Pastor Steve takes us through the important question: Do we have the right Bible? This is the matter of Canonicity of the Bible. Our prayer is that Grounded would bolster your Christian learning and put some concrete in your soul!

1) How do we know we’ve got the right books in the Bible?

2) The Old Testament Canon.

3) No contention until the time of the ref. (Martin Luther)

4) The NT Canon. (2 Pet 3:16, 1 Tim 5:18, Luke 10:7, Polycarp, Clement)

5) Heretics (Marcian)

6) Church conferences (Augustine, Jerome)

7) Three other books were given serious consideration. (Didache, Shepherd of Hermes, 1st letter of Clement of Rome)

8) Several Books in the Bible we have that were up for discussion. (2 Pet, Jude, Epistles of Jn, Rev, and Hebrews)

9) Three Tests for each book:

10) Trust in God’s providence. (Trust that He was successful in giving us His word)

11) Conclusion. (Be strong in faith, trust the 66 books = God’s holy word. Inspired, inerrant, auth, sufficient. Frame - page 138)

Our prayer is that this episode of Grounded will add to your faith in God's word!

Pastor Steve shares a much needed message about the providence of God, how He is involved in everything and why we should put our trust in Him.

1) Are God and the devil evenly matched?

2) How is providence helpful, even when we're dying?

3) Why is God's providence important?

4) What God's providence is not. (Fatalism, Stoical fate, Astrological, Opportunism)

5) Definition of God's providence. (Gen 50:20, Eph 1:11, Rom 8:28)

6) What is the extent of God's providence? (Acts 14:17, Mt 10:29, Mt 6:26-28)

7) What about incidental events? (Exodus 21:12-13, Deuteronomy 19:5, 1 Kings 22:34, Proverbs 16:33)

8) What about human decisions, such as government, individual plans or human sin? (Psalm 103:19, Isaiah 14:24, Daniel 2:21, Job 12:23, Isa 10:5-15, Proverbs 16:1, Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 10:23, Acts 2:23)

9) How can God exercise providence over everything?

10) What does this mean for us?

11) Do not be afraid (2 Tim 1:7)

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In this episode, Pastor Steve talks about the folly of going too far with being concerned about your audience in preaching, he refers to this as "rebranding" the faith. We hope this gives some more foundational concrete for your soul!

1) Rebranding definition

2) What can we learn from Paul's preaching? (2 Cor 4:2-3, Acts 20:20-31)

3) David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Knowing the Times - pg. 206-207, 213, 214, 215, 217 and 218)

4) Business illustration

5) How do Pastors rebrand:

6) Contemporary examples of rebranding

7) Common motivations for rebranding:

8) Review:

9) D. M. Lloyd Jones - 2nd Quote (Knowing the Times pg. 296, 297 - How to Safeguard the Future)

End Show Notes

Thanks for listening and please consider sharing Grounded with Steve Hartland with a friend!

Pastors Steve and Jason talk about Christmas at Cornerstone, what's coming up for Steve's preaching and a multitude of other things.

(1) A brief Jason biography (ministry background, position, etc.)

(2) Measuring successes.

(3) Favorite events.

(4) Scriptures that stood out this year.

(5) Some of Jason's challenges.

(6) Sharing traditions.

(7) Reasons against Christmas.

(8) Outreach ministries.

(9) Sharing interests.

(10) Textual Criticism.

(11) New Year goals.

(12) Thoughts on selecting elders.

We hope today's episode has been information, please consider sharing Grounded with your friends!

Two pastors sit down and talk about what's gone wrong with the family in America and in the church.

(1) The social importance of the family.

(2) How does individualism oppose the family?

(3) The family as the basic unit of humanity.

(4) The family's traditional functions.

(5) Patriarchy, why is it so and what are the implications of it?

(6) Why are fathers important? The downfall of the American (Christian) father. (Anthony Esolen - No Apologies)

(7) Culture change. (Divorce, children and wedding vows)

(8) What can we do?

