Spoken Gospel

The mission of Spoken Gospel is to equip the church to speak the gospel out of every corner of scripture. Co-hosts and close friends, David Bowden and Seth Stewart, sit down every week to talk through a Bible passage and see how it points us to Jesus.

Religion & Spirituality
Christianity
101
Jonah 4: Is God's Mercy Evil?
Jonah calls God's mercy evil. It's offensive that God would extend mercy to his persecutors, and God interrogates Jonah and his motives. Seth and David talk about the hypocrisy of our own hearts and the scandal of God's mercy shown in Jesus.
49 min
102
Jonah 3: God Repents of Evil
Reluctantly, Jonah finally delivers God's message to Ninevah, and both Ninevah and God repent of evil. It's offensive language to describe God's offensive mercy. Seth and David talk about the way God overturns not only Jonah's prophecy but our expectations about who God's mercy can be extended to.
42 min
103
Jonah 2: A Prayer from the Deep
Jonah has been swallowed by a fish, and he prays to God for salvation. It's a sincere prayer, but a self-righteous one too. Seth and David talk about Jonah as a representative of Israel praying to God from the depths of exile and inside the belly of Assyria.
39 min
104
Jonah 1: Jonah's not About a Fish
The book of Jonah is not about a fish. It is a story about God's offensive mercy. David and Seth talk about how the book of Jonah upsets many of our expectations and what Jesus meant when he gave the Pharisees "the sign of Jonah."
51 min
105
1/2 Million Downloads!
Thank you so much to YOU, our podcast community. We've passed a huge milestone. Our podcast has been downloaded 500,000 times. THANK YOU!
6 min
106
Jude: Who is a False Teacher?
Jude addresses a group of false teachers who are using God's grace to justify their greed and sensuality. Seth and David talk about all of Jude's weird references to the Old Testament and Jewish literature and how the good news of Jude is that Jesus keeps us for himself.
65 min
107
2 Peter 3: The Earth Will Dissolve
Peter ends his polemic against the false teachers and encourages his people with God's patience. Seth and David talk about the good news that God is patient and how his patience is an opportunity for all to be saved.
40 min
108
2 Peter 1:16-2:22: Nephilim. Sodom. Flood.
Peter launches his attack against the false teachers, and he doesn't pull any punches. Seth and David talk about judgment, salvation, sex, donkeys, and angels and why all of it is good news.
52 min
109
2 Peter 1:1-15: Participating in the Divine
Peter is on his deathbed and today's passage is his final sermon. Peter encourages his churches to remain morally virtuous in a morally corrupt world by remembering they participate in God's divine nature. Seth and David talk about the good news of joining in God's power and nature and how moral progress is good news.
54 min
110
1 Peter 5: The Rise and Fall of Church Leaders
1 Peter 5 talks to church leaders in an era where all leaders seem to be evil and overpowering. And more pressingly, for most of us, is it possible to submit to leaders who so often prove themselves unworthy of following? Seth and David talk about why the Gospel is good news for leaders and how the church can be a new Eden where humility, leadership, and submission coexist.
35 min
111
1 Peter 3:8-4:19: Suffering for Righteousness Sake
Peter's churches are suffering, just as Jesus told them to expect. But Peter encourages them with the truth that resurrection is inevitable for those who suffer for the sake of righteousness. Seth and David talk about the good news that inevitable suffering leads to inevitable glory.
65 min
112
1 Peter 2:13-3:7: Submission as Citizens, Slave...
Peter has told us we are spiritual exiles by our relationship with Jesus. But that also means we are alienated from our physical countries, jobs, and wives. How are followers of Jesus supposed to act when their most central relationships treat them unjustly? Seth and David talk about resurrection hope for people who are powerless in their countries, jobs, and marriages.
63 min
113
1 Peter 2: Living, Breathing Stones
Peter says that both Jesus and his followers are living breathing stones. He also says we are chosen, royal priests and citizens of a new nation. Seth and David talk about all of Peter's metaphors and why it's good news that we are priests and temples to this world.
52 min
114
2 Peter Introduction: Certain Judgement and Cer...
2 Peter is a letter written from a deathbed. It represents some of Peter's final thoughts to a church both disappointed and under attack. Jesus said he would come "soon," but "soon" has lasted decades. Seth and David talk about the false teachers that were skeptical that Jesus would ever come, why it's certain, and why it's good news that God will come to judge and save.
