Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 145 | Jase's Blood Is Boiling, Phil's Problem with Church Buildings, and Al's Righteous Anger

Episode Date: September 14, 2020

Jase gets riled up by an audience email and makes the case for why it's terribly misguided. Phil explains why church buildings aren't the best way to reach people. Al recalls his righteous anger when someone snitched on a group that supposedly violated church decorum. The guys have a big problem with church pews and frivolous rules. And Jase asks an important question: What would you do if your church building burned down before Sunday? - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So I guess one of the things you kind of lose track of with so much going on in the world, or in our world, with the coronavirus and protests and riots and everything going on is that we're also in a presidential election, which is always a big deal, you know, and I don't know, it seems to be now more in my lifetime, where it feels like every election is like there's so much riding, you know. There's a whole lot riding on this one. One thing I was going to mention to our audience is we time when Dad did this new book, Jesus Politics, we knew it was going to be released in this season, you know, of politics

is one of the reasons why we want to get it in there because it's a view of kingdom mindset, which is what we have to get back. to, you know, because now we have so many people that don't even understand that, don't know anything about Jesus, don't know anything about the Bible. And so that's the idea, is to infuse that. So I want to encourage you guys to pick it up. And a lot of you have, I don't know if you knew this, Dad, this week you're number one for in the religious book section. You know, and of course, the book's been out now over a month, was pretty amazing. So it's still number one. It's the number one. One of the things I want to encourage, everybody that's gotten it and read it, because I know a lot of

you have, because you've emailed me. One thing you could do to help us out is go to, to Amazon and review the book, you know, do the review because that drives up people searching for it. The more people review it, you know, the better it helps us. So if you haven't done that, do that. Also, if you haven't picked up the book, Amazon.com is a good place to pick that up and also review it. But that was the reason why we did it, you know, the way we did it. And I thought the book turned out really, really well. It's kind of like that next step after theft.

If you look at it, common sense, live godly. and vote godly right i mean if people kill their own offspring i'm never voting for that ever that's right you know practice perversion i'm never voting for you ever right this is exactly not not right well unless you have prioritized what's most important you know the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world on the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds helmet of salvation sword of the spirit which is the word of God

it's alive it's active sharper than any double ed sword it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart if you're taking notes second Corinthians 10 4 Epheson 617

Hebrews 412 in the book of Revelation they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of that testimony they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death that Romans 13 2nd Corinthians 6 7 weapons of righteousness in the right hand in the left put on the full armor of god he fees and six you know and he talks about you know so you can take your stand against the devil's schemes So as the kingdom of God, the king being Jesus, he is overseeing all of us. He's the head, high priest. We're operating under him. I know it sounds strange, but I'm a priest in the kingdom of God. And I know what some of you are thinking.

As he's stroking his beard. Where's your tall hat and your bucket of smoke? I said no smoke, no hat needed. I'm just saying. But, you know, I think you bring up a good point. It's like we don't, in and of ourselves, if you look at us, I mean, Al's probably more intelligent, but, you know, than me. Both you guys are smarter than I am. I guess you got it from your mom.

Well, Phil, you got a master's degree. Well, I'm not just a complete idiot, but I'm still solidly. C plus in my mind. But I will say this. You've been in Jesus, longer than us, and you, to your credit, have stuck with that simple message.

You know, Al and I got into, when you do public speaking and especially Al and church work, I mean, you get into the theology, which is, you know, to your point, is not mentioned in the Bible. But you get in...

That's why I don't get things. theological because you say, is any this theology theological theologian, is that even in the Bible? That'd be no. Well, and somebody who I don't even know if he was a believer, you know, did an analysis of the Bible and came to the conclusion that was written on a fifth great level. Right. Well, somebody come along or said, but Phil, don't you feel like you're kind of out of touch with reality and don't you want to know the deeper truths of the Bible? I'm like, let's see. All of my sins removed by the blood of Jesus.

I'm guaranteed to be raised from the dead. I have constant mediating work, keeping me cleansed. I have the promise and guarantee because of the spirit of God that I was given when I was born again. I have life and immortality. Ow, that's as deep as I'm digging. Well, look, every argument I've ever had where somebody said or they are established, a group and I'm sticking to the simplicity of Jesus and surrendering to him and when they've asked that question I've always read 1 Corinthians 1 26 he says brothers think of

what you were when you were called not many of you were wise by human standards not very intelligent C plus not many of you were influential you know there's a personality's okay. Not many of you were of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world. So I'm like, if your doctrine and your theology and your denomination is based on us having to have some kind of intellect to where we can only understand certain things according to your criteria, which would be way above Jesus, because that's pretty simple. Here he is. What do you think about him? That's right.

