Dude I seriously appreciate these!! I feel like such a scumbag for assuming I was on the same level of Jesus in a sense. Now I feel more receptive and obligated to serve. Who knew that me, procrastinating and fooling around on RUclips, would actually run into my morning devotion that I swore I'd get to. Keep it up Matt, you're and inspiration. 😀😁🙌🏼💯
Matt, you make my heart happy and download really great knowledges into my brain pan. It makes me love God even more. To Jesus goes the glory, but I'm glad you answered the call. Don't stop this. Like.. Ever. It's doing something.
Hearing your point about God being "sold" as a peer makes so much sense. People love to hear feel good messages about what God can do and I struggle to find churches that do not only express a feeling about God that makes Him out to be a life coach or supportive best friend during your Sunday social gatherings. The significance of Him being the supreme leader is lost because people find too much pride in themselves to respect authority.
I struggle in my mind with placing God as a peer to walk through life with vs the creator and King of the universe. Thanks for lending some perspective, Matt.
Another good video, Matt. Your thoughts about how the church has forgotten that God is the central character of the Bible and how we have created a peer relationship is on point. A great reminder for my faith journey.
Man! I love these! Just finished them all and finally up to date! I find it interesting that people tend to say God is either your Friend or Lord. I think there is room to be held for both positions simultaneously as long as we don't abuse either relationship. If we focus too much on God our Friend, we tend to get to relaxed but if we only think of Him as Lord, we can lose a bit of the intimate relationship. I think there is a interesting balance to it and if either side gets neglected, than you can lose something important. Oops, long tangent. Sorry. But I really love waking up and watching these as I sip my coffee.
Your stuff is good, Im glad youre doing this, thank you for this, its helpful in fleshing out parts of the story of the bible that I wouldnt otherwise really get.
Right. God is God. When God calls, you go or do. And I think it can happen in very subtle ways. You may think God hasn't spoken to you, Matt, but he has or you wouldn't be doing "The Ten Minute Bible Hour" right now. He is using your understanding of history and pop-culture to bring us real understanding of the real early church.
Really enjoyed how you pointed out Cornelius being God-fearing - sadly lacking in apostate Christendom today. This guy demonstrates for us simple humility, obedience, generosity, prayer......Thanks Matt.
+Kyle Hornsey Good to hear from you amigo. I think Cornelius comes off as honest, humble, and decent in this passage. It's a rare biblical moment that God comments specifically on a person's lifestyle and conduct, and he gets quite the 'atta boy.
Matt, if you go into your video manager section, then under creator studio select Channel -> Upload Defaults, you can set it up so that all of your (future) videos have things like a link to your website, twitter account facebook, etc, already loaded up. Then people can just click on links, which makes it easier for them. (just in case you haven't seen that yet...) thanks, I'm enjoying this series. Destin sent me over here. :-)
+wordsnwood Thanks for the heads up. I'll bounce over there and see what I can do about that. I haven't messed with my upload defaults since very early on.
Vocabularily speaking, a septulogy would be seven, not six. The video was great, as always. One of the messages of Acts is that preaching the gosple, done right, will get you in trouble, but preach it anyway. Think of what happened to Paul every time he refused to stop preaching it in the book of Acts.
I completely agree. It seems like people try to make God their bff. But this makes no sense. God made us. How can you be best friends with a being that made you. I wonder if people think like this because our culture rejects superiors. If, I may go off onto a slight tangent, I see god as my commander, and I as his soldier (is that a bad way to look at it?). In an army, the troops need to get trained. This is done by a drill sergeant. I tend to think that people see drill sergeants as bullies on some kind of power trip. But what these people don't see is that drill sergeants want what's best for their pupils. When you're in a war zone, and your mind has ran away in terror, you will need very strong training to go off of. This is why drill sergeants seem like bullies. They are trying to get the solder to perform a task under extremely stressful circumstances. I think this happens to christians. I think that sometimes, God puts us through hard times to train us. To build us up to our fullest potentials. But if I think God is my bff, then I would be very confused and resentful that my friend is putting me through something that is challenging, instead of thinking that my commander is training me so that I may follow His orders. Also, if my friend gives me an order, I'm not going to take it very seriously. But if my commander gives me an order, I will try to complete it. No matter what it takes. No questions asked.
