"A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTS" - Chapter 9, Part 1 - Bro. John "Ernie" Perez

Sit around the table with us as we continue to dig into "A Simple Presentation into The Book of ACTS" with Bro. Ernie.

Saul of Tarsus is convinced he’s doing God a favor, until a light brighter than daylight knocks him to the ground and a voice asks one piercing question: “Why are you persecuting me?” That moment on the road to Damascus is more than a dramatic conversion story. It’s a warning about misplaced zeal, a comfort for anyone who has been targeted, and an invitation to surrender with the simplest prayer we can pray: “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

We sit around the table and keep our study moving through Acts 9:1–16, connecting the early church’s persecution to the way faith gets tested in every generation. We recap how Philip’s obedience carried the gospel from Jerusalem into Samaria and beyond, and how God sometimes redirects us from visible success to a desert road assignment with eternal purpose. Then we slow down over Saul’s “Lord” language, the shock of Jesus naming Himself, and the truth that Christ takes what happens to His people personally.

From Saul’s three day blindness and fasting to Ananias’ fear and obedience, we talk about step by step guidance, repentance that costs something, and what it means to be a “chosen vessel.” We also wrestle honestly with suffering, persecution, and why we must watch our words toward believers and toward anyone made in God’s image. If you’ve ever needed a reset, a reality check, or a fresh hunger to see people encounter Jesus, this study will meet you there.

Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review so more people can find Simple Discipleship Unfiltered. What part of Saul’s story feels most like a mirror for your life right now? (*Recorded 2/23/2026)

Ways to Give at www.m3mi.org...Thank you for your seed!  :)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hey y'all, welcome to Simple Scientist Unfiltered. I'm your host, Sister Diamond. Thank you so much for joining me on this journey today. Can we be real? It's not always easy, but you are not. So grab me a drink. Grab me a snack. Let's open the word and see what Jesus has to say today. Hey, welcome to Simple Discipleship Bunfiltered. I'm your host, Sister Diana. Thank you so much for joining us today. And I've got all the folks around the table today as we continue our study into a simple presentation of the book of Acts in chapter 9, part one. Welcome this morning, Brother Ernie. Good morning. Sister Ann.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Good morning.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Mama.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Hello.

Finding Hope In World Upheaval

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Sister Audia. Who looks like a little Eskimo wrapped up all in her little blanket right now? Let's see. I got Sister Joyce. Hello. Sister Helen. Hi. Sister Tammy. Hi. And Sister Sandy. Good morning. All right. Good to good to have everybody here today as we're we're classes starting again as we're going into this on the book of Acts. But I'm going to ask you, Brother Ernie, a lot of things going on. I hope Mexico things going on right now. Of course, we want to pray for all the families there. We personally have family there. What would you say to people that are just feeling it right now, you know, with everything? I mean, there's just a whole lot, the whole Iran situation that's in limbo. And what would you say to people right now?

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Two things.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:51

That I think we have to always remember because the world is always in upheaval somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Somewhere.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

So the promise for the believer that all things work together for the good of them that love God, who are called according to his purpose. And the other thing is, no matter what's happening, the world is rotating in the direction like it's rotating on the axis. We're rotating in the direction of the return of Jesus Christ. And so there's going to be a certain amount of upheaval and sorrow. This just isn't heaven. You know, we're we're a footstep from hell and a heartbeat from heaven. So you just got to hold to God's unchanging hand and depend on him because nothing happens without him understanding it. I mean it all sometimes it looks horrible when you think about what Israel went through leaving Egypt, when they went through under the captivity of the Assyrians and then the Babylonians and then the Roman Empires. All those things were shaping the world for Jesus to come the first time. For him to come the second time.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So good advice. Good, good, good. All right, y'all, y'all ready to learn? Everybody got their notebooks, got their worksheets, got their pens, got the word, and here we go.

