Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 444 | Phil Discusses Vladimir Putin & Jase Recalls Teaching in Ukraine

Episode Date: March 16, 2022

Jase remembers teaching students in Ukraine and discusses the use of fear and the differences between political sides. Phil shares his views on Vladimir Putin and his spiritual misunderstandings. Jase brings up an interesting statistic about how 85% of people who come to Christ do so before the age of 14. Al and Phil discuss the people looking for signs of the end times, and Jase explains why a Christian would want to go into a dangerous country to share Jesus with non-believers. Watch the Unashamed overtime show, only on BlazeTV: https://BlazeTV.com/Unashamed - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So we just had a snow event. I was gone. I was in Texas. I was gone. Look, my daughter sent me a picture from like 11 o'clock. You never had it here, but you know. Look, earphones. No, but it didn't hit here. No, yeah, I mean, my yard was, I saw, I mean, there was snow all in my yard. yard of 20 miles north. Oh, well, you're too far south, Phil.

Too far south. Well, that was my question. Did you actually get some down here? The line for it in here, if you're going to get any, it's almost like a, it's, it's, you can just stick to it. These things drop down to about, to about Interstate 20. It's straight east and west. That's about as far as they come. You're right.

We're just south of there. Yeah, and we're on the north side. live on dorsa? You think that is? What do you think the reason is? It's just the whatever, the weather patterns. They, they fizzle out, the further they get toward that Gulf. That's right.

The cold air. Right on the line. We're right on the, literally, Jay's, you and I live right on the line. Are you sad that you miss the snow? I didn't want snow because I have a wonderful crop of mayholes. of sloes, the slow trees. These are berries. I planted them 10 years ago.

Every year I walk out there, this time of year, I'd walk out there and look at them. And I said, I now know why they call them slow. Because they're slow. I mean, they're slow to bloom. It takes a decade. And finally they started blooming. But this year was the first year that they're all blooms. I saw the blooms.

They're actually spelled S-L-O-E. Yeah. But everything about them is in fact slow. Yeah. It's a late, when you harvest them, it's August. Well, all the plums are gone by August, except this one. Right. But these, you know what's weird, does, if I'm not mistaken, I could be, but I think I read this once, that those trees were native in Scotland, because they have slow gin.

They were known for their gin back in our heritage country. But then they made their way over here somehow. I guess people brought them. And then planted them. But now we make jelly with them, which it makes really good jelly. I guess you can make gin with it. Some of the best jelly you'll ever eat. And this year I have three things that, see, y'all don't worry about things.

Like, as you get up in the morning, you're like, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that how you wake up days with the guy? the morning saying, I've got to go out and check the blooms on the mayhaw, the blooms, and the blooms on the slows. And then the third thing is to see if we have an acrean crop. So I'm studying trees and seeing what they're, whether we're going to have acres, slows, and mayhawls, whether we're going to have them or not. Well, you reach a certain age where you...

Last year, almost none of them produced. You reach a certain age where you get into that. category of men who stare at trees. That's it. Yep. I don't know why that's funny. That, plus before you get into, before you plunge into 1st Corinthians,

15 and 16, 15, I guess, right? Correct. Yeah, 15, the resurrection. Just a reminder when we get there. Well, we can get there. I think you're there. I think you're there. I think you're there.

We're there. But keep this in mind. When Jesus said, if you hold them a teaching, you'll know the truth. And the truth will set you free. Well, you can turn it around and say, if you don't find out what the truth is, you won't be set free. So the next question would be, what do you mean? It's almost like you're saying he's going to release you from prison? Yeah, because they're sitting there arguing with him saying, we're not slave to anybody.

He said, you hold to my teaching, then you'll know the truth. It'll set you free. They said, we're not slaves, anybody. What are you talking about? Free, free from what? That's a good question. So what if somebody said, what are you free from? Yeah, yeah.

It's a person. It's a being, the ones you're freed from. But they don't realize that. But here's what I want you to remember, because you remember when he gets over in it, he said, well, if it's preached that there's a resurrection, why is it that some of you say there is no resurrection someone told him that someone convinced them there's no resurrection i think that was the sad you see right yeah and all this preaching that centered around it and they didn't believe it well why is my language not clear to you this is john

843 because you're unable to hear what i say you say is a can a human being being in such a grip from something that they can't hear what the truth of the matter they can't hear it it's not it's not they're not taking it right you belong to your father now we're start talking about a family relationship like we have our father the son jesus the holy spirit and we bow down to them you see the results of that love joy peace patience kindness all these good qualities well what about the ones who someone else is their father, the relationship. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.

