Ep 934 | Jase Drops Straight Truth on Illegal Immigration & Phil Gets the Results of a Surprise Checkup
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I am unashamed. What about you? Welcome back to Unashamed. You've got to be a little more gentle with your sword.

I looked over, there's a big hole in the middle of the page. In Ephesians. He's an aggressive Bible reader. I've watched him. I mean, he is aggressive. Well, the other day, he had his hand, it's a little bit warm in here because we're in the summer in the back of the lair. And he had his hand on like, just like right now. And I guess he's sweating, it's stuck. So he pulls it off and just, I heard a big rattle. What section are you missing right there, Jace?

I'll put it back. It was Ephesians 3, 1, but then the way our Bibles are written, when you turn the page, it then got... Yeah, then you got the end of it. 16 and 17 of chapter 3 are a little iffy. Okay. But... We'll fill in the gaps. Luckily for Jase, me and Dad got the exact same Bible, so we can fill in the gaps a little bit. I think it's a good problem.

Yeah. It's a good problem to have. It was funny. So I did Sadie's podcast. Lisa and I recorded some yesterday. I don't know when they dropped. And we wound up, we were going, she was going to just us tell our story and then eventually get to Lisa's cancer and all that. Because we'd never been on her podcast together. But Lisa's been on there, I think, once with mom. But yeah.

We get about, she looks up and she's like, well, we're, we're at 45 minutes. We hadn't even got to y'all get married. And so I was like, well, I guess that means a part two, Sadie. It's not the first time. Is that?

So, look for that, Unashamed Nation, at some point. We were laughing because, so my eyes watered really bad because I have terrible allergies. And I didn't realize Sadie has the same thing. And we were just talking about it because my eyes got watered the whole time we were there. And she was like, are you just emotional? And I said, well, yeah. I mean, anytime you talk about your story, it's emotional, but it's actually way more my allergies.

So I know I get all these things. You've always got an excuse with the allergies. I'll tell you the cure for that, Al. What is it? Move out of Louisiana. Well. Yeah.

I have to say, Alabama doesn't help me any. You got to get a little further. I'm up here in North Carolina, and I mean, I suffered with horrible allergies my entire life. So you don't think it's genetics. You think it's just region. It's environment. Oh, it's all the... I mean, for me, it was the bahia grass. I mean, one summer, I remember...

My dad, well, when I was, dad says I was older, but I was about 12. He made me go work in the watermelon fields, which was the hardest job I've ever had. But the next summer I said, I'm going to go do a hay. They bail the hay up and you stack it in semi trucks. My summer's from 11 to 15 every summer. Oh, that's the worst. That's the worst. I lasted one day in that and my eyes swelled shut. I couldn't breathe. I mean, that was, I said, I got to go back to the watermelons, but.

But hay fields are the worst. And then I would say the second. Why was that even a choice? What do you mean? You can't eat hay. Watermelon? I would work in a watermelon field as a kid for free. I mean, I wouldn't tell them that. Trade it for watermelon? You wouldn't.

Oh, I would too. It's about 10 hours a day of just, you're 13 years old and they're throwing 20 pound melons at you. I mean, I was kind of. I did it. I mean, this ain't. But ours weren't that big. Did you haul hay down here? No, I got in on the watermelons and the cantaloupe fields. So that's why. You never did the hay hauling? I didn't do the hay. So Wendell, our old buddy has a property next door. It was his dad and uncle.

They were running the farm back when I was a kid. And so we worked over there. And of course it was back in the day, they did the square bales. Now they do these big, huge things. It's all done by equipment. But back in the day, you got a bunch of young bucks like us, uh,

And so you had to pick those bales up, load them on the trailer. And that was, you know, at least you were outside because it's all done in the summer. The worst was when you get in that barn and your back's about six inches from the top of that tin roof. It's about 125 degrees in there. I mean, it was brutal. It was the worst. We took our little $20 bale and considered ourselves lucky. Well, people used to work and make their kids work. That's right. They did.

That's how I made it. I mean, I had two or three jobs. I got paid five bucks an hour, cash money. Ooh. I mean, we were rolling. $5 an hour cash money paid at the end of the day, and we worked the whole season. And then that was in the summer. And then football season, then we went straight from there to football practice. And it was- Yeah, I did the same thing, but always leaned toward things that I could eat. Because we were always hungry.

