Practicology Podcast

Just as you might prepare for a special family event or meal, it’s good for us to prepare for the Lord’s Supper. This isn’t a legalistic chore; when a special occasion is a joy to us, preparing for it is part of the anticipation. Steve Buckeridge joins us again from the UK to share how we can prepare for the weekly breaking of bread in a direction that’s Godward, saintward, and inward. Scriptures Referenced: Mat 5:23-24; 26:17-20; 1 Cor 10:16; 11:17-22; Heb 13:15; Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

According to Kevin DeYoung’s helpful acronym, the Bible is SCAN: Sufficient, Clear, Authoritative. And in this episode we cover the ‘N’: Necessary. The only way we can have intimate relationship with God is if he speaks to us with words. And the fact that God has put his words into writing makes our relationship with him more—not less—dynamic and secure. When we read the words of the Bible, God works again through his words. Scriptures Referenced:Rom 1:19-20; Ps 19; Dt 8:3; Mat 4:4; Rom 10:13-17; John 17:3; 20:30-31; 1John 5:13; Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Is the Eternal, Almighty God capable of communicating his mind to his creatures? This is one of the things at stake when we consider the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. Mike & Matthew give us a few reasons to embrace it and why it is crucial to hold to it if we profess to have any message of hope for the world. They also provide a few principles to bear in mind when we disagree on the interpretation of a passage of Scripture. Scriptures Referenced: Eph 3:3-4; 2Tim 3:14-15 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

The sufficiency of Scripture is frequently mentioned and easily misunderstood. But because it touches on so many key areas of the Christian life—where to go to church, what gets preached in the pulpit, and how to deal with matters of personal conscience—it’s really important that we get this doctrine right. The sufficiency of Scripture means the Bible has all the divine words we need for salvation, sanctification, and service. It doesn’t mean Christians never need medicine or counselling. Scriptures Referenced: Luke 16:29-31; 2Tim 3:14-17; Ps 119:1; Mark 7:1-13; 2Pet 1:3-4; John 16:12-15; 1John 3:19-20 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

The Bible claims to be the authoritative Word of God. But how can we know that? If you believe the Bible, why exactly do you believe that? Tune in to hear how Mike and Matthew know the Bible is true and why that matters for us today. Scriptures Referenced:2Tim 3:16; 2Pet 1:19-21 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

It’s been said that you are what you eat. The same might be said about the company we keep and the friends we choose. Join us this week as we look at some principles and practical lessons from the book of Proverbs that can help guide us in cultivating wise friendships instead of foolish ones. Scriptures Referenced:Prov 13:20 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

More and more people are claiming to be spiritual but not religious. It offers an attractive alternative to the bleakness of atheism and the dogma of religion. After all, you get to come up with your own customized, bespoke approach to connecting with a higher power. But it also comes with some haunting questions: “How real is this spiritual connection I have? And is it personal enough to satisfy me?” Maybe it’s time to give historic Christianity another look. Because it’s only in Jesus Christ that we can experience a spiritual connection real enough to satisfy our minds and personal enough to satisfy our hearts. Scriptures Referenced:1 John 1 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

What’s in a name? Well, when the name is the LORD’s Name… a LOT! In this episode, we explain some of the significance of the Lord’s Name, Yahweh (or is it Jehovah?), and why knowing the Lord’s Name leads us into a deeper relationship of faith. Scriptures Referenced:Psalm 9:9-10 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

The hap-happiest season of all can also be the hardest. But then, that’s what Christmas is all about. The whole reason Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem was to help us in our suffering. The Son of God took on flesh to be our Saviour of Christmas Past, Saviour of Christmas Present, and Saviour of Christmas Yet to Come. Christmas isn’t just for the kids. It’s also for the crushed. Scriptures Referenced:Heb 2:5-18; Gen 3:15 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