He was a one. He was a murderer from the beginning. When you see the murder rate out the roof in any culture, you say, Satan is behind that. he was a murder from the beginning. Now this has been going on ever since God created us. Not holding to the truth, for there's no truth in him. All these things, you say the murder rates up and what else is there?

When he lies, he speaks his native language. You just think about that. You're like, when he opens his mouth, it is a lie from top to bottom on every issue that's good. so when he lies he speaks his native language he is a liar now check this and the father of lies so you take a person like vladimir putin he doesn't know that he is under complete control from satan himself he's famous for two thanks and they all are go back to stalin or linen or you know, Hitler, all them back in Nebuchadnezzar, go all the way back. You said, what is going on there?

They're under their complete control of the evil one. And killing. So you're two things. They are alive right now. The big thing is we can't get out. It's so much false information coming out of Russia's blocking this and blocking that. Propaganda. Propaganda, trying to get rid of trying to stop the light where you can't stop them from line.

Right. You know, I was thinking about that. Murder? You say they slaughter their fellow man, and they lie in it till it is pathetic. Everybody in our government, evidently, they run around and say, well, we need to do this. It's satanic. Well, Phil, when I went to, I was in Detroit this weekend, and it was a good event. It was for Christian school outside of Detroit and Rochester.

her. So a little light dusting of snow. Well, there was snow everywhere. I was like, look at all the snow. Missy went with me. She was promoting her book because we're family, I think, is the name of it. So it's going really well. But I'll tell you, I feel better about Detroit.

I mean, because here we had a pocket of people sold out. And, you know, I shared Jesus. But I was amazed at along the journey because it was a hard place to get to that people kept asking me evidently did i talk about the ukraine on one of our earlier yeah you yeah i brought it up well they were asking me about that and uh because they were surprised i guess that i was there of course it's 30 years ago but i got by the way jace i talked to mike kellet this morning and he told me to tell you so i just thought about i'll tell you on the podcast that the same guy who was over when you guys were there is still working with that group and so they've been getting

some money to him to get to the brother. Well, I had, I got asked for, to give money to the group that I was with. So I, I was aware of that. And of course, I did. But I just wanted to say this because, because from, look, I don't know, you know, the geopolitical world. I tend to be like, Phil, look at it from a spiritual standpoint. But from my perspective, I do think I offer a unique perspective,

because if you just go back, and that was my point, a lot of people asked me about, because they were asking me questions like, why is this war even going on? I think the amount of information that is coming out about it, the point of it all is lost somewhere with the common person. They were asking me, I mean, I thought Ukraine was Russia, and they're doing these basic questions.

So in 91, when the USSR was dispersed, you know, Ukraine was born. So it wasn't, I don't remember the exact year that I went with this group of people. It would have been a little after that because that's when I would. I think it was August that the wall came down and they became a country. And I think I was there in like December. Right. I mean, they moved quickly. I mean, the same guy.

So what the plan was, just... By the way, that was the whole idea. Once the iron curtain went down, then Christians were like, we got to get in there because these people hadn't even had a chance to hear the good news. So that was a humanitarian campaign going on with feeding the people, because it was like the third world country. And I've shared that before. You know, that's the first time I've ever known what it was to be hungry.

You know, the last five days of our trip, I got hungry. Because we're giving out all our food, and they need it worse than I do. And you and one of your team members were fighting over. Temperers started flaring. Biana sausage became the currency. Like a rib-eye. I would have rolled around on the ground for a can of buying a sausage. But it's always made that verse in the sermon on the mouth about people who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

It's always made that mean more to me. Because I remember, you know, when you get hungry, that's all you think about. I mean, you're visualizing and having mirages of T-bone steak and ribbyes and shrimp with little pineapples connected to them. McDonald's in Moscow. Well, we were over there for Jesus. And so what happened was I mainly focused on sharing Jesus. So there was an institute of hard learning there in Gorlau. That's the Russian pronunciation of it.

