Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 268 | Phil STILL Doesn’t Own a CBD Company, Jase Gives Life Advice in Walmart & Paul’s Final Days

Episode Date: April 30, 2021

Jase has a confusing encounter with a Walmart employee. Al gives his take on "The Chosen" and reminds everyone what a DVD is. Phil says Paul is the best example of not having to be perfect to be forgiven and used by God. The guys discuss the many miracles Paul performed and the events leading up to the end of his life. And once again, Phil does NOT own a CBD oil company! -- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? I'm in no way associated with GBD or whatever that is. But Phil keeps bringing this up is why I was like, well, people keep writing me a letter and say, I got fleeced again. Can you help me? I'm like, I know it's not going to work. There's thousands of things out there that I've done and said, you're just never going to. It's too big. Yeah. I build duck calls. We make duck calls, not GBD, marijuana. one of all, never heard of it. But a lot of celebrities spend their whole life trying to put out those fires. And I'm just saying, don't go down that road because you're never going to stop doing that.

It's never going to stop. Once you become vocal for Jesus, especially, you're being attacked. But you can either keep preaching Jesus or you can go out there and try to put out all the fires. I'm saying any time you spend trying to put out the fires is a waste of time because they're going to keep coming. think but it just bothers dad because people are stealing money from people being gullible because they believe this stuff on the internet that dad would have a marijuana company i mean the whole i laughed when i read it because there was nothing truthful about it they're talking about dad being the CEO of duck commander and i'm just laughing a dad hadn't done anything a duck commander

in 15 years understand me it it bothers me but there's nothing you can do about it because they're just going to keep, they're going to keep doing that. So it's the way it is. I mean, if they, if they, you know, defame you, you can sue somebody, but this is really just people making up stuff and trying to sell it. But to dad's point, if you're listening to the podcast, dad doesn't have a CBD oil company and he's not selling marijuana. So, so don't fall for that one. And if it sounds too good to be true or too good or too bad to be true, it probably is. I'm saying there's hundreds of allegations out there. I'm trying to address the bigger problem is people believing as truth, what they're reading on the internet. That's the bigger problem. Are you saying there's a lot of

liars out there? I'd say there's more lies than truth on the internet. And they wonder why I've never fooled with the internet. That's exactly right. What you'd be surprised about, if you Googled who was Paul's wife, you'll get an answer. There'll be an answer there. I haven't looked at that, but I will guarantee you. If you Google who's Jesus's wife, you'll get one. So a lot of people, they're like, oh, Jesus was married. Why?

Because I read it on the internet. Well, and then, Jace, this Wikipedia, like, it's supposedly is the encyclopedia of the internet, but then anybody can put anything on there. It's not like somebody. I mean, you can just put your own stuff on there, or people can go in and change your stuff you know it's crazy there is some truth on the internet but that would have to be validated because you got to remember it's a social media driven and comment driven world and people are putting their their best self forward not the truth because you wouldn't want to read the actual

truth be too disheartening that's not that's not saying much for the human race is all i got to say Well, it, yeah, it says that we're flawed. No wonder, I decided early never to be part of the Internet. Yeah. They say I'm on the thing, but I guarantee you one thing. I didn't click on and say, get me on it. No. Out that on YouTube is on the Internet.

So, I mean, there are some good things you can do. Good point. Yeah, I mean, look, I've Google Map things before and I'm going on a trip. I'm headed to my destination and everything is great. And all of a sudden it says, you're at your destination. And I look on both sides of the road and there's not any establishment built within miles. And I think, wow, this was a bad thing because they literally sent me to nowhere. That's what I think to say.

And you trust the Internet to give you directions? Well, most of the time. When are you going to say, I think this thing is leading me down too many people? paths, no return. Because most of the times they get it right. But occasionally, they're saying turn right here, and if I do, I will die. Yeah. Because I'm fixed to turn off a cliff.

Yeah. And so I thought, huh. But I'm going to tell you something. In the real world, that's where these things happen. Look, I was at a Walmart Saturday morning because I was at a coffee. I know you don't go to Walmart. But half the time during a week, I'm by myself. and I ran out of coffee.

