Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 261 | Phil Says America Won't Last & the Time Jase Got His Butt Whipped Over God and a Girl

Episode Date: April 18, 2021

Phil shares the list he carries with him in his Bible. Jase reveals the story of how he shared Jesus while getting beat up over a girl. Phil explains why empires rise and fall and why it's clear America won't last. Jase is convinced Phil has become more pleasant since switching from the news to "Gunsmoke." And the guys discuss spiritual warfare and the growing "Unashamed" spiritual army. -- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So as a reminder to everyone who's listening, I have a document in my hand. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And you carry this around in your Bible, I noticed. I carry this around in my heart because I asked the Ph.D. college professor in history. I said, you're a history professor. How many books have you written? He said, 40. So I said, hmm, I said, well, you'd be a good man to look back. I want you to find for me every empire that there ever was. You're a history professor. You can handle this, right?

I want to know, I want to document every empire that the earth has known. So you now have a research department. You have people that are researching for you. I'm impressed. That's pretty impressive. I'm seated next. He's a brother, so I'm seated next to him. And he's a history professor, and I'm not. He taught me history. But if you don't have an internet or any kind of technology. The world book is the only, your only outsource. You're outsourced people are actually going to the internet and researching. Well, that's correct. So if I'm not going to do the research via the internet, I have encyclopedias. I did go through the encyclopedias and it lined up exactly with the biblical account 600 AD, 600 BC, excuse me.

So he goes back and he starts on, I said, how many empires has there been and what happened to him? Well, he gave me these sheets of paper. This is over 100 empires that have risen on planet earth as far back as this particular history professor could find, started in Mesopotamian, ancient Western Asia, Samalia, Icaad, Southern Mesopotamia, 4,000 BC. He walked through each and every one of them. Overall, there was about a hundred of empires that have risen and fallen. When you get to 600 BC, that's getting close. the Babylonians rule the world.

Look at your encyclopedia or your internet. Who ruled the world 600 BC? Nebuchadnezzar, they're still talking about him. The old guy that we knocked off out there in Iraq, modern day Iraq. Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein thought he was a reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. And he was going to establish his empire that will last forever. Well, the place called the United States of America moved in on him.

and took him out of the picture. They found him hiding out in a hole in the ground. And you go far enough. You get over to the end of them, you get into recent times the empire of Japan. Well, everyone knows what happened to them. But they owned a lot of territory at one time. During that run, they were on them.

They were spreading out to China, all the islands. They were imperialists, yeah. Imperialist, yeah. It was an empire. And I mean a mighty one. It was. So look what that's all about. Well, you finally get, he walked it from 4,000 BC.

He ended up with the last standing empires. One of them is called the United States of America. It's an empire. Being here 244 years. The next one is Russia. The Cold War, Russia lost most of its satellite nations. Now they're back down again. You say they have really fallen off.

not near as powerful as they were, but still considered an empire modern day. Then you have China. China. They're in the news lately. For some reason, other the United States of Americans didn't go into war with them, decided we'd help them out and teach them how to put a democracy together. Unfortunately, they're common. They didn't go with the democracy part.

Nope. But they do have a thriving economy now. Yeah, they're a powerful empire. and then there's India, which is a huge place, but India, there's an empire there. So we're down to about four. You say, what happened to the other 96 or so? 100. They're all gone.

So when we're reading the book of Acts, we're simply reading about what Daniel said when he said, the fourth kingdom after yours, Nebuchadnezzar, you're the big dog now. the medieval Persians will come and take you. And then the Greeks will take the medieval Persians during that 600 years. And then the kingdom of iron will be set up iron because it smashes everything. The Roman Empire has arrived. Well, Luke chapter 2, from Daniel chapter 2, you say, who was ruling the world when this person called Jesus showed up, the Romans?

or Caesar Augustus was on the throne when Jesus Christ showed up. He died after about when Jesus was about maybe 17 or 18 years old. And so that left. You said, who took his place, Tiberius, one of the better ones of all the emperors that rule Rome, more of a time of peace. So Jesus came at the right time. Duh. So here's this kingdom that's established. Look, and for the first time ever, Al, just think about how it started in Acts chapter one after his suffering, you know, he appeared to these people to convince them.