It's spelled like Horlifka, which is about an hour north of Donesk, that's right on the line of some of the most serious fighting, because they've been fighting there since 2014. I've already gone through this because in 2014, of course, this is many years after I left, there were like almost 300 civilians, 25, Children, I think, killed in this uprising from this Russian-backed separatist group. Right. So this institute for foreign languages, it was a school of higher learning, they moved an hour north in a place called Back Route when that happened. So I had already gone through all this. Just to escape the persecution and all that.

Well, I just, I mean, they were literally, I remember seeing a news clip in 2014, and I was telling Missy, I paused. I was like, I walked down that, I was walking. That's right in front of the Institute where they were showing the bombs when a, so I'd already gone through this fact. I know these people. I met hundreds of people. I shared Jesus to hundreds and hundreds because I would teach for three hours a day at

the university, which. Did you ever think you'd be a university professor? No, I actually was in Ukraine. Well, communism has gone. So when they were on the communist control, you could. do that, right? Well, right, but you say it was gone, but the whole reason this uprising broke out in 2014, well, it was there.

I mean, because in fact, when we met, it wasn't like once the wall fell down, oh, we're free, everybody's happy. It's a process. We constantly were on the move and moving to know the people because people were hearing about what we're doing. They didn't like it. And so. Because you still had people wanting to go back under the old order.

And in 2014, it broke, I mean, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, evolved to that state where they started bombing. Let's take a break. So the only reason I'm bringing this up is, because I was looking at it from a spiritual perspective now, that all these claims you see in the news were, so Putin, his whole deal is, oh, they're extremists. They're so far right. I mean, they're a radical.

And you say, well, why is he saying all that? Because you have, just imagine this. You have a country that used to be the USSR. who less than just a couple months after this dissolves, they open up their university to somebody like me and say, well, to Putin in that regime. Tell us about Jesus. That's as extreme as it can be.

The fact that I was able to speak and given the green light, and look, they rolled out the red carpet for us. I mean, they're like, here's your classroom. And, of course, it's an institute for learning different language. So they justified it saying, when you want to learn English or a form of English that we're not familiar with, let this guy talk. You know, because not only was I speaking English, but I was speaking a version that they truly were not familiar with. But you had an interpreter who was interpreting. I didn't have an interpreter at the Institute.

Because they were learning English. They were learning English. No interpreter. Which, by the way, that's very, I mean, I hadn't thought. about it but we had the whole discussion about tongues and languages exactly that was what the door opened for jace because of a language that's right because they wanted to learn english well he was using the bible yeah it wasn't my idea whoever the i can't remember it can't remember kenny yeah kenny you know they had they moved on that quickly and uh and so i was so glad the

institute moved you know because i have a special place in my heart for them and and almost 100,000 in that city, I think it was 290,000 people when I was there in that city in Grolavka. Well, now there's like 180 because during the fighting and the war, I mean, this is before this war. Yeah, the 2014. So like almost 100,000 people left over the 2014 thing. So this, just from hearing you talk, that part of the world, surrounded by what, Poland, Romania, Moldova. Yeah, Serbia is down there. NATO countries in there.

Well, then here comes this one. But just hearing you talk, in other words, there's been, I think, from just what you said, these people have difficult time getting along with each other. Exactly. And it is this fear of freedom. There's a lot of murder going on there.

Freedom and... Roodle. Right, and democracy. And just like we talk. about in Corinth the differences in in their clans has caused a lot of problem I mean and so it's it's just like anything else in life you you instead of finding the joy and the treasure in people's subtle differences their backgrounds and their different customs and instead of having this love for your

fellow man because you know speaking of lies, you know, you got Putin said, these are our brothers. And yet you're bombing schoolhouses and hospitals and kids. It didn't seem very brotherly. Even in the city that I was in, Gorlofka, I mean, just four days ago, they shelled a school. And so. No, it's now, Jase, it's worse than when you were there. Well, look, I couldn't even, since 2014, if I would have tried to do what we did, I'd probably be dead.

I mean, you don't go. They'll kill you now. You don't go over and start talking about God, freedom, love for your fellow man. No, it's the total opposite. So that's what I was going to say. Which that brings you back to John chapter 8. Exactly. You're talking about spiritual warfare.

Father are lies and father a murder. Well, you know what it tells me? God had a plan. God knew all this before we did, obviously, because he entered time. You know, he's eternal. So he entered time. We're in time. And so you think it's a fluke or just some coincidence that the very city, the line of attack, if you look since 2014 where this has been going in, a small group of people from America

went over there in 91 and 92. And look, I was just a small little leg in that. We stayed a month, almost a month. Well, then another crew come in after us. Then they stayed a month. Then another crew came in after that. And people had different skill sets and different ways. And we did the same exact model, actually before you guys did, in Romania, which was a neighboring country.

