Outloud Bible Podcast

Send us a message! We wrestle with what Christian freedom really means and why Paul ties it directly to serving others in love rather than indulging the flesh. We use Galatians 5 to name the “small” relational sins that can consume a church and to map a better path of Spirit-led growth.  • freedom in Christ as power to love and serve  • loving our neighbor as we treat ourselves, including grace, p...

Send us a message! We read 1 Thessalonians 1–3 and listen to Paul’s relief when he learns the Thessalonian believers are still standing strong under persecution. We connect Paul’s long-distance concern to our own relationships and remember that God, not us, brings real spiritual growth.  • Paul’s rushed departure from Thessalonica and why it worries him  • Encouragement for new believers enduring...

Send us a message! We wrap up Galatians with Paul’s strongest contrast between grace and performance, then we slow down and ask what freedom in Christ actually looks like in real life. We come back to the final line that keeps everything centered: the only thing that matters is a new creation.  • background on the Galatian churches and why Paul writes so bluntly  • freedom in Christ versus returni...

Send us a message! We read Galatians 3–4 out loud and face Paul’s blunt warning that “Jesus plus” anything turns freedom into slavery. We wrestle with why it’s so hard to rest in God’s love when earning and proving feel safer than grace.  • circumcision as a symbol of adding conditions to belonging  • the Spirit received by faith rather than works of the law  • Abraham’s promise and righteousness...

Send us a message! We move from Acts into Paul’s letters by starting Galatians, the earliest letter we have from him, and we put it back into its real-world context in the Galatia region. We read Galatians 1–2 and track Paul’s fierce warning against a distorted gospel that adds law-keeping to faith in Jesus.  • reading the New Testament in chronological order from Luke to Acts to Paul’s letters  •...

Send us a message! We break down a simple way to share our Christian testimony with clarity, using Paul’s story in Acts 26 as a model. We learn to lead with weakness, center Jesus as the turning point, and describe change as direction rather than perfection.  • testimony as Jesus’ story reflected through us  • using Acts 26 as a template for sharing faith  • the before then now framework for a cle...

Send us a message! We finish the Book of Acts by following Paul from shipwreck on Malta to house arrest in Rome, watching how God turns setbacks into open doors. I also wrestle with the abrupt ending of Acts and ask what it looks like to treat our own “stuck” moments as mission fields.  • Acts as the story of Jesus working through obedient people  • The question of what “the acts of” our lives wou...

Send us a message! We read Acts 27 and follow Paul’s dangerous voyage toward Rome as a storm strips away control, comfort, and false confidence. We leave with one clear challenge for hard seasons: stay with the ship God is using, anchor your soul in hope, and keep going.  • Paul’s growing opportunities to share the gospel with powerful people  • The decision to sail and Paul’s warning about danger...

Send us a message! Paul stands before Festus and Agrippa with no proven charges, then uses his defense to tell the truth about Jesus and the resurrection. We talk through Paul’s appeal to Caesar, his Damascus road testimony, and why sharing the gospel can make you sound “insane” to people who don’t want to hear it.  • Festus taking over after Felix and inheriting Paul’s case  • The failed attempt...

Send us a message! Paul walks into Jerusalem knowing suffering is coming, then watches God turn a violent arrest into a string of chances to speak about Jesus. We track Paul’s defenses before the Sanhedrin and Felix and wrestle with what it looks like to treat hard situations as a captive audience for the gospel.  • Paul’s decision to go to Jerusalem despite clear warnings of persecution  • The Sa...

Send us a message! We dig into why vulnerability feels so risky and why Paul’s testimony in Acts 22 shows a better way to talk about Jesus. We challenge the idea that testimony only means a dramatic conversion and share practical reasons people stay silent, from pride to shame to fear of rejection.  • Paul leading with weakness and shared background  • vulnerability versus disclosure and why risk...

Send us a message! We follow Paul’s final steps toward Jerusalem as warning after warning lands, and he still chooses obedience over safety. Then we watch the tension explode into a mob, a public defense, and a moment where Paul’s citizenship changes everything while challenging us to think about our own.  • Paul’s journey from Tyre to Caesarea and the repeated Spirit-given warnings  • Agabus’ pro...

