Today Dr Will Ryan & Dr. Matt launch a series examining the Doctrine of Original Sin. If you’ve followed us long enough you’ve probably seen there are 2 theologies we tend to jab at quite a bit: Dispensationalism, and Calvinism/Reformed Theology, So we basically have issues with doctrines that promote fear and a distortion of God’s Character. In this series we’ll be looking at how Original Sin is not Biblical or Ancient. The first 400 years of the Church did not believe this There is zero ev...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 29 min
We started a series on the church back in July of 2022 and a year and a half later we are wrapping It up. Today we’re going to recap where we’ve been. The big idea is that the church is not an institution … it’s an organism (it’s organic)! · There was equality- No clergy/laity divide · The giftings of the entire body were active to display Jesus · They met face to face throughout the week in relationships 7 Churches of Revelation (Nationalism and Dispensationalism) The point of looking at these ...
Nov 26, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt interview Dr. Scot McKnight about his newest book- Pivot: The Priorities, Practices, and Powers That Can Transform Your Church into a Tov Culture. Order the Book here: https://a.co/d/9R6hqSY A practical guide to help you build a culture in your church or organization that resists abuse and cultivates goodness. After the release of their groundbreaking book, A Church Called Tov, which recorded the stories of abuse and toxic church cultures at some of the most prominent ...
Nov 14, 2023•52 min
Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt talk with Steve Gregg about Biblical Israel and Dispensational Theology. Steve Gregg is a teacher, author, and international lecturer on the Bible, theology, and discipleship. He is the author of “Revelation: Four Views: A Parallel Commentary”(1997, 2013) and “All You Want to Know About Hell: Three Christian Views” (2013) and most recently his series on the kingdom of God “The Empire of the Risen Son. His talk show, “The Narrow Path,” broadcasts on stations across the ...
Nov 01, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Part 2 of 2 on Giving- Tithes, Offerings, and First Fruits. History tells us that: • Tithing (10%) did not become an accepted “New Covenant Doctrine” in the church for over 700 years after the cross. • Before this in 585 the church at the Council of Macon in France, they tried to enforce tithing on its members and were unsuccessful. • It was not until the year 777 that Charlemagne allowed the church to enforce the collection of tithes. OT Recap • Before the law giving was voluntary not a command...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Part 1 of 2 on Giving- Tithes, offerings, and first fruits All the these the audience and commands on tithing are directed to specifically the children of Israel- the ones under the Mosaic Law. And directly connected to being in the Promised Land. • For the gentiles the concepts and commands in the Law are good but they are shadows of the substance which is Christ. They are signposts pointing to something greater. Next episode we’re going to look at the substance. Second, it was always produce, ...
Oct 25, 2023•1 hr 28 min
Reimagining Community Acts 2:42-47 Communion Frank Viola (Pagan Christianity): The Lord’s Supper, when separated from its proper context of a full meal, turns into a strange, pagan-like rite. The Supper has become an empty ritual officiated by a clergyman, rather than a shared-life experience enjoyed by the church. It has become a morbid religious exercise, rather than a joyous festival— stale individualistic ceremony, rather than a meaningful corporate event. As one scholar put it, “It is not i...
Oct 03, 2023•1 hr 11 min
During our 5-fold episodes we never really gave a history of the 5-fold office thinking so we’ll begin with that today and recap those 4 episodes before we look at the other gifts and how we should look at the church as a body of many gifts working together and not a hierarchical system with 5 gifts on the top. X44 Article written last March: Most of the Pentecostal world believes in the 5 fold ministry, and as I don’t disagree with most anything said or taught about the 5 fold gifts specificall...
Sep 19, 2023•1 hr 13 min
Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt interview Dr. Matthew Bates about his new book "Why the Gospel". They cover topics such as malformed gospels, easy-believism, glory, the "nones", and a better way to discipleship. Matthew W. Bates (Ph.D., Notre Dame) is Professor of Theology at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. Bates is a Protestant who enjoys the challenge of teaching in a Catholic context. Bates’s research interests include the Apostle Paul, Jesus, soteriology, early Christology, the Trinity, th...