Saul’s Warrants And Violent Persecution

The Blinding Light And One Question

SPEAKER_02 3:23

Okay, this morning we'll be reading from Acts chapter 9. In just a few minutes, we'll read the first 16 verses, and then, as is our habit, we'll go back and go over them again and give you our commentary on what we think we're learning there. As far as what we've done so far, our little recap, Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, has chronicled many things, and now he's followed the ministry of Philip, who was originally a deacon, becomes an evangelist. Philip is first recognized as a man full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom in Acts chapter 5, verses 3 through 6. He is among the seven men of like reputation among the new believers that were selected to oversee the administrative needs of the church. The congregation or the membership selected them, the apostles ratified it, lay hands on them, and they were commissioned to oversee the administrative needs of the church. Now, like his contemporary Stephen, Philip, though he appears to be a deacon, has also developed the ministry of an evangelist. And due to Saul of Tarsus instituting a reign of terror, scripture calls it persecution, against all the believers, those that followed this new way. They left Jerusalem. Most of the believers and the apostles stayed there, kept their headquarters there, and a small group of believers, but Philip, he leaves. There's no need for him anymore. There's no need for the deacons in Jerusalem to fulfill those administrative needs because the church, by and large, is dispersed. So there's not a huge group of people needing to be fed. So now Philip goes down to Samaria and there launches a very successful soul-winning campaign. We covered that in Acts chapter 8. We see in Samaria multitudes of healings and deliverance in the name of Jesus. Even the super affluent Simon the Sorcerer comes to Christ. He's baptized in the name of Jesus. And as a result of this extremely successful campaign for Christ by Philip, the apostles in Jerusalem take some action. Peter and John are assigned to travel to Samaria. Their purpose for being in Samaria is revealed as they pray for and lay hands on the new believers, because it is then that the new believers begin to experience the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Until then, they had been repented, they had been delivered, they had been water baptized, but for whatever reason, their faith had not risen to the place where they understood, this is for me. And Philip evidently needed some help from other ministries. And so it's good that the church works together as a team. So by apostolic edict, Peter and John go down, pray for them, and these new believers all start receiving the Holy Ghost. Now, as Philip is ministering in Samaria, the angel of the Lord speaks to him. And Philip is instructed to leave an extremely successful place of ministry and travel to a stretch of highway that lies between Jerusalem and Gaza. And this is desert territory. Philip's where the revival is happening, as it were, where everything is going on, and God says, You're going someplace else. There's a lesson for us there. We're here to do the bidding of the Lord. And Philip leaves his very successful ministry and goes out to the desert of all places. Now, because he is obedient, Philip will meet and successfully minister salvation to the first Gentile to be saved. This man is a eunuch, he's of great authority, he is the personal treasurer of all the wealth of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. He's riding in his chariot, he's returning to Ethiopia after worshiping Jerusalem. But his life is suddenly changed by an encounter with Philip, who God had to send him out to the desert to meet this fellow. Wherever God sends you, there's purpose in the going. And I know it's hard to imagine, and maybe for us culturally, but I was thinking of a couple of very successful ministers that my wife and I knew many years ago, each one in a very successful ministry. And up in years, left, left the church in the hands of another pastor, and went to start a church. Left their businesses that they had built in those towns to support their ministry, moved to a new town where there was no one and began building God's work. Somebody has to plant in order for churches to grow. And Philip, being obedient to the Lord, could be told, Leave this place of success, Philip, and go where I send you, and do what I tell you. So as we close out Acts chapter 8, we're now in nine, and we're going to read the first 16 verses. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed and came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man, but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street, which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem, and here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. So we'll go back now and we'll read a few verses, talk about our observations, give you a little commentary, reiterating something you've heard many times. I do not consider myself the pearl of all wisdom regarding scripture. I'll just give you the best I can and hope that it inspires you to draw closer to the Lord and to enjoy the word of the Lord. Okay, so if you disagree with me, that's fine. I'm not doing this to get you to agree. But if your disagreement makes you study the word of God and draw closer to him, that is fabulous. Okay. So I'm going to read verses one and two now. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. So here we are. There's revival going on in Samaria. It's terrific, it's powerful. There's been persecution in Jerusalem. And Saul is just, Saul of Tarsus is just going wild. His constant threatenings and persecution. And note in the scripture the use of the word slaughter. Breathing out threatenings and slaughter. When a group of people go into a community and commit slaughter, that word is used to describe acts of indiscriminate murder. They do more than torment. They do more than torture. They do more than pillage. They murder. And Paul would testify to these actions he himself as a participant. So we'll turn first to Acts chapter 22. And this is Paul giving his testimony in Jerusalem. He has an opportunity to speak. And there's, of course, where he goes, there's riot or revival, right? So he's speaking to the crowd, and I'm going to read the first five verses. Paul speaks and says, Men and brethren and fathers, hear ye my defense, which I make now unto you. And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silent, and he saith, I am verily a man which am a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God as ye are all this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders from whom I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished. So Paul is about to be in a Roman prison. And he's about to be on trial. And he is testifying to the Jews who have turned on him hey, I used to be just like you. You don't like me because of my faith. I did worse than this. I did this. He says, Let me let me get it. I was zealous toward God as ye are today. The end of verse 3 and verse 4, and I persecuted this way unto the death. People died as a result of my persecutions. But now he's following that way. We'll also look in the book of Galatians. And we'll look at the first chapter. Paul writing to the Galatian church is going to talk about himself a little bit in verses 13 and 14. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. And profited in the Jews' religion above my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of the fathers. He's admitting to the church, this is who I was. I persecuted the church beyond measure and wasted it. If you attack a city when Nebuchadnezzar and his army and Nebuchadnezzar went into Jerusalem and wasted it, what was left? What was left alive? Only a few people. Those who weren't captive were killed, and the few poor that were left were sent to live out in the countryside. Paul said, I wasted the church of God. And now here he is in Damascus. He's received letters from the high priest, in particular Caiaphas, who is the high priest, the same high priest who paid the soldiers at the tomb of Jesus to lie. He is perpetrating the lie. He is the one who gave authority to Saul of Tarsus to travel all the way to Damascus. Now, this is a city in Syria. This is not in Israel or in Judah. It is a major center of commerce in the Roman Empire. And evidently there is a large Jewish population there because there's synagogues in the city. And Saul sees an opportunity to go there and to wreak havoc among any of the Jews there that are followers of this way, meaning have committed themselves to following Christ. So he's not satisfied with wreaking havoc in the church in Jerusalem and in Judah. Wherever people are, Jews in particular, who are turning to Christ, he's ready to see them incarcerated, beaten, taxed, fined, have their homes confiscated, even executed, men and women. How raging mad was this man? How consumed was he with the hatred of the things of Christ and the people of Christ. So we're going to start reading again. We're going to read verses three and through five. And as he, that is Saul, as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. So as Saul and his company, his companions, I don't know how many people he took with him, but remember he went with warrants, as it were, to arrest any Jews who had begun to follow Jesus, begin to embrace the apostles' doctrine. So he traveled with a group, and as he's traveling, suddenly a light shining from heaven. The light was so bright and so powerful that it was determined this light must be shining from heaven. And it knocked him to the ground, and we'll read that it blinded him. Then, on top of that, Saul hears a voice saying to him, Questioning him. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting him? So this is in the daytime. A light so bright it knocked him to the ground. Was he riding a mule or a horse or being pulled in a wagon? Or was he just walking along? It doesn't matter. It's forced him to the ground.

