Explore every episode of the podcast NESGT

In this final session of the module Jeremy McQuoid points up the major 'movements' and 'ideologies' which have dominated the spiritual landscape of the last 120 years, from the growth and spread of Pentecostalism, through the rise and repercussions of Nazism, to the present-day ecumenical movement in its various expressions and the shift in the church's 'centre of gravity' to the global south.

In this penultimate session of the module, Jeremy McQuoid examines first the reasons for the growth of 'liberalism', the attack which this represented on historic Christianity and the various ways in which the church responded to it: he then works through the rise and ramifications of communism, before considering both the importance and hazards of the growing social activism which found various expression.

Jeremy McQuoid leads you through three hugely significant 'movements' each of which has profoundly shaped the history of the western world. First, the 'Enlightenment' with the shift in philosophy from a reliance on revelation to a confidence in reason: then the 'Great Awakening', that extraordinary period of unparalleled revival in the 18th century: and finally the French Revolution, with its repercussions in political thought, and the church's response to it.

In this 'rapid-fire' and comprehensive overview of one of the most significant periods in church history, Jeremy McQuoid gives you an illuminating and typically challenging introduction to the Reformation. You'll meet the down-to-earth 'luminaries' through whom people and nations were transformed by the Spirit of God: and you'll discover the lasting legacy which the Reformation brought.

Jeremy McQuoid navigates you through the difficult terrain of the 'Middle Ages' - and doesn't duck the challenges of this period for the church today! He explores both the emergence of 'Christendom' and the rise of Islam; explains both the factors which led to the series of 'Crusades' and the reasons behind the creation of centres of learning; and charts both the decline of the papacy and the precursors to what would become the great 'Reformation'.

In this third session of the module Jeremy McQuoid explains something of the impact and repercussions of the Christian faith becoming the 'official' religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. Relating it always, with no small challenge, to the life of the church today, he gives the background to the formulation of the creeds, the reasons for the rise of monasticism,  the beginnings of the Papacy, and the coming of Christianity to Britain.

Jeremy McQuoid highlights the key events, the key players and the key issues in the early centuries of the church, each of which proved pivotal to the growth and expansion of the church - not only numerically and geographically, but in terms of the development of church government, the articulation of Christian doctrine and the formation of the 'canon' of Scripture, all against the backdrop of severe persecution and recurring heresy.

Jeremy McQuoid starts this new module by explaining, first, the many reasons why the study of Church History is so important, before plunging you straight into the remarkable story of the rapid spread of the gospel and the extraordinary and continuing growth of Christ's church. This first session gives you a snapshot of the world into which Jesus was born, highlights the key ways in which foundations were laid that would issue in the explosive growth of the church, and looks at the 'extra-biblical' testimony to the ministry of Jesus.

In this final session Jerry shows how Luke climaxes his lengthy narrative by highlighting what the 'Messiahship' of Jesus means and how by His death in our place the King has now begun to undo the damage which sin has caused. With the resurrection of Jesus a new day has dawned and the downward vortex of sin has been wonderfully reversed!

The message of Jesus centred on the kingdom of God. In this session Jerry shows how Luke, in moving his narrative towards its conclusion, brings to the fore this central theme in the message of Jesus, and makes it clear that the King, who'd been promised for so long, has finally come - and that the King who's finally come will come again!

The ministry of Jesus centred on the kingdom of God, and in this fifth session Jerry explains how Luke's carefully ordered narrative pulls together three key perspectives on the kingdom of God, each centred round a pivotal miracle and each using a series of parables to drive home the thrilling truths which lie at its heart.

Jerry leads you through the first part of what's commonly referred to as Luke's "travel narrative": Jesus travels from Galilee in northern Israel to Jerusalem in the south - and in so doing deliberately passes through Samaria. His mission as the 'true Man' will see His disciples going out to fill the earth with God's message and God's rule - and in many ways the journey through Samaria is a'dress rehearsal' for them.

Jerry explains how this third section of Luke's gospel follows the previous section, with the concentration on 7 miracles here underlining the authority of Jesus - which is the central thrust of this next part of Luke's gospel. Jesus is the 'true Man' who has come to exercise the rule of God, through the Word of God, by the power of the Spirit of God: and the miracles are a key way in which He is 'accredited' as such by God.

The Manifesto
Luke 4:1 - 6:49

Jerry leads you through this second section of Luke’s gospel and shows how Luke portrays Jesus as the ‘true Man’, clear in His calling to do what the first man, Adam, so signally failed to do – namely to exercise the rule of God through the Word of God, in the power of the Spirit of God.

