Welcome to the twenty-seventh episode of Equipping You in Grace. Twice a week, I have conversations with Christian authors and thought leaders for the purpose of helping Christians develop a biblical worldview in a conversational tone about issues inside and outside the Church. Today, I'm joined by Jonathan Dodson, author of The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

* Jonathan's life, ministry, marriage, and his current ministry projects.

* How Christians should navigate pluralism.

* How Christians can proclaim the Gospel in culturally sensitive, yet faithful, and relevant ways to people today.

* Reasons that stop Christians from engaging in evangelism.

* How Christians can re-discover the Gospel.

* How to Christians can respond to the increasing intolerance of our day..

* How Christians can overcome relativism in their evangelistic efforts.

* The place of community in evangelism.

* The place of evangelism in the Christian life.

* His upcoming writing projects.

* Opportunities for the current Gospel-centered resurgence.

* Recommended reading for learning more about evangelism.

* Advice for those wanting to begin engaging in evangelism.

About the Author:

Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) founded City Life Church with his wife, Robie, and a small group of people. They have three great kids. He loves watching Sci-Fi and listening to M. Ward. Jonathan is also the founder of http://gcdiscipleship.com/ and author of several books including Raised? Finding Jesus by Doubting the Resurrection and Gospel-Centered Discipleship.

Resources and links from this episode

Fools Talk by Os Guiness

Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs

Jesus Outside the Lines by Scott Sauls

Beyond Awkward: When Talking About Jesus Is Outside Your Comfort Zone by Beau Crosetto.

Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless by Jack Miller.

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You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show).

You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Equipping You in Grace!

Welcome to the twenty-sixth episode of Equipping You in Grace. Each week I have conversations with Christian authors and thought leaders for the purpose of helping Christians develop a biblical worldview in a conversational tone about issues inside and outside the Church. Jason Garwood and Dave talk about how to care for your pastor.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

* Care for your Pastor by making sure they have a pastor.

* Care for your Pastor by caring for your Pastor's wife.

* Care for your Pastor by building relationships with your Pastor and his family.

* Care for your Pastor by encouraging him in practical ways to read the Bible and godly books for the purpose of his spiritual growth.

* How the congregation can care for the pastor's wife.

* How to be befriend your pastor.

* How to help out your pastor.

* The need for pastors to have accountability.

Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback

You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show).

You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Equipping You in Grace!

Welcome to the twenty-fifth episode of Equipping You in Grace. Each week I have conversations with Christian authors and thought leaders for the purpose of helping Christians develop a biblical worldview in a conversational tone about issues inside and outside the Church. This week, I'm joined by Dr. Dane Ortlund, author of Edwards on the Christian Life: Alive to the Beauty of God.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

* His life ministry, marriage, and upcoming writing projects.

* Who was Jonathan Edwards?

* Why Jonathan Edwards life and thought continues to be so influential.

* Lessons that Pastors and ministry leaders can learn from Edwards's ministry.

* Three of the greatest theological contributions Edwards made to the study of theology.

* The place of beauty in the Christian life.

* Why Christians should study church history.

* The Place of Gentleness in Edwards thought

* Recommended books for learning more about Jonathan Edwards.

About the Author:

Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) is executive vice president of Bible publishing and Bible publisher at Crossway. He serves as an editor for the Knowing the Bible series and the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, and is the author of several books, including Edwards on the Christian Life. He lives with his wife, Stacey, and their four kids in Wheaton, Illinois.

Resources and links from this episode

The Heart of Christ by Thomas Goodwin.

Charity and Its Fruits: Christian Love as Manifested in Heart and Life by Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards: A Life by Dr. George Marsden

A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by Dr. George Marsden

Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback

You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show).

You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on Facebook or via email to share your feedback.

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Equipping You in Grace!

This week, I'm joined by Dr. Heath Lambert, author of Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace (Zondervan, 2013).

In this episode he talks with me about:

* His life ministry, marriage, and upcoming writing projects.

* Forgiving and transforming grace.

* The role of accountability in fighting an addiction to pornography.

* How Christians can minister to those struggling with an addiction to pornography.

