They Waited Years for Baptism, Forgotten Preaching Power, Cultural Madness

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel

Fortis Institute

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 May 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Segment 1 • What did it actually cost to join the early church—and would you qualify today? • Membership wasn’t casual: years of catechesis, believer’s baptism, and rigorous accountability defined entry. • Is your church’s view of membership and discipline a shadow of what it once was? Segment 2 • When was the last time a sermon truly gripped your soul with the beauty of Christ? • Preaching has shifted—less weighty, less piercing, less “soul-melting” than what marked earlier eras. • Do modern pulpits aim for transformation…or just information? Segment 3 • Are government institutions quietly targeting faithful churches for what they preach? • Reports surface of federal scrutiny—raising questions about religious freedom in practice, not just theory. • From Puritan practices to modern pressure: are we prepared for what may be coming? Segment 4 • Why does cultural confusion keep escalating—even in something as simple as school authority? • From bizarre identity claims to inverted values, the culture isn’t neutral—it’s discipling. • If everything feels like it’s unraveling, are Christians ignoring the obvious solution? ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn’t be more thankful for you if we tried!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ritchard Radio begins in three, two, one.
0:08.5	Now I can preach it like this, okay?
0:09.8	Repent!
0:10.5	All I can tell you, change your mind.
0:12.8	Preaching repentance in the area of consciousness of sins is dishonoring the work of Jesus.
0:17.4	Repentance means you realize you're guilty, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God.
0:21.2	You begin to realize that sin is in you, and you turn your back on it in every shape and form.
0:25.4	You renounce the world whatever the cost, and you deny yourself and take up the cross and go after Christ.
0:30.5	It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Freel.
0:38.4	Story time. Story time.
0:43.8	The front door and the back door.
0:51.9	This is Rretched Radio.
0:54.0	Question. How did you become a member of your local church? You did become a member of your local church, didn't you? What was the process? How did it happen? Did you go through an interview? Were you examined? Did you have to share your testimony? What was the process? Question. Did it include baptism?
1:14.2	Let me take you back in time, courtesy of an unnamed article. What is what? I got this from
1:20.1	9 marks.org. They don't put the author's name on the article. So sorry, I can't give you
1:26.0	attribution. Joining the church the ancient way
1:28.8	describes how the first few centuries would welcome somebody into church membership. You're
1:35.5	probably not going to be shocked. It involved baptism. Let me take you back in time. Believers
1:42.1	baptism was the church's right of entry from the first
1:46.3	down to the early fourth century. So forgive or take 300 years, you became a member of a local
1:53.9	church via baptism because people were getting saved. They were getting baptized and they would
2:00.1	be added to the church.
	...

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