Bible Streams

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...

Zechariah is the largest of The 12 minor prophets, and portrays the sweeping plan of God's redemptive work, across the nation of Israel, the spiritual people of God, and God's dealings with the nations. The post-exilic prophetic voice calls out the lies of the enemy over God's people and shows us God as the mighty defender and restorer of His people. Scott and Jo tackle this epic prophetic volume...

Haggai is a short post-exilic book that looks at the hearts of the Israelites as they enter back into the promised land. Having returned to the promised land for 20 years, God, through the hand of the prophet Haggai, confronts the people of God as to why they had not yet rebuilt the temple. Instead of building God's house, they were caught up in living in their own fully furnished houses. This boo...

Zephaniah is a confronting look at the reality of God's response to human disobedience. His covenant commitment to discipline and restoration are shocking when we come to Zephaniah's prophetic oracle. But a closer look behind the scenes as God's heart for the world in preserving a faithful remnant from all the nations depicts the true character of God in the tumultuous times of the Jewish exile. I...

Habakkuk is a potent book depicting a powerful God, who both brings judgment and salvation. Join Jo and Scott as they did into the text of this often quoted but little known book. The Minor Prophets are continually books that challenge our picture of God, and how punishment, sin, and evil are connected to human brokenness. God consistently draws us back to intimacy with Him in Habakkuk, despite th...

Nahum completes three books in the Minor Prophets that address the nation of Assyria and their interaction with God and His covenant people, Israel. Nahum doesn't as clearly express the hope that some of the other books of The Twelve do, but Nahum reveals the power of God as He works to bring His redemptive plan to all humanity. Nahum once again addresses the inequality of society, both the Judean...

Micah is often called the prophet of the oppressed. In episode 6 of their look at The 12, Jo and Scott examine this prophetic onslaught in the middle of the Minor Prophets. Micah's powerful book is full of juxtaposing judgement and salvation language, which confronts the reader as to their heart-motivation, their actions towards those less fortunate than themselves, and ultimately to the purposes...

In episode 5 of our series on The 12, the Minor Prophets, Jo and Scott take a look at the book of Jonah. A short story that is loaded with meaning, Jonah packs a solid punch for both the original readers and everyone since: how do you handle the blessing of God on those you don't want to be blessed? Jonah is full of references to the wider narrative of scripture, both in the Old Testament and the...

The Minor Prophets are a collection of books that can be confronting, confusing and mysterious. In episode 4 of our series on the Minor Prophets, Jo and Scott take a look at the book of Obadiah. This short 1 chapter oracle, is a vision of Obadiah against the nation of Edom which points out the violence of Edom against their brother nation Israel. This book not only speaks to the judgment of God in...

The Minor Prophets are a collection of books that can be confronting, confusing and mysterious. In episode 3 of our series on the Minor Prophets, Jo and Scott take a look at the book of Amos. A pretty heavy text concerning the judgment on the nation of Israel because of their disobedience, idolatry, and syncretism, there are lessons for us to learn, with a glimpse of the ultimate hope that God off...

The Minor Prophets are a collection of books that can be confronting, confusing and mysterious. Scott and Jo begin a new series looking at each of these twelve books with this second episode focussing on Joel. What is the Day of the Lord? and what's all this talk of locusts about? Joel is a prophetic book which comments on the realness of exile and the judgment that is coming for the Israelites. R...

The Minor Prophets are a collection of books that can be confronting, confusing and mysterious. Scott and Jo begin a new series looking at each of these twelve books, beginning with the Prophet Hosea. Taking a look at the whole Book of the Twelve (as it is referred to in the Hebrew Bible: one book made up of twelve different prophetic records), Hosea stands as both an intense example of these shor...