Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 218 | Phil's Soft Heart Leads to a Great Last Hunt and Some People Have Priorities Out of Whack

Episode Date: February 1, 2021

Phil gets talked into going on one last duck hunt of the season with a less than ideal crew, but he's pleasantly surprised. Jase talks about an argument over a duck hole and uses it as an example of how to keep your priorities straight and how to approach a potentially violent situation with grace. Phil brings up the idea that the church — not the government — should take care of the poor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So this is the first post-Duck season episode, because, you know, when we, it kind of comes down to the end of duck season, it affects our podcast recordings. It affects everything. So I'm down here, Jason, my Southern Command Center. I call it the Southern Lair in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Because, you know, I'm married to a woman that loves to be in Gulf Shores more than she loves to be in Westman Road. So I just have to buy my time. I'm kind of like you.

I got split homes. Well, I mean, we've had something happen that's been the talk around here. Because on the last day, what people don't realize is every year, of duck season since I told my wife while we were dating when we were dating and it got serious I said look I hunt for 60 days every winter I hunt ducks hopefully I can make my living doing that which did happen but if that's a if that's a problem that's in this so what she came up with once we got married was she was fine with that and look i will say this i've said this before and i actually got letters questioning whether this was true but i'll say it again

she has never said a complaining word about me duck hunting for the 60 days never she's never said oh i can't believe you're doing that and not one time so that's been awesome because we worked that out early. However, what she did come up with is, now we used to, I used to shave after duck season because she doesn't like the beard. Of course, then once we had our little duck show,

that ended. So now she came up with this idea that on the last day of duck season, we celebrate. So it's basically a date, which is fine with me because I'm like, and that doesn't mean I don't hunt the last day, So she came up from Austin, and so yesterday was the last day.

So now I could either plan a party in the morning before church, which isn't very practical, or in the afternoon. And, I mean, it's the day. I'm going to go, honey, but I'm going to come in for church. So I went with the morning hunt, which produced one, one duck. We were there. You were there. Everybody leaves. Well, Phil and his crew go back.

You had your daughter? Phyllis, who were the participants? I decided not to go on Sunday evening. I had been on Sunday morning. We didn't do much. And I said, late in the year, one last, hurrah. I went up and persecuted the brothers. I'm making a jest here.

I delivered a lesson for them about you reap what you sow. keep God number one love God love your neighbor be generous toward both so that was the lesson came back down here and they said you barely burly was the only one there he said he said what you think about this evening one last hunt I said well I don't think we're going to do much and they said well he put the guilt trip on me you have your daughter and she would like to go duck up this afternoon I thought about it a little bit I said well who's the crew stone calls up and he's He said, look, I got BK. That's his little second daughter.

She's about, you know, three foot tall, about 10 years old. Deer's Slaher. She kills big bucks, but she wants to go duck hunting. So Stone said, I'm taking BK, and Phyllis said she wants to go. So, you know, you're her dad. What do you think? You can bring Burrell with you. So the crew was a 10-year-old child with her dad.

A 45-year-old missing daughter. who showed back up. A dad and his daughter. Yeah, the first time she's ever duck hunter in her life was this duck season. Last day, what are you going to do, Phil? You had Burley, which was kind of a fifth wheel. Burley was trying to, because he wanted one last stand, you know. But anyway, he talks me into it.

I said, all right. So let's go. So the one end of the duck line was your buddy stone. I'm on the other end of the duck line. and in between was Burley, B.K, a 10-year-old girl, and Phyllis that we haven't seen in our life except this year. Your point being these aren't accomplished. It was the anniversary of her showing up was yesterday.

Perfect. See, from my perspective, look, here's what happened. Because when y'all shot the first Pintail, Jay and Burley sent me a text. Of course, I'm in front of a fire with my wife. Look, trust me, I'm feeling. feeling good right now. There was more ducks, hit that duck blind, the pipeline floater, as we call it.