You got red letters you can read. And what I was going to say is I got to have a firm grip on that, and you are wise for doing so. I got a text yesterday from my good friend, Todd Lawler, he wrote a book and he asked me to write the forward. And I'm always a little weird about doing that. And I'm like, you know, I met this guy. For you that don't know, he's confined to a wheelchair.

He can't speak where you can understand him. very well but he tries i mean he he he has i forgot the exact diagnosis of his condition dad and i made him at gateway yeah that's where i met him and i you know one of the brothers here told me he was he he told me he said he shares jesus as much as your dad and i thought well that's somebody i want to meet so i was doing an event there and i think i shared the story on the earlier podcast anyway he asked me to write the forward to his book but i just thought you know what i'm going to be perfectly honest with you Todd because it's better to text him because if you have a conversation it's going to take a while I said send me the book because he had the book written I was like if I don't

like it I'm just telling you right now I'm not writing that forward he was like fine with me brother and so he's like pray about it whatever well he sent me the book I could not stop read it when I started reading it I read the whole thing in one sitting and so You're not a big book guy. No, I'm not. The name of it's weak is the new strong. But anyway, he sent me a pitcher yesterday that it had reached the Amazon bestseller. Oh, awesome.

And I was like, awesome. But, and then I told him, I said, I'm not surprised. And I put it on there, stay humble because he was like showing me all these stats, you know, which kind of convicted him. He was like, oh, brother, he went on this long thing. I was like, look, I'm just saying this. This is God working. Don't make it about the numbers.

This is guy working. This is what he does. But if I drove any person over there and you had a conversation with this guy, you would never think that weapons of mass instruction and some kind of, you know, are you crazy? But he loves Jesus. He's really smart. It's an awesome book if you want to check it out. God does work.

does work in mysterious ways. He does. And through people that you wouldn't think. But you know what? What's the title again? Tell the folks. Week is the New Strong. And I wrote the Forward.

If you just Google, you know, Week is the New Strong, Todd Lawler, or even me, right? Because I wrote, since I wrote the Forward, what's weird is you know how when these editors get involved, we've all written a book. And I told him, I was like, now we've crossed one, one. I said, I love the book. And I'll write the forward. I said, but I'll tell you this. You're going to send what I write back, because I don't know what I'm going to write, back to your editors.

They're probably not going to like what I write because I'm just going to go from the heart. So if you're willing to do that, I said, then I'll do it. He said, go for it, brother. So I basically just wrote how we met. But what was appealing to the book about me was it. I looked at my own life and I realized, what is my greatest weakness, my greatest fear? And a lot of people don't know this about me.

I think maybe I've shared it before. But when I was a kid, I was real shy. I mean, like, disturbingly. So, and I don't know if it was because of your lifestyle and what all happened, but for whatever reason, I just, when I got around people, I didn't say a word. I mean, I went a whole year, you know, but seventh, eighth grade, I never said a word to anybody.

Nothing. I just not. I tell you what, things have changed now, have they done? Well, I was fixing. Can't shut him up, no. I was fixed to tell you. So people find that weird because I think God, and that's what his book is about.

He, you know, it's really uncomfortable reading the book because he's thankful for his condition because he said that's the canvas. that God made me strong in him. And I mean, I'm going to tell you, it tugs on your heart saying this guy is going around in a dang wheelchair and he can't, you know, say a sentence that's understandable. I mean, it's, and it's painful to watch him even try to talk.

And here God has blessed him. He has a beautiful wife. He has kids, which I was like, I didn't know you could do that, Todd. He's like, oh, yeah, the Lord is with me, you know. He had some funny moments, but he loves the Lord. And when I read that book, what was very appealing to me was in my own life. I thought, I saw how God took that weakness in my life and turned it into his dream, which at least gave me the confidence to get up.

And even though I'm a mess when I speak in front of people in my mind, I've learned that it doesn't come across that way. And I give credit to God about that. And in his life, it's the same thing. Here's the guy being thankful for what others would think was some kind of curse put on him, and God blessed him. So I just wanted to say in that vein, you wouldn't think here he has the armor of God, because I know we were going to take a viewer question about that armor of God.