It starts out by saying, my former book, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do. Luke wrote this and to teach until the day he was taken up into heaven. you say, man, boy, we got, he did what? So all these man-made empires, you look at them and stack it up to who or what they're built on. None of them was ever built on a person called Jesus Christ. Right. We ended up, the world did, counting time by him. And Luke says it best.

After his suffering, they nailed him to a cross. He said he would die. he'd be buried and raised from the dead. The prophets during these rise and fall of empires going all the way back to 4,000 BC, all the prophets said, Jesus is coming. They're like, who?

The Jesus, well, they got there. They didn't know who he was. They said, he's the king. I mean, he's a carpenter son walking around. He doesn't have a big job that we know of. So he's going around pointing to, people to heaven. And he's the one that's, well, we need to kill him.

Well, they did. Well, three days he was resurrected. And what we're reading in the book of Acts is how it got started and how we all came to be 2,000 years later. Not a whole lot has changed, in my opinion, as far as cultures. Not a whole lot of change. We still don't love God as a nation. America doesn't.

Well, Russian doesn't. either. Well, the Chinese certainly don't. You can't even worship, you can't even worship Jesus Christ in the open in China. You're free to do it here, which is, you're free to do it, but it's, it's, they're making it more difficult all the time. Well, but if you go to some of these other countries, you'd realize, oh, you know, because we're in the beginning stages of taking it out. So I can make a point that I think, just for my reading, those, all those empires out, they rose and they fall, they stone or their lack thereof, the God of heaven.

Yeah. That's what happened to them. Well, we're going down the same road because now they're saying a bunch of these people are holl about Jesus down there. That's the way they were doing the Apostle Paul and all the rest of them. They're looking at us right here today, and they're saying, ah, a bunch of rednecks got together and they're hollering about Jesus over there. It's a ha ha ha, ha, listen, listen this bunch.

Well, the kingdom marches on, and it's been marched on, and the good news is just this. Listen, here's Daniel. In the time of those kings, the fourth kingdom, the Romans, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom. We're studying it 2,000 years later and alerting our audience. It will never be destroyed. now out of all of them that's ever come and gone the promise from daniel is speaking on behalf of god nor will it this kingdom be left to another people it will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end this one's not going to lie is how right the united states of america is not going to last according to this

it will itself endure the kingdom of god forever this is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of the mountain, not by human hands, a rock that broke the iron, that's Rome, the bronze, that's the, Alexander the Great, the clay, the Midians, and the Persons, and the silver and gold. That was old Nebuchadnezzar. They all come and go, and they passed on,

but you say, we're still here. Well, we're 2,000 years in. You listeners out there saying, so we can be a member of the kingdom, And the key point is that lasts forever because it guarantees immortality to all the members. Right. And amazingly, it's free. Yep.

And it's outside any earthly kingdom. Some say you're dreaming. Some of your dream. And I said, I'm putting all these old writings together. I'm looking at all of them that have risen and fallen. There's not been one kingdom that rose that did not fall. They all fell. I think the reason is, you know, where are we at in 17 and 18 of Acts?

Yep. If you just start reading Acts 17, you know, here's Paul explaining, reasoning. It said he was here three days. He was in Thessalonica, which you would get two letters later to the Thessalonians, which I think is always cool. Like when I study a book, like first or second, Thessalonians, or I taught, the last book I think I taught that our church was First Corinthians, well, I would go back in Acts where it started.

Right. And that is the foundation. But based on what you just said, even when they start here, I mean, he's just explaining and reasoning in verse 2 of 17 that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. Of course, the phrase he used here explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ. And then the Jews, they're jealous in verse 5. So what do they do? It says they round up some bad characters from the marketplace, form a mob, and start a riot.

Does it say bad characters? That's what it said. Yeah, like, so do you see any... Does your say bad characters? What verse he is? 17 and verse 5. The Jews were jealous and they rounded up some bad characters. Yeah.

