Bible Streams

The Gospel according to Matthew, the first in our New Testaments, is an account replete with Jewish meaning, symbolism and allusion. Matthew penned his biographic account to show Jesus as the new Moses, the new David, and the new Torah, the embodiment of God in the new covenant, and a bridge between Jewish heritage and the Gentile mission. The life and ministry of Jesus have been recorded and give...

Mark's record of Jesus's life and ministry is fast-paced, action-packed, and straight to the point. Jo and Alex unpack the who, what, when, and where of Mark, and spend some time exploring the interesting distinctives of the second Gospel. The life and ministry of Jesus have been recorded and given to us in the form of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This series on the Gospels wit...

Dr. Michael Bird joins Jo to discuss finding the historical Jesus in the Gospel accounts, and why that matters. Mike brings his great love of scripture, his wealth of knowledge, and his witty insight together to help us see the importance of the historical setting of the Gospels, the power of digging deeper into the historical and cultural setting of the New Testament, and some very helpful tips o...

The life and ministry of Jesus has been recorded and given to us in the form of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jo and Alex begin the series on the Gospels with a look at how we got these Jesus stories, and talk through the historical and literary context of these four accounts of Jesus the Christ. Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast.  Get mor...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 5 of the Psalms calls the worshipper to praise God amidst every part of life. Couched in the renewal of Israel as God's covenant people, and the restoration of God's co...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 4 of the Psalms, short and punchy, begins to prepare the hearer for the return of God as king, lord and sovereign power over His people. The mood shifts and turns back...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 3 of the Psalter is the shortest, merely 17 psalms, yet it takes us on a journey through the psalmists' reflection on the times of exile and absence, stopping to examin...

The five books of the Psalter present five different collections of psalms, carefully collated and presented to draw the listener and reader into knowing God and experiencing His presence in the midst of life's highs and lows. Book 2 presents us with a series of psalms that connect us to David's life, drawing us into the thoughts, prayers and wrestles behind the scenes of life. Jo and Alex walk th...

Book 1 of Psalms is full of familiar passages and favourite hymns but also features a lot of prayers and songs of supplication and vindication. Alex and Jo explore the first 41 psalms and uncover some of the rich moments that inspire and encourage us, as well as those that point us to Jesus. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams: Book: John Walton...

In episode 2 of our series on the Psalms, Jo and Alex are joined by Robert Alter to discuss how to understand Hebrew poetry. Robert is an Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative literature at the University of California in Berkeley, and has written numerous books on Hebrew literature, including the Art of Biblical Poetry. Robert has translated the Hebrew Bible into English along with a full...

The Psalms have been called the hymnbook of Israel, but their voice and their power extend to those under the Lordship of Jesus. Jo and Alex start a new series on the Psalms, to explore and understand their form, their structure, and the way their content speaks our hearts to God, and His heart back to us. This episode examines introductory and background issues and context of the Psalms. Resource...

Jude is one of the five shortest books in the Bible, yet it packs a punch for it's 461 Greek words! Featuring relentless Old Testament references and allusions, dire warnings for false teachers and those who follow them, elegant imagery, and sobering and encouraging exhortations from the brother of Jesus, it's an overlooked book that is worth exploring. Join Jo and guest co-host Alex Walker as the...

Dr Andrew Dunstan returns for the last episode of this series, and with Jo and Scott, discusses the purpose of the Church. God's whole-of-life vision for the Church's activities in the world helps us know why we're here, and what we're to be about. We'll be taking a short break after this episode, and we'll be back in October, 2020! Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Book: Edmund Clowney - The C...

Dr Andrew Dunstan returns as our guest, and with Jo and Scott, discusses the nature and marks of a biblical church. The power of understanding what is essential and what is cultural helps us understand the wonderful richness and diversity of how God has created us, and the ways in which He invites us to know and experience Him in the midst of the community of believers. Big thanks to Tim Whittle f...

When we come to discuss the People of God, and the Church, we begin to collect different ideas from all of scripture. And what do we call that? Theology! Dr Andrew Dunstan joins Jo and Scott to talk about why we do theology, anticipating a discussion to come around a healthy theology of the Church and the People of God. Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast.  G...

Throughout redemption history, God has chosen a people that will be His representatives in the earth, a demonstration of His presence, purpose and creativity. God saw fit to create humanity, create spaces to dwell with us, and then placed His presence within His people. This is part 1 of a series examining the theology of the Church. This episode explores the biblical foundations of this thing we...

After returning to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, Paul is caught up in a riot which leads to his arrest by Roman soldiers, much like the arrest of Jesus Christ. Over the next two years Paul would face numerous trials; first to the angry crowd, then with the Jewish Sanhedrin, then with the Roman govenor Felix and his successor govenor Festus, and then finally to King Agrippa. While b...

Acts 18 begins Paul's third missionary journey and his last journey to Jerusalem. Paul undergoes myriad trials, and yet it is in this period that he most likely pens some of his most encouraging letters. Paul stands as a shining example of seeing God's revelation in the midst of and in spite of the circumstances we are caught in. It is in this same section too that Paul stats to glimpse what may b...

Paul the Apostle is a complex figure, and this section of Acts takes us deeper into the life and ministry of Paul as the Holy Spirit launches his ministry into Europe. Paul visits and establishes churches throughout some of the most important cities of the Eastern Roman Empire, and experiences some of the most intense and acute sufferings of his ministry. yet, in the midst of this time, Paul under...

The gospel continues to spread from the Jerusalem out towards the ends of the Earth; first through Peter and on through Paul. This section of Acts sees a monumental shift, where the Jerusalem Council welcomes in the Gentile believers. This is a pivotal moment for all of us who believe: the vast majority of the church today would have been classed as 'Gentiles', and so here is our moment to be welc...

As we continue through the earliest days of the spread of the Good News of Jesus and the growth of the early Church, we find ourselves at one it's most pivotal moments: the first inclusion of non-Jewish believers. When God opens the door of salvation to everyone, how will the Jesus-followers react? Jo and Scott tackle Acts Chapters 10-12 in this episode of Bible Streams' 'To The Ends of the Earth...

As the book of Acts continues, the earliest followers of Jesus become bold as they take the good news out, empowered by the Holy Spirit. They had faced persecution, but the death of Stephen caused the disciples of Jesus to scatter, fleeing Jerusalem. The next phase of Acts sees the good news start to spread to non-Jewish people, and with that comes conflict, confusion, more persecution, but ultima...

The opening chapters of Acts catapult the early believers from a Jewish sect to a persecuted and scattered alternative to the religious establishment in Israel. The early chapters recount growth, opposition, sermons, and salvations - all centred around the work of the Holy Spirit through the early church. The Book of Acts: for some, a handbook on church planting and mission movements; for others,...

The Book of Acts: for some, a handbook on church planting and mission movements; for others, a record of a time of church growth that is past and gone. But there are timely lessons and important examples for us in Acts in this time of global unrest. To understand this book deeply, Scott and Jo begin our new series on the Book of Acts with this introduction episode.  Resources/Links mentioned in th...

Malachi completes the book of The 12, and it finishes with many of the same themes and it offers the reader a weighty promise. It sets up the reader for the New Testament story, with the promise of a reversal to the curse over the families of the earth. Often quoted but sometimes misunderstood, Malachi talks to the heart of God's priesthood and the motivation of God's people going forward. Resourc...