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Join us as Jim and I discuss 1 Corinthians 4:6-21!We welcome your comments, questions, and feedback.  You can reach out to us by emailing us at ([email protected])  Like our podcast?  Support us by becoming a patron at (https://www.patreon.com/gospeladdict)6 Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.Paul’s Appeal and Warning14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.18 Some of you have become arrogant as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit? (Encore of Episode 50.)

Greg Bryan teaches on the Apostle Paul's final letter, 2 Timothy. Greg suggests that the theme of the letter is to "Guard the Gospel." In this message, Greg teaches on chapters 3 and 4 and that we must guard the gospel for two reasons:1. Because it's easily misunderstood and twisted by false teacheres2. Because it's a timeless message and worth dying for (Encore of Episode 133.)

Greg Bryan teaches on the Apostle Paul's final letter, 2 Timothy.  Greg suggests that the theme of the letter is to "Guard the Gospel."  In this message, Greg teaches that we must guard the gospel for two reasons: 1. Because it's a treasure worth losing everything and suffering for.2. Because it's the key to real-life change (inside-out change) (Encore of Episode 132.)

Greg Bryan teaches John chapters 11-13, focusing on seven unique portraits of grace.

Jim Reske teaches about the life of Abraham. (Encore of Episode 305.)

Listen as Greg Bryan and Jim Reske discuss "Living for Eternity" from 1 Corinthians 5:1-10.We welcome your comments, questions, and feedback. You can reach out to us by emailing us at ([email protected])Become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/gospeladdictFor we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.(Encore of Episode 62.)

Learn how understanding your standing with Christ can set you free from a life of guilt and pride. The moment your trusted Jesus, He declared you righteous in God's eyes because He lived the life we were meant to live (a sinless life) and died the death we deserved to die (because of our sins) in our place, as our substitute. Like the Hymn, Nothing Either Great or Small says: | Nothing either great or small— Nothing, sinner, no; Jesus did it, did it all, Long, long ago. | | “It is finished!” yes, indeed, Finished every jot: Sinner, this is all you need— Tell me, is it not? | 2 | When He, from His lofty throne, Stooped to do and die, Everything was fully done; Hearken to His cry: | 3 | Weary, working, burdened one, Wherefore toil you so? Cease your doing; all was done Long, long ago. | 4 | Till to Jesus’ work you cling By a simple faith, “Doing” is a deadly thing— “Doing” ends in death. | 5 | Cast your deadly “doing” down— Down at Jesus’ feet; Stand in Him, in Him alone, Gloriously complete (Encore of Episode 26.)

Greg Bryan and Jim Reske talk about the fight for the gospel.So what was all the fuss about? Bruce Shelley, in his book “Church History in Plain Language,” provides an excellent summary of the controversy (emphasis added):What did Pelagius teach to arouse Augustine’s vigorous opposition? The monk denied that human sin is inherited from Adam. Man, he said, is free to act righteously or sinfully... Almost all the human race have sinned; but it is possible not to sin, and some people have in fact lived without sin. [God’s] forgiveness comes to all who exercise “faith alone”; but, once forgiven, man has power of himself to live pleasing to God... His idea of the Christian life was practically the Stoic conception of ascetic self-control.Amazing. It’s as though Pelagius had the single-line drawing right there in front of him. Jesus starts you out in the Christian life, but the rest is up to you. Justification is through Christ, but sanctification is through hard work and effort. Pelagius said that God would never give you a command that you couldn’t fulfill; you just need to make better choices. Just like me, he may have added. Pelagius didn’t just think he was a 9 on a scale of 1-10; he thought it was completely possible to be a perfect 10, if you just tried hard enough.Augustine was the polar opposite of Pelagius. Before he became a Christian, he had a very explicit problem with sexual self-control. We know this because Augustine himself wrote all about it in his “Confessions”. He was very much aware of his own totally depraved sinful nature, and the need for complete and total grace to save him from it. Pelagius thought that grace was a “nice to have”, but not a necessity because it was completely possible for a person to make all the right choices and avoid sin entirely if they just tried hard enough. Augustine would have none of it. Shelley explains (emphasis added):Augustine sensed profoundly the depth of his sin and hence the greatness of God’s salvation. He felt that nothing less than irresistible divine power (grace) could have saved him from his sin and only constantly inflowing divine grace could keep him in the Christian life. His Christian ideal was no Stoic self-control, but love for righteousness infused by the Spirit of God.In other words, Augustine was very aware of his sin (the lower line). And though he had been a Christian for some time by the time he met Pelagius, he was growing in that awareness, because as he fought Pelagius, he said that he had no power in himself to do the right thing; all power to do good was completely a gift from God by grace. Christian growth wasn’t a matter of hard work and effort – it was all by grace. Augustine’s focus was squarely on the grace of Jesus (the growing cross), not his own spiritual performance, and as a result, his life changed (the dotted line).But as Dr. John Hannah, the church historian who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, explains, all good controversies invite a compromiser who will try to synthesize the two positions. That person was Cassian. Hannah explains that:· Pelagius taught that sin does not corrupt a person’s mind, will, and emotions, such that we are spiritually alive; and· Augustine taught that sin completely corrupts a person’s mind, will, and emotions, such that we are spiritually dead (total depravity); but· Cassian taught that sin only hinders a person’s mind, will, and emotions, such that we need help (deprivation, but not depravity).In Cassian’s view, the grace of God and the will of man work together in salvation. In other words, God helps those who help themselves. Which is a lot like the single-line view of the world. (Encore of Episode 213.)

Greg and Jim discuss the profound truths found in the gospel of John chapter 15.“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.(Encore of Episode 141.)

Jim and Greg begin to discuss Romans chapter 8, one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.  This is part 1 of our discussion on Romans 8:18-30.18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[g] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.(Encore of Episode 95.)

Jim Reske teaches the gospel according to the book of Proverbs! (Encore of Episode 477.)

Listen as Jim Reske teaches on changed lives from 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4.We welcome your comments, questions, and feedback.  You can reach out to us by emailing us at ([email protected])Become a Patron!  https://www.patreon.com/gospeladdict (Encore of Episode 61.)

What role does surrender have in living the Christian life?  Greg shares an illustration he calls "The Three Ways to Live."  We can follow the rules, follow our hearts or follow Jesus.  When we follow the rules or follow our hearts, we're in control of our lives.  Following Jesus involves surrender and is key gospel-driven sanctification.  Randy discusses the difference between commitment and surrender.  This is part 1 of a 2 part discussion. (Encore of Episode 32.)

The second interview with Jim Reske on the topic of "splitness." What is splitness? Splitness is super important to understand how lasting spiritual change really happens in the Christian life. It's easy to fall into the traps of guilt on the one hand or pride on the other. The Bible actually explains how we can be set free from guilt and pride by living out gospel-driven sanctification. In this episode, Jim explains a new gospel illustration that could change your life. The gospel is not just the ABC's of the Christian life, it's the A-Z!(Encore of Episode 20.)

What does it mean that Jesus was our substitute? What difference does that make in the life of a follower of Christ? Jim Reske and I discuss this important truth along with a special guest, Jordan Davis. (Encore of Episode 21.)