Right. I thought this guy is one of the most powerful people that you'll run across. But you would never think that based on outward appearance and the way he is physically. and so it's really exciting. It's funny, Jayes, because you wrote it forward for that book. I wrote a forward for a book that was the hardest book I've ever read. I mean, the hardest book to get through it that I've ever read. I wrote a forward for it.

And it was about that abortion, Dr. Gossnell, some friends of mine who were journalists, who are Irish journalists, wrote this book about this guy and also made a movie about it. basically he was just I mean he was killing babies you know they they whatever the Pennsylvania law was he was killing right up to their birth and then birthing them and killing which is how they finally got it they're doing it still doing I know when now it's being legalized oh yeah so anyway it was it was such a hard read because it was just awful it was terrible it was just and this guy was awful and the women died there it was just a

terrible terrible thing but I was so convicted by it that you know when they asked me to do the thing. I was like, I'll do it. But then when I, then I had, like you, I had to sit down and think, okay, what am I going to say about this? Because it was so awful. But I managed to do it, and it was good to be supportive of it because you've got to get the story out. The media wouldn't touch it, of course, except for, you know, Fox and a couple of those other ones to even tell the story, you know, but it was. Well, even, even Todd had to break through a lot of walls because, you know, here he comes rolling in, literally. Yeah. And saying, I got an idea, you know, about a book. And since he can't talk real well, they're just not thinking that it, but he found

his way to share Jesus because he's a brilliant guy. Oh yeah. And he can write. Yep. And so you would never know when you read the book that this is, I mean, of course, he figured out pretty quick because he makes fun of himself. And he plus he's brilliant with social media. because I follow him. Oh, yeah. I mean, he has some of the best stuff. He doesn't have a lot else to do. Yeah.

But I've told him that, you know, because I, a few times, he would send me a text because I gave my number. And he's like, are, you know, are you upset? You're not responding. I'm like, okay, let me explain something to you. I'll get back. I gave you my number, but I'm not going to be sitting there on my phone and responding immediately.

It may be days. I may be in the woods. I may not have a cell phone. But once we got that lined out, it's been all. You're as bad as Tebow. Let's take a break. The difference in me and Tebow is I don't after a week act like you just sent it. He's like respond.

I'm like, Tim Tebow sent me a weird text. And what does it mean? Oh, I scroll back. Oh, he's a response. I sent him a text two weeks ago. It's like, no, the dates I was asking about, that came and went. So this would have been good information two weeks ago. ago have your guy give you your phone and let you check it more often right and as a reminder

I've done this on a couple of podcasts because I'm still working on returning emails I told somebody you told Zach I think I started because it was a couple of weeks I was away because of corona and all that and so I started out with 750 emails from unashamed listeners because I gave my email out a while back and I got it down I'm under 300 now so I'm getting there some of you like is they ever going to respond i will but it's just going to take me well isn't it piling on isn't that something that can't don't you add to it what you mean well if you answered 450 in the time well sometimes you do correct because somebody was sending a reply but i think you've gotten into something that may be unwinnable it may be but more more undoable yeah it's just one person so i'm

just saying it's not doable but you know the they're so amazing and i and i love them because the story are incredible. I just can't walk away from it. Every once a while, you'll send me one. So I'll tell you this, Al at Restorationproductions.net is my new email for you, because I got some help of people sorting and sending stuff to me and helping me because a lot of stuff is unanswerable.

I haven't said that. Every once in a while, when someone, like, completely disagrees with me and, you know, Al, send those to me, which I find humorous. But this one the other day just got my blood balling. Oh, boy. And I feel like I need to bring it up. I just feel the Lord is telling me.

One of the basic... Blood boiling. Look, one of my passages that I read more than anything are quote, which now let me say this, quote, just because I didn't go there and say, here is the book, chapter, and verse. didn't mean that it wasn't a quote from the Bible. So a preacher sent me this really nice letter about the title of it. It was kind of done in a, you'll appreciate this as a, you know, as a, well, are you, do you, are you ever a former preacher?

No, you never, it's right the mafia. You never. Al preaches now for free. So welcome to the club. Yep. And I like it better. I quoted, evidently, we got lost in translation. Because this is a quote, this is Acts 17, and I'm going to quote this.