Once the iron curtain fell, same thing, had a dictator. They killed him. And so then it was wide open. And so we went in, I was a series of people that went in over the course of several months doing the exact same thing. So it seems like to me. Now, I don't want to. Those people, y'all's converts, they're still there, aren't it? A bunch of them are.

Well, I'm assuming a lot of them went an hour north because the reason they moved an hour north is because they're shelling the streets around here. And they're trying to learn different languages. This has nothing, you know, there has nothing to do with what's going on. But I liked it because it's a school of higher learning too. So you're getting young people who are open. Because, I mean, let's face it. I saw some stat the other day, which who knows that this is true, but I did think it was interesting,

that when it comes to coming to Christ, I might have shared this earlier, but 85% of the people come to Christ do that before the age of 14. So the next group was 11% is 15 to 30, which there's a reason where I go people, and I'm like, if you're over 40, I'm not talking to you, and now I know why after I saw that. That's right.

Because they're not listening. So that's 4% from 30, which is really sad. Every time I get to a guy or a woman who's well into their 30s going to the 40s, it's very, way more difficult to convert them than it is the ones who are 25 under 30. Yeah. And I've just watched it through. the years, under 30, under 30, under 30, under 30. I said, you get over 30, it's a tough. It's harder. Exactly. So the whole plan wants to go over there, get with the young people,

they're learning English, they, you know, they thought I was funny. I wasn't telling jokes up there. I mean, I was sharing Jesus, but I'm sure whatever my accent and some of the idioms I use or whatever, I mean, because they constantly laugh. And these people were hanging out of the rap. But they laugh a lot at, Things that you weren't trying to be funny. I wasn't trying to be funny at all. You were telling. I'm in Russia. I was thinking I'm in Russia.

You were just funny at them looking at you. Yeah. Just sort of funny looking. Well, I was, I didn't have the long beard. No, you had the no beard. Yeah, I looked like I halfway fit in, you know. But what was interesting is, and I said all that to say this, because I think you're right. When you look at what's going on over there, yeah, it's just evil.

It's evil people, and you have the, you know, when you read Ephesian 6, just think about what this says. Because we tend to pick on the individuals, and you made the list of them. But when he got to Ephesion 6, he said, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil on the heavenly realm. Yeah. That's a big crew. It's just clear as a picture to me.

So then it says, therefore put on the full armor of God. So when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything to stand, stand, stand. Stand firm. And he says, stand, stand, stand. So I'm just taking a time out here and say, do you think it's an accident or a coincidence that the circumstances set themselves up? Before this all happened, that a group of people moves in,

representing God, sharing Jesus, changing lives, getting people hooked on. on Jesus, therefore they have the answer to their sin. God was giving them a way out. Exactly. And look, and giving them a foundation to stand on. Yep. From a spiritual perspective. To give them, you know, you start going through all the passages in the Bible, Romans

5 about suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character hope. And, you know, while we were sinners, God demonstrates his love for us. So all this that is shared with them, and then this happens. I think, yeah, a lot of people, they're like, why does this happen? And why does this happen? Well, nobody knows this little story. Jay, they don't know the setup of that. Jace, the political powers that are in control at the present time.

To them, you're out of touch with reality. When you say we're looking at a spiritual problem here. Yeah. And it's between the evil one and the God of Heaven. And they will say to you, the current people, these are Americans, the ones, you know, that, who, old Patrick Henry. I love morality

and religion, the big three things that hold us together. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. He made it, our founding fathers and these writers back then and the guys who live like this guy, Patrick Henry, they saw

it. They knew it was a spiritual fix. Hang on, Jayce. Let's take a break. Well, that's why, look. Everybody's, surprised that they're standing their ground, I'm like, I know why they're standing the ground, because there's a group of people, and look, a pretty large group who are led by the Spirit of God over there, and God protected them way long before this ever even thought about

happening. So then you have what we view as physical power or nationalistic power, which is death. People who, you just think about all the wars that have been happening since beginning of the time, what is the ultimate weapon? They go in there, and they go in there. And, you know, and they're not, you're not, you're and they kill all your warriors and they take all your stuff. And they rule. So when you read a passage like Hebrews 2.14, it says, since the children have flesh and blood, talking about the children of God, we all come from God.

