Thus far the New Testament has presented four accounts of the beautiful life, powerful ministry, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), a historical documentation of the transition to and propagation of the church (Acts), and a theological treatise detailing, among other things, the unifying brilliance of salvation by grace through faith (Romans). But now comes Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth and, at first read, it may seem dramatically different as it addresses real-life sin struggles and errors threatening to take down an assembly from within. But, obviously, there's more to it than that.

Dr. Ken Gardoski joins us today to help us rightly understand the congregational missteps recorded in 1 Corinthians, the apostolic correctives provided, and its enduring relevance even after two thousand years. Dr. Gardoski currently serves as Professor of Systematic Theology and director of the doctoral programs at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA. He has previously served as a missionary in Poland and teacher in Belarus, Latvia, and Russia.

As a local church grows in size, it can become increasingly difficult to actually know everyone in the community and, thus, to be blessed by everyone in the community. This is unfortunate because there are no unnecessary members (1 Corinthians 12:7), none who are ungifted (Romans 12:6), and not one who isn't called to the "work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" unto spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:11–13). Said another way, we need one another as Spirit-indwelled conduits of God's grace to propel us toward holiness and, when unable to be around one another and to know one another, this process is hindered.

With that in mind, we're going to try and "shrink the church" a bit today and, hopefully, provide an opportunity for one particular Oakridge family member to "build up the body of Christ" from afar. On this episode, Andrew chats with Josiah Boyd about his walk with Christ, the greatest struggles in his Christian life, lessons he's learned along the way, and much more.

Paul's letter to the Romans is, all at once, dense and joyous, heavy-hitting and soul-liberating, complex and straight-forward, theological and practical. Many have called it the Apostles' magnum opus, his great doctrinal treatise, his finest and most comprehensive articulation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"No book in history has been so instrumental in changing lives as the Bible. We sometimes forget, however, that the Bible is really a library rather than a single book, being in fact a compilation of sixty-six books, each book making its own special contribution to the sum total of God’s written revelation. Having said that, I really do believe that if there is any one individual book, out of the sixty-six, which God has used to change lives more than any other, it is the book of Romans" (Sproul, The Gospel of God 12).

To help us wrap our minds around this so-important book we welcome Dr. James Allman. Dr. Allman is a freshly retired (and now adjunct) professor of Old Testament Studies and Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, is a visiting lecturer in a number of different countries and institutions, and has served as translator for parts of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). As you’ll hear, Dr. Allman is both scholarly and pastoral, wise and humble. A great combination to help us tackle Romans.

After last week's longer episode, we decided to switch things up and go in a bit of an unconventional direction on the podcast this week. This past Sunday's sermon reminded us from Matthew 19 that we often put up our own barriers and hindrances when it comes to our access to Christ. Sometimes, even good things can get in the way of spending time with our Lord when we make them more important than him. So today, join with Andrew as he takes our usual podcast time to pause, guide in prayer, meditate on scripture, and rest in God's presence. 

Dr. Daniel Goepfrich has joined the program to help us think through this user-important transitional book of the biblical record. Dr. Goepfrich is the teaching pastor at Oak Tree Community Church in South Bend, Indiana. He also teaches Bible, theology, and biblical languages at Calvary University, Tyndale Theological Seminary, and the Word of Life Bible Institute. In addition to this he is the author of several books and the founder of Theology is for Everyone Ministries.

Few things are more certain than the reality of suffering people in the church. Grief, loss, pain, stress, sin, fear; you name it, someone you know is probably going through it. So how can we, as God's people, do what we can to ensure that we are caring well? How do we support those going through horrendous circumstances? How do we know when to speak and when to listen? And is there anything we should probably just avoid saying? Join Josiah and Andrew as they tackle these questions and many more on the topic of care.

Though it may seem a relatively small one, this episode marks another significant milestone in our cover-to-cover trek through the Bible. Here we come to the fourth of four inspired gospel accounts—another section of Scripture successfully studied! However, while they are often and rightly grouped together as "the gospels," John is obviously unique from his three predecessors, covering a different span of time, focusing on different locales, and spending a great amount of effort and ink on theological matters.

"More than fifty years ago, the New Testament scholar Merrill C. Tenney entitled his commentary on the Fourth Gospel, JOHN: The Gospel of Belief. An apt theme to be sure, and one which captures the essence of the apostle’s purpose. With profundity wrapped in simplicity John sets forth his case. His Gospel is not always chronological like Luke, yet it is logical and highly theological. From the manifestation of the Word in chapter 1, to the post-resurrection appearance to the disciples in chapter 21, we find John emphasizing over and over again the excellence and eternality of the Son of God" (Gangel, John, vol. 4, Holman New Testament Commentary, 1).

Today, making his grand return to the program, is Dr. Ed Glasscock. Dr. Glasscock has spent decades pastoring churches, teaching theology, mentoring Christians, and writing books and articles. One such work is his contribution to the Learn the Word series of biblical summaries in which he focused on the fourth gospel.

As one might expect, this past Sunday at Oakridge Bible Chapel, we spent some time looking at the resurrection, looking specifically at 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul highlights its evidence, necessity, and nature. Today, we thought it fitting to continue on this theme, to dive a bit deeper into this text and its implications for believers. Join Josiah and Andrew as they discuss a topic of utmost importance for the Christian; one that gives hope and inspiration as we walk through a world marked by death and suffering.

Having discussed Matthew and Mark, we now arrive in our study at Luke, the third of the inspired accounts of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. While there are certainly observable similarities between the writings, there are also important distinctions that illustrate the unique Spirit-wrought perspectives their respective authors sought to contribute for God's glory and our good. Says one commentator from years ago:

"Every one of the four gospels was written from a certain point of view. Very often on stained-glass windows the writers of the gospels are pictured; and usually to each there is attached a symbol. The symbols vary but one of the commonest allocations is this.

"The emblem of Mark is a man. Mark is the simplest and most straightforward of the gospels. It has been well said that its characteristic is realism. It is the nearest to being a report of Jesus’ life.

"The emblem of Matthew is a lion. Matthew was a Jew writing for Jews and he saw in Jesus the Messiah, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the one whom all the prophets had predicted.

"The emblem of John is the eagle. The eagle can fly higher than any other bird. It is said that of all creatures only the eagle can look straight into the sun. John is the theological gospel; its flights of thought are higher than those of any of the others. It is the gospel where the philosopher can find themes to think about for a lifetime and to solve only in eternity.

"The symbol of Luke is the calf. The calf is the animal for sacrifice; and Luke saw in Jesus the sacrifice for all the world. In Luke above all, the barriers are broken down and Jesus is for Jew and Gentile, saint and sinner alike. He is the Saviour of the world" (Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, 2).

Dr. Susan Wendel steps in today to help us explore the uniqueness of Luke's gospel. Dr. Wendel currently serves as Seminary dean and associate professor of New Testament at Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Among other things, she is an expert in the books of Luke and Acts.

As we enter into a week of remembrance and celebration for Christians around the globe, we want to do our best to ensure we aren't just going through the motions, or somehow losing the weight that Good Friday and Easter bring. To that end, today Josiah and Andrew spend some time reflecting on the Passion narrative in scripture, highlighting portions that have stood out to them this year as significant. The hope is that you, as a listener, will be encouraged to spend your own time in the text, recognizing the magnitude of these incredible events.