Truth Be Told

Challenge Yourself

When we think of the word challenge, a number of real life examples probably come to mind, but they are probably all things we want to get through, overcome, or leave behind us. None of us consider challenge to be a place we want to remain in. However, following Christ, who lived a life of challenge and died a challenging death, is guaranteed to come with some amount of suffering, struggle, and/or difficulty. With this in mind, we can redirect our understanding of challenges to not represent things we desperately want to wish away, but rather something we need to accept that we'll be living in. God promises to provide a way through trials, but what if that way is that He makes us rise to the occasion and be able to live IN the challenges we find presented to us rather than leading us THROUGH them or allowing us to obliterate and leave them behind?

In this episode I will attempt to encourage all of you to challenge yourselves and make leaving your comfort zones a part of every day living so that when challenges are brought upon you circumstantially or from God, you won't be as shaken with the fear of failing a challenge, and you won't be as uncomfortable in unfamiliar territory. If we know we will be challenged in our lives as Christians, let's not wait to challenge ourselves in the little things so that when Christ asks everything of us, we'll be ready.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful by Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

How Do I Know What My Spiritual Gifts Are?

Spiritual gifts are such a hot topic amongst Christian communities. We treat them like superpowers we should be on the lookout for after we receive God's Holy Spirit and we wonder what our unique talents and abilities are or will be. In this message, given in Columbus, Ohio, I discuss the absolute best way to determine what our gifts from God are. Hyper charismatic churches attempt to boast that God is working miraculous things in their churches because their attendees truly believe He can. The implication is that other Christians, that don't subscribe to health and wealth gospels, DON'T believe in God's power. If we're not careful we can begin to believe this belittling and totally untrue message and begin to be frustrated with, what we perceive as, our lack of God-given gifts. If this is you, take heart!  Your ability to prophecy the future or heal the sick are no correlation to God's work in you and I'd be willing to bet that you have boundless gifts from God if you would only look in the right place and see them as gifts!

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Study of Love: Love Does Not Boast

How can Paul say with confidence, love does not boast, when he admits to boasting in 2nd Corinthians? How can we be called to not ever boast, when we have examples like David boasting in God? Is it ever okay to boast, or were these great men admitting to just being unloving in their boasts of various things? 

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com 

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Thumbnail Logo: Matt Hernandez

Lessons From Mark 9: The Transfiguration and the Boy With the Unclean Spirit

Mark 9 is such an amazing chapter of the Gospels full of rich narrative, awesome typology, lessons about the crucifixion, resurrection, glory, and deity of Christ, and a cool example of Christ using real-life, real-time events as teachable moments for His disciples. Many know the narrative account but sometimes, when presented with narrative, we read only to know what happened, and stop reading to draw out lessons for ourselves. Join me in this study as I go through the account of the transfiguration and the healing of a boy possessed by an unclean spirit to put these two stories in context, draw out some parallels, ask and answer some questions we should always ask as we study, and bring some fullness and connection to two seemingly disconnected narrative events.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo Thumbnail: Matt Hernandez

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Study of Love: Love Does Not Envy

When Paul says the simple phrase, love does not envy, we can miss such an important message if we don't stop to look at what exactly this implies. Whenever we study we should be asking ourselves, and God, questions. "If love does not envy, why DOES it do? Why doesn't love envy? Can you ever envy and love at the same time? What exactly does it mean to envy?

Join me as I continue through the study of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as we learn more about God (as He is described as love incarnate), what is expected of us as we try to become more and more like God, and what we should expect from others as we seek love from them.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Where is My Tongue of Fire? Where are the Rushing Winds?

In Acts 2, we read of the account of the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Early Church during the Day of Pentecost. This account can be inspiring and encouraging as we study our roots and see the power of God, but it can also be a bit disheartening as we live our day to day lives without always seeing grand visible miracles as proof of the Holy Spirit within us. 

We might ask ourselves or God, where are our tongues of fire? Where is the rushing wind as we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism and the laying on of hands? Why will God not thunder at us? Why do we only ever hear a whisper?

