Thanks to everyone for watching this Introduction to the Bible series. Through this series I learned a lot about making and publishing content, and the response has been so good. This is the last video in the series, and I'll be off RUclips for a few weeks. When I come back, we'll use all of these tools to dive into John's Gospel - the most mystical of canonical New Testament books. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you soon :)
WOW! I've been shown some things since my confirmation last Easter, in fact on the eve of Easter Sunday, and two separate visions and MANY messages since then, that I was only able to share with my wife, youngest son, and the director of the OCIA class, because I thought people would think that either I was being disingenuous, or that I was crazy. I finally worked up enough courage yesterday to share on of these visions with the OCIA director, and two of his peers whom I know and trust, and one of them, a deeply religious and faithful woman said, "oh a mystic". Initially I was taken back, as I assumed incorrectly that "mysticism" was something bad, or not of God, until this morning when I started down another path of enlightenment about Christian Mystics, and ended up here on your channel and this final video. I cannot express enough how exactly I connected with this video, particularly the message of realizing how badly I have failed God, and the actual physical pain involved in that realization. I bought your book, and will definitely be looking much deeper into Christian mystics in my journey forward. And thank you for the "you are not crazy" in another one of your videos about mystics. God Bless and a VERY Merry Christmas to you all!
The Spirit has led me to this new Mystical way of living the Christian Faith (dying to me, my ego, my self, & living in Christ, by the Spirit). Suddenly, The Spirit is keeping me away from Serving in the church and being more with God/attentive to the things of God/my true nature. Suddenly, I crave silence, connection with God, with others, and more of Holy Spirit. My Flesh My Ego was getting into the way of my Relationship with God and with Others. I was starting Inductive Bible study in a flesh way and my research showed me that this ancient book was full of changed names, words & that scholars all had different opinions on its meaning etc. So I turned to the Spirit. I was doing everything, including Bible Studying, with my Flesh & it was frustrating. I know the Bible emphasizes the Spirit life/focus and I look forward to growing in the Spirit of Christ more. Thank you Brother. I hope your message will help me in my journey dead to me and alive in Christ.
Thank you so much for your videos. I discovered your channel a few days ago and already learned a lot from it. Something that struck me in the way you describe how you came to mysticism is how it is a mirror image of my own path. You came from a dry understanding of god, and by coming in contact with god learnt humility and to question your sense of self. On my side, I have been practicing in the Buddhist tradition for a few years. As my intuitive understanding of "emptiness" (the absence of inherent existence of all phenomena, self included) grew, I had no choice but to become humble, as the models to which I used to cling to make sense of the world fell apart. With humility came a diffuse sense of wonder and devotion. With time, I learned to recognize this object of devotion as the Divine, or God for short - though a god that is radically different from the one I used to refer to when I said that "I do not believe in God". I now fully embraced Christian mysticism. I read the Bible, pray the Rosary, and read the teachings of old and modern mystics. I am deeply saddened at how the Bible can be instrumentalized as a tool for power rather than for humility and discovery, and I am extremely grateful to you and others who take the time to teach this mystical view.
A very interesting and instructive video. I am really loving and enjoying your series on mystical Bible study videos. It resonates with my soul and spirit.
I am new to Christianity but have a layered and diverse spiritual background. I have also experienced deeply mystical encounters with the Divine, that are hard to put words to. I’m extremely (and perhaps exclusively) drawn to a mystical interpretation of the the Bible and Christian teachings. Everything you speak about here holds such deep resonance with what I have known and felt to be true. Yours is exactly the type of content I’ve been seeking!! I do hope that you continue ❤ I would so love to follow along a Bible study guided by you.
Please, I beg of you to keep spreading the heart of Christianity. True Christianity lies in mysticism. The connection with the source of existence must not be lost. Never stop what you are doing no matter what.