unknown 22:18

I'm not quite sure about a button.

Lord Means God And Jesus Answers

Jesus Takes Persecution Personally

Blindness Fasting And Ananias Sent

Chosen Vessel And The Cost Of Calling

SPEAKER_02 22:20

And I don't know what the people who were with him thought about that. But he struck to the ground and he hears the voice. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Now Saul is most definitely dazed and oriented. But he asked aloud, Who are you, Lord? This tells me he has recognized this is a heavenly light. This is supernatural. It's so bright during the day. It supersedes daylight. It diminishes daylight. And Saul, in his condition, still has the good sense to ask out loud, who are you, Lord? This is such an important question. Because you'll see the word that Saul uses, Lord, the translator, writes down the Lord with the capital L. That's the word Saul used. In the Hebrew, it would have been Adonai. In other words, recognizing that this is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But he's admitting something, even though I believe that's who it is. I don't know who you are. Remember, God had how many names in the Old Testament? He had a lot of names, but a personal name that identified him expressly was never given. All names had to do with the relationship that God had established with him and someone else. Like I'm the God who hears. We called him the God who hears or the God who sees. Or they called him the I am, the God which was and is and is to come. That's what Jehovah is. So it's not like he had a name like Molech, like Dagon, like Kemosh. No, no. That was a name like Ralph is a name. God didn't have that name. He hadn't expressed that name yet. So I checked in five different translations in the New Testament to see if all the translators use the capital L. Because you know, sometimes in different translations you get the translators choose different things. But in the five translations I checked, the word Lord is spelled with a capital L. And if you go to Deuteronomy chapter 6 to understand, this is Paul's culture. This is what he was raised studying and had to learn. He had to be able to repeat a large portion of Deuteronomy chapter 6 at his what they call today bar mitzvah, when he became a man. It was called the Shema. And so we'll look at Deuteronomy chapter 6. We're going to read the first six verses. Moses speaking to the nation of Israel. Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land whither you go to possess it, that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, and to keep all his commandments and statutes, all his statutes and his commandments, which I commanded thee, thou and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life, and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it, that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might, and these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and every Hebrew boy had to memorize all of that. Had to quote it from memory. Now, six times in Deuteronomy 1 through 6, the capital letter L is used with the word Lord. Six times it is used to identify the one true God. Now these are the statutes and the commandments which the Lord your God commanded you. Six times to identify Lord as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Saul being a Pharisee, educated in Jerusalem, at the feet of Gamaliel, who calls himself a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He knows this. He knows not to use that word Lord, recognizing anyone other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It's been ingrained in him. It's one of the main reasons he rejects Jesus. So as to keeping the law of Moses, he considers himself blameless. Let's look at Philippians. Philippians chapter 3, if you'd like to turn there. Oh, I kept. Hey, the eighth day, my parents made sure that I received the sign of the covenant. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel I can trace my pure bloodline lineage of the tribe of Benjamin. I know who my ancestors are. And Hebrew of the Hebrews. Y'all think those people are walking in the law, but I am a Hebrew of Hebrews. I've got the reputation as touching the law of Pharisee. Hey, not everybody rises to be a Pharisee, but I did. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law. Blameless. As far as anybody could see, Paul said, You can't point at me and say he violated the law. This is who is saying, Lord, Lord, who art thou? This makes me think when Saul fell to the ground because of this great light, that he understands this light is from heaven. He is anticipating, he is encountering the one true God because it's a light that dwarfs the light of daylight. How bright did that have to be? Verse five. I'm gonna read verse five through. Oh, just verse five, I'm sorry. Acts chapter 9, verse 5. All right, let's look at this. And he said, Saul, who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. So Saul responds to the voice by asking, Who are you, Lord? He is rightly anticipating the answer will be from the God of Abraham. Imagine his shock when the voice responds, I am Jesus, who you are persecuting. Jesus makes Saul admit to himself that his action toward the believers are actually actions against his very own conscience and against the God of Abraham. How personal does Jesus take it when his children are persecuted? He said, Saul, you're persecuting me. Why are you doing it? But Jesus had ascended. He was no longer on the cross. No one was going to whip him, no one was going to slap him, no nails, no suffering, no agony. He is the risen king, redeemer. And he says, Why are you persecuting me? How personal does God take it? Be careful. Be careful if you're upset, especially with believers. Be careful what you say against the church. Because Jesus says you're persecuting him. See, you can say things to oh, I've said things to people that I have regretted because Jesus loved them. And I had to eat my words. Imagine the shock of Saul of Tarsus. He's been incarcerating men and women. Their property is seized. They're paying huge fines. They're being whipped, beaten, imprisoned, some of them executed, men and women. And Jesus is telling him, I take that personal. What you did to them, you've done to me. Doesn't that go along with what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew in the in the Beatitudes? If you've done it unto the least of these, you've done it unto me. Be careful. You know, even if I don't like what politicians say, I have to be careful in my criticism of them. I need to let it be a little bit humorous because if I become serious, whether I like it or not, human beings are made in the image of God. And James said, you would never curse God, but you'll curse man, humanity, who's made in the similitude of God. That is, they're made in the image of God, and you're not ashamed to curse them. You need to take a second look at yourself. We're not supposed to be as the world is. We don't return cursing for cursing or railing for railing. That does not reflect the Savior who prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And Saul is going through so many things in his mind right now. Verse 6. Verse 6, and he trembling and astonished, I guess so. Said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Saul is trembling. Yeah. Yeah, he shook up all right. He knows he is face to face with his God. Furthermore, his God has just identified himself as Jesus and says, By the way, Saul of Tarsus, you've been attacking me. How does Saul of Tarsus feel at this time? What are his possible thoughts? Oh, too many to imagine. I believe he fell under the fear of God. The fear of the Lord. If there's anything we ought to fear, it's disappointing God. It's putting ourselves in a place where God has to turn his precious face away from us that we might experience judgment. Paul was trembling. Yes, all of Tarsh, just trembling. Tell you something, in my mind, he knows he's finished with terrorizing the followers of Jesus. That's a snap decision. That's a reflex. That's like you jabbed him with a pin and he jumped. Now he just needs to know what to do going forward. So I don't know what he expected Jesus to say, but I want you to notice what Jesus says carefully. Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. You know, Saul wanted to hear a lot more than that. Go into the city, and I'll give you instructions there. After all of that, that's all you're gonna say to me? Verse 7. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. Paul later testifies they didn't understand the voice, but they heard it. They recognized there's this voice booming out of nowhere. Saul of Tarsus has hit the ground. He's been thrown to the ground. I don't know how many of them saw the light, but they saw Saul of Tarsus hit the ground. They heard this booming voice, but they didn't see anybody. It was spooky Tuesday. They were shook up. You just want to walk into your house and hear a voice from nowhere booming. My buddy John, who who uh lived with me for a little while before the wife and I got married, he roomed with me. And he was a big fella, he's about 6'6, 6'7. Big old farm boy from Pennsylvania. And one night he thought it would be funny to sneak in and scare me. And he succeeded. He scared me. I heard him coming through the door, and things sound to me like he was creeping, and I got up, and I don't know where I got it, but I had a softball bat. And so I crept down the hall in the dark, holding up the bat, not knowing if some guy with muscles in his eyebrows was standing there. He's so big, you know. It's I don't know if it's a crackhead. I've just got to go and need them and help them up. I am scared. And flip on the light, and it's John. And he sees the bat. And I want you to know his eyes opened up. And he threw up his hand and say, Whoa, whoa! It's just a joke. He's I was just trying to scare you. It worked. You scared the living daylights out of me. How do you think these men felt when they hit the ground? Saul hits the ground. I wonder how many of them crumbled. This is no small event. All right, reading. Again, picking up at verse 8. Reading 8 and 9. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. That light was so bright it blinded him. But they led him by the hand. Okay, he couldn't see. And brought him into Damascus, and he was there three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. So his blindness was real. And the only instruction he got was go on into town. He's been struck to the ground. He's heard this voice. He knows he's dealing with God. He knows he's been in trouble. He says, Lord, just tell me what to do. And for three days he fasts. Full fast. No eating, no drinking, doesn't see a thing. You think he was praying? You think he was re-examining his life? Starting with verse 10. And I'll read 10 through 12. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias, and he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight. All right. Here he is. We know now what he's doing for those three days and three nights that he's fasting and he's in the dark and he's totally blind. He's praying and he's seen a vision. And get this, he's seen in the vision a man named Ananias. And at the same time, God is talking to Ananias. He said, You're gonna go here. He gives him the street address. He knows exactly where to go. He walks in, he prays for Saul, and I'm certain that Ananias had a lot of questions. Lord, did you miss the 6 o'clock news? Don't you know who this guy is? He goes there to lay hands on him. He doesn't want, oh, Ananias advises the Lord. Verse 13, you need to know all about it. But Jesus knows best. So Ananias is sent to pray for Saul anyway. Jesus tells Ananias, Saul is a special vessel. Verse 16, he's gonna learn something very important. This is a shocker to me. He says to Ananias, Jesus says, I'm gonna show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. Are you called to ministry? Say that. Those disciples in in the book of Acts, they found out, many of them, the overwhelming majority, what it means to suffer great things for the name of Jesus. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 12, son, you need to understand, all that live godly shall suffer persecution. So when things are going totally south for you, think about how close to Jesus are you. Because the closer you get, the more the enemy can't stand it. We'll pick up next week with verse 17. Alrighty, so that'll that'll be the end of this part. Thank you for your kind attention, and we'll look forward to the next lesson. The Lord bless you real good in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_00 43:47