We had hunted at one time. Y'all avoided it like the plague. You all kept saying they're not there, they're out there. We went out there, and the water is falling, and it's about a little over knee deep, little too deep, but I said, well, so you're getting there. We jumped up about 100 ducks at 2 o'clock on Sunday evening after meeting with the brothers, well now the brothers and sisters are in a little duck, at a little floating duck line on the side of the pipeline over there.

And the ducks descended out of the heavens. Literally, they just came from every direction. And I'm like, I said, I hate that old Jay. She's going to miss this. I said, because this is a happening in the last two or three hours of duck season. The teal hit us, the mallard hit us, the pintails hit us, the whittance hit us, the whedgin hit us. There were no woodies. It was all pin tails.

So you all smoked them. Y'all have pictures. You all are to post some of those pictures they shot because they were sending me these pictures. But I want to read you a text that this is a good thing about having a cell phone. You said there's very few good things. I have one. Okay. At 9.30, I sent a text to Burley and Jay.

The text reads, I recommend that y'all go to the north end of the people. pipeline. Here is the brush in the boat. Stone left that bit of information out. He said we ought to go to the north end of the pipeline because I'm always in to hunt the pipeline floater whether we kill a duck out of or not. So I'm saying even though I wasn't there, I felt like I participated in leading the posse to the location of where it could go down. It was a rag-tag cruised. of individuals that made that duck a 10 year old kids and you know middle-aged women you're like okay all right yeah we'll go have a big time but here's what i'm going to say now was i shocked that y'all killed a limb and mallard pintails did yes just mainly for the fact that i didn't think you had

assembled enough people to actually shoot the ducks even if they came in so i was stunned look we were had we had uh how to kill a duck on the water instructions no b k all right now You see that duck, he's sitting on the water. He's swimming away. Start shooting at him. Boom, wow. Maybe a little high time. But the next one come in, you go through the same.

Stone was coaching his 10-year-old daughter, how to kill a crippled duck on the water, which I thought was interesting. Well, here's what I. She was just looking around like, man, I know now why y'all do this. Yeah. I mean, you look up, it would be about 30, 40 till just in your face that we didn't even see them coming. You know, it was women. men and women.

To clarify, wait a minute, just to clarify, BK is 13, she looks like she's but she's actually 13. She is a good shot, although she has a duck hunting,

but she told me last night, she thought she was so proud. She said she killed two green winning tails, what she said. Yep, she did. I don't know, which was really good. But, you know,

what was, it's amazing. It's hard to tell when everybody, bu, blah, blah, blah, blah,

but legally, legally, you are supposed to ascertain who shot what, despite the fact that there's six people shooting in the same direction. At 40 different teal. Hard to tell who exactly got what. So let me say this again. I noticed with Phyllis when I hunted with her this year.

The hardest thing to anticipate about duck hunting, especially when you've got ducks coming in, is the speed in which it all happens. You are correct. I mean, it's literally, it happens so fast. Split seconds. Split seconds. second. If you haven't hunted much, you can't anticipate that. So I know every time we did

a blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And she's just getting up because it was all happening to go fast. And it's hard to do that. Well, I just wanted to say I had zero disappointment in what happened. I'm glad y'all shot them. What stood out to me more than y'all shooting the ducks and, you know, me missing out on it. I mean, I've hunted the 59 other days. I missed two or three. I think. And so I look at the big picture. But what I saw was you and your daughter having a good time, Jay and his daughter,

Burley, probably some, a need for counseling in the future that he's duck hunting a thousand miles from his family. I'm just kidding. I mean, they got a deal. He comes over. He makes extra money.

They go back. Hey, sometimes it works out. But, and I was with my wife, which was awesome. And we were celebrating like we do traditionally every year the end of the duck season. Because it is a grind and it is a strain on everybody.