Catfish. Somebody said, what do you remember about your family? I said, hunger. Cantaloupe, watermelons. Somebody said, hay. I was like, I ain't eating hay. We'll eat a cow. But you eat the thing that eats things, actually.

That's when I got into playing cards. I was like, well, this is way easier. I got to find someone I can scam out of some money. Uncle Si, let's go play cards. There's no scamming. I've played with y'all, and I've watched what Si, I mean, he's just bleeding money every time he plays. Some people play for entertainment, and they don't care if they lose. That would be Si. But some people possess a certain set of skills.

My favorite thing, Si says, my observation a few times of watching him play, is somebody will win, usually Jace or somebody, and he's like, whew, you talk about lucky. Every time. If I've heard him say it once, I've heard him say it a hundred times. You talk about lucky. I watched a movie on Netflix called Molly's Game. It's about this, she ran a,

I beat these high end Texas Hold'em tournament card games and she got arrested. And anyways, long story, but there's a part of the movie. I thought about you, Jace, when she says she's reading the indictment and it was it was illegal to take a rake.

On a game of chance. And she said, well, there, I mean, there's my out right there. But she said, poker is not a game of chance. It's a game of skill. She's, she's right. It's funny. I, the last time I was at the golf course, I was on, I was testing my back on the driving range and a kid come up there and asked me about that. He asked me about, you know, his poker gambling. Yeah. And we had a, uh, you know, now my first line, cause this was an impressionable kid, but I said, uh,

look, I play poker, but I'm not a gambler. That's why I follow Jesus, which is usually my standard line, which, cause I was, don't get me wrong here. When a kid comes up there, teenage buck, who was way bigger and stronger than me. I say a kid, he's looked like a grown man and was hitting the ball twice as far as I was. But, uh,

But he was just asking questions about that. And I helped him because he's like, well, I've always thought, you know, you're here in church, you know, gambling. And I was like, there are people who play cards as gambling. They never win because they don't understand the game. I was like, but you look at the top hundred poker players in the world. It's usually the same people. And he's like, is it? I was like, yeah. Why do you think that is?

Yeah. They're just better. Yeah. Skill. Yeah. But it's hard to explain. So we can save that for another day. So, Zach, you're going on a mission trip. Tell us about that. Yeah, we're headed to South America. A lady in our church who actually, funny enough—

to the Unashamed podcast, her and her husband, and they do mission work. I've met them. They're a great couple. Oh, it's great. They came over to my house because they served the local children's home here, and they're in what's called an RV ministry. And so they travel around. They were here for a season working on the children's home volunteering. They came to church. We invited them to house church, and they're at my house, and we're sitting there talking. It's so funny because she's from Costa Rica. Yeah.

and they were talking about something and they were talking about listening to the Unashamed podcast. I said, yeah, and I thought they knew who I was. And the more we get to talking, because they listened, they didn't watch. I said, yeah, that's my podcast. Oh, yeah, what do you mean? I'm on that podcast. And they're like,

You're Zach. You're you're the, and they were just completely like, I mean, and sometimes, you know, people like they're like this accident. No, they were for real stunned that they, that, that they, we listened to every episode. Oh my gosh, that's crazy. This has been several years ago, but she, they, they planted a church down in Costa Rica, somewhere up in kind of the mountain area. And I think it's a mountain area. I may be wrong there, but they planted a church there.

before they moved back here. And so, uh, our church is doing our first mission trip. And so we were going down there. You should have consulted with me. I just got back. Yeah. It's been a little time in Costa Rica. Oh, wow. You're welcome to come, man. Why don't you come with us? And yeah, I'll think about it. All right. But I know the area quite well. Uh,

I'd love to have you come visit Black Mountain, Jace. I don't mean like a drive-by wave. I mean like actually come, stop, stay a day or two, three days. Let's hang out. Let's spend time together. I'm reminded of that movie, that line in that movie. Mm-hmm.

