Groundwork: Biblical Foundations for Life-logo

Groundwork: Biblical Foundations for Life

Christian Talk

Groundwork is a half-hour conversation that digs deeply into Scripture, the foundation for our lives. Each week, pastors Dave Bast (president of Words of Hope) and Scott Hoezee (director of CEP at Calvin Seminary) cultivate our understanding of God's Word by unpacking the richness of the Bible and applying it with insight to today's world.

Location:

Holland, MI

Description:

Groundwork is a half-hour conversation that digs deeply into Scripture, the foundation for our lives. Each week, pastors Dave Bast (president of Words of Hope) and Scott Hoezee (director of CEP at Calvin Seminary) cultivate our understanding of God's Word by unpacking the richness of the Bible and applying it with insight to today's world.

Language:

English

Contact:

Groundwork c/o ReFrame Media 6555 West College Drive Palos Heights, IL 60463 800-879-6555


Episodes

The Complete Sufficiency of the Cross

3/15/2024
When something seems too good to be true, we might find ourselves raising an eyebrow, reading the fine print, and asking “what’s the catch?” But when it comes to salvation, there really is no catch and beyond having faith there is nothing else we need to do. When Christ died on the cross, he paid our debts in full. There is absolutely nothing we can add to his work to ensure our salvation. And yet, sometimes we subconsciously begin to believe that our actions matter for our salvation. During Lent, we pause to remember the truth of Christ’s work on the cross. We’ll study scriptures that help us remember why Christ’s sacrifice is completely sufficient to satisfy God’s wrath, and we’ll discuss how we can keep our fears at bay and keep the right perspective about our salvation and our deeds.

Duration:00:24:25

The Paradox of the Cross

3/8/2024
The cross is a paradox. By human standards, it shouldn’t make sense, it shouldn’t work, and yet, it does. In fact, it’s the greatest paradox—life from death, pardon from penalty, and justification from judgment. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame and defeat, believers of Jesus Christ find life in the cross. Studying the paradox of the cross in Scripture reminds us of the profound love of God. It reminds us how much God values and regards his relationship with us and that only Christ can accomplish the impossible. Join us as we explore how sometimes the life of faith contradicts the logic of this world and what it looks like to live in light of this paradox.

Duration:00:24:27

The Shame of the Cross

3/1/2024
Shame is a very raw, acute, and distressing feeling. We experience shame when we’re humiliated by our own sinful behavior. Jesus had no sin, yet he too knew shame— the shame of the cross. It’s another aspect of the cross that will help us comprehend the fullness of Jesus’ sacrifice. Together we’ll discuss the relationship between sin and shame in Scripture. We’ll study passages that help us revisit how Jesus experienced shame and unpack why it was necessary for our salvation.

Duration:00:24:26

The Curse of the Cross

2/23/2024
Crucifixion was a particularly gruesome way to die, but when Jesus died on the cross it wasn’t just gruesome, it was cursed. Seeking to understand the cursed nature of the cross leads us to make connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament, between our deep-seated guilt and the extreme cost Jesus paid to set us free. We were rightly cursed by God for our failure to keep his covenant, but Jesus became that curse to pay our debt. Join us as we study Scripture to better understand the meaning and implications of the curse of the cross and consider the implications for our lives of faith today.

Duration:00:24:38

Why Jesus Had to Die on a Cross

2/16/2024
Sometimes habits or traditions become so ingrained in our lives that we can go through the motions of them without spending much time reflecting on their meaning. Sometimes, it benefits us to slow down and once again ask, “why?” We’ll begin our Lenten series “The Cross of Jesus” by examining scriptures that help us answer the question, “Why did Jesus have to die on a cross?” Together, we’ll grow in our faith by seeking to understand what went wrong, recalling God’s covenant, and remembering God’s character and love so that we can better understand why Jesus Christ’s awful death was necessary.

Duration:00:24:34

Forgiveness

2/9/2024
Many of us are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. In it, Jesus taught his followers to pray, “...forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Through these powerful words, Jesus highlights the central importance of the virtue of forgiveness to the Christian life. However, saying we believe that forgiveness is important is a lot different than forgiving; most people would agree that true forgiveness can be quite difficult and often takes a lot of time and work. Join Groundwork as we dig into Scripture to better understand what it means to forgive, why we forgive, and what forgiveness requires of us. We’ll discuss real-life complications of forgiveness, the importance of recognizing forgiveness as a process, and useful steps for cultivating the virtue of forgiveness in our daily lives.

