In this episode, Alex talks with Dr. Lee Tankersley to discuss the critical role of church discipline in maintaining a healthy church. They explore the two types of discipline—formative and corrective—and emphasize the importance of addressing unrepentant sin within the church community. Through personal experiences and biblical teaching, they highlight the loving nature of discipline, its aim for restoration, and the necessity of obedience to God's commands.

The conversation also addresses common objections to church discipline and provides guidance on identifying discipline-worthy sins. They delve into the complexities of church discipline, discussing how to navigate relationships with excommunicated members, the importance of encouragement over correction, and the need for thorough teaching on the subject. They emphasize the significance of creating a culture of love and accountability within the church, while also providing resources for further learning. The discussion concludes with a light-hearted lightning round of quickfire questions where listeners learn more about Lee!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Church Discipline

11:18 Formative vs. Corrective Discipline

17:23 Personal Journey and Conviction

23:07 Implementing Church Discipline

28:59 Conclusion and Reflection

34:18 Understanding the Love in Discipline

44:11 Relating to the Excommunicated

52:49 Encouragement and Culture in the Church

57:31 The First Steps to Implementing Discipline

01:04:01 Lightning Round: Personal Insights

01:13:59 Quiet Time Tips and Closing Thoughts

Resources Mentioned:

⁠9 Marks of a Healthy Church (Mark Dever)⁠

⁠The Compromised Church (Ed. John Armstrong)⁠

⁠A Manual of Church Order (J.L. Dagg)⁠

⁠Democratic Religion (Greg Wills)⁠

In this episode, Alex has a conversation with Stephen about church membership. They answer the question, "Is church membership biblical?" They also explore what it looks like to pursue meaningful church membership as well as what it looks like to enjoy the benefits of and contribute to local church membership.

In this episode, Alex shares about the importance of evangelism for the health of the local church. He defines what it is, offers an explanation of the gospel, which is what we share in evangelism, and walks us through 11 marks of a church culture of evangelism (borrowed from Mack Stiles).

In this episode, Alex sits down with Pastor David Gallimore to discuss another core mark of a healthy church: a biblical understanding of conversion.

They explore what conversion is as well as common misunderstandings of its nature. They also emphasize the roles of repentance, faith, and God's grace. The conversation touches on the implications of conversion for church life, assurance of salvation, and the church's responsibility in affirming genuine conversion among its members.

Takeaways

• Biblical conversion is a spirit-wrought act of grace.

• Repentance and faith are inseparable in the conversion process.

• Conversion is often misunderstood as merely a decision.

• God's grace is essential for true conversion.

• The church must affirm genuine conversions to maintain its health and witness.

• Assurance of salvation is found in looking to Christ.

• Genuine conversion produces evidence in a believer's life that they have truly been changed by God.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Biblical Conversion

05:53 The Importance of Repentance and Faith

11:26 God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility

19:01 Evidences of Genuine Conversion

26:30 The Church's Role in Conversion

32:28 Final Thoughts on Conversion

In this episode, Alex discusses the importance of biblical theology and gospel doctrine in the life of a healthy church. He emphasizes the centrality of Jesus Christ in biblical theology and how understanding the storyline of Scripture can prevent churches and individuals from seeing the bible with a man-centered focus instead of a God- Centered one.Takeaways

• Biblical theology is essential for understanding Scripture's message.
• Jesus Christ is the culmination of the biblical narrative.
• Healthy churches emphasize the storyline of Scripture.
• Sound doctrine leads to healthy Christians and churches.
• The Scriptures are not about us, but about God.
• Encouraging pastors to focus on biblical theology is crucial.
• Every sermon should point to Christ.

In this episode, Alex discusses with Stephen why expositional preaching is vital in the life of the church. They explore its definition, impact on church growth, common misconceptions, and the preparation process for sermons. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding scripture in its context, the role of teaching in various church contexts, and how congregants can better engage with preaching. They also discuss ways to encourage pastors and the necessity of prayer and preparation for both preachers and listeners.Chapters00:00 Understanding Expositional Preaching06:43 The Impact of Expositional Preaching on the Church15:45 Expectations and Adjustments for Expositional Sermons21:08 The Process of Preparing Expositional Sermons29:44 The Art of Expository Preaching37:04 Encouraging Your Pastor

In this episode, Alex discusses the marks of a healthy church, drawing from the insights of Mark Dever and the 9Marks ministry. He covers essential aspects such as expositional preaching, biblical theology, the true gospel, conversion, evangelism, church membership, discipline, discipleship, and leadership. Each topic is introduced briefly as a primer for what is to come throughtout the rest of season 2! Chapters00:00 Introduction to Healthy Churches02:26 Understanding Expositional Preaching05:11 The Importance of Biblical Theology07:38 Defining the Gospel10:13 Understanding Conversion and Evangelism12:53 The Role of Church Membership and Discipline15:41 Discipleship and Church Leadership

In this episode, Alex discusses the importance of the local church in the life of a Christian. He emphasizes that the church is God's idea, not a human invention, and that it plays a crucial role in community, accountability, and spiritual growth. He explores why the church still matters in a digital age, the significance of being part of a local congregation, and what constitutes a healthy church. He also encourages listeners to engage with their local church and highlights the need for community for the good of our souls. Takeaways-The church is essential to the Christian faith.-Salvation is personal but never private.-The local church provides a community for believers.-You cannot fulfill the 'one another' commands without a church.-Streaming services cannot replace the gathered local church-The church is Christ's bride and body.-Every church is imperfect, but it still belongs to Jesus.-The church is where disciples are made and missionaries are sent.-Being part of a local church is a biblical mandate.-Healthy churches require active participation from members.Chapters00:00 Introduction to the Local Church09:50 The Importance of Local Church Community15:03 The Reality of Imperfect Churches22:08 Looking Ahead: What Makes a Healthy Church?

In this episode, Alex returns to the podcast after a 3-month break, sharing updates on what he has been up to this summer, including a family update, church happenings, and insights from the Southern Baptist Convention as well as VBS, FBC Fulton's Summer Outreach and Student Summer Camp.

In this episode, Alex explores the rich nature of fellowship, emphasizing our fellowship with God and with one another as believers. He discusses biblical examples of individuals who exemplified deep fellowship with God, the role of Jesus in restoring that fellowship, and practical ways to grow in fellowship within the body of Christ.

00:00- Introduction

01:06- Our Greatest Need: Fellowship with God

01:26- The Essence of the Christian Life

02:11- The First Story of Fellowship Broken- Adam & Eve

03:02- A Gracious God Seeking Sinners for Fellowship

04:11- God's Plan to Restore Broken Fellowship

05:00- Those who Walked with God in Fellowship

05:25- Enoch's Fellowship with God

06:33- Noah's Fellowship with God

06:41- Abraham's Fellowship with God

07:30- Moses' Fellowship with God

07:52- David's Fellowship with God

08:06- What do we learn about Fellowship from these?

08:58- Fellowship- Our Deepest Longing

09:38- How God has Restored our Fellowship

10:44- Perfected Fellowship- When Faith is Turned to Sight

13:16- Fellowship with One Another as Believers

14:23- Opened Eyes and Opened Hearts- Toward One Another

14:50- Fellowship in the New Testament

18:53- The Basis of Our Fellowship ( 1 John 1:7)

20:37- Stirring One Another Up in Fellowship- How Can we Enhance our Fellowship Together?

31:14- Closing