Due to the lack of sleep and just the scheduling, it's just, well, she calls it an ordeal. You have to be acclimated, which takes a time frame when you first start. If you're going to do this every day and you meet with a brinket. brothers on Sunday morning so that gives you a little time if you want to hurt early and if you want to hop over after lunch after if you share a Jesus with people then you say okay then you work the duck hunting in but I will have to admit I mean it is pretty good grind and yeah it's crawling it is through mud fighting the brush I mean you know running down cripples you know watching your dog it's training him easy oh it's exhausting and you're there's injuries that occur and it you know

It's something we've always done. We figured out a way to make our living from it. And look, we love it. But I will say this. In the order of importance, we love God more than ducks. Yep. We love people, especially those in our relationships. I love my wife more than I love duck hunt.

You know, we have an arrangement that a lot of people are envious of some of my buddies who duck hunt because they didn't have that. they didn't get that worked out prior to marriage and they're like they're fussing and fighting I said but look I've proven and even yesterday to the fact I would never disrupt you know what my wife and I share she's awesome about my love for duck hunting and so that celebration was awesome so I'm just putting it in priority especially when we get to this the story and in Acts 5. I mean, say something too, Jay's, that I commend dad on, you didn't really want to go.

I mean, because you didn't think it'd be very good because of the morning hunt. And yet you did it really because of fellas being there. And, you know, I mean, we missed, you know, we missed all our first half of her life or most of whatever. And so I commend you for making that decision really just to do it for her. And, of course, the Almighty blessed you with that by just having the ducks pour into the hole. so I mean, there's a certain, the last day of duck season,

there's a certain amount of weariness that has crept in going all the way back to November 20th. Now it's the last day of January and you have not missed the beat just going, going, going, going, going. Very rarely, maybe two or three on Sunday mornings we'd say, well,

let them rest when they would come back later. but we are diligent in our in our oh i mean but now i mean really they they they bombed that thing yesterday and i was really surprised that many ducks came in it was almost like you know a spiritual thing yeah i know this i'm going to bring this all together after we take a break just to remember this my son preserves sound judgment and discernment do not let them out of your sight, sound judgment and discernment, they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. Remember, preserve sound judgment and discernment. You weigh these things. When you lie down, you will not be afraid.

when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the, you know, look at America now. I've never seen this many people run around with this much fear since I've been on the earth. Well, have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked. For the Lord will be your confidence. And we'll keep your foot from being snared. You'd read texts like that and you say, you know what? Jesus number one, no doubt about it.

Whatever you're into, what could be coming. So something out of the blue. So I read these texts and I live by them and we all do, Jason. And we're better off far. It's all I say. I think the duck season played out like a movie at the end. You know how they identify. the characters. I mean, this was your first duck season with your daughter, who would know that she

loves duck hunting? I mean, as far as your five kids, she's probably, it's me and her, then maybe Al, and then it drops off significantly down to Willie, who cares nothing about duck hunting. I mean, he likes to hunt. He's more of a deer hunter. I mean... But it looks like a movie to me where at the end, we are with the relationships that matter you know jay with his daughter and phil with his daughter and i was with my wife and even though i missed it which is kind of funny because they sent me a picture every couple minutes of something that they just shot it i kept wanting they mean in stone stone and burly constant i were hoping jays they were hoping to get a little under your skin let's face it

that's why they were they were but i was i kept chuckling i'm like that's awesome great That's awesome. But what I was thinking was, act like you've been there before. Act like you've been there before. Now, you don't have to do the Billy White's death. Well, they were sort of spiking the ball, as they said. Yeah, but I'm like, you know what? I never worry about that on the way it all worked out.

I was just glad they came because we were wondering where they at. You know, we thought we were going to get them that morning. But we knew they were there. They decided to move at 2 o'clock. we learn something. Sometimes, you know, ducks move on their own time for whatever reason and trying to figure that out is way more fun than just quitting and saying, ah, they're not coming. We pull, well, with your advice to Stone, we pull a Barrett Saturday on that little

wide. Yeah, he's a friend of mine. I want to mention one thing. Jay sent me a picture, a fantastic picture, because I only got one, and it was last night, Jay's. And it was Dad and Stone and BK. And then, of course, they had that big rack of ducks. I saw those Pintails saying there. I thought, man, pentails that's unbelievable. But, you know, I looked at that and I thought, what activity, how many activities are there out there?

