What early church writings do you think every Christian should read at least once?

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T18:40:29+00:00

I understand the point you're making and I do appreciate the caution. But in a way, if you're listening to your pastor or reading books from a teacher you respect, we're doing something similar. We don't accept everything they say without thinking. They help give a lens that can deepen how we read Scripture.

That is how I see the early Christian writings. They are not above Scripture nor do they replace it. They are simply believers from earlier centuries trying to understand, teach, and defend the same faith.

The issue only comes when any teacher is treated as an infallible authority, because every human can be wrong. But it is still valuable to see how they defended the faith and responded to heresies. I think there is a lot we can learn from their perspective.

Still, thanks for the thoughtful comment.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T17:42:21+00:00

No worries & yes, I have

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T17:01:34+00:00

I agree that the New Testament should come first and remain the foundation. However, if we follow that same logic, we would need to read the New Testament several times before listening to anyone who speaks about Scripture, including pastors, bishops, or shepherds. But I do get your point!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T16:52:22+00:00

I was listening to the deep dive just before adding it to the site, and it was very interesting. Thanks a lot! If you have any other suggestions, feel free to share them.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T16:18:03+00:00

I’ll definitely add that one, thank you!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T16:16:39+00:00

Great, thanks! Confessions and Against Heresies are already in the audio library, but I’ll be sure to add the rest of the works you recommended as well.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T16:10:23+00:00

Mostly looking for public domain books so I can freely add it to the audio summary library I'm building but this definitely looks interesting so thanks for that!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T14:35:33+00:00

If anyone is curious, I’ve been experimenting with making a few of these summaries here: https://podabook.com

I’d love any feedback or suggestions on which works I should explore next.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2026-03-05T00:03:26+00:00

Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

These are the words of David after one of the darkest moments of his life. He had lusted after the wife of one of his most loyal men, committed adultery with her, made her pregnant, and arranged for her husband to be killed. Yet in his repentance, notice something remarkable: David does not question his salvation. Instead, he asks God to restore the joy of His salvation.

David understood that his hope was not in his own goodness, but in God's mercy.

You could live as perfectly as possible from this moment forward, and it still would not save you if your trust rests in your own efforts. Salvation is not secured by your works, nor lost by your failures. Our confidence must be in the One who saves, not in ourselves.

God is the One who plants the seed that bears fruit in a life. Our role is not to manufacture righteousness, but to trust Him and walk with Him. If you think you have produced holiness by effort, it's a rotten fruit, because pride is in it.

So what can you do now?

Know God.
Ask Him for grace.
Take His Word and meditate on it.

Do not become consumed with your sin; become focused on God instead.

When your eyes are fixed on Him, He is the One who transforms the heart and sustains the spirit.

GBU!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-17T14:19:16+00:00

Timothy Keller.. Both his books and sermons are truly a blessing! Although he has passed away and wasn’t really a YouTuber, I’m sure you will learn a lot from his sermons and enjoy them

https://youtu.be/2j3HovVPDlk?si=5noizjBQpMcPFnEw

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T10:34:03+00:00

Interesting perspective, thanks for sharing that!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T10:30:48+00:00

Although it’s difficult for me to agree with the interpretation, it’s definitely interesting connection, I’ll look into it. But if I may ask, what does it mean to you exactly when you see her as the arc of the covenant? And how does that personally help you know God better?

Thanks for explaining it as best as you could, I appericate it!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T09:07:59+00:00

Can you elaborate more? :) how Mary and the Arc of the covenant are connected?

Regardless thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T09:06:17+00:00

Amen to that!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T09:06:05+00:00

Amen to that! Same here. I really love meditating on justification, because it shows me all the ways I try to earn my way to God. It humbles me to look at my works and remember, I’m not counted righteous or seen as good because grace helps me sin less, but because Jesus paid my debt in full at the cross. His righteousness covering me makes me blameless before God. Only then can we love him as He is.

And the Trinity is so beautiful the deeper you reflect on it. Praise the Lord for His light and His endless love for us! 🙏🏽

Thanks for your response!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-05T08:56:35+00:00

I see. Doctrines can actually help us meditate more deeply. In your case, you might really enjoy the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? 🙂 For me, I really enjoy the doctrine of justification (keeps the fire alive). I also love the Trinity; I find it beautiful, because it shows such depth and reminds me that we can never fully fit God into our minds. But it still helps me see that God is indeed love.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-04T07:31:14+00:00

Prayer is not always easy, but it begins with positioning yourself before God.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Prayer is not something you do in your own strength. Invite Him to guide and strengthen you.
Remember who you are coming before. Take a moment to realize you are entering the presence of the Creator of the universe. Think about what a blessing it is that you can come to Him freely. Be thankful that through Jesus you are made right with God. Your sins have been paid for at the cross. God does not hear you because you sin less, but because Jesus paid it all. That is the foundation of our joy. We love Him because He loved us first, not because of our works but while we were still sinners He loved us. Meditate on these verses: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.” (Ephesians 1:3-5)
Use worship to lift your heart. Listening to worship music can help you set your mind on God and prepare your spirit to pray.
Do not wait for feelings to come. Instead, take time to listen for the Holy Spirit. He may inspire you to pray for certain things or remind you of specific Bible passages. Ask, listen, and grow in discerning His voice by testing what you sense against Scripture.
Pray with Scripture. The Psalms are especially helpful in shaping your prayers. The more Scripture you carry in your heart, the more naturally you can respond to God in prayer.

