Spirit of God E16 (Q+R) — Where did Jesus and his followers get the idea of being baptized by the Spirit? If we have the Spirit, do we need other people to help us understand the Bible? And when we’re filled with the Spirit, do we become more our true selves, or is it Jesus now living through us? In this episode, Tim and Jon respond to your questions from the Spirit of God series. Thank you to our audience for your thoughtful contributions to this episode!

Spirit of God E15 — Some New Testament passages present the Spirit as a distinct agent, or entity, who teaches, reminds, and even dwells within Jesus' followers. But more often, the Bible describes the Spirit as God's power, presence, or energy. So what led early Christians to conceive of the Spirit of God as the third person of the Trinity? In this final episode of the series, Jon and Tim discuss how the Spirit came to be understood as a person and what this means for how we experience God's presence today.

Spirit of God E14 — The Gospel of John portrays the Spirit’s coming as a significant turning point, as if God’s Spirit hadn’t yet been present in the world. Jesus breathes on his followers just as God once breathed life into humanity. And Jesus promises his disciples that the Spirit will enfold them into the very life of God. In this episode, Jon and Tim unpack John’s profound view of the Spirit as the source of eternal life, union with God, and transformation.

Spirit of God E13 — The New Testament powerfully claims that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is now also at work in his followers. The Spirit gives us new desires and ways of thinking, and one day the Spirit will recreate us with new resurrection bodies, like the one Jesus has! So how does this hope impact the way we live now? In this episode, Tim and Jon trace the connection between the Spirit and resurrection, revealing the Spirit of God as the bringer of new creation life.

Spirit of God E12 — In early communities of Jesus’ disciples, prophecy was a significant manifestation of the Spirit, one which continued for centuries to follow. But this wasn’t the only kind of prophecy happening in the first-century Greco-Roman world. So how was prophecy in the New Testament Church different from the surrounding culture? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the Apostle Paul’s teaching on prophecy in local churches and its ultimate aim of love.

Spirit of God E11 — In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit fills Jesus’ followers at Pentecost; they are to be like a new temple of God’s presence and power. In addition to a temple, the Apostle Paul throws another metaphor into the mix: the community of believers as a body filled with the Spirit. But where did Paul get this image and what does it mean? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the Church as a Spirit-filled body, empowered with the Spirit’s gifts to serve one another and the world.

Spirit of God E10 — After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, the Holy Spirit becomes the primary way Jesus’ presence and power remains with his followers. The book of Acts demonstrates how the Spirit’s coming fulfills the Hebrew Bible’s hope for God to dwell with his people in a new kind of temple. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore how Pentecost marks the beginning of a new Spirit-filled temple community, uniting God's people and continuing Jesus' mission.

Spirit of God E9 — Our conversation on the Spirit of God is turning  the corner from the Hebrew Bible to the New Testament. The word for “spirit” in the Greek New Testament is pneuma, and like ruakh, it also means “wind,” “breath,” and personal energy related to a person or deity. While all the gospels mention the Spirit of God, or Holy Spirit, Luke is the leader by far with 78 references in his two-part collection of Luke-Acts. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore how deeply the Holy Spirit is integrated into the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Spirit of God E8 —  We're halfway through our series on the Spirit of God, where we've talked about God's ruakh in the Hebrew Bible. We’ve covered a lot of ideas, many of which can be challenging for modern people to understand. So in this episode, Jon and Tim slow down, take a breath, and review what we've learned so far about God's Spirit in the Hebrew Bible.

Spirit of God E7 — So far in this series, we’ve seen a pattern develop where God gives an extra measure of his ruakh to some leaders in Israel. God’s Spirit then empowers these leaders to guide the people, mediate God's covenant, and speak God's words. This is what Israel's prophets are looking forward to: a future prophet-priest-king who will not only restore Israel, but all of creation. In this episode, Jon and Tim explore Isaiah and Ezekiel to discover the Spirit of God’s role in anointing the future anointed messiah, as well as a whole renewed humanity.