When you can have four generations, if I had been in that picture, we would have four generations of family, dad. You, to me, to my son-in-law, to my granddaughter. So you're your great-granddaughter. Four generations that, could be involved in an activity and enjoy it. Yeah.

What else is there out there that that's even, I don't even know of anything else other than something like this, hunting or something that you could even do. By the way, Al, this thing about long life, make your path straight. Keep my commands, God said, in your heart. Now check us out, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity well you know prolong your life a minute i'm sitting there with my great granddaughter yesterday b k was sitting there and i'm thinking you know i'm 74 i said if i'm not careful bk's 13 you said i mean she could be married and have kids so i'm looking at great

great grandchildren i mean so it's a pretty cool thing because with her those pictures we took yesterday with the ducks and she was sitting there you know and had her face paint on you know well you think about that you say she'll remember that the rest of her days on the earth she'll remember days like that you killed a big old 13 point buck this year along yeah well that was my whole point in view of romans one where it says you know a famous verse that says that god's invisible qualities is eternal power and divine nature can be clearly seen based on that from what has been made all men are without excuse but then he goes into this priority list and when you get out of whack god humans animals things then chaos and evil behavior

comes from that and that's why i said that it was like a movie the way it ended with the special relationships and we're doing it over over something that god has made that produces a meal for us in the end where people are gathered around and so when those priorities get out of whack you see what it happens to a culture or society did you did y'all see what happened last week at real foot lake did y'all see that story i heard about that about uh two guys getting in a fight yeah they got an argument and i'm assuming it was overhunting but i don't know what it was oh it was overhunting it was you know you move no i'm not moving i'm here first. We've been hunting this, 100 years.

So a 70-year-old man shoots and kills two mid-20-year-old duck hunters, and there's another guy in the blind with him. He wrestles the gun away from the older man and just butts him in the head with the end of the stock,

knocks him out. He loads up the two guys in the boat to try to get them to the hospital. They both die. And then I guess the man either killed himself or drowned out there in the lake. Yeah, I mean, you You know, you don't know, you hate to form an opinion over the details of a news story, but it, that's what they say.

That's what I saw. And I know one thing, that's where you have that backwards, where you, where you hunt and in your enjoyment, you've elevated over people and something. That's why I'm going to bring it up, Jays, because we're talking about the unity of family and generational blessings, and then you come up on a situation like that, involved in the same sport we're talking about that we love, we love. And we, you know, in the old days,

when we hunted public lands, we had some issues sometimes with people. But, you know, none of us would ever think of doing something like it. Just for somebody to get pushed to the point where it made sense to take two lives over hunting. Yeah. Just. Well, that's why I said, you don't know.

I mean, your first reaction in somebody does that, I mean, either he's got a screw loose or he's on drugs or whatever. You know, your mind, because you just think, well, how in the world would you not value human life? Even if it was an enemy that you were feuding with over, because look, we've all, I was in a duck blind with with three other God-fearing, Jesus-loving people, and we're hunting. I have a lease on this duckhole. and it was basically a hunting club and I had made a deal they said I said I'd like to join y'all's hunting club

because I want a duck hunt this little lake that y'all have and I noticed that nobody hunts it they said well how do you know no one hunts it I said because I don't hear the shooting all I hear is deer rifles and they said we don't have any room for any more deer hunters I was like perfect I don't want a deer hunt I'll pay the same thing

as everybody else I'll duck hunt does anybody duck hunt there he said nope so I'm in the blind we build the blind you've built the blind I'm hunting with three other individuals and I hear a vehicle come come up and boat launch and all this and it was you know this was a redneck boat launch I just hear the boat hit the water out of the back of the truck and three guys came up into our decoys and I said howdy and they didn't they didn't say hey they moved in front of our decoys and there was three little cypress trees and they started tacking a sign on a tree and it had a name on it i said what are y'all doing they said we're claiming

this spot now i'm just sitting here thinking here's four of us with loaded guns and you're in my decoys and you're claiming a spot that i've already claimed i said well this might get dangerous. And I probably shouldn't have said that, but I was like, if you hunt right there, you're 20 yards in front of us. This is,

we can't both hunt here. And he said, well, you don't have a sign up. I said, well, I got a 20 foot duck blind, 20 by 20.

