Podcasts about Luther

HOW CAN YOU SAY JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY? Learn the answer to one of the most important questions ever asked. For more information go to. www.city-church.com.au/

We did it!!! The Final Reckoning is here! What started as a silly project to expose Megan to the ultimate action espionage franchise turned into a rebirth for I Like to Movie Movie, and we could not be happier for the results. We also could not be happier to finally be out from under this franchise. We are now free. Free to wear whatever masks we choose. In this episode we look back on the history of the franchise and assess Final Reckoning's role as not just the end of the story, but the end of a filmmaking era. What's next for Tom Cruise? What's next for Christopher McQuarrie? Why did the navy put its hottest soldiers on the same submarine? When did Luther fall ill? Is that Ilsa Faust we see? Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave us a review on your podcatcher of choice. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Stay tuned to ScullyVision.com for more fun stuff. Send your clicks over to TubiTV to see Dan in .ask, as well as YouTube and FoundTV for Found Footage Finds (help us get a season two!!!!) Next month's film: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Lord is Faithful. The Church Will Go On Luke 21:5–28. Jesus Foretells the Destruction of the Temple Empires fall. Kingdoms crumble. Civilizations fade into dust. Yet the Church still stands. Christ's Bride endures because she is not founded on marble or money or men, but on the living Word of Christ who says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” Every generation has believed it lived in the Last Days. The early martyrs believed it. Luther in the Reformation believed it. Our parents during the Cold War believed it too. Jesus reminds us that no one knows the day or the hour. Instead of fear, He calls us to faith and watchful hope. St. Paul gives the same comfort. “The Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” Though nations rage and the earth trembles, God's promises stand firm. “Not a hair of your head will perish.” “The Lord will keep your life.” Christ Himself died yet did not pass away. He rose again, conquering death for us all. And when our final day comes, we do not simply pass away. We pass through death into life in Him. History bears witness. When Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70, the Church went on. When Trinity Lutheran Church in Milwaukee burned to the ground, the congregation still gathered among the ashes to sing and hear God's Word. They rebuilt. They endured. Because the Lord is faithful, His Word endures, and the Church goes on. So too here at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheboygan. For 172 years, Christ has sustained this congregation through every joy and every trial, preserving His people by His Word and Sacraments. The world may change. Christ remains. His mercy abides. Lift up your heads and do not fear. The Lord is faithful. The Church will go on. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ----- Worship Times Sunday – 8:00 & 10:45 a.m. Monday – 6:30 p.m. https://trinitysheboygan.org https://facebook.com/trinitysheboygan We are a congregation of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Join us as we proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. --- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

Don't Look Back in Anger. In this episode, we continue reading Martin Luther's Smalcald Articles, focusing on contrition, repentance, and freedom. Why does the law need to terrify and leave us hopeless? How does attention to the self lead us into death and hell? What happens when belief is preached as something "we do" rather than something "done to" us? Likewise, when repentance is self-activated and self-actuated, what are the consequences for our daily lives? This and much, much more on this episode of the show. SHOW NOTES:  The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles https://thebookofconcord.org/smalcald-articles/part-iii/   Smalcald Articles history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalcald_Articles The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrine written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League, which aimed to unify Lutheran territories against Roman Catholic forces. Although they were not officially adopted at the meeting, they later became an important part of Lutheran confessional writings included in the Book of Concord.   More from 1517: Support 1517 Podcast Network: https://www.1517.org/donate-podcasts 1517 Podcasts: http://www.1517.org/podcasts 1517 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1517org 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/1517-podcast-network/id6442751370 1517 Events Schedule: https://www.1517.org/events 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education: https://academy.1517.org/   What's New from 1517: Coming Home for Christmas: 1517 Advent Devotional https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419916-coming-home-for-christmas  Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419312-face-to-face  Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird https://www.amazon.com/Untamed-Prayers-Devotions-Christ-Psalms/dp/1964419263  Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales https://shop.1517.org/collections/new-releases/products/9781964419039-remembering-your-baptism  Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419152-sinner-saint    More from the hosts: Donovan Riley https://www.1517.org/contributors/donavon-riley  Christopher Gillespie https://www.1517.org/contributors/christopher-gillespie   CONTACT and FOLLOW: Email mailto:BannedBooks@1517.org  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BannedBooksPod/  Twitter https://twitter.com/bannedbooks1517   SUBSCRIBE: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BannedBooks Rumble https://rumble.com/c/c-1223313  Odysee https://odysee.com/@bannedbooks:5 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-books/id1370993639  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2ahA20sZMpBxg9vgiRVQba  Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1370993639/banned-books    MORE LINKS: Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com   St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511  Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis http://youtube.com/stjohnrandomlake  Donavon's Substack https://donavonlriley.substack.com Gillespie's Nostr https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqszfrg80ctjdr0wy5arrseu6h9g36kqx8fanr6a6zee0n8txa7xytc627hlq   Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee   Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media  

JT's Mix Tape Episode 54 UncensoredBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jt-s-mix-tape--6579902/support.Please support our sponsor Modern Roots Life: https://modernrootslife.com/?bg_ref=rVWsBoOfcFJESUS SAID THERE WOULD BE HATERS Shirts: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/mens-shirts/WOMEN'S SHIRTS: https://jtfollowsjc.com/product-category/womens-shirts/

Jano Rix is best known as one third of The Wood Brothers. His dad Luther's drumming career spans half a century and ranges from Bob Dylan's "Rolling Thunder" tour to Rent and Tommy on Broadway. Their new album, Legacy Vol. 1 is an exploration of their shared history and musical connection. In this episode, Luther and Jano talk about: Luther's start at Indiana University and on the Indianapolis scene, and quickly moving to New York How playing with the Wood Brothers inspired Jano to record him and his dad playing together  How the record gave them their first real opportunity to sing together Including a live track on the record The ways they trusted and relied on each other's strengths in the recording and mixing process Getting out of the weeds of mixing and zooming out to focus on the “big gestures” of a song The moment you start to “hear yourself think” ⁠⁠Here's our Patreon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Youtube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Here's our Homepage

Indulgences are understood poorly today, and many anti-Catholic polemicists falsely hold them up as licenses to sin the future or that absolution is contingent on paying the right amount of money. However, an indulgence is not the forgiveness of sin; it is rather the expiation of temporal punishment due to sin. The Church's teaching on indulgences is entirely Biblical. Yet it was Martin Luther in the 16th century who, after years of upholding the Catholic position, opted to take his his own private spiritual struggles and elevate them to the level of new doctrines that ultimately rejected indulgences and indeed the teaching that any work can assist in our salvation.

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

ABOUT THE EPISODEListen in as David Schrock and Stephen Wellum interview Brad Green on his Longform Essay "Do the Reading: Selections in Political Theology"Timestamps00:20 – Intro05:50 – What's the Place for Reading in the Life of the Christian?07:40 – When Did Dr. Wellum Start Thinking about Serious Reading?10:20 – What's the Importance for Reading Books in the Life of a Pastor?15:54 – How Do We Think About the Reading of Old and New Books?19:29 – Political Issues in the Apostolic Fathers22:08 – How Do These Apologists Maintain the Defense of the Faith?24:54 – Augustine's City of God31:19 – Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica37:20 – Why Should Dante Be on the List for Political Theology?41:50 – Luther and Calvin's Political Theologies49:50 – Stephen Junius Brutus Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos55:45 – Samuel Rutherford's Lex Rex1:01:15 – Althusius' Politica1:04:37 – Oliver O'Donovan1:08:40 – R.J. Rushdoony1:15:47 – OutroResources to Click“Do the Reading: Selections in Political Theology” – Brad GreenTheme of the Month: Do the Reading: Selections in Political TheologyGive to Support the WorkBooks to ReadFrom Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought – Oliver O'DonovanApostolic Fathers – J.B. Lightfoot ed. Michael HolmesCity of God – Augustine of HippoSumma Theologica – Thomas AquinasThe Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso – Dante AlighieriLuther: Selected Political Writings – Martin Luther; ed. J.M. PorterInstitutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis BattlesVindiciae Contra Tyrannos: A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants – Stephen Junius BrutusPolitica – Johannes AlthusiusLeviathan – Thomas HobbesLex Rex: The Law is King – Samuel RutherfordThe Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World: The Influence of Calvin on Five Governments from the 16th-18th Centuries – Douglas F. KellyThe Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine – eds. Karla Pollman and Willemien OttenThe Desire of the Nations: Rediscovering the Roots of Political Theology – Oliver O'DonovanThe Moral Obligation to be Intelligent and Other Essays – John ErskineThe Institutes of Biblical Law – R.J. RushdoonyThe Myth of Overpopulation – R.J. RushdoonyRevolt Against Maturity – R.J. RushdoonyThe Messianic Character of American Education – R.J. Rushdoony

In this episode, we trace how the Reformation rediscovered the gospel—from Luther's 95 Theses to the rise of Protestant movements—and how God used ordinary people, Scripture, and the printing press to bring His Word back to the world.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Episode SummaryBy the early 1500s, the Catholic Church had become powerful, wealthy, and deeply political. Salvation was treated like a transaction through rituals and indulgences, and the gospel was buried under centuries of human authority. The Bible was locked away in Latin, unreadable to most people. But God was preparing a movement of rediscovery—the Protestant Reformation.In this episode, we'll see how men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox, and the lesser-known Anabaptists helped bring Christianity back to the simple gospel of faith in Jesus Christ.The Reformation wasn't rebellion—it was rediscovery. It was a return to the gospel buried under layers of religion.The Reformation BeginsMartin Luther, a German monk, struggled with guilt and never felt good enough for God. While reading Romans 1:17, he discovered that righteousness is a gift from God—received by faith, not earned by works. Around that time, the Church was selling indulgences to raise money for St. Peter's Basilica, claiming that people could buy forgiveness. Outraged, Luther wrote his 95 Theses and nailed them to a church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.The document spread quickly thanks to the newly invented printing press, and a movement was born. Luther stood before church authorities and declared, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand. I can do no other.” While hiding from persecution, he translated the Bible into German so ordinary people could read it for themselves.Other Reformers Across EuropeWhile Luther led in Germany, others joined the cause across Europe:Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland preached directly from Scripture, opposed indulgences, and emphasized simple, Bible-centered worship.John Calvin in France and later Geneva wrote The Institutes of the Christian Religion, organizing Christian theology and emphasizing God's sovereignty, grace, and the authority of Scripture.John Knox in Scotland, a student of Calvin, boldly preached the gospel to kings and queens and helped establish the Presbyterian Church, governed by elders with Christ as its head.William Tyndale in England translated the Bible into English so people could read it in their own language.The Reformation spread rapidly, dividing Europe between those who followed the old system and those who embraced this rediscovered gospel of...

In Episode 91 of Grace on Tap, Evan Gaertner and Mike Yagley dive into the turbulent years following Luther's stay at the Wartburg Castle—when the Reformation teetered on the edge of chaos. While Luther hid under Frederick's protection, self-proclaimed prophets like Nikolaus Storch and Thomas Müntzer began to claim direct revelations from God, turning reform into […]

In this episode, we trace how the Reformation rediscovered the gospel—from Luther's 95 Theses to the rise of Protestant movements—and how God used ordinary people, Scripture, and the printing press to bring His Word back to the world.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Episode SummaryBy the early 1500s, the Catholic Church had become powerful, wealthy, and deeply political. Salvation was treated like a transaction through rituals and indulgences, and the gospel was buried under centuries of human authority. The Bible was locked away in Latin, unreadable to most people. But God was preparing a movement of rediscovery—the Protestant Reformation.In this episode, we'll see how men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox, and the lesser-known Anabaptists helped bring Christianity back to the simple gospel of faith in Jesus Christ.The Reformation wasn't rebellion—it was rediscovery. It was a return to the gospel buried under layers of religion.The Reformation BeginsMartin Luther, a German monk, struggled with guilt and never felt good enough for God. While reading Romans 1:17, he discovered that righteousness is a gift from God—received by faith, not earned by works. Around that time, the Church was selling indulgences to raise money for St. Peter's Basilica, claiming that people could buy forgiveness. Outraged, Luther wrote his 95 Theses and nailed them to a church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517.The document spread quickly thanks to the newly invented printing press, and a movement was born. Luther stood before church authorities and declared, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. Here I stand. I can do no other.” While hiding from persecution, he translated the Bible into German so ordinary people could read it for themselves.Other Reformers Across EuropeWhile Luther led in Germany, others joined the cause across Europe:Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland preached directly from Scripture, opposed indulgences, and emphasized simple, Bible-centered worship.John Calvin in France and later Geneva wrote The Institutes of the Christian Religion, organizing Christian theology and emphasizing God's sovereignty, grace, and the authority of Scripture.John Knox in Scotland, a student of Calvin, boldly preached the gospel to kings and queens and helped establish the Presbyterian Church, governed by elders with Christ as its head.William Tyndale in England translated the Bible into English so people could read it in their own language.The Reformation spread rapidly, dividing Europe between those who followed the old system and those who embraced this rediscovered gospel of...

