Biblical Narratives Podcast

Paul, Gaius, and a sickly Aristarchus flee from Ephesus after a brief farewell to the likes of Priscilla, Aquila, Epaphras and some of the other young Ephesian leaders.

Acts 20:1-2; 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

Dimitrius hosts a banquet for his trade guild, where he motivates his colleagues to arrest Paul and his followers to face an angry Ephesian crowd.

Acts 19:23-34; Matthew 11:11-14, 18-19

Jewish leaders send Alexander as their representative to the city officials in an effort to separate themselves from the rapidly growing church. Dimitrius begins to beat the war drums against the Teacher from Syria. Timothy and Erastus arrive in Macedonia and remain there while sending Gaius and Aristarchus with an update to Paul.

Acts 19:22-28; Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 21:40-45; Philippians 2:9-11

Dimitrius conducts reconnaissance of the rapidly growing Christ community; Paul sends Sosthanes back to Corinth with important instructions. Aquila encourages Epaphras to minister in Colossae.

Acts 19:21-24; Galatians 4:19-29; Acts 21:18-21; Philippians 3:2-7

Eliezer turns away from his magical practices; Paul and Sosthanes begin writing First Corinthians; Ephesus turns away from its magic practices.

Acts 19:17-20; Matthew 10:34-39; James 3:1-5; James 3:13-18

Immer and Yedaiah, two of Sceva’s sons, wish to harness Paul’s power for their own exorcism practice. Eliezer has a moment of reckoning.

Acts 19:17-20; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Ephesians 6:10-18

The Seven Sons of Sceva underestimate a demon possessed man and come to realize a world much larger than they’ve known.

Acts 19:11-15; Matthew 16:24-28; John 3:18-21; Colossians 1:11-14; James 5:13-16

Acts 19:8-20, Acts 2:1-12

Paul is confronted by the synagogue leaders who had resorted to using magic to bring about a curse on Paul. Timothy and the church in Corinth receive a letter from Paul that proves to be confusing.

Paul ramps up his ministry in Ephesus, specifically in the synagogues. Jews and converted Jews alike are receptive to him… at first.

Acts 19:1-10; Luke 19:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Paul gets settled in Ephesus and begins his ministry; Apollos reconnects with Zenas in Corinth; Demetrius the silversmith celebrates with his fellow silversmiths

Acts 19:1-10; Titus 3:13-14; Revelation 2:1-7

Paul arrives in Ephesus, reunites with Aquila and Priscilla, while Apollos gets established in Corinth

Acts 19:1; Romans 3:19-31; Galatians 3:1-14

To Paul and Apollos alike, this problem of infusing the Law of Moses into the new Christ-centered community confronted them in just about every single ministry moment they had. Given the fact that Paul had touched on this problem in nearly every letter he wrote, as armchair quarterbacks, it doesn’t take much to see a pattern.

Paul ventures back into modern-day Turkey for his third missionary trip. Meanwhile, Apollos confounds the Jewish community and meets up with the Corinthian church.

Acts 18:23, 27-28; Psalm 2, 8

Paul begins his third mission tour and arrives in Lystra. He discovers that little had been done with the tiny church there in Roman Galatia with few gatherings, poor leadership, and little fruit to show for.

Acts 18:23, 27-28; Galatians 1:6-9; Galatians 2:4-5; Galatians 2:15-21; Galatians 3:1-4

Paul clarifies his next ministry endeavor and prepares for his third missionary trip. Meanwhile, Apollos has a significant “A ha!” moment and discovers Jesus on a whole new level.

Acts 18:23, 26; Matthew 11:2-6

Paul’s second mission trip comes to an end with a brief but eventful layover in Ephesus followed by a boat ride back to Caesarea, Jerusalem and Antioch of Syria.

Acts 18:19-22; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

Paul changes gears as he finalizes his ministry in Corinth for the time and begins to set his sights on heading back home to Jerusalem and Antioch. But his time in Corinth has paid off, especially as the core group he has impacted shows up in a surprise visit in Cenchrea.

Acts‬ ‭18:18-22; Ephesians 1:17-21

Acts‬ ‭18:18-22; 2 Timothy 2:1-6

Paul wraps up his ministry in Corinth. Silas takes his final trip with Paul and returns back to Jerusalem and Antioch. But that doesn’t mean Silas hangs up his ministry shoes and doesn’t keep at it. He does. His role would change.

‭‭Acts‬ ‭18:11-21‬; John 17:9-18; Psalm 91:14-16; Psalm 31:19-24

A pressured Sosthanes makes the hard decision to deal with a Syrian Jewish evangelist named Paul. The efforts to get rid of this troublemaker by some of the more zealous types have not panned out--even to the point of gaining the attention of the city official.

Paul shares a key message with the first believers in Corinth about what the Law of Moses can and cannot do. Sosthanes, the leader in the Corinthian synagogue, feels the pressure intensify from his own people.

Acts 18:7-17; Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 3:19-20

Paul ramps up his dedication to the Lord and takes on the Nazarite Vow. Sosthanes confides in his wife and has an unexpected conversation with Crispus.