Well, would you agree, Jays, because you tend to think, no, we're saying along here pretty good and we're not in any a danger of collapsing. I beg to differ with you, my son. There's some bad characters around here, Jay. But that comes from... Now we're going to be here. That comes from you watching the news for years, which now you're on to Matt Dillon, which is awesome. Because I think you've become a lot more pleasant and optimistic. I'm just, that's my observation.

Because the news on both sides tries to incite and inflame. Everything is embellished to a point of where it's like, oh, Christianity is completely dead. But I'm based, because I, well, Al does events to. you know, as far as recently. But the last two or three events that I've gone to, there were more than a thousand people there who were raucous for Jesus. In a time of cultural uncertainty and the pandemic,

and I got the feeling. There's 330, give a take, million of us. I know that there was a thousand. And there was a thousand here. here and there was a thousand there. That's why the kingdom will always be here, but I'm just saying. But I'm looking at what Jesus did with 12. Well, let me make my point and then you can, you can come back with the argument. Hang on. Let's take a break. Then you make it point. My point is this. So since the history that you just went through this documented, not only in

the Bible, but in those seven pages of empires. Yep. When you look at the contrast, of why they fail, how they fail. And when you look at the contrast of good and evil and in Christ or outside of Christ, in chapter 18, he goes to Corinth. Well, in his letter to the Corinthians, the second letter, he has a contrast of how this works. And I really think it's significant based on what you read. In chapter 10 in verse 3, it says, for though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

Now, he's speaking on behalf of people who follow Jesus. Yep. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world, which is the reason I read that in chapter 17. You know, the only way to stop something from the world's mind is through power, force, and we need some bad characters. And all the empires, is why you're there. all the empires previous to this one, they all depended on their power, not God.

Their power. When you said the Romans, they all have this power, the weapons. I mean, look, let's face it, the reason America rose, I mean, I think one of the defining moments is when that bomb touched off in Japan, they thought, oh, the U.S. has a weapon that can literally wipe a nation from the earth. So, I mean, despite all the, the, what, you know, some people say in the U.S. on everything else, when you have a big weapon, people say, oh, you're now in control, because that's the weapons we fight with. So here he is appealing to people like us, which I'm saying, okay, there was a thousand here,

there was a thousand there in my last two events. However, he says the weapons we fight with are not of the world. on the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and pretensions that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. And my point is, in Acts, their primary goal, not primary goal, the goal was to introduce Jesus as Lord. He has power over death, over sin,

sin, gives you purpose, gives you origin, I mean, all the things, all the benefits. And all man-made constructs. More power. They got all kinds of constructs, I mean, monarchies, dictatorships. You see what I'm saying? Socialism. We're constitutional republic is what we are. Yeah. So my point is that even though these apostles, which I do think is interesting, because this is something that keeps coming up, and I've been asked several times about this as we've studied. If I can find this, I may have to have a feel moment and find this. But yeah, here it is.

God was directly working when this got started with miracle signs and wonders. Big time. And I was looking for a verse because somebody had asked a question in a previous podcast. But two chapters later, you know, Paul was talking. about God's power being sufficient in weakness, which is a hard thing for the world to see on us because they look at us as silly. They're like, oh, you're so weak and like sheep, you know, following this Jesus. Yeah, love God and love your neighbor. And that'll fix it. You said, you had to fix it. Yeah. Show me a weapon and I'll give you some respect. But in

chapter 12 and 12 it says the things that marked an apostle and it had it names three things signs wonders and miracles were done among you with great perseverance and i make that point to say we you know we don't fight like the world but when this was started and what you're reading in acts these chosen apostles they did have some power from god that was was unique. Yeah, that was unique and was wow. And it was, it was, I'm making a contrast that it marked as an apostle. Well, here I am today thinking, well, if I just had that kind of display of supernatural power, you know, then we could rise up and take over the world. But I think what you realize as you read along here, that what you have in Jesus, even in death, is more powerful

than any kind of world group with physical weapons because we had the ultimate weapon in Jesus in that it makes us indestructible. That's why I... Like he was. Yeah, that's why I think when it says it will crush all other kingdoms where to go back to our point of difference,

even though it seems like we may be losing or they may be taking over, I know it's impossible. It's impossible. It's a good point, even if the whole thing, if we wind up in jail, I would like to think

that if I was in jail because of my faith in Jesus like Paul and Silas in the previous podcast, I would like to think then more than ever I would be singing loudly.

