In Isaiah Chapter 20, we see the, normally, mild-mannered Isaiah being asked to behave as eccentrically as some of the other prophets. For 3 years, he walks naked and barefoot. Why, you might ask? That's the kicker - until the 3 years is up, no explanation is given. Of course, God has His reasons for doing things the way He does. But the question this brought to my mind is - would I have faith like Isaiah to obey a command like this without understanding? Would you? Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcas...
Jul 04, 2025•18 min•Ep. 163
In this episode we take a look at the story of Jacob and Rachel as they flee from Laban. If we overlay the Exodus story, we can't help but notice that they share many of the same plot points: -Jacob leaves the Promised Land to enter a foreign place -Jacob enters into hard service to claim his bride -Jacob is blessed by God and his household multiplies -Jacob asks to leave and is denied -Jacob flees and Laban pursues However, there's one part of this story that is simply stated with very little e...
Jun 27, 2025•20 min•Ep. 162
We have been called by God to do a job. How are we doing? We should be excited to be working for Him - not fearful. Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TruthBeToldYouTube Logo: Matt Hernandez Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly
Jun 25, 2025•24 min•Ep. 161
The Bible....and Shrek. Probably not 2 things you thought you'd hear compared in your lifetime but, ACTUALLY, there are a lot of similarities between the two. When you sit down to watch Shrek, believe it or not, you have put in A LOT of preliminary groundwork in order to watch that movie with any enjoyment at all. Shrek is a story that CONTAINS other stories within it both in its thematic elements, jokes, and character choices. You, the viewer, are assumed to have a working knowledge of ALL of t...
Jun 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 160
After reading 1 Corinthians 12, everyone wants to know - what's my spiritual gift? Super speed? Invisibility? LASER EYES?! Obviously, this is a joke, but it is actually close to how many feel about spiritual gifts - like they are hyper-spiritual abilities that make us stand out from the crowd. However, while they absolutely are blessings from God, attitudes like this about spiritual gifts are SPECIFICALLY warned against by Paul because they can lead to some terrible consequences for the church a...
Jun 13, 2025•18 min•Ep. 159
Watch this episode if you're interested in watching us make fun of each other for 2 hours while sprinkling in a few good thoughts about the Bible, the Church, podcasting, etc. Ryan and Brad are two of my best friends who I've known for most of my life. Every time we interact it's enjoyable (hopefully for those around us as well). It is a privilege to have been a subject for reaction on their channel and it was awesome to talk with them for a full-length episode. Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gm...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 158
Our view of God can, sometimes, be shaped by our view of authority. I hate being in trouble. Feelings of guilt and shame are always at my fingertips and it isn't uncommon for me to be debilitated by those feelings at times - unable to grow or learn from experiences, instead just beating myself up. This has been true for a lot of my life. When I was younger, I had a few unfortunately negative experiences with police officers. I didn't do anything horrendously evil but I found myself in trouble no...
May 30, 2025•13 min•Ep. 157
In Isaiah 9, we come across a really strange name for the Northern region of Israel - Galilee of the Gentiles. In modern English, it doesn't read in quite as foreboding language as it would have been in Isaiah, or even Jesus's time. I always knew that Jesus was often discredited based on where, and with whom, He decided to associate, but I never realized that Galilee was seen as SUCH a negative place. Being in the North of Israel, this region was majority Gentile and the Israelites who lived the...
May 28, 2025•11 min•Ep. 156
Is it possible that I am more like a Pharisee than I'd care to admit? Unfortunately.. yes. In Mark 7, we read about something the Pharisees did that Jesus wasn't terribly happy with. While, on the surface, we might think we don't do the same thing, the heart of our actions might be similar. Through an adopted practice known as "corban," (ceremonially dedicating material wealth and possessions to God's service), people were under the impression that they could leave other parts of God's law undon...
May 23, 2025•12 min•Ep. 155
There's a wild theory that the Apostle John is actually alive somewhere on the Earth waiting for Christ's return. The old fashioned, skeptic in me wants to scoff at this but I actually watched a REALLY interesting video about it and found it to be more reasonable than I expected. This theory comes from a verse found in the last chapter of the book of John and.. I THOUGHT I had the perfect explanation for it.. but could this theory hold a bit more plausibility than I originally expected? Does it ...
