House of Learning Podcast

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

We’re used to spotting the Holy Spirit as a major character in the New Testament… but is he a new character there? Does the Spirit have a big role to play in the Old Testament, and are there things to learn about him there? Of course, we think the answer is yes, but it's surprising how we often don’t treat the Spirit or our Bible that way!

We referenced a few resources today:

There’s a previous episode about Samson, no longer available on iTunes - so we’re going to rerelease it next week as he’s an amazing character to explore.

Richard Hays’ book Reading Backwards

Christopher Wright’s book Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

Biblical Community

At Westside, we value living life together in community and in light of this past year and a half, it's exactly what we need. Join us this week as we talk about the Bible says about community and doing life with other followers of Jesus. 

Resources referenced:

Philemon 4-8

https://www.blueletterbible.org/niv/phm/1/1/s_1133001

Titus 2:3-5

https://www.blueletterbible.org/niv/tit/2/3/s_1131003

N.T Wrights Commentary on Philemon 

https://www.amazon.com/Colossians-Philemon-Testament-Commentaries-Numbered/dp/083084242X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=nt+wright+commentary+on+colossians+and+Philemon&qid=1565217853&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Quote by N.T Wright: “I am praying that the mutual participation which is proper to the Christian faith you hold may have its full affect in your realization of every good thing that God wants to accomplish in us to lead us into the fullness of Christian fellowship, that is of Christ.” 

James 5:19-20

https://www.blueletterbible.org/niv/jas/5/19/s_1151019

Acts 2:42-47

https://www.blueletterbible.org/niv/act/2/42/s_1020042

Podcast on Translations

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/translations/id1459899032?i=1000443068186

Podcast on Alpha 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alpha/id1459899032?i=1000436922588

Communities Website 

https://westsideajc.org/communities

Gender Stereotypes in the Bible

As we follow Jesus, men should be biblical men, and women biblical women...right? Or is that even a thing? Join us to chat through how the bible approaches male and female, masculine and feminine, and just how different this can be from the culture we live in!

We recommended Preston Sprinkle’s excellent book Embodied, which has some great discussions about gender.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland, Oregon.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at hol@westsideajc.org. If you can, send us a 20-second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

Does It Matter If Communion Is Actual Bread?

Here’s a conundrum you might have thought of during lockdown while you do communion at home… does it matter how you do it? Join a theologian, philosopher and biblical studies scholar as we chat (and disagree) about the answer (well, a bit).

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20-second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

Why Do Communion Every Week? Part 2

We take communion every single week - and it’s a beautiful moment of encountering God as he presents himself to us in the bread and the cup. But… we don’t often get the time to unpack what it looks like for God to show up in communion. Today is part two of a conversation about what it looks like to appreciate this amazing God moment!

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20 second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

Why Do Communion Every Week? Part 1

We take communion every single week - and it’s a beautiful moment of encountering God as he presents himself to us in the bread and the cup. But… we don’t often get the time to unpack what it looks like for God to show up in communion. Today is part one of a conversation about what it looks like to appreciate this amazing God-moment!

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20 second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

Is Baptism a Big Deal?

Baptism is something we do pretty regularly at church… so it seems important. But you often get baptized when you are new to following Jesus, and you might have a lot of questions! So whether you are looking back on your baptism to enrich your appreciation of God meeting you there, or wondering about it for your future, join us as we dive a little deeper (pun intended!).

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20 second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

What To Do When Your Rabbi Goes Away

When Jesus said, “follow me” it came with expectations: being a disciple was a special, well-defined relationship in the first century. So when Jesus left and said, “go and make disciples” this once again came with some specific expectations. Join us for some chat about what this would have been like, and what it means for us today if we are disciples.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20 second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

My Lord and My God

When Thomas utters the immortal words, “My Lord, and my God” it reveals a moment of encounter, transformation and worship. So what can Thomas teach us about worship? Join us as we bite off more than we can chew, but still manage to have some great chat about some of the answer!

We mentioned a piece of music to listen to alongside reading Luke 1:46-55. It was Arvo Pärt’s Magnificat. Here’s a link to a recording on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04XKjal0grI 

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20-second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.

The Empty Tomb - History or Myth?

The gospel story reaches a climax with the realization that the tomb is empty - Jesus has risen! This is everything to Christians, and the reality of this event was the foundation of the church. But is it an article of faith, or an event of history… how does it stand up to scrutiny?

There are a ton of great books on this, here are a few to get you started if you enjoyed this topic:

• F.F. Bruce - The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?
• Lee Strobel - The Case for Christ
• Richard Bauckham - Jesus and the Eyewitnesses
• N.T. Wright - Jesus and the Victory of God

Thanks for listening to this episode of the House of Learning podcast.

This podcast is produced by A Jesus Church College, based at Westside: A Jesus Church in Portland Oregon.

AJC College train and mobilize the next generation of Kingdom leaders through an accredited four-year degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Leadership and Formation, combining classroom learning with mentoring and ministry apprenticeship, for a third of the cost of traditional college.

To find out more, go to ajccollege.org, or follow us on Instagram or Facebook, to find out if this is where God could be calling you to explore your calling.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review, subscribe, and share with someone.

And if you have a question you’d like us to chat about, please let us know!

You can email us at podcast@ajccollege.org. If you can, send us a 20 second audio recording saying who you are and where you are from, along with your question, and we’d love to include it in a future episode.