All right, brother. Thank you so much. I'm feeling really close to Jesus. Uh if persecution is a is a uh prerequisite for being close to Jesus, I think we can all say we're feeling pretty close.

SPEAKER_02 44:00

to the Lord, you know, we but you know how much how much less is our persecution than what went on in the book of Acts.

SPEAKER_00 44:08

You know, our ours is just, you know. And we want to be that we want to be that book of Acts church? Yeah. Do we? That's the question, right? That's what we're praying. We want to, but we want to do it without the persecution, right? Can't we just be close to Jesus without uh without having a song?

SPEAKER_02 44:27

That that's what we're all hoping. But you know, Lord, we pray we have the integrity and the faith to hang in there anyway, like these believers in the book of Acts did. No persecution turned them away from following Jesus. No level of persecution small or great stopped them.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

I mean that just has to tell you I mean that should that should just redefine our faith right because that tells you what they saw. They saw Jesus was resurrected. Yes they they literally saw it that they it radically changed them from the ones that left and dispersed you know at the crucifixion because you know they're going back fishing. I'm just going fishing you know but then when they see a resurrected Savior and Jesus comes back all the things that he had told them now he knows they know it to be true and it so changed them that they were willing to go through the persecution for his name.

SPEAKER_02 45:33

And you know Paul tells the church at Corinthians and I don't know if it's in the first letter it might be 1 Corinthians 15 where he says when Jesus rose from the dead not only was he seen by all of the apostles and you know Mary Magdalene and that that group but he said by above 500 at one time. Yeah yeah above 500 and then he said last of all by me and you know what's exciting there are people today who can testify that they have seen the risen Savior.