This will only take a minute. But y'all use this just like I do. I like it because he addresses the basic three questions of humanity, which I've said many times. How did you get on the earth? What are you doing here? And how are you leaving? If you want a good sermon, or, you know, if you're talking to a person who doesn't know Jesus. Those are three very good questions. It makes everyone think whether they're believe or not.

Well, say that again, because a lot of people send us emails saying, how do I get a conversation going? This is how I start. Say it one more time. Pay attention. We did a former podcast. You can start with a meal. That's always a good start. And then you just let it go from there. Or, but if you just meet someone, you start with those three questions, especially if somebody is showing some, you know, emotion or they don't, they've had a bad religious experience. It's like when you bring up Christianity or Jesus and they're, oh, I ask those three questions right then. So, well, how did you get here?

And they're like, where? On the earth. You've got a process in your mind, you've got to make a decision about that. That one of humanity's decision-making process is ascertain how you got here. And so how you live will be dependent. on that. If you believe you came from an explosion and you're a one cell that come out of a mud

puddle, well, no wonder you don't view life, you know, you talked about earlier about where's the sanctity of life? Well, if we just all came from some kind of gaseous mist and nothing, that's why they don't view life as sacred. Oh, we're just nothing. It came from nothing and we're nothing. And I guarantee you you're probably bitter and depressed. We believe you're made the image of God. Number two, what are you doing here? Which is a, Great question. What are you doing here? What are we supposed to do here?

Now the world will say, well, you get a job, find your career, make some money, and retire. That's what you're doing here. I'm going to have to disagree with you on that. I believe that God uses us to make Jesus know. That's why we're here. That's why he hasn't come back yet. That's the process that he chose. And the third is how are we leaving.

which is kind of funny but so you're either leaving in a box and it's over or you believe that your spirit will go and become energy and unite with the gaseous mist that formed you and you'll be part this people believe this stuff some people freeze their bodies cut off their heads

will find a cure and some people thaw me out jumpstart me let me go again Star Trek eventually the board will visit us, assimilate my body. Some people just believe nothing. And so I believe Jesus is coming back,

raise my dead body, because I have his spirit. It's impossible for me to die. My body will be changed, not exchanged, and we will be with the Lord forever. We'll live forever with a body looking around, eating fish because we want to.

So in that sermon in Acts 17, because it all came from you worship is something unknown because they had an altar said to an unknown god he said i'm explain that to you one of the lines in there was this the god who made the world and everything in it is lord of heaven and earth and does not live in buildings some versions say temples built by hands so the letter that you sent from this preacher says god lives in buildings and he sent me a whole letter saying jays you're wrong now here's my initial reaction you're you sent me a letter and i love you and at the end he says i love you jays so he was he was he was

nice about it right but his whole argument is based on something that i quoted now how i mean let's read that again god the lord of heaven earth does not live in buildings built by hands and the title of his note to me was God lives in buildings and the Apostle Paul said he does not so here was his argument his argument was where two or three are gathered together there I will be also that was his argument now look here's what's happened there in my opinion I'll let y'all join in and see what you think. He has a narrative in his mind,

and he later on said it makes him uncomfortable if someone wears a hat in the building because this is sacred ground. He went and quoted the part of nexus about where you're standing in his holy ground. What he should have made, a better argument would have been that Christ is in us, the Holy Spirit.

Which is the first thing I told you when you took. I thought that's what he was saying. It's where we're at. Okay, yeah. So we happened to be in the building. But look, that Holy Spirit was in me before I walked in the building. that is correct so what is Paul's point because the two or three why is he saying he doesn't live in buildings

what what he lives in us make that point I'd be like okay and while we're in the building maybe there should be some decency and some order all right I would have plus even a better explanation is since he lives in us we are the building which is what is that first Corinthians that was another one I thought of that's Ephesans 2 phasing 3 I think it's, no, 1 Corinthians 3-9 says for you are... Hang on. First Corinthians 3-9, for you are God's fellow workers. You are God's field.

God's building. Ephesians 2 while you're there. We're federal citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself. of being the cornerstone. Thank you. And in him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord, which makes it impossible to get that inside a structure.

I got another one. But we're the structure. Let me read the other one. First Peter two, four, as you come to him, the living stone, capital S, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices. That's all you were saying.

So all I was saying was when you have a building and you call it a church, which is wrong, we're the church. That's right. We're the building. That's right. God decided to let us house him, which is crazy to think about. Don't put rules on like, oh, I have a hat on in the building.

