Bible Streams

In this episode, Chris and Jo take a look at 1 John. They discuss introductory concerns and look at the text of chapters 1 and 2. What's all this talk of love? Why the issues with sin and darkness? And who are these antichrists?John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Karen H. Jobes - Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on 1, 2 and 3 JohnBook: Constantine R. Campbell - 1, 2, 3 John (The Story of God Bible Commentary)Book: Dr Daniel L. Akin - 1, 2, 3 John (New American Commentary)Book: Robert W. Yarborough - 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)Big thanks to Tim Whittle f

John's letters have been a source of encouragement and challenge to the church since the formation of the New Testament. But when we think of John's writings, we often overlook the very short 2 and 3 John. In our series, we'll take a closer look at these three letters, and explore the connection between the Johannine Epistles, the Gospel of John and the Revelation of John.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Karen H. Jobes - Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on 1, 2 and 3 JohnBook: Constantine R. Campbell - 1, 2, 3 John (The Story of God Bible Commentary)Book: Dr Daniel L. Akin - 1, 2, 3 John (New American Commentary)Book: Robert W. Yarborough - 1-3 John (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Music credit: Scott & Annie McKinnon, 'Revive'.Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Android and Spotify

We continue our intermittent series featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects.Next up is Alex Walker (BA (Hons)[UQ]), with his project: "Ezekiel’s Temple as the Perfect Tabernacle: A Study of Divine Presence and Absence in Exodus and Ezekiel." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what makes each of us special, but we think these topics are pretty interesting! And we think you will too!Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:PDF Alex Walker: Ezekiel’s Temple as the Perfect Tabernacle: A Study of Divine Presence and Absence in Exodus and Ezekiel.Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Music credit: Scott & Annie McKinnon, 'Revive'.Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Android and Spotify

The Megillot is a beautiful and challenging collection of books that are connected by a number of things, including that they are all books read at significant Jewish Festivals. As we finish off our series looking at these books, we take listener questions and wrap up our walk through the books of the Scroll.---There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance both in the biblical narrative but also in the liturgical calendar of Israel. Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Barry Webb, 2001, Five Festal Garments, IVP BooksBook: David Clines, 1999, Themes of the Pentateuch. BloomsburyWeb: Top 10 Romantic Complim

As we come to the last episode of our series on the Megillot, these five short books that a grouped together as 'the Scroll' in the Hebrew Bible, we find Ecclesiastes. Seemingly easy to read, like Proverbs, with memorable sections and familiar themes, it is in fact hard to discern what we should take away from this book. Is everything meaningless? Does God care what happens? Why isn't the author giving us clear answers? Who is this mysterious Preacher/Teacher/Gatherer? Ecclesiastes is complex, engaging, and confronting, but ultimately, comforting, as it asks but not always answers the big questions of life.---There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance both in

Lamentations is not one of the more popular books in the biblical canon. In fact, its five densely populated poems are some of the hardest reading in scripture, not in terms of understanding, but in the state of despair and grief we hear poured out. Ther is a brief shining moment at the centre of the book, a ray of hope in what seems to be an otherwise desolate wasteland of broken dreams and shattered hopes. Yet, it is still considered scripture, and still holds in it some encouragement, some nourishment, and some challenge to those willing to brave its icy shores. Join the Bible Streams team as they examine the ebook of Lamentations.--There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found

Love, loss, high drama and a penultimate moment that will leave you on the edge of your seat, the little book of Ruth delivers more than just an epic story in miniature. It's a tale loaded with technical insight into the ancient Hebraic practice of law, community, custom and generational legacy. It rarely mentions God but demonstrates His powerful work in the ordering of circumstances and hidden providence. This walk through Ruth will open your eyes to the intricacies and nuances of this elegantly simple tale.--There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance both in the biblical narrative but also in the liturgical calendar of Israel. Resources/Links mentioned in t