Jon, the approach to the Bible you’ve laid out here is a very sensible one. I agree with so much of what you said in this series, and as a new pastor about to embark upon my first formal Bible study, I look forward to incorporating some of it. However, something is nagging me, and I’d like to know what you think. I was initially drawn to your channel due to my interest in Thomas Merton, St John of the Cross, and other writers of that type, as well as my own practice of contemplative prayer. I’ve enjoyed every video I’ve watched of yours, and I think your view counts are criminally low. With all that in mind as I consider your 7-point reading strategy, I can’t help but see it as a great approach to contemplative prayer, except with a book in the way. In other words, if I’m going to do the hard work of self-reflection, fostering openness to what God is trying to tell me, crucifying (or at least silencing) my false self, and praying earnestly for God to share His truth with me, why not stop there? Why add another element to the picture which, as you’ve eloquently pointed out, has such pernicious potential to confuse and even lead people to evil? Perhaps I have a low view of scripture, but I don’t mean to suggest that it’s not at all Holy. I read and preach the Gospels because based on my theological education, I believe them to be stories of God incarnate, and thus eminently worthy of our attention. I also think they’re more or less reliable. However, I also think much of the rest of scripture, in terms of communicating truths by which we can know God, is fraught with covenantal irrelevancies (e.g. the way God treats the Israelites in the Hebrew Scriptures is not the way He treats us today) and authorial biases (e.g Paul’s fixation on the crucifixion and resurrection to the exclusion of other important ideas). I hear you say that the mystics used the Bible in their prayer life, but it’s not clear that the Bible improved their prayer life. I’d love to know what you think about all this, because I suspect I’m missing something you might be able to provide. Thanks so much for reading and for your great content. God bless!
I'm new to your channel but I'm really liking your approach to bible study. I'm on board with all your principles. That said, I'm having difficulty with how to deal with the "texts of terror" from a mystical hermeneutic. Right now I'm doing a deep dive into Ezekiel. Might you consider doing a video on how to approach, say, Ezekiel c.5: 5-17 (or other texts like that)? If the Bible was given to us by God (whatever theory of "divine inspiration" you might adhere to) in order that God might reveal His nature to us and we be transformed thereby, what do we do with texts that portray him in such a bad light -- and in His own words too! Of course it is easy to focus on the "lesson" that we should be obedient and not "rebellious". That ticks the "how the bible transforms us" box. But it is really hard to accept what we learn of God's nature in these verses! It is so alien to the idea that God is loving and merciful and forgiving...like Christ! Yes, Jesus had his stern moments and chastises us for our own good but it is hard to envision him throwing an anger tantrum like God does in Ezekiel (and elsewhere!); this tyrannical jealous God is far from showing us his "best self"! If we are supposed to model ourselves after Christ, and Christ is supposed to be modeling God to us, then surely the nature of God has changed between the Testaments! Something is wrong here. If we default to the position that these "texts of terror" were misunderstandings of the nature of God by the men who wrote them, then how do we preserve the idea of "divine inspiration" that the trustworthiness of the Bible depends on? Please help! This is destabilizing my faith. :(
Hello. This afternoon, I was thinking about mysticism and wondering what would be the best place to start reading, which mystics were the most accessible. Mr Google sent me straight to your reading list video. I loved it, and I have subscribed. I can get started right away as I have all the Richard Rohr's in my bookcase already. Bless you. This channel looks wonderful!😊
Thank you so much Jon. Would you be able please to recommend a good collection of the writings of Maximus the Confessor? Or perhaps a good standalone work of his to start with?
Hey :) could you please make examples of what the insights are that you get from the bible, that you then ask god about, meditate about, etc.? If its not too personal. I don't get anything without examples tbh
How can I know if God is speaking to my thinking and it’s my carnal mind or the devil? How can I know I am in truth when reading the bible spiritually?
Just like biblical and historical evidence proves that jesus and his apostles were vegatarians biblical and historical evidence also proves that the trinity, atonement, original sin and hell are very late misinterpretations and are not supported by the early creed hence its not a part of Christianity I pray that Allah swt revives Christianity both inside and out preserves and protects it and makes its massage be witnessed by all people but at the right moment, place and time The secred text of the Bible says ye shall know them by their fruits So too that I say to my christian brothers and sisters be fruitful and multiply Best regards from a Muslim ( line of ismail )
Thanks to everyone for watching this Introduction to the Bible series. Through this series I learned a lot about making and publishing content, and the response has been so good. This is the last video in the series, and I'll be off RUclips for a few weeks. When I come back, we'll use all of these tools to dive into John's Gospel - the most mystical of canonical New Testament books. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you soon :)
Should we be doing any kind of “homework” until you get back?
Take care.
Can’t wait!