Oh, no, I'm fixed to get struck by lightning. Because he made a point. It bothers him if somebody walks in. So here comes a guy. He don't know your rules. He has a hat on. I wear a hat in the building. You know why?

Because it doubles as a hairnet. If I don't have this hat right on, I would walk into that wall. I would have a wreck on the way to church and die because I have hair that goes everywhere. But he doesn't know your rules. He comes in there because he wants to know about Jesus and he wants to go to heaven. And here comes a guy and says,

hey, we don't wear, you're showing, you're being disrespectful. This is a house of God. Well, I'm going to come back and say, let that guy come in. Forget your stupid rule. You know, I don't have to say stupid, but it makes me angry.

because I'm like you're alienating people because of a rule because in your theology, you have God tied to this building because you took another passage and said, well, we're two or three together together. He's there. So now all of a sudden we've got to act differently. And I don't mean act from a spiritual because the cases he made, I forgot the other ones, but they were along the lines of not wearing a hat in a building. He's like, it bothers me.

So there you go. That's a little deeper, you know, meaning of why I said God doesn't live in buildings. Don't come up with frivolous rules at your church building. Don't even call it church. Yeah. I like it how we'll call it a building. It's a structure. Where we meet.

You think about that. I hate to be morbid and barbaric. But what would you do if your church building burned down in between now and Sunday? What would you do? I would be thrilled. That's the end of the building. I would be thrilled because it would take the albatross from trying to do ministry.

You know what? Most people would say, well, where are we going to go to church? I'm sure you'll find some. I mean, I hate it because it's a building and it's comfortable and it's nice. Going to the church building is never mentioned in the Bible. How about this? The church that met at that building,

they're now going to meet somewhere else, and they might just meet right there without the structure if it's not raining. That's correct. But Jesus is not going to change. And how you respond to it is not going to change. The need to fulfill your purpose on earth while you're here to share you, that's not going to change.

Loving people is not going to change. It's not going to change. And so that's what's happened to me with North America. The biggest problem with churches is or the buildings. You are correct. It becomes some kind of weird structure that God has ordained. and we now have to act differently and respond differently, and there's rules, and we don't know all the rules,

and guess what? The common man, he's not coming there. There's been a lot, a lot, a lot of money invested in structures that people think that's where God is. In order to find him, you have to go there to get in touch with him, never realizing you're not out under four or five big over-up overcup trees next to the river, and there's four or five of you,

three or four of you gathered. That's the church building right there, under the trees. Well, we've proven by this podcast that there's a better way to reach a lot of people with the Bible and with Jesus. You are correct.

How about real life? You know, being in our spot. It reminded me, Jason, your story reminded me of a guy, an older guy that used to be a member of our church. And he was a preacher too, preached out.

And it was a Wednesday night, And I never forget it. And I was younger then, but I was still, I was working for the church. And he comes up, there's, I just met three young guys. First time they'd ever come. So Wednesday night, there's in there three young college age guys. I was so excited they were there. You know, I was fixing to teach.

And, you know, this is, I'm excited. So I walked to the, they all had hats on. I walked to the back, but I'm getting ready to go teeth. And this brother comes up to him and tap me on the shoulder. He said, are you going to deal with those three guys or me? And I was like, well, I just met him. What do you mean, deal with them? He said, about getting them hats off in here.

And I mean, I can't tell you how angry I got in a split second. And it was righteous anger. It wasn't just at him. But I just looked at him. I had to calm down, because I'm going to teach. And I was like, you will not say a word to those three guys. They're here for the first time. They're fixing to hear about Jesus.

Do not say anything. I mean, I just bowed up on it. And it shocked him, you know, because, you know, I try to be diplomatic with people and all that. but it made me so angry that these guys are fixing and get an opportunity to hear about Jesus and you're worried about them wearing a hat and we'll just run them off. But how you saying this makes some people uncomfortable

because they feel like... Now, you have this situation in Corinthians where it says women should pray, you know, a man shouldn't pray with his head covered. And I had somebody put that up. I got an email about that. Why do y'all wear long hair? same thing.

Well, right. Now, completely different issue. We'll spend a whole podcast on that. But if you read the book of First Corinthians, you will notice pretty quickly they had some problems. They had some gender issues, which is not uncommon to what's going on even in America. Very much so.