In this message given at a Pentecost service in Columbus, Ohio, I discuss Elijah, who expected God in powerful displays, but got Him in a still small voice, and Job, who expected God to remain gentle and soft spoken, but was forced to be face to face with the thundering of God through trial and hardship. Join me in an attempt to dispel the idea that God will always be present in the ways we expect He should be, and rid ourselves of the doubts that might crop up when we don't see God in specific ways in our lives that we do see happening in the lives of others.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Detective J. Warner Wallace Interview: Evidence for Christianity

Christianity, oftentimes amongst skeptics, is made out to be nothing more than a fairytale but, in reality, Christianity is the most well-evidenced belief in existence. No other faith has as much proof of its accuracy than Christianity and the cumulative case becomes impossible to stand up against when faced honestly.

Join us on Truth Be Told as we discuss the rationality and evidence of Christianity with theologian, apologist, and cold-case detective, J. Warner Wallace of Cold Case Christianity. 

If you have doubts about your faith or don't have answers to certain skeptic's attacks, don't be shaken, there are answers. If you are a skeptic, ask yourself if you've honestly evaluated the claims and evidence of Christianity. It takes strength and courage to look your world view in the face and see if it holds up to scrutiny. Christians, take heart and skeptics, take courage! The truth of Christianity stands strong through it all.

 

Cold Case Christianity: https://coldcasechristianity.com/

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Video Sound and Editing: Jamie Schreiber

He First Loved Us

Just a few thoughts on the incredible God we serve. God's entire plan is selfless. It is to offer us something we could never deserve, not in demanding things of us, but in showing us the right way to live through the example of Jesus Christ as He humbles Himself, kneels to the Earth to wash away the sins of mankind, and then asks that we kneel, in turn, to worship Him. Christ went first and, although it shows His humility, in our eyes it should elevate God all the more for the amazing love He shows us first.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Study of Love: Love Is Kind

The word "kind" gets confused with so many other things. If we don't understand kindness, we might be misunderstanding love as well.

Kindness is not niceness. It is not compassion. It is not mercy. It is also not unable to be shown during times of anger. God is love and is, therefore, kind, and when He is angry with us, when He is wrathful, or punishes, His kindness does not cease to exist in the same way that His love does not cease to exist.

Join us in this second part in the study of love so that we can better understand who God is (because God is love), what is expected of us (because we are to show love to others as God does to us), and what we should expect from others when looking for love from them.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Walt Heyer Interview: Transgenderism, Identity Issues, and Practical Christianity

Identity is something that is vastly important to all of us. Most of us, at one time or another, have been frustrated with who we are as we continuously compare ourselves to others or are unsatisfied with various aspects our lives (2 Corinthians 10:12). Add to this a huge increase in mental health difficulties, a rise in traumatic experiences for young people, and a culture that only ever affirms different behavior (even when harmful), and you have a society primed for identity issues.

Join us on Truth Be Told as we interview Mr. Walt Heyer, an author, presenter, father, husband, and ex-transgender as we delve into the topic of transgenderism. The narrative that Christians hate people struggling with transgenderism is obscenely false: loving a person and affirming their actions are not synonymous.

If the word "transgender" is something that makes you angry, I urge you to listen to this from the standpoint of having love for a brother or sister who is struggling. If you are someone who previously believed that affirming actions is the only way to show love, I ask that you listen to this from an analytical point of view and with an open mind. If you are someone struggling with transgenderism, I ask that you listen with hope because, no matter where you find yourself in life, God always offers a way back (1 Corinthians 10:13). 

Our identity is in Christ (Galatians 2:20) and in that identity there is strength: both to overcome transgender and identity issues if you are struggling, and to assist those in overcoming if we are already blessed with strength in that area of our lives.

 

Walt's Website: https://sexchangeregret.com/

My Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By: Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Video and Editing: Jamie Schreiber

Audio: Chaz Leathers