And I didn't want to be grumpy. And so, because I like drinking coffee in the morning. So I go up there, bad call. A lot of people, crowded. But I'm,

here I am, trying to get my coffee. So I go up there. There's one checker. There's about six. Self-check. One of those things called self-checkout or whatever. But they're all,

there's so many people crowded in, because we have one checker open. So I thought, hmm, there's a couple hundred people here and we're funneled bottlenecked. So I get in line. I'll wait, I would say 25 minutes. The woman in front of me had so much stuff

that it was shocking that that could be fit in one buggy. She does the transaction. She pays the money. she's leaving and then she says wait a minute i don't think you scan this bottle the case of bottles of water below my buggy so i went from saying are you kidding me to wow that's an honest thing to do and so now they get out the receipt well the receipt is this it's a foot long for you that are listening. So she's looking, looking, looking, looking, looking, looking, looking, I'm just standing

now watching this proceeding. No bottle of water on there. So she says, she pushes a couple buttons and she said, $4, which I thought was weird, because I thought, how would that be exactly $4? So the woman, who's being honest, hands are $4. She puts it in the cash register. She prints out another. receipt. Now the woman who has been the woman of integrity, she's the sliding door has

opened. She's leaving. She's gone. She did a great thing. I applauded. But now the checker said, hey, wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa. It was 440. Now I'm like, are you kidding me? I said, I'll pay that 40 cents. I said, you can go. I got it. But she's coming back now because the woman of character also doesn't want to short change because it's part of, I like this woman. And so she hands a dollar like in between, I said, no, I'm paying this. It's just 40 cents, but you did something that showed character and integrity and you'll be rewarded. 40 cents.

I'm not taking that dollar. So you may go. That's what I said. And she kind of jumped. His 40 cents now the reward for honesty and integrity. I just thought it was great. And I'm like, let me do this. Please go.

So now here's where it gets tricky. So I look in my wallet and I have a dollar, a stray dollar. So I hand the checker a dollar for the 40 cents. I hadn't even got to my stuff yet. All right. She puts it in the cash register, hands me, $5.40. I said, we have another moment to show character.

I said, because I handed you a dollar. And she's already starting to scam my stuff. And I was like, you handed me a five. I said, I gave you one for 40 cents. You've handed me 40 cents, which was wrong. She should have handed me 60 and $5. dollars. So I kind of did it passionately like that.

She busted out bawling. I mean, just tears started, and I thought, what in the world is going home at Walmart today? And she started crying. I was like, look, it's okay. You made a mistake. I mean, now I'm feeling bad because I thought maybe she thought I was being too aggressive. But it was so embarrassing. I handed her a dollar.

She handed me $5.40. And she said, well, my uncle died today. and I tried to get off and I just got so many things going on in my head. I mean, she just like poured this out and I thought, oh, well, and I look, there's a line. I thought, how am I going to quickly? Because this one. Now we're into the psychiatric stage. We are.

And I said, look, let's take the $5 back because she was making me nervous because she didn't. James, why do these say like that happened to you? That's what I thought. I've told this to being people. If you want to feel better about yourself, you need to read your Bible or go to Walmart. And I recommend them because they sold a lot of our duck calls through the years. Well, I mean, that was kind of a joke, but not really.

I mean, because I think you're with people, ordinary people, and you see, you know, you see their flaws. So look, we had a, I just said, I got to address this. And so I was like, take the $5 back and look, death is painful. I mean, now she's ringing this up trying to. get all this right. She just said, tell me what to do. She was so confused by what it all happened. And I was like, just take this money back and it'll be all 60 cents to the good. And we're just going to go with it. Now, I don't just, she did, she was trying to do something right. And now this is, so you're good. Here, take the money back, put it in there. And then let's, let's go.

We're not going to quibble over 60 cents. And that's what we did. So, and then I said, Now look, it's a tough day. You know, you lost your uncle. I can tell you were close to him. So there's nothing you can do about it other than, you know, give encouragement to the family. I said, but you can use this moment. You know, you're having a tough day. You can use this moment to launch and look at your own life and say, you know what?

I'm going to honor him in the way I handle this. So that's what I went with. I was going to say, let's take a break. Well, I think that was pretty good advice, Chase. I mean, you encouraged her, and then you also gave her some hope, you know, about, you know, kind of moving forward. So she needed that. So that's why you were there.

