Displaying 1 - 30 of 320 in total
1 Kings 19 - A still small voice
Unanswered prayer is a genuine part of Christian experience — not a failure of faith. Many of the tidy explanations we reach for turn out to be exactly the arguments J...
Luke 18 - Came to him repeatedly
Prayer is a bit like calling emergency services — in the moment you need it most, technique and philosophy are the last things on your mind. We explore a tension that ...
Luke 24 - Their eyes were opened and they recognized him
Sometimes personal study isn't enough. We explore three stories where genuine biblical insight only emerged in community — the road to Emmaus, Philip and the Ethiopian...
2 Timothy 3 - Prepare and equip his people
The Bible speaks to each of us today — but how does that actually work? We land on 2 Timothy 3:15-17 as a solid summary of Scripture's purpose, but spend most of our t...
Luke 18 - Thank you that I am not
Pride has a support network. Luke 18 gives us two characters whose postures before God could hardly be more different, but we explore the broader ecosystem that pride ...
Job 36 - Something to say on God's behalf
No one person — or tradition — can fully represent God. The lesson this week raises the idea that the Bible is the "truest, clearest, and most consistent" revelation o...
Revelation 3 - I stand at the door and knock
We're starting a new season on the topic of growing in a relationship with God. There's a lot of great questions in the lesson this week, but we notice an interesting ...
Colossians 4 - Remember my chains
We revisit the verses about mutuality in relationships that straddle chapter 3 and 4. Although these were the topic last week, various ensuing conversations have gener...
Colossians 3 - You also have a master
It's not easy for us in the 21st century to read Paul asking slaves to submit to their masters. It is fascinating to realise that his matching remark to slave-owners i...
Colossians 3 - Mortify your members
The main metaphor framework in this chapter seems perhaps surprisingly violent. There are passages about "putting to death our bodies", and we notice that some transla...
Colossians 2 - High-sounding nonsense
This chapter is beautifully passionate about the way that our completeness is in Christ. Everything that really matters about us is best expressed in relation to Jesus...
Colossians 1 - Christ lives in you
This week, we wrap up our look into Colossians 1. From Eugene Peterson’s poetic rendering of scripture to the core idea that "Christ is enough," we explore the life-ch...
Colossians 1 - Firstborn from the dead
After introductory greetings, the book of Colossians launches into a glorious passages of praise to Christ. It is widely considered to be a poem or perhaps even early ...
Philippians 4 - God of peace will be with you
The closing chapter of Philippians seems to oscillate between extremely specific remarks and some thoughts that are truly general. Being separated in time and culture ...
Philippians 3 - Infinite value of knowing Christ
Paul highlights that Christ is our confidence, and makes a vivid contrast with the attitude of confidence in our own human effort. It is remarkable that the contrast i...
Philippians 2 - shining like bright lights
Avoiding "worldly" demands and customs is a long-standing passtime for Adventists and other protestant denominations. The lesson this week assumes this is the same as ...
Philippians 2 - Agreeing wholeheartedly
The lesson this week explores Unity through Humility. Philippians 2 builds on the themes of chapter 1 (love, joy, patience) and draws attention to attitudes that can b...
Philippians 1 - To live is Christ
Paul's evaluation of life and death is famous but still surprising. We explore only a few verses in Philippians 1, but they are enough to stimulate an exploration of h...
Colossians 1 - Asking God to give you wise minds
There are plenty of similarities between the opening parts of Philippians and Colossians. We love the salutation "grace and peace", and are intrigued by the emphasis o...
Philippians 4 - I can do all things
Our new season exploring Philippians and Colossians starts with consideration of their context. Paul was writing from prison, and certainly had experience of circumsta...
Joshua 24 - Towns you did not build
The final chapter of Joshua seems to focus on themes of God's agency, idolatry, and continuity. There is a strong emphasis on God's actions that have led the Israelite...
Joshua 23 - Thorny brambles in your eyes
The narrative changes gears considerably in the last two chapters of Joshua. We get "the years passed" and mention that "Joshua was now very old", and it is clearly a ...
Joshua 4 - What do these stones mean?
We're back at Joshua 22, and the story of avoided conflict continues to fascinate us. Despite some difficulties with logistics and audio (sorry for lower quality this ...
Joshua 18 - How long will you be slack?
Joshua and Jesus are the same name, but how well does the Old Testament character point to the Messiah? The lesson dives into slightly technical detail about "type" an...
Joshua 22 - Gathered to make war
In the days when the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, they nearly came to civil war.This is a re-publication of an episode from 2021 (season 7 episode 5 if you'...
Joshua 15 - Give me another gift
Caleb is a mighty warrior with a fantastic attitude! It is amazing to read him at 85 years old asking for the hardest cities to conquer all because he "is as strong as...
Joshua 8 - Built an altar
Worship rituals are interspersed between the conquests in Joshua. This leads to a Sabbath School lesson emphasis on the need to prioritise time with God even amongst a...
Joshua 7 - Their courage melted away
The difficult story of Achan and his family being destroyed again raises the question of "God's endgame". Achan and his family stole plunder from Jericho against the s...
Joshua 8 - Foreigners living among them
We continue to grapple with the issue of divine war in Joshua. The lesson this week follows closely on the topic from our previous episode, expanding on some of the co...
Joshua 5 - Take off your sandals
The "Commander of the Lord's Army" shows up in this chapter with an important reframing of the narrative. Joshua has already been described as a warrior, and asks whet...