How wonderful it is to know that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11-12, Mark 3:34-35). And yet, is it equally wonderful to hear James, the once unbelieving brother of Jesus, call himself a "bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." This letter of James is written by a changed man– from unbelief to saving faith; sceptical brother to humble servant; from cynical hearer to faithful doer of the word. What has brought about this transformation? – "He gives more grace." Far from being an 'epistle of straw' (as Luther once described it), the Letter of James is filled with practical gospel substance. James expects the grace of God to bear fruit in the lives of those who have received it and so exhorts us to a living and active faith. As we sit under this word in the coming months, may we be "not hearers only, deceiving ourselves," but "doers of the word" of grace that we hear.

Membahas tema "Allah yang tersembunyi" dari pemikiran Martin Luther.

Mass Effect. In this episode, we continue our reading of The Smalcald Articles, focusing on Luther's critique of the Roman Mass and all its consequences for the churches and Christian life. We discuss mimetic desire, sacrificial religion, the exclusive work of Jesus. SHOW NOTES:  The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles https://thebookofconcord.org/smalcald-articles/part-iii/ Smalcald Articles history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalcald_Articles The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrine written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League, which aimed to unify Lutheran territories against Roman Catholic forces. Although they were not officially adopted at the meeting, they later became an important part of Lutheran confessional writings included in the Book of Concord. More from 1517: Support 1517 Podcast Network: https://www.1517.org/donate-podcasts 1517 Podcasts: http://www.1517.org/podcasts 1517 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1517org 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/1517-podcast-network/id6442751370 1517 Events Schedule: https://www.1517.org/events 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education: https://academy.1517.org/   What's New from 1517: Coming Home for Christmas: 1517 Advent Devotional https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419916-coming-home-for-christmas  Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419312-face-to-face  Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird https://www.amazon.com/Untamed-Prayers-Devotions-Christ-Psalms/dp/1964419263  Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales https://shop.1517.org/collections/new-releases/products/9781964419039-remembering-your-baptism  Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419152-sinner-saint    More from the hosts: Donovan Riley https://www.1517.org/contributors/donavon-riley  Christopher Gillespie https://www.1517.org/contributors/christopher-gillespie   CONTACT and FOLLOW: Email mailto:BannedBooks@1517.org  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BannedBooksPod/  Twitter https://twitter.com/bannedbooks1517   SUBSCRIBE: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BannedBooks Rumble https://rumble.com/c/c-1223313  Odysee https://odysee.com/@bannedbooks:5 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-books/id1370993639  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2ahA20sZMpBxg9vgiRVQba  Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1370993639/banned-books    MORE LINKS: Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com   St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511  Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis http://youtube.com/stjohnrandomlake  Donavon's Substack https://donavonlriley.substack.com Gillespie's Nostr https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqszfrg80ctjdr0wy5arrseu6h9g36kqx8fanr6a6zee0n8txa7xytc627hlq   Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee   Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media  

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we tell the story of an underappreciated meeting between Luther and a representative from the Pope in 1535. Show Notes: Germany / Switzerland - Study Tour  Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Coming Home for Christmas: 1517 Advent Devotional Face to Face: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (outerrimterritories.com).

Send us a textA coin in the coffer, a soul released—Tetzel's famous pitch turned grace into a marketplace. We go straight to the fault line it exposed and still exposes: are we justified by faith plus works, or by faith that works? Walking from the medieval penance and indulgence economy to Wittenberg's doors, we set the historical stage for a sharper reading of Scripture and then open Romans 3 and James 2 side by side.We make a crucial distinction that unlocks the tension. Paul speaks to the courtroom of God: justification by faith apart from works silences pride and rests in Christ's imputed righteousness. James speaks to the watching world: a claim of faith that never feeds the hungry or alters a life is dead on arrival. Before God, faith alone saves. Before people, works alone show that faith is real. Think of it like a newborn's cry—it doesn't create life; it proves life exists. That's how visible obedience functions in authentic Christianity.Along the way, we revisit Luther's conversion in Romans, the 95 Theses amplified by the printing press, and the abuses of selling indulgences and venerating relics. Then we hold a steady course through Scripture: the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, Paul's “where then is boasting?” and James's blunt “what use is it?” The goal is clarity without compromise: defend the gospel with Paul against faith plus works, and demonstrate the gospel with James against faith that doesn't work. You'll come away with a richer grasp of justification, sanctification, and how to make your faith visible in ordinary acts of love and courage.If this helped sharpen your understanding, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves church history and Scripture, and leave a review telling us where you see living faith at work today.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

