In this episode of You're Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry welcome Paul Tripp to remind pastors that gospel-centered ministry and personal growth thrive in community, where accountability and mutual encouragement combat spiritual blindness and isolation. 

They emphasize the importance of staying open to the Holy Spirit's conviction, prioritizing Christian relationships, and living out the gospel by fostering reconciliation, humility, and support within the church.

They discuss: 

• Paul Tripp's ministry journey and God's kind conviction
• The role of community and spiritual blindness
• The importance of brotherhood in the Christian life
• Rebuilding broken relationships
• The necessity of community in pastoral ministry
• The power of mutual encouragement
• Why we need community for spiritual health

Join Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger for their annual discussion as they look back on the top theology stories of 2024. They also share their favorite books from 2024, updates on personal projects, and what they're each looking forward to in life and ministry in 2025. 

They discuss: 

• The rise in Bible sales in 2024
• Declining fertility rates worldwide
• Big changes for the United Methodist Church and the role of the Global South
• The advance of assisted suicide in the UK
• The Cass Report and the truth about transgender treatments
• Encouraging signs among Gen Z
• Trump’s election victory and a GOP shift
• Anticipating the 2025 Gospelbound season
• Book highlights from 2024
• Personal projects and updates
• Don Carson’s legacy and an important update about his life and ministry

Mentioned on this episode:

"My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2024" by Collin Hansen (article)

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

In the final episode of You're Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry share their gratitude, reflect on the challenges and joys of the podcast, and offer encouragement and insights on building gospel culture, adapting preaching styles, and navigating ministry challenges.

They discuss the following:

• Their gratitude for You're Not Crazy listeners
• The challenges and achievements of the podcast
• How to build gospel culture in established churches
• Changing preaching styles
• Gospel culture in business meetings and staff gatherings
• How to navigate ministry challenges and imposter syndrome
• Future plans and their final encouragement for listeners

Recommended resource: Daily Liturgy Devotional: 40 Days of Worship and Prayer by Douglas Sean O'Donnell

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

Paul’s love for the church and ambition to preach the gospel provide an example for ministers today. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Sam Allberry and Ray Ortlund offer encouragement for pastors to persevere in ministry, receiving their calling as a gift from the Lord. They look to the final reward of ministry — not the success of the minister but that the Lamb would receive the reward of his sufferings. And they conclude their discussion of Romans 12–15 by reflecting on how our receipt of the gospel transforms our relationships and ministries.

• Recommended resource: The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary by Christopher Ash

Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow.
Let's Build Together: Donate Today at tgc.org/together

Overcoming petty differences and finding unity in God’s Word, Christians can live together in a way that defies the principalities and powers of this world. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Sam Allberry and Ray Ortlund consider the church’s role as a beacon of hope amid a tumultuous world. They challenge us to extend welcome to outsiders as we have been welcomed in Christ, sacrificing our own interests for the sake of Christ and the good of others. And they speak a word of encouragement to weary pastors, encouraging them to turn to the Lord in prayer and find grace for their callings.

• Recommended resource: Worthy: Living in Light of the Gospel by Sinclair B. Ferguson

To bear with one another in love includes respecting others’ sensitivities and reservations, even when we disagree with their conclusions. 

In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry help to reframe this difficult task by challenging us to consider our brother or sister’s sincerity to the Lord, noting the beauty of a conscientious Christian and the power of disagreements to bring about our sanctification. 

They warn pastors of the danger in leading congregants to violate their consciences and commend dependence on the Lord as we navigate challenging relationships within the church.

• Recommended resource: Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life by Paul Tripp (Crossway)

The book of Romans expounds as much on how we bear with one another in love as it does on the doctrine of justification. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry delve into this important section of Paul’s letter, considering matters of conscience, how to love the weaker brother, and what it means to be convinced in our own minds. They also celebrate the beautiful diversity of Christ’s church and the important call to delight in our differences.

• Recommended resource: One with My Lord: The Life-Changing Reality of Being in Christ by Sam Allberry (Crossway)

The law defines our flourishing life as Christians, but often we are prone to see God’s commands as restrictive and burdensome. 

In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry highlight love as the fulfillment of the law. They point to God as not only the authority but also the expert in love, showing how each of his commandments overflows with implications for how we might love our neighbor. And they celebrate God’s kindness to transform our desires as we put on Christ, being evermore transformed into his likeness.

Recommended resource: 

• Proclaiming the Word: Principles and Practices for Expository Preaching by David Jackman

The apostle Paul tells Christians to submit to their governing authorities — but are there exceptions? And what does that submission look like? In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry dig into these questions and more, considering God’s providence, the function of the government, what characterizes Christian dissent, and how we can prepare our hearts for election season.

Recommended resources:

• You're Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches by Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry (Crossway)

When the apostle Paul warns Christians not to be overcome by evil (Rom. 12:21), he knows it will be difficult. Nonetheless, he challenges us to believe that God is at work in redemptive reversals. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Sam Allberry and Ray Ortlund unpack the difficulty of death to self and consider how it looks to entrust ourselves to the Lord even as we face evil and wrongdoing. And they once again commend the beauty of gospel culture, where pastors and church communities “give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all” (Rom. 12:17).

Recommended resource:

• The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels about You by Dane Ortlund (Crossway)

What marks genuine Christian love? The apostle Paul lays out an extensive list in Romans 12:9–21. In this episode of You’re Not Crazy, Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry examine how Paul’s commands are meant to hold together as part of an integrated ecosystem that makes up the Christian life. They consider the humility and vulnerability required to give and receive genuine affection, and they challenge pastors and congregants to cultivate countercultural communities marked by gospel hope.

Recommended resource:

• Saved: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts by Nancy Guthrie (Crossway)