I mean, deep down, I wanted to just write the Jesus diagram. But, you know, I was in Walmart. That was a line. That's a lot of pressure. The other people were frustrated behind me, but they've just watched this whole encounter. And I thought, you know what? Sometimes in life, you just got to plant a seed. hope God brings along other conversations. So that's what I did. But I mean, I think there's a time

to share Jesus. There's a time to show Jesus. And hopefully God works it out. But that's what I did. So, Jace, I finally, I finally got to start watching the watch Chosen. And it's funny. It's funny because to show you, dad and I have, I don't know, we're in the, I guess of the same generation. practically. And I haven't been, I didn't know where to look for it, to be honest with you. I know it's probably not hard to find. But so look, the only reason I started watching it, I mean, I really wanted to, but I'm just, I don't know much about my TV, except, you know, where the ballgame is or, you know, where the news is. And so they sent me, someone sent me, I don't know who did it, but somebody sent me a DVDs of the whole first season. Now, DVDs I can do it.

I realized this technology now is over because then I was like, well, do we. have a DVD player. I told Lisa, and she said, well, I don't know. And so we started looking around where we had two of them. Of course, they hadn't been hooked up in years because who does DVDs anymore? But I hooked it up. I remembered how to hook it up to the TV. And so I watched it old school DVD style, but you were right.

It's amazing. So I've only seen the first three episodes of season one. But immediately it grabbed me right off the bat. So I can't wait now. I'm kind of chomping at the bit. It gets better. Yeah, I got home. When Missy got there, she said,

I can't believe you told the national audience that I paid $500 to, you know, as a contribution for the chosen. I was like, I wouldn't have done that. And nope, sure enough, I did on a podcast one day. I did, you. She was right. I was like, well, babe, I was probably making a point about giving them, which I think I was. You know, I was bragging on.

I was like, good job. Yeah. But what my point is. I know this. I don't, we just decided to give $500 because we think this is a great thing to do. And it's volunteer driven as far as their budget. People give and they keep making them. I love that.

If you love what we do, give us some money. That's awesome. But what I notice is once we sent the $500, they send the episode to our inbox on our email. So that's a better. way to watch it. They're like, oh, you give us $500. We'll just send it to you. So I'm going to send them some money then. You know, Dad and I, we were, we did a virtual event with Anne and Fellam, my filmmaker friends from their Irish. But that's how they do all their films. They crowd fund it. And that way, you don't have to depend on some studio or network or somebody

else to tell you what to do and what not to do. It's driven by the people. So I love this. The guy's name is Dallas Jenkins, who's the guy, I guess, that does all the. this because he had signed the box so I guess it came from him I don't know I don't know how to me we need to try to get them on here and see yeah I thought the same thing yeah we'll tell about making it but I'll tell you this I shared the other night we had a debo I shared about that show and I said what I like about it is is I like watching it with the creative writers or whatever you call it in the production world in mind. Because, you know, the problem is trying to convey Jesus.

And the name of it's the chosen. It's about the ones that Jesus chose. You're following it from their perspective. Which what that did, I don't know, on purpose or by accident, is what you'll notice is their flaws come out. Because we're all flawed. But then it makes you look at your own. life and say, oh yeah, I got the same flaws. Because when you're compared to Jesus, and they do a

spectacular job of portraying Jesus, is always good, he's always right. And it's not what kind of the religious world has made him out to be in that, you know, oh, you know, you've been into some places that just you're like, well, it doesn't seem real. I mean, he was a carpenter. He laughed. He cried. He cried he built wood structures and he fished and but he was also god in human form so i just like seeing that inner circle meeting thinking now how are we going to portray this it's just fascinating to me because i think it trickles down to my own life when i'm in walmart or wherever trying to share Jesus with people, because we have flaws, we feel inadequate and unworthy to share, and we feel like we don't know enough, or remember the question we got on what verses do I share?

And I want to scream from the mountaintops. No, we're sharing a person. It's like, you know, if I was introducing my wife to someone, I wouldn't say, give me some tips or some notes that I can share about my wife. no, you share the experience on, you know, what our makeup is. And I think we do the same thing with Jesus, but we have the same struggle that they do putting that to the world in our own personal conversations.