That is the sign that this has been claimed. He said, well, if you'll read the bylaws in the club, you have to put a sign with a name on it so I'm claiming this spot. So now I had two options.

Now, was I mad? Yes. Especially, you know, I have a loaded gun in my hand and this guy's acting like a complete idiot. But in the end, I decided to choose life over anything else that was crossing my mind. And, you know, we never hunted that blind again. And when the water came up, we got the blind out of there. and I never paid my dues again. And you thought, well, you got bullied.

Yeah. But what was the alternative there? We've obviously thrown logic and reason out the window. Here's a guy coming up with two of his buddies, and they said, we're going to, what are you going to do? Yeah. It's a bad situation. That's what I'm saying.

And we've seen them like that before. Let's take another break. We've seen them like that before. It's just not worth it. But, you know, I don't know. People are like that in the hunting world. over a bear stand or whatever. I think it's just the world.

I mean, I mentioned that Romans 1. When you exchange the truth of God, which is a love for him, you know, and it's not that we love him, that he loved us, the nature of God and how that trickles down into loving other people, and having this order of God, humans, you know, things, animals, in that priority list. He said, for although they knew God, they neither glorified him

nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their hearts were darkened. And so I know when somebody's coming through my decoys, they have guns, we have guns, and they're trying to cause conflict that could escalate into somebody dying, because it could have happened that quick. You have to think about these principles,

but I like how it says they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man, birds, animals, and reptiles. Now, you know, granted this is a little different in that they were worshipping just idols that look like this, but the practical conclusion is the same one. When you elevate birds, animals, or, you know, selfish ambition rather than the immortal God, what happened?

God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts, and then you have sexual impurity, but he gets to 25 and he says they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator. Because to me that's what it all comes down to.

So as a pattern, Proverbs 1127, he who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Those guys were searching

and we're searching for evil to pull a stunt like that. You described one time, Dad, because we talk a lot on here about Second Amendment and the right to defend ourselves. And all of us are armed and somebody comes up to try to shoot us. You know, you don't want that to happen, but you want to be able to defend yourself. But the idea of searching and looking for, when you described that time they were shooting at your gate, which is about, you know, a quarter mile up the road, you heard that. And your first instinct was, you know, they're attacking your property.

is to grab your AR and head up there and confront them. But you then thought about it and thought, you know what, you know, that's different than them trying to attack my house. If I go up there, there's a bunch of redneck teenagers and we have a big shootout

and I shoot through four of them, you know, what's that, how's that going to play itself out? And so that's correct. Out of wisdom, you didn't search out trouble. That's right.

I mean, we're prepared to deal with the evil one, but we don't want to seek it out. Well, look, and in my case, and I think this is what's happening in our country.

A lot of Christians, they look at what I did, and they're like, well, you should have fought. You were right. You signed the contract. You made the agreement. They're wrong, but I look, look, they've been drinking. I could see them drinking. They have guns.

We have guns. I just thought to myself, is this worth, is this worth pursuing? And I thought, no. Because it's just duck hunting, and guess what? I'll go hunt somewhere else. sounds like proverbs 1112 a man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor like what do you think you do but a man of understanding jace holds his tongue yeah but i feel that same way in the country people are like well we got a fight to you know to overcome injustice

and look i'm all for fighting but we've focused on the spiritual qualities i mean because really when it came down of me seeing those three guys in a boat, I thought they need Jesus. Because if they got Jesus, then their priorities would change and they would realize this is a big lake. I don't mind you hunting there. Just go hunt over there. That's just one little glimpse of what you said, the whole world. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. You say there's always they want this, they want your stuff.