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Pastor Steve and Taylor Wallace sit down to talk about this controversial topic in our day. Has our time and age changed the conversation? Does lust factor into the discussion, and if so, how?

1) Defining our terms - Modesty defined,(1 Cor 12:2, 1 Tim 2:9)

2) Why is modesty a bigger issue today? - Feminism (Proverbs 7:10, rape culture, Mark 7)

3) Rebranding - Current Christianity tends to rebrand unsavory parts of the faith/Bible

4) What can't we say? - Men are not part of the conversation (Paul addresses only women directly on this issue in 1 Tim 2:9-10)

5) Are there different types of modesty? - Financial, status, sexually.

6) God says so - (Gen 3, 1 Tim 2)

7) How should Christian women dress? - Proverbs 11:22

8) God is critical of those who dress as prostitutes - Proverbs 7:10

9) Humility - It's humble not to flaunt gifts, that includes physical ones.

10) Love - Love thy neighbor as thyself (Matt 22:39, Rom 13:10, Phil 2, Girl Talk: Carolyn Mahaney, 1 John 3:17, Gal 6:2)

11) Is she in any way responsible? - No, lust is clearly on the offender (Luke 6:45, Feminism)

12) Is there a verse that specifically talks about a woman's lack of modesty causing a man to sin? - No, but it can contribute (Rom 13:10)

13) Jesus taught about lust - Addressed only men (Matthew 5:27-28, Job 31:1)

14) Can we apply what Jesus said about lusting with our eyes to women? - (Isaiah 3:16, modern day statistics of pornography viewing)

15) What is the root issue involved in modesty? -

There are multiple:

Thanks for listening, if Grounded has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with a friend!

This episode is to help Christian Marriages: Christian Husbands and Christian Wives.

Pastor Steve shares with us what the Bible has to say about marriage.

There are unique dynamics to the Christian marital covenant for the husband and wife respectively.

(1.) The broader effects of our fallenness (Gen. 1, 2 & 3)

(2.) General observations regarding marriage - (Feminism, biology, patriarchal, matriarchal-matrilineal)

(3.) Is there hierarchy in marriage? - In marriage, by God's design, there is ranking (Huppa tasso - 'Rank self under')

(4.) Don't tap out - some observations regarding women bucking and regretting weak men.

(5.) Ephesians 5 - Husbands, love your wives. Wives, respect your husbands.

(a) Men want and need respect.

(b) Women will be tempted to despise their husbands.

(c) Respecting a husband will be difficult.

(6.) Before marriage for women - Ask yourself, "Do I respect this man?"

(7.) Before marriage for men - Ask yourself, "Will she gladly follow my principled leadership.

(8.) Act like men - The Bible assumes there are things that are unique to the nature of a man. (1 Cor 16:13)

(9.) The Godly wife - Strengthen your man, cultivate subordination for the principled leadership of your husband for your family (Examples in: Eph, Col, Titus, 1 Peter)

Review:

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A podcast of Cornerstone Community Church in Joppa, MD [cornerstonejoppa.org](cornerstonejoppa.org)

Who do we owe for having the Bible in a language we can read and understand?

Pastor Steve highlights two brilliant and heroic men in church history: John Wycliffe and William Tyndale.

Against the powerful church of their day, they persevered to give the world a Bible in English. May we not take it for granted!

(1.) The purpose of this episode is to help you to love and read your Bible - (Psalm 119:97, Slam 19:7-8)

(2.) What were things like before? - Low literacy rates (5% in 1300's to 30% in 1600's for males. Too expensive until the printing press - Gutenberg 1440)

(a) You couldn't read

(b) You couldn't afford a Bible

(c) All literature was locked up in Latin

(3.) John Wycliffe - 1320 - 1384

(a) Translated from the Latin Bible

(b) He did it because he believed people needed to be able to study, preach and love the Bible in their own language

(c) Post death, the Roman Church branded him a heretic, his works were burned and his body was dug up and cast into the River Swift

(d) His followers were referred to as the Lollards - a derogatory term for the uneducated

(4.) William Tyndale - 1494 - 1536

(a) Translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek texts

(b) Because of Desiderius Erasmus, the ancient Greek manuscripts were available

(c) His translation was able to take advantage of the invention of the printing press (Gutenberg 1440)

(d) He was strangled and burnt at the age of 42

(e) His translation would be the basis of the King James Bible of 1611

(5.) Review:

So that’s it for today. Dead guys who gave us our English bibles.