More videos, please ❤
WOW! I've been shown some things since my confirmation last Easter, in fact on the eve of Easter Sunday, and two separate visions and MANY messages since then, that I was only able to share with my wife, youngest son, and the director of the OCIA class, because I thought people would think that either I was being disingenuous, or that I was crazy. I finally worked up enough courage yesterday to share on of these visions with the OCIA director, and two of his peers whom I know and trust, and one of them, a deeply religious and faithful woman said, "oh a mystic". Initially I was taken back, as I assumed incorrectly that "mysticism" was something bad, or not of God, until this morning when I started down another path of enlightenment about Christian Mystics, and ended up here on your channel and this final video. I cannot express enough how exactly I connected with this video, particularly the message of realizing how badly I have failed God, and the actual physical pain involved in that realization. I bought your book, and will definitely be looking much deeper into Christian mystics in my journey forward. And thank you for the "you are not crazy" in another one of your videos about mystics. God Bless and a VERY Merry Christmas to you all!
The Spirit has led me to this new Mystical way of living the Christian Faith (dying to me, my ego, my self, & living in Christ, by the Spirit). Suddenly, The Spirit is keeping me away from Serving in the church and being more with God/attentive to the things of God/my true nature. Suddenly, I crave silence, connection with God, with others, and more of Holy Spirit. My Flesh My Ego was getting into the way of my Relationship with God and with Others. I was starting Inductive Bible study in a flesh way and my research showed me that this ancient book was full of changed names, words & that scholars all had different opinions on its meaning etc. So I turned to the Spirit. I was doing everything, including Bible Studying, with my Flesh & it was frustrating. I know the Bible emphasizes the Spirit life/focus and I look forward to growing in the Spirit of Christ more. Thank you Brother. I hope your message will help me in my journey dead to me and alive in Christ.
Been watching your videos for the past 2 hours now and I feel myself drawn to Christ again. This fresh lens has brought me a new awakening. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your videos. I discovered your channel a few days ago and already learned a lot from it.
Something that struck me in the way you describe how you came to mysticism is how it is a mirror image of my own path. You came from a dry understanding of god, and by coming in contact with god learnt humility and to question your sense of self.
On my side, I have been practicing in the Buddhist tradition for a few years. As my intuitive understanding of "emptiness" (the absence of inherent existence of all phenomena, self included) grew, I had no choice but to become humble, as the models to which I used to cling to make sense of the world fell apart. With humility came a diffuse sense of wonder and devotion. With time, I learned to recognize this object of devotion as the Divine, or God for short - though a god that is radically different from the one I used to refer to when I said that "I do not believe in God".
I now fully embraced Christian mysticism. I read the Bible, pray the Rosary, and read the teachings of old and modern mystics. I am deeply saddened at how the Bible can be instrumentalized as a tool for power rather than for humility and discovery, and I am extremely grateful to you and others who take the time to teach this mystical view.
A very interesting and instructive video. I am really loving and enjoying your series on mystical Bible study videos. It resonates with my soul and spirit.
I am new to Christianity but have a layered and diverse spiritual background. I have also experienced deeply mystical encounters with the Divine, that are hard to put words to. I’m extremely (and perhaps exclusively) drawn to a mystical interpretation of the the Bible and Christian teachings. Everything you speak about here holds such deep resonance with what I have known and felt to be true. Yours is exactly the type of content I’ve been seeking!! I do hope that you continue ❤ I would so love to follow along a Bible study guided by you.
Please, I beg of you to keep spreading the heart of Christianity. True Christianity lies in mysticism. The connection with the source of existence must not be lost. Never stop what you are doing no matter what.
Straight gold
Jon, the approach to the Bible you’ve laid out here is a very sensible one. I agree with so much of what you said in this series, and as a new pastor about to embark upon my first formal Bible study, I look forward to incorporating some of it.
However, something is nagging me, and I’d like to know what you think. I was initially drawn to your channel due to my interest in Thomas Merton, St John of the Cross, and other writers of that type, as well as my own practice of contemplative prayer. I’ve enjoyed every video I’ve watched of yours, and I think your view counts are criminally low.
With all that in mind as I consider your 7-point reading strategy, I can’t help but see it as a great approach to contemplative prayer, except with a book in the way. In other words, if I’m going to do the hard work of self-reflection, fostering openness to what God is trying to tell me, crucifying (or at least silencing) my false self, and praying earnestly for God to share His truth with me, why not stop there? Why add another element to the picture which, as you’ve eloquently pointed out, has such pernicious potential to confuse and even lead people to evil?