Because there's one thing to be in prison because you broke the law. I mean, it's in you know, something that you should be in there, which was my whole thing when I had a prison ministry. I wasn't sympathizing with them to the point of, oh, you're in here because you're a faith in Jesus. You need to be in here. But while you're here, let me give you the way

out, even if you don't get out, which was your point. That's the only point I was making. Well, and Paul did most of the letters that he wrote, he wrote under house arrest. They didn't have in prison, but they had him in prison in his home in Rome. So to your point, I mean, obviously the same thing we're studying 2,000 years later in reading and courage and other people, that all came from him being locked up, which by the way, Jay, it's just happening now because several in Canada, I know one prominent pastor was jail because he met. He decided to meet and the Canadians just said, no, you're going to jail. So he did, you know. But I mean, he said just what you said. He was like, I'd do this for the kingdom. I mean, I know. I know.

this is going to sound crazy, but I tend to think from the evil one in this battle against good and evil, I tend to think that this is more of a God thing. I think in this kind of conflict and when people are trying to stop you, it creates a passion among followers that makes it worse. I tend to think the evil one would like the people being comfortable, kind of the organized religion. To me, the best avenue to stop the proclamation of Jesus would be comfort, not conflict. Because, I mean, it's like... Pretty much what happened to the American church. Well, Jay, just so I will be clear here, if you're wondering whether I'm wondering

whether we're going to win or not, oh, we're going to win. We're going to win, Jace. I'm not... Well, I was basing it on my personal experience. I mean, look, one of the catalyst of my Christian... in faith was when I got my butt whooped and I didn't defend myself. I shared this story

many podcasts ago but I'm dating a girl who and I'd already given her the speech. I'm going to heaven. I'm looking for a girl to help me get there. She's like I'm the one two weeks later. I mean me and this girl did very little together.

I mean we're early on here. Guy shows up. up, wild-eyed, four-letter words flying all over the place. And I'm looking around like, who's he talking to? Me? He's like, yeah, I've been doing this and that with that girl. I mean, she's my, I mean, he's graphically describing in front of her. That sounds like an episode out of Matt Dillon.

Yeah, well, this happened. This was real life. He usually shoots those type people. And I'm looking at her and she's looking at me. And I'm like, is this. tree and she wasn't denying it. Uh-oh. And so I was like, well, look, you can have her.

I don't, I didn't know this was going on. Because I gave my, well, I gave my. That was very un-Matt Dillon like. Oh, yeah, I'm like, because I was, I was looking for, I mean, I'm going to be blunt, I was looking for a virgin. And I thought, if this is true, well, you're out. I mean, you know, sorry, you can be forgiven, but you're just,

not for me. And so then I gave him the speech basically saying, oh, well, we have a misunderstanding here. I was looking for a girl that was going to help me get to heaven. And obviously, she's not it at this moment in time. I mean, I could have said it better. But you weren't trying to be judgmental, but you're just like, come on. I'm like, you know what? I've entered an arena where I don't want to be. So, and I had no, there was, I felt nothing for this girl at this moment. And I was, I felt nothing for this girl at this moment. Hang on, for you, for you to tell the punchline, let's take another break, because I know how they're seen.

So I feel like, okay, that's it. I'm out. Now, I'm going to go get in my truck and leave. And he's like, well, let's talk about that. And I misunderstood that, meaning, oh, he wants to talk about the Bible part of the speech. The Bible part of the speech, because the girl, the relationship's over. You won. All you had to do is tell me what's been going on.

Bye. Bye. So just let me leave. I have nothing against you. I've never even seen you. I get in the vehicle with him. And it just, I shouldn't have done that probably. But it worked out.

And so he's like, now it became a spiritual thing. The girl's over. We left her. We're now driving down the road at a high rate of speed. And this guy's like threatening to kill me. I thought, what is going? I'm trying to do what's right. I'm trying to find Jesus in a something spiritual.

in this. So we go to a dead end road. We get out. I thought, this guy's fixing to assault me, even though, and I'm like, I'm not fighting you. It's over. You won.