Let it go. Let it go. You never got past the fact that I drove by and blew the horn. That's right. I was busy. I did not get past it. We're working towards it. That was funny. That was one of those, yeah, I'll think about it. It's like my six-year-old granddaughter. She's like,

She asked me a question. I said, maybe. And she said, Pap, is that a maybe yes or a maybe no? That's a punt. That's a punt to no to what you're trying to say. I mean, that's a kid that picks it up pretty quick. Which maybe are we? Is it a real maybe? That's a parental thing that means I don't want to deal with that right now. Exactly. So,

So speaking of Pearl, she was the one that nudged me finally. So I started my new diet. My plan is 60 by 60. I'm losing 60 pounds by 60 years old. I'm making a proclamation today. Oh, wow. You're putting yourself on the hook. I'm putting myself out there because I'm committed this time. You're going to lose 60 pounds by 60? 60 pounds by the time I make 60, which is January the 5th is my birthday.

How many months you got to do that? About four months. And so, but I tell you, it was two things that motivated me. I mean, well, three actually. Pearl said something about, we were joking and she said something about me being fat. I thought, well, if I'm going to be around to see a little more of her, I need to lose some weight. And then-

The same day, Alex sent me a picture of Russell Crowe, and she said, look, Russell Crowe and Pap are working the same look because he was about 60 pounds overweight, and his beard's gotten gray, and we kind of favor a little bit, but not in a good way because he looks worse. And so I thought, well, you know, if Russell Crowe, but then he lost 52 pounds. So then there was like a before and after. I thought, well, if Russell Crowe can do it.

you know, I can do it. Uh, he's, he's older than me. And so, and then we listened to seventies music all the way home on my last trip. So I got swept back into the seventies and I thought, you know, back then I was in pretty good shape. So between those three, I have my motivation. I'm not going to any of this stuff with all the crazy diets. I'm just doing the simple one. That's always worked. You just eat less. Okay. No, that won't work. Uh,

I tried that. No go for me. So you just eat less and exercise. I'm going the simple way that always works. I think that's the best approach. I think it's the best approach over time. So anyway, I put myself out there, Unashamed Nation, so we're going to see how that happens. We'll check it at 60 at 60. We'll watch the transformation. That's exactly right. You'll see me literally shrink on set. If you spend 40 years because –

your wife of 60 years, the weight begins to eat a little less. You get a little lighter, a little lighter. Because she's not cooking as well? The cook is bedridden. Yeah. So you knock that part out and all of a sudden...

You want a breakfast, you have to get up and cook it. Yeah. You want dinner, you have to cook it. Supper, you have to cook it. And you've been doing great, Dad, because you've been picking up a lot of slack. But the nurse that works on Miss Kay, checking blood pressure and all that, you know, she asked me the other day, do you want me to give you a little workout on where you stand with your... I'll find out, you know, what it's like. So...

She'd come over and she'd check me. So she works with mom, but she was going to give you a little wellness check. Just to see. Your blood pressure. What were the conclusions? She said, your numbers say you are 100% perfect in your weight. There you go. It all was because it was either me cook Miss Kay a meal. Yeah. So during that process-

just dropped weight, just drop, drop, drop. So I weigh exactly what you're supposed to weigh. You know, they're checking that heartbeat. He said something like 120 over 70 or whatever. She said, you are good to go. Yeah. Well, good. Well, good. And speaking of which. It does have a positive thing.

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See if you like it. See if it works for your family, even if you have insurance. And maybe you have a really high deductible and you can't afford some of your prescription drugs and your office visits and you don't want to come out of pocket for that. You could use this kind of as a supplement to that even. Or if you're uninsured and you just need, you want more of a comprehensive coverage, we have a plan for you at Lassie Health. All you got to do is go to healthylink.com slash Phil and you can check out the promo that we'll have there for you. Thank you, guys.

So, Dad, perfect tease. Mom is going to be on the next Unashamed. So be sure and tune in for that. We hadn't had her on since she was ill and away for a few months. So we're excited to hear from her and how she's doing. So that'll be on the next episode. So look forward to that. All right. We're ready to get to Ephesians.

It's been a while. It's been a while. We've kind of been all over the place. We went through my Hebrew sermon for a couple of podcasts, and now we're back to Ephesians. But as we've been talking about, it's amazing when you study these different books in the Bible, and then you start cross-referencing when you're teaching something else. It's like, man, I miss that, the verses go around. But they all have similar...