Grounded comes out twice a month, don't forget to subscribe so that you never miss an episode.

Hope you’ll join me, and share Grounded with a friend.

A podcast of Cornerstone Community Church in Joppa, MD [cornerstonejoppa.org](cornerstonejoppa.org)

How should Christians think and act towards new technology? Pastor Steve breaks down some history of technology and how different Christians in the church have handled it.

So should Christians steer clear of any new tech or is there a more nuanced approach for us to take? Find out in today's episode of Grounded!

(1.) Christians Before us Have Used Tech - Travel, writing, transmission (Paul - Acts 27, 1440 Gutenberg, 1844 Morse)

(2.) Downsides to Tech - Changes and affects the message (1967 McLuhan - The Medium is the Massage, 1985 Postman - Amusing Ourselves to Death)

(a) Online service not as good quality as in person

(b) Temptation for Christians to stay home

(3.) Upsides to Tech -

(a) Remote access for those who can't attend

(b) Helps to gather new guests

(4.) Online Campus - Falls short of how the Bible describes us doing Church

(5.) Metaverse - VR Church, should this be considered? (Carrie Newhoff, LifeChurch)

(6.) Review:

So that’s it for today, church and modern tech.

Thank you for joining me on Grounded today, please share with a friend and subscribe so you never miss an epsiode

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So should the preaching of a church be primarily for seeking and reaching non-Christians? Many churches today say that they exist to reach, and while we should reach the lost, what if the Bible describes a different main directive for preaching?

(1.) Bibliology - Scripture is sufficient to tell us how to do church (2 Tim 3:16-17)

(2.) Ecclesiology - Christ is head of the church (Ephesians 5)

(3.) The Great Commission - Jesus commands us what we are to include in the preaching and teaching of the church (Matt 28:18-20)

(4.) Preaching the full counsel of God - Full Bible preaching may make people leave (John 6:66-67)

(5.) The Gathering is for Believers - Primarily, Pastors are to teach and edify believers. Reaching the lost is still an important goal, but it is secondary to this (Cor 14)

(6.) The Church really exists to... - Glorify God. Evangelism is just one of the many ways the church is called to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31)

(7.) Scripture gives us models - The preaching of our churches should model after the preaching in the Bible, such as from Romans or Corinthians, is the content serious, mature and designed to grow the believers of the church (The Pastoral Epistles, 1&2 Tim, Titus)

(8.) Don't hold back! - Pastors are told explicitly to preach the full counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 20:26-27)

(9.) We're in perilous times - Pastors need to be aware of these times (2 Tim 3:1) and to protect the church from many things, such as wolves (Acts 20:28-31) or other things that will try to infiltrate the church.

(10.) For Non-Christians who do visit - They need exposure to actual Christianity, not a watered down version. (Old Testament scriptures especially, or other difficult passages)

(11.) Honest methodology - We do not want to have a tame version when they first hear or are young in the faith, and later showing them that actually this is what Christianity really is - like a bait and switch (2 Cor 4:1-3)

(12.) Should we be nuanced and winsome focused? - Jesus and most of his disciples were killed for what they preached. The Bible and Jesus should be the models for our preaching style, no matter the current culture.

(13.) Soteriology - God changes our hearts when we are saved and gives the believer a love of the truth (2 Thess 2:10) so the church should not cater to the likes and dislikes of people.

(14.) A Church that isn't growing in knowledge is susceptible - Biblical ignorance can harm the church (John 21:15-16) and it also fails to expose visiting non-Christians to real Christianity.

If this podcast has been helpful in your walk, please consider sharing it with a friend, God bless!

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