The Man
Luke 1:5 - 3:38
Jerry Middleton works through the first major section of Luke's account of the life and ministry of Jesus, explaining how Luke carefully introduces Jesus as 'the Man' - the Man who has come to do what the first man, Adam, so signally failed to do (namely to exercise the rule of God through the release of the word of God), and thereby start a new humanity.

Duncan Ryan rounds off this module with a session which examines what the Reformers taught in respect to the Christian life: in so doing he shows how committed they were to giving the law of God its rightful place in the life of faith, and to insisting that Christians are called into rather than out of the world.

Duncan Ryan works through the Reformers' teaching on the crucial theme of the church as the body through whom the Lord Jesus, by His Holy Spirit, continues to move forward His work, and highlights the careful balance in the Reformers' perspective.

Duncan Ryan builds on the previous session (about the believer's union with Christ) to expound the Reformers' teaching on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, with particular reference to the works of John Owen and John Calvin

Duncan Ryan works through the key doctrine of the believer's union with Christ, showing how the Reformers highlighted the significance of Jesus becoming 'one of us', and the implications of our being made 'one with Him'. 

Duncan Ryan explores the Reformers' exposition of the Biblical doctrine of justification, and explains why they were so adamant in insisting that it is only by grace, through faith, and in Christ, that a person is justified.

Duncan Ryan picks up another key issue addressed by the Reformers which remains so critical today - the human condition. How are we to understand our humanity? The Reformers were ruthless in exposing the inherently sinful nature of humanity.

Duncan Ryan (Banchory Christian Fellowship Church) introduces this module by working through one of the permanently key issues addressed by the Reformers - that of authority

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? Andy Bannister points to some of the key differences and shows how they can be great bridges in evangelism

A panel discussion on sharing the gospel in today's society

In this engaging introduction to apologetics Andy Bannister explains how to share your faith without looking like an idiot

Jeremy McQuoid introduces 'apologetics' in this seminar, explaining why that term is used, what it means, and how pervasive it is through the Bible. He also illustrates how important a ministry this has been down through the course of church history, referencing some of the great 'apologists' of the Christian faith over the centuries, before concluding with a couple of helpful 'case studies'.

God’s salvation gives us not only security but significance – we are saved to serve! It’s no coincidence, therefore, that this letter, which sets out so fully God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, should culminate in a section about ministry. Jerry shows how Paul’s description of his own ministry informs our understanding of that ministry of Jesus Himself in which every believer is now privileged to share.

How do you respond to the great mercy shown towards by. God in Jesus Christ? That's the question picked up in this next lengthy section of the letter. Paul's answer is simple. We respond in love. We love because He first loved us. Jerry shows how Paul here sets out for his readers the seven primary ways in which this love will find expression in the lives of believers.

The Jews' rejection of the Christ promised to them raises all sorts of questions, which these three important chapters in the letter to the Romans address. Jerry walks you through Paul's carefully argued analysis of the situation, which sets the finished work of Jesus against the broad canvas of God's eternal purpose and shows how, through His sovereign and merciful dealings with Jews and Gentiles, alike God reveals His glory.

In this one remarkable chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, the apostle sets out comprehensibly the freedom which believers now enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Freedom is in many respects the core component of the salvation God has effected for us in Christ, and Jerry spends the session working through Romans 8 and setting out the rich experience of freedom which God means us to enjoy through the ministry of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

Duncan Ryan rounds off the second study block on The integrity of Christian worship with this seminar.

What Paul has taught in the first 5 chapters of the letter invariably raises two important questions, each of which relates to the issue of sin in the lives of believers. In this session Jerry explains what those issues are and how Paul addresses each of them in turn. He shows how Paul addresses the first question (doesn't a gospel of pure grace give the green light to sin in our lives?) theologically (Rom.6); and then how Paul addresses the second question (if sin's power has been broken how come believers keep on sinning so easily and often?) from a much more pastoral perspective.

Having established that God’s salvation is a gift, consisting in a ‘righteousness’ which has been effected for us and given to us, in this next section of his letter Paul explains the way in which that gift of salvation is received – through the exercise of faith. Jerry works through Paul’s teaching and shows how Paul is careful to insist that this faith involves both believing the promise of God, and believing into the Person of Christ, thereby enjoying a whole new relationship with God.

In the first part of this session Jerry works through Paul’s masterful and comprehensive analysis of the human condition, in which the full gravity of our predicament before the holy God is seen for what it is; in the second part of the session, he shows how Paul’s concern in underlining the wretchedness of the human condition is to highlight the sheer wonder and complete sufficiency of God’s grace in Jesus.