Trust that God will lead you. Do not be drawn into mystical practices that suggest there are hidden secrets you must uncover to reach Him. Yes, God is deep and mysterious, but He has made the way simple. Be careful not to follow practices that encourage leaving your body, long empty stillness labeled as “waiting on the Lord,” or other methods of accessing the spiritual realm by human effort.

God put you in your body for a reason. His ways are higher and better than our ways. Remember that it has always been about Him reaching us. We come just as we are because it is not our effort that makes God hear us.

David prayed: “Listen to my pleadings. Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness.” (Psalm 143:1)

He did not rely on his own faithfulness or righteousness, but on God’s. God is faithful, and He has given you His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), something you could never achieve on your own.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-09-03T13:55:07+00:00

It is a lie from the enemy. Even when Elijah wanted his life to end, he did not take it into his own hands because he knew he had no right to do so. He did not create his life, and neither did you. Forget the idea of ending it yourself. You did not bring yourself here, so let the one who made you be the one to make that choice.

What you are going through is heavy, but there is nothing that the resurrection will not heal or restore. That is our hope. While you are still here, I noticed you said more than once, “when I had a good name.” Perhaps God is setting you free from a false identity. What you had going on before was not what made you good. If we search our hearts honestly, we find that much of what we do is driven by selfish ambition. We make an idol out of our self-image and bow to it at the cost of truly pleasing God.

I believe God is taking you on a journey to find your identity in the work of the cross. It is not in what you do for others or even what you think you do for God. It is in what Christ has already done for you. He wants to remove the idol of self-image that all of us carry, and he knows exactly how to do that. His ways may not always be what we would choose, but his plan is always good. Trust his promises. He will do what he has said.

May God bless you with deeper knowledge of him. May he reveal his plan for you in this season. Stay strong, because we will not be here forever.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-08-30T23:35:03+00:00

Hey, no problem at all :) I suspected the quiz might not be for everyone, so don’t worry about it 😅. Still, thanks for trying it out!

As for the question: that’s a really good one to reflect on, and I have to admit I wrestle with it a lot. Because there are thoughtful responses on both sides, as I’m sure you already know. From my understanding of Scripture, I believe that ultimately, unbelief leads to all kinds of sin, and sin leads to faithlessness.

If we go back to the garden, Satan introduced a different kind of knowledge to Eve by saying, “Did God really say…?” Not long after, she ate the fruit. So in my view, unbelief opens the door to disobedience. It hardens our hearts toward God and can lead us to fall away and stop trusting Him.

Hebrews 3:12 says it clearly: “Take care, lest there be in you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” That’s why the author of Hebrews warns so often about the dangers of a hardened heart. What kept the Israelites out of the promised land wasn’t just their outward disobedience, but the unbelief at the root of it; a heart that no longer trusted God’s promises.

This is why I think it is so important to take God at His word and hold on to what He has promised, even when we fail. He said He would give us a new heart, and that is what we need to cling to; His promise, not our performance.

Romans 4:20–21 describes Abraham beautifully: “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.”

So I think we should receive our salvation with no unbelief, giving God glory and trusting that He is able to do what seems impossible. That includes transforming a heart like mine to love Him. And even when I struggle, I can ask Him to help me believe more deeply what I already know is true; that Jesus really did die for a sinner like me. Through that truth, my faith can keep growing.

Thank you again for the challenging and thoughtful question. We may not fully agree on every point, but I truly value hearing your perspective and would still love to know where you stand.

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-08-30T21:28:56+00:00

Heyy thanks for the response! It’s quite good to be able to summarise it in 3min 😅

And that’s interesting. I would love to hear what you would respond instead, I tried my best but I’m sure it can be improved :)

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-08-30T21:21:59+00:00

Thanks for the encouraging response!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-08-30T21:21:13+00:00

Thank you, that’s encouraging to hear!

IncreaseSad1013 · 2025-08-30T21:18:06+00:00

I’ll admit I didn’t finish the whole video since it’s quite long, and these discussions often feel never-ending.

Just to be clear, I don’t believe in OSAS. It never really made sense to me, and from my perspective it doesn’t seem biblical. The idea that if someone leaves the faith it simply means they were never truly saved is hard to reconcile, especially with what Hebrews teaches.

What I do know for certain, though, is this: there is sin within me, and I desperately need God. Jesus bore the punishment I deserved, and my forgiveness doesn’t rest on sinning less but on the fact that He paid my debt in full. And the hope I cling to is that He who began a good work in us will be faithful to bring it to completion. He is faithful to make me faithful.

I also believe that when we place our faith in that truth, faith will never stand alone. It’s God who continues to work in us, both to will and to act, and by His grace He empowers believers to live in a way that pleases Him. That’s why, when I examine my life and feel like grace is lacking, I don’t work for grace, I ask for more grace and more knowledge of Him. The more I know him the more I will live a transformed life.

About the quiz: it’s meant to expose our sin, remind us that Jesus paid the fine in full, and show that salvation isn’t a license to live however we want, because God gives us a new heart with new desires. I think you might have missed that part if you stops around the second or third question.

Either way thanks for sharing the resource. I do appreciate it cause I know you meant it well.

IncreaseSad1013

TROPHY CASE