I mean, it's the same message because it reveals a person. And so like Ephesians starts off saying, I mean, I've said this a couple of times, but I think we need to repeat it. He has this grand plan that goes back to the creation of human beings. But deep down, everybody's got to answer that question. Where do we come from? Well, this book we're reading says, in the beginning, God created man.

And so he goes back to the beginning, but he's fulfilling his purpose in Christ. And that little phrase, which is really the phrase of Ephesians, but not only that, it's even in Hebrews, it's a focus on Jesus because that's how God is revealing himself to humans. He became a human. So this is really fascinating, this next section, Ephesians 2, verse

Really 11 through all the way to the end. All the way through to three, yeah. Yeah, and even a little bit into chapter four because there's a unity that he's expecting in the church. But this is about God bringing humans together. I mean, you just think about our culture and how the globe is divided up into lands and nations, and we have trouble getting along. There's very little peace.

just as a general existence. And he comes up with it. I mean, he goes through the plan of redeeming human beings. And when he gets to verse 11, he breaks down humanity into two categories, which we've touched on this a little bit. He says, therefore, remember that formerly you who were Gentiles by birth called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision,

That done in the body of the hands of men, which would be the Jews. Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise without hope and without God in the world, which is very depressing. But now, well, here it is again. In Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near to the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, for he's made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. Obviously talking about the cross. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.

So that's why I said we're going back to creation, and now we're God made all people. Now we're into new creation. There's a new race, a new humanity in Christ, which is very exciting. It's the same thing. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, over and over and over and over. The crucifixion, the death of Jesus.

Yeah, and that was the means. The burial of Jesus, the empty tomb, you would think one shot at it and you'd have it. They still, he saw and believed that he had one that made it. Where are you at, Phil? We have no idea. I'm in the, coming out of the book of John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all of it says the same thing over and over and over and over. Going up to Jerusalem, they're going to kill me.

Three days later, I'll be raised from the dead. Over and over and over, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, it all comes back to the same thing, the empty tomb. They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Because without that, there's still no hope. That was the point of peace. That's the point. But in this context, he's bringing people together

Outside of Israel in together. That's the explanation of him. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Exactly. Peter gets up. He ran out on Jesus. Well, he's the one that's doing the preaching now. So he was forgiven. Right. Taken in. Well, that's why I want to read the book of Acts. It was all about.

You're, you're what happened and why it happened. The death, burial, resurrection of Jesus. That's, that's on the mantle over and over and over and over. All right. That's why I don't want you to go too far. Cause I want to get to that 16. What you're saying is in three, I mean, a two 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross by which he put to death their hostility.

That's the point. That's the pressure point right there. Which doesn't... Now, look, a lot of people that are reading this, they're like, and they're looking at our world today, and they're saying, seems to be still pretty hostile. And the reason I say that is, just think of our world today. Jesus came via the Jewish nation, but only, I think it's 1%.

Around 1% of the nation actually believes Jesus is who he said he is. That is correct. Which is fascinating. And all the Gentiles, hundreds of thousands of them, go visit over there. Yep. Even though 99% of the population are looking at you like,

You got it wrong. He's not the one. I just think that's fascinating. Yeah, it is. And you and I talked about it, and it's interesting because it's almost a flip

From everything we see and we're reading about in the first century, everything has flipped the other way around. Now you got the Gentiles trying to come back and say, hey, Jewish people, this Jesus, he was the real deal. He's the guy. So look, just try to put this in our world. Here we are in America. We got this huge problem of open borders, people flooding into the country. Now you got to say, well, why are people coming into the country? Well, now we're going back.

To the original part of the Bible, where you remember the exile and the exodus. But in that is a lot of foundation to what we're reading here, because you think about what happened. God's chosen people were under captivity. And all of a sudden, you remember the story of the 10 plagues. It wasn't just so much about...

redeeming Israel and freeing them, which is exactly what happened. But there's a display over, you know, that happens that God is saying, I'm way greater than all your so-called gods. If you go back and read the story of the 10 plagues, this power display is a big point. And it keeps saying,

I'm showing you what your gods can do, which was nothing. God. Well, the same thing. This just didn't happen in a vacuum somewhere. This was the superpower of that age. I mean, in other words, of the world. This would have been like top of the US, whoever in this age. Covered in detail.

with the listeners, all of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John leading up to it. He just kept telling them the same thing. They still was not believing what he was telling them. Right, but Jesus did the same thing. I was talking recently on the podcast about patience. And I don't know, Zach, have you ever put something off because you just didn't want to deal with it? Oh, yeah. Procrastination. Procrastination.

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so-called powers and so-called gods. Then it was Rome, right? They were the superpowers. It was Rome, man. But I'm even talking about the evil powers that worked. Yeah. There's in Mark 8 and Matthew 16, there's that part where Jesus is asking the disciples, you know, who do people say I am? And they're like, Elijah, John the Baptist. Who do you say I am? And then Peter says, well, you're the Christ.

And Jesus responds to him, yeah, you're right. And upon this rock, I'm going to build my church. But there's an interesting thing about that passage. If you go to Mark 8, you can see it. Jesus actually takes them. First, he heals a blind man. And then he takes them after he heals the blind man to Caesarea Philippi. And it's an interesting place where Jesus...

declares that he's the Christ to the disciples, he takes them to the place that is like this. It's where all the foreign gods were. It's like they had all these, they had 14 temples to Baal set up there over the period of history. The way that that place became called Caesarea Philippi was because it was built by Herod and it was a gift, almost like a shrine to Caesar. And it was there that Christ is like, no, no,

I am Jesus. I am the Christ. And to be the Christ is to be the king. So to your point, I mean, even Jesus was doing this when he was on earth. You know, he was declaring his kingship, his supremacy. All the other gods, you just got to remember, they're gods with a little g. All the other kings are kings with a little k. And Jesus is a God with a big G, the God, and he's a king with a big K, the king.

All right. What I was going to say is before I read the rest of this section, here's where the problem comes in. The problem is just imagine you're in your neighborhood and all of a sudden somebody knocks on your door and they say, look, there's a guy who made me a part of your family. And so I just want to get everything clear as far as inheritance and all that. Well, we're sitting here saying, who are you?

You're not part of my family. Who's this guy you're talking about? It's like, well, he actually created all families and he's just given me access to your family and your inheritance because he's going to bring that up after three. That's why I think it's hard to wrap your head around this. So there he's saying Jesus did this. And where I left off, it says verse 17, he came and preached peace to you who were far away.

And peace to those who were near. So Jews and Gentiles. For through him, we both have access to the father by one spirit. Well, that access to the father means what? We're family here now. We're forever family. So you're no longer foreigners or aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. They're like, but you're not from here.

That's why I brought up. That's why the only thing he could do to explain this, he said repeatedly, mystery, mystery, mystery.

Mystery. Well, we're going to get to that in chapter three because they're like, because that was their defense. They're like, well, when did this happen? Yeah. But it's in the Old Testament letters about Jesus coming and there are hints of those who are far off and the Gentiles being accepted into this. So that's their own fault if they didn't read that. But just to finish this out, it says this verse,

Your fellow citizens, you were foreigners and aliens, and this was built on the apostles, a foundation of the apostles, the prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. That's your Old Testament right there, Jay, because he didn't say just the apostles but the prophets. He throws them in there. This goes way back. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. Well, now when he brings up the temple –

Now we've got another issue, because that was there as a Jew. The temple in Jerusalem was the hub. Yep. And Gentiles weren't even allowed to go in. That's right. Or be a part of it. And they had a lot of their own temples as well. And this is... So all of a sudden, this is what's happened. And I think you can look to our current crisis, you know, when you see that foreigners and aliens. You say, why are people trying to come in this country? Well...

They're because they want a new start or, you know, if you they want to do mischief because they feel like the laws or. Yeah. I mean, there's there's a lot of different reasons. And if you're going to have a country, you have to control the border that or you have what the opposite of peace, which is my point for bringing this up. But so we know in a physical nation what happens when this when this happens. But in the light of what we're talking about.

I do think it's fascinating that this was the plan all along. And I'm not surprised that the Jews are not, they're having trouble going along with this because they're just like, what?

Well, you're going to be part of our nation. I mean, that's what it's the equivalent to. And I think that's one of the reasons that it's. They look over to Gentiles saying no. Exactly. No, we don't want you, which is what I would do if somebody knocked on my door and said, hey, you're not worthy of. We're way past you. But they weren't. Well, they weren't because I think it goes back to this. The mystery that you brought up is that what either God created us all or he didn't.