He too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him, who holds the power of death. That is the evil one. And free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. So you look over there and he said, what courage I'm seeing? I'm like, I get it. Yeah. Because.

God sent his messengers in there and you all were part of the group to show them the way out of that. And I guess to this day, our brothers over there, they're bound to be some. I don't know how many of they are. And I think, you know, to their credit, just whether they believe or not, there was something about them pursuing, having a democracy, loving each other. and having an open society that we all embrace. I think the whole world's come together on that. But I was just saying there was a backstory that I was fortunate and blessed to be involved in

where there were small groups of people, which God does mighty things in small groups of people who came to Christ and I hope, you know, are leaders in that community during this time. There's no doubt in my mind. Well, that's why it's not a government fix. It's got to be bigger than that. So you just said small groups, Jay's.

So our emphasis in Romania was, because we knew, it was exactly what Jay's described, you had, there was still a mindset there that you couldn't, that no God, no, so it was still somewhat underground, even though now was really, they had a freedom to do it. So these, we were, we've emphasized small groups in three weeks I was there. So it was such an acts two, three and four feel. we met every day, every night, we had an apartment, they would all pile in. And we were teaching them how to do small groups, how to lead other people in a house and an apartment.

You don't have to be in a building someplace because we knew this thing was going to go. And then there was this group of Albanians who were there as refugees. Now, think about you've come into Romania, which is right out of a dictatorship, and it's third world enough. But these people had even less because whatever was going on in Albania, They wound up in Romania. Well, they were just on fire. I mean, they were brand new Christians.

They were just sponges. Well, now all these years later, because I was in 91, so it was 30 years later, these same guys that were with us in that room because we followed up on them. Now they're church leaders back in Albania. But that's the thing. This is why Christianity trumps over all this. This is how you find victory. But, Al, my point is there's a lot of group of people, religious people,

who are going around trying to see the signs of the end of the times. And, of course, a lot of these things that were written in the Bible were talking about what was going to happen in Jerusalem in AD 70. And they make applications to the final coming of Jesus. But I'm sitting here thinking, well, I've got to be involved in something right now because we believe the kingdom is here through the Jesus, the Lord poured out the spirit in Acts 2, made it available. Jesus said, go preach the gospel to all nations.

And whoever believes is baptized will be saved on March 16. So that's what Peter did. That's what we're doing now. But I saw that happen. Of course, back then I was young and immature. It's like, yeah, I'll go to Russia. I'll do this. And then as the years have gone by, I'm like,

because ever since 2014 happened, I've been keeping up with it. So I wasn't shocked that this happened because they've been fighting. for eight years over there right in that little community. It just didn't get a lot of press because... And really, you can go back further than eight because that's been the birthplace of every war war has been within that region. I mean, you know, I'm like kids dying and you say that, you know, and civilians don't. Oh, it's just heartbreaking.

And when you were in the very town where this is going on, it just does something to you, you know? Sure it does. So, but, well, just this past year, when I got the opportunity to share Jesus, in Iran via Greece, I felt the same thing. I was like, well, this opportunity came up, which Missy was surprised because, you know, she called me, and she's like, hey, they want us to go to Greece.

They got a group of Persians that you can share Jesus with, and they'll funnel it to Iran. I said, I'm in. But she was shocked, because I didn't even say, when is it, where? I was like, let's go. Because I took the same thinking. I thought, okay,

we got something going on here and there's an opportunity because I kept thinking about to Ukraine. I was like, there's no doubt in my mind that God inserted his people. Just like it goes back to Corinth, when he said that, and Paul was frustrated and being persecuted, I think it's in Acts, is it 18, and the angel appeared to Paul in the dream and said, I have people here in the town. Keep sharing. So I think when you see those opportunities, number one, we should move on them. I mean, number two, was it rough?

Yes. I mean, it kind of ruined me for going on mission trips because it was just so difficult. It's hard. It never got above freezing. We didn't have enough food and all that. And it was dangerous. There were people in the town who did not approve what we were doing. and now that I look back on it,

I think they wouldn't have had a problem putting a bullet in my head with all what's going on now. You wouldn't bother. But you were there. Same way I've, people have asked me, but why do you want to go in this country?

