Seminary on SermonAudio

What happens when the church stops trusting herself to help her own people—and hands the job to the therapist's couch instead? In the 1970s, one pastor's book sold a quarter of a million copies by daring to say pastors and elders were still competent to counsel their flocks from Scripture alone. In this first episode of a four-part series, Dr. Jared Poulton joins Jared Luttjeboer and Dr. Alan Strange to trace how the biblical counseling movement was born out of a head-on collision between the rise of secular psychology and the church's calling to shepherd souls—and why the "alphabet soup" of counseling organizations it spawned still shapes what pastors, elders, and even your church library look like today. Whether you've never heard the term "nouthetic counseling" or you've read every Paul Tripp book on the shelf, this episode will change how you see the counsel happening in your own congregation. Next episode: the man behind it all.

In this chapel service, Dr. Neal Cushman brings a challenge from Psalm 1 on the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Ultimately, the way of the righteous is listening to what God has to say in His word rather than listening to the world, embracing its ways, and adopting its attitudes.

This devotional centers on the essential prerequisites for a transformative encounter with God, drawn from Exodus 34:1–9, emphasizing preparation, intentional timing, and personal devotion. It highlights the importance of morning prayer as a sacred, anticipatory practice that aligns the heart with divine presence, illustrated through Moses' deliberate ascent to meet God. The passage underscores the necessity of solitude, readiness to receive divine revelation, and the act of writing down God's words, reflecting a posture of humility and responsiveness. As Moses' face shone after communion with God, the sermon illustrates how intimate fellowship with the Lord produces a visible transformation, inspiring others to serve and give freely from the heart. The message culminates in a call to trust God's provision, exemplified by a church that abandoned the traditional offering plate in favor of voluntary, prayerful giving, demonstrating that true generosity flows from spiritual intimacy rather than obligation. Ultimately, the sermon affirms that consistent, personal encounters with God equip believers to live with purpose, share grace freely, and bear witness to divine glory in everyday life.

What if the persecution you experience for following Christ is not merely something to survive—but an opportunity God can use to advance the gospel? In Mark 13:9–13, Jesus prepares His disciples for persecution, arrest, trials, betrayal, hatred, and opposition because of His name. Yet His warning comes with an extraordinary purpose: persecution can become a platform for preaching the gospel, even before governors, kings, and the powers of this world. In this in-depth study of Mark 13:9–13, we examine Jesus' teaching on the Beginning of Pains, persecution, gospel proclamation, perseverance, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the relationship between the events surrounding AD 70 and the Second Coming of Christ. If you enjoy the episode, please consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving a 5-stars rating. This helps others find the podcast. My sermons are the fruit of nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry, biblical counseling, formal seminary training, and a lifelong passion for God's Word. Since childhood, I've been drawn to the beauty and power of expository preaching—opening Scripture verse by verse and applying it to real life. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute, I spent the next 27 years serving as a youth pastor, senior pastor, church planter, and host of the Food For Your Soul radio broadcast. Along the way, I also earned a Master of Sacred Literature and a Doctor of Religious Studies. For more content from D. Richard Ferguson, visit TreasuringGod.com. Follow on social: • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DarrellFerguson • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrell.r.ferguson/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.DRichardFerguson

Pastor Wayne Van Gelderen, Jr., is senior pastor at Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls. Under his leadership, several hundred members have been trained to serve the Lord and are engaged in ministry. He also started Falls Baptist Academy High School and Baptist College of Ministry & Theological Seminary to train the next generation of laborers for the harvest field. He's the speaker on the radio broadcasts, The Bible Stands and On to Victory, and this week is celebrating 40 years of ministry on VCY and also at this church. At VCY America, our main purpose in bringing glory to God, is "to serve as a resource for and extension of the Church of Jesus Christ, God's chosen agency, partnering with local churches in reaching the lost, edifying the body of Christ, and advancing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by every biblically legitimate and effective means." God ordained the establishment, the work and the ministry of the local church. Many times on our Friday News Roundup we have stated that the Lord's Day is coming and trust you'll be in a Bible-believing, Bible teaching local church. It's important we do that even as the writer of Hebrews stated, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Indeed, believers in Christ are to come together in worship and glorifying God, in using the talents and gifts He has blessed us with, in encouraging believers, and in giving to support the ministry and outreach of the church.