Love Your Bible Podcast

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Short devo on Romans 8:28-30. 

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In this episode, J.J Phillips and I have a fun conversion about Carl Trueman's new book, The Desecration of Man. We hope you enjoy the episode and go read the book. 

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From One Generation to Another: Passing Down the Faith to Gen-Z & Gen-Alpha. 

In this Wednesday night lecture, Chase Bright (Youth Pastor, HBC) helps us understand, celebrate trends, spot challenges, and learn how to invest in passing the faith to the next generation.

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This episode is a talk I gave on Wednesday, diving into one of the most frequently debated topics right now (at least it's all over my social feed). I address this not as a "first-tier" issue of salvation, but as an important "second-tier" issue of church order and biblical obedience.

By filtering out the loud voices of modern culture and deep-seated traditions, we look directly at the voice of Scripture. The goal isn't to look at a restriction and feel sidelined; it’s to look at the massive landscape of the Great Commission and see how vital women are to the health and mission of the local church.

My Thesis: Throughout the New Testament and church history, women play an indispensable and important role in advancing the Great Commission and building the church. Yet, for God’s own reasons and good pleasure, He has limited the office of pastor/elder/overseer, and the duty of preaching in the local church, to qualified men.

Episode Outline & Core Notes

I. The Three Voices Shaping the Debate

• The Voice of Culture (Transgressing Limits): Modern culture loves to smash boundaries and remove all distinctions, treating all limitations as inherently bad.
• The Voice of Tradition (The Danger of Assumptions): Deep regional or denominational traditions can sometimes cloud what the Bible actually says.
• The Voice of Scripture (Our Only True Authority): The bottom line isn't what culture demands or tradition assumes—it's "What does God say?"

II. The Two Major Biblical Frameworks

• The Egalitarian View (Gender-Neutral Roles): Argues that all ministry roles are fully open to both genders. Often uses Galatians 3:28 as a proof text, though contextually that passage refers to equal value and inheritance in salvation, not local church governance.
• The Complementarian View (Gender-Specific Roles): Argues that men and women are created absolutely equal in value, dignity, and worth, yet possess distinct, complementary roles in the home and church. This is rooted in the creation order (Genesis 1–2) and the leadership failure of Adam at the Fall (Romans 5).

III. The Household Metaphor: Home vs. Church

• Your Household (Ephesians 5:22–28): Marriage is a living gospel tract. The husband represents Christ’s sacrificial leadership; the wife represents the church’s willing partnership.
• God’s Household (1 Timothy 3:15): The local church is God's family. Spiritual leadership in God's house mirrors the home, meaning qualified men are called to lead and shepherd the church family.

IV. Unpacking 1 Timothy 2 & 3

• Is it Cultural or Universal? Critics argue Paul's prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12 was limited to a specific local issue in Ephesus (like the cult of Artemis). However, Paul completely bypasses culture and roots his argument in Creation and the Fall ("For Adam was formed first, then Eve..."), making it a universal principle.
• The Pastoral Office Defined: In the New Testament, elders/pastors have two primary jobs: governing and teaching (1 Tim 5:17, 1 Pet 5:1-2). Paul is explicitly restricting the office of elder—not spiritual gifting or worth—to qualified men.
• What About Deacons? Interestingly, Paul includes qualifications for women/wives in the deacon portion of 1 Timothy 3, but not under overseers/pastors. Because deaconship is a role of service rather than governing authority, women have historically served faithfully as deaconesses (such as Phoebe in Romans 16:1).