In this illuminating episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Jesse and Tony explore Jesus' parables of the mustard seed and leaven found in Matthew 13. These seemingly simple parables reveal profound truths about God's kingdom—how it begins imperceptibly, grows irresistibly, and transforms completely. The hosts delve into what these parables teach us about God's sovereign work in both our individual spiritual lives and the broader advance of His kingdom in the world. Believers can find hope in understanding that God intentionally works through what appears weak and insignificant to accomplish His purposes. This episode offers practical encouragement for Christians who may feel discouraged by the apparent smallness of their faith or ministry impact. Key Takeaways The kingdom of heaven begins in small, hidden, or seemingly insignificant ways, but grows powerfully through God's sovereign work. The mustard seed illustrates the kingdom's visible expansion (extensive growth), while the leaven highlights its internal transformative influence (intensive growth). Both parables emphasize that God's kingdom often appears to "disappear" initially but produces outsized results through His work, not our own. These parables provide encouragement for times when the church feels weak or our personal faith feels insufficient—God's power is made perfect in weakness. God's kingdom transforms both outwardly (extensive growth illustrated by the mustard seed) and inwardly (intensive growth shown by the leaven). Cultural transformation happens most effectively through ordinary Christian faithfulness rather than flashy or provocative engagement. Christians should not despise small beginnings, recognizing that faithfulness rather than visibility is the true measure of fruitfulness. Understanding Kingdom Growth: From Imperceptible to Unstoppable The parables of the mustard seed and leaven powerfully illustrate the paradoxical nature of God's kingdom. In both cases, something tiny and seemingly insignificant produces results far beyond what anyone would expect. As Tony noted in the discussion, what's critical is understanding the full comparison Jesus makes—the kingdom isn't simply like a seed or leaven in isolation, but like the entire process of planting and growth. Both parables involve something that initially "disappears" from sight (the seed buried in soil, the leaven mixed into dough) before producing its effect. This reflects the upside-down nature of God's kingdom work, where what appears weak becomes the channel of divine power. For first-century Jewish listeners expecting a triumphant, militaristic Messiah, Jesus' description of the kingdom as beginning small would have seemed offensive or disappointing. Yet this is precisely God's pattern—beginning with what appears weak to demonstrate His sovereign power. This same pattern is evident in the incarnation itself, where God's kingdom arrived not through military conquest but through a humble birth and ultimately through the cross. Finding Hope When Faith Feels Small One of the most practical applications from these parables is the encouragement they offer when we feel our faith is insufficient or when the church appears weak. As Jesse noted, "God is always working. Even when we don't feel or see that He is, He's always working." The kingdom of God advances not through human strength or visibility but through God's sovereign work. These parables remind us that spiritual growth often happens imperceptibly—like bread rising or a seed growing. We may go through seasons where our spiritual life feels dry or stagnant, yet God continues His sanctifying work. Just as a baker must be patient while bread rises, we must trust the invisible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the church. When we feel discouraged by apparent lack of progress, these parables assure us that God's kingdom—both in our hearts and in the world—is advancing according to His perfect timing and plan. As Tony explained, "The fact that it feels and looks and may actually be very small does not rob it of its power...in actuality that smallness is its power." God deliberately works through weakness to display His glory, making these parables powerful reminders for believers in any era who may feel their impact is too small to matter. Memorable Quotes "We shouldn't despise small beginnings. Let's not despise whatever it is that you're doing in service to God, to your family, to your churches, especially in the proclamation of the gospel... Faithfulness and not visibility—that's the measure of fruitfulness." — Jesse Schwamb "The Kingdom of Heaven is at work not only in our midst as a corporate body, but in each of us as well. God's grace and His special providence and His spirit of sanctification, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of holiness and the one who makes us holy. He is doing that whether it feels like it or not, whether we see outward progress or not." — Tony Arsenal "What cultural transformation looks like is a man who gets married and loves his wife well, serves her and sacrifices for her, and makes a bunch of babies and brings them to church... We transform culture by being honest, having integrity, by working hard... without a lot of fanfare, without seeking a lot of accolades." — Tony Arsenal Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 468 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother, you and I have said it over and over again. One of the incredible truths that the Bible conveys about the kingdom of God is that it's inaugurated in weakness. It's hidden. It advances irresistibly by the sovereign work of God through the Word and the Spirit. It transforms both individuals and nations until Christ's reign is fully revealed in glory. And so as we're about to talk about parables today, I can't help but think if that's one of the central positions of the Bible, and I think we both say it is how would you communicate that? And here we find Jesus, the son of God, our great savior, you know where he goes. He goes, mustard seeds and yeast. So that's what we're gonna talk about today. And if you're just joining us maybe for the first time or you're jumping into this little series, which is to say, we do know tiny series, this long series on parables, you, I go back to the last episode, which is kind of a two-parter because Tony and I tried this experiment where we basically each separately recorded our own thoughts and conversation, almost an inner monologue as we digested each of those parables, both the one of the mustard seed and then the leaven sequentially and separately. And now we're coming together in this episode to kind of talk about it together and to see what we thought of the individual work and to bring it all together in this grand conversation about the kingdom of God that's inaugurated and weakness and hiddenness. [00:02:31] Affirmations and Denials Explained Jesse Schwamb: So that's this episode, but it wouldn't be a episode without a little affirming. And a little denying it seems, 22, we should this, every now and again we pause to say why we do the affirmations and denials. Why, why do we do this? What, what is this whole thing? Why are we bringing it into our little conversation every time? Tony Arsenal: Yeah. I mean, it, it, at its core, it's kind of like a recommendation or an anti recommendation segment. We take something that we like or we don't like and we spend a little bit of time talking about it. Usually it ends up taking a little bit of a theological bent just 'cause that's who we are and that's what we do. And we use the language of affirmations and denials, uh, because that's classic, like reformed confessional language. Right? If you look at something like the, um. I dunno, like the Chicago statement on Biblical and Errancy, which was primarily written by RC sprawl, um, it usually has a, a statement, uh, of doctrine in the form of things that we affirm and things that we deny. Um, or you look at someone like Turin, a lot of times in his, uh, institutes of elected theology. He'll have something like, we affirm this with the Lutherans, or we affirm that or de deny that against the papus or something like that. So it's just a, a little bit of a fun gimmick that we've added on top of this to sort of give it a little bit of its own reformed flavor, uh, onto something that's otherwise somewhat, um, Baal or, or I don't know, sort of vanilla. So we like it. It's a good chance for us to chat, kind of timestamps the episode with where we are in time. And usually, usually, like I said, we end up with something sort of theological out of it. 'cause that's, that's just the nature of us and that's, that's the way it goes. That's, and that's what happens, like when we're talking about stuff we. Like when we're together at Christmas or at the beach, like things take that theological shift because that's just who, who we are, and that's what we're thinking about. Jesse Schwamb: By the way, that sounds like a new CBS drama coming this fall. The nature of us. Tony Arsenal: The nature of us? Yeah. Or like a, like a hallmark channel. Jesse Schwamb: It does, uh, Tony Arsenal: it's like a a, I'm picturing like the, the big city girl who moves out to take a job as a journalist in like Yosemite and falls in love with the park ranger and it's called The Nature of Us. Jesse Schwamb: The nature of us Yes. Coming this fall to CBS 9:00 PM on Thursdays. Yeah. I love it. Well, this is our homage to that great theological tradition of the affirming with, or the denying against. So what do you got this week? Are you affirming with something or you denying against something? [00:04:55] No Quarters November Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming. This is a little cheeky. I'm not gonna throw too much, much, uh, too much explanation. Uh, along with it. I'm affirming something. I'm calling no quarters, November. So, you know, normally I'm very careful to use quarters. I'm very careful to make sure that I'm, I'm saving them and using them appropriately. And for the month of November, I'm just not gonna use any quarters. So there'll be no 25 cent pieces in my banking inventory for the month. Oh. So I'm, I'm making a little bit of fun. Of course. Obviously no, quarter November is a tradition that Doug Wilson does, where he just is even more of a jerk than he usually is. Um, and he, he paints it in language that, like, normally I'm very careful and I qualify everything and I have all sorts of nuance. But in November, I'm just gonna be a bull in a China shop, um, as though he's not already just a bull in a China shop 95% of the time. So I'm affirming no corridors. November maybe. No corners November. Everything should be rounded. Jesse Schwamb: That's good too. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. No, no. Quatro November. Like we don't do anything in Spanish. No fours in Spanish. I don't know. Okay. I'm just making fun of that. I'm just making fun of the whole thing. It's such a silly, dumb enterprise. There's nothing I can do except to make fun of it. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I think that's fair. That's basically the response it deserves. This time, we, we brought it up for several years going, it's such a strange thing. [00:06:13] Critique of Doug Wilson's Approach Jesse Schwamb: It's hard not to see this thing as complete liberty to be sinful and then to acknowledge that. Yeah. As if somehow that gives you, reinforces that liberty that you're taking it, it's so strange. It's as if like, this is what is necessary and probably we'll get to this actually, but this is what is necessary for like the gospel or the kingdom of God to go forward is that kind of attitude at times. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I will say this, I do always look forward every year to seeing what he sets on fire. 'cause the, the videos are pretty great. I'm not gonna lie. Like the video quality is, is certainly compelling. Um, and you could say it's lit is another little punny way to get at it. Uh, I, I haven't seen it this year. I mean, that's, we're recording this on November 1st, so I'm sure that it's out. Uh, I just haven't seen it yet. But yeah, I mean, it's kind of, kind of ridiculous, uh, that anyone believes that Doug Wilson is restraining himself or engaging in lots of fine distinctions and nuance. You know, like the rest of the year and November is the time that he really like holds back, uh, or really doesn't hold back. That's, that's just a silly, it's just a silly gimmick. It's a silly, like, I dunno, it's a gimmick and it's dumb and so I'm gonna make fun of it 'cause that's what it deserves. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I think that's right. You know, I was thinking recently because as you said, the counter just rolled over. And generally this time of year I end up always watching that documentary that Ligonier put together on Martin Luther, which is quite good. And I think it does, has a fair treatment of him, including the fact that he was so bombastic and that he was very caustic with his language. And I think they treat that fairly by saying, oh, that some of the same things that we admire in somebody can be some of the very same things which pull them into sinful behavior. And there's no excuse for that. And, and, and if that's true for him, then it's true for all of us, of course. And it's definitely true for Luther. So I think this idea, we need to be guarding our tongues all the time and to just make up some excuse to say, I'm not gonna do that. And in some way implying that there's some kind of hidden. Piety in that is what I think is just so disturbing. And I think most of us see through that for what exactly it is. It's clickbaits. It's this idea of trying to draw attention by being bombastic and literally setting things on fire. Like the video where he sets the boat on fire is crazy because all I can think of is like, so if you judge me, one more thing on this, Tony, 'cause I, I, when you said that, I thought about this video, the boat video implicitly, and I've thought about this a lot since then. There's a clip of him, he sets the boat on fire and it's kind of like him sitting on the boat that is engulfed in flames looking out into the sea, so, so calmly as if it's like an embodiment of that mean this is fine, everything is fine, this is fine. Right? Yeah. And all I can think of is that was great for probably like the two seconds that somebody filmed that, but guess what happened immediately after that? Somebody rescued you by putting out the fire on the boat. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Jesse Schwamb: It's just like insanity to presume that, encapsulating that single moment and somehow conveying that he is a great champion, pioneer advocate of things of the gospel by essentially coming in and disrupting and being caustic and that him setting thing on fire makes everything better is a mockery, because that's not even exactly how that shoot took place. Yeah. So I, I just really struggle with that, with the perspective he is trying to bring forward. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I mean, I'm dubious whether or not there was actually any fire involved. Well, that's, I think 95% of it is probably camera magic, which is fine. Like, I don't know. That's fine. Like, I don't want Doug Wilson to burn up. That's, that wouldn't be cool either. But, um, yeah, I mean, like the fruit of the spirit is love, joy piece patience, kindness, good as gentleness, setting things on fire and being a jerk in November, apparently. And I, I just don't, I, I've never fully understood the argument. Um, and this is coming from someone who can be sarcastic and can go over the top and go too far. And, and I recognize that about myself. I've just never understood the argument that like, it's okay to be a jerk sometimes. Or, or not even just, okay. It's necessary to be a jerk sometimes. Exactly. Um, there's a difference between boldness and being a jerk. And, you know, I think, um, the people who, who know me well are gonna like fall off their chairs. I say this like, Michael Foster is actually someone who I think. Does the boldness with a little bit of an edge. I think he actually does it really well. And just like all of us, I, you know, he, he probably goes over the line, uh, on occasion. Um, and, and, but I think he does the, I'm just going to be direct and straightforward and bold. And sometimes that might offend you because sometimes the truth is offensive. Um, I think he does that well. I think where we go sideways is when we try to couch everything in sort of this offensive posture, right? Where, where even the things that shouldn't be offensive, uh, somehow need to be made offensive. It, it's just, it's dumb. It's just, um, and I'm, I'm not saying we should be nice just for the sake of being nice. I think sometimes being nice is. When I say nice, I mean like saccharin sweet, like, like overly uh, I don't know, like sappy sweets. Like we don't have to be that. And uh, there are times where it's not even appropriate to be that. Um, but that's different than just, you know, it's almost like the same error in the wrong direction, right? To be, just to be a jerk all the time. Sometimes our words and our behavior and our actions have to have a hard edge. And sometimes that's going to offend people because sometimes the truth, especially the gospel truth is offensive. Um, but when what you're known for is being a jerk and being rude and just being offensive for the sake of being offensive. Um, right. And, and I'll even say this, and this will be the last thing I say. 'cause I didn't, I, I really intend this just to be like a, a jokey joke. No quarters, November. I'm not gonna spend any quarters. Um, I don't know why I was foolish enough to think we weren't gonna get into it, but, um. When your reputation is that you are a jerk just to be a jerk. Even if that isn't true, it tells you that something is wrong with the way you're doing things. Right. Because I think there are times where, and I'll say this to be charitable, there are times where Doug Wilson says something with a little bit of an edge, and people make way too big of a deal out of it. Like they, they go over the top and try to condemn it, and they, they make everything like the worst possible offense. And sometimes, sometimes it's, it's just not. Um, and there are even times where Doug says things that are winsome and they're helpful and, um, but, but when your reputation is that you are a jerk just to be a jerk, or that you are inflammatory just to get a reaction, um, there's something wrong with your approach. And then to top it off, when you claim that for November, like you explicitly claim that identity as though that's not already kind of your shtick the rest of the year. Um, and just, it's just. Frustrating and dumb and you know, this is the guy that like, is like planting a church in DC and is like going on cnn. It's just really frustrating to see that sort of the worst that the reformed world has to offer in terms of the way we interact with people sometimes is getting the most attention. So, right. Anyway, don't, don't be a pirate. N November is still my way. I celebrate and, uh, yeah, that's, that's that. Jesse Schwamb: That's well said. Again, all things we're thinking about because we all have tendency to be that person from time to time. So I think it's important for us to be reminded that the gospel doesn't belong to us. So that means like that sharp edge, that conviction belongs to Christ, not to our personalities. So if it's tilted toward our personalities, even toward our communication style, then it means that we are acting in sin. And so it's hard for us to see that sometimes. So it does take somebody to say, whoa. Back it down a little bit there and you may need to process. Well, I'm trying to communicate and convey this particular truth. Well, again, the objective that we had before us is always to do so in love and salt and light. So I agree with you that there is a way to be forthright and direct in a way that still communicates like loving compassion and concern for somebody. And so if really what you're trying to do is the equivalent of some kinda spiritual CPR, we'll know that you, you don't have to be a jerk while you're doing it. You don't have to cause the kind of destruction that's unnecessary in the process. Even though CPR is a traumatic and you know, can be a painful event by it's necessary nature, we administer it in such a way that makes sure that we are, we have fidelity to the essential process itself, to the essential truths that's worth standing up for. Yeah, it's not a worth being a jerk. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:14:37] Practical Application of Parables Tony Arsenal: Jesse, let's, let's move along. What are you affirming or denying tonight Jesse Schwamb: and now for something much lighter? So, my, my affirmation I share at the risk of it being like so narrow that maybe nobody will actually want to use this, but I actually had you in mind. Tony, I've been sitting on this one for a little while 'cause I've been testing it. And so we're, we're just gonna run like an actual quick experiment 'cause I. I'm guessing you will find this affirmation useful and will come along with me and it and might even use it, but you and I are not always like representative of all the people in the world. I say that definitely tongue in cheek. So we're a little bit nerdy. We love our podcasts and so occasionally, I don't know if this happens to you, I'm guessing it does, but I want to capture like a moment that I heard while podcast is playing on my phone. Maybe somebody says something really interesting, it's great quotes, or it's mathematical nature and I wanna go back and process it. And so generally what I do is I, I don't know, I stop it. I try to go back and listen to it real quick if I can, or maybe I can't because running, driving, all that stuff. So. When I hear something now that I want to keep, I just cry out to my phone. I have an, I have an iPhone, so I say, Siri, you could do this with Google. Take a screenshot. What happens is the phone captures an image of my podcast app with a timestamp showing of course what's being played. Then I forward this image, this is the crazy affirmation part. When it's time to be alive, I forward this image to a certain email address and I get back the text transcript of the previous 90 seconds, which I can then either look at or file into my notes. What is this email address sent it to you. Well, here's the website so you can go check it out for yourself though. Website is actually called Podcast Magic App, and there's just three easy steps there, and this will explain to you how you actually get that image back to you in the format of a transcript. And the weird thing about this is it's, it's basically free, although if you use it a lot, they ask for like a one-time donation of $20, which you know me, I love. A one time fee. So I've been using this a lot recently, which is why I've been sitting on it, but it is super helpful for those of you who are out there listening to stuff. They're like, oh, I like that. I need to get that back. And of course, like you'll never get it back. So if you can create this method that I've done where you can train your phone to take a snapshot picture of what's on the screen, then you can send it to Podcast Magic at Sublime app, and they will literally send you a transcript of the previous 90 seconds no matter what it is. Tony Arsenal: That is pretty sweet. I'll have to check that out. Um, I don't listen to as many podcasts as I used to. How dare you? I just, the I know. It's, it's crazy. Where do we even do it Feels like heresy to say that on a podcast that I'm recording. Yes. Um, Jesse Schwamb: we've lost half the audience. Yeah. Tony Arsenal: Well, yeah. Well, the other half will come next. Um, no, I, I, I just don't have as much time as I used to. I, I live closer to work than I used to and um, I'm down to, we're down to one car now, so, um, your mother is graciously giving me a ride to work. Um, 'cause she, she drives right past our house on the, the way and right past my work on the way to her work. Um, but yeah, so I guess I say that to say like, the podcast that I do listen to are the ones that I really wanna make sure I'm, I am, uh, processing and consuming and, uh, making sure that I'm kinda like locking into the content. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Tony Arsenal: So this might be helpful for that when I do hear something and I do think, like, it's hard because I use matter, which is great, and you can forward a podcast to matter and it generates a whole transcript of the entire episode, which is great. Um, but I don't often go back and, you know, a lot of times, like I'll go through my matter, uh, queue and it'll be like three weeks after I listened to a podcast episode, I be like, why did I put this in here? Right? I get that. I don't wanna listen to the entire 60 minute episode again to try to remember what that special thing was. So I just end up archiving it. So this might be a good middle ground to kind of say like, I might set, I might still send it to matter to get the whole transcript, but then I can use this service to just capture where in the transcript actually was I looking for? Um. It's interesting. I'll have to look at it too, because you can, you can send, uh, through Apple Podcast, the Apple Podcast app and through most podcast apps, I think. Right? You can send the episode with the timestamp attached to it. Yes. So I wonder if you could just send that, that link. Okay. Instead of the screenshot. Um, you know, usually I'm, I'm not. Uh, I don't usually, I'm not driving anymore, so usually when I'm listening to a podcast I have, my hands are on my phone so I could actually send it. So yeah, I'll have to check that out. That's a good recommendation. Jesse Schwamb: Again, it's kind of nuanced, but listen, loved ones, you know what you get with us, you're gonna get some, it could be equally affirmation, denial that Doug involves Doug Wilson, and then some random little thing that's gonna help you transcribe podcasts you listen to, because life is so hard that we need to be able to instantly get the last 90 seconds of something we listen to so that we can put it into our note taping at note taking app and put it into our common notebook and keep it. Yeah, there you go. Tony Arsenal: There's a lot of apps. There was actually a, a fair number of apps that came out a while ago that were, they were trying to accomplish this. Where you could, as you were listening to the podcast, in that app, you could basically say, highlight that and it would, it would highlight whatever sentence you were on. But the problem is like by the time you say highlight that you're already onto the next sentence, you now you're going back trying to do it again. And I didn't find any of that worked really seamlessly. It was a lot of extra friction. So this might be kind of a good frictionless or less friction way to do it. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I'm totally with you. [00:20:08] The Kingdom of Heaven Parables Jesse Schwamb: I mean, speaking of like things that cause friction, there's no doubt that sometimes in Jesus' teaching on the parables that he himself brings the heat, he brings a little friction in his communication. And since you and I basically did go through each of these parables, we don't have do that again on this conversation. In fact, what I'm looking forward to is kind of us coming together and coalescing our conversation about these things, the themes that we both felt that we heard and uncovered in the course of talking through them. But I think as well ending with so what? So what is some real good shoe leather style, practical application of these ideas of understanding the kingdom of God to be like this mustard seed and like this lemon. So why don't I start by just reading. Again, these couple of verses, which we're gonna take right out of Matthew chapter 13. Of course, there are parallel passages in the other gospels as well, and I'd point you to those if you wanna be well-rounded, which you should be. And so we're gonna start in verse 31 of chapter 13. It's just a handful of verse verses. Here's what Matthew writes. Jesus puts another parable before them saying The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It's the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flower till it was all leavened. Alright? Yeah. So Tony, what do you think? Tony Arsenal: Uh, I mean, these are so like, straightforward. It was almost, it, it felt almost silly trying to like explain them. Yeah. One of the things that, that did strike me, that I think is worth commenting too, um, just as a, a general reminder for parables, we have to be careful to remember what the parable is saying, right? So I, I often hear, um. The smallness of the mustard seed emphasized. Mm-hmm. And I think your, your commentary, you did a good job of kind of pointing out that like there's a development in this parable like it, right? It's a progression and there's an eschatology to it, both in terms of the, the parable itself, but also it comments on the eschatology of the kingdom of heaven. But it's not just that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It's the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sewed in his field. Right? It's that whole clause that is the, the kingdom of heaven is like likewise, the kingdom of heaven is not just like leave, it's like leave that a woman took in hidden in three measures of flour till all was leavened. So when we're looking at these parables. Or when we're looking at really any parable, it's important to make sure that we get the second half of the, the comparison, right? What are we comparing the kingdom of heaven to? You know, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a sower who sowed seeds among, you know, in three types of four types of soil. This kingdom of Heaven is like, this is like that. We don't wanna miss part of the parable because we latch on to just like the first noun, and that follows the word like, um, but I think these are great, these are great little, um, parables that in some ways are almost like, uh, compliments or ex explanations of the other parables that we're looking at too. They, they explain to us something more about what the Kingdom of Heaven is using similar kinds of analogies that help us flesh out the parables that are surrounding them. So the Kingdom of Heaven. You know, again, we always want to caution against kind of like overinterpreting, the parables, but the, the parable of the sower is talking about the seed that is sewn into the field, right? And then there's the parable of the wheat and the tears, and there's seed again. And we, we might have a tendency to sort of miss the nature of the kingdom in a certain sort of dynamic. This fleshes this out. So we might think of like the parable of the sowers, like we don't know what, what proportion is of good soil, you know, good soil versus bad. We know that there's three types of soils that are bad soils or unproductive soils and one type, but we don't know like how much of the soil is, um, like what percentage of the field is that. Similarly, like we don't know what percentage of the field was wheat and what was weeds. This is kind of reminding us that the, the kingdom of heaven is not found primarily in the, um, the expansiveness of it. Right. It's not, it's not initially going to look like much. It's going to initially start out very small. Right. And in some ways, like in both of these, it appears to disappear entirely. Right? You sow a grain of mustard seed. I don't, I've never seen a mustard seed, so, but it's very small. Obviously you sow that into the ground. You're not gonna find it again, you're not gonna come back a week later and dig up that seed and figure out where you sewed it. Um, similarly, like you put a, you put a very small amount of yeast or lemon into a three measures of flour. You're not gonna be able to go in even probably, even with a microscope. You know, I suppose if you had infinite amount of time, you could pick a every single grain of flour, but you're not gonna be able to like go find that lemon. It's not gonna be obvious to the eye anymore, or even obvious to the careful searcher anymore. So that's what the kingdom of heaven is like in both of these. It's this very small, unassuming thing that is hidden away. Uh, it is not outwardly visible. It is not outwardly magnificent. It is not outwardly even effective. It disappears for all intents and purposes. And then it does this amazing thing. And that's where I really think these, these two parables kind of find their unity is this small, unassuming thing. That seems ineffectual actually is like abundantly effectual in ways that we don't even think about and can't even comprehend. Jesse Schwamb: Right? Yeah. I would say almost it's as if it's like, well, it's certainly intentionally, but almost like offensively imperceptible. And I think that's the friction that Jesus brings with him to the original audience when he explains it this way. So again, from the top, when we said this idea that the kingdom of God is imperceptible, it's hidden, it grows, it conquers, it brings eschatological resolution. And I'm just thinking again, in the minds of the hearers, what they would've been processing. I think you're spot on. I liked your treatment of that by focusing us to the fact that there is verb and noun and they go together. We often get stuck on the nouns, but this, that verb content means that all of this, of course, is by the superintendent will of God. It's volitional. His choice is to do it this way. It is again, where the curse becomes the blessing, where it's the theology of the cross or theology of glory, where it is what is small and imp, perceptible and normal by extraordinary means becomes that which conquers all things. And so I can. Picture, at least in my mind, because I'm a person and would, would wanna understand something of the kingdom of God. And if I were in a place, a place of oppression physically and spiritually living in darkness, to have this one who claims to be Messiah come and talk about the inauguration of this kingdom. My mind, of course, would immediately go to, well, God's kingdom must be greater than any other kingdom I could see on this earth. And I see it on the earth that the sun rises. And cast light across provinces and countries and territories in a grand way. And then we have this kingdom of God, which, you know, theory, the, the sun should never set on it and the sun should never be able to shine, but on a corner of it. And it doesn't have provinces or countries, it doesn't even have continence, but it has, it encapsulates worlds. And it doesn't stretch from like shore to shore or sea to shining sea, but from sun to sun or star to star from the heavens to the earth, its extent couldn't be surveyed. Its inhabitants couldn't be numbered. Its beginning, could never be calculated because from Tard past, it had no bounds. And so I'm just thinking of all these things and then like you said, Jesus says, let me tell you what it's really like. It's like somebody throwing a tiny seed into a garden. Or it's like a woman just making bread and she puts yeast into it. These seem like not just opposites, but almost offensive, I think, in the way that they portray this kingdom that's supposed to be of great power and sovereign growth, but it comes in perceptibly and how perfect, because the one who's delivering this message is the one who comes imperceptibly, the person of Christ preaching the gospel and the hearts of believers. But that grows into a vast and global proportion, and that of course, that aligns exactly with so many things you and I have talked about in process before. These doctrines are providence and sovereign grace, that God ordains the means that is the seed and ensures the outcome, which is the tree. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I think too, um, you know, I don't, I don't know of any affinity with mustard seed in like the Old Testament law, but there's, there's a sort of a reversal of expectation here too, because although Levin is not always associated with like impurity, um, I think most Jewish listeners would immediately have a negative connotation with Levin for sure. Right? So when, when all of a sudden he's comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to leaven it, it becomes sort of this, um, the reason Levin is so pernicious and the reason that in the Old Testament law, you know, they're, they're, they're not just not making their bread with leave for the, for the Passover. They have to like sweep out their whole house. They have to empty all their stores out. They have to clear everything out. And that's not just because like. In, in, in Old Testament, sort of like metaphors, leaven does get associated with sin, right? Uh, and that gets carried on into the New Testament, but just the actual physical properties of leaven is like, if there's any little bit of it left on the shelf or even in the air, like even on your hands, it's can spoil the whole batch. It can cause the entire batch to go a different direction than you want it to. And in a certain way, like the Kingdom of Heaven is like that, right? Um. [00:30:21] The Resilience of God's Kingdom Tony Arsenal: You hear about, um, you hear about situations where it seems like the presence of God's people and the, the kingdom of God is just, it's just eradicated. And then you find out that there's actually like a small group of believers who somehow survived and then like Christianity is thriving again like 50 years later. Um, you can't just wipe out the kingdom of heaven because it is like leaven and any small remaining remnant of it is going to work its way back through the entire batch in a way that is, uh, mysterious and is somewhat unpredictable and is certainly going to surprise people who are not expecting it to be there. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. [00:31:04] Understanding Theological Concepts Jesse Schwamb: One of the things I really picked up in your treatment of that, that kind of drew me in in a special way was, you know, we think of some theological terms. We have really, I think, strong. Rubric for processing them, and especially like their multifaceted nature. So for instance, when we think about sanctification, we often talk about positional and progressive. And those are really helpful ways to understand a concept that brings us into modeling where it's finite and precise to a degree that allows us to understand it and comprehend it with a greater degree of confidence. And knowing it's many parts, because it is many parted. [00:31:36] The Parable of the Leaven Jesse Schwamb: And I was thinking as you were talking about the leaven, how the kingdom of heaven here that is inaugurated by Christ, that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit is growth and always deny that. But what you drew out for me was I think we're definitely seeing in that this idea of the intensive growth and then of course in the. Parable of the mustard seed. It's more extensive growth and they're both important. So they're in consummate harmony. It's not just like one recapitulating the other. And what that made me think about was even as you were speaking now, this really interesting difference, you know, the woman is taking this, again, talking about the verb, there's two nouns here actually. There's like the, the proper pronoun of the woman there is the act which she's doing, which she's taking the leaven and working it as it were like into the flower. I just did like a weird motion here on the camera if you're watching on uh, YouTube. Sorry about that. [00:32:28] Practical Lessons from Bread Making Jesse Schwamb: Almost like I was giving CPR, but she's working it into this meal or this flower and the working it from within outwards and that working itself like changes the whole substance from the center to the surface of this meal. Now I was thinking about this 'cause you noted something about bed bread. Bread baking in yours. And I did actually just a couple weeks ago, make some bread and the recipe I was using came with this like huge warning. Some of the recipes are like this, where when you're using some kinda lemon, most of the time we're using yeast. You have to not only be careful, of course, about how much yeast you put in because you put in too much, it's gonna blow the whole thing up. You're gonna have serious problems. You're not gonna make the bread anymore, you're gonna make a bomb, so to speak, and it's gonna be horrible. You're not gonna want to eat it. But the second thing is the order in which you add the ingredients, or in this recipe in particular, had very explicit instructions for when you're creating the dry ingredients. When you have the flour, make a little well with your finger and delicately place. All of the yeast in there so that when you bring the dough together, when you start to shape it, you do it in a particular way that from the inside out changes the whole thing so that there's a thorough mixing. Because the beauty of this intensive change is that. As you know Tony, like there's so many things right now in my kitchen that are fermenting and I talked about before, fermenting the process of leavening something is a process of complete change. It's taking something that was before and making it something very different. But of course it retains some of the essential characteristics, but at the same time is a completely different thing. And so it's through a corresponding change that man goes to whom the spirit of God communicates His grace. It's hidden in the heart and chain begin, change begins there. You know, the outward reformation is not preparing a way for inward regeneration. It's the other way around that regeneration, that reformation on the outside springs from a regeneration that's on the inside, growing out of it as a tree grows from a seed as a stream flows from the spring or as leave, comes and takes over the entire lump of dough. [00:34:26] The Power of Small Beginnings Jesse Schwamb: It's amazing. This is how God works it. We again, on the one side we see the kingdom of heaven. That is like the manifestations of his rule in rain coming, like that seed being sown and growing into this mighty tree. It brings shade. The birds come nest in it. And that may be a reference Allah to like Ezekiel or Daniel, the Gentiles themselves. There's that inclusion. And then to be paired with this lovely sense that, you know what else, anywhere else, the power of the kingdom of heaven is made. Manifest is in every heart in life of the believer. And so the Christian has way more in religion in their outer expression than they do anybody else. Because the inner person, the identity has been changed. Now you and I, you and I harp all the time on this idea that we, we don't need some kind of, you know, restoration. We need regeneration. We don't need to be reformed merely on the outside by way of behaviors or clever life hacks. We need desperately to be changed from the inside out because otherwise we. Where it's just, I don't know, draping a dead cold statue with clothing, or all we're doing is trying to create for ourselves a pew in the house of God. What we really need is to be like this bread that is fully loving, that grows and rises into this delicious offering before the world and before God. Because if you were to cut into this outwardly looking freshly baked bread and find that as soon as you got through that delicious, hard, crispy crust on the outside, that in the inside all it was, was filled with like unprocessed, raw flour, you would of course say, that's not bread. I don't know what that is. But that's not bred. What a great blessing that the promise that God gives to us is that the kingdom of God is not like that. It lies in the heart by the power of God. And if it's not there, it's not anywhere. And that though the Christian May at times exhibit, as we've talked about before, some kinda hypocrisy, they are not essentially hypocrites. Why? Because the Kingdom of God is leavening us by the power of the Holy Spirit. That gospel message is constantly per permeating that yeast through all of who we are, so that it continues to change us. So that while the natural man still remains, we are in fact a new creation in Christ. So to start with, you know, bread and or not bread to end with bread, but to start with flour and water and yeast and salts, and to be transformed and changed is the intensive power of the growth of the gospel, which is with us all our lives, until we have that beautific vision. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I think, um, you know, to kind of take a, a pivot maybe to the practical, I think this is, this is not the point of the parable necessarily 'cause the parable. I think there's a lot that these parables have to say to us about like, personal, individual growth, but they really are about the growth of the kingdom or the, the, maybe necessarily the growth of the kingdom. I think that's there too. But really like the nature of the kingdom as this sort of like, hidden, hidden thing that then grows and creates big results. [00:37:34] Encouragement in Times of Darkness Tony Arsenal: I, I think this is a, this is a parable that should encourage us. Like absolutely for sure we should look to this and, and be encouraged because. It is not the case. Um, I know there are lots of people who wanna act as though like this is the worst time anyone has ever lived in, and everything is the worst as it's ever been. It's, this is not even close to the worst time that the church has ever existed in, um, there are, it's funny, um, we'll give a little plug. Some of our listeners have started their own new show called Over Theologizing, and, um, it, it was, it was funny listening to the second episode they had, um. Pete Smith was on there and they were saying, like, they were talking about like, how do you feel about the nature of the church? And Pete was like, it's fine. Like it's great out here. Like there's lots of churches, lots good. Like I, I think that there are pockets in our, in our world, um, particularly, you know, my, my former reference is Western World and in the United States and in some senses in, in Europe, um, there are certainly pockets of places where it's very dark and very difficult to be a Christian, but by and large it's not all that challenging. Like, we're not being actively persecuted. They're not feeding us to the lions. They're not stealing our businesses. They're not, um, murdering us. You know, like I said, there are exceptions. And even in the United States, there are places where things are moving that direction. But there are also times when the church is going to feel dark and small and, and like it's failing and, and like it's, it's weak. And we can look at these parables and say, the fact that it feels and looks and may actually be very small does not rob it of its power that does not rob the kingdom of heaven of its power. It in, in actuality that smallness is its power, right? Leave is so powerful of an ingredient in bread because you need so little of it, right? Because that it, you can use such a small quantity of lemon to create such a, a huge result in bread. That's the very nature of it. And it, its efficacy is in that smallness. And you know, I think the mustard seed is probably similar in that you, you don't need to have, um. Huge reaping of, of mustard seed in order to produce the, the crop that is necessary, the trees that are necessary to, to grow that. So when we look around us and we see the kingdom of heaven feeling and maybe actually even being very small in our midst, we should still be encouraged because it doesn't take a lot of leave to make the bread rise, so to speak. And it doesn't take a lot. And, and again, like of course it's not our power that's doing it, that's where maybe sort of like the second takeaway, the baker doesn't make the bread rise by his own like force of will, right? He does it by putting in this, this agent, you know, this ingredient that works in a sort of miraculous, mysterious way. It's obviously not actually miraculous. It's a very natural process. But I think for most of history. So that was a process that probably was not well understood, right? We, we, people didn't fully understand why Bread did what it did when you used lemon. They just knew that it did. And I think that's a good takeaway for us as well, is we can't always predict how the kingdom of heaven is gonna develop or is gonna operate in our midst. Um, sometimes it's gonna work in ways that seem to make a lot of sense, otherwise it's gonna seem like it's not doing anything. Um, and then all of a sudden it does. And that's, that's kind of where we're at. Jesse Schwamb: I like that. That's what a great reminder. Again, we all often come under this theme that God is always working. Even when we don't feel or see that he is, he's always working and even we've just come again on the calendar at least to celebrate something of the Reformation and its anniversary. Uh. What again, proof positive that God's kingdom will not fail. That even in the places where I thought the gospel was lost or was darkens, even in Israel's past in history, God always brings it forward. It cannot, it will not die. [00:41:26] Faithfulness Over Visibility Jesse Schwamb: So I wanna tack onto that by way of, I think some practical encouragement for ministry or for all believers. And that is, let's not despise small beginnings. Like let's not despise whatever it is that you're doing in service to God, to your family, to your churches, especially in the proclamation of the gospel. This is from um, Zacharia chapter four, beginning of verse eight. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, the hands of the rebel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zabel. So I love this encouragement that is for all Christians. That's one. Again, God is doing all the verbs like just. For one last time for everybody in the back. God does all the verbs. Yeah, and in so doing, because he is doing all the verbs, he may, but he chooses to start with small things because again, he is always showing and exemplifying his glory and he does this in these normative ways. It's a beautiful expression of how majestic and powerful he is. So let's embrace those things with be encouraged by them. The gospel may appear weak or slow in bearing fruit, yet God guarantees its eventual triumph. God guarantees that he's already stamped it. It's faithfulness and not visibility. That's the measure of fruitfulness. So if you're feeling encouraged in whatever it is that you're doing in ministry, the formal or otherwise, I would say to you. Look to that faithfulness, continue to get up and do it, continue to labor at it, continue to seek strength through the Holy Spirit, and know that the measure of his fruitfulness will come, but maybe in a future time, but it will come because this is what God does. It's God doing all the work. He's the one, he's essentially the characters needs of these parables, sowing the seed, working in lemon. Yeah. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And I think, you know, like I said, the, the parables are not necessarily about individual personal growth. Um, but I, I think the principle that is here applies to that as well is I think oftentimes we feel like, um. I'll speak for myself. There are have been many times in my walk as a Christian, um, where it just feels like nothing's happening. Right? Right. Like, you just feel like it's dry and like you, you're, you know, you're, you're not like you're falling into some great sin or like you've walking away from the faith, but it just feels sort of dry and stale and like God isn't doing anything. And, um, I've only ever tried to bake bread once and it was a, it was just a terrible, terrible failure. But, um, I think one of the things that I've. I've read about people who bake bread is that there is a level of patience that has to come with it, right? Because oftentimes it seems like the bread isn't rising. It seems like the, the lemon is not doing what it's supposed to do until it does. Right? And like, if you take the bread out of the oven every couple of minutes to check and see if it's rising, it's never going to rise. It's never going to do what it's supposed to do. And, um, you know, I think that is kind of like the Christian life in microcosm too, is we, we have these spiritual disciplines that we do. We pray, we read the scriptures, we attend faithfully to the Lord's Day service. And oftentimes it doesn't feel like that's doing anything right. But it is. The Kingdom of Heaven is at work in not only in our midst as a corporate body, but the kingdom of heaven is at work in each of us as well. That's right. God's, God's grace and his, uh, special providence and his spirit of, of sanctification, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of holiness and the one who makes us holy. Um, he is doing that whether it feels like it or not, whether we see, um, outward progress or not. If the spirit dwells within us, he is necessarily making us holy and necessarily sanctifying us. Um, and and so I want us to all think about that as we, we kind of wrap up a little bit here, is we shouldn't be. I, I don't wanna say we shouldn't be discouraged, um, because it's easy to get discouraged and I don't want people to feel like I'm like, you should never be discouraged. Like sometimes the world is discouraging and it's frustrating, and it's okay to feel that, but we should be able to be encouraged by this parable. When we look at it and we remember like, this is just. This is just the parable form of Paul saying like, God glories by using the weak to demonstrate his strength. Exactly right. He, he is, his power is shown in, in using the weak and frail things of this life and this world to accomplish his purposes. And so when we are weak, when we are feeling as though we are failing as Christians, we should be able to look at this and say, well, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like. It's like a tiny mustard seed, a tiny mustard seed of faith that grows into a large tree. It's, it's like this little little spark of leave that God puts in us and it's hidden in us and it leavens the whole loaf. And that's us, right? And that's the church, that's the kingdom. It's the world. Um, God is at work and he is doing it in ways that we would not ordinarily see. Even the person who has this sort of like explosive Christian growth. That's not usually sustained. I think most people when they first come to faith, especially if they come to faith, you know, as a teenager or a young adult, um, they come to faith and they have this like explosive period of growth where they're like really passionate about it and on fire. And then that, that passion just kind of like Peters out and you kind of get into like the, the day in, day out of Christianity, um, which is not, it's not flashy. It's not sexy, it's not super exciting. It's very boring in a lot of ways, like right, it's, it's basic bread, it's basic water. It's hearing a, a person speak and it's, it's reading words on a page. But when the Holy Spirit uses those things, he uses them faithfully to finish the work that he started. Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I think that's exactly right. The spirit's work of leavening, it continues quietly, but it powerfully, yeah. And we shouldn't despise that quietness or that smallness that I think is altogether a gift of God. And again, we're talking about the one who embodies the perfect will of God, who came and condescended to his creation was like us in every eight, where every way without sin. This is the one who became, I think as Paul writes in Galatians, a curse for us. And so again, this blessedness arises out of, again, what I think is this offensive means. And if that is the model that Christ gives to us, we ourselves shouldn't despise that kinda small beginning or even despise the sacrifices we're often called to make. Or those again, I would say like offensively and auspicious kinds of beginnings. All of that is peace wise, what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And there's a beauty in that. And I would say, I want to add to what you said, Tony, 'cause I think it was right on, is this idea that's easy to be discouraged is. It doesn't require any explanation. I, I, I'm totally with you. If you were to pick up any, or go to any kind of website and just look at the headlines for their news reporting, you're going to find plenty of reasons to be discouraged and to feel melancholy. And yet at the same time when I think we, you and I talk about these things, what I'm prone to consider is what Paul writes elsewhere to the church in Corinth, where he says in two Corinthians chapter 10, we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. Being ready to punish every disobedience when you're disobey, when you're obedience is complete. And so what I think that applies to us in this particular case is understanding that this is the promise of God. Like you're saying, you and I are saying. Discouragement happens. And yet the truth is that small inauspicious beginnings in the kingdom of heaven always result in outsized gains that God never ceases to work. That he's always with us, that he's always for us. Then we do have to take captive those thoughts that lead us into kind of a disproportionate melancholy that pull us away or distract us from this truth of God, the knowledge of God, which is that he is super intending, his sovereign will completely over every molecule in the universe because this is what the Kingdom of Heaven does. And so that gives us, I think as I said last week, hope and evangelism we're storming those gates of hell we're coming for you like because there is a triumphalism in Christ that will be manifested in the final day. It's the reformed understanding of the here but not quite yet. [00:49:57] Cultural Engagement as Christians Jesse Schwamb: And like the last place that Le that leads me to like some practical, I think application is, and I wanna be careful with this, so I'm curious for your opinion. It's cultural engagement. You know, if we're thinking about this, leave permeating this dough, this tiny seed growing to overtake the garden, then I think believers should labor to continue to bring biblical truth into every sphere. So your family, your vocation, arts, politics, everything under Christ's lordship. I think sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be. As we've talked about the top of the show, really outspoken in a provocative kind of way. I think sometimes, again, that same quiet though, consistent work that the Holy Spirit does that's powerful in leavening us is the same thing that we can do with just our attitudes at work or our attitudes in our family, or our willingness to serve or our kind words. Of course, it does require us to preach the gospel using words. It also means that the power of the leaven is that quiet power. It doesn't jump outta the bread. It doesn't boast, but it is present. So maybe I'm saying Christians, let's be present, and leavening means to be present with the attitude and the mind of Christ. What? What do you think? Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I think that's, um, I think that's right on, you know, um, it, it's not quite a parable, but Christ, Christ commands his people to be like salt and light and true. Um, and, and by saying that the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, you know, like a, a measure of leaven that was hidden away in three measures. Um, he's also commanding us to be like leaven, right? And he is commanding us to be like the, the mustard seed because that is what we are. And I think, um, we shouldn't think that we can cloister off or sequester off the kingdom of heaven from the rest of culture and create like, um, I'm not quite, uh, I'm not quite to the point where I'm, I'm a transformational in the sort of like Tim Keller sense, but I do think that. We, and I don't like this word, but I'm not sure of a better, a better way to say it, but like, we like to set up these little Christian ghettos where like we, we isolate ourselves culturally into these little subcultures and these little sort of cordoned off areas of culture. Um, where we, we actually then strive to look just like the culture that's around us, right? Right. We subsection off Christian music and although it's, you know, typically it's like a decade behind the curve in terms of what music is good, we're really just doing the same music as the rest of the world. We just baptize it with Christian language. Like, I remember my, my youth pastor in high school rewrote the song closing time to Be Quiet Time. And like that was like, that was like the most Christian thing he could do at the time, was rewrite the lyrics to a song. But like, that's, that's absolutely not what cultural transformation looks like. Right. Well, cultural transformation, and maybe I'm channeling a little bit of, of Michael Foster here, what cultural transformation looks like. Is is a man who gets married and loves his wife, well, serves her and sacrifices for her, and makes a bunch of babies and brings them to church, right? Like that's, that's cultural transformation. And in our culture, like that is a very counter-cultural way to do things. It's actually very counter-cultural. There have been times when that's not particularly countercultural and there probably will be times again where it is. And actually it seems like our broader American culture is moving away from the sort of like two kids, two kids and a dog is a, is a bygone era fantasy. And now it's like two single people living in a house together with a dog. Um, you know, and, and that's not to say that that's the only way to be, to transform culture, right? That's just one example of sort of the most mundane, natural thing is actually the way that we do it. Um. We transform culture by, um, by being honest, having integrity, yes. By, um, working hard, right? Yes. Going to work, doing your job well, uh, without a lot of fanfare, without seeking a lot of accolades, um, and just doing a good job because that's what God commands us to do when he tells us to honor our employers and to be good, faithful bond servants in the Lord. Um, that is also very, uh, that also will transform culture. Um, you know, I think we think of cultural transformation and we, I think we immediately go to, for better or worse, we go to like the Doug Wilsons of the world and we go like, that guy's engaging the culture. Well, yeah, I guess in a certain sense he is. Um, or we, or we go to. The Tim Keller's of the world where they are, they're engaging culture in a different way. But I think for most of us, for most Christians, our cultural engagement is very nor like very normal and very boring. It's living a very ordinary, quiet life. Um, you know, what does Paul say? Work quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands, right? Like, don't be a busy body. Um, like that's, that's actually the way that culture is transformed. And that makes perfect sense. We will have to come back and do another episode on this sometimes, but like, that makes perfect sense. When you think about how God created Adam and what he was supposed to do to transform and cult, cultivate, right? The word cultivate and culture come from the same roots to transform and cultivate the entire world. What was he supposed to do? Plant a garden, tame the animals, right? You know, bake babies. Like, it's, it's not, um, it's not. Rocket science, it's not that difficult. And again, we are all called to different elements of that. And God providentially places us in situations and in, in life, you know, life circumstances, we're not all gonna be able to fulfill every element of that. But that's where this, that's where this becomes sort of the domain of the church, right? The church does all of these things in the culture, and I don't mean the church as institution. I mean like the people who are the church. They do all of these things in very ordinary, normal ways, and that will, that will transform the culture. Um, right. You, you show me a. And this is not, you know, by God's common grace, there are lots of really nice people out there who are more or less honest and have integrity and work hard at their jobs. So it's not as that, that's a uniquely Christian thing. But you show me a, a, a person who is known to be a Christian and works hard as honest is straightforward, is kind, is charitable, is self-sacrificial in, in all arenas of their life. Um, people will notice that and they will see it as different and they will associate it with Christianity. They will as