No, I think you're right. And it's really good, so I highly recommend. I can't wait to watch her. Dad, I guess I'll get the DVDs to you after I watch them because I don't know how to do you to watch. DVD makes a comeback. DVD, baby. We'll have to dust off the old receiver.

So we're finishing Acts today because you say, well, why? Because we're in chapter 21 to 28. And there, it turns into a movie. Would you agree? I think it's a show. If you were going to make a biblical show. And it's Paul's journey to prison and as a prisoner. And it all started when he was given a speech.

where was the speech where he said everything was going great yeah in chapter 22 i mean because he keeps just sharing jesus from town to town and they arrest him at the jewish leaders demands because they don't like that he's basically throwing the old order of the way to do things under the bus well and just to just to set the context two days he's back in jerusalem he's back in jerusalem which, remember we said in the last podcast, he told the Ephesian elders, he said, look, I'm going to Jerusalem, but the Holy Spirit's already told me, it is not going to go well when I get there. So he's been warned by God. And so his followers said, well, don't go. But, you know, Paul's like, no, I'm going because this is my last chance to get, you know, to speak to the Jews. So that was the

kind of context of this speech you're about to talk about. And God is telling him it's fine. And, you know, there's one story in here. I can't remember exactly where it says, an angel of the Lord told me, you know, last night that you're fine. Even though it, because it seemed like the walls were closing in around him. But when you get to chapter 22 and he gets up and, you know, he said, I mean, shouldn't I be able to defend myself? And they're like, yeah. So he gets up in chapter 22 and he's speaking in Aramaic.

And he tells the same story that's found two other times in his ministry about how he was struck down on the road. I really like this one. it's a verse I've used many times because in his in his encounter with God on the road I love verse 16 of chapter 22 when he says and now what are you waiting for get up be baptized and wash your sins away calling on his name which was he was telling the same story over and over and over again but I like that depiction of what are you waiting for I mean he's he's coming to you just go lay there yeah and but then in

In chapter 22 and verse 21, he makes a profound statement that causes him a lot of trouble the rest of the way. Which then he says, the Lord said to me, go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles. And remember, the theme of Acts is God showing in the miraculous way that all people are included in his plan. Jew, Samaritan, Gentile, those in between the old law and new law, you know, under John's baptism, everybody is included. And when he said that, verse 22, they raised their voices and shouted, rid the earth of him. He's not fit to live. Which just shows you, you want to talk about prejudice and racism and the fact that he's

up speaking and he wants to go speak to Gentiles. They're like, kill him. Hey, Judge, let's take a break. I don't know about you, Dad, and we've all three spoken in a lot of different environments, a lot of different places, sometimes maybe a little hostile than others, but no one has ever responded to one of my sermons with rid the earth of him. He's not fit to live. That's a harsh, that's a harsh response. Pretty good cursings from time to time, but not ever quite that. Well, and Paul's not helping himself out. Look, in the next chapter, he has this encounter with this Pharisee, and he, in chapter 23

and three, and Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewash wall. You sit there to judge me according to the law that you're, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck, because they were wanting to beat him up. And, of course, then it's just one. But you know, Jay's, and he apologized for that because one of them said, you dare to insult God's high priest. And he said, brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest, for it is written do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.

So he basically rebuked himself and apologized, which I thought was pretty good for Paul because he was kind of worked up, you know, in this moment that was going on. Well, there's a lot of these moments as he's been transitioned to different jail sales and trials and because the people, especially the Jewish order of things, they were wanting to kill him because they did not like his views on the resurrection and the new law, which was really no law. I mean, you do right because you love Jesus. And at the same time, he was doing things under the old law to become things to all men to try to save them. You remember when he shaved his head, and that comes up again, I think in chapter 26, maybe.

I mean, because they confronted him. And so he does some of the rituals. You say, why is he playing that game if he's already said that we're no longer under that old law? Well, he explains it in all his letters and Acts, I mean, in Romans and Corinthians. He was trying to become all things to all men to get them to focus on Jesus and to save them. Well, not only that, Jess, you remember in Acts 9 when the first, Saul is first converted and the original happening. And then he mentions it several times all these later deals. He said, you remember Jesus sold Anonis in a vision.