God sometimes leads his children into deep waters, but he walks through those waters with us. And from their experience in those deep waters, some of God’s children have used of the Lord to give us precious spiritual truth written in beautiful poetic form. In our second installment on hymn writers and their hymns, we consider the life behind one famous and one not-so-famous Christian hymn. Scriptures Referenced:Isa 43:1-3; Mat 7:13-14; 2Cor 12:8-9; Heb 4:15-16 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Steve Buckeridge is a Bible teacher and preacher in the UK, as well as an airport chaplain at London Heathrow. Steve joins us to talk about his new book, Above and Beyond, and to encourage us to use our hobbies and interests for the Lord. We also talk about the gift of physical presence and the importance of a biblical view of “self-care,” timely topics in the lead up to Christmas. “Above and Beyond: Stories and Reflections from Chaplaincy at Heathrow Airport” is available at Ritchie Christian Media https://www.ritchiechristianmedia.co.uk and Gospel Folio https://gospelfolio.com. Scriptures Referenced:Matt 1:23; Luke 10:25-37; Mark 4:35-41Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

Just in case you are thinking of getting some books for Christmas (and who wouldn’t be?), we’re bringing you our eighth instalment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13). There is no book like the Bible but we all learn from the ministry of others, including ministry that comes to us in written form. Mike & Matthew share brief reviews of 7 books for your reading pleasure, and also provide a heads up for the February Reading Challenge.– Let Earth Receive Her King by Allistair Begg (Good Book Co)– Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S.R. Austen (Crossway)– One With My Lord, The Life Changing Reality of Being in Christ, by Sam Allberry (Crossway)– Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in the Meantime by Matthew McCullough (Crossway)– I Am David by Anne Holm (Farshore)– Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588 by Colin Martin & Geoffrey Parker (Yale University Press)– Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway) Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

If carnival mirrors distort our image and make us laugh, the gospel mirror corrects our image and shows us our true selves. And standing in front of this gospel mirror is a crucial part of enduring trials with joy. We’re all haves or have-nots when it comes to things like money, looks, and romantic success, and so much of the pain we experience comes to us in these areas. Learn how seeing yourself in God’s mirror of the gospel can make a world of difference. Scriptures Referenced:James 1:9-12; Heb 10:34; Song of Sol 4:9 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

Now that I’m a Christian, I don’t need to fear punishment for my sins… right? So why does Scripture still speak of judgment for believers? Guest contributor Nathan Pratt joins Matthew to help us understand three judgments in relation to believers. Scriptures Referenced:1Cor 3:10-15; 1Cor 9:29; 1Cor 11:27-32; Heb 12:3-15; 1Pet 2:24 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.

James invites us to take a new perspective on trials—to see them as occasions for joy. Yes, easier said than done. But to help us take this counterintuitive approach to life’s hard stuff, James points us to something we need to know, pray, and see. Scriptures Referenced: James 1:1-8 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

In our concluding episode from the Book of Nehemiah, Mike & Matthew bring us the chapter’s challenges to our heart concerning our trust and our separation. What is Biblical separation? How is it a gospel issue? And how does it relate to Nehemiah pulling out people’s hair? Scriptures Referenced:Nehemiah 13; 2Corinthians 6:14-18 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re immune from doubting God’s love. And an insufficient grasp of God’s love for us can lead to a host of other problems in our walk with the Lord. Malachi 1:1-5 can help. There we discover God’s burden to reassure us of his love, and to do so by giving us a pair of gospel contact lenses. Will you put in your gospel contacts? Scriptures Referenced:Malachi 1:1-5; Eph 3:14-19; Romans 5:5-8 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

Has God done some special things in your life, or in the life of your local church, that should be specially commemorated? Is there wisdom in marking milestones in your family? Matthew & Mike give us some more contemporary practical applications from the Book of Nehemiah. Scriptures Referenced:Nehemiah 12 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

A bully habitually insults, threatens, intimidates, or tries to manipulate another person. Have you ever encountered it? Nehemiah did, and in this episode we learn from his wisdom, righteousness, courage, and Christlike approach in dealing with bullies. Scriptures Referenced: Psalm 112; Nehemiah 6 Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.Follow the Practicology Podcast on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MandMsPodcast

Want to be wiser than your enemies and more insightful than your teachers? In this fifth back-to-school episode at Practicology, Mike and Matthew look at a Scripture passage that tells us how. And at the end of the episode, they demonstrate a simple method of daily Bible reading for busy students. Scriptures Referenced:Psalm 119:97-100; John 1:1-3; Mark 7:20-23; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Luke 2:41-52Visit PracticologyPodcast.com for more episodes.