Aug 18, 2023•54 min
Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt talk with Brian Zahnd about his story of transformation and leading a church through theological changes. We also cover topics such as deconstruction, ecumenicalism, and the future of the church. Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and his wife, Peri, founded the church in 1981. Brian is also the author of several books, including, Sinners in the Hands of a Lovin...
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Doc Ryan & Dr. Matt with Expedition 44 discuss the “5-fold gift” of the shepherd-teacher. At the end of this episode we were joined by Dr. Steve Cassell and Pastor Ryan Smith of Beloved church to talk about how they live out this gifting in their community Shepherding/Teaching o Cares for and develops the people of God by leading, nurturing, protecting, and discipling them o The teaching aspect clarifies the mind and will of God as found in the Bible so that people can gain wisdom and unders...
Aug 01, 2023•2 hr 20 min
Dr. Ryan and Dr. Matt discuss Matt's doctoral studies journey and the dissertation process at Covenant Theological Seminary for THD and PHD degrees.
Jul 22, 2023•57 min
Note: We are testing out some new equipment in this episode so please forgive some of the audio and video issue at the beginning. The audio clears up around 28:00. Thanks! Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt are joined by their friend Sam D'Alie, a CTS student, in this episode to talk about evangelism in the 5 fold giftings. Eph 4:11-13 Recap • These are functions and not offices. They are gifts not “roles” • The scope of this text is about the equipping of the body. It is zoomed in on gifts that equip b...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 50 min
Dr. Will Ryan and Dr. Matt Mouzakis interview Dr. Carmen Imes on her new book Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters. Follow Dr. Imes: https://www.youtube.com/@CarmenJoyImesPhD/videos
Jun 27, 2023•55 min
Pastor Matthew Stevenson and Dr Matt Mouzakis Language of Complementarian See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2015/03/02/revisionist-history-on-the-term-complementarian/ and https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/genesis-confusion/ for a summary of the history of the language surrounding this issue. 1 Tim 2:11-14 Matt M. misspoke about the parsing of the greek tense of epitrepo (I do not permit). The tense is present active indicative. The reason behind the interpretation of “at this...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 35 min
Foretelling or Forthtelling? Foretelling · This is the common wester view of prophecy. It’s usually about predicting the future. It’s all about telling future events. o Even when dealing with future events, often it was about what would happen if Israel didn’t turn back to God. Much of forthtelling conditional. · When we examine the prophetic writings in scripture we see that the vast majority of all prophecy is directed at the present and not at the future… It’s not foretelling- it’s forthtelli...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 44 min
James 5 James 5:1-6 James begins with a scathing reprimand against the rich in his congregation for trusting in their possessions. James continues his message to the rich from chapter 4 and tells them to weep and wail over their riches. “in these last days you have stored up your treasure” Last days was a common way to talk about the time after Jesus rose from the dead. (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; 2 Pet. 3:3; 1 John 2:18; Jude 18 all use “last days” to talk about their present day.) Worker...
Mar 18, 2023•55 min
James 4 James 4:1-12 is an extension of James 3:13-18. James is addressing the zealot and revolutionary mindset in the church which is framed as wisdom from below which is worldly, demonic, and natural (fleshly). Rather than the wisdom from above which is about peacemaking. Friendship with the world (v1-5) Fighting vs. peacemaking The point is that God will not share his people with the world. He expect them also to be faithful and not adulterous with the world systems. Going after the things of...
Mar 17, 2023•43 min
James 3 connects to the theme of wisdom in James 1:5-8 of seeking wisdom and not being double minded, James 1:19 speaking of wisdom as being slow to speak, and the expansion of it in James 1:26 where James talks about the tongue and the one who does not bridle it having worthless religion because his heart is deceived.
Feb 02, 2023•51 min
https://www.nokingbutchristnetwork.com The network of Christian media makers proclaiming that there is no king but Christ Jesus. A hub of content to help you draw closer to Him through exploring what it is to proclaim Jesus alone as king over your life. The Bad Roman https://www.youtube.com/@thebadroman9938 https://www.thebadroman.com https://open.spotify.com/show/7cTGH924R62n6pheR9Nesd?si=4946e2f26595496d Rival Nations https://www.rivalnations.org Expedition 44 https://expedition44.com...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 1 min
James expands on James 1:9-11 here and deals with the sin of favoritism. Favoritism (prosopolempsia) literally means to “lift up face” or to “receive face”. It describes the basis of receiving someone based on external appearance. It’s also interesting to note that 2:1 is the last time we see Jesus mentioned in this epistle. The big idea here is that our faith leads us to not treat certain people better than others. In the rest of this chapter James will get at faith and actions of love be...