Either he loves us all or he doesn't. And so I think the theme of this, what you start seeing is that God truly is for everybody here. This was the plan all along. And the mystery is, verse 8, 3 and verse 8, the mystery is that now...

Through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. And I mean, someone reading that would say, say what? Well, that's why I said about the inheritance. They're like, you're heirs. They're going to get what we were going to get. So it's hard to find this peace in practical life. And that's why I said, even today, you got less than 1%.

of people in israel following jesus i was just going to say that it's interesting that verse 8 chapter 3 of ephesians that phil just read about the mystery that's being revealed

It's kind of funny when you think about it, because you go back and read Paul's arguments in Romans and other places, according to the scriptures. We talked about this a lot in the podcast, even Jesus on the road to Emmaus. He showed them the scriptures that Christ had to die and be resurrected. He's using Old Testament scripture. And so when you know this mystery, and then you go back and you read the Old Testament with this mystery now being revealed,

It's kind of like you think, man, how did we miss it? How could anybody have missed it? Because it was there in the literature the entire time. In all of the writings, this was there. In all of the prophets' writings, there was this promise that the temple would be a place for all the nations to come and worship the one true God. And that was the picture that was painted throughout the whole.

entire Old Testament. And so then when you get to Ephesians 3, 8, it's like, I think you should read that. And then you think, oh, the whole thing makes sense now. All of it makes sense now. One of the unique things about our podcast is we get to do it as a family. We've been talking about the idea of family, Jace, the idea of forever family, you know, when we've been studying. And I think that's part of our association of being the family we are and what we've learned kind of plays into that. And it's not easy.

Just because it's hard to get along with humans in general. That's right. Especially when you're living under one roof. So we need help. And sometimes love is tough love. And we've talked about that. That's what families do. One of our favorite family organizations is Focus on the Family. Great organization. Been around a long time. I can remember Lisa and I watching Focus on the Family videos years ago. We were just young parents. So they got a new podcast called

Focus on the family with Jim Daly. Every episode of this podcast is designed to help you confidently guide your loved ones through the unique challenges faced by today's Christian families. And I got to tell you, I'm good friends with Jim Daly. He's a guy that's lived it, but also knows how to teach it. With decades of trusted, compassionate stories of redemption, Jim Daly connects you to biblically sound advice on

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That's Focus on the Family with JimDaily.com. Trust us, you're going to love it. Here's what's interesting, Zach. I think about the argument Jesus had in John 8 when some believed and then he got to tell them about what now they believed in and then they started arguing with him. And they brought up Abraham.

And then he closes with that very dramatic statement. You know, Abraham saw me. He said, he's welcoming. They're like, who are you? What are you talking about? Abraham is way back. And he says, before Abraham was born, I am. So there was your secret. There was a key to a mystery right there. Abraham was the trans. He was the transformational character because he was pre-Judaism.

All the Jews looked back to him, but he was a man of faith who wasn't a part of the Jewish community. And how did this start out? He basically said, hey, I want to use you, God, talking to him. Knock, knock. He said, yeah, I want to save humanity. Will you help me? Sure. I mean, that, you know, then he's all. But it was so simple of a story. He just believed. I think it's fascinating.

Even when the conversation, you can go back and read that, it's fascinating, with the archangel. But Abraham just believed what God said, and he trusted him, even though it looked like there's no way this is going to happen. It's called God's eternal purpose.

Yeah. Which he accomplished in Christ Jesus. So here's what's the eternal purpose. Let me just read this, Phil. I think we should read the next, because I think it gets wonky if we don't. But so in 221, he says, in him the whole building. So it's not a physical temple, because that physical temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70, which is why...

Well, I'm reading Ephesians 2, 21 and 22, but I was just focusing on that in him in 21, first two words and in him, you too. This is a,

This is a temple of people. Yeah, this is something. It's something new. Different colored bricks. But it is a physical temple because our bodies are physical, but it's also spiritual. Well, technically, that's true, but we're embodied beings. If you saw this picture, it's basically saying God doesn't live in church buildings. Yeah.

