The Teaching Series (with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson)

Walking The Text
  • 4.9 (71)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
The Teaching Series (with Brad Gray and Brad Nelson)

With your Hosts and Bible Teachers, Brad Gray and Brad Nelson, The Teaching Series helps you engage the Bible with clarity and confidence through a deeper understanding of its original context. This is the audio version of our highly visual video series at walkingthetext.com.

  1. OCT 8

    #196 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 6: Macellum & Restaurants

    In the Roman world, the macellum wasn’t just a marketplace—it was a crossroads of daily life, culture, and faith. Part grocery store, part food court, part temple, it was a place where the lines between everyday meals and pagan sacrifices often blurred. For Gentile converts from pagan backgrounds, the sight of fellow Christians eating meat once offered to idols stirred deep discomfort. And it was issue Paul had to address. This episode offers practical guidance on how to balance your freedom in Christ with a loving sensitivity toward others, and how to navigate the gray areas of faith with wisdom and grace.

    22 min

  2. SEP 24

    #195 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 5: Brothels & Pubs

    Brothels and pubs were fixtures in every city of ancient Roman society. Then, as now, people engaged in illicit sex and alcohol use to numb the pain of life. Brothels were staffed primarily by male and female slaves, some of whom were "exposed at birth" as unwanted children and then claimed by brothels to be raised as sex workers. Pubs were popular because most of the poor had no cooking facilities, so they spent much of their time in pubs, where gambling, fighting, prostitution, and drunkenness were the norm. The Apostle Paul, writing within the Roman world, addressed these issues with timeless warnings. This teaching will challenge you to identify ways you’re numbing out and filling yourself with deceptive temptations instead of emptying yourself and making room for God’s Spirit.

    16 min

  3. SEP 10

    #194 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 4: Roman Baths

    Roman bathhouses were a central feature of daily life across the Roman Empire. Ironically, their primary purpose wasn’t hygiene, but for serving as social hubs where people from all walks of life could relax, socialize, conduct business, and engage in various activities like eating, drinking, exercising, playing games, attending lectures, or having sensual interactions. Due to their popularity, the Apostle Paul drew from bathhouse imagery to urge Christians to “rid themselves” of old, sinful habits, much like shedding old clothes. By the end of this teaching, you’ll be challenged to align your habits with the new heart and status Jesus gave you!

    16 min

  4. AUG 27

    #193 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 3: Gladiators & Beast Hunts

    Romans loved the blood and gore of gladiators and beast hunts. These explosive spectacles were designed to recall great moments from Rome’s past and were deliberately sponsored by politicians who also distributed cash-handouts, donations for public banquets, and other gifts to secure the public’s favor. Knowing they were about to die, gladiators nevertheless sought to die well. The Apostle Paul seized on imagery and language from gladiators and beast hunts to illustrate what a life fully yielded to God looked like. This fascinating teaching by Dr. Randall Smith (a dear friend of the WTT community!) will spark your curiosity and challenge you to consider how to yield everything in your life to God, including your death.

    20 min

  5. AUG 13

    #192 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 2: Stadium & Chariot Races

    The Romans were obsessed with games and sports, to the extent that athletes were treated like celebrities, and passionate fans sometimes rioted. Herod the Great was even voted President of the Olympic Games for life! Among the most popular games were footraces and chariot races, which captivated the public's imagination. The Apostle Paul frequently drew on this imagery, using the idea of running a race to describe the Christian life—urging believers to run well, strain forward, and keep their eyes fixed on the ultimate goal. He did the same with chariot races as well. By understanding these cultural references, we gain clarity on what Paul was admonishing believers to do to be faithful to Jesus in our lives.

    20 min

  6. JUL 30

    #191 - Life in the Roman Empire Pt 1: The Theatre

    Every self-respecting city in the Roman Empire had a theatre. Yes, people loved entertainment, but the theatre was bigger than that. It was a culture-shaping venue where edgy ideas and societal taboos were normalized in order to dictate the direction of culture. The Apostle Paul understood this and made frequent use of theatre imagery to shape people into the image of Jesus. In this episode, you’ll learn how the theatre functioned, how Paul used theatre language, and what we need to be aware of as we engage in the entertainment of our day.

    25 min

  7. MAR 26

    #190 - Out of Context Pt 6: My God, My God (Matthew 27:46)

    During Holy Week, people all over the world remember Jesus’s words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Did God really abandon Jesus on the cross? Or was Jesus quoting these specific words at this specific moment for a specific reason? In this final episode of “Out of Context,” we unpack Jesus’s use of a rabbinic technique called “remez” to make a bold claim about his supreme confidence in God’s faithfulness. Once you understand the context of these powerful words, you’ll be inspired by the knowledge that even in our darkest moments, God doesn’t leave us or abandon us!

    22 min

  8. MAR 12

    #189 - Out of Context Pt 5: Do Not Judge

    “Do not judge or you too will be judged.” These well-known words are quoted by Christians and non-Christians alike, often as a shield to prevent others from speaking into their lives in ways that feel critical. “If you’re a hypocrite, you don’t get to point out my flaws! And since we’re all hypocrites, no one gets to point out anybody’s flaws!” But is that what Jesus really intended with these words? Not even close. By the end of this episode, you’ll discover how confronting our own hypocrisy and condemnation of others empowers us to speak more effectively in each other’s lives!

    21 min
See All (196)

4.9
out of 5
71 Ratings

About

With your Hosts and Bible Teachers, Brad Gray and Brad Nelson, The Teaching Series helps you engage the Bible with clarity and confidence through a deeper understanding of its original context. This is the audio version of our highly visual video series at walkingthetext.com.

Information

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada