, and nation. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
In this Q&A episode, Peter Leithart is joined by Jeff Meyers, Alastair Roberts, and James Bejon to answer listener questions on Trinitarian theology, church unity, family worship, evangelism, and liturgy. They discuss the monarchy of the Father, the biblical pattern of calling the Father “God” and Jesus “Lord,” and the mystery of the Trinity's unity. They also consider what a future united church might look like, how families can practice worship at home without confusing household devotion with church liturgy, whether evangelism is hindered in places devoted to other gods, and how evangelicals can recover richer liturgical practices without simply becoming “high church.” GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres Show less
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode, we focus on the new Summer Series: Sidekicks! This episode is filled with understanding Aaron's role in the Exodus story, how his role was important to Moses' calling, and why we need sidekicks in our lives like Aaron. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode our Senior Pastor, Jeff Meyers, interviews Rev. Morgan Burge and newcomer, Alex Pilotzi, RPC's Video & Digital Media Fellow. This episode is filled with understanding RPC's digital ministry, what goes on behind the scenes in the digital studio, and how Alex got to be a part of RPC's staff. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guests: Alex Pilotzi and Morgan Burge.
Malachi's final disputation exposes Israel's despairing complaint: “It is vain to serve God.” Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, Alastair Roberts, and James Bejon explore the loss of confidence that comes when the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous appear unrewarded. Along the way the conversation moves through Psalm 73, Job, the biblical shape of the problem of evil, the difference between short-term reward and eschatological vindication, and the priestly language of serving and guarding that echoes Adam's task in Eden. The episode closes with Malachi's surprising portrait of the faithful remnant: those who fear the Lord, speak with one another, and are written in His book of remembrance as His treasured possession — a remnant finally distilled in Jesus, the faithful Israelite. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode our associate pastor for congregational care , REV. Dr. Scott Weimer, interviews Senior Pastor, Rev. Jeff Meyers, on his last sermon in the series: What's So Great About Grace? This episode is filled with the outcome of the May 17th Sunday service, understanding Galatians chapter 6, and how great is God's amazing grace. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode our Director of Worship, Trenton Durham, interviews Senior Pastor, Rev. Jeff Meyers, on his sermon series: What's So Great About Grace? This episode is filled with understanding what is freedom in Christ, the theories of how a baby squirrel got inside Rev. Jeff's backpack, and a sneak peek to the final part in the sermon series: What's So Great About Grace. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
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Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode Rev. Carrie Weatherford interviews Senior Pastor, Rev. Jeff Meyers, on his sermon series: What's So Great About Grace? This episode is filled with understanding Galatians 3, a deeper insight into the greatest Christian Joke ever and how the church is unified in Christ while also being prismatic with different flavors of worship. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can do so at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Welcome back to Closing The Distance: Where Faith Meets Life, in this episode Rev. Ryan Jensen interviews Senior Pastor, Rev. Jeff Meyers, on his sermon series: What's So Great About Grace? This episode is filled with understanding the old covenant compared to the grace given in the new covenant, along with personal stories from both pastors. If this episode blessed you in any way, and you'd like to support us, you can help us at: roswellpres.org/giveSpecial Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers, Senior Pastor.
Picking up at Malachi 2:13, Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, Alastair Roberts, and James Bejon turn to Yahweh's second charge against Judah in this section: the treacherous dismissal of the wives of their youth. The conversation traces the double register of the passage (the covenant of individual marriage and Yahweh's own bridal relationship with Israel and his sanctuary) and asks whether the same typological layering found in verses 10–12 continues here. Considerable attention falls on the notoriously difficult verse 15, with James Bejon guiding the group through the Hebrew: the one father who makes husband and wife one, the remnant of the spirit, and the seeking of godly (zera' Elohim) seed. The discussion moves into the imagery of the garment covered in violence in verse 16, and closes with a debate over the ESV's departure from the traditional "I hate divorce" rendering — the group lands in agreement that the third-person reading ("the man who hates and divorces") is both textually defensible and theologically clarifying. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Peter Leithart, Alastair Roberts, Jeff Meyers, and James Bejon continue their series on Malachi, opening with a reflection on Malachi 2's portrait of the ideal Levitical priest — one whose lips carry true Torah, whose mouth pronounces righteous judgment, and who walks as a messenger of the Lord of hosts — drawing out implications for pastoral ministry in the new covenant. The conversation then turns to Malachi 2:10–16, tracing the repeated theme of treachery that binds the section together, with careful attention to the interconnection between Israel's betrayal of one another, their unfaithfulness to Yahweh, and the intermarriage controversies addressed by Ezra and Nehemiah. The panel explores the layered resonances of "abomination" in verse 11 — its evocation of Canaanite defilement, Solomonic apostasy, and the husband-bride typology of Yahweh and his sanctuary — while probing the puzzling idiom of verse 12 and leaving its mystery suggestively unresolved. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Peter Leithart, Alastair Roberts, Jeff Meyers, and James Bejon continue their series on the book of Malachi, beginning with a reflection on the literary texture of the book - its ragged, agitated syntax and its striking use of repetition. They then take up remaining threads from Malachi 1:6–14, with particular attention to verse 11 and its vision of pure incense offered to the Lord among the nations — exploring what this means for the dispersion of temple worship, provocation to jealousy, and the Messianic age. The conversation moves into the opening verses of Malachi 2, where the Lord addresses the priests not merely as those who preside at sacrifice but as those entrusted with Torah on their lips — a portrait of priestly ministry that sheds light on the pastoral office in the new covenant. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts continue their series in Malachi, working through the second half of chapter one (verses 6–14). The conversation opens by revisiting the Jacob/Esau passage and the question of whether Paul's use of Malachi in Romans 9 is a systematic proof text for election or an evocation of Malachi's broader historical context. From there the discussion moves to Israel's defiled sacrifices, the priestly failure to guard the altar, and the frightening logic of bringing an unworthy gift before a holy God. ____________ This episode is sponsored by Audio Deacon. Audio Deacon is a curated music streaming app for families and thoughtful listeners — built around music that is good, true, and beautiful. New artists added every week.
