Advancing the Cause
Advancing the Cause is the podcast of IFCA International (www.ifca.org). Hosted by Executive Director Richard Bargas, Advancing the Cause features discussions with pastors, theologians, and ministry leaders. This podcast is a platform for exploring and deepening the understanding of the historic Christian faith. Each episode presents enriching biblical insights, testimonies, and relevant discussions on Christian living, ministry, and doctrine.
Covering a wide array of topics, Advancing the Cause offers guidance on practical challenges Christians face and engaging with the world through a Christ-centered lens. The podcast also explores the significance of community involvement, missions, apologetics, ecclesiology, practical pastoral ministry, and service. It aims to equip listeners to be faithful proclaimers of God’s Word in their churches and beyond.
Episodes
55 episodes
Church SOS, part 4: How to Get and Keep Visitors
Richard Bargas concludes this four-part series on assisting struggling churches in regaining their footing. This episode offers guidance on capitalizing on chances to invite people to your church services and programs, as well as strategies for...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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56:14
Church SOS, Part 3: The Benefits of Examining Your Church's Facilities and Programs Through the Eyes of a First-Time Visitors
In this episode of Advancing the Cause, we dive into the vital practice of evaluating your church's facilities and programs from the perspective of a first-time visitor. Often, church leaders and members are so familiar with their surroundings ...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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43:03
Church SOS, Part 2: How to Steer Your Church Back on Course
In Part 2 of Church SOS, we explore how churches can use the concept of a funnel to assess and refine their programs for greater impact. Just like a doctor’s diagnosis of a sick patient, statistical analysis can reveal strengths and highl...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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48:05
Church SOS: How to Steer Your Church Back on Course
In “Church SOS,” Richard Bargas delves into the narratives of churches that have drifted from their foundational purposes, exploring how this shift has led to dwindling congregations and diminished impact. This episode uncovers the subtle signs...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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51:08
What Fuels the Fires of Antisemitism?
Dive into a compelling and eye-opening conversation as Dr. Richard Bargas and Paul Scharf, Church Ministries Representative for Friends of Israel, confront the alarming surge of antisemitism that is casting a shadow across the globe. In this th...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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49:09
How Can I Make My Bible Teaching More Interesting? - Dr. Richard Bargas
Welcome to Season 3 of Advancing the Cause! In this episode, Richard Bargas shares several reasons why you might think that you don’t need to use illustrations to make your sermons and Bible studies more interesting—and how properly used illust...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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1:00:01
Preaching the Old Testament like a Dispensationalist- Bonus episode
In this final installment of the series, Richard Bargas wraps up his mini-series on Preaching the Old Testament like a Dispensationalist, with the last points on improving your preparation of Old Testament sermons and Bible lessons. Dealing pra...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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26:45
Preaching the Old Testament like a Dispensationalist, part 2
In this second installment of this series, Richard Bargas moves from reasons to preach the Old Testament to sharing helpful hints to help you feel more comfortable and improve your preparation of Old Testament sermons and Bible lessons. D...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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42:57
Preaching the Old Testament like a Dispensationalist, part 1
Richard Bargas discusses 8 reasons why many pastors don’t preach from the Old Testament and 7 reasons why all pastors need to make the Old Testament a regular part of the diet of teaching for the church. Some of these reasons are particul...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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53:33
IFCA: It’s Not Just for Men! -Wendy Bargas
IFCA Executive Director Richard Bargas talks with his wife Wendy about the IFCA Women’s Fellowship and how IFCA exists not just for men, but to help our sisters in Christ as well. How does IFCA bless the women of the church? Through our annual ...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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51:32
Common Ground in the Good Fight -Dr. Joel Tetreau
Executive Director Richard Bargas explores the topic of Dr. Joel Tetreau’s latest book, Three Lines in the Evangelical Sand, which seeks to not only define the differences between fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals ...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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1:01:03
Serving the Lord Together as a Couple- Dr. Richard Bargas