They're encroaching. It's just a maze of people saying, you know, I think I deserve this. You got it. I don't. I want what you have. It just never ends. That's right. A man, sweaty souls was the lesson yesterday.

Now, I do think there's some things worth dying for. You know, if somebody came in there and wanted a conflict and, you know, it was about protecting my wife or daughters or sons. I mean, there are times, I think, where you say, okay, but duck hunting, where I'm on a duck hunt, that's not one of them. Yeah, that deal in real, unfortunately, that escalated into what happened. It was not worth it. Yeah, and think about what a tragedy. These two young men, I don't know if they had families.

I don't know what their situation was, and even the older gentleman that shot him, who's now dead as well. I mean, look at the legacy he leaves for his family. It's terrible. It's an awful awful thing that you get pushed to. I think the idea is you always seek a peaceful way for any sort of altercation. I mean, that's a good biblical way to do it. Even the founders, because, you know, since we've talked about the capital deal,

I've gotten some emails from people that said, you know, I get what you guys are saying about trying to rise above and look at this thing from a spiritual point of view. But our country was founded on, you know, a revolution. Maybe this is the time to stand up and fight. But you've got to remember the founders, they did have a revolution. from this authority in King that was, you know, of Britain. But then they set us up with a situation to try to solve our differences peacefully.

Even protest, they put the word peaceful protest in that. So you just can't, violence is not going to be the answer if you follow the founders. Now, you know, we may get to there some point down the road, but I don't think we're there now that you should be. Thomas Jefferson said as a last resort. That's right. Second Amendment allowed you to reject tyranny as a last resort. Well, you know, so the debate would be when's the last resort? That's right.

And that's, and I get what people are saying. I just, me personally, my opinion, I don't think we're there. I think we should still, you know, do what the founders intended to have. But the overall thing, what you can do is live Jesus every day in your neighborhood, in your home, at your workplace. The change in the heart is the best way. I mean, but people say, yeah, well, I agree with that, but they want to fight. They want to, but just like Jesus says followers, they want to pick up a sword and defend him.

And he's like, hey, hey, hang on here. I came here to get my life. Yeah, you get one dog running the show. For lack of guidance, Proverbs 1114, for lack of guidance, a nation falls, Jase. but many advisors make victory sure it does need to be spread out the power you don't want to get it down to one little small group or one individual it does not work out well

when one dude's calling all the shots and the people are not part of the process that's kind of where we are in America right now that's where we seem to be headed yeah and to say we don't ever fight would be a mistake when the guy the shooter came through the neighbor hood blasting, I armed myself and went out looking for this guy.

Because I thought, now this is time when you're shooting it. When bullets start through your house, hitting the door faces, you tend to be a little bit. Well, so, but I just say that to say, it's not like we're going to the spiritual in every case that comes along. There are times where you have to grab a weapon and do. defend something because it reaches the level of we can't we can't live like this so i mean even as far as a country i can see that reaching a point up until this point in my opinion no we haven't reached that level is it headed there very well maybe but in my opinion it's not

time to storm the whole place and start a ride so i agree with you that's exactly what i've been saying in response to people that have been asking us about it, you know, because we've been talking about it. You know, it's interesting, Jay, so I found that when you look at what you said a minute ago about the disciples were wanting to defend because they, you know, they never really got the whole idea of the spiritual kingdom, you know, even when Jesus was leaving, he was explaining to him again. They kept asking about restoring physical Israel. But, you know, it's interesting that even after the resurrection and ascension, and when you read everyone at Peter, sermons, you know, with Peter and John, you know, Acts 2, Acts 3, Acts 4, and also again later.