God isn't involved in our lives for our agenda, but HIS OWN. It'd be really cool if I could share my story with you brother. Keep doing what your doing, and NEVER LET GO of your armor and sword.
Rose Guest: If you're not a Jew, then you're a Gentile. I think other religions like Mormonism use the term for not-Mormons, but historically the term means everyone other than Jews. Non-Jewish Christians are still Gentiles. It's not first and foremost a spiritual designation, but rather an ethnic one.
R2 gets blasted a couple of times and doesn't save the day. Once in Cloud City he puts something into what he thinks is a data port but it's a power socket, and on the Forrest Moon of Endor R2 is trying to open the Shield Generator facility door so that Han can get in to blow it up, however, instead of saving the day he is shot and explodes across the entryway and beeps a lot before all of his limbs fly open and he shuts down. Other than those two scenes he does seem to save the day consistently.
Ummm....I'm not sure how you do it in Wiss-kaaahn-sin (connotation snark from Caesarea video ;-) but in Ohio, aquarium fishnets fly swatters. #JustSayin Seriously, love the vid! Now off to check your podcast, facebook, and twitter feed...*am I a stalker?? Maybe I'll just check twitter today and the rest tomorrow. :D
+Roger Browning I've never murdered flies with an aquarium net before, but it performed well; granted they were fat and slow because of Fall conditions and my window a/c unit. Still, I felt pretty heroic killing all those flies. Stalk on my friend.
2 comments. Number 1: In the various churches I have been to over the course of my life thus far, if people use 'friend' it''s only to talk about Jesus, but it's not the main or only way to describe our relationship to Him. Others include, Savior, Lord, etc. Of course, even in this way it could be a misleading way to think about the relationship between us and God. Thanks for the food for thought. Number 2: You didn't touch on this in the video, but it was in the footnotes for these verses in my Bible. "As the head of the household, Cornelius establishes the religious practices of his extended family, his slaves, and their families." In modern times, it's very common to hear people talk about us having a personal relationship with God, but in the times during which the events of the Bible took place, this does not seem to be a personal choice unless you are the head of a household. And with the lens of being a person of this era, this is hard to wrap my brain around. Do the people of the household actually have faith just because the father does?? Is it possible that even today that if the head of the household has faith, all the rest of their household will be 'saved'??
R2D2 is a tool. Sheesh. A brave tool with a processor of gold, but a tool. It's like saying a cell phone is a hero. Anyway, Vader is the hero. Luke was almost a crispy piece of bacon when Vader killed the Emperor. Its never too late, no matter how many rebels you kill, to change your life and make up for back child support.
+Andy Jones Saying that R2D2 is the hero is really meant as a critique of the writing in the Star Wars series. I love it and hate it at the same time. At a dozen different moments in the series all would be lost if not for a squeaking trash can. I don't like that about the structure of the story. In theory you're right, but in reality R2 is wildly, disproportionately important to the story. Correction noted and received. I'm better for it :)
The Ten Minute Bible Hour hopefully you could tell I was laughing while typing. I see your point. Like Batmans tool belt. It seems strange, but star wars has taught me a lot about Christianity. A major switch clicked when Obi Wan said "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend on your point of view", suddenly Genesis made sense! Great videos!
Well, I hope I'm not the obnoxious one. :P You compare the specificity and clear instructions of this particular divine message in Acts 10:3-6 to what most people claim to be receiving today, i.e. vague feelings. I would say the specificity being claimed here increases the likelihood that we are dealing with a literary invention. Why don't people get specific instructions in modern times, unless they have an underlying mental issue and get specific instructions to kill e.g. their children? Could it be because no such thing exists, even back then, and people use that as literary devices in their stories (no matter the religion) to give their claims more divine authority? I would say the theme of the underdog triumphing in the end and the bullies getting their comeuppance or being taken down a peg is part of human nature. It's nothing that particularly points to anything supernatural. I never get the whole "submission and obedience" thing based on someone being the (purported) creator of someone else. If an engineer makes an artificially intelligent being, let's call it R2D2 for no particular reason, would R2D2 be subject to its creator's commands by virtue of the engineer having created him?
