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This is part two of a three-part series Dr. John Gerstner, long-time professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, gave at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church in 1984 on the riches of John 3:16.

In this episode, Dr. Gerstner discusses the need for apologetics, the insult that is evangelism, the condemnation that can come through missions, and how the road to hell is paved with pluralism, gentility, and tolerance.

Dr. Gerstner reminds us that we were there when the Son was crucified. Except He wasn’t our Lord then. He was our enemy. And we weren’t over on the sidelines crying. We were driving the nails, slaughtering Him, committing the crime.

And “God had no obligation to you or to me to present the gospel. We were fit for damnation. Nevertheless, He sent His one and only Son to perish for us.”

Welcome to another episode of The Parrhesian Podcast!

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“I told my doctor he was counting my heart rate incorrectly.”

You ever heard that before?

Yeah, me neither.

People who know, know, and we trust them.

“It’s all about perception.” “Your church is unhealthy.” “We’re just trying to help.”

You ever heard that before?

Yeah, me, too. All the time.

People who don’t know are always vying for your ear.

What does it mean that a church is healthy? What does it look like for it to be sick? When it’s sick, is it flatlining, or does it just need a few days to recover? Does it still have the power of Jesus in its blood? Is it just malnourished, famished, or parched?

In this episode, Peter, Pastor Nate, and Kyle talk about how we measure church health and vitality. Our Triune God likes lines and numbers, but are the lines we are drawing and the math we are doing consistent with His? How do our evaluative measures measure up to His? Maybe our scientific ruler is way sharper or shorter than His?

Perhaps lot of numbers aren’t always a sign of health or strength. One doesn’t seem very much to us, but that’s all it took for a Savior to accomplish redemption. Twelve doesn’t seem like very much, but that’s all it took to spread the gospel across the globe.

Maybe death is actually life.

Welcome to another episode of The Parrhesians Podcast!

https://theparrhesians.com/

Send us a text

In this three-part series, recorded at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church in 1984, Dr. John Gerstner explores the depths of the riches of John 3:16.

But, Dr. Gerstner asserts that this "golden text" of scripture is oft misunderstood. To avoid misunderstanding, we need the whole context.

That's why Dr. Gerstner starts at the end of the story where Jesus answers the "why" question. Why did Jesus come into the world? He came because this is a perishing world.

Dr. Gerstner was a long-time professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, mentor to R.C. Sproul, and a straight shooter. His words were parrhesian then, and they are no less bold today.

https://theparrhesians.com/