Send us a textA coin in the coffer, a soul released—Tetzel's famous pitch turned grace into a marketplace. We go straight to the fault line it exposed and still exposes: are we justified by faith plus works, or by faith that works? Walking from the medieval penance and indulgence economy to Wittenberg's doors, we set the historical stage for a sharper reading of Scripture and then open Romans 3 and James 2 side by side.We make a crucial distinction that unlocks the tension. Paul speaks to the courtroom of God: justification by faith apart from works silences pride and rests in Christ's imputed righteousness. James speaks to the watching world: a claim of faith that never feeds the hungry or alters a life is dead on arrival. Before God, faith alone saves. Before people, works alone show that faith is real. Think of it like a newborn's cry—it doesn't create life; it proves life exists. That's how visible obedience functions in authentic Christianity.Along the way, we revisit Luther's conversion in Romans, the 95 Theses amplified by the printing press, and the abuses of selling indulgences and venerating relics. Then we hold a steady course through Scripture: the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, Paul's “where then is boasting?” and James's blunt “what use is it?” The goal is clarity without compromise: defend the gospel with Paul against faith plus works, and demonstrate the gospel with James against faith that doesn't work. You'll come away with a richer grasp of justification, sanctification, and how to make your faith visible in ordinary acts of love and courage.If this helped sharpen your understanding, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves church history and Scripture, and leave a review telling us where you see living faith at work today.Support the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

