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ScriptureStream episodes
- Discipleship WrappedIntroduction
- Psalms 139:23
- Lamentations 3:40
- II Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves! This is a good prompt for all of us.
Your top influences- Psalms 1:1-2
- What has influenced you the most in 2025? Who and what are you listening to?
- Did God’s word actually shape my thinking?
- Proverbs 13:20 – “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Temptations and repentance- Proverbs 28:13
- II Timothy 2:22 – “flee youthful lusts”
- How many times did I flee? See Genesis 39; Matthew 4.
- Matthew 5:27-30 – Which temptations usually got to me?
- What I sinned did I repent? Psalms 51:7
Relationships strengthened and people helped- Romans 12:9-18
- The second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself.
- How have you been treating people?
Your daily habits- Daniel 6:10
- What would my stats say about prayer?
- Acts 2:42
- Our habits should come naturally out of loving the Lord.
- What do my habits tel me about my heart?
- Proverbs 4:23
- Hebrews 12:1-3
- For the year ahead, are my eyes fixed on Jesus?
- Do I have people in my life who will help me spiritually?
27 min - 1 Timothy 6:11-21; 2 Timothy 1:1-2:10I Timothy 6I Timothy 6:11-16 – “Fight the good fight”
- I Timothy 6:12 – This confession is not recorded, but it seems to be referring to Timothy confessing faith in Jesus.
I Timothy 6:17-19 – “Instruct those who are rich …”I Timothy 6:20-21 – “guard what has been entrusted to you”- I Timothy 6:20-21 – This appears to be a criticism of Gnosticism.
II Timothy 1Paul will be executed soon- I Timothy 3:14
- It appears that Paul was imprisoned twice and executed during the second imprisonment. He wrote I Timothy and Titus between the two imprisonments.
- II Timothy 4:6
II Timothy 1:1-4 – “To Timothy, my beloved son”- II Timothy 1:3 – Paul now had a clear conscience.
II Timothy 1:5 – Lois and EuniceII Timothy 1:6-7 – “power and love and discipline”- II Timothy 1:6 – What is this gift of God? It could be a miraculous spiritual gift or a non-miraculous gift to preach the gospel. See I Timothy 1:18; 4:14.
II Timothy 1:8-12 – “join with me”II Timothy 1:13-14 – “Retain the standard of sound words”- Don’t allow yourself to be pushed around because of your youth. Stick to the truth!
II Timothy 1:15-18 – Paul’s interactionsII Timothy 2II Timothy 2:1-2 – Teach others to teach- It was important for Timothy to not only to teach, but to encourage others to teach as well.
II Timothy 2:3-7 - Three analogies- II Timothy 2:3-4 – The soldier
- II Timothy 3:5 – The athlete
- II Timothy 2:6 – The farmer
- The common denominator is effort. We must be willing to work.
II Timothy 2:8-10 – “Remember Jesus Christ …”42 min - Pros and Cons of Eight Bible TranslationsIntroduction
- Psalms 119:169-176
Translation philosophies- On the left:
- Word-for-word: Preserves original wording, English may feel less natural.
- On the right:
- Thought for thought: Takes liberties to emphasize readability and meaning.
New American Standard Bible; New King James Version; King James VersionEnglish Standard VersionChristian Standard BibleNew English TranslationNew International VersionNew Living TranslationKing James Version (1769)Pros- Highly accurate
- Beautiful, nostalgic wording
Cons- Outdated words – I Thessalonians 4:15
- Based on limited manuscripts
Sample verses- Philippians 2:6; I Thessalonians 4:4; James 2:1
New King James Version (1984)Pros- Still accurate
- Modernized
Cons- Still mainly based on manuscripts the King James Version used.
- Starting to get a bit dated itself.
New American Standard Bible (1977)- The 2020 update for the New American Standard Bible added gender inclusive language. See Philippians 4:8, where NASB 2020 changes the rendering from “brethren” to “brothers and sisters.”
Pros- Extremely accurate
- Great for detailed study
Cons- Stiff, unnatural wording
- May not be best for casual or devotional reading
New English Translation- Published for free online, including 60,000 marginal notes from the translators.
Pros- Translator notes
- Very modern
Cons- Physical version is big
- Not widely used
New International Version (2011)- Best-selling translation in the world.