53 min
115
1 Peter Introduction: None of Us Are Home
1 Peter is addressed to a group of Gentiles living across modern-day Turkey. He calls them "elect exiles." Peter spends the rest of his letter helping Gentiles see themselves as part of Israel's story of exile and return. He also encourages them to live like members of a different nation. Seth and David talk about Jesus' death as a type of exile and how he is building a new home for us.
57 min
116
Luke 24: What Happened on the Road to Emmaus?
Jesus has just been raised from the dead, but none of his disciples believe him. But on the road to Emmaus, Jesus reveals he has defeated death and that he really is God in the flesh. Seth and David talk about the verse that launched Spoken Gospel and why it is good news that Jesus opens our eyes.
53 min
117
3 John: Jesus, Our Host
3 John is addressed to Gaius and talks about the necessity of hospitality. Seth and David talk about Jesus as our generous host and how hospitality uniquely embodies the Gospel.
35 min
118
2 John: The Elect Lady
John's second letter is written to a specific church that he calls "the elect lady." John recaps what took five chapters to say in his first letter, in just one chapter. And it ends by warning his church to not let deceivers and antichrists preach or teach at their church. Seth and David talk about why it's OK to greet Jehovah's Witnesses at the door and why this letter to "the Elect Lady" gives us new ways to celebrate Jesus and his good news.
41 min
119
1 John 5:6-21: The Sin that Leads to Death
John ends his first letter to a community struggling with the lies of several antichrists. It's his final case about the certainty of Jesus's identity to a community unsure of it. Seth and David talk about how to pray, what it means to be confident, and what the "sin that leads to death" is.
62 min
120
1 John 4:7-5:5: God Is Love
"God is love" is one of the easiest to misunderstand sentences in Scripture. It's deep, and it was written by the man who called himself "the disciple Jesus loved." Seth and David talk about the deep and good news that "God is love." Here's the song we kept talking about! Chris Renzema: God is Love https://open.spotify.com/track/5WeJ2gDd1P4jjZYlzJkcXv?si=ca620016abec4999
57 min
121
1 John 2:28-3:24: Are You a Son of the Devil?
There is an ancient battle between children of God and children of Satan that stretches back to the garden of Eden. And John uses this ancient battle to encourage a community under threat. Seth and David talk about what it means to be a child of God and why being righteous and loving one another is good news for people afraid, persecuted, and unsure if they belong to God.
61 min
122
1 John 2:18-27; 4:1-6: Who Is the Antichrist?
John says that his audience is expecting an Antichrist, but what's more important to them is that "many antichrists have already come." Seth and David talk about who the antichrists are, why they are significant to John's community, but more importantly, how antichrists better help us see Jesus as the true Christ who has defeated our enemies.
63 min
123
1 John 1:10-2:17: How to Stop Sinning
John continues to comfort his community. Facing both antichrists and persistent doubts about their salvation, John reminds them of their total forgiveness in Jesus and the role loving one another plays in assuring them of their salvation. Seth and David talk about how Christianity is the only religion that offers assurance of our life with God and why loving our neighbor gives us confidence in our salvation.
65 min
124
1 John 1:1-9: How Do I Know I'm Saved?
The Apostle John is talking to a group of believers plagued by the question "Do I still have fellowship with God in light of all my sin?" False teachers comforted these doubters by telling them that they didn't need to worry about their sin. But John comforts them a different way. Seth and David talk about how we can know we are saved even when our sin seems extremely dark.
61 min
125
John's Letters: Introductions and Antichrists
John's three letters are short and dense. He's a pastor encouraging a congregation under attack by a group of false teachers, he calls antichrists. In this intro episode, Seth and David talk about the good news that Jesus has come in the flesh and why a simple gospel is the best antidote to the complexity and confusion around us. ALSO We need to buy new podcast equipment to replace the borrowed equipment we've been using! If you're a regular listener and want to help others see Jesus in all of Scripture, please click the link below and donate! https://www.spokengospel.com/?form=donate-podcast&fundraiser=NERVQKCB
53 min