You know, he's still, he's still like to convict these people, because these were the people that were standing there saying crucify him, you know, when Pilate was trying to, and Peter even brings it up, that Pilate was, you know, he wanted to let him go. And so he was using that to convict them of their guilt. It was interesting because, you know, Jesus did say, I came here to die. It's like the apostles, even post ascension, had a hard time wrapping their brain around that. You know, the idea of how it all went down. Yeah, and I mean, look, you've got, we keep mentioning these verses, the weapons we fight with are not of the worlds. I mean, what did he mean by that? I think we're discounting the power of God's spirit, the power of having someone like

Jesus as our Lord and having God, the creator of the universe on our side. I mean, what can happen the fire and the culture change that can happen from that being spread through what Jesus did is way more powerful than any kind of orchestrated option as far as a war. I mean, that's what he said. If you're going to believe in this, you're going to believe in this. I think it also is a better way to function for our society. You know, when you read this in Acts 4, you know, before we get to the scary story in Acts 5, a lot of people say, well, this is, they were promoting socialism.

But actually when you read it, he gave you the clue in how this worked. And I'd like to read it. It says in Acts 4 in verse 33 with great power, the Apostos. 30, yes, 32. 32. All the believers, yeah, that's what I want to see. Were one in heart and mind. Now, we know what had united them.

You know, Jesus and who he is and what he did and what he will do. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. because it comes back to what we started over the duck hunting situation. When you're a son or daughter of God, you love people more than things. It's just part of it. That happens immediately once you get in. Then it says with great power, the apostles, continue to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

which is way more powerful than any kind of military force. having someone who's unkillable he's the greatest power there is talking about a superpower and much grace was was upon them all which is your way to renew each day when you make mistakes but here's what i wanted to mention there were no needy persons among them from time to time those who own lands or houses sold them brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Now there's one word that's mentioned twice. Needy.

It wasn't some kind of equality-driven thing about we're all going to be on the same page. What they did... Yeah, it was not that at all. They recognized those who were in need. That was the goal, which is what the goal still should be. There are people in need, and we are to help them because we love God and we love people.

Here's what said that the best for me in lieu of Acts 4. Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he soles. The one who souls to please his sinful nature from that nature will reap destruction. The one who souls to please the spirit, and the group of individuals you're talking about, the first initial start-up of the kingdom from the spirit will reap eternal life.

Now watch this. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, here's the key. As we have opportunity, and these people had come together and they were together in heart and they were being good to one another. as we have opportunity there be many opportunities let us do good to all people especially to those who belong to the family of believers which is what acts chapter two and following the family of believers have

officially started we made the mistake in the religious world in my opinion we splintered that and we turned it into thousands of different denominations, and by doing so, it became much more divisive than it should have been from the get-go. I think if they'd have followed Galatian chapter 6, 1 through 10, if they had implemented that based on the book of acts, coming together, taking care of the needy. Now, not everybody, just because they got their hand out, that doesn't mean if they're the really they're needy. They reached out to them. It is a good way to roll for any society at America thinks that money will solve everybody's problem.

Well, the difference in what was going on here, what's... Let's take one last break. The difference in what was going on here and what's going on now is all of this came from freedom. In Christ. You know, when you look all the verses up about what we have in... where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. It also says don't use your freedom as a cover up for evil, but you say, well, how are we free?

Because it seems like they were coerced into doing that. Well, I don't know where you're getting at. These people compelled by their love of God had placed those things in priorities, and they were living them. They saw needy people, and they thought, I am free to help these people. and however way I see fit, and guess what, I'm going to sell some land,

and I'm going to give it to them to distribute to those in need. That came from grace. The grace that was given to them compelled them to be generous. So that's the difference in that when you get to Acts 5, the scariest story in the Bible, in my opinion, we had people who didn't have those priorities in line. you know anonis and safara they didn't love god more than they loved each other because they took up for each other you know there's a line that you cross where you know i love my wife but if she tried to get me to do something

that was not godly i would have to say wait a minute as much as i love her more than anything else on the planet i love god more i'm not going down that road which is why i think you have to have this discussion because they do something that resulted in death that set a foundation for the church that we now participate in now, which is, yeah, when you have the freedom to do all these wonderful things, but when you're trying to do things and come across that you love God and you want people in the faith to say, boy, they look at the heart they have, God's not pleased with that. If it's coming from sincerity, okay. To dad's point, I think that's exactly what's transpired over 2,000 years of sort of church evolution, if you want to call it that,