I have no conflict with you. Go get after it. I'm moving on. And I thought that would be enough. It wasn't. So he popped me three or four times. And I thought, why you were driving down the road?

No, well, we're out of the vehicle. I mean, I'm like, I've just, I did say don't hit me in the face, and he didn't. But he fought me pretty good. And so his body blows only. But, you know, and then he left. I mean, I start walking for miles. You were in his truck. Yeah, I was in his truck.

Oh, boy. So I'm walking back to get my vehicle. And you know what's interesting about this story? That's the walk of shit. So now I'm hitchhiking. and a car comes by. The woman's gone. You almost could have a country and western song there.

If you just had a dog involved. I'm hitchhiking. Well, her parents see me. The first vehicle I see, it's her parents. They're headed to their house, which was convenient because I had to get my vehicle. So I get in. It's like, how's it going? What are you doing?

So now I have this awkward conversation. do I say what they're dog? You know, I just didn't say anything. Between you and the dude that had the woman, won the woman,

and the parents see you walking down the road like a homeless guy, I can see how there would be some consternation among the parents. What do you say, I get in my vehicle.

I mean, I'm a teen, this is a long time ago, and I get in my vehicle, and it was on a Sunday, I go to teen church, because I thought, you know what?

I mean, this was an attack on my faith because it wasn't about the girl to met. I mean, we were just getting started. I was only acquainted. And I thought, I'm going to be with people who love Jesus. So I went saying, you know, and I just thought, this physical confrontation, it stirred me up. I thought, I tried to do everything right before God and did not fight, which was hard to do.

I mean, because I was mad just because he's acting like an idiot. So the next Sunday, until now a week goes by. I mean, that's over. I put that behind me and moved on. So we're in Sunday morning service singing. I'm over that. Guy taps me on the shoulder, and he's like, hey, look who's on the back row back. I look, it's this guy.

I thought, this guy is following me around now. He's stalking me. I said, no, you know what? Now, I tried to do this nonviolently. I was trying to think of the, well, I just thought, I think there's a time to defend yourself, and this is it. You're not taking another whoop for that. Yeah, I shared Jesus, because when he was cussed me,

I shared Jesus in specific detail, the death, barrel, and resurrection, and how to respond and why I was not going to participate. You were fighting with the weapons not of the world. Yeah, I did it God's way, even though it didn't seem like it worked. Because I was questioning as a young Christian, yeah, weapons we fight with get your butt for it. That's what I was thinking in my mind. So I walk out, I'm looking for him as I exit the building because I don't see him. My head is on a swivel because I thought he's going to come running up.

Yeah, sucker punchment because I thought this guy has no moral compass whatsoever. So here he came. So I just turned around and I thought if the hand goes up, I'm going to give him everything I got spiritually and physically. The repentance part of your speech has faded quickly. Yeah, I thought. You're going to be quoting scripture while you're wailing away. I know what I was thinking?

Because my adrenaline was pumping. He walked up there and immediately I sensed a whole different feeling. He looked broken and upset. And I thought, what's you doing here? He said, you're going to think this is crazy. He said, but I got to thinking about the resurrection, the things you were talking about, the situation with the girl. He's like, forget the girl.

I got to hear about this. I was like, are you serious? Because I'm thinking, is this a trap? Yeah, you're looking for a weapon to come out. Because he was like, you know, let's get in the truck. And last time I did that, didn't end well. I said, I tell you what, follow me. I did.

I said, because I thought if this guy's serious, and we went to a guy who's been on this podcast before Mike Kellett, I said, because I thought, in case this is a setup, I'm going to go to someone a lot older than me, you know, I mean, who knows? I mean, maybe he might want to kill me. don't know. And so we went over there, but sure enough, he listened and we baptized him that night in a swimming pool. And then years later, I've told this story before, but it's a really good one. Years later, he became a pilot and became our good friends.