Or temples. It's not stone. This is a human connection. You have become the building. Yeah. Just to clarify, he doesn't live in temples built by man's hand. He doesn't live in a temple. It's just the one that he built, not the one that you built.

That's it. So then he says, for this reason, I, Paul, chapter 3, as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, surely you've heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you Gentiles.

That is the mystery made known to me by revelation. So God wanted him. Remember, he struck him down on the road and he was going to use him. But this has been in Paul's heart. Kind of like Abraham for everybody, but you had Paul for the Gentiles and I guess Peter for the Jews, you know, when this started in the book of Acts. You got to realize the same people are the last people

2,000 years at least, they still say. Well, yeah, because that's the problem. No way that could be the temple of God. Well, the reason I'm trying to hurry up and read all this is because what you see with the Jews and Gentiles having trouble coming together in Christ, which is very understandable. When I went to Israel, I'm like, it didn't seem like I had a whole lot in common with the Jewish people I met.

And now while I was in Israel, I will say this before I read this. We had people that would get up and speak every day on like on our tour. It was a pretty nice tour I went on. And some people were believers in Jesus and some people were not. But one of the speakers I heard, he said, you want to know why most of these Jews don't

What was the word I'm looking for? Embrace. Yeah. Most of the Jews don't embrace Christians or Jesus as the son of God. And what he said, he had about three or four points. Well, none of it had to do with anything in the Bible. It was basically like he went to Hitler and there was a picture somewhere where Hitler was shaking hands with the Pope at that time.

And so he's like, stuff like that, it doesn't matter what the details were, but it's like if your Christ was, you know, if your belief in that. Like somehow Christianity was embracing of it. Well, right. That's what he said. He said, we're just looking at it. And he told a story of some revolt in 120.

uh, a D where somebody claimed to be the Christ. Well, the Christians backed off, you know, where the Jews, they were upset about that. It was like an alienation. And then all these wars that that's happened on their land in the name of Christianity. Cause what happened was, you know, when, when this one church got started and all of a sudden the powers became corrupt and Jesus wasn't the head, uh,

at Rome, well, they started killing people in the name of Christ. And a lot of Jews died. They're like, we're out, which understandably so. But, you know, the point I was sitting there thinking is, but you've thrown out Jesus because of the people who claim that follow it, which the guy was recognizing that.

So I was just saying this is a difficult thing to explain, but there is a problem. When you read this, we're supposed to be together. That's clear. Jesus has made this where it is possible. So let me read this in verse 4, 3, 4. In reading this, then you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known.

to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. The mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and shares together in the promise in Christ Jesus. There's that in Christ Jesus again. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages was kept hidden in God, who created all things. That's why I said you got to go back to the beginning.

His intent was that now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God and manifold, my translation said, I mean, it's just the different colors or aspects of his wisdom would be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms according to his eternal purpose, which he accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence, which was what we spent the last two podcasts on, which Hebrews...

makes the same identical conclusions. So that's why I was trying to get here. And it was written to a Jewish audience, which is interesting. Yeah. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. Then he says a prayer, but he basically sums it all up in his prayer in the first three chapters because he says, for this reason, I kneel before the Father. Now, there's an interesting phrase.

From whom his whole family or fatherhood in heaven and on earth derives its name. It just shows you that the family human structure was his design all along. We're all humans. We all share humans. And just because you speak a different language and have a different borderline,

He said, I brought everybody together. It's really the answer to when we see what I use as illustration at what's the problem with our country and illegal aliens. And then the people who try to get here legally, which I'm very familiar with that process. You can't you you can't get it. It's just maddening that the best way to get in the country is just jump a fence.

And, you know, for whatever. But here God has the ultimate plan. There's no walls here. He tore the wall down. There's no hostility. There's a place to gather all together. So then it says, I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you being rooted and established, we're back to where we started in Ephesians 1.4. In love may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immensely more than all we ask or imagine according to his power that is at work within us, him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. So the reason we read the whole section is because most people go here and

And read this prayer because it's a beautiful prayer. There's all kinds of things. One of the best in the whole scripture. But really, he's doing it because it's so hard for people to come together. Look, if you look that up on the internet, bringing people together, you will have thousands, tens of thousands of articles written. You know why? It's the hardest thing.

thing to pull off. We just can't get along.