Pros- Highly readable
- Widely available
Cons- Less precise
- Some choices are controversial
English Standard Version (2016)Pros- Very popular
- Sweet spot
Cons- Some awkward wording
- Little transparency
Christian Standard Bible (2020)- Previously known as the Holman Christian Standard Bible, then rebranded.
Pros- Sweet spot
- Very modern
Cons- Some non-traditional choices
- A few quirks
New Living Translation (2015)Pros- Super easy to read
- Very modern
Cons- Lots of interpretation from translators
- Much less precise
Conclusion- I Thessalonians 2:13
34 min - Judges 10:1-11:28Part 2: The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasyTola and Jair (Judges 10:1-5)
- Judges 10:4 – These 30 cities were tent settlements. Donkeys were associated with royalty at that time. Donkers were also better ssuited for battle in hill country than horses.
Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7)Apostasy and distress (Judges 10:6-18)- Judges 10:6 – Here we get a full list of all the idols that Israel served.
- Judges 10:14 – See Deuteronomy 32:37; Nehemiah 9:26. This is the first and only time in Judges where we get an extended interaction between God and Israel and the Israelites make concrete steps toward repentance.
- Judges 10:17 – The name Mizpah just means “overlook” and is a common place name in the Old Testament.
- Judges 10:18 – They apparently had no good candidates, so they had to go recruit Jephthah.
Introduction to Jephthah (Judges 11:1-13)- Judges 11:3 – Jephthah did not have the best group of friends.
Jephthah’s commissioning (Judges 11:4-11)- Judges 11:7-10 – Jephthah uses his position to negotiate and get back some of what he’d lost in Judges 11:2 when his brothers drove him out.
Diplomatic discussions (Judges 11:12-28)- Judges 11:12 – Jephthah first starts with diplomacy. If the Ammonites had this territory, it would have greatly their territory.
Class 8 Takeaway- For the first and only time in the Judges narrative, the Israelites’ cries for deliverance are accompanied by concrete acts associated with repentance: “putting away the foreign gods from among them” and serving the Lord (Judges 10:16).
- Acceptable repentance today follows this same pattern (II Corinthians 7:10-11). Turning from sin and toward the Lord involves definite, visible steps to expel sin and (re-)center our lives on Jesus (Matthew 18:8-9; Acts 26:20; Romans 2:4).
41 min - Making Sure SUNDAYS Affect Our MONDAYSIntroduction
- Matthew 7:21-27
Worship …- I Samuel 15:22
- Isaiah 1:10-17 – We can’t live however we want and then think we can still worship God.
- Psalms 63:1-4 – Our worship should be a response to the greatness of God.
- Luke 6:46
Preaching …- Luke 3:3-14, 18 – John the Baptist presented some hard teaching but included some useful applications. Modern day preachers should do the same.
- II Timothy 4:2
- Luke 3:10 – The audience also has a responsibility. They asked what they should do.
… and now it’s up to ME!- Matthew 23:1-4
- Luke 18:9-14
- We must apply the lessons to ourselves. The first application must always be to myself.
- Luke 8:5-8, 15 – I need to commit myself to living the word, even in hard times.
- Ezekiel 33:30-33 – They were just listening to Ezekiel’s lessons like one listens to a song – enjoying it but going away unchanged. Let us not do the same!
27 min - 1 Timothy 5:1-6:10I Timothy 5
- I Timothy 5:1-2 – Timothy dealing with people.
- I Timothy 5:3-16 – Widows
- I Timothy 5:9 - “Enrolled” here seems to mean, “included in ongoing support.” “Wife of one husband” seems to mean that she lived in harmony with God’s marriage law.
- I Timothy 5:10 – Washing the feet of saints here seems to just be an elaboration of hospitality. It does not necessarily mean that she must have literally washed feet.
- I Timothy 5:17-25 – Elders
I Timothy 6- I Timothy 6:1-2 – “Under the yoke as slaves”
- I Timothy 6:3-5 – “a different doctrine”
- I Timothy 6:6-8 – “contentment”
- I Timothy 6:9-10 – “the love of money”
47 min - God: Who He Is and What That Means For UsIntroduction
- Psalms 146:1-10
Creator- Psalms 95:4-6 – He is our Maker!
- Psalms 95:7-11 – Massah and Meribah are a reference to Exodus 17. God knows our needs!
- James 1:19-20 – God knows how our bodies work we get angry and He says to slow down.
Father- I John 3:1-2 – We are children of God.
