The Regular Guys Bible Study

Ken Strickland
  • 4.5 (2)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly Series

The Regular Guys Bible Study (or BS) podcast is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy -- sometime irreverent -- guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.

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  1. Episode 1

    Matthew 1

    Send us Fan Mail We start our tenth book by walking straight into Matthew 1 and the “book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,” even though it’s the part many people want to skip. We talk through why Matthew leads with Abraham and David, why the family tree includes messy stories, and why Joseph’s quiet obedience deserves more credit than he gets.  • starting a new season in the Gospel of Matthew and why it’s a key birth-to-death account  • reading Matthew 1:1–17 aloud and why the genealogy is there at all  • the meaning of “son of David” and “son of Abraham” for a Jewish audience  • the 14-14-14 structure and the questions it raises about counting generations  • comparing Matthew’s genealogy with Luke 3:23–38 and common explanations for the differences  • why Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah show up by name  • the birth narrative in Matthew 1:18–25 with a focus on Joseph’s decision and the angel’s dream  • obedience without recognition and what Joseph teaches us about doing the right thing quietly  just pause this thing, go read the first chapter of Matthew, and then come back and um and listen.

  2. Episode 2

    Matthew 2

    Send us Fan Mail Ken and Steve continue their verse-by-verse walk through Matthew, this week diving into the chapter that gives us the Magi, the star, and Herod's murderous jealousy. Who were the wise men, really? Ken and Steve dig into whether the Magi were Jewish, Gentile astrologers, or something in between — and why Matthew highlighting Gentiles as Jesus's first worshippers mattersThe mystery of the star — comparing the biblical account to ancient Chinese astronomical records, and debating whether it was a natural phenomenon, a miracle, or bothWorship without conditions — why the wise men worshipped Jesus for who he is, not for what he'd done for them, and what that means for our own faithHow many Herods were there? A quick detour into history to sort out which Herod is whichThe flight to Egypt and the massacre of the innocents — wrestling with the weight of Herod's cruelty and what it means that Jesus retraces Israel's own journey out of EgyptThe puzzle of "he shall be called a Nazarene" — a prophecy no one can quite pin down in the Old TestamentPlus: Ken's back injury, Steve's trip to New York, and a first look at the upcoming Regular Guys Bible Study app

  3. Episode 3

    Matthew 3

    Send us Fan Mail Matthew 3 finds Ken and Steve wading through John the Baptist's fiery wilderness preaching — and getting derailed almost immediately by tech glitches, a meowing cat, and a debate over what a "brood of vipers" actually means. Along the way they dig into some genuinely good cross-references before wrapping up with Jesus's baptism and God's first public declaration of who He is. Covered Matthew 3:1–17 (John the Baptist through Jesus's baptism)Traced John's camel-hair-and-locusts look back to Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and Malachi 4:5-6Unpacked "make his paths straight" as preparing hearts, not literal roadsLearned "brood of vipers" means offspring of snakes, not a fun collective noun (both had it wrong for years)Compared ESV vs. NLT wording on "bear fruit in keeping with repentance"Connected the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) to living out repentanceTraced the voice from heaven at Jesus's baptism to Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1-4Landed on the baptism as God's first public introduction of Jesus

  4. Episode 4

    Matthew 4

    Send us Fan Mail Ken and Steve dig into the temptation of Christ and the calling of the first disciples, wrestling with why God led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested, whether Satan's offer of "all the kingdoms" was even real, and why Peter, Andrew, James, and John dropped everything the moment Jesus said "follow me." As always, the theology comes wrapped in tangents, self-deprecating jokes, and a little AI-assisted research along the way. Jesus fasts 40 days, gets tempted three ways, fires back with Deuteronomy each timeDebate over whether the devil actually had authority to hand over earthly kingdomsParallel drawn between Jesus in the desert and Israel's 40 years wanderingAdam and Eve comparison: same temptation, opposite choiceSimon (not yet "Peter") and Andrew, then James and John, called as the first four disciplesSteve struggles to imagine the charisma it'd take to make him drop his career instantlyKen confesses to eating peach cobbler after swearing off dessert that morningJesus starts healing and preaching "repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand"

  5. Episode 5

    Matthew 5:1-12

    Send us Fan Mail This week Ken and Steve dig deep into the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), spending the whole episode breaking down each "blessed are..." statement one at a time. Ken kicks things off with an iOS app update — it's in Apple review and should be live by the time this episode drops. Between the theology, there's plenty of classic RGBS tangents. Announced the RGBS app is in Apple review, expected live at episode release (Android coming soon after)Discussed who Jesus was actually teaching — disciples, the crowd, or both — and landed on "it doesn't really matter, it's a message for all of us"Sorted the eight Beatitudes into "things you choose" (mercy, purity, peacemaking, hungering for righteousness) vs. "things that just happen to you" (poor in spirit, mourning, persecution)Steve spotted a "kingdom of heaven sandwich" structure — the first and last Beatitudes both end in "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"Broke down meekness as "power surrendered, not seized," using Jimmy Carter's post-presidency humility as an exampleKen shared a personal story about ignoring God's prompt to give a homeless man $5, only to get a second chance the next morning — tied it back to mourning and persecutionLanded on the big takeaway: God knows our struggles and rewards the hard, godly choices — but salvation should show up in how we actually liveRunning bits: Steve's new Ubiquiti network setup, a "pacemakers vs. peacemakers" joke, and a Christmas Vacation "Grace" callback

  6. Episode 6

    Matthew 5:13-20

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ken and Steve dig into Matthew 5:13-20 — salt, light, and Jesus fulfilling the law — with plenty of tangents along the way. They get sidetracked debating the actual chemistry of salt losing its saltiness before landing on the real point: Christians are meant to be distinct and to let their good works point back to God, not to themselves. They wrap up wrestling with the tricky "least in the kingdom" vs. "great in the kingdom" language and what it means for our motives. Broke down "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" as calls to be distinct and visible in a good wayGot derailed debating the actual chemistry of how salt could lose its saltinessSteve name-dropped his pasta salad needing salt as a real-world illustrationDiscussed whether the "abolish vs. fulfill the law" call-out was aimed at Jews, Christians, or bothDug into which Old Testament laws still apply now that Jesus is the final sacrificeWrestled with the "least" vs. "great" in heaven language and whether it's just appealing to prideSteve nominated Ken for president 2028 as a closing bit

See All Season 11 (6)

Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Regular Guys Bible Study (or BS) podcast is a podcast for regular guys by regular guys (not theologians) studying the Bible together. It's brought to you by a couple of goofy -- sometime irreverent -- guys who just want to study the Bible together and show you that anyone can read and study the Bible. In fact, you SHOULD read and study the Bible yourself. We're here to show you how we do it, and, hopefully, we can have some fun along the way.

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