Agnew Road Baptist Church Podcast

Revelation teaches us that Jesus Christ deserves and demands all worship because He possesses all authority. We see this truth through four sub-themes: the authority of Christ, the object of worship, the judgment of sinners, and the response of believers.

Daniel is a diverse book of narratives and visions but has a single message: God controls all human history. God shows His control through His character, servants, and deliverance. We ought to respond in humble prayer. 

It is true that "Zekiel saw de wheel." But he also saw much more than that. Ezekiel saw God's glory as God reveals Himself through word and action, judges sin justly with war and captivity, and restores based on His character and through His Messiah. 

Zechariah may seem complicated with all the visions and prophecies, but his message is very simple: God gives hope. Zechariah shows us what we cannot see or have yet to see in order to encourage us to trust the LORD of Hosts whose Messiah will bring deliverance and peace. 

Peter and Jude wrote their epistles to believers who could see a storm of persecution coming. In face of these coming trials, many believers were growing restless and vulnerable to false teaching, Peter and Jude share a common theme through their three epistles: Stand firm!

Hebrews is a fascinating epistle filled with Old Testament quotations and allusions. Its author and specific audience are unknown. But these unknowns do not change the message: Live by faith. Hebrews was written to encourage believers to endure in their pursuit of Christ as they navigate spiritual and physical dangers.

1 & 2 Thessalonians talk much about future events, but Paul was not just informing the church about the future. Meditating on Christ's return ought to bring us comfort rather than worry and ought to promote holiness rather than laziness. 

Paul packed these epistles with doctrine and application. Yet we spend only a few days in them during our reading schedule. However, we can better understand each book when we understand Paul's history (or lack thereof) with each church and purpose for writing. 

Do you want to "listen" to the Book of Job in under 11 minutes? Well, here's your chance!

Job can be a difficult book to understand, especially as you read through the 35 chapters that record Job and his friends talking. In this podcast, several of our church members lend their voices to read summaries of each chapter in Job. These summaries hit the key points so that you can see the big picture and better understand the details as you read through the Book of Job.

Special thanks for Beth Lacy, Mike Bidwell, Joel Garbutt, and John Murray.  

The messages of Haggai and Malachi are some of the most applicable of the Minor Prophets to the New Testament believer even though these men wrote 400-500 years before Christ was born. Their audience, Jews after the exile,  no longer struggled with idolatry but now struggled to maintain a true relationship with God. They had the outward form of religion without the inward desire to love and seek God. Sound familiar? 

Micah teaches us about God's judgement for and forgiveness of sin through three cycles of sermons. Each cycle begins with judgment but ends with forgiveness and restoration. Habakkuk also teaches of God's judgment as it calls God's people to trust and joy in the just God regardless the situation. 

Both Jonah and Nahum give messages to the city of Nineveh but in very different ways. First, Jonah records the compassion that God shows to even the most undeserving people. Second and over 100 years later, Nahum warns of God's zealous judgment on Nineveh for the Assyrian's sins against God's people.

Joel, Obadiah, and Zephaniah ministered at different times to different people but share a common message: the Day of the LORD is coming! But has this Day of the LORD come or are we still expecting it to come (hint: it's a trick question)? In this podcast, we will overview the Day of the LORD and briefly look at how this day fits into the message of each of these Minor Prophets. 

You can summarize the themes of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth as unity (1 Corinthians) and ministry (2 Corinthians). Although those themes might be helpful, one of the best ways to understand Paul's message in these books  is to understand the city of Corinth. 

We must study the Song of Solomon for two reasons: to reaffirm the truth that all scripture is profitable for the believer's maturity (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and to discover what God intends for us to learn from the book. This book shows us the wisdom of God in His design of marriage. 

God is the hero and focus of the Book of Esther! He providentially protects His people by working through everyday details of life, working as His people make wise choices, and working to flip situations upside-down for the good of His people. 

Nehemiah is all about building wall, right? Yes and no. The wall mostly completed by the end of Nehemiah 4, but Nehemiah has thirteen chapters! The Book of Nehemiah teaches many lessons on restoration, human responsibility, and God's intervention. 

1 & 2 Chronicles might seem like deja vu, especially if you have recently read 1 & 2 Kings. Although the books do overlap in topic and time period, there are some distinct differences between Chronicles and Kings. When you understand those differences, you can better appreciate the key truth of Chronicles: God is faithful to His covenant throughout history!

Ecclesiastes is not vanity... even if it talks a whole lot about vanity. God gives us a divinely-inspired philosophy of life through the Book of Ecclesiastes. If we are to understand life below, we must understand what the God above says. 

Romans at last! While we may be familiar with the content of Romans, we will profit more by understanding the background and purpose to Romans. Paul wrote Romans to promote evangelism, foster unity, encourage growth in Christ, and give hope. 

Jeremiah's overall message is simple: God judges sin and promises salvation. But it can be challenging to read through all of the prophecies. As you read, consider what the passage says about God, God's people, God's judgment, and God's restoration. 

