The Whole Counsel

Following the Follower IV: Glorious Confidence in the New Covenant

During one of the most difficult seasons of Paul’s life and ministry he had many opportunities to despair. He had multiple chances to switch his tactics and pursue something more pragmatic. Each time he refused. We began talking about the foundation of his confidence last week, and we continue doing so this week, but with an emphasis is on the glory of the New Covenant.
Whether Paul experienced encouragement and perceived success during his missionary trials, or whether he was chained in a Roman prison, he had one confidence, one thing to boast in: Jesus Christ. And his boasting in Christ and the glory of the New Covenant did not diminish when it would have been so easy to believe the church was failing and would be destroyed by the power of Rome.
Of course, we know the church wasn’t destroyed by Rome. Paul wasn’t able to see the things we see, but he never wavered from the fact that Jesus is faithful and will accomplish His good purpose.
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Following the Follower III: The Foundation of Our Confidence

Paul tells the church of Corinth to follow him as he follows Christ. That would be an impossible task for us if Paul had been given special tools, a special skillset, a secret knowledge that only he could possess. Instead, he had the same Scripture, the same Holy Spirit, the same means of grace as us. As a result, when Paul commands us to follow him, we really can obey. We have the same Bible, as it were. We can pray to the same God. We can commune with God. So why don’t we find more success in following the pattern he laid out for us?
In this week’s episode, John Snyder and Chuck Bagget explore the topic of how Paul could have such confidence in the work he was doing. It wasn’t because he was so strong, smart, or faithful. It was because he knew the God he was serving. He trusted Christ with the fruit. That is a pattern we can and must follow.
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Following the Follower II: Staying Steady in Hard Times

The largest biographical passage we have the Apostle Paul is found in 2 Corinthians. We are spending several weeks discussing this extended passage in our newest series, Following the Follower. Today we hone in on 2 Corinthians 2:12-13.
In these short verses, John and Chuck discuss some pictures of reality that held Paul steady in times of great trial and distress. The first is the great procession with Christ at the head. The second is the aroma God is spreading throughout the world. Third is the reaction from the world we can expect and prepare for. And lastly, there is a picture of a man doing gospel work as unto the Lord and not for worldly gain.
We pray these realities would be so present in our lives that at moments of deep distress, pain, confusion, and angst, we can see Christ and press on holiness in Him.
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Following the Follower I: Meeting Our Example

When it comes to walking the Christian life, we can find few better examples of how close a saved sinner can walk with God than the Apostle Paul. Unlike the other Apostles, Paul did not spend years as an eyewitness to the earthly ministry of Jesus. He learned about Jesus through the Old Testament. He studied, applied, repented, and lived the gospel.
This week we begin a new series of episodes focusing on the most biographical section of Paul’s writings, 2 Corinthians 2:12-6:10. These show us not just what Paul did, but what realities drove his decisions and actions.
Jesus gives us the command to “Follow Me,” but how do we know what that looks like. Paul is a wonderful example and he provides a pattern for us. To that end, we seek to follow the follower to walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
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Special Episode - Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges, Session 1

We are taking a few weeks to let you know about some of the teaching material Media Gratiae has produced outside our podcasts. In previous special episodes we have highlighted Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, and Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth.
This is our final episode highlighting these studies and we chose to end it with our latest study, Living with the True God: Lessons from Judges. This is a seven-session study walking through a book many find confusing, discouraging, and alarming. But this is a book filled with applicable truths to the Christian life.
If you would like to see the rest of the study, please click here to get 15% off for this week only: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-whole-counsel-specials
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Special Episode - The Church, Session 1: The Marks of the Church

We are taking a few weeks to let you know about some of the teaching material Media Gratiae has produced outside our podcasts. In previous special episodes we have highlighted Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty and Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically.
This week we want to present you with a unique production for us. In Church: Pillar and Ground of the Truth, we created both a feature-length documentary and a 12-session study walking through church history and careful ecclesiology. If you would like more information after watching the first session of the study, follow this link: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/the-whole-counsel-specials
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app

Special Episode - Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty, Session 1

Last week we highlighted the first study Media Gratiae produced, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This week we are previewing for you the sequel to that study, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty.
In this study, John Snyder spends 12 weeks teaching about the attributes of God and how we are to live upon Him. If you have been through this study before, we pray it reminds you of the greatness of our God. If you haven’t been through this study before, you can get 15% off the normal price this week here:

Special Episode - Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically, Session 1

