Bible Feed

Life in a 1st century church

Ever wondered what it was like to be part of one of the earliest Christian communities in the 1st century?  Follow along with Laurence and Paul's thought experiment as they attempt to place a 21st century consciousness into the body of a 1st century Christian!  They explore the where, when, what and how of a Christian gathering around 65AD and think about what we might recognise and what would feel different.  This starts to reveal which aspects of Christianity should be protected from change, and where we should be flexible, all in preparation for our forthcoming series on aspects of church history.

The meaning of life - wisdom from Ecclesiastes

Dan and Paul discuss the biggest of big questions!  While some song lyrics spring to mind in the discussion, they find something more authoritative in the Bible, specifically in the little book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament.  At first reading the author of this book seems to be concluding that life is meaningless, but by exploring the key Hebrew word 'hevel' which is repeated over and over again, Paul and Dan find links into the broader Biblical narrative which lead (surprise!) to Jesus and his resurrection.  Enjoy! 

The Book of Revelation - 6: The New Jerusalem

For our first episode in 2022, Paul and Dan close out our series on Revelation.  They discuss the final sequence of seven bowls and tie them in to the previous groups of seven seals and trumpets.  They then tackle the question of how God will intervene in human history - will it really be as warlike as the language sounds in Revelation?  Finally they close the series by exploring the wonderful imagery of the New Jerusalem and think about what that could mean in reality!

”I and the Father are one”

Laurence and Dan focus in on just one phrase: Jesus' statement that "I and the Father are one" in John 10v30.  They explore the context and the debate that Jesus was having with the people of his day. From this it becomes clear that the phrase shouldn't be a theological battleground but is part of an intensely profound and practical theme for the lives of believers in Jesus which weaves through all parts of the New Testament. We hope you enjoy our last episode for this year, thanks for listening, stay safe and we'll be back next year, God willing.

The Book of Revelation - 5: Fantastic beasts!

This episode continues our exploration of the book of Revelation. Paul and Dan consider the middle section - chapters 12-14 - the section with the weird and wonderful beasts!  By focusing on the characteristics of 3 symbolic creatures; the dragon, the beast of the sea and the beast of the earth, they uncover a subversive message for Christians in the 1st century but also relevant for any age of history.  And yes, they discuss the mark of the beast and the number 666 - finally!