In this special episode, Zach and Mike sit down with comic book writer T.S. Luther to talk about his upcoming series The Digger. a four-issue pulp thriller about what might happen if Indiana Jones hunted Short Round. T.S. opens up about walking away from a soul-crushing corporate job to chase his dream of writing comics, how collaboration with artist Sam Gudilin turned one wild pitch into a full series, and why making comics is always a labor of love. It's a funny, honest, and inspiring look at the realities of indie comics, from cold-pitching publishers to finding creative partners who make your stories better. The Digger hits shops January 14, 2026, and final orders are due December 1, 2025. Ask your local comic shop to preorder it today through Invader Comics! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11/6/25 - Many of the sharpest divisions between Catholics and Protestants trace back not to Scripture itself, but to how words and ideas have been interpreted across centuries of separation. Dr. Adam Van Wart, professor of theology at Ave Maria University, unpacks the roots of these misunderstandings and offers a path forward rooted in truth and charity. Dr. Van Wart explains how key debates - such as faith alone versus faith and works, Scripture alone versus Sacred Tradition, and the role of the Church's magisterial authority - often stem from differences in emphasis and historical context rather than outright contradiction. Drawing upon the writings of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and early Reformers like Luther and Calvin, he demonstrates how theological language developed in response to real pastoral concerns, and how those differences became hardened into divisions over time. If you've ever wondered why Christians still struggle to understand one another after 500 years of dialogue, or how we might finally move toward genuine unity in Christ, this episode offers a thoughtful, hopeful vision rooted in history, theology, and the enduring witness of the Church.