Acts 18:6-10, Numbers 6:1-21

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Titius Justus encounter some major hostility from certain individuals from the synagogue next door to Titius Justus’ home. While Sosthanes is now fully in charge, he’s feeling the mounting pressure coming from certain special interest groups within a divided synagogue. Meanwhile Paul is having a moment of crisis where Jesus shows up.

Acts 18:9; 2 Timothy 4:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10; 2 Corinthians 1:23-24

(Paul in Corinth, Expelled from Synagogue, Crispus Gets Baptized)

Acts 18:6-8; John 6:53-58, 6:66-69; Philippians 3:4-8

In Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus, this experience changed everything for him: His career, his obsession with destroying the early church, his position in the Sanhedrin and his ambition to move up within the ranks of all Jewish authority. Yet… once he met Jesus, nothing else mattered.

In the previous episode, we saw Paul confronted by Sosthanes and forcefully expelled out from the synagogue. In today’s episode, we’ll see what happens to Paul and others who have taken an interest in his teachings.

(Paul in Corinth, Full Time Ministry, From Synagogue to Titius Justus House)

Acts 18:1-5; Romans 1:14-17; Romans 3:21-26

Paul in Corinth becomes public enemy number one in the local synagogue. With Timothy and Silas’ arrival, Paul is able to double down his efforts by going back into full time ministry.

Though Not Everybody Wants to Hear Us...

Acts 17:11-15, Romans 10:14-21

Some warnings… we just don’t want to hear. We ignore them, until… What’s even worse is when we ignore and even fight against the warnings. This was the issue with the prophets. They warned Israel time and time again, but listening? Nope. This was also the issue with how many perceived Paul’s message too.

Don’t worry though… It’s not just with Israel… it’ with us too.

As we pick up from last time, we see that Paul and Silas have arrived at Berea, and they have been received well from the overseers of that synagogue. No doubt, their time spent here must have been seen as a time of respite. But, their rest would only be temporary when some old issues from Thessalonica make their way to Berea. What happens? Tune in to find out. And with that, let’s get started!

Acts 17:11-13; Matthew 23:29-36; 1 Kings 22:1-28; Isaiah 53:1-6

Picking up in today’s episode, we meet up with the Berean synagogue leaders who have afforded Paul a hearing with them to make his case about Messiah--who showed up and was rejected by his own. The idea that God’s conquering king would be rejected by those who were waiting for him sounds absurd, yet that’s the case Paul builds before the Berean leaders. What’s Paul’s argument here? Well, tune in to find out. But, first we need to see what’s brewing back in Thessalonica. And, with that… Let’s get started.

Acts 17:10-15; 2 John 7-11

Instead of just writing somebody off and not valuing her as a human being, be willing to listen to her concerns or thoughts. Then, on your own time, perform the due diligence needed to validate or invalidate the claims she is making.

Jumping into today’s message, we meet up with Paul and Silas, as they flee Thessalonica by night and make their way to Berea. How are they treated upon their arrival to that city? Stick around and find out. And, with that… let’s get started!

Acts 17:6-10; Philippians 2:9-11, Philippians 3:20-21

Jumping into today’s episode, we’ll see what has unfolded in Thessalonica, as Paul and Silas have once again stepped on a hornet’s nest of their own, causing no small amount of disruption within the city. Stick around for the end notes to explore more as to why their visits were so controversial.

So what happens in Thessalonica? Let’s find out together, and with that… let’s get started.

Acts 17:4-10; Matthew 21:43-46; Ephesians 3:6-9

Economy… we think of the word “economics,” and money comes to mind. But there’s much more to the word “economy” than just money. The fusion of Oikia, meaning house, and Nomos, meaning Law. The law of the house speaks of how an administration carries out the way it rules over a family, a people, an organization, or even a nation.

What happens when God changes the economy? What happens when God chooses to run things differently than before?

Some will like it… many won’t--especially those who seem to be doing well in the current system or economy. Picking up in today’s episode, we will wrap up our time in Thessalonica where we see Paul and Silas on the run once again after explaining how God’s economy has shifted. What happens to them? What happens to the others who have impacted by Paul and Silas?

Acts 17:1-9; Matthew 21:43-45; Matthew 10:32-36; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4

Blogs, podcasts, livestreaming, social media, email, text, instant messaging, endless websites and apps, youtube and other video platforms--in addition to more traditional television, radio, books, and yes the town crier--have afforded anyone and everyone to have a voice. What if you had a voice that could influence others for the Kingdom of Heaven? What might that look like.

Picking up into today’s episode, we see Paul and Silas run into more trouble on account of using their voices. They have gone from city to city, synagogue to synagogue, to reason with Jews (and converted Gentiles) scattered across Asia and Europe about Messiah and his offer of the Kingdom of Heaven. What happens in Thessalonica? Tune in and find out.

Acts 17:1-4; Philippians 3:7-8; Matthew 16:24-27

Our episode begins right after Paul presents his case to a packed room in a synagogue. What was the nature of his message? Paul shared his own story about how he was confronted by a risen Jesus while walking on the road to Damascus to destroy the newly formed Christ follower communities. It’s likely that this was the first time those in the room heard a message like this. As you might imagine, many of those who heard it had a lot of questions. So with that… let’s get started.