You're correct. You had women dressing up like men, and you had men dressing up like women. The problem was you couldn't ascertain. who was male and who was female. That's right. Lots of... Well, you remember, first...

They were doing transgender for transgender was known about it. That's right. And so he addresses that. And guess what he did, which is what God always does, he addressed it in love. And it wasn't like... I mean, to me, that's... We get off in our culture of religion.

Yeah. From what this actually said, he addresses that. But then to try to apply that to say, oh, you got a hat on. I know this. I'll just say this. Whenever your freedom is infringed on, because I have numerous verses that says Christ set us free,

it is for freedom we've been saying. So whenever you start coming up with laws and rules, especially ones on down the way is like whether you have a hat on, that's a long way from the heart, you know, what you have on your head. Because I know that why don't we focus on all, the verses that talks about your heart, which is what you can't see. Let's take another break.

And look, it's not just hats. I've been in churchwork long enough. I've said in enough meetings. I've heard enough arguments about somebody wearing shorts or if you go back far enough women wearing pants. I mean, like, all these things that were about meeting in that place together, all those rules. And Daniel and I've been elders for a long time, people consistently,

making rules up about that meeting place. It's just, I mean, it really, it's getting away from everything we're talking about. It's a sad thing to watch. But Al, we were going to, I guess, I mean, we can introduce the armor of God today. Yeah, thanks a lot, Jason. We're almost through the podcast because you took off. I felt like time cruising. He said, you've never seen me upset.

Send me a memo that says God is in the building. Well, for the listeners, for the listeners, for the listeners, and we'll get on the arm of God next time. Well, we still got enough time in this. Yeah, well, just remember these verses. Psalm 34-7. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. No, that's a good verse, right?

And he delivers them. That's Psalm 34-7. You're like, the angel of the Lord encamps around us, and he delivers them. Well, in the grand scheme of spiritual armor, just remember, you're surrounded by powerful angelic beings who are looking after you. Remember the story in Second King Six?

Oh, I love it. Eliasha was, you know, he said, open his eyes. Oh, I don't know. There's a lot of them. I don't know whether they were surrounded. This is going to be bad. And he was like, Lord, open his eyes so he can see what I'm saying. And it was just thousands of angels. There you go.

Then you got Psalms. It gives me chills every time. You got Psalms, 91-4. Listen, he will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge. Pandemic or no pandemic. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampant.

He's not going to desert you. He's looking after you. Just calm down. That's a duck passage, because that's what ducks. Yeah. And then finally, Psalm 125, too, as the mountains surrounds Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. So I read those texts and I said, spiritual armor, you know, and the sword of the spirit, you know, and the belt of truth, buckle around your waist,

your breastplate of righteousness like he fees and six. I'm all in. But just remember, you say, all those things are metaphors. You say, where's the real protection? I mean, the breastplate of righteous, how could that be? Well, it's God looking after you. Oh, yeah. Look, the book of Ephesians, I mean, I think the scholars and what they taught you in seminary, the first three chapters are really telling you your position and how great God is, which is always the way following Jesus is.

He's not looking, you know, like when you're a parent, you go through this stage where all you want is compliance. I mean, that's why you say things like, well, how come I have to do it? You're like, because I said so. I don't care how you feel about it. This is what you're going to do. Now, when they get to be 14 and 15 and you start saying that, there's problems.

Because they, because now, because now they're learning on their own. They need to be taught. I mean, this is a little parenting 101, is that they've got a want to do it. So just making them comply. So he spends three chapters, and if I just briefly touched on the, and I want to make a point that goes back to this part about God's in the building. He lives in the building.

You know, he says in chapter one, God, in love, predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ before the beginning of time. I mean, this was his plan for us to experience with him. He talked about us being having the promised Holy Spirit in 13 and 14, a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, everything God has, we get. He then talks about why Jesus has authorities above all rule authority at the end of chapter 1. Power and dominion, God placed all things under his feet and appointed to be had over everything for the church, which is us. the people, not the building. Then in Ephesians 2,

one of the most famous chapters in the entire Bible. You were objects of wrath, you were dead, you were under the control of the evil one, but guess what? Because of his grace, it's 100% him, none of you, he's seated with you, he seated you

with him in the heavenly realms, it's all this good stuff. Then he brings everybody, all races, Jew or Gentile, under one complete place of unity in Jesus. I mean, what an awesome thought. So you get to chapter three, and he makes this statement,

which is going to be my point. In verse 12, it says, in Him, in Christ, and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. You just think about that statement. You have, he's giving you through his spirit, at the beginning of time, he wants you to be a child forever.