Taking Thoughts CaptiveThe Story of Martin Luther's Stand #RTTBROS #Nightlight"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)." — 2 Corinthians 10:3-4Last night we talked about those automatic negative thoughts, those ANTs that swarm through our minds. Tonight, I want to tell you about a man who understood this battle better than most: Martin Luther.Now, Luther was a monk who struggled terribly with his thoughts. He would spend hours in confession, sometimes confessing the same sins over and over because his mind kept telling him he wasn't truly forgiven, that he wasn't good enough, that God couldn't possibly love someone like him. His superior finally told him to stop coming to confession unless he had committed murder or blasphemy, something real to confess.But here's where Luther's story gets interesting. When he finally discovered the truth of justification by faith, when he understood that we're made right with God through faith in Christ alone, not by our works, everything changed. He realized that those thoughts that kept condemning him were lies. They were real thoughts, yes, but they weren't true thoughts.Luther used to say that you can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair. Sound familiar? He understood what Paul was teaching in 2 Corinthians 10, that we have weapons mighty through God for pulling down strongholds, for taking thoughts captive.Here's the thing about taking thoughts captive: you can't do it by just trying harder to think positive. That's not what Paul is talking about. He's talking about confronting those automatic negative thoughts with the truth of God's Word. It's not about pretending the thoughts aren't there or trying to force yourself to feel differently. It's about recognizing a lie when you hear one and standing your ground with truth.When that thought shows up telling you you're worthless, you don't have to argue with it or try to convince yourself otherwise. You just need to know what God says: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). That's not positive thinking, that's truth thinking.When that automatic thought tells you you're all alone and nobody cares, you don't have to try to talk yourself out of feeling lonely. You just need to remember what Jesus said: "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Again, not positive thinking, truth thinking.Luther learned to fight his ANTs with Scripture. When those condemning thoughts would swarm, he would literally speak truth out loud. He'd say, "I am baptized. I am God's child. Christ died for me." Simple truths that cut through the lies like a sword.You see, you can't control the first thought that pops into your head, but you can control what you do with it. You can take it captive. You can hold it up against God's Word and say, "Does this match what God says about me? Does this match what God says about my situation?" If it doesn't, then it's a lie dressed up as a thought, and it needs to be taken prisoner.Tomorrow night, we'll talk about what to do for the long haul, because this isn't a one-time battle. But tonight, practice taking one thought captive. Just one. When that ANT shows up, grab hold of it with a truth from God's Word and don't let it run wild.Let's pray: Father, give us courage to confront the lies in our minds with Your truth. Help us to be quick to recognize when our thoughts are not lining up with Your Word. Teach us to fight with the weapon of truth. In Jesus' name, Amen

Hat der Mensch nun einen freien Willen oder nicht? Mit Jan Reitzner diskutieren wir die wesentlichen Argumente in dieser Frage, die vor 500 Jahren Erasmus und Luther in ihrem Streit vorgetragen haben. Luthers Bild ist provokant: Der Mensch ist wie ein Reittier, entweder wird er von Gott, oder er wird vom Teufel geritten.