Jan 21, 2023•1 hr 38 min
James 1 3 main points of the letter which fall under the Law of liberty/Royal Law · How to face trials (and their purpose) · Wisdom from above (not the World) · Love for brothers and sisters (speak in love, care for the poor, no favoritism or hierarchy) 1:2-4 Joy Purpose of trials Perfection. This is not moral perfection (watch our perfection episode). This is about wholeness. The word here is teleios- the goal. In a sacrificial context it’s something fit to offer to God. Completeness. Becoming ...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 23 min
James Intro (1:1) The Epistle of James has had a controversial history. It had a hard fight to get into the cannon of scripture especially in the west. · The Latin speaking church fathers never mention it until the 4th century · James is absent from the Muratorian Canon (170 AD), which was the first list of NT books we have in the West · James seemed to be a late addition in the Western Christian church The Greeks in the East accepted James early. · Origen was the first to quote it in the 200s a...
Jan 02, 2023•51 min
Doc Ryan and Matt Mouzakis with Expedition 44 Over the next few episodes, we’ll be diving into 5 gifts that many call the 5-fold ministry or 5-fold giftings. There are traditions that take these 5 (APEST-Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd/Pastor, Teacher) as offices in Ephesians 4:11. This is difficult to support in the context of the passage where Christ is giving gifts to his church. What is an Apostle? · Apostle simply means “sent one”. They were ambassadors or emissaries who carried teac...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 39 min
Dr. Ryan and Matt interview Michael Gaddy on Christianity and the Constitution. Michael Gaddy formerly worked in national intelligence and with source documents in the national archives related to the founding of the United States. He is a walking history book and has a passion for teaching real history based on the facts of these source documents. Much of the content of this interview will challenge the narrative of what you were taught in history class in school.
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 22 min
A fascinating look at what will increase spiritual power in your life and ministry. In 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, best-selling author Frank Viola lays out the unchanging principles of tapping into God’s power and releasing it to serve others. These laws (principles) are based on over thirty years of ministry experience—trench-tested in Frank’s life and the lives of others who have spent decades in ministry. Though these laws may seem counterintuitive and uncommon, they will equip you to look fo...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 2 min
The Worship Space and History of Ecclesial Hierarchy It is a historical fact that churches met in houses up and met in circles (or squares) face to face until the Constantinian shift. Following this entanglement and merge we see churches beginning to meet in buildings that were very similar to the pagan temples if not repurposing the pagan temples. A lot of our thoughts of leadership and church rule derives from a stage and positions of prominence based on the basilica format of the church build...
Oct 30, 2022•2 hr 22 min
INTRODUCTION – Election day is NOV 8 (less than a month away) • “AMERICAN CONVERSATION” Apology to the 25% of our international viewers • “Should Christians vote or be involved in politics?” Questions like these evoke very strong opinions from people as some people feel Christian involvement constitutes spiritual harlotry, while others see it as their moral duty to be “salt and light”. • the Bible doesn’t give direct exegetical answers to these questions that are good for every situation over th...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 28 min
This series will be looking at the concepts a church leadership and then what many people consider to be the “offices” that comprise that leadership structure. But the glaring question we need to ask is “Are these offices or simply people using their god given gifts?” Today’s leadership structures in the church are based on the contemporary hierarchical and positional mindset. By contrast we would believe that the New Testament vision is that of a functional mindset. Positional thinking is hung ...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 20 min
Why we are not dispensational: • Dispensationalism promotes escapism which hinders discipleship in the present because the goal is to escape the earth. If Christ’s goal is to be his body on earth why would he want us to escape it and if he is the pattern and his pattern was suffering leading to victory then the dispensational interpretation is opposite of the pattern of Christ. If a true disciple looks like Jesus then we are called to endure to the end not escape, this actually builds our faith ...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 8 min