Seductive and suggestive, or pure and pious? No other book in the Bible has garnered so much attention about its subject matter and its appropriateness for God's covenant people to read in worship as the Song of Songs! Is it too much, or is it a healthy depiction of human sexuality and relationships? Should we read it as a love poem or an allegory of Jesus and the Church? Who wrote it - Solomon or someone who wanted to honour him? In the poem, is Solomon a good guy, or is he the antagonist who ruins it for everyone? If nothing else, this short poem-turned-scroll in the Megillot poses some very engaging questions within its superlative language. Join Alex, Chris and Jo as they explore the most excellent Song of all Songs!----There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance both in the biblical narrative, but also in the liturgical calendar of Israel. Esther is a complex book but a simple story: a story of salvation, redemption,  boldness and courage in the face of mighty opposition. But it's complex, as there is no explicit mention of God's name, and there are some questionable decisions made by some of the chief protagonists. Esther packs a punch, it invites us to dig deeper into the context and the subtext of the story it tells and continues the story of God's people as they journey toward the second temple period and the seismic changes that would come with the advent of Christ.Resou

There is a small collection of books that sit nestled toward the back of the Hebrew Bible. In the Ketuvim, the Writings, wedged between the three large poetic books of Psalms, Proverbs and Job, and the post-exilic writings (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles), are the Five Megillot - the Five Scrolls. Small but rich and complex in their subject matter, these five books found their significance both in the biblical narrative, but also in the liturgical calendar of Israel. This series covers the books of Esther, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations and Ecclesiastes - five different writings that have been connected by their value to be sung and read at five Jewish festivals. Join the Bible Streams Team as they unpack both the liturgical understanding in this episode and then each book in more depth.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Tremper Longman III & Peter Enns (eds) - Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and WritingsBig thanks to Tim

Philemon is just 25 verses but is full of insight and practical application for living like Jesus in a messy and complicated world. How do we treat people who are more or less powerful than us? How do we find reconciliation when we've been wronged? How should we approach systemic injustice? All of this and more is wrapped up in this amazing letter, and one of it's central ideas: koinonia.Chirs, Alex and Jo discuss how to read Philemon, the intricacies of the text, and some of the big issues that surround this very personal letter from Paul to a dear friend, on behalf of another dear friend.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Web: International Justice Mission (IJM)Book: NT Wright - Tyndale New Testament Commentary - Colossians & PhilemonBook: ESV Expository Commentary - Ephesians-PhilemonBook: Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Music credit

We start a new (and intermittent) series, featuring conversations with our Bible Streams hosts about their fields of research and the dissertations they have written on the subjects.First up is Chris Knott (MDiv[ACT]), with his project: "The implications of Romans 13:1-7 for Christians participating in the exercise of secular authority." But don't be fooled, not only are we punning on what makes each of us special, but we think these topics are pretty interesting! And we think you will too!Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:PDF: Chris Knott - "The implications of Romans 13:1-7 for Christians participating in the exercise of secular authority."Web: The Bible Project - RomansBook: Thomas Schreiner - RomansBook: Douglas Moo - Letter to the Romans (New Internation Commentary on the New Testament)Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Music credit: Sco

The Ezra-Nehemiah text is a complex series of writings, memoirs and reflections. It presents the reader with lots of questions - and you've sent us yours! On our first ever Q&A episode, we answer listener questions around a bunch of themes and issues raised in this fascinating text!Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Dr Gary Schnittjer - Old Testament Use of the Old TestamentArticle: Dr Gary Schnittjer - The Bad Ending of Ezra-NehemiahBook: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra and Nehemiah (Tyndale Commentary Series)Book: Laird - Negotiating Power in Ezra-NehemiahBook: The ESV Study BibleWeb: The Bible Project - Ezra-NehemiahBig thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram. Music credit: Scott & Annie McKinnon, 'Revive'.Subscribe on iT