Drawing from the New Testament, IFCA Executive Director Richard Bargas explores the lives and example of married couple Aquila and Priscilla as a template for how a husband and wife can serve the Lord together in their local church and communit...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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38:12
Guiding Our Adult Children Through Difficult Times - Dr. Richard Bargas
There are a lot of questions when it comes to our adult children and our responsibility toward them. Are we responsible for them at all once they are out of our home? Is the “age of accountability” a biblical idea? How should we handle their re...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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1:05:27
Guiding Our Children While In Pastoral Ministry- Dr. Richard Bargas
Richard Bargas shares about the dangers of disqualification that can arise from the threats inherent in pastoral ministry. Addressing the need for being a faithful father and how our ministries are connected to our duties as parents of children...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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1:05:11
The Need for the Shepherd to Step into Controversy for the Sake of the Sheep - Jesse Randolph
Richard Bargas discusses with Pastor Jesse Randolph the reasons why it is sometimes necessary for the church to become involved in controversy. They draw from two recent controversies, Reformed Dispensationalism and the Active Obedience of Chri...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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58:02
Guarding our Marriage in Pastoral Ministry- Dr. Richard Bargas
Richard Bargas shares about the dangers of disqualification that can arise from the threats inherent in pastoral ministry. Addressing the need for being a faithful husband and how this can be jeopardized as well as ways we must guard against fa...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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52:25
Refusing to Let “Biblicism" Become a Bad Word- Dr. Richard Bargas
Being a biblicist used to mean that you took the Bible seriously, and held it in highest honor. Even with this simple definition, there are several scholars today that attach a negative connotation to biblicism. IFCA Executive Director Richard ...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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47:27
Speaking the Truth with Humility - Dr. Gary Gilley
Richard Bargas discusses with Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel the idea that as Christians, we shouldn't have to choose between humility and speaking the truth. Instead, we should always speak the truth with love, patience, and humili...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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51:24
Getting Familiar with the Fathers - Dr. William Varner
Richard Bargas and Dr. William Varner delve into the significance of the Apostolic Fathers, exploring their historical context, doctrinal contributions, and relevance for contemporary Christianity. As a biblical conservative, dispensationalist,...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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39:20
Biblical Counseling and the Depravity of Man - Tim Chally
Tim Chally and Richard Bargas discuss the major impact that the doctrine of depravity has on biblical counseling and the Christian life. Speaking from his experience and training as a biblical counselor, Tim points to the power of the indwellin...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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54:59
The Growing Influence of the Charismatic Movement - Dr. Tim Dane
Richard Bargas and Tim Dane discuss the history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements and how they have become so influential in the evangelical church today. Dr. Dane discusses some of the passages that address the cessation of the spec...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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58:17
Five Reasons Why Dispensational Premillennialism Needs to Be Taught in Your Church- Dr. Richard Bargas
We are living during a time when the evangelical Christian church, in general, has downplayed theology so much that we are not seeing many churches denigrate anything outside of the basic gospel message. It has become fashionable in some circle...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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57:35
7 Reasons Why Expository Preaching Is Best- Dr. Richard Bargas
Richard Bargas shares 7 important reasons why expository preaching is needed to help every Bible church maintain a healthy teaching ministry.Learn more about IFCA : IFCA.org
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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28:25
The Long-Term Importance of IFCA Church Membership- Dr. Richard Bargas
How can you help guard your church against future doctrinal change? Is there a way that your church’s current doctrine can be guarded after your pastor moveson or is called home? Executive Director Richard Bargas shares how some churches th...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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31:21
Evidence that Demands a Verdict?- Pastor Caleb Hilbert
Pastor Caleb Hilbert talks with Richard Bargas about the right and wrong ways to use evidence when defending the faith. Are there ever bad reasons for presenting evidence? Is there ever any reason why we would stop sharing Christ with someone? ...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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52:49