It's so dangerous. I'm like, look, I'm there as God's guy. I mean, I fully, if my life is taken there, I'm a martyr for the kingdom. And if he spares me and I come back home, then I just did his work. So I never,

I never viewed it. it like that. I mean, even though they're not easy and the older you get, the harder it is to be able to make the track. But I have the exact same mentality. But I mean, that's why when we get to 1st Corinthians 15, I mean, this is what we're doing

this for. I mean, you're right. The resurrection is the true power. I mean, it's way bigger than what they're trying to do by taking over countries and we're going to threaten you and you're we're going to be resurrected. So I'm

Let's take one more break. So everything, by the way, everything collapses when it comes to the gospel if you take the resurrection out of it. It all collapsed. It collapses. Right. That has to be in there. Well, you remember, every time I think about, we have this discussion. I think about in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 whenever Jesus was being tempted by the evil one.

You remember one of the temptations, he takes him up on this high mountain. And he looks at it and he says, look at all the splendor of the kingdoms of the world. Yep. And he boldly tells the son of God, they all belong to me. Yep. And every time I think about that. That's the one who's whispering and Vladimir Putin's here. Or Joe Biden or anybody else.

Joe Biden or anybody else. See, that's the thing about it. We look at it as like we're the moral equivalent. But you look at our own leadership in our own country. How can we be moral with a guy like Putin? when some of the things we're putting forth. So when I see the evil one at work, think about the triggers that he's working, because Putin, we don't know what all he's motivated and why he's doing it.

But we got our regime that says the most important thing is climate changes. So we want to do away with all fossil fuels. Well, how does a guy like that hear that? His whole economy is set up on fossil fuels. So he's like, it's me against the world. So here he goes as a mad dictator. But the evil one is pulling the levers to the whole system. But now, it's pretty clear why he's doing it.

I mean, he's bitter that they all broke up. Right. Because he's an OKGB guy. Ukraine's wanting to be involved in NATO and the European Union. And they're like, that's why these are extremists. We don't want you being led by that. The president is of Jewish origin. And they're like, no, it always comes back to the same stuff. Prejudice.

Yep. you know, freedom, you don't want them to be free. You want them under your rule. There's power and numbers. You want to be able to have the biggest stick. You want to be able to yield your power. That's it. I mean, it goes back to the beginning of the time.

That's why what Jesus did, God inserting himself not only into time, but in a woman who was a virgin, just to get here, is so incredible, but for him to live a perfect life and to die for all of this immorality, including the very acts that we're talking about, I mean, offering his grace even to that part of our society, which is incredible. And then coming back, showing us a power that we hadn't even contemplated. I mean, as a humanity. That's why we live, left off in that. You remember Jesus' answer, by the way, Jay's,

worship the Lord your God and serve him only. So you don't want to put anything above him when it comes to governments on the planet. Exactly. And so that's why in 1st Corinthians 15, you know, when he, which we went through this extensively last podcast about the gospel of saves you.

Otherwise you went through the first 11. Yeah. You, well, we skipped over that part and that's what I was going to bring up today in verse four where it says that he was buried and that he was raised on third day according to the scriptures and then it says this is the part we left out five to seven that he appeared to peter and then to the 12 after that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time most of whom are still living though some have fallen asleep then he appeared to james then to all the apostles and last of all he appeared to me also in which that's when

we're assuming he was struck down on the road to the masons on the road which is which is crazy so you said why is that important because this whole thing is based on faith which was god's idea you know if you're going around looking for proof that there is a god i mean outside of the evidence of creation and the bible and but god chose this to be through faith faith being sure of what we hope for and certain what we don't see you know hebrews 111 but when you really think about the ramifications of what I just read, this is one of the strongest proofs of the resurrection that the tomb is empty, that you would never find Jesus's body, because it's not there.

He came back. Because here are all these people. What separates what the world tends to view, our beliefs, that's just some radical, crazy view that's based on myths and legends, and there's no evidence, even though we have this document over what thousand years 41 authors is you have guys who gave their life because you go to the history book all these guys that I just read about except a couple were martyred because they wouldn't deny that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. All they had to do they get them up there because now you fast forward all these men,

all these martyrs because you brought the idea about martyrs. So they say, you're telling me that they died because they wouldn't deny that Jesus Christ was who he said he was? Well, just think about this. This is different from every other philosophy that you think of when you think about people giving their lives up. Even the terroristic society. They give their lives because they think what they are believing in is true. In this case, since they died and not denying that Jesus was Lord and resurrected, Who would do that knowing this was all just a made-up story?