Every October 31st, the Church commemorates Reformation Day. In this episode, Pastor Jeff discusses the most pivotal moments in church history: the Protestant Reformation and the bold faith of Martin Luther.Pastor Jeff explores the story behind Luther's 95 Theses, his struggle for assurance, and how his discovery of justification by faith alone reshaped the course of Christianity. This episode is a reminder that the Church must always return to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture because God's Word is never peripheral; it's central.What We Discussed00:19 Reformation Day and Its ImportancePastor Jeff explains why October 31st should be remembered not only as Halloween but as Reformation Day, a turning point in church history.03:11 What Was the Protestant Reformation?Pastor Jeff explains how reformers Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and John Knox led a movement to return the Church to the gospel and the authority of Scripture, standing against corruption and unbiblical practices.05:22 The Spark: Luther's 95 ThesesPastor Jeff recounts the moment Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, igniting a movement that shook Europe.06:49 The Story Behind Luther's ConvictionFrom a near-death lightning storm to entering the monastery, Luther's personal journey reveals how God led him to grace through faith.08:20 The Breakthrough in RomansLuther's study of Romans opened his eyes to the truth of “the just shall live by faith” and transformed his understanding of salvation.10:17 The Selling of IndulgencesPastor Jeff explains how the Church's corrupt sale of indulgences for profit sparked Luther's outrage and his call for reform.12:23 Rome's Response and Luther's TrialAfter the Pope condemned his views, Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms to defend his faith and refused to recant.14:31 Luther's LegacyLuther's defiance and devotion to Scripture changed the Church forever. Pastor Jeff recommends Here I Stand by Roland Bainton for those who want to learn more about his life and faith.Read Here I Stand by Roland Bainton: https://lionandlambapologetics.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Here-I-Stand-A-Life-of-Martin-Luther-Bainton.pdf“I pray that you'll never forget those who have gone before us to ensure that we hear and heard the gospel in its purest and simplest forms.” – Pastor Jeff CranstonWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

Jesus Christ is Lord. To be Lord is to redeem sinners from the devil, death, and all evil. We commonly hear the question, “Is Jesus your Savior AND your Lord?” Luther makes sure that we do not distinguish between Jesus' salvation and His lordship but helps us realize that He is the full meal deal of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Jesus is our Savior and our Lord. He has made us His own, and we follow Him as He governs us by His righteousness, wisdom, power, life, and blessedness. Rev. Dr. Jason Lane, Associate Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, joins Rev. Brady Finnern to study the 2nd Article of the Apostles' Creed. To learn more about Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, visit csl.edu. Find your copy of the Book of Concord - Concordia Reader's Edition at cph.org or read online at bookofconcord.org. Study the Lutheran Confession of Faith found in the Book of Concord with lively discussions led by host Rev. Brady Finnern, President of the LCMS Minnesota North District, and guest LCMS pastors. Join us as these Christ-confessing Concordians read through and discuss our Lutheran doctrine in the Book of Concord in order to gain a deeper understanding of our Lutheran faith and practical application for our vocations. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org. 

Luther was a slave to sin and he knew it. So, he went into the monastery to try and beat it out of himself—literally. With a whip. With fasting. With praying eight times a day.

Romans 3:28 teaches that we're justified by faith apart from works. But James 2:26 says faith apart from works is dead. Can these passages be reconciled? Today, R.C. Sproul explains the relationship between faith and good works. Get a Reformation resource bundle with your donation of any amount: The Legacy of Luther book, R.C. Sproul's teaching series Luther and the Reformation (DVD plus digital messages and study guide), and his Justified by Faith Alone teaching series (digital messages and study guide): https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4343/offer Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Legacy of Luther ebook, the digital teaching series and study guide for Luther and the Reformation, and the digital teaching series and study guide for Justified by Faith Alone: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global Gather with Christians around God's Word at one of Ligonier's events: https://www.ligonier.org/events Meet Today's Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Reformation Day, celebrated on October 31st, marks one of the most transformative moments in church history — the day Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517. In today's prayer and devotional, we reflect on the fact that though Luther never sought to divide the Church, his bold stand for truth and his devotion to Scripture became a catalyst for reformation and renewal across the Christian world. As Lynette Kittle reflects, Luther wasn’t a rebel or revolutionary — he was a truth seeker who rediscovered the heart of the Gospel: we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8). His translation of the Bible into German opened the Word of God to everyday people, making Scripture accessible to all who longed to know God personally. Today, we commemorate Reformation Day not only as a historic event but as a call to continue valuing God’s Word above all else. Scripture is living and active — teaching, correcting, and equipping us for righteousness. Let us be inspired by Luther’s example to study God’s Word deeply and boldly share the Good News of salvation by grace alone. Today's Bible Reading:“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” – 2 Timothy 3:16

An Arm-Twisting Confession. In this episode, we read Martin Luther's Smalcald Articles on the gospel, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Why did he have to have "his arm twisted" to write them? What is he trying to teach the churches about the gospel? How does the gospel circumscribe and define the Church, worship, and Christian life? Why does something written in the 1530s matter today? We look to answer all these questions and more on this episode of the Banned Books podcast. SHOW NOTES:  The Book of Concord - Smalcald Articles https://thebookofconcord.org/smalcald-articles/part-iii/article-iv/ Smalcald Articles history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalcald_Articles Edward Riojas https://edriojasartist.com Study Guide for Impossible Prize steve@1517.org  Simul Iustus et Peccator https://duckduckgo.com/?q=simul+justus+et+peccator+site%3A1517.org   The Smalcald Articles are a summary of Lutheran doctrine written by Martin Luther in 1537 for a meeting of the Schmalkaldic League, which aimed to unify Lutheran territories against Roman Catholic forces. Although they were not officially adopted at the meeting, they later became an important part of Lutheran confessional writings included in the Book of Concord.   More from 1517: Support 1517 Podcast Network: https://www.1517.org/donate-podcasts 1517 Podcasts: http://www.1517.org/podcasts 1517 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1517org 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/1517-podcast-network/id6442751370 1517 Events Schedule: https://www.1517.org/events 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education: https://academy.1517.org/   What's New from 1517: Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird https://www.amazon.com/Untamed-Prayers-Devotions-Christ-Psalms/dp/1964419263 Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales https://shop.1517.org/collections/new-releases/products/9781964419039-remembering-your-baptism  Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug https://shop.1517.org/products/9781964419152-sinner-saint  The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley https://shop.1517.org/products/9781962654708-the-impossible-prize    More from the hosts: Donovan Riley https://www.1517.org/contributors/donavon-riley  Christopher Gillespie https://www.1517.org/contributors/christopher-gillespie   CONTACT and FOLLOW: Email mailto:BannedBooks@1517.org  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BannedBooksPod/  Twitter https://twitter.com/bannedbooks1517   SUBSCRIBE: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BannedBooks Rumble https://rumble.com/c/c-1223313  Odysee https://odysee.com/@bannedbooks:5 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/banned-books/id1370993639  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/2ahA20sZMpBxg9vgiRVQba  Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1370993639/banned-books    MORE LINKS: Tin Foil Haloes https://t.me/bannedpastors Warrior Priest Gym & Podcast https://thewarriorpriestpodcast.wordpress.com   St John's Lutheran Church (Webster, MN) - FB Live Bible Study Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/356667039608511  Gillespie's Sermons and Catechesis http://youtube.com/stjohnrandomlake  Donavon's Substack https://donavonlriley.substack.com Gillespie's Nostr https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqszfrg80ctjdr0wy5arrseu6h9g36kqx8fanr6a6zee0n8txa7xytc627hlq   Gillespie Coffee https://gillespie.coffee   Gillespie Media https://gillespie.media  

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠In this segment of Notorious Mass Effect, Analytic Dreamz delivers a data-driven analysis of rap's historic absence from Billboard Hot 100's Top 40 for the first time since February 1990. On the week of October 25, 2025, no rap tracks cracked the upper echelon, ending a 35-year streak sparked by Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." Analytic Dreamz breaks down key stats: highest rap entry at #44 (YoungBoy Never Broke Again's "Shot Callin"), #48 (Cardi B feat. Kehlani's "Safe"), and #49 (BigXthaPlug feat. Ella Langley's "Hell at Night"). Kendrick Lamar & SZA's "Luther" fell off after 46 weeks (13 at #1), triggered by Billboard's October 2025 recurrent rule changes—removing songs below #25 after 26 weeks (vs. old 25-week threshold below #10). Hip-hop's U.S. market share dropped from 30% peak in 2020 to 24% YTD 2025 per Luminate. Analytic Dreamz examines competition: Taylor Swift's album occupies 12 Top 40 spots, K-pop soundtracks claim 7. Additional factors include streaming biases, artist dormancy (Drake, Kendrick), legal issues, and genre fragmentation. As of November 1, the drought hits two weeks, with "Shot Callin" at #43. Analytic Dreamz explores cultural reactions and whether this signals rap's cyclical shift amid pop dominance.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What gives someone the courage to stand up for truth—even when it costs them everything? Martin Luther’s bold stand for the Gospel wasn’t born from rebellion but from revelation. Rooted in Ephesians 2:8, his discovery that salvation comes by grace through faith ignited a movement that changed history. Having the heart of a reformer means loving God, loving His Church, and being unwilling to compromise the truth of Scripture—no matter the consequences. Highlights A reformer’s heart begins with a deep passion to draw close to God and live by His Word. Luther’s relentless study of Scripture led him to uncover the truth of salvation by grace, not works. True reformers love the Church enough to seek its correction, not its destruction. Luther’s bold action—nailing his 95 Theses—sparked a spiritual awakening that shaped Christianity. Sharing the truth requires courage, humility, and a willingness to face rejection. Luther’s legacy reminds us that faithfulness to God’s Word outweighs fear of man. Every believer is called to carry that same conviction—to speak truth in love and protect the purity of the Gospel. Join the Conversation What truth has God been stirring in your heart to stand for, even if it’s uncomfortable? Share your thoughts with us and tag @LifeAudioNetwork using #FaithThatTransforms #StandForTruth #HeartOfAReformer.

Join Profs. Karoline Lewis, Rolf Jacobson, and Matt Skinner for Sermon Brainwave as they explore the texts for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (November 16, 2025). This episode dives into Luke 21:5-19, focusing on Jesus's apocalyptic speech about the destruction of the temple and the call to bear witness through endurance. The hosts discuss what it means to testify in times of difficulty, how endurance is not just about getting through hard times but about embodying witness to God's provision. They explore connections between vulnerability and the desire for security, Luther's theology of vocation, and the ecological dimensions of Psalm 98. The conversation also tackles the challenging passage from 2 Thessalonians about work and busybodies, reframing Christian witness as living faithfully in everyday vocations. This episode offers practical preaching insights for the end of the liturgical year, emphasizing testimony, endurance, and faithful witness in a world of upheaval. Commentaries for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost can be found on the Working Preacher website at https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-33-3/commentary-on-luke-215-19-6. ⏰Timecodes⏰ 00:00 Introduction to the Texts for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost 02:52 Exploring the Apocalyptic Themes in Luke 21 06:00 Endurance and Witness in Times of Persecution 08:58 The Role of Hope and God's Provision 11:51 Connecting Malachi and Isaiah's Messages 14:57 The Joyful Anticipation of New Creation 18:08 Understanding 2 Thessalonians and Christian Living *  *  * Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share to stay connected with more insightful lectionary discussions! Reminder: We have commentaries for the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and Evangelio (Spanish-language Gospel). We're here for you, working preachers! ABOUT SERMON BRAINWAVE: Sermon Brainwave is a production of Luther Seminary's Working Preacher, which has been providing trusted biblical interpretation and preaching inspiration since 2007. Find more episodes and resources by visiting https://www.workingpreacher.org/. Watch this episode on YouTube at https://youtu.be/8JdZ_9BnpY0.

What was it like to witness Martin Luther's wedding—and even his bridal chamber? In this episode, we explore Justus Jonas's vivid letter announcing Luther's marriage to Katharina von Bora, complete with tears, friends, and ancient wedding customs that may shock modern ears. Along the way, we'll uncover the surprising role of the best man, the significance of Luther's marriage for Reformation theology, and why vocation and family life became so central to his legacy.Support the show Confessional Languages Scholarship The Wauwatosa Diary (book) Youtube ( even more behind-the-scenes videos available for certain patron tiers) Facebook Website Interview Request Form email: thelutheranhistorypodcast@gmail.com About the HostBenjamin Phelps is a 2014 graduate from Martin Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts with a German emphasis. From there went on to graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 2018. Ben has been a regular writer and presenter on various Lutheran history topics. His 2018 thesis on Wyneken won the John Harrison Ness award and the Abdel Ross Wentz prize. He is also the recipient of several awards from the Concordia Historical Institute.Ben is currently a doctoral student in historical theology through Concordia Seminary's reduced residency program in St. Louis. ...