Duration:00:25:00

Truthfulness

2/2/2024
Most people would say it is wrong to lie and good to tell the truth. Yet, most people would also admit that at some time in their lives, they’ve told a lie. The apostle Paul identifies truthfulness as a defining virtue of a faithful believer. So, what does that mean for us imperfect followers of Jesus today? Join Groundwork as we study truth in the Bible and explore Scripture to discover what it means to be truthful and how it can shape our lives and faith. Together we’ll discuss the nature of God's truthfulness and explore the connection between truthfulness, integrity, and trust. We’ll also look at what we risk when we lie and how we can practically embody the Christlike virtue of truthfulness in everyday life.

Duration:00:25:00

Generosity

1/26/2024
The apostle Paul encourages Christ’s followers to be generous people. Yet, for many of us, generosity does not come naturally. In our human nature, we often feel resistant to giving very much of our time, talents, or money for the sake of others. Join Groundwork as we study Scripture to discover why generosity is an important virtue for Christ's followers to cultivate and what it means to be a generous person. We’ll discuss the generous character of God, the generosity of Jesus, and how we can lean into their abundant generosity so that it nurtures our own. Together, we’ll identify practical ways we can cultivate this important virtue in our everyday lives.

Duration:00:25:00

Thankfulness and Gratitude

1/19/2024
Why are thanksgiving and gratitude important virtues for Jesus' followers to cultivate? Join Groundwork as we explore the Scriptures to answer this question by defining thankfulness and gratitude and what it looks like to give expression to these essential virtues in our lives. Together, we’ll look at the connection between grace and thanks and ways we can nurture thankfulness and gratitude in our thoughts, prayers, and actions.

Duration:00:25:00

Humility

1/12/2024
We talk about humility in the church a lot, but what exactly does it look like? Is it possible to be proud of yourself and be humble? The Christlike virtue of humility is a root virtue from which many of the other virtues flow. Join Groundwork as we explore Scripture to discover the biblical understanding of humility, to identify what humility is not, and to witness and learn from how Christ demonstrated humility here on earth. Together, we’ll also discuss how we can live out Christlike humility in our everyday thoughts and actions today.

Duration:00:24:59

Compassion

1/5/2024
The Christlike virtue of compassion is more than an emotion. The apostle Paul identifies compassion as a defining characteristic in followers of Jesus. Join us as we look in the gospels to witness the compassionate character of Christ. Then we’ll discuss how compassion relates to empathy and its connection to comfort. We will see examples of God’s compassion to discover the roots of our own capacity for compassion and what it looks like in our everyday lives.

Duration:00:25:00

Your Questions about Scripture and Hope

12/29/2023
Questions are a natural part of our faith. Asking questions helps us to clarify what we believe and what it means to live as Christians in the world. In this episode, we consider some of the questions you asked in response to our series on the Lord’s Prayer, Joshua, and Revelation. Then we’ll discuss issues that some of our listeners shared are most pressing for their faith right now and look at the scriptures to find the hope and encouragement we need to live faithfully each day.

Duration:00:25:00

Jesus: Our Prince of Peace

12/22/2023
As we celebrate Christmas and re-tell the story of baby Jesus—the Savior of the World, born in a lowly manger—may we also remember that he is the one the prophet Isaiah called the “Prince of Peace.” Join us as we reflect on our real need for this peace in our lives and our world. Together we’ll study the story of Jesus’ birth and dig into Scripture to discover the deep and meaningful shalom that Jesus brought to us in his birth, that he promises to establish permanently when he returns, and that we can share now as his agents of peace in our world.

Duration:00:25:00

Jesus: Our Everlasting Father

12/15/2023
The prophet Isaiah continued to reveal the nature of the coming Messiah when he prophesied that he would be the “Everlasting Father.” Now that we know that Jesus was the “coming Messiah,” we might wonder, how can the Son of God also be the Everlasting Father? Join us as we discuss how our understanding of the Triune God clarifies how Jesus is our Everlasting Father. Together, let’s prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas, with an Advent reflection on the true nature of a father as revealed to us in both the Old and New Testaments. We’ll come to better understand how this revolutionary title reveals the nature of Jesus and discover the comfort and belonging offered to us in Jesus, our Everlasting Father.