May 17, 2025•17 min•Ep. 154
Sure, I can easily feel like I'm doing good work for God as long as I'm sharing the Gospel, serving people at church, or doing anything we'd label "spiritual." But doing EVERYTHING as unto God just seems like an impossible standard to live up to. In this episode we examine this verse in Colossians 3, gaining context from the surrounding section, and look at a few examples that, I believe, showcase this verse in action. Once you see it, you won't be able to UNsee it, and applying it to your life ...
May 09, 2025•16 min•Ep. 153
Skeptics and critics of the Bible will often level accusations against Christians stating that they serve an "angry God." They look at verses in the Old Testament outlining God's judgment on people and don't like how it sits with their view of morality. To them, God just seems angry, harsh, and vengeful. Christians, sensing that God is under attack, are likely to come to His defense. They begin explaining away verses that outline God's anger or try to drown out those verses with a look at the li...
May 02, 2025•12 min•Ep. 152
**This episode utilizes, and refers to, many different historical images and depictions of Jesus. As such, it might be beneficial to view it through the YouTube link in the description below to get the full experience.** Jesus was not white. This shouldn't come as a major shock to anyone. He was born in Bethlehem in Judea, raised by a typical Israeli family, and was physically indistinguishable from His friends at the end of His life. Whenever we see images of Jesus, people have a whole host of ...
Apr 25, 2025•18 min•Ep. 151
What can the widow's mite teach me about my own value? This is a biblical lesson that is 2,000 years in the making! Often when Christians consider how amazing God is, it can actually lead to some really problematic self-esteem issues. When we observe the perfection of God, it is a natural byproduct that we also observe our own imperfection. Some people look at this state of feeling lowly and consider it a good work. "I SHOULD feel terrible about myself because that shows that I'm esteeming God a...
Apr 18, 2025•16 min•Ep. 150
Asking this one question might SERIOUSLY help your Bible Study - not because the answer is drastically important, but because it can change how your brain is interacting with the text. So often, people have a hard time shifting from simply READING Scripture to actually STUDYING it. They believe it must take some monumental effort to do good, effective study because they don't find that it comes naturally. In reality, a few small, intentional changes can go a long way in preparing your mind to di...
Apr 11, 2025•14 min•Ep. 149
The Sons of Korah are fascinating figures throughout the Old Testament. Dissenters, rebels, and subjects of God's judgment, but somehow also righteous, contented, dutiful, obedient, and loyal to God. Though Korah and his sons don't have a unique book dedicated to their wild story, there are breadcrumbs for us to follow that paint an elaborate picture of this group of people starting in Numbers 16 and meandering all the way through to the Babylonian exile. How did this family go from Korah who de...
Apr 04, 2025•20 min•Ep. 148
Ephesians 4:16 often gets rephrased as saying that the Church is, "joined and knit together by what every member supplies." But.. that's not what the verse says. In nearly every translation, and even in the original Greek, the word Paul uses is "joint." Maybe this doesn't seem like a big deal but "joints" and "members" are fundamentally different elements to a physical body and the same hold true for the Spiritual body. In fact, to misunderstand this verse is to potentially cause great harm to a...
Apr 02, 2025•30 min•Ep. 146
Yes, I know. A biblical lesson from the Belchers in Bob's Burgers? Seems insane. But, honestly, if we are focused on God and meditating on His word regularly, we should be able to see evidence of Him and His truths everywhere! All truth and all good gifts are from Him - whether they come from observing creation, our interactions with others, or a simple TV show, we can learn about God from the truth that all of existence can't help but repeat. In one episode of Bob's Burgers, Bob is upset with h...
Mar 28, 2025•13 min•Ep. 147
In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with, not just Noah but, the animals. In Genesis 1, God asks mankind to rule over animal kind as Ambassadors in His image with goodness and love. In Romans 8, Paul says that ALL of creation groans under the weight of the corruption its been subjected to as it longs for the revealing of the sons of God. In Mark 16, Jesus tells His disciples to preach the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE. Could any of this inform how we should think about, and treat, animals? An even WEI...
Mar 21, 2025•16 min•Ep. 145
A friend of mine told me once that I am like an "Evangelist for frozen mango." This was about the weirdest comment I've ever received and so I had to ask about it and consider the statement. It's true, I do love frozen mango. It's one of the greatest snacks in the world. It's just something that makes me happy. When people find this out about me, many are intrigued. It seems like such an odd thing to be happy about. Sure, most people have tried frozen fruit before. There's an appeal. Smoothies a...