That's right. And so in Christ, he has made the impossible possible. This is the only way you're doing it. Yeah. And it's interesting, Jase, because when you look at the way this scripture, this letter was structured in chapter 3, verse 1, for this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles. And then there's a, in our translation, there's a little dash there.

Because then he goes into the description in 2 through 13, and then he comes back in 14 into this prayer and says, and he repeats what he said at the beginning, for this reason I kneel before the Father. And the point of that, I believe, is as you're writing, I've done this before, you start a thought, and then you say, oh, and then you put in the description you're trying to tell about, and then he picked his thought back up, and he went into this prayer. And the reason why is just what you described. This is not easy.

to try to bring together all of humanity under one thing. I mean, you're right. We can't even come together in one country. Oh, we, and that's what, look, Zach's going to Costa Rica. Why? He's going to go tell them, look, we're one in Christ. We're brothers in sin. There's no, I mean, yeah. And all the places we've been, I mean, you think about, we've been to Haiti and Africa and all over the world. But I think that, um, what, what makes it difficult is, uh,

that what we're being called to, I'm not going to say abandon our allegiances to other things. Cause we, I mean, like I have an allegiance to my town. I'm proud to be from here. I'm involved in the community. I'm proud to be part of my state. I'm proud to be part of my country. These are, these are allegiance. I'm proud of, I'm proud to be a Florida Gator fan, although it's been really difficult the last several years, but you know, but these are like, there's nothing wrong with those allegiances, but when it becomes a problem,

is when my allegiance becomes my... Those become primary over allegiance to the kingdom of God. And that's the problem. And I mean, this is an issue in our culture. And I think it's when we start to put our allegiance primarily to being a Jew or Gentile or whatever it is, Floridian or Louisiana or Texan or whatever. If that's my primary allegiance, then what happens is...

The ends will justify the means by which I position whatever it is I'm trying to accomplish. And in God's economy, in God's kingdom, that's not the case, man. God's bringing people into just this oneness. They're still Gentile. They're still Jewish. They're not abandoning that. That's the whole point, is that you have diversity and unity in the same thing. The same thing with the Godhead. The son is not the father.

They're not the same person. And the father's not the son, right? But yet they're one. So it's diversity and unity. So what you're seeing in Ephesians is actually just a further unfolding and revelation of who God is. And I think that's what makes the book of Genesis interesting.

come alive so much. You mentioned this at the beginning of the podcast, Jay, is because when you look back at creation, you see peace, you see family, you see openness, you see a oneness with God. You don't see any of the division. What changed? A decision to now make my own God. And

And in the case in the garden, it was to make me my own God. And that's still part of the same thing you see today. So that brought the division. To bring peace back, you start seeing what God did for the rest of that book and then on through the rest of the Bible. I mean, it was pretty much. Yeah. I mean, there's a lot of things that we need to talk about in here. But if you don't have the foundation of this, that we're united in Jesus, because when he gets to us having this spirit of unity in chapter four and verse two,

And you go back and read what the problems are, and I want to do this whole thing about when you see religious groups or even Christian groups having these signs of being what the world calls a cult, which are dangerous or whatever. And we have them all around us. You see how it happens in here when they start isolating themselves from other people. Well, it's the exact opposite of what Jesus did.

And when you're not focused on Jesus, I mean, how much does Paul have to stress that this is all about in Christ? About 20 plus dimensions in the first two chapters. He just keeps saying it, you know, and there's a detachment, you know, and he said it's this love of Christ surpasses knowledge. And so basically we start, you know, having these little temple churches crop up.

all over the world, and they kind of function like the Jewish system, which is what they were saying to the Gentiles is, okay, you can come in and be a part of us, but you got to do, all right, number one, you got to be circumcised. You need to start doing the rituals. That's what Paul was addressing. Nope. The Gentiles should say, and they did, Jesus said, I'm in, and I don't have to do all that stuff.

I mean, that's basically, I don't have to look like you and do your culture, traditions. And so, and meanwhile, you know, they were having difficulty with that. But this is the way to bring all people together in Jesus. No, it's so good. And there's so much stuff in here for us to unpack. We'll be here for a while, I'm sure. But we're out of time right now. So we'll see you next time on Unashamed with a very special guest.

that we mentioned earlier. So we'll see you next time on Unashamed.