Jerry works through the opening section of Romans and explains how Paul carefully sets out how the gospel is to be understood as a promise, a Person, and a people (vv.1-7); in the second part of the session, with reference to Jonathan Edwards' work, A Treatise on Religious Affections, he shows how Paul himself illustrates the powerful and significant ways in which the gospel affects an individual.

In this final session of the module, David expands further on the theme of desire from the previous session and sets it in the context of the element of mystery which is a key theme of the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’: using the book of Job as his basic text he shows how an integral part of the wisdom we are to learn involves what he calls ‘a long journey to the right kind of ignorance’.

The ‘Wisdom Literature’ of the Bible provides crucial instruction on the important issue of desire. Working from Proverbs 5-7 and Song of Songs 1, with great pastoral sensitivity and with his customary practical application, David Gibson shows how the Bible’s ‘erotic’ literature differs so markedly from the world’s pornography, and how it highlights the way in which desire can become crippling if handled wrongly but life-enriching when handled rightly.

In this final study centred on the book of Ecclesiastes (sessions 6 and 7 focus on Song of Solomon and Job), David shows how the whole book is intent on helping us ‘learn to live by preparing to die’. In a session which for many may prove to be truly life-changing, with constant reference back to passages in Ecclesiastes he explains what it is to pursue joy in gratitude and to pursue life in relationship.

David explains how the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us to see that death is both a ‘surgeon’ and a ‘preacher’ (‘the coffin preaches better sermons than the cot’). He shows with great pastoral sensitivity how the book of Ecclesiastes is bookended by graphic portrayals of death, and how these brief poetic masterpieces encourage and enable us to live life to the full.

David continues to guide us through Wisdom Literature using the book of Ecclesiastes to look at time

Week 2 of the module sees David focussing on the prologue and epilogue to the book of Ecclesiastes. He shows how this remarkable book of the Bible helps us adopt a true perspective: he offers four helpful ‘keys’ to understanding the book, and then highlights four main emphases in the book.

In this first session, David Gibson introduces the Bible’s ‘Wisdom Literature’, explaining why it’s purpose is to help you live what he describes as the ‘limited’ life, and posing the challenging question – ‘what if the best way to change your life is to change your death?’ Chock-full of illustrations, quotes, and practical application, this opening session will whet your appetite for more!

In this final session of the module, Duncan takes you to what’s sometimes called the ‘hymnbook’ of the early church. He shows how carefully structured the psalter is and works through the different ‘types’ of psalms which the five books comprise: he explains the various forms of ‘parallelism’ which constitute the essence of Hebrew poetry, and shows how this informs your understanding. Psalms 1 and 2 are looked at in some detail on the basis that they provide the doorway to a proper and fruitful understanding of all the psalms which follow.

Duncan introduces the prophets and the ministry which they exercised. They were essentially, he explains, ‘preachers’, speaking God’s message directly into a particular time and context. It’s important, therefore, to be aware of that context, to understand the use they made of imagery, and to recognise both the function and purpose of their ministry. This session will help you the better to study this genre of Scripture material.

Duncan focusses on the gospels, explains the distinctive of each one and setting out some key principles in the reading and study of the gospels: using illustrations from the gospels themselves he identifies different components of the gospel records and shows how each is best addressed.

Duncan explains how Old Testament narrative is the record of how God has acted in history, and shows how it is to be read and understood – in a way that is always God-centred, that ties individual narratives to the ‘grand narrative’ of the story of God’s work of redemption, and that points forwards always to what, in the fulness of time, God would effect for us in and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Duncan takes the lessons from the previous session (on ‘context’) and shows how these work out when handling the Letters of the New Testament: he identifies the six regular components of these letters, explains how the letters are helpfully understood as but one side of a conversation, and through a series of practical examples illustrates how we best benefit from the teaching which these letters provide.

Duncan Ryan talks you through the importance of context, explaining why context has to be king, and, with a series of helpful illustrations, showing what that means in the way Bible passages are to be handled.

Duncan Ryan starts this module by explaining why the Bible is both dangerous and yet, when rightly handled, truly dynamic! In answer to the crucial opening question, ‘What is the Bible?’ he sets out six important truths you need to know, explains the distinctions between, and the value of, different translations, and explores (with some helpful examples) how you establish the meaning of any passage in the Bible.

In this final session of the module Jeremy McQuoid works through some of the key letters of the New Testament, showing their continuing relevance to Christians today, before providing a brief introduction to, and outline of, the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.