* The role Pastors and ministry leaders should take in ministering to those dealing with an addiction to pornography.

* The place of the community of faith in fighting for purity.

* Areas of opportunity in the purity movement.

* Advice for those in Bible College and seminary looking to get into counseling.

* Two of the biggest areas of opportunity in the biblical counseling movement.

* Recommended books for learning more about fighting for purity.

About the Author:

Dr. Heath Lambert is the Executive Director at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. ACBC is the largest biblical counseling organization in the world with counseling training centers and certified counselors in 29 countries.

Dr. Lambert also serves as the Associate Pastor and Executive Pastor for Discipleship and Family Life at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL.

Dr. Lambert is a faculty member at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and their undergraduate institution, Boyce College, where he has taught since 2006.

Dr. Lambert is a founding council board member of The Biblical Counseling Coalition.  He serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of Family Ministry, and The Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Dr. Lambert has authored and edited several books including The Biblical Counseling Movement After Adams (Crossway, 2011), Counseling the Hard Cases: True Stories Illustrating the Sufficiency of God’s Resources in Scripture (B&H, 2012), Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace (Zondervan, 2013), Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change (P&R, 2015), and A Theology of Biblical Counseling: The Doctrinal Foundations of Counseling Ministry (Zondervan, 2016).

Dr. Lambert earned the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biblical and Theological Studies and Political Science from Gordon College in 2002; The Master of Divinity Degree (M.Div.) in Christian Ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2005; and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in biblical counseling from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009.

Dr. Lambert lives in Jacksonville with his wife Lauren and their children Carson, Chloe, and Connor.

Subscribing, sharing, and your feedback

You can subscribe to Equipping You in Grace via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast catcher. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider leaving a rating and share it with your friends (it takes only takes a second and will go a long way to helping other people find the show).

You can also connect with me on Twitter at @davejjenkins, on 

Today I interview Dr. Schreiner about his new book, Faith Alone-- The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught.. and Why It Still Matters (Zondervan Academic, 2015).

Topics from today's episode include:

* His life ministry, marriage, and upcoming writing projects.

* What is justification?

* Why is justification so significant to the Christian faith?

* How Christians should respond to N.T. Wright and the New Perspective on Paul.

* Why the doctrine of justification resonated in Europe during the Reformation.

* How the doctrine of justification is under attack today.

* Advice for Bible college and seminary students entering into ministry.

* Why Christians should study church history.

* Challenges and Opportunities in Biblical Theology.

* Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology.

* Recommended books and resources for studying the doctrine of justification and biblical theology.

About the Author:

Thomas R. Schreiner (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The author of numerous books, he is the preaching pastor of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Recommended Books and Resources mentioned in this episode:

The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments by Dr. Tom Schreiner

What Is Biblical Theology?: A Guide to the Bible's Story, Symbolism, and Patterns by Dr. Jim Hamilton

Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants by Dr. Peter J. Gentry and Dr. Stephen J. Wellum.

Dominion and Dynasty: A Biblical Theology of the Hebrew Bible by Dr. Stephen Dempster

Justification Reconsidered: Rethinking A Pauline Theme by Stephen Westerholm

Justification by Grace Through Faith: Finding Freedom from Legalism, Lawlessness, Pride, and Despair (Explorations in Biblical Theology) by Brian Vickers

Jesus' Blood and Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Imputation by Brian Vickers

The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright by Dr. John Piper. Download for free or get it on Amazon.

Counted Righteous in Christ by Dr. John Piper. Download for free or get it on Amazon.

Watch the writers of the volumes in the Five Solas series speak in these videos below:

Today I interview Dan about his work at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, cultural engagement, and ministry.

Some topics from today’s episode include:

* His life ministry, marriage, ministry, and upcoming writing projects.

* Three of the biggest challenges facing the Church in 2016.

* The aim of Christians engaging in politics.

* How Christians should engage culture.

* His new book Original Jesus and the Jesus myth he's been most tempted by.

* Advice for Bible College and Seminary students looking to get into ministry.