I will show him, Paul, how much he must suffer for my name. And to me, that's kind of been the theme of this whole thing is because, you know, he was, he, God didn't sugarcoat it with Paul. He really was the worst of the worst. I mean, he was killing God's children. And he felt bad about it because every time he mentions in his books, he's like, I'm the worst. I'm the chief of sinners.

I mean, I persecuted the people of God. I killed my brothers and sisters. So he realizes the kind of man that he was. Yeah. But at the same time, he, he's up against it. his whole time serving God. Yeah. Pretty amazing that having done all that,

that he didn't let it get the best of him and feel so guilty about what he had been. You know, he mentioned many times that you forget what's behind and press on, move forward. I mean, because he could have gone through a serious guilt trip where he wouldn't have been worth anything. I'm too bad to be saved.

I mean, I'm not worthy and just started belly aching about it and be downed. and accomplish nothing. You see what I'm saying? I think that's why he said in chapter 20 and 19 when he said, I served the Lord with great humility and with tears.

Because I do think when he thought back of what he did, I mean, it just had to be upsetting. I mean, here you are now being threatened to be killed by the same people you were leading. If he proves anything, he proves that no matter how far down you get, which is about a sorry. a rascal as you can think of, killing people just because they believe in Jesus, have

them stone to death with rocks hitting them, you know, watching Stephen, he's sitting there, giving approval to it, like, yeah, get it, he throw one in there for me. To come out of that and get that behind him and just imagine what he was doing and still move forward, that's a little lesson for everybody. Don't let your sins weigh you down where you say you're not worth saving because He said the opposite. Yep. His mercy was, he showed me some mercy.

So even me. So pretty good. The story of his life is a statement in and of itself. Well, it's a good point. That's why there's so many statements in here about he hasn't hesitated or stopped proclaiming the grace of God. Because really we know in this spiritual war between good and evil and, you know, on the evil side, that is their main go-to is that you're not worth anything.

You're not good enough. You're not. I mean, you see that in, you know, the poorest parts of any town and just where there's a group of people who've just fallen through the cracks of society and made some bad decisions or, you know, gotten into specific sins here and there. but then the longer you participate in that, all of a sudden, then you just don't care about yourself anymore or feel like you're worth anything, which is a dangerous place to be because, you know, it leads to suicide and more drugs. A lot of suicides, Chase. But here's God making it very clear through the book of Acts that from the lowest to the moral,

guy who's a pretty good fella. I mean, he's after every person with equal enthusiasm. And I think we see that reflected in our churches. I was trying to find a side door yesterday when we met. A side door? Well, because there was so many at the church building. Yeah, I like to know where my options are. Well, I came around the back of the church building, and I looked out there,

and it looked like the parking lot behind. the church building, it looked like the parking lot at like a bar on Saturday night. There was smoke in the air and just kind of, you know, the rut. I thought, oh, here's the overcomer crowd because we have a huge section. And I thought, I park that there. People would never think that these people are at a church building fixed to go. I mean, they were, it was, the whole of them. I started to take a picture, but I thought that'd be too weird.

but I thought you know that's a good thing these that's there here say jays let's take let's take a break taking a picture jace of the human race fresh out of jail not a good move I didn't well look so whenever so whenever I park out back there will be some of them there and so I usually go in say hey I got my regulars there who are early we put actually a little covered place back there for the them to be on Friday night or Sunday because there's so many smokers because we figure, you know, you kind of deal with one vice at a time. Most of them are trying to get off of drugs and alcohol. We'll work on the cigarettes down the road. But whenever I go in, I leave the one service to go close the other service because we have two going at the same time. And so when I'm

walking to go into the fellowship center where our other service is, there's like a stampede because, you know, they've been inside for, you know, hour and a half. So everybody's got to get out and get them a smoke. So what happens is as I'm going to, as I'm going to, going in because I'm going to be closing the other service out. I just start yelling when they're walking by me, do this this week. You better serve God. You better love your neighbor. As they're passing me by, I'm just giving them final instruction on their way out to the smoking ring. So it's kind of my final. And now they've really like appreciate it. So thank you pastor. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you pastor out. You know, all the way in. It's really funny kind of that. But I'm with you.