Mar 14, 2025•12 min•Ep. 144
How can I look at the HOUSE of God and feel like it's a HOME? Every time I look at the sections of Scripture that talk about the House of God, I remember that those verses often look directly at the Temple or Tabernacle structures as foreshadowing God making His home with us. While the presence of God, is absolutely a thing I love and desire, looking at the physical buildings that were representative of that are a LONG WAY from giving me the warm fuzzies. To me, they've appeared cold and rigid. ...
Mar 11, 2025•22 min•Ep. 143
Christian content creator, @johnmarkdyer7 and I had an awesome conversation about Christian evangelism and social media. The discussion ranged from preaching the Gospel across generations to cultural starting points for sharing your faith. So many are divided over opinions on Christian social media. How effective is it? Is it watering down the Gospel? Isn't it just a little too performative? In the midst of all of this, John Mark Dyer has found a niche that tackles genuine topics in a way that c...
Feb 28, 2025•53 min•Ep. 142
When we meet new people we often learn about them through a mix of how we perceive them, what others say about them, and what they communicate to us through their words or actions. Many times, when considering God, we only consider our own perceptions and what others say about Him. We forget that God inspired and compiled the entire Bible which speaks to us about Him. Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see a lot of talk about the gods of other nations. These gods reigned over certain geograph...
Feb 21, 2025•12 min•Ep. 141
For modern Christians who have spent their entire lives studying Scripture, surrounded by Church life, very familiar with the "vibe" of Christianity, it can be very easy to forget that, Jesus said some really strange things. Without the benefit of 2,000+ years of theological research, amazing Christian lives lived, and acquaintance with the person of Jesus through Scripture, we miss what it might have been like to hear the words Jesus spoke for the very first time. When we strip away our bias, o...
Feb 19, 2025•28 min•Ep. 140
Going through difficulties in life, suffering, and facing consequences of sin are difficult parts of life. Painful, harmful, and traumatic circumstances happen to all of us and they can cause us to question God's goodness. Why would God allow me to go through this? Didn't He know it would hurt me? Eventually, we learn that those situations and circumstances were designed and/or used to teach us good lessons, but it doesn't mean the pain totally goes away. When we experience this kind of scarring...
Feb 14, 2025•10 min•Ep. 139
Ok, ok.. before you get all up in arms - No. I'm not saying Jesus was a woman. The term Messiah just means Anointed One, and refers to one who saves Israel. Many people were smaller versions of Messiah before Jesus appeared, prefiguring in part all that He would accomplish. Interestingly, in THIS story that we cover from 1 Samuel, it's a woman who steps into that role. However, she isn't saving all of Israel or the entire world, but one man who, unfortunately might prefigure US. I think it's ama...
Feb 07, 2025•11 min•Ep. 138
When the world becomes chaotic, Christians flock to the Scriptures to determine read prophecy. We read about end time events and, naturally, have a little fear when we consider that we might have to live through some of it. Some people prepare by saving drinking water, hoarding food, equipping bunkers, and keeping extra batteries on hand. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with being cautious and prepared for potential rough times ahead, if we're doing all of this BECAUSE of our reading of p...
Jan 31, 2025•15 min•Ep. 137
We all know someone who isn't Christian, and many of us probably know someone who has died without coming to Christ. Are those people who have died in ignorance eternally damned? In David Platt's book, "Something Needs to Change," he discusses his emotions at witnessing the burial rites of those who have died in the remote areas of the Himalayas. While the book itself is fantastic, his conclusions on the fate of those Hindus and Buddhists who never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel preached ...
Jan 24, 2025•15 min•Ep. 136
A few weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that my friends Brad and Ryan have started a new project called, "Reacting to Truth," that, essentially, is a reaction channel to my podcast/YouTube channel. This news really took me by surprise. Were they making a joke about it? Was it a prank I wasn't aware of? Why didn't they tell me they were doing it? Surely they wouldn't go through all this effort to, not only LISTEN TO my content, but to discuss it enough to want to record their conversation...
Jan 17, 2025•15 min•Ep. 135
**PLEASE READ DESCRIPTION** This episode is the 2nd in a series that I'm slowly working through, dedicated to analyzing the potential for division in the Church that runs along age lines. While I don't see any wild amount of disunity between the different age groups currently, there are differences in experience, thought, understanding, and preferred methodology that could quickly turn into division if we're not aware of them. We should all be looking around at the members of our congregations a...
Jan 10, 2025•45 min•Ep. 134