Old Testament scholar and expert on Ezra-Nehemiah Dr Gary Schnittjer joins Jo, Alex and Chris to talk about the challenges and themes of this often-overlooked text. Gary teaches Old Testament and biblical Hebrew in the School of Divinity at Cairn University in Philadelphia, and recently released his expansive work on the Old Testament Use of the Old Testament. He sheds light on some of the more complex issues and responses to the leadership of Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel as we find them depicted. Make sure you listen to the end to find out how you can win a copy of Gary's new book, or find a link in the show notes to purchase your own.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Dr Gary Schnittjer - Old Testament Use of the Old TestamentArticle: Dr Gary Schnittjer - The Bad Ending of Ezra-NehemiahBook: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra and Nehem

While content has been limited this year, there has still been a lot to talk about in 2021 across the three podcasts across the Riverlife network. We've heard from some incredible guests and discussed a range of topics across theology, scripture, justice, and community! Join our producer, Tim, as he sits down with Jo to talk about all the highlights from 2021 and to look ahead to 2022. As is now a yearly tradition with Riverlife Podcasts, there will also be bloopers and outtakes. Here's to another awesome year ahead!This episode can also be found on our Going Deeper podcast channel.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode:Riverlife Podcast Network: Going Deeper | Bible Streams | The Round TableGoing Deeper - Episode 160 (Talking Justice 2: Jesus Sets Captives Free! with Amy Smith (International Justice Mission))Going Deeper - Episode 161 (Talking Justice 3: Action as Intercession with Dave Andrews)Going Deeper - Episode 166 (Taking Justice 8: Prophetic Voices of the Land with Ps Ada Boland)Bible Streams - Ep

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host Chris as they discuss the challenge of reading this text in its context, yet mining it for meaning for us within the Church context of the 21st Century.This episode, we take a look at the second half of the scroll of Ezra-Nehemiah, focussing on the life and memoirs of Nehemiah, and look at some challenging events that arise.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Link: Diagram Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah (Dropbox link)Book: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra a

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host Chris as they discuss the challenge of reading this text in its context, yet mining it for meaning for us within the Church context of the 21st Century.This episode, we take a look at the first leader we see in Ezra-Nehemiah: Ezra, and ask some difficult questions of the text.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Link: Diagram Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah (Dropbox link)Book: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra and Nehemiah (Tyndale Commentary Series)Book: Lair

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host Chris as they discuss the challenge of reading this text in its context, yet mining it for meaning for us within the Church context of the 21st Century.This episode, we take a look at the first leader we see in Ezra-Nehemiah: Zerubabbel.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Link: Diagram Outline of Ezra-Nehemiah (Dropbox link)Book: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra and Nehemiah (Tyndale Commentary Series)Book: Laird - Negotiating Power in Ezra-NehemiahBo

Ezra and Nehemiah present the readers with an interesting situation: what happened when God sticks to the promise He made to His people, but it doesn't turn out like the people thought it would? God faithfully restores the remnant of his covenant people after the Exile, yet these two parts of the same story suggest that not everything ended up restored as they imagined. Join Jo, Alex and new host Chris as they discuss the challenge of reading this text in its context, yet mining it for meaning for us within the Church context of the 21st Century.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: Walton & Hill - A Survey of the Old TestamentBook: Shepherd & Wright - Ezra and Nehemiah (Two Horizons Commentary Series)Book: Kidner - Ezra and Nehemiah (Tyndale Commentary Series)Book: The ESV Study BibleWeb: The Bible Project - Ezra-NehemiahBig thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on

The Fourth Gospel presents the transcendent, glorious and incarnate God presented in Jesus Christ. John's love of symbols, numbers, patterns and allusions makes for engaging reading and layers of meaning and revelation for those with a heart to seek God in its pages. John lifts up Jesus as the new Moses, new temple, new Exodus - the new way to know and love God. As John lifts up Jesus, He draws all people to Himself.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 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.Resources/Links mentioned in this episode, or as references or helpful for Bible Streams:Book: N.T. Wright & Michael Bird - The New Testament in Its WorldBook: The ESV Study BibleBook: Powell - Introducing the New TestamentBook: D.A. Carson &  Douglas J Moo - An Introduction to the New Testament