I always say that in what we read about here, if Jesus were to show up for one of our church service, that's where he'd probably start. He'd be out back talking to the people that are on fire and love him. And people that, quite frankly, a lot of churches don't want to be there, which is sad. Well, and there's a process, you know. You can't spend 20 years of your life doing everything possibly wrong, especially, the drug, alcohol abuse world. And then all of a sudden, you know,

think there's not going to be a little bit of a process, even in Jesus, to come out of that. I mean, the fact that they're attempting it and their self-worth is so low, there's just a process that you find your confidence in what God thinks about you rather than what you think. That's right. And look, you see that with Paul.

I mean, even though his was, you know, He was known as a scholar. And, I mean, to have to deal with the guilt of you're putting in the ground, people who are in love with Jesus, I mean, the sheep of the true shepherd, and you're putting them in the ground? I just don't know emotionally how I can even deal with that. And now you're taking them on, and they're like, come back and join us, and he's like, no. I mean, you know, you think he's going to his dad.

death, which eventually, I guess, he did under Nero, I guess, in the mid-60s. Maybe God's thinking was, if I appoint someone to write most of the New Testament and the spearhead of the beginning as the kingdom of God unfolds, he's one, a sorry, low-down, murdering dog is chosen. Maybe God is saying that lets all the rest of you know that you're worth saving. you're worth the effort on my part. I think there's something to that, Phil. I was just going to say, I want to read this passage or part of it from Second Corinthians chapter 11 talking about Paul. And, you know, to me it's so honest, and it's just the way he is.

It starts at verse 21. He said, what anyone else dares to boast about, then he has a little thought, I am speaking as a fool. He's saying, I'm foolish to even talk like this. I also dare to boast about it. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's ascendance? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? Here's another thought. I am out of my mind to talk like this. I love me. He keeps just saying, you know, I don't even know why I'm doing this, but I'm doing it. And then he says, I am more. I have worked harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, been exposed to death again and again. Five times I receive from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one.

Now, that was a bad beating. 39 licks across the back, you know. He had to have been severely scarred up. You would think. Oh, three times I was, three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stone, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and day in the open sea. I've been in danger from rivers, bandits, my own countrymen, Gentiles, city in

danger in the city, danger in the country, danger at sea, danger from false brother. I mean, he just, it goes on and on and on. And finally he closes it in first 30. He says, if I must boast, I will boast of all the things that show my weakness. And which is a great way to end it. You know, what he's saying is, I deserved every bit of it. But at the same time, I trust in Jesus. I mean, that's the only way I'm going to make.

It's the only way you're going to make it. What stood out to me when you said that, though, is, you know, because he's basically on this journey to Rome. and he gets before King Agrippa and lo and behold in chapter 26 he gives the same speech I was walking down the road Saul why do you persecute me he's talking to Agrippa I'm Jesus him you're persecuting and then I love how he describes it here he said Jesus says I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles I'm sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith. And so then he says, so then King of

Grippa, I was not disobedient to the vision and he starts talking about what he's doing. And he gets down to the end of his speech and he says in verse 22, I'm saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen, that the Christ would. suffer as and as the first arise from the dead would proclaim light to his own people and the Gentiles. So there's his speech. The next phrase in 24 at this point, Festus interrupted Paul's defense. You're out of your mind.

I mean, that was his, I think that's why he said that when he said, I'm out of my mind. He shouted, your great learning is driving you insane. I mean, he was like, this is the crazy, you're having a vision, you're talking to God, you're talking about some Jesus, a dead guy who comes back, you're crazy. You lost your mind. Yeah, and he said, I'm not insane. What I'm saying is true and reasonable. I mean, he never got off of it, which is fascinating to me that he would be willing to make not only the transformation in his life,

but be willing to talk to the most powerful government officials because evidently that's what God wanted him to do because that's where he keeps winding up. And even... God Grippa says, do you think that in such a short time by that story, you're going to persuade me to be a Christian? Are you nuts?

Yeah, I love that too. Short time and on. He said, short time and on, you know, I pray God that not only you, but all who are listening to me to do, day may become what I am. Of course, except for these chains I got around me. I mean, I mean, the way he's handling it, I mean, you're like, yeah, that old dude, he was, he's a great model.