7 Ways Women Served the  NT Church

Limiting the single office of elder to qualified men does not mean women are sidelined. The New Testament highlights women serving at the very frontlines of ministry:

1. Patrons & Strategists (Luke 8:1–3): Providing essential funding, resources, and strategic support to Jesus and the disciples.
2. Indispensable Hard Workers (Acts 18:1–2, Romans 16): Paul repeatedly singles out women who "labored hard in the Lord" to establish local churches.
3. Teachers (Acts 18:26): Like Priscilla, who pulled the powerful speaker Apollos aside to explain the way of God more accurately. (Think of modern equivalents like Jen Wilkin, Nancy Guthrie, or Tara-Leigh Cobble).
4. Evangelists (John 20:18, Phil 4:2–3): Laboring side-by-side in spreading the gospel. Mary Magdalene was specifically chosen by Jesus to be the very first person to announce the Resurrection to the apostles!
5. Courageous Partners (Romans 16:3–4, 7): Risking their lives and even becoming prisoners for the sake of Christ.
6. Empathetic Caregivers (Acts 9:36): Women like Tabitha (Dorcas) who fundamentally shaped the charity and mercy ministries of the early church.
7. Worthy Examples to Imitate (Titus 2:3–5): Providing the essential blueprint of godly womanhood and discipleship for the next generation.

Final Takeaway

Don't miss the forest for the tree. Do not look at the one restricted office of elder and believe you are benched. Look at the vast, beautiful, urgent landscape of the Great Commission and get to work!

Note: This is a second-tier issue. While it affects how we practice church governance and may mean we cooperate in different local local bodies, it is not a salvation issue. We can hold fast to convictions while maintaining Christian love.

Resources Mentioned / Further Reading

• The Desecration of Man – Carl Trueman
• 9Marks Ministry Resource on Women in the New Testament (Jonathan Rourke)
• Commentary on 1 Timothy – John Piper

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A new school year means new routines and new rhythms. You probably have a plan for school drop-off and sports practice—but do you have a plan for connecting your kids to Jesus?

Join me, along with Abbey Kelley (Preschool Director), Shelley Crowell (Children’s Director), and Chase Bright (Youth Pastor), as we talk about establishing faith rhythms to help you start the school year well!

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Katie Cunningham (my beautiful wife) teaches Latin and Spanish at New Covenant Christian Academy. In this episode, we have a fascinating conversation about God and language. We go all over the Bible, connecting language to creation, the fall, redemption, and God Himself. I hope that after this episode, you love your Bible (and language) even more! 

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Order now!

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Christmas is such an exciting time for children of all ages. But often the real meaning of Christmas gets lost in all the hustle and bustle of the season. This year, as you are getting ready for Christmas, we invite you to bring "Abel in the Stable" into your home. Start by reading the story about how Abel's journey began and then use the Family Guide to help Abel discover that Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas.

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In this episode, Chase and I use Kevin Deyoung's book, What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality, to guide us through the main passages of Scripture that deal with homosexuality. 

Often, people fall into one of two ditches when it comes to homosexuality. In the left ditch, homosexuality is NOT a sin. In the right ditch, homosexuality is THE sin. In this conversation, we seek to walk the middle road and teach homosexuality is a sin, like other sins, that must be repented of by God's grace. 

Some of the texts we discuss include: 

Genesis 1-2, Matthew 19, Ephesians 5, Romans 1, Genesis 19, Jude 7, Leviticus 18 and 20. 

Next week, Chase and I will continue our discussion and look at 1 Timothy 1 and 1 Corinthians 6. 

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As you probably know (because your iPhone calendar told you), June 1 marked the first day of Pride month. During this month I want help you, the listener, understand how we got to here, what the Bible says, and how we should respond as Christians. Lord willing, I plan to release these four episodes each Tuesday throughout June. 

• LGBTQ+ Pride Month | How did we get here? (w/ cohost Jackson Greer) 
• What does the Bible really say about homosexuality? (w/ cohost Chase Bright) 
• How should the church respond to the LGBTQ+ revolution? (w/ cohost Chris Lawrence) 

In this first episode, my cohost Jackson Greer and I walk through Carl Trueman's book, Strange New World to help you understand how we got here. Below you can purchase the book. 

Buy Now | Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual | Carl Trueman  

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Ryan Fontenot is one of my favorite people on the planet (you will be able tell as you listen)! In this interview, we discuss his new book, Live Sent and all God is doing at R.A.G.E ministries. It's all gold (I promise)! Go listen now and then buy the book.

Links
Book -- www.ilivesent.com
www.rageministries.com
www.wearerage.com 

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