Oh, yeah. His family was a lovely girl. And so, and he, he would carry me to different events as a pilot. And now we're sharing Jesus together. I mean, it had a, great happy ending. He and his wife did their testimony one year at our marriage retreat, and he told part of that story of how he became a Christian, and he told the whole thing, just like you told it, which was really interesting. So therefore, Jace, back to the Book of Acts, we're going to win. We're going to win.

But look, what I was going to say, I mean, I got to tell him the details of the story. What I was going to say is that once he did. responded. Now you're talking about fired up. I was like, oh, wait a minute. Because now you're indestructible. Because I went as a man who, you know, I've had my share of scraps and all. It was hard to, I was humiliated, but it was kind of done in private. I mean, we were at a dead end road. I'm like, I mean, okay, so what? But still, I thought, I did this the right way and it just didn't, Didn't work. But once that happened, I thought, oh.

Then you get that feeling indestructible. Let's take another break. So I was thinking about a telling moment, Dad, to your point, when you were talking about from Daniel, is when you remember when Satan tempted Jesus in Luke 4 and Matthew 4. So, you know, remember it was three different temptations. First one was you told him to turn the, you know, stones into bread. Second one, he took him to the temple and said, why don't you prove who you are. But the third one, I'll give you all this.

The third when he went up on the mountaintop, you think about just how brash it was. I mean, here's Jesus, son of God, which Satan knows who he is, but he doesn't know why he's here. He takes him up on that mountain. Let's say he looked at all the kingdoms of the world. So he was high enough up, however this was happened. He looked over all the kingdoms of the world. He said, all these are mine. Which is a pretty bold statement to say that to the son of God.

Which shows you why they all collapsed. That's exactly right. I just think about that point. And then, you know, then he says, if you basically bow the knee to me, we'll rule this together. That's why,

ladies and gentlemen, you need to really think seriously about what spiritual warfare and the constructs of men and their warfare in spiritual warfare, the, you need to be looking at the brevity. It would be the word probably of all of this. That's right.

That's why you can't get so tied up into political matters that then that drives your narrative as a believer. It's not a political fix. No, it's not. And so you think about that when Daniel had that vision, Israel, basically the best embrace of Israel was in captivity in Babylon. Oh, yeah. So Israel didn't want even a nation at the time.

That's right. And then you look at when this happens in the first century, not only do you still have the Jewish authority, but you've got the Romans occupying the Jewish authority. And Nebuchadnezzar is throwing Daniel and his cohorts into fiery furnaces to burn them up. And blind dens. And it ends up, about half of them get burned up in the deal. I mean, you know, like who in the world? I see somebody in there walking around, look like the son of man. But who is that?

That's right. In the fire pit. Yeah. Which to your point, Jays, that was the, that was. Those moments are the ones that got them fired up. Well, because you look here, I mean, Paul and Martin had just been beaten publicly in 16. Now here, you know, Jason, who comes up, because when that happened,

I wanted to talk about Jason because that's your namesake. Well, Alton Howard said, I shared that story one time and he's like, well, hey, Jason got dragged through the town, you know, and so I was like, Jason. I didn't even know the story he was talking about. So I read it. I was like, yeah, I guess so. But they're constantly, and I was just bringing up that contrast, every time you see the world, they want to physically punish you for being believers.

Yeah. Because that's always the way to victory, everything in the world since the beginning time, 100 empires, it's just, we're just going to pummel you until you relent. Right. And they don't realize what's in us is way more powerful because it changes the heart, the mind, the soul, and the body one day. Right. Because of the imperishable body. That's why it said the weapons we fight with are not of the world.

That produces a courage that is above any amount of great courage that you've seen on the building of an empire. I mean, it really is, because it covers all aspects of what makes up a human. This very point that Jace's discussion with you, ladies and gentlemen, is a critical lesson to be learned or not to be learned by the American people. You can't defeat it if God's with you. They're trying to be a great power without God, and it just will not work. Well, you notice, and to Jason's point, the bad characters in Act 17, here's what they accuse them of. These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.

That's LeMica. Here they come. And Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. It's the council culture all over again. I mean, it was just so prevalent even 2,000 years ago. Yeah. They're saying the same thing.