No one. Certainly not all of them. You just think about it. At what point do you say, you know what? He was a good man, but I'm not saying he was resurrected. So that appearing, when it says in that he appeared, and we've read the text before many times in previous podcast, but he was going around as a dead man back from the dead saying,

look at my hands and look at my feet. Touched me and see. He spent 40 days there according to Acts 1, showing, giving many convincing proofs that he was alive with the of the Acts 1. I think it's a very powerful confidence-giving few verses. Yeah, and I think it also shows you the power of, in this case, it's full spiritual freedom that we've been set free from the law of sin and death.

And so they're like, which we'll talk about later with the resurrection, powerful it is. Let's take another break. But Jason, when you look at it, that's exactly the Ukrainians that are staying to fight. I mean, they know the odds are stacked against them. Why are they staying in fighting? You know, because I don't know what Putin expected, but he didn't expect them to still be fighting two weeks later. But they're fighting for the idea of freedom. It's the idea. They were under the iron curtain. Now they're not. And so they're like, we're not going back. We'll give our lives before we do that. I think that's the same concept. except the same martyrdom that you see.

Well, that's why I was moved the first time I was reading Ephesion 6 when it says, you know, our struggle is not against flesh and blood and it's against the spiritual forces of evil. Yeah, we're looking at it good and evil. And then he was like, so you can take your stand, take your stand, so you can stand. Why am I surprised they're standing? Right. I mean, I know there was a spark there, and I don't know if that took off or just, I mean,

maybe there's things that we, you know, don't know what's going on. But I'm just, I'm moved and I'm impressed with the courage. Yeah. Because they're basically saying, and, you know, the chance of victory for Ukraine is so small because they're just pinned down outnumbered to have no air support. But I'll tell you one thing. They're making a thing for themselves. They're making us to them.

Because it certainly hasn't been easy, and they're giving their lives. I mean, it's, it's a thing. impressive. I wanted to read this, though, I'll... But if you were and are a child of the resurrection, it would make you view death in a whole different life. Well, exactly. It makes you invincible.

I was going to read this, you know, in John 7.5, it's an obscure verse, but it says, for even Jesus his own brothers, didn't believe any. And then when you get to Acts 1, now we're talking post-resurrection now, the verse

I'd mention while ago, verse 3, Jesus, you know, he stayed here 40 days after suffering, he showed himself and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive, he appeared over 40 days. Well, you fast forward, and when you get up into verse 13, so here's the believers upstairs in a room, and there were, here's all the people that were there. Well, a lot of these similar people that we just read in 1st, Corinthians 15, that he appeared to, they're here.

And in verse 14, it says they all joined together constantly in prayer with the women. And I think the chosen has done a good job of that, showing this rag-tag group that was following men and women, and the mother and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Now, what's happened here? why are we all up in a room praying and at one time they didn't believe because i do think it would be hard for them if it was your brother and that'd be like you know you saying yeah jace guess what you know i'm i'm the son of god i've come here yeah come here to save all of mankind

i this think that's normal i'm not giving them a pass but you said what changed that i know what changed it. If you go die, because you would know, I would know if my brother died. Yep. Where would get to me? I would go to the funeral. I'd say, you know what, it's over. And then three days later, you're back.

Guess what? I'm in a room in your honor. I'm all in. To whoever you said you came from, I'm in. Yep. So I just think it's when you start putting these little pieces of the puzzle together, which is not, that's not our motivating factor. God chose to do this through faith for us.

But it just seems when you start thinking about, what did Jesus really come back from the dead, you're putting these historical facts in order that you wouldn't even need the Bible to put the clues together. I mean, these are just facts of life. These people were here. They have these claims, and they all died. It's documented because they wouldn't deny

that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. You tell me, why did they do it? Why die for a lie? I think they saw a dead man come back to life. So they said, oh, we're going to kill you. Well, if you had seen a dead man come back to life, and now you're being threatened like we're seeing in our powers today, it's the same threat, I'll kill you.

And you're like, go ahead. Make my day. I'm coming back, you idiot. You'd leave out the idiot. But you're right because you remember that there's a text. I think it was when we were John or Matthew where Jesus was contemplating going up to the feces of tabernacle. And the brother said, well, if you're going to be a public figure, you know, you got to get out there. You got to mingle.

You know, I'm paraphrasing. But he was like they were like being his PR director. So what that meant was they really didn't believe he was a son of God. But they knew he had a following. I mean, they're watching what's going. So you're right. They looked at everything through a kind of. of a carnal lens, I guess.

That's why it's just, look, we've turned this on its head. That's why I got over my shyness. That's why I got over my, you know, oh, I don't want to say something and embarrass myself. That's why I got over my fear of dangerous going into dangerous countries and sharing Jesus. Because it comes down to the resurrection. You think people that are dangerous who are not scared to die is one thing. People who know they're coming back from the dead, they're way more dangerous. and bold and aggressive.

And that's the team I'm with. I mean, of course, we're fortunately doing it all in love where the people who are trying to use death as a power, they're doing it mainly on hate. Right. It's just incredible how it works. Yeah. Well, and it still holds on the power of that idea of the fear of death.

I mean, that's, we just went through it with COVID, right? We saw it for two years. I mean, people just would give away all your freedoms because you think somehow maybe it'll keep you alive longer than your neighbor. But don't you think it's ironic that hate goes with death and lying? And then life goes with love. Yeah. I mean, he just spent a whole chapter in 1st,

Corinthians on 13 on love. And now we spent a whole chapter on coming back from the dead. Well, and think about it, why would he have these two folks? especially to a church that's struggling as much as this church is because they had lost focus on what was important. And they were divided. He spent a whole several chapters on unity and realizing, you know what, you have differences. You have different talents. You have different backgrounds.

You all have committed different sins. You have different ways that you came to Christ. Different people were used. But now you're following them. You have different views on whether you can eat meat. I mean, all of these differences in 1 Corinthians 12 is beautiful because he's like, we're all giving the same spirit to drink. We're uniting in Jesus.

I think that's why my experience in Eastern Europe days was so powerful because when you're watching the church, sort of the genesis in an area of the church, it's so much like the acts model than even a few years go by and you get into the Corinthians and you see what begins to happen with the people of God. but what I witnessed there in the three weeks I was there, you talk about unity and excited about being together. Nobody was fighting over this, that, and the other. And look, these people that were coming in,

they had different ways of viewing the scripture. But this group was just, they were brand new, and they were like, we want to tell as many people as possible. And so as close as we can stay to that mentality, before we get into the other and the divisive part, the better. Well, I'm sure there'll be people here this, don't think. You think something that happened 30 years ago, you know, is made a different, yes, I believe God is alive and well,

and he works through his people. And he gave a lot of those people the message of Jesus before what was all fixed to happen. There's not, it's like I heard the preacher give an illustration yesterday when he said, The way they're fighting. The preacher gave the illustration, he said, when you go out in a field and you see a turtle on a fence pose, it didn't get there by itself.

That's right. It was a good point. You think this just happened? And then all of a sudden that happened? What was you going to say, Bill? I would just freak to say, I don't know what I was speaking to say. I got you. I got you distracted on the turtle on the fence.

Once he saw the turtle on the fence post. The turtle on the fence post stole whatever I was speaking to say. I think it was something to do with people that are there that are giving their life. A lot of them may, in fact, going back to y'all's visit, look at the resurrection. and said, what can they do to me? And there's been... I'm here to... And there's been waves of people that have done it for the last 30 years,

because there's a lot of other people that I've heard about recently. I just wanted to say to folks, who you may have heard this today and been motivated, if you go to Onekingdom.org, we have a way you can give. And the same guy that Jay's is talking about is our guy. Hey, I put my money where in my mouth is, and I was hoping we would do this. Yeah. You want to, you know, at least, I mean, I trust these guys, and so I give my money on various projects and have been around the world.

And they're trying to get Jesus out to the world. And they're just trying to help people. A lot of what they do just helps people. So the very guy Jason was talking about is still engaged and it's going to be our, you know, main guy to be able to get this aid into where it needs to get. So if you want to help, that's a good way to do it. I mean, look, our hearts goes out to all the people of Ukraine. We love them all and hate that they're going through this.

But, you know, I'm getting my money to the people who love. love the Lord over there because they have a special place in my heart. Yeah, absolutely. All right. Well, in our overtime, we'll set up what we're going to be going into for the rest of 1st Corinthians 15 on the resurrection. 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 blazedtv.com slash unashamed.