When reading the Bible, Christians are often trained to do one of two things: submit their interpretation to an authority or trust their feelings. Alli Patterson's new book makes the case for a third way - one where the Holy Spirit is not an alternative to good hermeneutics, but the reason they work at all.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
The conversation happening inside the body of Christ right now isn't just about cessationism or spiritual gifts. It's about authority. Who gets to interpret the Bible? The trained scholar? The anointed preacher? You?

Alli Patterson, seminary grad, teacher and author of a new Spirit-led Bible study, lands in a place you might not expect: all three, held together, under the actual leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Her six-practice method takes observation, context, prayer, and listening seriously as spiritual disciplines, not just academic ones. In this conversation, she and Josh work through how to apply a text personally without leaving Scripture behind, how to test a reading in community, and what to do when you've done everything right and still don't understand what you're reading.

This isn't a call to choose between your study Bible and your prayer life, but rather to stop treating them as separate things.

0:00 – Introduction
2:44 – Spirit-Led Study Defined
14:18 – Six Practices Overview
20:08 – Observation and Context
25:01 – Listening to the Spirit
32:43 – Testing Personal Application
49:35 – Scripture-Guided Prayer
53:45 – Handling Difficult Passages
1:03:44 – Closing

ABOUT THE GUEST:
📖 Spirit-Led Bible Study https://a.co/d/08IpTSnd