Studies That Strengthen

Luke and Lauren Stevens share personal insights on what it looks like to pursue holiness together, how the Spirit convicts, refines, and strengthens unity, and why sanctification is not just an individual journey, but a shared one within the home. This conversation is both honest and encouraging, reminding us that God is actively at work in our marriages and families, even in the ordinary and unseen moments.Whether you're married, raising children, or simply desiring to grow in Christ within your relationships, this episode will point you back to the faithful, ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

What is the end of sanctification? Glorification!

Join us for a powerful and encouraging conversation with Pastor Derek Sesco as we explore the lifelong journey of progressive sanctification. In this episode, Pastor Derek walks us through how Scripture actively shapes, refines, and transforms believers over time—not instantly, but faithfully, day by day.Together, we unpack what it means to grow in holiness, how God uses His Word to convict and comfort, and why the process of becoming more like Christ is both challenging and deeply hopeful. Whether you're in a season of struggle or steady growth, this episode will remind you that God is continually at work in His people, using His truth to conform us to the image of His Son.Tune in and be encouraged—your transformation is part of His perfect plan.

In this episode, we dive into the powerful and often misunderstood topic of progressive sanctification—the ongoing work of God in the life of a believer. What does it really mean to grow in holiness? Is sanctification something we achieve, or something God accomplishes in us?Join us as we unpack how transformation happens over time, not through striving, but through abiding in Christ. We explore the tension between our daily struggles and God’s faithful work, showing how every moment—whether victory or failure—is used by Him to conform us into the image of Jesus.If you’ve ever felt stuck, discouraged, or unsure about your spiritual growth, this conversation will encourage you to trust the process and rest in the One who is completing the work He began in you.👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs this reminder today.#Sanctification #ChristianGrowth #FaithJourney #AbideInChrist

Today we’re talking about positional sanctification—the powerful truth that when we are united with Christ, our standing before God changes completely. This isn’t about our daily progress or spiritual performance, but about the position God places us in through the finished work of Jesus. In Christ, we are set apart, declared holy, and brought into a new identity before we ever begin the lifelong process of growing in holiness. In this episode, we’ll explore what it means to be sanctified in Christ and how understanding our position transforms the way we live.

In this episode of the “CHAINged” series, we explore the powerful, yet humbling, realities of justification and reconciliation and what they mean for those who have been captured by Christ. Once enemies of God, we have now been declared righteous and brought near through the finished work of Jesus. Like prisoners in a triumphal procession, our lives now testify to the victory of Christ. This episode unpacks how being “CHAINged” IN Him means our guilt is removed, our relationship with God is restored, and our lives now display His triumph.

In this episode, we follow the Apostle Paul as he makes an unexpected departure from Troas to Macedonia as recorded in Second Epistle to the Corinthians 2:12–13. Despite what seemed like an open door for ministry, Paul walked away—not because of a lack of opportunity, but because he was being directed by the sovereign will of God.What do we do when God leads us without explanations, confirmations, or the signs we often seek? This conversation explores the deep confidence believers are called to have in God's providence—trusting that He is guiding our steps even when circumstances feel unresolved or unclear.Join us as we examine:• Why Paul left a fruitful moment in Troas• What kind of confidence and faith does it take to just "move".• Living by trust in God’s will rather than by visible signs• What fragrance does the knowledge of God emit from us through these actions?God is not calling us to figure it out—He is calling us to follow.Listen now and be encouraged to rest in the confidence that the Lord is leading, even when you cannot yet see why. And through His leading, spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of God EVERYWHERE from Troas to Macedonia.

What does Paul mean when he says we are the “aroma of Christ” to God? In this first episode of a two-part teaching, we begin unpacking the powerful imagery found in 2 Corinthians 2—where the knowledge of God is described not just as truth to be heard, but as a fragrance that is spread everywhere.This episode explores how regeneration is the starting point of that aroma. Before we can carry the fragrance of Christ, we must first be made alive by Him. We’ll walk through the biblical process of new birth, how God awakens hearts that were once dead, and why the gospel is both life-giving to some and offensive to others.Join us as we begin tracing how salvation is entirely the work of God—and how those He renews become living evidence of His triumph and grace.Part 2 will continue by looking at what it means to live as that fragrance in the world.

What happens when Christ doesn’t just invite… but conquers?In the opening episode of our new series Chainged, we begin with The Takeover, rooted in Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 2:12–14. Writing to a troubled Corinthian church, Paul pulls from a powerful and unsettling Roman image—the triumphal procession. A victorious general parades captives through the streets, chained and displayed, as proof that the battle is over and allegiance has changed.Paul boldly applies this image to the gospel.In this episode, we explore what it means for Christ to “lead us in triumph.” Is this a celebration—or a surrender? Are we spectators in the procession… or captives claimed by a conquering King? As the aroma of victory fills the streets, we’re forced to wrestle with a sobering truth: when Jesus takes over, nothing remains neutral.This episode lays the historical, cultural, and theological foundation for the Chainged series, where we will walk through the triumphal procession in depth—uncovering what it meant in Paul’s world and what it means for our lives today.Because the gospel doesn’t just free us.It chains us—to Christ.

As we transition from Season 2 into Season 3, this episode serves as a bridge—grounding us in the historical and spiritual backdrop of Corinth and the church the apostle Paul was addressing in his letters.Corinth was a wealthy, influential, and morally complex city, shaped by commerce, culture, and constant movement of people and ideas. The church planted there reflected its surroundings—diverse, gifted, yet deeply challenged by division, pride, immorality, and confusion about what it meant to live faithfully in Christ. Paul’s letters were not written in abstraction, but in response to real people, real struggles, and a real gospel mission unfolding in a difficult place.In this episode, we walk through the background of Corinth, the pressures facing the early church, and the pastoral heart behind Paul’s words. Understanding the world they lived in helps us better grasp the weight of his instruction, correction, and encouragement—and prepares us for the themes we’ll explore in Season 3.This conversation sets the stage for what’s ahead, reminding us that the gospel does its most powerful work not in ideal conditions, but in broken ones—and that the challenges faced by the Corinthian church are not as distant from our own as we might think.