In a desperation for food, Ruth decides to glean in the fields of Bethlehem. Not knowing where she is going, she “just so happened” to find herself in the fields of Boaz. This miraculous meeting becomes the avenue for God to showcase His lovingkindness (hesed) to Ruth and Naomi, providing far more than they could ever have hoped or imagined. In this study of Ruth 2:1–23, we discover that even when it feels that God is distant or not doing anything, He IS at work and He has not forgotten...

There are two particular behaviors that are strangely missing in many Christian lifestyle patterns today. The first is sharing the Gospel with the lost. And the second is sharing one’s resources and time with the poor and needy. For many in the Western Christian culture, these behavioral functions (though theologically highly esteemed) have been relegated to an almost mythical fictitious status—as if they are something to intellectually believe are correct but are not practically expected to...

Difficulties and uncertainty often arise in our lives when we least expect it. The question we must answer in such moments is not “why” but “how”…“how does God want to use this challenge in my life?” In this study from Ruth 1:3–22, we discover that Naomi’s life is at rock bottom, her life is practically over—and sadly, she blames her bitterness on God. Yet amidst the story, we find beautiful hope in Ruth the Moabitess. Join Nathan as we explore this stirring story from Ruth 1 and what it...

The Body of Christ is uniquely designed as a purging agent of cultural fungus. But to effectively wipe out the demonic ideas and the sinful societal fog of the hour, the Church needs to do its cleansing work in accordance with the Christ pattern. And this involves a two-handed approach to the work of rescue and resuscitation. In other words, both the right and left hands are needed to carry out the job. The head and heart are both essential and mustn’t be disconnected. And truth and mercy...

As we begin our eight-part study in the book of Ruth, it is necessary to zoom out and examine the book from a 10,000 foot view—who wrote the book, how is it structured, where is it placed in Scripture, etc. These broad sweeping strokes help us set the stage to see the focus and major themes of the book—primarily, the redemption and lovingkindness of our God. Moreover, in order to properly understand this little gem of Scripture, we need to be acquainted with three key tensions that appear at...

William Wilberforce is one of those rare men in history that lived life as God intended life to be lived. He boldly acted on behalf of Truth—risking his life, forsaking his comforts, and letting go of his reputation—and, therefore, altered the course of world-history. Many men of antiquity can clearly be deemed culpable for the downward trajectory of nations, but few men in history can actually be pinpointed to have turned their entire culture in the direction of God. William Wilberforce is...

In this special episode, Eric Ludy and Nathan Johnson discuss their two new series launching November 5 … and give some encouragement to believers as the election in America approaches.

This is the thirty-fourth and final installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from The Times of Nero. In this episode he explores the strange and bewildering happenings of the 17th of Tammuz in the year 70 AD. On this day, in the midst of the Roman’s siege on the city of Jerusalem, the priests came down to their final lamb to sacrifice in the daily temple sacrificial ritual. The Jews still remember this difficult day nearly two thousand years later. 

This is the thirty-third installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he does a deep dive into the extraordinary story of the Jewish historian, Josephus. The first-century writings of Josephus hold a weighty position in Christian history, for they offer us a unique perspective into the climate surrounding first century Christianity and also showcase the startling fulfillment of the very words of Christ spoken to His disciples prior to His...

One of the wonders of the Gospel is that it not only saves you but it empowers and emboldens you to share the Gospel with others. As Christians, we are to be proclaimers of the Gospel with our lives and with our lips—we are missionaries wherever we are and with everyone we meet. In this final study of the Grand and Glorious Gospel, Nathan talks about embracing Jesus’ mission as our commission and what it means for our lives to declare the superlative news of Jesus Christ.

This is the thirty-second installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he demonstrates how God always supplies space for repentance. He is not quick to judge, but, in fact, is shockingly merciful—desirous that men would repent and turn from their wickedness and believe. For forty year from the Cross to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit was mercifully entreating the unbelieving Jews to wake up, repent, and believe upon Jesus. 