Duration:00:25:00

Jesus: Our Mighty God

12/8/2023
The words of the prophet Isaiah offered hope to Israel as they faced a hopeless exile. In chapter 9, verse 6 he calls the coming Messiah “Mighty God,” reminding God’s people that the one who was coming to save them would be more powerful than anything they were experiencing. We now know that the Messiah Isaiah prophesied about is Jesus Christ. As we look toward Christmas, join us as we dig into Scripture to discover what the title “Mighty God” communicates to us about Jesus. Let Scripture reveal the truth of Christ’s deeds and character, and explore with us how his presence as a helpless baby displays—not the smallness, but the awesomeness of God’s power. Together we’ll discover how the promise of our “Mighty God” continues to give us hope as we anticipate Christ’s return.

Duration:00:25:00

Jesus: Our Wonderful Counselor

12/1/2023
In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet Isaiah first calls the coming Messiah a “Wonderful Counselor.” Join us as we dig into Scripture to discover what this title communicates about Jesus and how it is connected to the biblical wisdom tradition. As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we’ll discuss what it means that Jesus is the wisdom of God and therefore, truly is a wonderful counselor whose guidance, when we seek and follow it with humility, will keep us on the right path.

Duration:00:25:00

Love God By Loving One Another

11/24/2023
As the apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Romans, he instructs this early community of believers regarding how they should handle their differences. He knows that differences and disagreements are inevitable because the good news of the gospel calls people of many ages, backgrounds, and experiences. In Romans chapters 14-16, we find Paul’s instructions for Christian living, teachings that continue to help us understand how we can live together today as changed and changing people. Paul shares practical ways we can love our neighbor and reminds us that sometimes showing love means choosing not to do something. Join us and be reminded of the heart of Paul’s message: love for God and love for each other.

Duration:00:25:00

Transformed Living

11/17/2023
As the apostle Paul continues to unpack the new realities of life for the early Roman Christians, he challenges them to live transformed lives—lives worthy of the grace and mercy they received in Jesus. Join us to study Paul’s teaching in Romans 12-13 and discover how we might live in light of the gospel, renew our minds, and be living sacrifices for God. Let’s walk with Paul through the process of discerning what transformed living means for our civic life. And finally, let us reflect on Paul’s declaration that love is at the heart of a transformed life. As Christ followers today we can demonstrate the same love and compassion as Jesus Christ because of the help of the Holy Spirit. So how are we putting on Christ and being conformed to his likeness, and not conformed to the pattern of this world?

Duration:00:25:00

In His Mercy, God Chose You

11/10/2023
When loved ones don’t believe in Jesus despite being raised by Christian parents or growing up in church, it can leave us with deep aches and painful questions about God’s sovereign choices and our free will. The apostle Paul understood this ache and wrestling. Even as he celebrated the inclusion of Gentile believers into God’s family through faith in Jesus, he was distraught by what this same truth meant for Jews who did not come to believe in Jesus. In Romans 9-11, Paul laments his concern for the Jews and demonstrates what it looks like to turn to Scripture to seek wisdom for the concerns of our hearts. Join us as we dig into Paul’s teaching, a teaching that informs what we today call the doctrine of predestination. May we find comfort in the truth that God, in his mercy, has chosen us. Like Paul, may the truth of God’s mercy give us hope and assurance that God is patient and there is still time for those we love to believe and receive salvation in Jesus Christ.

Duration:00:25:00

The Spirit in Us

11/3/2023
If there’s one thing that Paul wants believers to understand, it is that the power of the gospel is life-changing. In his letter to the Romans, he details why we so desperately need the gospel and how the good news of salvation is for all people. In Romans 8, Paul turns to answering the question “Now what?” Join us as we unpack Paul’s writings about our justification—our being made right with God—and what it means for us to be IN CHRIST. Find encouragement and comfort in Paul’s teaching about pain and suffering in this world, and how we have help from the Holy Spirit, to live into the reality of our new life in Christ. And the best, most assuring truth of all? Paul assures us nothing can take our salvation away or separate us from Jesus Christ.

Duration:00:25:00