Eschatology may not be the most important doctrinal position, but it does greatly impact how we view the power and application of the Great Commission. Christ is the second Adam and as such he is carrying out the dominion mandate in a way that completely eclipses the work of the first Adam.

In this episode, we want to look at two particular areas where Christ’s dominion has shaped the world: the sense of shame for sin, and bringing order to the world.

When Christians fail to recognize the work of God in the world, they either end up calling good things evil or giving the credit for the good things they have received to something other than God. This is unbecoming of the people of God.

Christ’s has been given all authority, his Holy Spirit has been sent into the world to convict it of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (none of which are narrow in scope), and his servants go forth in the world every day, shining forth the light of God and constraining the sin around them. It is wicked and foolish to believe that his work has not accomplished great things. Please join us as we examine a small part of what Christ has done. May his church glorify Him, for He is great!

This is a continuation of our previous episode, 25 Ways Christ has Conquered His Kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD1su5MsCB4

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Before the Reformation, illiteracy was widespread. When the Reformers started to say that people needed to study the word of God for themselves, the importance of learning dramatically increased and people like Luther and Calvin started schools. Pastors were suddenly expected to be knowledgeable. Before this, people could occupy a high level in the church and not really know any doctrine. The Roman Catholic response with the counter Reformation at the council of Trent was to call for seminaries. Over time that became the standard means of education for Protestants as well, but it really is not in the bible, so are seminaries a good idea?

In this episode, we want to discuss what caused the seminary model to become dominant, and to take it back to scripture. We also think it’s worth pushing on the idol of knowledge for knowledge’s sake. While knowledge is not bad, scripture gives the warning that it puffs up. When you combine this danger with the fact that the majority of seminary graduates are effectively novices who have had very little real-world experience or training, it is easy to see why there can be serious problems with the seminary system.

One of the metaphors that scripture uses for a church body is that of a family or household of faith, with the leaders being older brothers (elders) and the body itself being composed of brothers and sisters doing the work of their Father in the world and serving one another and the body in general in different capacities. Is it possible that like in earthly families, our heavenly father has made a way for his sons to be trained to lead? Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

One of the stranger stories to come out of the 2024 presidential elections is the story of Peanut the squirrel and Dave the raccoon. In case you haven’t heard here’s the short version: in upstate New York, early one morning, the government sent agents to the house of Mark Longo, a man who ran a non-profit animal shelter. Mark also had a popular Instagram account featuring a squirrel named Peanut that he had rescued seven years before and kept at his home. According to the man, the Department of Environmental Conservation raided his home with ten to twelve agents. They searched the home for five hours while they detained him. Finally, they took Peanut and a raccoon. They said that Peanut bit an officer, so they killed them both.

While this story is very strange, it apparently struck a nerve with many people with support for either Mark and Peanut or the government fracturing along partisan lines. In this episode we want to look at the ways these issues reveal different details about American culture, politics, and the influence of the church.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

So here’s the question: Assuming that you are in favor of corporal punishment and believe that God describes spanking as an appropriate form of punishment for certain types of foolish/rebellious behavior, do you think whether or not you spank your children in public says anything about your faith, your obedience to God, your trust in Him, or is part of your Christian testimony?

That’s what we want to talk about in this episode. And while we have specific opinions on the matter, we think it’s worth people’s time to think through the issue and to consider how their actions are shaped by their beliefs. We should also say upfront that while there are places in the world where it is illegal for a parent to spank their child, in America, as of the time this video was recorded, it is legal in all 50 states.

One of the things that God says of Christians is that they are the salt and light of the world, and it is not just the result of their actions that are salt and light but their actions themselves. One of the tactics of the world is to try to make righteousness shameful and in the case of spanking, they have been able to do that very successfully. Many Christians who spank their children and believe that God’s Word teaches that it should be done are also ashamed to let others know that they do so. It is also a matter of fear. Because many have heard accounts of people having their children taken away from them by CPS, they fear that the same will happen to them if they openly obey God. And while God calls us to be prudent, he does not call us to fear. In fact, Revelation 21:8 says, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” And as it says in Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” So we should not think that scripture does not tie together our faith and our fear. This does not mean that we believe you should go out of your way to spank your children in public or that you should disobey your husband if he tells you that you should not do so. God has appointed authority and direction for our lives. But we should also understand that who and what we fear matters a great deal and we should labor so that we fear God and God alone. Please join us as we discuss this important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

When people think of revival, they often think of meetings with a preacher like Billy Graham standing on a stage with his Bible held high as he holds an altar call and where people stream toward the stage as the crowd sings “Just As I Am”. But that’s not what Biblical revivals look like. Biblical revivals starts with doctrine – a greater knowledge of God and His holiness and righteousness. When you look at revivals in the Old Testament, they start when the lost book of the law is found and as it is read by the king and read to the people, hearts are changed by hearing the Word of God. This is what happened at the time of Hezekiah, Josiah and Ezra. True revival is very associated with growing in knowledge and understanding, and that is also true of the greatest revival in history after the time of the apostles, the Protestant Reformation. It was because the bible started to be read and the people began to understand the doctrine of election and of salvation by grace through faith alone that there was a major revival. So why is doctrine necessary for revival?

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Permanent Hosts – Dan Horn, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson