He Must Increase Podcast

Connor Shady

5.0 (4)
Education
Weekly

A podcast by Three Thirty Ministry, dedicated to helping you see and savor the greatness of Jesus in all of Scripture and all of life. Each episode is designed to help you grow in a grace-based, Christ-centered understanding of the Christian faith and to encourage you toward deeper, gospel-shaped community—because He must increase, and we must decrease.

5d ago

Halloween, Heresy, and the 95 Theses

In this episode, we’re asking a question that comes up every October: Should Christians celebrate Halloween, or should we be remembering something far more significant on October 31st? Is Halloween a harmless evening of costumes and candy, or does its history give Christians reason for concern? What happened on October 31, 1517? And why does the Protestant Reformation still matter for the church today? While Christians debate Halloween, October 31st also marks a defining moment in church history. On that day, Martin Luther challenged the sale of indulgences and helped ignite a movement that called the church back to the authority of Scripture and the truth of the gospel. But the theological errors of the sixteenth century aren't necessarily confined to the past. Human traditions, cultural influences, and misplaced authority can still distract the church from the truth of God's Word. Are modern Protestants repeating some of the very mistakes the Reformers sought to correct? We're exploring Halloween, the Protestant Reformation, and why the church must always be reforming according to Scripture. Along the way, we'll consider what the Reformers stood for, what the modern church may have forgotten, and why faithfulness to God's Word matters just as much today as it did in 1517. Book Recommendation: Historic Protestant and Reformed Confessions: The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), and the Three Forms of Unity (the Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, and Canons of Dort). Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Oct 23

The Priest to End All Priests, The Sacrifice to End All Sacrifices

In this episode, we’re asking a question that gets to the heart of the gospel: If God established the Old Testament priesthood and sacrificial system, why do we need Jesus as our Great High Priest? Why were priests necessary? What made the sacrifices of the Old Covenant insufficient? And what makes Christ's once-for-all sacrifice so much greater than anything the Old Covenant system could accomplish? The priesthood and sacrificial system were established by God Himself, yet they were never intended to be the final answer to man's sin. Instead, they pointed forward to Christ, our perfect High Priest, who offered Himself once for all, securing eternal redemption and opening the way for us to draw near to God. At the same time, questions remain about how Christ's priesthood relates to the church today, particularly when we consider the Roman Catholic understanding of the priesthood and the Mass. How do these teachings compare with what Hebrews reveals about Christ's finished work? We're returning to Hebrews to explore why Jesus is our greater High Priest, how His sacrifice fulfills and surpasses the Old Covenant system, and why His finished work is sufficient to give us forgiveness, assurance, and eternal life. Song Recommendation: High Priest by Shai Linne https://open.spotify.com/track/2nNIEHHnL5QhKBPQ0CBN5E?si=df946a98870b48ac Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Oct 15

Out With the Old, In With the New (Covenant)

In this episode, we’re asking a question that gets to the heart of how we understand the Bible: If God established the Old Covenant, why was a New Covenant necessary? Did God change His mind? What happened to His promises to Israel? And when we say Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant, what does that actually mean? The relationship between the Old and New Covenants can be difficult to understand. If the old was established by God, why was it not enough? And what makes the new so much better? How we answer these questions has significant implications for how we understand Scripture, God's faithfulness, and His plan of redemption. At the same time, it’s possible to misunderstand what fulfilment means, either by assuming the Old Covenant has no relevance for Christians today or by failing to recognise what has fundamentally changed through Christ. You may already have strong convictions about God's promises to Israel, the continuity between the covenants, or which Old Testament commands still apply today. Those distinctions matter, and this episode is not an attempt to dismiss them. Instead, we’re returning to Hebrews to explore why the New Covenant was necessary, how Christ fulfils God's promises, and how both covenants fit into the unfolding story of redemption. Book Recommendation(s): Hebrews Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2DWZLbL6P9g1ZaJm0nDGgt?si=Obtq14h7QUOLiD5Zyp3eig OR Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Oct 8

Finding the “Perfect” Church

In this episode, we’re asking a question that sounds simple but can be surprisingly difficult: What should you actually look for in a church? Choosing a church is about more than finding good preaching, friendly people, strong theology, or a style of worship you enjoy. A church can be strong in one area and weak in another. It can have sound teaching but unhealthy leadership, meaningful community but shallow doctrine, or impressive programs without much spiritual depth. At the same time, it’s possible to spend so long searching for the “right” church that you never actually commit to one. So how do you know what matters most? You may already have strong convictions about baptism, the Lord’s Supper, church government, liturgy, spiritual gifts, or denominational differences. Those things matter, and this episode is not an attempt to pretend those distinctions are unimportant. Instead, we’re focusing on a few foundational things that can help you evaluate a church wisely, distinguish essentials from preferences, and find a church where you can faithfully worship, grow, serve, and belong. Book Recommendation(s): 1 Timothy and Titus! Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Oct 1

