The Rooted Podcast

Did Jesus contradict himself or do both his teachings and actions emphasise the importance of grace? How do we interpret Jesus' teaching on worry in light of the cost of living crisis? How do we navigate Jesus' teaching on divorce? In this episode we answer your questions about the Sermon on the Mount!Mark's article on divorceTimestamps(00:35) - How can we let others see our good deeds if we're supposed to do everything in secret? (02:50) - Jesus' teaching on lust vs his mercy towards the woman caught in adultery (10:50) - What's the difference between the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain? (16:10) - Jesus' teaching on retaliation vs his radical heart for justice (21:31) - Jesus' teaching on worry in the light of the cost of living crisis (24:19) - Within church family, we are called to take care of one another (26:14) - If you're married to a divorced person are you continually committing adultery with them? Bible a MonthCould you put the Bible in someone’s hands every month with a regular donation of £10 or more? Find out more about how you can share God's word today.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.

What is meant by the image of the narrow gate? How can we tell that someone is a false prophet? How do we discern good fruit?In this episode we discuss how these teachings impact our lives today. We consider the importance of good fruit in our lives and the responsibility to discern false teachings. We finish with a look at the parable of the two house builders – the necessity of building our lives on Jesus’ teachings and putting them into practice.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (01:02) - The narrow and wide gates: Matthew 7.13–14 (02:00) - Current or future judgement? (04:40) - The choices we need to make (06:45) - Controlling our desires – the narrow way (10:10) - False prophets and fruit: Matthew 7.15–20 (13:20) - Doctrinal truthfulness vs bad fruit (17:45) - Preaching, fruit and discernment (24:26) - Jesus' teaching – discomfort and challenge: Matthew 7.21–23 (29:04) - Prophets and fruit continued (31:19) - Building on the rock of Jesus' teaching: Matthew 7.24–29 (32:24) - The importance of our actions Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionThe Romans CourseFind out more about The Romans Course, a ten-session programme that will help you discover your place in God’s story as you explore the Letter to the Romans with your small group or as a whole church.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey.

Should Christians judge? How does Jesus say we should treat others? In this episode Noël, Esther and Mark discuss Jesus’ countercultural teaching on judging others, wisdom in sharing faith, and 'The Golden Rule’. We are reminded that our confidence in prayer comes from God’s goodness and generosity, and finish by discussing how Jesus calls his followers to live and how we should show compassion within church community.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (00:56) - Matthew 7.1–6: Judging others (01:42) - Judging today (03:50) - What is Jesus really talking about? (06:42) - Mercy and judging (09:10) - Context of verse 6 (11:35) - Wisdom in sharing faith (16:02) - Matthew 7.7–12: Ask, seek, knock and 'The Golden Rule' (17:34) - An expression of God's goodness and generosity (21:28) - The Golden Rule (24:02) - Positivity in Jesus' teaching (26:57) - Navigating hard situations Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionThe Romans CourseFind out more about The Romans Course, a ten-session programme that will help you discover your place in God’s story as you explore the Letter to the Romans with your small group or as a whole church.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey. 

How should Christians pray and fast? How important is the heart behind these spiritual disciplines? Where should our priorities be? In this episode Noël, Esther and Mark look at Jesus' teaching on prayer, fasting and our relationship to possessions in Matthew 6.5–24. We dig deeper into The Lord's Prayer and discuss prioritising our relationship with God and our devotion to him.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (00:40) - Matthew 6.5–15: Jesus' teaching on prayer (02:00) - Historical context (03:45) - Meaningless repetition (05:10) - The heart behind our actions (09:02) - How is The Lord's Prayer used in church? (10:36) - Contemporary Jewish writings vs The Lord's Prayer (14:15) - Daily bread (18:28) - Forgiving isn’t easy: Esther's story (22:27) - The reality of forgiveness (24:20) - Power imbalance (26:33) - Matthew 6.16–24: Jesus' teaching on fasting and treasures (28:05) - Why do people fast? (32:27) - Treasures in heaven: Our priorities Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionBible a MonthCould you put the Bible in someone’s hands every month with a regular donation of £10 or more? Find out more about how you can share God's word today.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey. 

