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03/29/2024
Crucified and Raised to Life with Christ
Good Friday and Easter mark the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the climax of the Christian church year. There’s no doubt these are the events at the heart of our Christian Faith. During Holy Week, Christians around the world pause to remember and celebrate the great gift of salvation that w
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03/22/2024
The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
The four gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry vary in their selections of stories and in their details. Each gospel writer has a different audience in mind and a different goal, both of which influence what and how they retell Christ’s life. However, the story of Jesus’ crucifixion is so impo
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03/15/2024
The Complete Sufficiency of the Cross
When something seems too good to be true, we might find ourselves raising an eyebrow, reading the fine print, and asking “what’s the catch?” But when it comes to salvation, there really is no catch and beyond having faith there is nothing else we need to do. When Christ died on the cross, he paid ou
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03/08/2024
The Paradox of the Cross
The cross is a paradox. By human standards, it shouldn’t make sense, it shouldn’t work, and yet, it does. In fact, it’s the greatest paradox—life from death, pardon from penalty, and justification from judgment. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead o
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03/01/2024
The Shame of the Cross
Jesus had no sin, yet he too knew shame— the shame of the cross. Let's revisit how Jesus experienced shame and unpack why it was necessary for our salvation.
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02/23/2024
The Curse of the Cross
We were rightly cursed by God for our failure to keep his covenant, but Jesus became that curse to pay our debt. Let's consider the implications of this truth for our lives of faith today.
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02/16/2024
Why Jesus Had to Die on a Cross
Sometimes habits or traditions become so ingrained in our lives that we can go through the motions of them without spending much time reflecting on their meaning. Sometimes, it benefits us to slow down and once again ask, “why?” We’ll begin our Lenten series “The Cross of Jesus” by examining scriptu
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02/09/2024
Forgiveness
Many of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. In it,  Jesus taught his followers to pray, “...forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Through these powerful words, Jesus highlights the central importance of the virtue of forgiveness to the Christian life. Howeve
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02/02/2024
Truthfulness
Most people would say it is wrong to lie and good to tell the truth. Yet, most people would also admit that at some time in their lives, they’ve told a lie. The apostle Paul identifies truthfulness as a defining virtue of a faithful believer. So, what does that mean for us imperfect followers of Jes
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01/26/2024
Generosity
The apostle Paul encourages Christ’s followers to be generous people. Yet, for many of us, generosity does not come naturally. In our human nature, we often feel resistant to giving very much of our time, talents, or money for the sake of others. Join Groundwork as we study Scripture to discover why
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01/19/2024
Thankfulness and Gratitude
Why are thanksgiving and gratitude important virtues for Jesus' followers to cultivate? Join Groundwork as we explore the Scriptures to answer this question.
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01/12/2024
Humility
Join Groundwork as we explore Scripture to discover the biblical understanding of humility, to identify what humility is not, and to witness and learn from how Christ demonstrated humility here on earth.
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01/05/2024
Compassion
The Christlike virtue of compassion is more than an emotion. The apostle Paul identifies compassion as a defining characteristic in followers of Jesus. Join us as we look in the gospels to witness the compassionate character of Christ. Then we’ll discuss how compassion relates to empathy and its con
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12/29/2023
Your Questions about Scripture and Hope
In this episode, we consider some of the questions you asked in response to our series on the Lord’s Prayer, Joshua, and Revelation. Then we’ll discuss issues that some of our listeners shared are most pressing for their faith right now.
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12/22/2023
Jesus: Our Prince of Peace
As we celebrate Christmas and re-tell the story of baby Jesus—the Savior of the World, born in a lowly manger—may we also remember that he is the one the prophet Isaiah called the “Prince of Peace.” Join us as we reflect on our real need for this peace in our lives and our world. Together we’ll stud
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12/15/2023
Jesus: Our Everlasting Father
The prophet Isaiah continued to reveal the nature of the coming Messiah when he prophesied that he would be the “Everlasting Father.” Now that we know that Jesus was the “coming Messiah,” we might wonder, how can the Son of God also be the Everlasting Father? Join us as we discuss how our understand
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12/08/2023
Jesus: Our Mighty God
Let Scripture reveal the truth of Christ’s deeds and character, and explore with us how his presence as a helpless baby displays—not the smallness, but the awesomeness of God’s power.
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12/01/2023
Jesus: Our Wonderful Counselor
In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet Isaiah first calls the coming Messiah a “Wonderful Counselor.” Join us as we dig into Scripture to discover what this title communicates about Jesus and how it is connected to the biblical wisdom tradition. As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we’ll di
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11/24/2023
Love God By Loving One Another
As the apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Romans, he instructs this early community of believers regarding how they should handle their differences. He knows that differences and disagreements are inevitable because the good news of the gospel calls people of many ages, backgrounds, and experi
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11/17/2023
Transformed Living
As the apostle Paul continues to unpack the new realities of life for the early Roman Christians, he challenges them to live transformed lives—lives worthy of the grace and mercy they received in Jesus. Join us to study Paul’s teaching in Romans 12-13 and discover how we might live in light of the g
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11/10/2023
In His Mercy, God Chose You
When loved ones don’t believe in Jesus despite being raised by Christian parents or growing up in church, it can leave us with deep aches and painful questions about God’s sovereign choices and our free will. The apostle Paul understood this ache and wrestling.  Even as he celebrated the inclusion o
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11/03/2023
The Spirit in Us
If there’s one thing that Paul wants believers to understand, it is that the power of the gospel is life-changing. In his letter to the Romans, he details why we so desperately need the gospel and how the good news of salvation is for all people. In Romans 8, Paul turns to answering the question “No
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10/27/2023
Our New Life in Christ
After Paul writes his summary of the gospel and explains the purpose of God’s law, he turns to a very important topic: making sure that the believers in Rome understand just how much God loves them. A truth we can all continue to cling to today. By studying Paul’s writing about the implications of t
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10/20/2023
Why We Need the Gospel
Why do we need the gospel? How is the gospel relevant to my life? In the opening chapters of Romans, the apostle Paul records concise explanations to these questions, and his teaching remains greatly beneficial for all believers. In this episode, we’ll begin by looking together in the book of Acts t
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