What is it about October 31st? This piece roams from Luther's hammer on a church door to the end of the Battle of Britain, from Houdini's final curtain to the Celtic bonfires of Samhain. It traces how Halloween began as an ancient threshold between worlds and became the world's biggest fancy-dress party. Along the way we glimpse Mexican marigolds, Austrian bread for ghosts, Japanese lanterns, and a universal truth: that once a year, humans everywhere like to dance with the dark and laugh at their fears. It's funny, atmospheric, and full of surprises – a story of thresholds, history, and a date that refuses to stay quiet.

No pope or church council can bind the conscience absolutely. Only the Word of God can. Today, R.C. Sproul explores what led Martin Luther to take his courageous stand for the authority of Scripture at the Diet of Worms. Get a Reformation resource bundle with your donation of any amount: The Legacy of Luther book, R.C. Sproul's teaching series Luther and the Reformation (DVD plus digital messages and study guide), and his Justified by Faith Alone teaching series (digital messages and study guide): https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4343/offer Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Legacy of Luther ebook, the digital teaching series and study guide for Luther and the Reformation, and the digital teaching series and study guide for Justified by Faith Alone: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global Meet Today's Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

The First Communion Class is a teaching series for children ages 7 and up, walking through the basics of the Christian faith using Luther's Small Catechism. Each episode focuses on clear explanation, repetition, and memorization of God's Word to help children understand and prepare to receive the Lord's Supper with faith and reverence.Subscribe & Share:• Apple Podcasts: Christ For You• Spotify: Listen on Spotify• Website: ZionWG.org/podcastStay Connected:• Email: PastorRojas@ZionWG.org• Website: ZionWG.orgIf this strengthened your faith, share it with others and leave a review. Your support helps more people hear the faithful preaching of Christ crucified and risen for you.

Join Pastor Larry Spargimino and Clayton Van Huss in this episode of 'Watchman on the Wall' as they delve into the enduring impact of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Discover how Luther's actions continue to influence the world, and learn about SWRC's prison ministry and their 'Beyond the Veil' calendar initiative. This engaging discussion also highlights the documentary '1517: The Flame Rekindled,' exploring Luther's legacy and its relevance today.

In this special Reformation Day episode, Matt sits down with Tony Petersen, pastor at Mountain View Church in Clovis, and Ryan Loewen, assistant professor of theology at Tabor College, for a deep dive into Martin Luther's world-changing legacy. Together they unpack the tension and turmoil of the 1500s, from indulgences and corruption in the medieval church to Luther's rediscovery of grace and the birth of Protestantism. They trace how Luther's courage and his translation of Scripture reshaped faith for everyday believers, setting off waves of reform that continue to ripple through the church today.The conversation also explores how Luther's influence helped spark the Anabaptist movement, and how early Anabaptists carried the Reformation's emphasis on Scripture, discipleship, and surrender to Christ even further. Tony and Ryan connect the dots from those early reformers to our modern faith, reflecting on what still needs reforming in the church today and how followers of Jesus can live as “permanently submerged” people—fully surrendered to Christ and guided by His Word.

What motivated Martin Luther's unwavering defense of justification by faith alone? A life-changing encounter with the book of Romans. Today, R.C. Sproul describes how Luther came to understand the gospel for the first time. Get a Reformation resource bundle with your donation of any amount: The Legacy of Luther book, R.C. Sproul's teaching series Luther and the Reformation (DVD plus digital messages and study guide), and his Justified by Faith Alone teaching series (digital messages and study guide): https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4343/offer Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Legacy of Luther ebook, the digital teaching series and study guide for Luther and the Reformation, and the digital teaching series and study guide for Justified by Faith Alone: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global Join us at one of our upcoming Renewing Your Mind Live events: http://renewingyourmind.org/events Meet Today's Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Most people think of October 31st as Halloween—but it’s also Reformation Day, a cornerstone of Christian history that forever changed how believers understand salvation. Rooted in Romans 5:1–2, this devotional reminds us that faith—not works—justifies us before God. Martin Luther’s courage to challenge corruption in the church reignited the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and his bold stand still calls us to live out the Gospel with conviction today. Highlights Reformation Day commemorates October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door. Luther’s actions reclaimed the biblical truth that salvation comes by grace through faith, not by works or wealth. His translation of the Bible into German gave ordinary people access to God’s Word for the first time. Today, over 700 languages have Scripture translations—a legacy of the Reformation’s impact. Believers are called to guard against modern distortions of the Gospel, like prosperity or works-based teachings. Living out Reformation truths means boldly proclaiming salvation through Christ alone and standing firm in sound doctrine. Join the Conversation How can you live out the truths of the Reformation in your daily faith walk? Share your reflections and gratitude for the freedom we have in Christ. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #ReformationFaith #GraceAlone #FaithInChrist to join the conversation.

During his days in the monastery, Martin Luther wrestled with how he could be justified before God as a sinful man. Today, R.C. Sproul explains Luther's desperate struggle to reconcile his guilt with the holiness of God. Get a Reformation resource bundle with your donation of any amount: The Legacy of Luther book, R.C. Sproul's teaching series Luther and the Reformation (DVD plus digital messages and study guide), and his Justified by Faith Alone teaching series (digital messages and study guide): https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4343/offer Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Legacy of Luther ebook, the digital teaching series and study guide for Luther and the Reformation, and the digital teaching series and study guide for Justified by Faith Alone: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global Travel with Ligonier Ministries on an upcoming study tour or study cruise: https://www.ligoniertours.com/ Meet Today's Teacher: R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Some Catholics today are repeating Martin Luther's biggest mistake—and they don't even realize it. In this explosive 250th episode, Dr. Greg calls out the disintegration happening in the Church today, names names (including Aquinas), and offers a bold path forward through true integration and unity with Holy Mother Church. Key Topics: Why disintegration is the real threat inside the Church today. The subtle ways Catholics today are repeating Luther's biggest mistake. The shocking quote from Aquinas that no one wants to talk about. Why clinging to outdated theology isn't faithfulness—it's fear. What "Reformation spirit" looks like in modern Catholic camps. How a misreading of masculinity and femininity has wounded the Church—and the world. Learn More: Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you! Email Dr. Greg at drgreg@catholicpsych.com. Summa Theologica by St. Thomas Aquinas – Especially Question 92: The Production of Woman The Catholic Genius of Integrated Masculinity and Femininity – A treatise on gender complementarity by Dr. Greg Let Christmas Correct Aquinas – A blog reflection on how the Incarnation reframes our understanding of Aquinas's view on women. Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West – A clear, accessible introduction to John Paul II's groundbreaking teaching on love, sexuality, and the human person. Ecumenism without Compromise – Talks and writings on ecumenism by Dr. Peter Kreeft Related podcast episodes: Ep. 197 – Correcting Aquinas: JP2's Truth Bomb on Gender and Human Dignity Ep. 200 - Leaked Audio from a Groundbreaking Franciscan University Conference Keynote Need help? Schedule a free CatholicPsych consultation Want to help? Learn more about our Certification in Professional Accompaniment Follow Us on Socials: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter (X) | LinkedIn

Kenneth G. Appold joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, Luther and the Peasants: Religion, Ritual, and the Revolt of 1525 (Oxford UP, 2025).  The German Peasants' Revolts of 1525 were a defining moment both for the Protestant Reformation and the history of European culture. But while the conflicts are well-studied, they are typically analyzed today from political and socioeconomic perspectives, whereas the protagonists themselves framed them in religious and theological terms. Luther and the Peasants takes these perspectives seriously to offer a novel and timely reinterpretation of the uprisings. A detailed examination of peasants' religious lives reveals commitments to peace, social harmony, and the environment that came into conflict with spiritual priorities of the Protestant Reformation, notably with those of Martin Luther. Drawing on the peasants' own documents, such as the famous manifesto The Twelve Articles, the book provides a thorough re-examination their actions, including their negotiations with lords and their organization into bands and Christian brotherhoods, and a fresh analysis of their behavior in battle. This ritual reconstruction makes peasants' statements and behaviors historiographically legible for the first time, effectively giving voice to an illiterate rural people, and offers new ways of reading Luther's 1525 writings on peasants, which are among his most challenging works. In this context, the 1525 conflict between Luther and the peasants comes to light as the collision of two different religious worlds, each incomprehensible to the other. This, in turn, reveals the important role played by religion in a defining moment of early modern European history. Kenneth G. Appold, James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

How did a lightning bolt help spark the Protestant Reformation? Today, R.C. Sproul takes us back to 1505, when Martin Luther experienced a life-changing crisis of faith. Get a Reformation resource bundle with your donation of any amount: The Legacy of Luther book, R.C. Sproul's teaching series Luther and the Reformation (DVD plus digital messages and study guide), and his Justified by Faith Alone teaching series (digital messages and study guide): https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4343/offer   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Legacy of Luther ebook, the digital teaching series and study guide for Luther and the Reformation, and the digital teaching series and study guide for Justified by Faith Alone: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Join us at one of our upcoming Renewing Your Mind Live events: http://renewingyourmind.org/events  Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

In this live episode of the Thinking Fellows, Caleb, Scott, Steve, and Adam discuss why Martin Luther's The Bondage of the Will is one of the most important yet most overlooked works of the Reformation. They explore why Luther's debate with Erasmus still matters today and how ignoring this work can lead to confusion about human will, divine grace, and the Gospel itself. Rather than being a cold philosophical text, The Bondage of the Willreveals the comfort of knowing that salvation depends entirely on God's decision and not our effort. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Scott Keith Adam Francisco Bruce Hilman

Kenneth G. Appold joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, Luther and the Peasants: Religion, Ritual, and the Revolt of 1525 (Oxford UP, 2025).  The German Peasants' Revolts of 1525 were a defining moment both for the Protestant Reformation and the history of European culture. But while the conflicts are well-studied, they are typically analyzed today from political and socioeconomic perspectives, whereas the protagonists themselves framed them in religious and theological terms. Luther and the Peasants takes these perspectives seriously to offer a novel and timely reinterpretation of the uprisings. A detailed examination of peasants' religious lives reveals commitments to peace, social harmony, and the environment that came into conflict with spiritual priorities of the Protestant Reformation, notably with those of Martin Luther. Drawing on the peasants' own documents, such as the famous manifesto The Twelve Articles, the book provides a thorough re-examination their actions, including their negotiations with lords and their organization into bands and Christian brotherhoods, and a fresh analysis of their behavior in battle. This ritual reconstruction makes peasants' statements and behaviors historiographically legible for the first time, effectively giving voice to an illiterate rural people, and offers new ways of reading Luther's 1525 writings on peasants, which are among his most challenging works. In this context, the 1525 conflict between Luther and the peasants comes to light as the collision of two different religious worlds, each incomprehensible to the other. This, in turn, reveals the important role played by religion in a defining moment of early modern European history. Kenneth G. Appold, James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Pastor Marcus Lane wraps up our sermon series Questions Jesus Asked with a message one Jesus' question Has No One Condemned You? Pastor Marcus breaks down how Jesus teaches, confronts hypocrisy, and extends mercy.    Digging Deeper Questions:  Are there particular behaviors that you notice you are quick to condemn when you see them in others? How might Jesus' response to the woman caught in adultery help you be more gracious toward those behaviors? Where do you most see a “high anthropology” at work in our culture? In the church? In your heart? How might recognition of our weaknesses lead us to more graciousness toward others? How does Jesus' response to this woman shape how you approach God in your own sins and failures?

In this episode of the Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Stephen Paulson dive into the theological debate between Martin Luther and Erasmus, focusing on the concepts of free will, the interpretation of scripture, and the significance of grammar in understanding faith. They explore Luther's critique of Erasmus's views on free will and the importance of distinguishing between indicatives and imperatives in scripture. The conversation emphasizes the certainty of faith and the promise of repentance as opposed to mere commands, ultimately highlighting the transformative power of God's word. This episode was recorded live from Here We Still Stand 2025 coference. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of Psalms by Chad Bird Remembering Your Baptism: A 40-Day Devotional by Kathryn Morales Sinner Saint by Luke Kjolhaug The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction by Donavan Riley More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Steven Paulson

If you could ask Martin Luther one question, what would it be? Today, R.C. Sproul reads from his children's book based on a time in the Reformer's life when Luther's barber asked him how to pray. Gather the family and listen together. Request The Barber Who Wanted to Pray, the children's book by R.C. Sproul, with your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4340/offer   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request The Barber Who Wanted to Pray audiobook with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts