Citizen ATX

For centuries humanity has been obsessed with creating stories of characters with the magical power to fix anything with the move of a wand or the snap of a finger. Stories like:  Disney's  "Fantasia", the old cartoon "Popeye the Sailor Man", or even "Harry Potter". While these are all fictional stories that every human could only dream of, the story of God creat...

At this point in Revelation, Armageddon  is over and the anti-christ and the dragon are done for. However, Satan is still around. Also, everyone left on earth that hasn't chosen to follow Christ is killed and sent to Hades. What more is left to do? Join Jonathan, Matt, and Stephen to find out the next step of God's master plan in Revelation 20. 

What are your favorite battle scene speeches in cinematic history? My top two are: the Braveheart speech and Russell Crowe's final monologue from Gladiator. We all have this picture of what a great war hero looks like. However, Jesus' final battle will be much greater! Join Matt, Stephen, and Jonathan as they discuss the battle that is already won in Revelation 19:11-21.

"Here comes the bride..." Any of you married ladies remember the day of walking down the aisle? Do you remember how happy everyone was to see you? What about the reception afterwards? The church is referred to as the "Bride of Christ". This is, of course, a metaphor used to show how much Jesus loves us. Join Matt, Stephen, and Jonathan as they discuss this "Marriage Recept...

In this episode, we take the time to read and answer YOUR questions. Revelation is a complicated book, and there are a lot of concepts left open for interpretation. While we can't find all of the answers, the one thing we can be sure of is that "Our Hope Is on the Throne". Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they unpack these questions from fellow listeners. 

Send us your questions about Revelation 1-18. You can send those questions to our Instagram on @AustinBaptistChurch or by emailing info@austinbaptistchurch.com . We look forward to answering your questions on a special Ask Me Anything edition of Revelation_Directors Cut. 

We have all heard the old adage, "The Pride Comes Before the Fall". This all the more true in the context of Babylon and the  end times. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they discuss "Babylon's Fall" in Revelation 17&18. 

Every great drama has a point where circumstances become so low that it looks like the characters are at "rock bottom". Then something major happens and the characters life begins to look up. If they are lucky, then they might even get a "happily ever after". That is similar to this section of Revelation, except there is no luck involved. The only path for hope and the only way...

I suppose you could say that John was envisioning: "Demons and Dragons and Beasts...Oh My!" With dreams like that you have to  imagine that John really wasn't getting a lot of sleep... In any case, isn't it great that God gave us a path to avoid all of the destruction that will come from these evil creatures?! Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they discuss Revelation 12 &...

Have you ever been watching a drama show and get the overwhelming feeling of suspense only to be halted by a commercial right at a cliffhanger?!? ...it's a touchy subject I know... That is kinda what this section of Revelation is like, only the people living it will greatly welcome the pause in chaos! Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they discuss Revelation chapters 10 & 11. 

If you are like me, you may have imagined the blowing of the trumpets in Revelation to sound like the beginning of "Sweet Victory" from SpongeBob ...or perhaps you imagine the trumpet fanfare from Princess Bride.  Either way, while we don't know what song the trumpets will play, we do get a glimpse at the type of wrath that God will bring at the sounding of each trumpet. Join Matt,...

"Who knows what the future holds?" This question often pops up as we get into the unknowns of the book of Revelation. There have been many that say "Why does it matter?" or "Do we really have to talk about this?". However, there are also many that have spent hours speculating and even debating their eschatological views. The one thing that we know for sure is that Jes...

Ever find yourself thinking about what Heaven will be like? Many people like to talk about what Heaven will look like, or who will be there...will my dog be there?...etc. While we don't get a ton of insight into all of these questions, one thing that is made clear is that we will all be fully captivated in the awe and wonder of God. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they unpack this glimpse...

Ever wonder what the possible pitfalls of a church can be? A church is full of people, and people are sinful by nature. It might be easy for a church that isn't seeking after God, to steer off path. In chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation, Jesus gives us 7 letters to 7 churches that describe a variety of different situations a church can go through. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as they discus...

The Apocalypse is coming!!! Well...it is coming...but we aren't really too sure about when. The book of Revelation has always been one that is wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Many great debates have been held on this book from: whether you're pre/post/mid trib to whether or not you spell it with an "S" on the end. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Stephen as we unpack (as much as we ca...

Merry Christmas everyone! We hope that you are taking the time to spend time next to those you love, and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas. In this final episode of the year, we wanted to unpack a few other Christmas myths and discuss the idea of tradition in the Christmas season. Join Matt, Stephen, and Nathan as they discuss the traditions of Christmas. 

"That Feeling When: you realize the 'Three Kings' weren't kings, and we don't know how many there were." 😮 Of all of the people mentioned in the Christmas story, the Magi are perhaps the most misunderstood. However, their story is full of examples of finding purpose in the miraculous wonder of God's plan. Join Matt, Nathan, and Stephen as they discuss the incred...

Get out the eggnog and the ugly sweaters, because Christmas is finally HERE!! This truly is one of the most wonderful times of the year, and we hope that you find time to enjoy it with those that you love. With the spirit of Christmas in full force, we wanted to take a deeper look into the true reason for the season. Join Matt, Nathan, and Stephen as they discuss the overwhelming scene of angels a...

"To cuss or not to cuss that is the question"... Well actually it is a little bit more complicated than that. Did Jesus ever cuss/curse? Did Paul? Should curse words be a part of the vocabulary of a dual citizen? Jonathan and Matt cover all of this and more in todays episode. 

Those of you with siblings know, all too well,  the struggle of fighting with family. Whether it be arguing over which song to play in the car or who gets the last bite of food, family and loved ones can drive us to a breaking point if we let them. Despite the negative emotions that can be associated with arguing, it is a necessary aspect of loving others. However, to argue in love means to argue...

Imagine...you walk into a coffee shop and order a coffee with 2 pumps of vanilla, 1 pump of mocha, and 1 pump of caramel. The barista replies with, "Would you like any extra sugar with that?" What a great start to a day... Those of you with teenagers in the house know just how easily one can become passive aggressive. We aren't even taught how to do it, yet it flows out so naturally...

Have you ever been in that year end review and thought, " yeah, nothing they're saying about me makes any sense." We've all been there. Whether you have been around for a while or are just beginning to build your life, you have probably come to realize the complexities surrounding the idea of criticism. Criticism can be difficult to receive and difficult to deliver. So how are...

"So did you find someone to marry yet?" How many times have we been asked this question at church or at family gatherings? It seems like the answer is always something like: "I'm not sure" or "It's in God's hands." Looking at these interactions and many others like them, it is easy to say that there is a bit of misunderstanding between the single people...

We all had those friends...you know... the ones that would only listen to christian music and would only watch christian moves. They probably watched the "Left Behind" series a million times, and read all of the books. We also know those friends that listen to the craziest music and spend every Saturday night going to the most wild parties, only to wake up incredibly tired and show up to...

Our hearts go out to the people of Israel, as well as, the refugees in Gaza that are caught in the middle of this war. We thought we would be remiss if we didn't take this opportunity to discuss the tension between Israel and Palestine that has existed for a millennium. Join Matt, Lauren and Jonathan as they discuss the history of this conflict, and give ideas on how to best pray for the situ...