is the idea that you don't recognize unity and the needy as easy because now it's so doctrine-based that has splintered all these people. I mean, think about here, it was just super simple. Jesus had died, he had been raised from the dead, these people saw it, and then we're telling these other people about it. There wasn't all this other stuff. And then over the course of time, you said it with the guy

in the bylaws, it says, well look, so he goes back and digs up this thing out of this your bylaws, and they're saying, you know, you've got conflict. That's what has happened to churches. Yeah. Instead of the church performing its duty, reaching out to their neighbors and helping them, we said, oh, let the government do it. And once the government

steps in and the money starts to flow, well, the money keeps flowing, but the poor still remain poor. Guess what? If the government loses that priority list, which is God, people, and things, you're going to have the same problem. Oh, yeah. But you know, look, our founders never anticipated the government to take care of people's personal life. Never. They didn't even thought of it. They were here to protect us from outside invasion or things like that and to govern us. What does that have to do with giving money away?

That's all come about in the modern era. We're still 28 trillion in the hole here, America, and there's still a lot of poor people, a lot of people homeless on the streets. If you're going to find out who's it. who's in need, it's going to have to be people on the ground in their communities that are having conversations and are in people's lives trying to get them to stop cutting up and change course and direction. And then you're able to discern who are the needy.

And it, you know, from us, the way we work with people in our community, it's usually fairly obvious of someone who is truly in need. Yep. You know, one of the ladies that y'all have for years that I think we all in some way helped was an old widow lady in an African-American neighborhood who was trying to get kid after kid after kid hooked on Jesus. Oh, yeah. And get out of drugs.

Oh, she was awesome. And you say, well, what did y'all do? We helped her. Yeah. because she was a warrior for Jesus, and she was, I don't know how old she was, that was a joke, because she always looked the same age as years past. You're Adelaideon Davis, it was her name, you're a Dale. And she is awesome.

So we all helped her and other widow ladies in that community. But to me, was that not obvious? And I would have given her, you know, whatever money that the amount wouldn't have mattered to me because I trusted her judgment and the way she carried herself and operated. Would you agree? Yeah, but look, Jayce, the reason we did it is because we were close enough to her

and other people to recognize the need. Well, that's my point. You can't come up with a program because then the people in the world who don't have the right priorities, they're going to try to take advantage of that system and manipulate, which is happening every day, that government money.

They're like, ooh, when they say they're, how ridiculous. Think about how ridiculous the setup is. You got a few hundred politicians who are constitutionally there to do a job. The founder set it up that way. Then a few thousand bureaucrats trying to make decisions to help needy people, 350 million of them. I mean, you talk about a system that's bound for failure. There's no way that a few thousand bureaucrats can know the needs of 350 million people. No, it comes down to the church. And you get the way, that we're discussing is you get to preserve what makes this country great in the giving people the opportunity to make a lot of money.

Why is that bad? They're like, well, because we just want a culture where everyone makes the same amount. No, give us a culture where you can have the opportunity to succeed from rags to riches. And then I know that the heart that gives and is generous and that helps people that are truly in need, I know that's going to come from a spiritual thing.

And that's our big need. That's why that's the weapon we fight with. You want to change the culture, change the spirit. And I think next time we talk about this, next time on the next podcast, we'll go into that a little bit more because we get introduced to a guy who's nicknamed Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. We'll talk about him. But these were achievers, even there in the first century, these are people that own some

property, own some houses. they were able to, because they own stuff and sold it, able to help other people. But it was their choice to do it. So that will lead us into this an annanasin of our story. Yeah, the teaser I'll leave with you is that you never want someone full of the spirit of the Lord in this day to tell you, based on a lie that you're living, that the men who buried your husband are at the door and they'll carry you out also. That means you've gone down the wrong road. It's a bad turn.

That's the scary sentence in this story. Talk about a nickname. 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 Blaze TV at Blase.

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