+wimsweden Ha! You're most certainly not the obnoxious one. People who are just mean for no good reason get blocked; everyone else I like. I've read, thought about, and appreciated everything you've written. Your last paragraph I think points to the inherent tension between the ways that we come at this. Our epistemological Venn diagrams have huge overlap. We come at the world in very similar ways in terms of how we process data and evidence. I'm not a doe-eyed fanatic who's first conclusion is magic anytime I don't understand something, and obviously neither are you. There's just one key point of differing assumptions as we process the natural world: You assume a closed system, and I assume only a mostly closed system where something larger than the natural world exists and on rare occasions manifests. We both have polished reasons for thinking what we do, and our arguments will always have currency with people who share our presuppositions. That said, I think we're both being consistent in our thought given our assumptions about the natural and the super-natural. In your example regarding R2D2, you assume an architect who is flawed and part of the natural world and then you project that on the God analogy. Again, given your assumptions, you're exactly right. It would be inherently weird and unnecessary for the built to be subject to the builder. By the same token, if I assume that the builder is flawless and unlimited and unbound by the natural order (for which the builder is also responsible in this hypothetical) then that which is built absolutely would be subject to the builder. When I said what I did in another comment about not being threatened by those who come at this differently, that's what I meant. I like people who are loyal to evidence even if they read the evidence differently than me, and I particularly like those who don't assume me an idiot for reading it differently (and you've certainly given me that benefit of the doubt for which I'm grateful).
+The Ten Minute Bible Hour Thanks for appreciating my comments. I also prefer a well-intentioned, brainy (well, hopefully I say something smart once in a while) conversation to shouting matches. "You assume a closed system". I don't think I do. I see where what we know about the world, human psychology, sociology, etc. takes us and there is nothing in Christianity I see that can't be explained in the same way other sociological/cultural phenomena can. For instance, when early followers of Jesus claimed they saw him alive after his death, and even skeptics like Saul claimed a similar post-death appearance by Jesus, I can look at the case of Menachem Mendel Schneerson where followers of his, and even skeptics of the movement, claim the exact same thing after his death and reverse-engineer the theology to fit the tragic event and the resulting cognitive dissonance. Regarding the builder analogy: I've heard this 'perfect being' counter-argument before. I would first have to say I kind of understand "flawless" (though I'm not sure you could claim that attribute for Yahweh based on the OT and NT writings), but I have no clear idea what "unlimited" and "unbound by the natural order" could mean. "Unlimited" in what sense? This being is claimed to be a person (or actually three, but let's leave that aside for now), right? That would mean it has some sort of distinct personhood, i.e. it is person X and not person Y. There has to be some sort of limit to it if you're going to claim personhood for the being. And wouldn't "unbound by the natural order" entail that this being is beyond logic, e.g. he could reverse cause and effect, he can exist without being anywhere and anytime, he can timelessly act (i.e. move from state A to state B) to create out of "nothing", whatever that actually means since "nothing" never existed given an eternally existing "something" in an eternal now, etc.? And even if that were somehow all explainable/possible, why does being a 'perfect being' entail that when you create something you get absolute power over what you create? That does not follow. While writing this, the following question occurred to me: Do you think that when you die and meet Yahweh/Jesus in the happy afterlife, that Yahweh/Jesus would be able explain to you in a tête-à-tête what the mechanics are behind creating stuff out of nothing? If he couldn't (which I think is your likely answer, since that would entail that this being works according to certain underlying principles he himself is subject to), then is he really all-powerful? If he could, then is he himself not subject to more basic underlying principles?
![Peter's Spontaneous, Heartfelt Speech [and Subsequent Slow Clap] (Acts 10:34-43) | TMBH Acts #46](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EnxmufSHDNE/mqdefault.jpg)
Dude I seriously appreciate these!! I feel like such a scumbag for assuming I was on the same level of Jesus in a sense. Now I feel more receptive and obligated to serve. Who knew that me, procrastinating and fooling around on RUclips, would actually run into my morning devotion that I swore I'd get to. Keep it up Matt, you're and inspiration. 😀😁🙌🏼💯
Matt, you make my heart happy and download really great knowledges into my brain pan. It makes me love God even more. To Jesus goes the glory, but I'm glad you answered the call. Don't stop this. Like.. Ever. It's doing something.