Perhaps I have a low view of scripture, but I don’t mean to suggest that it’s not at all Holy. I read and preach the Gospels because based on my theological education, I believe them to be stories of God incarnate, and thus eminently worthy of our attention. I also think they’re more or less reliable. However, I also think much of the rest of scripture, in terms of communicating truths by which we can know God, is fraught with covenantal irrelevancies (e.g. the way God treats the Israelites in the Hebrew Scriptures is not the way He treats us today) and authorial biases (e.g Paul’s fixation on the crucifixion and resurrection to the exclusion of other important ideas).
I hear you say that the mystics used the Bible in their prayer life, but it’s not clear that the Bible improved their prayer life.
I’d love to know what you think about all this, because I suspect I’m missing something you might be able to provide. Thanks so much for reading and for your great content. God bless!
Excellent!
I'm new to your channel but I'm really liking your approach to bible study. I'm on board with all your principles. That said, I'm having difficulty with how to deal with the "texts of terror" from a mystical hermeneutic. Right now I'm doing a deep dive into Ezekiel. Might you consider doing a video on how to approach, say, Ezekiel c.5: 5-17 (or other texts like that)? If the Bible was given to us by God (whatever theory of "divine inspiration" you might adhere to) in order that God might reveal His nature to us and we be transformed thereby, what do we do with texts that portray him in such a bad light -- and in His own words too! Of course it is easy to focus on the "lesson" that we should be obedient and not "rebellious". That ticks the "how the bible transforms us" box. But it is really hard to accept what we learn of God's nature in these verses! It is so alien to the idea that God is loving and merciful and forgiving...like Christ! Yes, Jesus had his stern moments and chastises us for our own good but it is hard to envision him throwing an anger tantrum like God does in Ezekiel (and elsewhere!); this tyrannical jealous God is far from showing us his "best self"! If we are supposed to model ourselves after Christ, and Christ is supposed to be modeling God to us, then surely the nature of God has changed between the Testaments! Something is wrong here. If we default to the position that these "texts of terror" were misunderstandings of the nature of God by the men who wrote them, then how do we preserve the idea of "divine inspiration" that the trustworthiness of the Bible depends on? Please help! This is destabilizing my faith. :(
love it
Hello. This afternoon, I was thinking about mysticism and wondering what would be the best place to start reading, which mystics were the most accessible. Mr Google sent me straight to your reading list video. I loved it, and I have subscribed. I can get started right away as I have all the Richard Rohr's in my bookcase already. Bless you. This channel looks wonderful!😊
Please, you should really author your own book on Christian Mysticism. You're more than worthy for such a task. I would certainly buy it.
Ooops, you have. Just bought a copy.
Thank you thank you thank you! I’m so looking forward to this study!
In one of your videos you stated that Mary, the mother of Jesus, as "having a bit of a reputation."
Would you clarify that?
What are your thoughts on what is now known today as "Gnosticsm" ?? Mystical knowledge and inner peace rather than Crucifixion for Salvation ??
That’s a great question, I’ll work on a detailed answer
Where do I find these mystical commentaries on scripture?
Thank you so much Jon. Would you be able please to recommend a good collection of the writings of Maximus the Confessor? Or perhaps a good standalone work of his to start with?
"On the Cosmic Mystery of Jesus Christ"
Hey :) could you please make examples of what the insights are that you get from the bible, that you then ask god about, meditate about, etc.? If its not too personal. I don't get anything without examples tbh
How can I know if God is speaking to my thinking and it’s my carnal mind or the devil? How can I know I am in truth when reading the bible spiritually?
🆒!!..💙🌎✌🏽😇.
🎉🎉😂❤❤🎉😢😮😅
How do you think the Bible defines the relationship of humans to animals?
Just like biblical and historical evidence proves that jesus and his apostles were vegatarians biblical and historical evidence also proves that the trinity, atonement, original sin and hell are very late misinterpretations and are not supported by the early creed hence its not a part of Christianity I pray that Allah swt revives Christianity both inside and out preserves and protects it and makes its massage be witnessed by all people but at the right moment, place and time
The secred text of the Bible says ye shall know them by their fruits
So too that I say to my christian brothers and sisters be fruitful and multiply
Best regards from a Muslim ( line of ismail )