About the Author:

Daniel Darling is the Vice President for Communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC). Dan is the author of several books, including Teen People of the Bible, Crash Course, iFaith, Real, Activist Faith, and his latest, The Original Jesus. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College and has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Angela have four children and reside in the Nashville area. They attend Green Hill Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, where Dan serves as Pastor of Teaching and Discipleship.

Today I interview Bob about his new book, Gospel Eldership: Equipping A New Generation of Servant Leaders (New Growth Press, 2016). Listen as we talk about his life, ministry, and upcoming writing projects. He also discusses biblical eldership and advise to elders looking for elders candidates within their congregation. Along these important topics he discusses how lay Christians can encourage their pastor and elders, the need for elders to continue to practice the spiritual disciplines, and advice for Bible college and seminary students looking to get into ministry. Lastly, we talk about how local churches should do to find qualified godly men.

About the Author:

Robert H. Thune, MA is the founding pastor of Coram Deo Church in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also the coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life, The Gospel-Centered Community, and The Gospel-Centered Life for Teens all published by New Growth Press. Bob holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife Leigh are the parents of four energetic children. In addition to his work at Coram Deo, he coaches and trains church planters through the Acts 29 Network.

Today I interview Dr. Ed Welch about his new book Side by Side (Crossway, 2015). Listen as we talk about his life, ministry, and upcoming writing projects. He also discusses what it means to be needy and to be needed along with how Christians can have thoughtful, encouraging, and refreshing conversations with one another. Along with these important topics, he helps Christians to understand how to keep the Gospel story before ourselves and help others do the same. He also explores ways Christians can grow in relational and emotional maturity, gives his thoughts on the greatest opportunities for the biblical counseling movement, and provides guidance for those in Bible college and seminary students looking to get into counseling.

About the Author:

Edward T. Welch, M.Div., Ph.D. is a counselor and faculty member at CCEF. He earned a Ph.D. in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and has a Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed has been counseling for over 30 years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions. His books include: When People Are Big and God is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Blame it on the Brain; Depression—A Stubborn Darkness; Running Scared; Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away From Addiction; and When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety.

Today I interview Dr. Donald Whitney about his new book Praying the Bible (Crossway, 2015). Listen as we talk about his life, ministry, and upcoming writing projects. He also discusses the importance of prayer in the Christian life and how to pray the Bible, including helpful personal examples of engaging in this discipline. In addition to these topics, Dr. Whitney offers helpful insight on how Christians can evaluate their experience of praying the Bible. He also talks to me about how pastors, ministry leaders, and Bible study leaders can promote praying the Bible in their ministries. Lastly, we discuss the benefits of singles and couples praying the Scriptures.

About the Author:

Don Whitney has been Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY since 2005. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, for ten years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. Don grew up in Osceola, Arkansas where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He was active in sports throughout high school and college, and worked in the radio station his dad managed. After graduating from Arkansas State University, Don planned to finish law school and pursue a career in sportscasting. While at the University of Arkansas School of Law, he sensed God’s call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. In 1987, Don completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and later a Ph.D. in theology at the University of the Free State in South Africa. Prior to his ministry as a seminary professor, Don was pastor of Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), for almost fifteen years. Altogether, he has served local churches in pastoral ministry for twenty-four years. He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (NavPress, 1991; 2014), which has a companion discussion guide. He has also written How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian? (NavPress, 1994), Spiritual Disciplines within the Church (Moody Press, 1996), Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health (NavPress, 2001), Simplify Your Spiritual Life (NavPress, 2003), Praying the Bible (Crossway 2015), and Family Worship (2006; and Crossway 2016). His hobby is restoring and using old fountain pens. Don lives with his wife Caffy in their home near Louisville. She regularly teaches a class for seminary wives, works from their home as an artist, muralist, and illustrator and enjoys gardening and beekeeping. The Whitneys are parents of a daughter, Laurelen Christiana.

In the fifteenth episode of Equipping, You in Grace, Dave Jenkins, and Jason Garwood talk about an apologetic for the resurrection, the biblical evidence for the resurrection, the evidence from world and church history on the resurrection, implications for the resurrection, and how the truth resurrection rearranges our lives.