He Must Increase Podcast

Connor Shady

5.0 (4)
Education
Updated 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.

2d ago

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
Sep 3

The Missing Piece of the Christian Life

In this episode, we’re asking whether something has been missing in the way many Christians understand the Christian life. We know a lot of true things. Doctrine is important and theology is helpful. Yet oftentimes the pieces can still feel disconnected. That shows up in some of the questions Christians struggle with most: How can I know I’m truly saved? How should I think about denominations and church traditions? How does sanctification actually work? And how do God’s sovereignty and human freedom fit together? These can sound like separate theological problems, but Scripture gives us a center that helps hold them together: God unites us to Christ. Union with Christ helps us understand assurance, the church, sanctification, grace, obedience, the work of the Spirit, and even how we think about God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. It is not one more doctrine to add to the list. It is the reality that helps us understand how the Christian life fits together. Book Recommendation(s): Union with Christ by Sinclair Ferguson https://store.ligonier.org/union-with-christ-the-blessings-of-being-in-him-hardcover 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
Aug 27

Saints, Scholars & Suspect Takes: Theologian Tier List (Part 2)

In this episode, we’re coming back to the question: Who should Christians be learning from? In Part 1, we started ranking some of the theologians, pastors, and Christian influencers who have shaped the church and the way Christians think about Scripture, doctrine, and faith. But there were way too many names to fit into one episode. So in Part 2, we’re jumping right back into the tier list with a whole new group of voices from the past and present. Some are widely respected. Some are controversial. And a few might be nearly impossible to rank without starting an argument. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, start there. We explain the tiers, the rules, and all the caveats before things get interesting. Then come back here for Part 2 as we work through a new group of names, weigh their influence, and talk about what they got right, where they missed, and how Christians should think about learning from them today. Book Recommendation(s): Know the Heretics (KNOW Series) by Justin S. Holcomb https://a.co/d/077lqnRT 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
Aug 20

Ranking Those Who Shaped Christianity: Theologian Tier List (w/ Special Guest)

In this episode, we ask: Who should Christians be learning from? We hear sermons, podcasts, clips, reels, read books, and see posts from all kinds of Christian voices. Eventually, we have to ask which ones are actually helping us understand Scripture and follow Christ. Some teachers are clear and helpful. Some are solid but have blind spots. Some are influential but come with serious concerns. And some are just hard to place. So in this episode, we’re doing something a little different: a theologian tier list. With a special guest, we’ll rank and talk through a mix of theologians, pastors, and Christian voices from the past and present. The goal isn’t to stir up drama or act like we have the final word. It’s simply a fun way to talk about who has shaped Christianity, what we can learn from them, and where we might want to be cautious. It should be a fun and different conversation, but it also raises a good question: Who are you learning from, and how are they shaping the way you think about Christ and Scripture? Book Recommendation(s): Know the Heretics (KNOW Series) by Justin S. Holcomb https://a.co/d/077lqnRT 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
Aug 13

Guilt, Grace, Gratitude: Rethinking Obedience

In this episode, we ask: When you hear the word obedience, what comes to mind? Joy? Freedom? Gratitude? Or guilt, pressure, and fear? For many Christians, obedience has become one of the most misunderstood and debated aspects of the Christian life. Some have come to see obedience as the enemy of grace, while others have turned it into a burden that leaves believers constantly wondering if they are doing enough. But what if we began with the gospel? Obedience was never meant to be a way of earning God’s love. In Christ, believers are already loved, forgiven, and accepted. Obedience is not the price of grace, but the grateful response to grace already received. When we confuse law and gospel, however, we can turn obedience into either a ladder we climb to earn God’s favor or a weight that leaves us crushed under guilt. In this episode, we’ll explore what Scripture teaches about obedience through the lens of the gospel. We’ll consider how law and gospel help us understand our calling to obey, how passages of Scripture can be misunderstood when separated from the work of Christ, and how obedience is meant to shape the life of a believer. Rather than seeing obedience as a burden that threatens our assurance, we’ll see it as the joyful response of people who have already been loved, saved, and set free by Christ. Book Recommendation(s): Why Johnny Can’t Preach by T. David Gordon https://a.co/d/07arn7ct 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

75
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Connor Shady
Show Website

He Must Increase Podcast

Christianity

Christianity

Updated Semiweekly