Table Talk On Suffering And Witness

SPEAKER_00 46:09

Yeah they've encountered him some of the testimonies from former Muslims I had a dream yeah we I saw Jesus yeah we still we're still hearing that like we still when we were listening to some of the people that we were that we watch just and that's part of the prayer that we pray as intercessors right is they have an experience with Jesus if we can't reach them with just a word let them have an experience with Jesus amen that's gonna change and and just you know a Damascus road experience and it it is happening in our day we don't think of it much here in the USA yeah but I know people who could give this testimony yeah you know yeah and and you if you testify like that people think well you're trying to build yourself up no it has nothing to do with that it has everything to do with that Jesus is still faithful and still revealing himself but I think that that goes along with the conversation you were having about how we need to watch our words especially against people say Muslims or whatever around us is that if if we can't be the witness right then we need to pray for them to receive a witness. Our goal shouldn't be to to continue the separation between the two of us we should have a hunger for God's children that he has for his children. In other words we should care about their soul like he cares about their soul and you know so we have to pray that way you know like like he would I I will tell you from personal experience when you drop your watermelon in a situation like that and God brings your awareness to it that'll break your heart.

SPEAKER_02 48:08

I have turned and walked away from people to have God smite my heart and break me down in tears letting me know you did that to me. You thought you was making yourself known to that brother or that sister you did that to me we have to understand God knows what it is to have a disappointed heart. That's why he said to Israel you've played the harlot in other words you've hurt me like a cheating wife has hurt her husband.

SPEAKER_00 48:45

God's saying I feel that don't we make him feel the same way oh I mean right sometimes we always want to say how dumb was Israel that they just kept on and on and on and on and on and then we go and Israel is prophet Israel is prophetic of the church.

SPEAKER_02 49:04

Yeah yeah we we're this is how come we have to stay repentant yeah because I don't know I I I have I've had my foot in my mouth so many times I probably should have just learned to gargle with Absorbine Jr.

SPEAKER_00 49:23

You know and and repent and had to say God I goofed up I I I had no right to say that you know I had no right to say it oh one of my friends said uh uh he said uh I'm buying peppermint socks he's tired of having his foot in his we can make these mistakes yeah we do it's why it's why we're so blessed to have a savior who is forgiving and compassionate yeah yeah yeah well thank you so much as such a great lesson such a great lesson and I thought I think we all can see ourselves you know at one time or another being in that place where Jesus just had to get our attention you know I mean it wasn't that he wasn't trying to reach us all along it but there was just a point in all of our life here that I know around the table.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Well didn't David say the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord? Yeah that means if you're on the job and the boss is really getting under your skin instead of cussing the boss we need to go say Jesus what's going on that this person has to talk to me this way what's going on in my life am I provoking this?

Closing Thanks And How To Support

SPEAKER_00 50:38

Yeah intentionally or unintentionally yeah sometimes we want other people to change and and really it's us that needs to make the modification right oh I I I yeah I won't say it I won't I that there I it's on the tip of my tongue but I I feel like it would not be apropos. Right I know what you're saying I know what you're saying. All right y'all it's been a good study and thank y'all for coming and joining us and being around the table I love each and every one of you I'm happy to share this day with y'all and and so grateful that uh for the for the wonderful food that I can smell in the background. God has been good to us. You know the people listening can't smell it I'm sorry for them. You're trying to make them hungry I'm sorry for them but you know I'm I'm thinking of me right now but anyway I love you guys we're so thankful for the support for everybody that uh helps to support this product broadcast but please go like and share it there's a video that you can see of of this act study on YouTube. Please go to Simple Discipleship Unfiltered and please follow and share and like there share it on your Facebook pages your Instagrams whatever you can do please you please do that and so we're gonna end with our slogan ready go show some love show some compassion give mercy and go be Jesus today hey SDU family if you have enjoyed this podcast today would you please like follow and share our podcast link and we would love to hear your feedback and your podcast topic suggestions. To do that simply go to our website at www.m3mi.org scroll to the more tab and select contact us also if SDU has been a blessing to you you can also go to our website and select sow a seed there are several ways that you can give whether it's Zell, Venmo, Cash App, or there's an address to send a check or money order. All your gifts are tax deductible and we thank you so much for sowing your seed with us. I want you to remember this a wise person once said that a person has given you their time they've given you their most precious gift because they can never ever get it back. Thank you for sharing this day with me. We love you we'll see you soon