Well, and then the grippa, let's take one last break. A gripa basically says, I don't see anything, I don't believe him, but I don't see anything wrong with what he's doing. And then he said, you know, if he, yeah, he's like, but he doesn't deserve to die over this. And so he said, I would let him go, except. that, Paul had appealed to Rome. And so, you know, he was going to go through with it no matter what. You know, I found ironic, Jace, we were talking in the last podcast about you were laying out sort of those moments. And one of them was when Peter was in Joppa. And then he got sent to talk to Cornelius, who's in Cessaria, which is like the Judean capital for Rome. And, you know,

that's where he went to first share with the Gentiles. Ironically, this setting we're in right here, Paul's back in Cessaria because he has to go up there to speak to the Roman governor and eventually King Agrippa. So I find it kind of interesting. It's one of those things about the Bible again that comes full circle. You remember when the gospel first went to the Gentiles, it went through Peter, but then God Jesus told Paul, you would be my messenger to the Gentile. So right before he's fixing take off to Rome, which is his final stop, he's in Cessaria one last time preaching the gospel. So I just thought that was really neat the way God does that. And look, this is is many, many years after Peter went. So this is kind of full circle of what's happening.

And then they, you know, then they basically, it's almost like they knew he didn't do anything deserving death. And in a way, they're like, if we let him go, they're going to kill him. And so they just keep him as a prisoner, but they treat him, they give him all these, these luxuries over and over again in these last few chapters, they would allow people to attend him and help him, you know, it's just not the Roman way when you read this, because he was having an impression on him that was just hard for even them to find some kind of bitterness toward. Even when they, he's a prisoner on the ship when they decided to sail, and he's basically

told him I wouldn't do this because he says that a couple of times. If you'd listen to me, we wouldn't be shipwreck. Yeah. But he didn't like, rub. it in, he just said, here's what we do, because he didn't want to lose anybody. And God had told him, you're not going to lose anybody if you follow these instructions or whatever. So they have this 14-day hurricane-induced. Northeast, Nord-easter is what it was. I love that that's in there. I was wondering always if the Greek word was Northeaster, but it says that in the NIV.

That's what it says, yeah. And they're just ravaged. But in all of that, he showed a to be a true leader. As the prisoner on the ship, he basically took over about how to survive. And they started listening to him. And everyone survived. And then they finally make it to the beach. That's why I said this would be an incredible movie.

I don't know how you could simulate all that happened. You know, it's hard to simulate a hurricane. Then they build a fire and a viper attaches himself. to Paul's hand, and then they're like, well, this guy's got some kind of demon because there's a viper. They claim as one of the most ponds of snakes on earth. It's the ones that grew out there on them islands around in there. They claim they would kill you. They bite you.

You're dead. Yeah. And it didn't. And that's what they were looking for. It said they were looking. They were waiting for him to just fall out or start swelling up. And it said Paul. He'd be dead.

He'd be dead. He'd get him about 10 minutes. He shook it off in the fire and said, all right, boys. Let's see some camp. fire sounds. I mean, you could really make a great scene about that because I think back of all the times of my life when I've been bit stung or had some kind of encounter with the beast, insect, snake, you know, and you have that first hour of thinking, am I going to die?

You're trying to look at yourself and my swelling, especially when I, you know, at frog hunting. It's like the night I had some. some leeches on me, but I couldn't see them because they were on my backside, but I kept feeling this pain. They're sucking the blood. Yeah, they were sucking the blood, but I didn't know what it was. And I thought, I think something bit me. And I was, I felt kind of, I had a hot flash.

And I could tell something was wrong. You know, so when I got home, I did something I don't normally do because I mean, it's one or two in the morning. I woke up missing. I was like, I need you to look. I think there's something bit me. and I, you know, I don't want to die. So that's why I'm waking you up.

And she's like, there are leeches on your butt. She's screaming, you know. Because I was like, oh, it's leeches good. I was thinking, that's a good thing. Pick them. Pick them off. Oh, she was like, you're on your own on that. I'm not going anywhere near that.