Send us a message! We read Acts 20 and follow Paul from hard travel decisions to a midnight gathering where Eutychus falls to his death and is brought back alive. We also sit with Paul’s tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders and ask whether we’re living with an eternity-first mindset that holds nothing back.  • Paul encourages believers across Macedonia and Greece despite ongoing threats  • The...

Send us a message! We read Acts 19 and watch the gospel overturn a city, from Spirit-filled new believers to a public backlash that turns Ephesus upside down. We also sit with the hard question of costly repentance and what it looks like to leave old spiritual practices and comfortable sins behind.  • Paul meets disciples in Ephesus and explains baptism in Jesus’ name and receiving the Holy Spirit...

Send us a message! We read Acts 17 and 18 and watch the gospel collide with jealousy in Thessalonica, careful study in Berea, curiosity in Athens, and conflict in Corinth. We end by asking what kind of listener you are when God’s Word challenges you, especially when the message feels familiar instead of new.  • Paul reasons from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ  • Thessalonica erupts in jealousy...

Send us a message! We zoom in on Acts 16 and wrestle with what it means when the Holy Spirit blocks a plan, even a plan that seems undeniably good. We share personal stories and practical frameworks so you can face closed doors with trust, discernment, and a loose grip on your own timeline.  • treating Acts as more than history and asking what obedience looks like now  • Paul’s blocked route to As...

Send us a message! Simon is an actor, evangelist, and children's book author from Melbourne, Australia, where he lives with his wife and two children. For the last 24 years, he has had a particular passion for excellent and engaging Bible reading. He loves presenting "epic readings" of whole books of the Bible, training Christians in public Bible reading and encouraging the Body of...

Send us a message! Simon is an actor, evangelist, and children's book author from Melbourne, Australia, where he lives with his wife and two children. For the last 24 years, he has had a particular passion for excellent and engaging Bible reading. He loves presenting "epic readings" of whole books of the Bible, training Christians in public Bible reading and encouraging the Body of...

Send us a message! We read Acts 13 and watch the mission of Paul and Barnabas take center stage as the Holy Spirit sends them out and opens doors for the gospel. We also wrestle with the jealousy that erupts when God’s grace reaches people we did not expect, and we ask what that reveals in our own hearts.  • Antioch’s leaders worshipping, fasting, praying, and listening for the Holy Spirit  • Barn...

Send us a message! We follow the gospel’s unstoppable momentum as Peter defends God’s welcome of the Gentiles and the church grows beyond old boundaries. We also wrestle with a tough question from Acts 12: do we pray like we truly expect God to answer, even faster than we imagined?  • the Book of Acts as the story of the Holy Spirit building the church through ordinary people  • Peter’s vision and...

Send us a message! We walk through Acts 5 through 10 and track how God repeatedly pushes believers beyond what feels safe, from public pressure to private forgiveness. We name the comfort zones we cling to and ask what it looks like to take the first step while trusting the Holy Spirit to carry the rest.  • boldness under pressure and fear of consequences  • choosing obedience first and trusting t...

Send us a message! God flips Peter’s expectations upside down in Acts 10 and makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is not reserved for one group of people. I read the Cornelius story and come away convinced that humility means staying open to being surprised by God.  • setting the stage with the surprising momentum of Acts so far  • Cornelius’ vision, prayer, generosity, and readiness to obey  • Pet...

Send us a message! We follow the early church through persecution, surprising growth, and Spirit-powered ministry as the gospel pushes beyond Jerusalem. We also wrestle with motives, repentance, and reconciliation when God turns enemies into family and calls us to make peace.  • persecution scatters believers and spreads the good news into Judea and Samaria  • Philip’s preaching in Samaria and the...

Send us a message! We walk through Stephen’s trial in Acts 7 and listen as he traces God’s faithfulness from Abraham to Moses to the temple. We sit with Stephen’s death, the appearance of Saul, and Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit gives us words when fear hits.  • Stephen accused with false witnesses and yet marked by the Spirit’s calm  • A fast, coherent overview of the Old Testament storyline...

Send us a message! Please welcome our guest reader on the podcast today, Rachel Eernisse! Rachel is a speaker and author specializing in Scripture recitation and Scripture memory. She is passionate to encourage the average, ordinary believer in Christ to love the Bible deeply and share it effectively. You can learn more about her ministry at scripturespeakers.com . You can also follow along with a...