How Spiritual Gifts Use Ordinary Means (Ep. 239)

When we hear the term spiritual gifts, most Christians see it as this mystical, almost magical work of God that comes over you, and all of a sudden, you can speak in tongues or heal people, but is that how the Bible describes spiritual gifts in practice?

The Pentecostal movement has, in many ways, driven the conversation about spiritual gifts and the way that we use language to discuss them. Even many Reformed Christians have been affected by their teaching and often describe the work of the Holy Spirit through gifts as something so miraculous and supernatural that their operation must be opposed to ordinary means. But Paul, who is the apostle that teaches the most about spiritual gifts, doesn’t treat them that way. In Romans 1, he plainly talks about imparting spiritual gifts to the church in Rome and in Corinthians and Timothy, he talks about spiritual gifts as if they can be practiced and built up in a way that suggests that they are not as “magical” as the Pentecostals would have us think. So here’s the question: If spiritual gifts are not opposed to ordinary means, how should we think of spiritual gifts and their use in the church?

Timecodes
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:01 Miracle of God’s grace
00:06:21 Healing is a grace of God
00:14:57 Diversity of gifts
00:20:28 Gift of language a grace
00:28:59 Gifts that are hard to see as pure miraculous manifestations
00:42:26 Given at times to unbelievers
00:52:06 Given to all believers

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

How Spiritual Gifts Use Ordinary Means (Ep. 239 Audio)

When we hear the term spiritual gifts, most Christians see it as this mystical, almost magical work of God that comes over you, and all of a sudden, you can speak in tongues or heal people, but is that how the Bible describes spiritual gifts in practice?

The Pentecostal movement has, in many ways, driven the conversation about spiritual gifts and the way that we use language to discuss them. Even many Reformed Christians have been affected by their teaching and often describe the work of the Holy Spirit through gifts as something so miraculous and supernatural that their operation must be opposed to ordinary means. But Paul, who is the apostle that teaches the most about spiritual gifts, doesn’t treat them that way. In Romans 1, he plainly talks about imparting spiritual gifts to the church in Rome and in Corinthians and Timothy, he talks about spiritual gifts as if they can be practiced and built up in a way that suggests that they are not as “magical” as the Pentecostals would have us think. So here’s the question: If spiritual gifts are not opposed to ordinary means, how should we think of spiritual gifts and their use in 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

The Error of Paedocommunion: Covenant, Communion, & Confusion (Ep. 238)

As Baptists we disagree on scriptural and covenantal grounds with the Presbyterian practice of infant baptism, but even more serious is the growing practice in some circles, such as the CREC and those who follow Doug Wilson, of paedocommunion or infant communion. While we believe infant baptism is incorrect, paedocommunion goes further and seriously undermines gospel theology. It is not only extra-biblical but also teaches against the doctrines of grace.

In this episode, we attempt to walk through some of the issues with paedocommunion and how it goes against God’s word, not only in the explicit commands regarding the practice of the Lord’s Supper, but also the covenantal issues that frame salvation.

Thumbnail image by Google Gemini AI

Timecodes
00:00 Intro
05:40 Logic of Paedocommunion
10:21 Consequences for Children
17:24 Control of Grace
24:15 Crucifing the Flesh?
29:10 Splitting the Signs
33:13 Former Baptists?
38:30 Salvation by Faith
57:50 The Fruit of Paedocommunion

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

The Error of Paedocommunion: Covenant, Communion, & Confusion (Ep. 238 Audio)

As Baptists we disagree on scriptural and covenantal grounds with the Presbyterian practice of infant baptism, but even more serious is the growing practice in some circles, such as the CREC and those who follow Doug Wilson, of paedocommunion or infant communion. While we believe infant baptism is incorrect, paedocommunion goes further and seriously undermines gospel theology. It is not only extra-biblical but also teaches against the doctrines of grace.

In this episode, we attempt to walk through some of the issues with paedocommunion and how it goes against God’s word, not only in the explicit commands regarding the practice of the Lord’s Supper, but also the covenantal issues that frame salvation.