He rescued you from the dominion of darkness. He destroyed racism. All of the things that we're after in the world. He's giving you freedom and confidence so that you may approach God with freedom and confidence. And then somebody raises his hand and says, unless you have a hat on, unless you're in that building.

Well, all of a sudden that seems stupid, which is why I get so emotional about it because I'm like, you're reading all this, And then all of a sudden you're interjecting something that doesn't make any sense. Whether you have a hat on or not. You've missed it. You have missed it, which is why he said God doesn't live in buildings.

It's about what's going on in your heart. You understand Jesus. This is the plan of God. We happen to meet. That's why when the coronavirus hit and they said, well, the church buildings, or they didn't say church building. They said churches can't meet. Well, that's impossible.

Oh, we're going to be. to meet, buddy. Oh, so I, you know, so Missy the other day, she went, when we were in South Texas, she went, but she had to have a mask on there, so many rules, and she was like, you know what, I can't talk to anybody. We're kind of missing,

we need to just break down into a little. They asked me, what are you going to do since they've shut down all the church, you can't make go to church anymore? I said, yeah, can. They're like, what are you talking about? I said, we're two or three gathered together. Which is the point of that. In Jesus' name.

He'll be there. You don't need structures. It's sitting on a side of a creek bank, sitting on the side of the river bank, walking down the road, wherever you are. Let's take our last break. One of the things I was on say, I was a local church here, pretty small.

And so I heard about this because we hadn't started meeting again at our spot, which we do now, because you know, he got all these rules in place. And so the people would come and there would be an escort there. You had your mask on. They had their mask. You were walking to a certain place.

You have to sit here. So you were set down. And you sit here. There was no singing. We're talking to anybody else. And then the preacher came out and preached. And then somebody escorted you out. And they were describing this situation.

And me, even as a speaker, I was just thinking, you know, I don't want to do that. That doesn't sound very. exciting. It doesn't, like anything. I mean, so basically it was just kind of, we want you to come, I guess, punch in. How the whole thing, the force behind that, all of these social distancing, fear.

They're scared to down now. And we should be fearless. But if you asked anybody, you said, who does the work for the church? What would you say? What's your first? What would people say? Not what you would say.

What would most people say? They would say the preacher, whatever he's. So after this whole thing I went through, and where is his central location? At the church. Yep. Which is not. It's a building because we're the church. But he has an office there.

He has an office. This is headquarters. And guess what? He's the head. Now you read this and it's like headquarters is in heaven and the head is Jesus. and we're the body. That is the church. So he gets to Ephesians 4,

and he makes it very clear. There's one spirit, there's one body, there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. And he talks about each one

has been given grace. And then he talks about these people. He says, it was he who gave some to be apostles. Now, they're not, that was an eyewitness to the resurrection. So they came and went.

And some to be, but they're not going far. Some to be prophets, some to be, uh-oh, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Now, here's the interesting next phrase. To prepare God's people for work, works of service. Well, according to this, they're supposed to prepare the people to work,

and the reason I'm bringing this up, is that's why when you get to the end, it's like, well, what do I need armor for? because we do the work out here in the world. It's dangerous work. Yeah, the building, there's no battle going on there other than somebody getting mad about somebody got a hat on. Or, you know, he ate a Rice Krispy treat in the sanctuary.

Let's have a meeting right now because God is fixed to burn the building because we had a visitor. First of all, sat in sister closed seat, and then sat there and ate a rice tree. be tricks. So we stop everything. He probably had a cup of coffee too, which is also anathema. No eating in the church.

I've had people say, oh, he can't eat in there. And they, I don't even know where they get that. But evidently it's in there because I've seen those meetings erupt because they're like, there was a guy that walked in the sanctuary and actually drank a cup of coffee while the preacher was talking. So somewhere they found a rule where that's out.

I think it's the one where it says the Lord's Supper. Well, they said, don't you have homes? First Corinthians 11, yeah. Jay, you wonder why so many in our country have fallen under the control of Satan. It's what you're disgusting. That's why they say, you know what, get me out of here. So we got whole metropolitan areas of people that don't even know anything about who God is, Jesus Christ, none of that stuff.

and yet you got building spread out across the country and in some of these places. And Jesus had been talked about. They'll get their creed, and this is their creed. You say, uh-oh, here's the rules. Here the rules. Here the rules. Here the rules. Rule after rule after rule after rule.