Hearing your point about God being "sold" as a peer makes so much sense. People love to hear feel good messages about what God can do and I struggle to find churches that do not only express a feeling about God that makes Him out to be a life coach or supportive best friend during your Sunday social gatherings. The significance of Him being the supreme leader is lost because people find too much pride in themselves to respect authority.
+Cooper Yearick Well put Cooper.
"I think there is a theme that's being advanced, and it is that the real hero is God... The actual main character of the Bible is God." Love this.
I struggle in my mind with placing God as a peer to walk through life with vs the creator and King of the universe. Thanks for lending some perspective, Matt.
Another good video, Matt. Your thoughts about how the church has forgotten that God is the central character of the Bible and how we have created a peer relationship is on point. A great reminder for my faith journey.
Man! I love these! Just finished them all and finally up to date! I find it interesting that people tend to say God is either your Friend or Lord. I think there is room to be held for both positions simultaneously as long as we don't abuse either relationship. If we focus too much on God our Friend, we tend to get to relaxed but if we only think of Him as Lord, we can lose a bit of the intimate relationship. I think there is a interesting balance to it and if either side gets neglected, than you can lose something important.
Oops, long tangent. Sorry. But I really love waking up and watching these as I sip my coffee.
Your stuff is good, Im glad youre doing this, thank you for this, its helpful in fleshing out parts of the story of the bible that I wouldnt otherwise really get.
+Joseph Barton My pleasure Joseph. This is useful and fun for me.
Thank you for the video Matt, it really helps me in understanding the bible
Right. God is God. When God calls, you go or do. And I think it can happen in very subtle ways. You may think God hasn't spoken to you, Matt, but he has or you wouldn't be doing "The Ten Minute Bible Hour" right now. He is using your understanding of history and pop-culture to bring us real understanding of the real early church.
+BigGator5 You're not wrong amigo. I get hung up on semantics some times, but your point is very well taken and appreciated.
Really enjoyed how you pointed out Cornelius being God-fearing - sadly lacking in apostate Christendom today. This guy demonstrates for us simple humility, obedience, generosity, prayer......Thanks Matt.
+Kyle Hornsey Good to hear from you amigo. I think Cornelius comes off as honest, humble, and decent in this passage. It's a rare biblical moment that God comments specifically on a person's lifestyle and conduct, and he gets quite the 'atta boy.
thanks again for this series, i’m reading through acts and this is super helpful
Matt, if you go into your video manager section, then under creator studio select Channel -> Upload Defaults, you can set it up so that all of your (future) videos have things like a link to your website, twitter account facebook, etc, already loaded up. Then people can just click on links, which makes it easier for them.
(just in case you haven't seen that yet...)
thanks, I'm enjoying this series. Destin sent me over here. :-)
+wordsnwood Thanks for the heads up. I'll bounce over there and see what I can do about that. I haven't messed with my upload defaults since very early on.
Vocabularily speaking, a septulogy would be seven, not six. The video was great, as always. One of the messages of Acts is that preaching the gosple, done right, will get you in trouble, but preach it anyway. Think of what happened to Paul every time he refused to stop preaching it in the book of Acts.
Brilliant explanation of Acts 10. Big thumbs up and will be subscribing.
I'm grateful and honored! Thanks Nairobi!
I completely agree. It seems like people try to make God their bff. But this makes no sense. God made us. How can you be best friends with a being that made you. I wonder if people think like this because our culture rejects superiors.
If, I may go off onto a slight tangent, I see god as my commander, and I as his soldier (is that a bad way to look at it?). In an army, the troops need to get trained. This is done by a drill sergeant. I tend to think that people see drill sergeants as bullies on some kind of power trip. But what these people don't see is that drill sergeants want what's best for their pupils. When you're in a war zone, and your mind has ran away in terror, you will need very strong training to go off of. This is why drill sergeants seem like bullies. They are trying to get the solder to perform a task under extremely stressful circumstances.
I think this happens to christians. I think that sometimes, God puts us through hard times to train us. To build us up to our fullest potentials. But if I think God is my bff, then I would be very confused and resentful that my friend is putting me through something that is challenging, instead of thinking that my commander is training me so that I may follow His orders. Also, if my friend gives me an order, I'm not going to take it very seriously. But if my commander gives me an order, I will try to complete it. No matter what it takes. No questions asked.
+610bob Sharp. Thoughtful. Comment. I appreciate the way you put this.