By the way, I wrote a, I just finished a book on the, on the, a canceled culture. It's there for everyone to read, but I'm just saying we bring up things like this to say, you're not going to be able to stop it. You just can't stop it. The book is titled Uncanceled, so we'll tell you more about it. I did a class one time. When they asked you to step outside, you asked them to step inside.

And it was over this point because, you know, everybody knows the bar scene or as teenagers just like, hey, you want to go outside? Let's go outside and settle that. By the way, Jay says it turned out, you said the guy eventually turned out to be a pilot with Jace's life. In his hands. And they're just flying along across the planet earth.

You said, boy, old Jace, he said, that's quite the story, Jason. Wasn't me. I mean, it was the Lord. And it showed you how. Plus, I'd make go into the, he disciplines the one he loves. He told Jace the lesson.

Yeah. James needed a little whooping and God knew it. Yeah. See, you need a little humbling. That's what happened to. Well, I think what led... I'm not going to ask whatever happened to the wayward girl. I'm not going to ask us, you know.

See, the boy just... I'm not sure. But I'll tell you this. I'll say this. What you got to remember, because I've shared that story and people have trouble understanding it. It's like I've struggled with getting mad and wanting to fight. And I tried to fight two people at the Bible Seminary, you know.

They're like, what happened to this? Oh, Jason was wanting to fight about weekly all our fellow preaching students. I mean, I like to scrab. But in this moment... Jay's just remember in the Book of Acts, we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. But you know, as we got to be friends and brothers, you know, in Jesus, I mean, we talked about it. And it was like, once I declared, in the name of Jesus, I'm not fighting you, Well, he was like, in the name of anti-Jesus, oh, yes, you are.

And so it became a situation with a specific circumstance that I thought, once I've said that, my vow in front of God became greater to me than whatever was fixed to happen. Because I said, I'm not fighting you over some girl that I'll just go find another one. I mean, I was throwing her under the bus. I thought, you can have her. And then this is what I'm about. Well, once I declared that, to me, I can't go back on it at that point.

No matter where there, that's why I got in the vehicle with him, seriously, because I thought, no, I've told him who I am and what I'm about. I'm not the type of person that's going to be rolling around in, you know, in front of a bar, fighting over a girl. I'm beyond that. But he was like, oh, yes, you are. It's going to happen. Good move down.

Well, in the book of Acts. Hang on, Dad. Let's take one last break. By the time we hit 17, 18, and not long in there. Going back to chapter 14, 21, they preached the good news in that city, went to Antioch, and won a large number of disciples.

Then they returned to Lister, Arconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples, and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said. Paul and Barmer appointed elders, each one of the churches, and they just kept on moving. They had been continued to the grace, committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. So these guys were just on a mission and nothing was going to deter them. And like Jay said, they had the luxury of having to work miracles, wonders,

and signs on the way. And you said, well, no wonder the thing caught on and took hold and went worldwide. Well, and even back in... It's still here, by the way. Even back in Acts 17, so they left Thessalonica. They go to the next place, which is called Berea. And it was interesting because verse 11 says, the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examine

the scriptures every day to see what Paul said was true. So he found a much more receptive audience in gospel. But look, look what happens in verse 13. When the Jews in Thessalonica learn that Paul was preaching the word of God of Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. So Satan just shows you any time you have a situation where people are going to be open to what God says, Satan's going to counteract. Evil is always present.

It's always going to be there. If all you listeners out there, I mean, one, I appreciate it very much, faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the Word of Christ. without faith, it's impossible to please God, because everyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. So all these years have passed, we're sitting here, 2,21 years since Jesus showed up, we're discussing the kingdom of God, what it's like made up of all of humanity. And Peter said, I now realize how truity is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation for so all of you people who are listening just

think what if we all together came together under one head jesus and we lived out our faith in front of the world just think of talk about power i'll just think of the power we had have and to to fall in line with the current the current trend is not wise no it's not i i use the point in to Al's point where it says they examine the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. That's one of the things I do in my invitation. I don't do immediate invitations. I always say, go home, read the book of John, see what Jesus is like. And that's one of the reasons I do is based on that verse.