Miss Kay would have removed them. I know, but, I mean, I'm married the Eppy. kind of say. I mean, the fact that she at least identified the problem. Do you ever see the movies stand by me, Jays, with the four little kids that are making the trek? Yeah, reminding me of my childhood,

walking down train tracks. So they, and then they waded across one of them ponds, and they had to leeches all over them. And the Will Wheaton character, he pulled his underwear back and looked, and he had one in a place you don't want a leech. And all the buddies were like,

well, you're on your own there, but. Bye. Just like this. Bye. But it's incredible. I think the God was working in all this.

And you think, well, how come he was allowing these things to happen? When you really read the whole story in its entirety, you realize that God doesn't necessarily take you away from the weakness and the pain and the misery. He was just with him through it because really this life is going to be filled with that no matter what happens. And ultimately, you're, you know, the big. picture of eternal life and be with a being that's incapable of being destroyed, all of this will seem so small. And it was all done to get the name of Jesus out and to show everyone that

no matter where you're from or whose side your own, God loves you. And you can be a son or daughter again. You win. You win. You know what I love about it, Jay's here so right, that Paul knew. I mean, he was getting direct messaging about what was going to happen from God. And whether he could convince them to not do something or do something, he just charged on in no matter what. And look, if he had the power to raise up Euticus after he fell out of that window, he had the power to do anything for himself, but he didn't meet.

He just, he only used what he had to advance the kingdom, which I think there was such a great lesson in that for us. And even like your speech, you know, when he had the messenger of Satan enter his body, I'm not quite sure what it was. But he said, I asked the Lord three times about it.

Well, that meant, he said, look, you know, why don't you just go ahead and knock this out? Because, you know, you got all the power. And I've raised dead men, but I got this problem here. Why don't you? He said, he said, nah, you'll be all right. My power's made perfect and weakness, so you'll be okay. That's exactly.

He just lived with it. And it wasn't easy. You know, before all that started in chapter 23, it just there's an obscure verse in verse 11. Paul said the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, take courage as you have testified about me and Jerusalem. So you must also testify in Rome. But you're like, why is that in there?

Because he's like, why would I want to go to Rome? That's not going to end well. But he's like, and it didn't for him eventually. But God is like, take courage. This is what we do. And so even though there were moments of salvation physically, like about the snake and all, because I think a lot of people are trying to wrap their head around this, people who don't read their Bible or this is new to them, they're like, well, how come

he did some miracles and he did some things? But then they had a shipwreck and was miserable, and he was having to, why didn't he just save them? And there's, you know, what he's showing is the weakness and struggle of life leads you to the one who's not weak. Dependence. Dependence on the wives who brought you. And it forms relationships, and that's what it's really all about.

That's why our family structure is so close to us all, whether you're a believer or not, because we were created in the image of God, and that's really what it's about. You know, for Dad and I, we talked about him on Mars Hill, you know, back when we were in Act 17. And on that same movie shoot we did, we went to Rome and shot some stuff there. And of course, you know, you never know if the exact spot is the exact spot, you know, historically. But supposedly we went to the hill where they beheaded Paul. And there's some stuff there, you know, a monument for him. And then also where Peter was hanged upside down, which is where the Vatican is.

And so, you know, just whether it was the exact spots or not, Dad, I don't know about you, but it was a humbling thing for me to realize that these two brothers who basically started it all and have been kind of, if you want to have the star of the movie, Jason, the star of the movie of Acts, you know, that's where they gave their lives for the cause. When we did that, I'll have to admit, I had a moment, didn't you? I did, I did too. Yeah, absolutely. We're about out of time, but I want to close with a couple of verses. One is the last verse because we read it. I think Jason, when we first started, Acts. You went to the last verse, or actually the last two verses in 2830 says,

for two whole years, Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. There was a guard there. He was under house arrest, but they allowed him, as you said, as the kindness of being able to be there. He wrote about six or seven of his books or letters, as we had from there. And then it says, boldly and without hindrance, he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, which, you know, right to the very end, you know, of Acts. But I want to read one of the last things he wrote, and he wrote it to Timothy and 2nd Timothy 4, 6 through 8, because I think it's a perfect way to end this study.

Paul said, for I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time for my departure is near. So he knew when he wrote this to Timothy, this is probably the last thing he wrote. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

So, you know, those final words from Paul was they still are true today. You know, that's a great last word for any of us, I think. Excellent point. 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,

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