Timecodes
00:00 Intro
05:40 Logic of Paedocommunion
10:21 Consequences for Children
17:24 Control of Grace
24:15 Crucifing the Flesh?
29:10 Splitting the Signs
33:13 Former Baptists?
38:30 Salvation by Faith
57:50 The Fruit of Paedocommunion

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

The Nicene Creed: The First Reformation (Ep. 237)

As 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea, we want to look back at how God has used times of great uncertainty and confusion to strengthen his church and bring order and light to later generations.

It is so easy to think that we live in darker times than those who went before us. Imagine what it was like to exist in a church where there was no established doctrine of the Trinity, and where many taught that Jesus was a man who became God. Looking back, we see only the order that was established, but God was pleased for many of his saints to live their lives fighting against that darkness. The doctrine that came forth by the power of Christ’s Spirit strengthened and further established the church, and the difficulty that the church endured caused her to grow in maturity.

It is easy to forget that the church is Christ’s bride and that he is maturing her and strengthening her. And this should give us hope. We should not look at the darkness and confusion of the day that we live in with despair, but with great expectation. As James tells us: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Timecodes
00:00:00 Overview
00:08:32 Work of the Spirit
00:14:55 Progress in Church History
00:21:54 Timing of Battles
00:27:42 Arriving at Unity
00:42:28 Having the Debate

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

The Nicene Creed: The First Reformation (Ep. 237 Audio)

As 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea, we want to look back at how God has used times of great uncertainty and confusion to strengthen his church and bring order and light to later generations.

It is so easy to think that we live in darker times than those who went before us. Imagine what it was like to exist in a church where there was no established doctrine of the Trinity, and where many taught that Jesus was a man who became God. Looking back, we see only the order that was established, but God was pleased for many of his saints to live their lives fighting against that darkness. The doctrine that came forth by the power of Christ’s Spirit strengthened and further established the church, and the difficulty that the church endured caused her to grow in maturity.

It is easy to forget that the church is Christ’s bride and that he is maturing her and strengthening her. And this should give us hope. We should not look at the darkness and confusion of the day that we live in with despair, but with great expectation. As James tells us: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Timecodes
00:00:00 Overview
00:08:32 Work of the Spirit
00:14:55 Progress in Church History
00:21:54 Timing of Battles
00:27:42 Arriving at Unity
00:42:28 Having the Debate

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

The Untold Truth About the Nigerian Martyrs (Ep. 236)

Recently, Cliffe Knechtle was interviewed by Tucker Carlson and he was asked if he thought there was more Christian persecution in the world or if there was a revival of Christianity in the US and he answered “Both”. In his explanation, he referenced a statistic that the 20th century had more martyrs than all previous centuries combined, specifically mentioning that since the year 2000, more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians have been slaughtered for their faith. And while this episode is not intended to critique everything that he said, we do want to focus on the statistic that he cited, why it is not correct, and why we shouldn’t use it to imply that the church is about to expand because of all the blood that has been shed. Besides it being a serious confusion of cause and effect, we first need to understand what persecution and martyrdom are and how they differ from God judging his church for its lack of faith and obedience.

In this episode, we spend time discussing how easily persecution is misunderstood. For part of this discussion, we leverage specific information we have from over a decade of ministry in Nigeria, specifically in the Northern areas where Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsman have been most active in their attacks. While many people in Nigeria have been killed, the disagreements and attacks have been much more over politics and resources than over faith. The church in Nigeria is largely corrupt, ironically, with much of it dominated by those who preach the prosperity gospel, many pastors there openly admit to sleeping with congregants, and theft and lying is rampant among church leadership.

The point of all this is not to be discouraging. God is working among his people, but we should recognize that in Nigeria and in the United States, we are not being persecuted for righteousness, but for our sins. It is not that revival is far away from us, but that the path to that revival lies not through enduring God’s judgment but in repentance.