How does Jesus teach us to live? Should Christians take oaths? In this episode Noël, Esther and Mark look at Matthew 5.33–48 and discuss Jesus' countercultural teaching on oath taking and non-violent resistance. We're reminded of Jesus continually calling his followers to live by a higher standard, laying down their rights for the good of others. We finish by looking at how we're called to imitate Christ by caring for the poor and loving our enemies.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (00:54) - Part 1: Matthew 5.33–37: Swearing Oaths (01:37) - Context of swearing oaths (03:20) - Why swear an oath? (04:45) - Insincerity in oath taking (06:35) - Do we take oaths today? (10:20) - Integrity, allegiance and idolatry (14:53) - Part 2: Matthew 5.38–42: Turn the other cheek (15:42) - Context of the Old Testament and Roman occupation (19:37) - Natural human response vs what Jesus says (resistance) (22:05) - How do we interpret Jesus' teaching on giving? (25:45) - How can we give to the poor? (28:20) - Part 3: Matthew 5.43–48: Love your enemies (29:17) - Jesus' higher way (30:12) - What would good look like for my enemy? (33:47) - Should we hate our enemies? (36:12) - Jesus expands our circle of concern (37:52) - How can we be perfect? Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionBible a MonthCould you put the Bible in someone’s hands every month with a regular donation of £10 or more? Find out more about how you can share God's word today.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey. 

What does Jesus say about anger and lust? Was Jesus intentionally provocative? What's the importance of reconciliation? Join us as we look at Matthew 5.21–30, discussing the new perspective Jesus introduces on anger and lust, as well as his radical challenge to forgive. We also dive into the hyperbolic and provocative nature of Jesus' words and learn more about what it is that he truly values.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (01:00) - Matthew 5.21–26: Anger (02:00) - 'You have heard it said, but I say' (07:50) - What do we value and what does Jesus value? (11:00) - Judgement (14:00) - Reconciliation (verses 23–24) and how we do this today (17:50) - Amos 5.21–24: What God really values (19:50) - We must take responsibility (21:40) - Settling disputes before court (27:44) - Matthew 5.27–30: Adultery (28:21) - Should we take Jesus' commands literally? (30:44) - How do we navigate lust in a sexualised society? (36:14) - Is this just about men? (40:14) - The challenge not to indulge certain thoughts Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionThe Romans CourseFind out more about The Romans Course, a ten-session programme that will help you discover your place in God’s story as you explore the Letter to the Romans with your small group or as a whole church.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey. 

What does it mean to be blessed and who does Jesus say is blessed? In this episode we take a look at the Beatitudes in the Matthew 5.1–12. Your hosts, Noël, Esther and Mark, discuss the context of the sermon and the meaning of the word 'blessed'. We delve deeper into how the Beatitudes challenge societal norms and how Jesus introduces a new value system. We also look at some of the Beatitudes in greater depth, such as 'blessed are those who mourn', the 'pure in heart', 'peacemakers' and 'those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake'.Timestamps(00:00) - Intro (01:25) - Context behind the Sermon on the Mount (03:15) - The Beatitudes – Matthew 5.1–12 (04:31) - Who are the blessed and what does it mean to be blessed? (09:00) - Jesus is introducing a new value system (11:40) - Blessed are those who mourn (16:55) - Blessed are the pure in heart (17:28) - Old Testament references behind the beatitudes (21:25) - Are we too legalistic? (24:34) - What affects your heart? (26:39) - Blessed are the peacemakers (27:44) - The Hebrew meaning behind 'peace' (29:59) - What does it mean to be 'sons of God'? (32:14) - The cost of active peacemaking (34:04) - Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness (38:29) - The persecuted church (41:04) - How does this impact us today? Send us your questions!We'd love to hear from you. We'll be compiling some questions for the final episode of the series which will be a Q and A.Submit your questionThe Romans CourseFind out more about The Romans Course, a ten-session programme that will help you discover your place in God’s story as you explore the Letter to the Romans with your small group or as a whole church.Bible Society: The Rooted Podcast is brought to you by Bible Society, a Christian organisation that translates, publishes, and distributes the Bible. We communicate its relevance and invite people to experience the transforming power of the Scriptures in today’s world. Visit our website to find out more.Rooted:Rooted is our devotional journal that helps make the Bible available to everyone, everywhere. Every other month, you’ll receive a new 80-page journal filled with insightful devotionals, thought-provoking prompts, and lots of opportunities to reflect, journal and be creative. Sign up today to receive your first journal for free.Socials: Bible Society: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter) Disclaimer: This is a Bible Society podcast, but it’s also a conversation between people exploring the Bible together. We won’t get everything right, and we won’t always agree! Please be patient with us and join us on the journey. 

The Rooted Podcast by Bible Society is coming soon!