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 the Holy Spirit for words and impact 
• letting go of control through delegation and shared leadership 
• Stephen’s witness and the fear of loss or death 
• Philip’s unexpected appointment and crossing cultural difference 
• missed moments and the honest cost of staying comfortable 
• forgiving someone who harmed you and trusting God’s work 
• Peter learning salvation is for Gentiles and God works outside our boxes 
• making room to say “wow” at how big God is 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

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 
• Peter’s rooftop vision and the line “What God has made clean” 
• Peter’s visit to a Gentile home and the barrier it breaks 
• the gospel message Peter proclaims about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection 
• the Holy Spirit falling on Gentiles and why that stuns the Jewish believers 
• Cornelius as a model of eagerness to hear from God 
• choosing teachability over pride and letting ourselves be wowed 
• encouraging pastors and leaders without turning them into idols 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

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 city’s joy through deliverance and healing 
• Simon’s attempt to purchase spiritual power and Peter’s sharp call to repent 
• Philip guided to the Ethiopian eunuch, Scripture explained from Isaiah to Jesus 
• baptism and rejoicing as the gospel reaches beyond borders 
• Saul’s road to Damascus encounter with Jesus and the cost of following him 
• Ananias obeying through fear and Saul filled with the Holy Spirit 
• Saul preaching boldly, facing plots, and Barnabas vouching for him 
• Peter healing Aeneas and raising Tabitha as many turn to the Lord 

Be a Barnabas today. Who needs you to show up for them?

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

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 through Abraham, Joseph, and Moses 
• Israel’s repeated pattern of resisting God’s messengers and drifting into idolatry 
• God’s presence not contained by buildings, with the temple put in its proper place 
• Stephen’s bold confrontation of the council and the cost of telling the truth 
• Stephen’s vision of Jesus and his Christlike words of forgiveness at death 
• Luke 12:11–12 as comfort for believers who fear saying the wrong thing 
• Preparing our hearts through prayer so the Spirit can speak through us 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

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 new podcast series she is launching with Scripture Memory Fellowship that will be all about Scripture recitation. 

scripturespeakers.com

https://scripturememorypodcast.com/

In today's reading:
• Why deception in a worshiping community is treated as deadly serious 
• Miraculous signs and wonders drawing crowds to the apostles 
• The apostles freed from jail and sent back to preach 
• “We must obey God rather than people” as a clear line in the sand 
• Gamaliel’s warning about fighting against God 
• Rejoicing after suffering dishonor for Jesus’ name 
• A real complaint about overlooked widows and a wise solution 
• The choosing of seven leaders to handle daily distribution 
• Stephen’s bold ministry and the start of fierce opposition 
please go check out scripturespeakers.com 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a message!

We wrestle with Acts 2:42-47 as a vivid snapshot of the early church, then ask what it means without turning it into a modern church template. We land on a sharper challenge: stop comparing institutions and start letting this passage expose our devotion, generosity, and everyday witness. 
• reading Acts as the continuation of Luke and a turning point in God’s relationship with his people 
• the story behind getting “stuck” in Acts 2:42 and why the verse still matters 
• asking whether Acts 2 is an ideal to copy or a moment to understand 
• Pentecost context, pilgrims in Jerusalem, and why the intensity may be situational 
• descriptive vs prescriptive, and the danger of using Acts 2 as a battering ram 
• shifting from church comparison to personal heart check as believers 
• devotion as a life orientation, not a Sunday habit 
• core marks of Christian community: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer 
• generosity that costs something, and why “comfortable giving” misses the point 
• fruitfulness, seed planting, and praying to be used by God in someone’s salvation 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a message!

We read Acts 3–4 and watch Jesus’ power change a lame man’s life, then ignite a public moment that forces everyone to decide what they think about the risen Christ. We also sit with the harder question of God’s timing and why healing and rescue sometimes come later than we want. 
• the healing at the Beautiful Gate and the crowd’s shock 
• Peter giving Jesus the credit and calling for repentance 
• the arrest over preaching resurrection in Jesus’ name 
• Peter’s Spirit-filled defense and the claim that salvation is found in no one else 
• the council’s warnings and the apostles’ refusal to stay silent 
• the church’s unified prayer for boldness and God’s power to heal 
• the early Christian community’s generosity and Barnabas’ encouragement 
• a personal reflection on waiting, perseverance, and trusting Jesus’ timing 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a message!

We start Acts as the direct continuation of Luke and follow Jesus’ promise that power is coming through the Holy Spirit. We watch the church move from fearful waiting in Jerusalem to bold witness at Pentecost, then ask what that same Spirit empowers us to do today. 
• Acts as Luke’s continuing story addressed to Theophilus 
• Jesus’ ascension and the command to wait in Jerusalem 
• the promise of baptism with the Holy Spirit and power to witness 
• Judas’ betrayal, Scripture fulfillment, and Matthias chosen to replace him 
• Pentecost explained as the Feast of Weeks and what “Pentecost” means 
• wind, fire, and speaking in other languages as the Spirit enables 
• Peter’s sermon using Joel and David to proclaim Jesus’ death and resurrection 
• the call to repent and be baptized for forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit 
• the early church pattern of teaching, fellowship, prayer, generosity, and shared meals 
• the Holy Spirit given for mission and purpose, not spectacle 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a message!

We wrap up Luke by reading chapter 24 and watching the resurrection unfold through confusion, Scripture, and surprising joy. We sit with the Emmaus road story and ask what it looks like for God’s Word to move us from hopelessness to clarity and hope. 
• Luke’s focus on Jesus’ real humanity and sinless life 
• The empty tomb account and the women’s testimony 
• Why the apostles struggle to believe at first 
• The road to Emmaus and “we had hoped” disappointment 
• Jesus teaching how the Scriptures point to him 
• Recognizing Jesus in the breaking of bread 
• Jesus proving he is risen with flesh and bones 
• Repentance and forgiveness proclaimed to all nations 
• The ascension and why Acts is the continuation 
• A personal question about when Scripture last made our hearts burn 
 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.

Send us a message!

We read Luke 23 straight through, sitting with Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and burial instead of saving it for one week a year. We also look at the “side characters” Luke includes and ask what their words and choices reveal about what they really think of Jesus. 
• why we tend to avoid the crucifixion and why we should not 
• Pilate’s repeated finding of innocence and his eventual compromise 
• Herod’s shallow curiosity and Jesus’ silence under accusation 
• Barabbas released and the crowd’s demand for crucifixion 
• Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross and what it models for discipleship 
• Jesus’ prayer for forgiveness and the criminals’ opposite responses 
• the repentant thief and Jesus’ promise of paradise 
• darkness, the torn curtain, the centurion’s confession, and the crowd’s regret 
• Joseph of Arimathea’s courage in burial and the women’s faithful witness 
• the question we cannot dodge: what do we think about Jesus right now 

At outloudbible.com, you can find free resources to help you study the Bible. And while you’re there, send us a message to say hi, or start a conversation about having us at your church or event. 

If Outloud Bible has been a valuable part of your understanding of the Bible, please consider supporting the ministry by visiting outloudbible.com.

Support the show

Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.