Timecodes
00:00:00 The Clip
00:02:49 What Is Actually Happening in Nigeria
00:14:08 What is a Martyr
00:29:11 Reason for violence in Nigeria
00:37:51 Call to Repentance
00:50:02 True Witnesses
01:03:40 Do Martyrs Have To Die

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

The Untold Truth About the Nigerian Martyrs (Ep. 236 Audio)

Recently, Cliffe Knechtle was interviewed by Tucker Carlson and he was asked if he thought there was more Christian persecution in the world or if there was a revival of Christianity in the US and he answered “Both”. In his explanation, he referenced a statistic that the 20th century had more martyrs than all previous centuries combined, specifically mentioning that since the year 2000, more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians have been slaughtered for their faith. And while this episode is not intended to critique everything that he said, we do want to focus on the statistic that he cited, why it is not correct, and why we shouldn’t use it to imply that the church is about to expand because of all the blood that has been shed. Besides it being a serious confusion of cause and effect, we first need to understand what persecution and martyrdom are and how they differ from God judging his church for its lack of faith and obedience.

In this episode, we spend time discussing how easily persecution is misunderstood. For part of this discussion, we leverage specific information we have from over a decade of ministry in Nigeria, specifically in the Northern areas where Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsman have been most active in their attacks. While many people in Nigeria have been killed, the disagreements and attacks have been much more over politics and resources than over faith. The church in Nigeria is largely corrupt, ironically, with much of it dominated by those who preach the prosperity gospel, many pastors there openly admit to sleeping with congregants, and theft and lying is rampant among church leadership.

The point of all this is not to be discouraging. God is working among his people, but we should recognize that in Nigeria and in the United States, we are not being persecuted for righteousness, but for our sins. It is not that revival is far away from us, but that the path to that revival lies not through enduring God’s judgment but in repentance.

Timecodes
00:00:00 The Clip
00:02:49 What Is Actually Happening in Nigeria
00:14:08 What is a Martyr
00:29:11 Reason for violence in Nigeria
00:37:51 Call to Repentance
00:50:02 True Witnesses
01:03:40 Do Martyrs Have To Die

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

Unequally Yoked: Living with an Unsaved Wife (Ep. 235)

While scripture commands those who follow after Christ to marry in the faith, many Christians end up in the situation where they are married to a husband or wife who is not a believer. And while there are times where the unbeliever chooses to leave or divorce, there are many cases where they do not. For a wife, there are explicit instructions in how to live in that marriage. (see 1 Peter 3:1-2), and while there are definitely nuances there that are worth discussing, for this discussion we are going to focus on the situation where a believing husband is married to an unbelieving wife. This is actually a growing problem. For many years, more women attended church than men, but recently that trend has reversed. So here is the question: how should a Christian man live in obedience toward God with his unbelieving wife?

Thumbnail image by Wyatt Fisher under CC BY-SA 2.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:34 Ephesians 5
00:06:15 Different Situations
00:12:01 Practicing Love from 1 Cor. 13
00:19:32 Leading an unsaved wife is your ministry
00:31:26 Sanctification is the Goal
00:46:18 Wisdom in God’s Ways
00:49:43 Don’t Lose Hope
00:51:34 How to bear her burdens
00:58:24 Watch out for bad influence
01:02:36 Sex as a weapon
01:11:29 Examine what your wife is bringing to you

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

Unequally Yoked: Living with an Unsaved Wife (Ep. 235 Audio)

While scripture commands those who follow after Christ to marry in the faith, many Christians end up in the situation where they are married to a husband or wife who is not a believer. And while there are times where the unbeliever chooses to leave or divorce, there are many cases where they do not. For a wife, there are explicit instructions in how to live in that marriage. (see 1 Peter 3:1-2), and while there are definitely nuances there that are worth discussing, for this discussion we are going to focus on the situation where a believing husband is married to an unbelieving wife. This is actually a growing problem. For many years, more women attended church than men, but recently that trend has reversed. So here is the question: how should a Christian man live in obedience toward God with his unbelieving wife?

Thumbnail image by Wyatt Fisher under CC BY-SA 2.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:34 Ephesians 5
00:06:15 Different Situations
00:12:01 Practicing Love from 1 Cor. 13
00:19:32 Leading an unsaved wife is your ministry
00:31:26 Sanctification is the Goal
00:46:18 Wisdom in God’s Ways
00:49:43 Don’t Lose Hope
00:51:34 How to bear her burdens
00:58:24 Watch out for bad influence
01:02:36 Sex as a weapon
01:11:29 Examine what your wife is bringing to you

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