This is the thirty-first installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Times of Nero. In this episode he dives into the real recorded history of Rome, Judea, and the Church during this period between 64 and 70 AD and then matches it with Christ’s Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation. It is an awe-inspiring fit. No matter your persuasion toward eschatology (the study of the End), it is always complimentary to the development of healthy conclusions to know what has...

The superlative news about Jesus and the Cross (the Gospel) is that God has an ongoing work in you to bring you to the point of completion, perfection, and wholeness. This process of sanctification is necessary to conform us to the image of Christ and produce godliness and Christlikeness within and through our lives. In this study, Nathan returns to the concept of holiness and sanctification to discuss its finishing work in our lives.

This is the thirtieth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the inexplicable increase in earthquakes that filled the time of history between the Cross and the destruction of the Jerusalem in 70 AD. This 40-year period showcases the remarkable way that God cares for His own amid a time of judgment.

This is the twenty-ninth installment in Eric’s series entitled, Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he dives into the strange history of false messiahs that came flooding into Judea after the Jews rejected the true Messiah. The same profound spiritual vacuum, that plagued first century Judaism, is always created when Jesus is resisted—and it’s true in our lives, as well.  

Humanity was created to be the image-bearer of the Living God. And because of the power of the Gospel through the Cross of Christ, we have been restored to how we were intended to live: bearing the image of Jesus Christ so our world might know Him. In this study, we examine the concept of image throughout Scripture, what it means to “bear His Name,” and discover the incredible privilege to reflect Christ to our world.

This is the twenty-eighth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Times of Nero. In this episode he attempts to do something that most Christians don’t believe can be done—juggle four vantage points on the Book of Revelation simultaneously. You will need to be the judge as to whether or not he succeeded. 

This is the twenty-seventh installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the profound life and death of the Apostle Peter. When danger surfaces the average human runs the other way—wanting to get as far away from it as possible. This makes Peter’s decision in 64 AD to courageously head back into Christian-killing Rome instead of run away from it, a remarkable choice. Peter’s subsequent death at the hands of Nero instructs us two...

The Gospel provides security and safety in Jesus Christ, our salvation. Amidst the spiritual battle we are in, we are told to stand strong, put on armor, to walk in victory and triumph. But how? In this study, Nathan Johnson examines the armor of God in Ephesians 6 and shows that Jesus is the person and place of our triumph … He is our refuge and fortress. In short, Jesus is the armor we are clothed within.

This is the twenty-sixth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he does the unthinkable. He does a four hundred foot dive into the shark-filled kiddy pool and . . . we still aren’t sure if he survived. Dating the Book of Revelation has been a long held debate in the Church and the reason it is contentious is due to the fact that the two varying camps support their vastly different conclusions based on the supposed date in which it was...

This is the twenty-fifth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explores the “seemingly unimportant” territory of dating the books of the New Testament. Most people would say, “It doesn’t really matter to me when it was written.” And in a certain sense, it’s true. Someone can believe the words of Scripture and believe that the work of Christ on their behalf is sufficient to save them whether the words were written in 40 AD, 400 AD, or...

The Gospel comes with a free gym membership! Amidst the trials, struggles, challenges, and difficulties of life, God desires to flip them and use them as weights in your spiritual life to build greater soul muscle and increase your faith. He doesn’t always remove the hardships, but He will leverage everything in your life for His purpose and plan to ultimately glorify Jesus and conform you to His image. In this study, Nathan talks about the test of faith and why you should see difficulty in...

This is the twenty-fourth installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he demonstrates the propensity we have as believers to interpret the Scriptures and the events of history through the lens of our convictions. Whereas, this is not bad in itself, there is a propensity we all have to force fit Scripture into our mold rather than to conform our mold around Scripture. Using the example of Christ’s date of death on the Cross, Eric demonstrates...

This is the twenty-third installment in Eric’s series entitled Spiritual Lessons from the Time of Nero. In this episode he explains the profound idea of historical parallels in Scripture, where an event in the Old Testament reoccurs centuries later (sometimes thousands of years later) but in a different more extraordinary way that demonstrates Jesus Christ. In addition to discussing various historical parallels revealed in the Text of Scripture, Eric dives deep into paralleling two particular...