New Churches Podcast | Season 1 | Episode 778

Essential Christianity

Tony Merida & J.D. Greear

Episode 778

Host Tony Merida chats with pastor, author, and long-time ministry partner J.D. Greear to discuss the basics of the Christian faith in an age of deconstruction, as gleaned through the New Testament book of Romans. Tune in to discover the power of the gospel alive in the Word—and in the lives of God’s people—still today.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

  • Romans’ framework for relevant essentials of the Christian faith today
  • How to address questions of the 21st century, just as Paul did for the early church
  • Ways to dissect Christian culture from the essence of true Christianity
  • What social media takes from our in-person relational opportunities
  • How understanding the basics of the faith equips us to live on mission

Helpful Resources:

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

Deconstruction understood from one angle is not altogether a bad thing if you’re trying to separate some of the artificial constructs built into Christianity. — J.D. Greear

Paul wants the gospel to saturate every aspect of the Roman church’s being so that it’s not just a book about personal salvation, but also a book about community and mission. — Tony Merida

There is still this ancient power in the gospel that is not found through clever illustrations and cultural trendiness. Romans is just putting on display the raw power of the gospel. — J.D. Greear

Social media is not a great place for deep dialogue, especially about emotional concepts. Making disciples is a life-on-life thing, not an instant messenger thing. — J.D. Greear

What people don’t realize is that for every one conversation I tell you about, there were nine that crashed and burned and were just awkward. But you have to be out there with your radar on saying, “God, what are you doing around me? And where am I supposed to put Your Word into the places, questions, and needs I see?” — J.D. Greear

Published on October 17, 2023

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About the Podcast

New Churches Podcast

The New Churches podcast offers practical answers to your real ministry questions. We aren’t going to provide lofty pie-in-the-sky theories. Instead, we are going to help you in your real ministry context, with your real thoughts, questions, and issues.

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Meet the Authors

Tony Merida

Vice President, Planter Development Send Network

Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C, and is the Vice President of Planter Development for Send Network. He also serves as a Board member for The Gospel Coalition. Tony has written several books including, The Christ-Centered Expositor, Love Your Church, and multiple volumes in the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series. He’s happily married to Kimberly, and they have five children.

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J.D. Greear

J. D. Greear is the pastor of The Summit Church, in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Under Pastor J. D.’s leadership, the Summit has grown from a plateaued church of 300 to one of over 10,000, making it one of Outreach magazine’s “top 25 fastest-growing churches in America” for many years running. He has authored several books, including Essential Christianity: The Heart of the Gospel in Ten Words (2023), Just Ask: The Joy of Confident, Bold, Patient, Relentless, Shameless, Dependent, Grateful, Powerful, Expectant Prayer (2021), and What Are You Going to Do With Your Life? (2020).

More Resources from J.D.
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