Get 15% off this study for this week only: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/15-off-behold-your-god-rethinking-god-biblically
Over the years more and more people are discovering Media Gratiae through our various podcasts. We praise the Lord for this reality. But our podcasts are only a fraction of the work we do.
Media Gratiae started over a decade ago with our flagship study, Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically. This 12-week multimedia Bible study seeks to challenge the low views of God that are very prevalent in our man-centered culture and reintroduce Christians, churches, and families to the God of the Bible.
Over the last 10 years, God has seemed to truly bless the efforts that went into the study. It has been translated into Dutch, Russian, and Spanish. A new translation effort is currently beginning to make the study available to German speakers.
This week we want to present you with the first session of the study. In the beginning is an introduction to A. W. Tozer, a man with a very high view of God. Then John Snyder presents a sermon on the fact that God is the great attraction to the adventure that is Christianity. Lastly, we have interviews with men such as Conrad Mbewe, Paul Washer, Anthony Mathenia, and others who discuss why we must have a high view of God.
You can get 15% off the price of the study this week at:
https://shop.mediagratiae.org/products/behold-your-god-workbook

Resources on the 1689 Confession of Faith

It is one thing for the Christian to say I believe, my family believes, my church believes what the Bible says. That is a right and essential to the Christian life. But it is another thing to say, “I believe the Bible teaches…” And it is that second statement we want to focus on in this week’s episode.
For those unaware, Media Gratiae is rooted in Reformed Baptist theology. To that end, we believe that the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession is a very helpful, systematic summarization of what we understand the Bible to teach. And so we want to introduce you to two men and their efforts to help us digest the truths in this baptist confession.
The first man we want to introduce you to is Tom Ascol. He is the founder and president of Founders Ministries, president of the Institute on Public Theology, and pastors in Cape Coral Florida.
The second man is Rob Ventura. A long-time friend of John, Rob is a pastor in Rhode Island and has written several books. His latest venture is being the editor of a commentary on the 1689 Baptist confession. Contributors to this work include Jeremy Walker, Sam Waldron, and others. John Snyder has even endorsed the book and we believe it will be a benefit to you.
Resources:
Founders Ministries: https://founders.org
Grace and Truth (Book 1): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-1/
Grace and Truth (Book 2): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-2/
Grace and Truth (Book 3): https://press.founders.org/shop/truth-and-grace-tag-memory-books-book-3/
1689 in Modern English: https://press.founders.org/shop/the-1689-baptist-confession-of-faith-in-modern-english/1689
1689 in Modern English (ebook): https://press.founders.org/shop/the-1689-baptist-confession-of-faith-in-modern-english-ebook/
To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: https://press.founders.org/shop/to-the-judicious-and-impartial-reader-baptist-symbolics-volume-2-ebook2/
Institute on Public Theology: https://www.instituteofpublictheology.org
A New Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/a-new-exposition-of-the-london-baptist-confession-of-faith-of-1689-ventura.html
Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers (Preorder): https://www.amazon.com/Expository-Outlines-Observations-Romans-Preachers/dp/1527110125/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1QL1Z139GYZQ5&keywords=rob+ventura&qid=1680617216&sprefix=rob+ventura%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-2
A Portrait of Paul: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/a-portrait-of-paul-identifying-a-true-minister-of-christ-ventura-walker.html

Realities of Revival VI: Sermon from Daniel Rowland - Hebrews 1:9

This week is our final episode on the realities of revival and we wanted to present to you another sermon used by God during a great time of revival. The sermon is from Hebrews 1:9. The preacher is Daniel Rowland. We chose this sermon specifically because so few people are aware of Daniel Rowland. George Whitefield went to hear Rowland and said it was like listening to the Apostle Paul teach. Rowland has been called the greatest preacher Wales has ever seen.
As in the last sermon episode we were able to present to you, this one is read by Andrew Davies, a retired minister living in Wales today. If you have gone through the first Behold Your God study, you may remember Mr. Davies.
We pray this sermon is a blessing to you and that you take time to wrestle with its content, making room in your life to apply its message.
A recent article by Jeremy Walker on revival: https://banneroftruth.org/uk/resources/articles/2023/holy-fomo/
Books we found helpful in this series:
The Fulfilling of the Scripture by Robert Flemming Physical Copy: https://www.amazon.com/fulfilling-scripture-discovery-accomplishment-corrected/dp/1171131968
Revival by Richard Owen Roberts https://www.amazon.com/dp/0842355758?tag=heartcrymissi-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=0842355758&adid=1MA5N1HT46X3WABGS4EM
Revival: A People Saturated with God by Brian Edwards https://www.amazon.com/Revival-people-saturated-Brian-Edwards/dp/1846256437
Revival of Religion https://www.amazon.com/Revival-Religion-Addresses-Evangelical-Delivered/dp/0851514359
Lectures on Revival by William Sprague
https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/theology-books/lectures-on-revivals/
Want to listen to The Whole Counsel on the go? Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app: https://www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts
You can get The Whole Counsel a day early on the Media Gratiae App: https://subsplash.com/mediagratiae/app