Special Guest: Victoria Robinson.
Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts dive into the text of Malachi itself, beginning with the book's distinctive structure — a series of dialogues in which Yahweh voices both his own declarations and Israel's skeptical objections. The team explores how this rhetorical form shapes the entire book, and how Malachi fits into the broader literary sequence of the Book of the Twelve. From there, the conversation moves into Malachi 1:2–5 and the Lord's declaration of love for Jacob over Esau — unpacking the history of Edom as a prototype nation, the nature of God's jealous love and wrath, and the famous "Jacob I loved, Esau I hated" quotation as it appears in Romans 9. The discussion raises sharp questions about predestination, the election of peoples versus individuals, and whether Paul's use of Malachi is best read as a statement about sovereign predestination or as a confirmation that God's prior choice has worked itself out in the long history of two nations. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Special Guest: Morgan Burge.
Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers, James Bejon, and Alastair Roberts kick off a new series on the book of Malachi, beginning with a wide-angle look at the restoration era in which Malachi prophesied. Rather than treating this period as a mere gap between covenants - a so-called "intertestamental" silence - the team argues it represents a distinct and dynamic phase of covenant history, with its own new arrangements for the priesthood, the temple, the city of Jerusalem, and Israel's relationship to the Gentile nations. The conversation ranges from Ezra and Nehemiah's narrative logic to the dating of Malachi, the myth of 400 years of divine silence, and the ways Malachi's concerns anticipate the New Testament world Jesus enters. Timestamps (Aproximate) 0:00 — Welcome and introduction; transitioning from Hebrews to a new series on Malachi 1:00 — Overview of the restoration era; why "intertestamental" is a misleading term 3:00 — Jim Jordan's "Through New Eyes" and the idea that Israel never goes backward in covenant history 4:30 — "Latter days" / "last days" language; the 70 Weeks of Daniel as a framework for this period 5:30 — New features of the restoration era: the elevated role of the high priest 6:30 — A new temple, new geopolitical arrangements, and Israel's changed relationship with Gentile powers 8:30 — The holiness of Jerusalem extended to the city walls; Ezekiel's vision of the sacred territory 10:30 — Continuity with the law of Moses through Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi 12:00 — Ezra's role as teacher of the law; rebuilding the people alongside the house 13:00 — Malachi's focus on hypocrisy and priestly failure rather than open idolatry; anticipating New Testament concerns 15:00 — The sequence in Deuteronomy 30, Jeremiah 31, and Ezekiel 36 — scattering, regathering, new covenant, outpouring of the Spirit 17:00 — A partial outpouring of the Spirit in the restoration era; Zechariah's lampstand vision 18:30 — The spread of Judaism through the diaspora as a stage in Israel's mission to the Gentiles 19:30 — Why did the exiles not bring back idolatry from Babylon and Persia? 21:30 — Exile as the moment the law became an existential lifeline for Jewish identity 23:30 — The legacy of Daniel, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as a unifying memory 25:00 — The restoration era as both the birth of the new covenant and the "thinning out" of the old 27:30 — Malachi's final word — cherem (curse of utter destruction) — and the doom hanging over the old covenant order 29:00 — The three phases of Ezra-Nehemiah — temple, people, city — as one unified project; the role of Haggai and Zechariah 37:00 — Dating Malachi: most likely during or after Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem 40:30 — Malachi 3:1 ("I send my messenger") as potentially having a near fulfillment in Nehemiah's return 41:30 — The significance of Malachi's name meaning "my messenger" 42:30 — The chronology of Ezra-Nehemiah and the 70 Weeks; arguing for a compressed (~50-year) timeframe 45:30 — Debunking the "400 years of silence" myth — gaps in the canon are not gaps in God's speech 47:00 — 99% of God's people never witnessed a theophany; scrolls were always the ordinary means 48:30 — Daniel's visions as a prophetic bridge connecting the restoration era to the New Testament 49:30 — The rise of the synagogue and lay scriptural literacy in the diaspora; parallels to the Reformation 50:30 — Malachi 2 and the priests' neglected teaching vocation
Special Guest: Morgan Burge.
Special Guest: Morgan Burge.
Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Jeff Meyers and Alastair Roberts discuss Hebrews 12:22-29. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Jeff Meyers and Alastair Roberts discuss Hebrews 12:12-24. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres
Peter Leithart, James Bejon, Jeff Meyers and Alastair Roberts discuss Hebrews 12:5-17. GIVE TO THEOPOLIS! theopolisinstitute.com/give/ Get the Theopolis App! app.theopolisinstitute.com/menu Use Code "theopolitan" to get your first month free! Sign up for In Medias Res mailchi.mp/0b01d726f2fe/inmediasres