The Ten Minute Bible Hour Thanks.
Thx for sharing, Matt. Jesus did tell his first disciples that he considers them friends.
Awesome ! Thank you !
God isn't involved in our lives for our agenda, but HIS OWN. It'd be really cool if I could share my story with you brother. Keep doing what your doing, and NEVER LET GO of your armor and sword.
R2D2 even took a headshot from a TIE fighter.
Rose Guest: If you're not a Jew, then you're a Gentile. I think other religions like Mormonism use the term for not-Mormons, but historically the term means everyone other than Jews. Non-Jewish Christians are still Gentiles. It's not first and foremost a spiritual designation, but rather an ethnic one.
+The Ten Minute Bible Hour Thank you for explaining this one for me , I wasn't sure.
R2 gets blasted a couple of times and doesn't save the day. Once in Cloud City he puts something into what he thinks is a data port but it's a power socket, and on the Forrest Moon of Endor R2 is trying to open the Shield Generator facility door so that Han can get in to blow it up, however, instead of saving the day he is shot and explodes across the entryway and beeps a lot before all of his limbs fly open and he shuts down. Other than those two scenes he does seem to save the day consistently.
Mary was not a single mom. She was married to Joseph.
Glenn Thompson does it matter?
Ummm....I'm not sure how you do it in Wiss-kaaahn-sin (connotation snark from Caesarea video ;-) but in Ohio, aquarium fishnets fly swatters. #JustSayin
Seriously, love the vid! Now off to check your podcast, facebook, and twitter feed...*am I a stalker?? Maybe I'll just check twitter today and the rest tomorrow. :D
+Roger Browning I've never murdered flies with an aquarium net before, but it performed well; granted they were fat and slow because of Fall conditions and my window a/c unit. Still, I felt pretty heroic killing all those flies.
Stalk on my friend.
2 comments.
Number 1: In the various churches I have been to over the course of my life thus far, if people use 'friend' it''s only to talk about Jesus, but it's not the main or only way to describe our relationship to Him. Others include, Savior, Lord, etc. Of course, even in this way it could be a misleading way to think about the relationship between us and God. Thanks for the food for thought.
Number 2: You didn't touch on this in the video, but it was in the footnotes for these verses in my Bible. "As the head of the household, Cornelius establishes the religious practices of his extended family, his slaves, and their families." In modern times, it's very common to hear people talk about us having a personal relationship with God, but in the times during which the events of the Bible took place, this does not seem to be a personal choice unless you are the head of a household. And with the lens of being a person of this era, this is hard to wrap my brain around. Do the people of the household actually have faith just because the father does?? Is it possible that even today that if the head of the household has faith, all the rest of their household will be 'saved'??
Good question. I'd like to know Matt's take on this.
Was Mary a single mom?
Love the videos Matt! Keep up the good work.
Update... He is the hero from all the 7 movies now :)
+ROPname you're absolutely right, and further I have to compliment you on making huge progress on your binge.
R2D2 is a tool. Sheesh. A brave tool with a processor of gold, but a tool. It's like saying a cell phone is a hero. Anyway, Vader is the hero. Luke was almost a crispy piece of bacon when Vader killed the Emperor. Its never too late, no matter how many rebels you kill, to change your life and make up for back child support.
+Andy Jones Saying that R2D2 is the hero is really meant as a critique of the writing in the Star Wars series. I love it and hate it at the same time. At a dozen different moments in the series all would be lost if not for a squeaking trash can. I don't like that about the structure of the story. In theory you're right, but in reality R2 is wildly, disproportionately important to the story.
Correction noted and received. I'm better for it :)
The Ten Minute Bible Hour hopefully you could tell I was laughing while typing. I see your point. Like Batmans tool belt. It seems strange, but star wars has taught me a lot about Christianity. A major switch clicked when Obi Wan said "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend on your point of view", suddenly Genesis made sense! Great videos!
I was tracking, but then followed with non-snark. It's an unwritten rule of the Internet that snark shall be met with snark, and I violated it :)
But R2D2 is supposed to be the most vulgar character of all time because every word is bleeped out ;D
Well, I hope I'm not the obnoxious one. :P
You compare the specificity and clear instructions of this particular divine message in Acts 10:3-6 to what most people claim to be receiving today, i.e. vague feelings. I would say the specificity being claimed here increases the likelihood that we are dealing with a literary invention. Why don't people get specific instructions in modern times, unless they have an underlying mental issue and get specific instructions to kill e.g. their children? Could it be because no such thing exists, even back then, and people use that as literary devices in their stories (no matter the religion) to give their claims more divine authority?