Well, I think it comes from us. I think most people, I'm going to say this, most, that's my opinion, are sincerely mistaken. They've just met at a building so long. It's how they were. tall it makes them comfortable so when anything different happens which is why they're not bringing people to jesus because look everybody sits in the same spot as they did the last time they were there they sit in the same spot and i tell the story about the little old lady and just and ran people out of her seat you know it's like i don't care if you're visiting there that's you remember even at our church

they said you know we got people that they were saying something about they were so scattered I forgot what the reasons were. And somebody asked me about it. I said, well, rip them pews out of there. They're not going to sit at them if they're not in there. We don't have pews where we are. No pews. I know.

But they were like, well, let's don't go crazy. I was like, whoa, wait for it. Which is going to lead to just. I've spoken at a bunch of little country churches, and I always chuckle, because I'll see people coming in older folks. And again, sincere people. They love God. And they've left their Bible there.

you know, their shawl, it's like their little spots and all these pews. And I just thought, because, you know, it's like when we're come back here for our little God moment, but I was thinking none of me even took their Bibles with it. It's like, you know, while we're here, this was the thing.

And look, I've spent most of my life teaching and preaching and certainly being centered around our church building or our building. But at the same time, I realize that Jesus is in us. And so whether we had it, In fact, I thought the pandemic was probably going to be an eye-opener when all of a sudden people weren't meeting in their structures about what happens when... I viewed it as a good thing. I did, too.

And I think it showed us that when we come under persecution, which is coming if this other side wins the majority in our culture. And what's going to happen is we're going to be like China. Then you're underground. You are correct. And so we're going to be secretly getting messages the whole line. It seems, the kingdom seems to function very well under strict totalitarian regimes. It always has. There are millions of the sons and daughters of God in China.

Because people are going to be looking for freedom. Well, a lot of churches are trying the same thing. Because I mean, it's the same concept, like a pew, I mean, one of the most uncomfortable things you can sit in. Yeah. You know, I'm like, people, you know, they charge $100 basically to go to. a movie and get popcorn and a drink. But, you know, now some of these movie theaters would all know what they'll do post-coronavirus.

I mean, I went and saw one with my son, and they baked the seat. I had a little cup up, look, and it would lay down. Yeah. I got pillows. Pughes are the, is dampen more interaction than any way you could sit.

That's true. Put rows of pews, well, the people you're looking at in front of you. Everything's looking front. You're looking at the back of their head. You have to break your neck to look around behind you. So you can look at the one right here beside you and this one, but that's about as far as you can go. It's just not good for interaction.

They said that revitalized the movie theater experience because you've got to go, who wants to go sit for two hours to be uncomfortable? I'm sitting in a nasty chair. So I'm like, why don't we do that at the church bell? I mean, make the thing, give us some stadium seating. Let me relax here. I can listen this old boy.

Have a place where I can put them on by. You know what I mean? Have somebody come up, you know, volunteers and say, you know, how are you? Do you need anything? When I go to a church building, I'm walking in, of course they usually have a weapon on, but then I got my coffee bottle. I got my coffee bottle, set it up there. I'm like, okay, boys.

We fix the worship to Almighty here. It comes from this same thing. If we're going to go to heaven, we got to pay the price. They don't focus on Jesus paying the price, and we're going to have to be as miserable. as possible, because there's no way we can be comfortable here and this be a good thing. I'm telling you, I've been to places where I thought, it's like if we had a blueprint on how we can make this as miserable as possible. And then they're like, we just don't know why people won't show up and go to heaven.

I'm like, because they're like, they can't be going to heaven. They're too depressed. You can make it worse. You can put a mask on tell them they can't sing. They just have to sit down and shut up. I guess that makes it worse. Well, we didn't get to Ephesion 6, but we will next time. We kind of did.

We introduced it. Actually, Jace gave a little exposition, which I got a couple more thoughts you brought out when we get back to Ephesians. Ephesians is one book that you've got to be careful about going in there and making a point on two verses. That's right. It's a totalitary letter, in my opinion. It is. And I've got a couple more thoughts about that. I made some notes.

So we'll talk about that next time on Unashame. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes. And for even more content that you won't get anywhere else, subscribe to BlazTV at blazestiv.com slash unashamed.