Commons Church Podcast

Prayer is perhaps the most precious and most under-utilized gift we have. For a multitude of reasons, people who follow Jesus often struggle with it. And the more capable you think you are, the bigger the struggle. Perhaps this is because we fail to see the deep practicality of prayer, the deeply connected way it can reorder our lives. Perhaps we need to look at life, and ourselves, in a new way. In this series we want to imagine the Lord’s prayer as five questions we can ask daily. We want to take the practice of talking to and being with God, and see this way as something solid and tangible, something daily, something that matters to our experience of life. If you have grown a little stale in your personal prayers, this series promises to re-energize what is most basic. Prayer is more practical than you ever dreamed. ★ Support this podcast ★

Prayer is perhaps the most precious and most under-utilized gift we have. For a multitude of reasons, people who follow Jesus often struggle with it. And the more capable you think you are, the bigger the struggle. Perhaps this is because we fail to see the deep practicality of prayer, the deeply connected way it can reorder our lives. Perhaps we need to look at life, and ourselves, in a new way. In this series we want to imagine the Lord’s prayer as five questions we can ask daily. We want to take the practice of talking to and being with God, and see this way as something solid and tangible, something daily, something that matters to our experience of life. If you have grown a little stale in your personal prayers, this series promises to re-energize what is most basic. Prayer is more practical than you ever dreamed. ★ Support this podcast ★

We've all heard about the battle of Armageddon and yet in the Revelation it's almost over before it begins. War is a false climax. It is grace and peace that win the day just as God has always promised. ★ Support this podcast ★

Clearly Revelation is calling us to be awake and aware in our world, but when it comes to these characters wrapped in riddles what does it mean to be watchful? Are we fearfully waiting for the right/wrong person to emerge or should be aware of the cycles of empire that dominate human history? ★ Support this podcast ★

Sometimes what seems terrifying is little more than a toothless roar. If war isn't the antidote, and evil has already been overcome, and what is the part that we play in celebrating, trusting and participating in Christ's victory. ★ Support this podcast ★

"Wars and rumours of war." That's a line from Jesus, but seems at home here in this section of the Revelation. Sometimes we assume that God will eventually go to war himself, but would it mean for God to go to war against evil. ★ Support this podcast ★

Few literary images have inspired as much creativity and speculation as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Who are these figures and are they meant to drive us to look for imposing figures in our world or is there a deeper more timeless meaning behind these characters. ★ Support this podcast ★

Jeremy Duncan, guest who discusses the use of imagery in the book of Revelations, explores the symbolism and imagery found in the book of Revelation, drawing comparisons to other ancient texts and discussing their significance. The chapter also discusses the rise of Caesar Augustus and the Emperor Cult, as well as the actions and reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. It emphasizes that real power is not about control, but sacrificial love.

The Revelation of Christ can seem disorienting. Often the problem is we don't understand the rules of the genre or the cultural images that are being used. The first step in understanding this book is recognizing that the text is meant to reveal God to us, not hide him from us. ★ Support this podcast ★

Moses, Moses, Moses. One of the most fascinating characters of the entire Bible. So fascinating in fact that Director Ridley Scott and Actor Christian Bale have decided it was worth spending almost $150 million dollars making a movie to tell his story. But before Hollywood turns it’s creative engines toward the story of Moses we thought we would take some time this fall to explore his story through the biblical lens. No character has had as deep an impact on the shape of the Jewish scriptures as Moses. He speaks face-to-face with God, heads a revolt against the Pharaoh, leads his people out into the wilderness, and is credited by some with authoring Torah (the first five books of the Bible). And yet, somehow, Moses remains a very human character accessible to all of us. Over the next eight weeks we will follow Moses from his ignominious beginnings as a baby in a basket through to his destiny as the leader of a fledgling nation. Hang on. ★ Support this podcast ★