I would say the theme of the underdog triumphing in the end and the bullies getting their comeuppance or being taken down a peg is part of human nature. It's nothing that particularly points to anything supernatural.
I never get the whole "submission and obedience" thing based on someone being the (purported) creator of someone else. If an engineer makes an artificially intelligent being, let's call it R2D2 for no particular reason, would R2D2 be subject to its creator's commands by virtue of the engineer having created him?
+wimsweden Ha! You're most certainly not the obnoxious one. People who are just mean for no good reason get blocked; everyone else I like.
I've read, thought about, and appreciated everything you've written. Your last paragraph I think points to the inherent tension between the ways that we come at this. Our epistemological Venn diagrams have huge overlap. We come at the world in very similar ways in terms of how we process data and evidence. I'm not a doe-eyed fanatic who's first conclusion is magic anytime I don't understand something, and obviously neither are you. There's just one key point of differing assumptions as we process the natural world: You assume a closed system, and I assume only a mostly closed system where something larger than the natural world exists and on rare occasions manifests. We both have polished reasons for thinking what we do, and our arguments will always have currency with people who share our presuppositions. That said, I think we're both being consistent in our thought given our assumptions about the natural and the super-natural. In your example regarding R2D2, you assume an architect who is flawed and part of the natural world and then you project that on the God analogy. Again, given your assumptions, you're exactly right. It would be inherently weird and unnecessary for the built to be subject to the builder. By the same token, if I assume that the builder is flawless and unlimited and unbound by the natural order (for which the builder is also responsible in this hypothetical) then that which is built absolutely would be subject to the builder.
When I said what I did in another comment about not being threatened by those who come at this differently, that's what I meant. I like people who are loyal to evidence even if they read the evidence differently than me, and I particularly like those who don't assume me an idiot for reading it differently (and you've certainly given me that benefit of the doubt for which I'm grateful).
+The Ten Minute Bible Hour Thanks for appreciating my comments. I also prefer a well-intentioned, brainy (well, hopefully I say something smart once in a while) conversation to shouting matches. "You assume a closed system". I don't think I do. I see where what we know about the world, human psychology, sociology, etc. takes us and there is nothing in Christianity I see that can't be explained in the same way other sociological/cultural phenomena can. For instance, when early followers of Jesus claimed they saw him alive after his death, and even skeptics like Saul claimed a similar post-death appearance by Jesus, I can look at the case of Menachem Mendel Schneerson where followers of his, and even skeptics of the movement, claim the exact same thing after his death and reverse-engineer the theology to fit the tragic event and the resulting cognitive dissonance. Regarding the builder analogy: I've heard this 'perfect being' counter-argument before. I would first have to say I kind of understand "flawless" (though I'm not sure you could claim that attribute for Yahweh based on the OT and NT writings), but I have no clear idea what "unlimited" and "unbound by the natural order" could mean. "Unlimited" in what sense? This being is claimed to be a person (or actually three, but let's leave that aside for now), right? That would mean it has some sort of distinct personhood, i.e. it is person X and not person Y. There has to be some sort of limit to it if you're going to claim personhood for the being. And wouldn't "unbound by the natural order" entail that this being is beyond logic, e.g. he could reverse cause and effect, he can exist without being anywhere and anytime, he can timelessly act (i.e. move from state A to state B) to create out of "nothing", whatever that actually means since "nothing" never existed given an eternally existing "something" in an eternal now, etc.? And even if that were somehow all explainable/possible, why does being a 'perfect being' entail that when you create something you get absolute power over what you create? That does not follow.
While writing this, the following question occurred to me: Do you think that when you die and meet Yahweh/Jesus in the happy afterlife, that Yahweh/Jesus would be able explain to you in a tête-à-tête what the mechanics are behind creating stuff out of nothing? If he couldn't (which I think is your likely answer, since that would entail that this being works according to certain underlying principles he himself is subject to), then is he really all-powerful? If he could, then is he himself not subject to more basic underlying principles?
Hobbitses!