- I John 3:7
- II Corinthians 6:18, 14
- We may have to give up earthly relationships, but it will be worth it to be welcomed into God’s arms.
- Romans 8:15-17
- Galatians 4:6-7
Judge- Acts 17:30, 21
- Romans 2:16
- In the end, we will stand before God and give account for ourselves.
- Luke 16:14
- When I read the Bible, I must be sincerely looking for ways to change myself.
27 min - Judges 8:31-9:57Part 2: The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasy (Judges 3:7-16:31), continuedGideon (Judges 6:1-8:35), continuedAbimelech, apostate “king” (Judges 9:1-5)Abimelech’s sordid rise (Judges 9:1-6)
- Abimelech hired worthless men and went and killed all his brothers except for Jotham.
Indictment of Abimelech; Jotham’s fable (Judges 9:7-21)- The image here is of a bramble ruling over cedars of Lebanon. Jotham was trying to expose their hypocrisy.
Abimelech’s violent reign and end (Judges 9:22-55)- Judges 9:26 – Gaal means “abhor” and Ebed means “servant.” Some suggest this was not actually his name but was a commentary on him by the author.
- Judges 9:45 – Sowing the ground with salt would make the soil infertile, making it difficult to inhabit the city.
- Judges 9:54 – Compare the death of Sisera by Jael (Judges 4:21-22) and the death of Saul (I Samuel 31:4).
Final verdict on Abimelech- Proverbs 5:22
- See Judges 9:7-21 regarding Jotham’s curse.
Class 7 Takeaway- The Shechemite leaders aided and abetted Abimelech in his sinful act of murdering his half-brothers. This resulted in their condemnation along with Abimelech’s (Judges 9:24, 57).
- We need to be very careful not to support, promote, or otherwise aid the sins of others.
40 min - Update on Colombia and Mexico; Justice, Kindness, and Walking with GodUpdate on work in Colombia
- Congregations tend to be small and spread out.
- Christians there tend to be very strong and knowledgeable.
- Nationally, there is not much desire to serve God. The government is indifferent to religion.
Recap of work in Mexico- Several young men from Benchley went on the trip and preached their first lesson via translator.
- Several young women also went and taught classes for ladies and children, which were very well received.
Justice, Kindness, and Walking with God- Micah 3:8
- Micah 6:1-2, 6-8
- The people’s response is an insult to God. What did God want from them? Micah 6:8 gives the answer: justice, kindness, and walking humbly with God.
- See Ephesians 4:28.
- See Amos 3:3. To walk humbly with God, we must be in agreement with Him.
47 min - Real Living: Laying Down My LifeJohn 13-15
- John 13:34-35 – Other people would know they were disciples because of the love they showed for each other.
- John 13:37
- John 14:21-24
- John 15:12-13
- Jesus taught us to love by setting the example.
- Laying down my life for others involves serving others.
- Sometimes, “laying down your life” means literally dying.
- Keeping Jesus’ commandments is part of laying down my life for Him.
I John 1-3- John 2:15 – Don’t love the world.
- I John 3:4-10 – Every person is known by their deeds.
- I John 3:14-15
- I John 3:16 – We know what love is based on what God did.
- Love is action!
- I must walk in the light as God is light.
- If I don’t love my brother: I don’t belong to God, I don’t have redemption.
- God defined love: He laid down His life for us.
- Laying down my life for others involves: action and sharing physical resources.
Matthew 25:31-46- How important is it that I lay down my life for God and others?
- To those who laid down their lives:
- “Came, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
- To those who did not lay down their lives, Jesus says:
- “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
- Showing compassion for others is laying down my life for them.
Galatians 6:1-10- Working to bring a straying soul back to God.
- Bearing each other’s spiritual burdens.
- What I sow is what I will reap; invest wisely.
Matthew 18:21-22- Giving grace
Applications- Can you tell who is laying down their lives for others and who is not?
Challenges- Open a dialog within your family about how each of you are laying down your lives for each other.
- Ask yourself and others: What am I not laying down in my life that I need to?
- Build the mindset: “Real living is laying down my life.”
- John 14:24-26
31 min
About ScriptureStream
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Just the gospel, plainly spoken. ScriptureStream compiles lessons presented at the Benchley church of Christ, located just north of Bryan, TX. Visit ScriptureStream.com for full notes on each lesson…
and additional resources for Bible study.