Man's only hope is God! This is the message of Jeremiah's lament over Judah's sin and destruction of Jerusalem.

Have you ever wondered why God recorded the story of the two she-bears and "bad boys of Bethel?" It seems like such a random way to conclude the chapter in which Elijah went up to heaven in the fiery chariot. The story of Bethel contrasts the story of Jericho in the same chapter. This was the original "Tale of Two Cities" (sorry, Dickens!). 

The Book of Acts shows us how God empowers and sends people to fulfill the Great Commission as it covers the first 30 years of church history. 

The Gospel of Luke shows us the humanity of the Jesus who came as the Savior of the world. Why do you think that God chose a gentile writer (Luke) to write a "discipleship book" to a gentile convert (Theophilus)? Listen and find out!

How would you respond if someone asked you "Who is Jesus?" I would probably say something like the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior, or the Lamb of God. How many of us would say "Jesus is the Servant of the Lord?" Let's look at that title of Jesus in Isaiah and discover why Servant of the Lord is an amazing title of Jesus. 

As you come across "Holy One of Israel" in Isaiah, have you ever thought to yourself "That's great name of God. Wonder what it means?" If you have, great! If not, o well... we are still going to talk about it!

The New Testament frequently quotes from Isaiah. Why? Isaiah presents a rich picture of who God is (holy, unique, sovereign) and how God plans to save all who trust in His Messiah but judge those who reject. 

God redeems sinners because of His steadfast love! Hosea's relationship with his wife, Gomer, provides a wonderful illustration for how God pursues in love those who have fallen in sin. 

Amos may not be the most important of the prophetic books or the first to be written, but Amos is the perfect book for us to see the four main themes that run through all the prophetic books: God, sin,  judgment, and hope. 

Have you ever noticed how many times John records Jesus saying "I AM"? Why do a podcast on these statements? First, it is important to understanding the Gospel of John. Second, this is how Jesus reveals Himself to us. He wants to be known as the door, the good shepherd, the bread.... Third, our youth reading plan goes through each of these statements.

God struck Nadab, Abihu, and Uzzah dead for violating His rules for worship. Why then was David and his men allowed to eat the tabernacle's shewbread that was reserved for the priests?

From the story of Hannah through the lists of David's mighty men, the Book of Samuel shows how God exalts the humble and humbles the proud. 

The Book of Ruth powerfully displays God's steadfast love as He providentially cares for His people. Although the book is brief, one can learn much from study what the book says about God, Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi. 

Judges is full of heroes and villains. But, it is hard at times to figure out who is the hero and who is the villain. God's faithfulness in the Book of Judges shines brightest in the darkness of Israel's spiritual condition. 

How are we supposed to make sense of God’s command to utterly destroy the Canaanites? 

Joshua presents a powerful two-part message: God fulfills His promises (part 1) through His people's obedience (part 2). Yes, God "gives" the Promised Land to Israel, but Israel must fight obediently to take it. 

The wise, the simple, the fool, and the scorner... Proverbs uses these characters to teach us how to live a wise and godly life before our God. 

The Gospel of Mark provides a brief and action packed view of the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah and Son of God who came to seek and save. In Mark, we see more of the humanity of Jesus than the other gospels while seeing our personal weaknesses reflected in the disciples. Why would Jesus call such faithless and flawed people to follow Him? 

In part two of this special edition of "Side Notes," Ian Ferguson joins the podcast again to conclude our conversation on the Life of Joshua. 

If you understand Deuteronomy, you will understand the rest of the Old Testament. God expects loving obedience from His covenantal people.  

The story of Balaam presents an amazing first in the Old Testament. No, it is not a talking donkey. Rather, it is the first time that God uses a pagan person to prophecy His truth. Have you ever paid attention to what Balaam said?

In this special edition of "Side Notes," Ian Ferguson sits down with Andrew to share some thoughts on the life of Joshua.  

Numbers 5 contains one of the more forgettable/confusing laws in the entire Old Testament. Let's dig into this passage briefly see how this passage is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). 

The Book of Numbers contains much more than numbers. Yes, it has lists, but it also has laws, narratives, and speeches. Numbers shows us how God faithfully guides and teaches His people despite their unfaithfulness. 

Do you like bacon? Well, I do. Why then did God give all of the dietary laws to Israel? Did He just not want them to have a delightful breakfast? 

When you read Matthew's genealogy, have you ever wondered why the New Testament had to start with a list of people? 

Matthew is the perfect climax of Old Testament prophecy as it bridges the gap between the testaments and portrays the Messiah as the King who came to save both Jew and Gentile

At the end of Exodus, God fulls the tabernacle with his presence. How can a sinful people live in the presence of a Holy God? Leviticus gives the solution: a relationship with the Holy God requires holiness. 

Have you ever read through the second half of Exodus and wondered why God inspired Moses to record so many details about the tabernacle? In this episode, we are looking at the Tabernacle in Exodus.