Because you can get swept up in the emotion. And it seems like a good idea when you look at all the benefits of being in. Christ. But you notice in every one of these situations, they share Jesus and then the crowd get stirred up. They're then persecuted. I mean, it's difficult. If you're going to go public for Jesus, there's going to be opposition. It's not going to be easy. I mean, this little dating situation I got into, I mean, once I interjected the Jesus, card, it was a guaranteed butt-whippin. If I, if I would have, I think if I would have just said, I could have just left.

But I thought, no, not only am I. No matter how much Jesus should try to get him to see who he is, what he's done, what he's now doing, what he will do, evil is always there, Al. But in, and I think, the blowback is always there. I think this Berean point is important, your days is right, because you also want to make sure, I mean, they, they were marked as being not, have. in character, but why? Because they were willing to search and look. And so I think in the way we live our lives every day of day, that's the way we should be. I mean, let's face it, how many times

do we see bad Christians or bad believers give everybody a bad name? Because they're out here living like the world and claiming that their sons and daughters of God. And they, I mean, that makes us all look bad. If you're claiming Jesus but then living like a heathen. What's the number one excuse, you know, that people use about not coming to the Lord or whatever, they'll... Hypocrate. Yeah, well, they'll say, well, how do you even know this stuff is true? I mean, just people wrote, they attacked the credibility of what they think. I mean, even if this was not even written down, I think it would still spread.

But, I mean, God went the extra mile with not only just letting history add up. but documenting it in a 66 compilation of letters of history that you read. Because, you know, the way I came to Jesus, I saw your life change, and I heard the story about Jesus. But in my mind, I thought, well, I'm going to go to the Bible and find the parts that are not true. I mean, I actually began my journey with a skeptic attitude thinking that. because I was thinking, oh, a fish swallowed a guy.

Because as a fisherman, that stuck out. I was like, I never seen a fish big enough where I could live three days and then keep living. I don't know about this story. But, you know, when we see what happens in Acts, you realize in that situation, it's up to us to search and have that, find that alone time where you're looking at it as, this pointing to a being and a person. That's why he said it's not a, this is not a collection of fairy tales or a rule book. It's actually a letter from a being woven through history.

Yeah. That reveals a person. And I like what, what Peter said in 2nd Peter 119. It says, we did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus.

but we were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For he received honor and glory from the God, the Father. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven, and when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And then he goes on to say, and we have the word of the prophets more certain, and you'll do well to pay attention to it until the morning day dawns in your hearts.

As a light shining in a dark place. Yeah. Yeah. And then it says, above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. But men, it goes on to say spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. But I'm glad he explained that. Of course, what the true skeptical say is, well, yeah, but he made that up. You know, he made up that part about not making up the word. But that's a good point.

You're right. And that's what Paul, the scriptures they were examining were Old Testament script. They didn't have this then. That's correct. So he was explaining to him about the Messiah. But you're right, Judge, the thing, the kicker for Paul and the other 12 is that they were eyewitnesses of the resurrection.

Plus, they, you know, they had far less information. This was word or mouth. That's right. Who are you talking about? Exactly. I mean, we have it all written down a lot easier now. Every other chapter we find some person who's a false person, some bar Jesus person, who comes up and says, hey, wait a minute, I can do some sorcery, you know, or Simon or one of those guys.

This audience has more than enough information to turn their own lives around and turn the country around. They have, they have, it's right there in front of them. Exactly right. And it's not hiding in plain sight. It's just right there. That's why I say, unashamed, we're creating our spiritual army. Well, I think one other point before we go. also when those things that marked those apostles, they did have a little extra weapons with the

signs, miracles, and wonders. But one of the identifying marks that made an apostle, according to Paul in 1st, Corinthians 9-1, is that they were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. Yeah. Which gives me a lot of confidence. I mean, because I know why they took the beatings. I know why they took the public humiliation. And I know why they were adamant that Jesus is, Lord. I mean, they saw it. Yeah. That's right. They saw it with their own eyes. And their life changes what changed the world, so still changes today. 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.

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