Christless Christianity

In this episode, we’re asking what happens when Christianity keeps the language, keeps the morality, keeps the traditions, keeps the politics, keeps the church culture, but loses Christ. It is possible to preserve a great deal of what looks Christian on the surface while slowly pushing Jesus to the margins. Churches can still be active, people can still hold Christian values, traditions can still be honored, and biblical language can still be used, while Christ Himself is no longer at the center. But if Christ is missing, what is actually left? Can Christianity become more about our preferences, our politics, our identity, or our vision of the good life than about Jesus Himself? And how do we recognize when faith has become full of us and empty of Christ? Christless Christianity does not always look godless or irreligious. Sometimes it looks deeply religious. It can sound Christian, feel Christian, and even defend Christian values while losing sight of the person and work of Jesus. So in this episode, we’re examining what Christless Christianity looks like, how easily Jesus can be replaced by lesser things, and why the church must continually return to Christ as the center of its message, worship, identity, and life. Book Recommendation(s): Christless Christianity by Michael Horton https://a.co/d/0gfT5eNQ Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Sep 24

Does Hebrews Teach That You Can Lose Your Salvation?

In this episode, we’re asking whether a Christian can lose their salvation and what Scripture actually teaches about falling away from the faith. n Some passages in the Bible seem to offer strong assurance of our salvation, while others contain serious warnings about falling away, deliberately continuing in sin, and facing judgment. These passages raise difficult questions about the nature of salvation, apostasy, and what it means to persevere in the faith. But how are we supposed to understand these warnings alongside the promises of eternal security? Can someone genuinely be saved, experience the work of the Holy Spirit, and then walk away from the faith entirely? Or are these warnings describing something else? So in this episode, we’re examining four different passages of Scripture to explore what the Bible teaches about salvation, the danger of falling away, and how Christians can understand both the warnings and promises of God. Book Recommendation(s): The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes https://a.co/d/02dIOp3K Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Sep 17

Understanding the Most Difficult Book in the New Testament

In this episode, we’re asking why the book of Hebrews can feel so difficult to understand and how seeing the Bible as one unified story helps make sense of it. Some parts of Scripture feel fairly straightforward. Then you come to Hebrews and suddenly you’re dealing with Melchizedek, apostasy, animal sacrifices, eternal security, and the question of why Jesus is called our high priest. That raises a bigger question: how are we supposed to understand Hebrews if we don’t understand the Old Testament story it constantly draws from? Hebrews assumes that story, builds on it, and shows how it all points to Christ. So in this episode, we’re looking at where Hebrews fits in the larger story of Scripture, why context matters so much, and how understanding that story helps us read Hebrews, and the rest of the Bible, more faithfully. Book Recommendation(s): Any Hebrews Commentary by John Owen Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed
Sep 10

More Than Just TULIP: Misunderstandings of Reformed Theology

In this episode, we’re asking whether Reformed theology is often misunderstood by both its critics and its defenders. Some people hear “Reformed theology” and think harsh, rigid, fatalistic, or overly systematic. Others defend the tradition without stopping to ask whether some of the criticism might have a point. But before we critique a tradition, we should probably make sure we understand what it actually teaches. That raises some important questions: Is Reformed theology just Calvinism or TULIP? Does God’s sovereignty make human choices meaningless? If God has chosen who will be saved, does evangelism still matter? Does total depravity mean everyone is as evil as possible? And does perseverance of the saints leave Christians without assurance of salvation? These can sound like separate theological disagreements, but they all point to a deeper issue: the difference between engaging a tradition on its own terms and arguing against a caricature of it. So in this episode, we’re looking at some of the most common misunderstandings of Reformed theology, where the real disagreements actually are, and where criticism crosses the line into strawman arguments. Book Recommendation(s): Covenant Theology by Patrick Abendroth https://a.co/d/08RC0uWp Follow He Must Increase on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/hemustincreasepodcast/ Subscribe to He Must Increase on Youtube: ⁠⁠www.youtube.com/@HeMustIncreasePodcast Check Out Our Website: threethirtyministry.com #theology #reformed

5

out of 5

4 Ratings

A podcast by Three Thirty Ministry, dedicated to helping you see and savor the greatness of Jesus in all of Scripture and all of life. Each episode is designed to help you grow in a grace-based, Christ-centered understanding of the Christian faith and to encourage you toward deeper, gospel-shaped community—because He must increase, and we must decrease.

Creator

Connor Shady
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

79
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Connor Shady
Show Website

He Must Increase Podcast