17. From Murderer to Apostle — What Made Paul Uncommon

The Apostle Paul went from actively hunting and consenting to the deaths of Christians to writing nearly half the New Testament. In this episode, we break down what actually made Paul an Uncommon Man: his laser focus on the mission God gave him, his refusal to be defined by his past, his adaptability in impossible circumstances, and a joy that was less spiritual sentiment and more outright defiance. If you've ever thought you've gone too far or messed up too much, Paul's story is a direct answer to that lie.

Every Yes by Jen Matthews

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Transcript

Welcome And Warm Up

Devin 0:10

Welcome to the Uncommon Man podcast. We are your host, Devin Jeffries, alongside a very good friend of mine, Mr. John Pierce. How the heck are you today, buddy?

Jon 0:19

I am better than I deserve. And I agree with that.

Devin 0:23

Um, you know, deserve death and all. Wow. Starting off with a bang here. Yep. All right. We didn't even make it what 20 seconds and you sunk us. Good job. That was like 10. Okay. Wonderful. Oh my goodness. All right. Anyway, so um you having a good week, man. Everything good for you. Yeah. Good. As good as it can be at

Correcting The Keanu Reeves Take

Devin 0:46

the moment. I do need to um retract something from our questions episode. I made the comment when we were talking about the movies, and we were talking about like our favorite movies and all that. I made the comment that the world was introduced to Keanu Reeves on The Matrix. Um, I was wrong. There is exactly one person that listened to the podcast that he's. And I'm still gonna disagree with that person. The world the world was introduced to Keanu Reeves with speed. Oh. But I've never heard of the bus the bus blowing up and uh Sandra Bullock's in it. You've never seen speed? Wait, I thought that was I thought that was Jason Stathan.

Jon 1:28

No, well, wait, no, no, no. That was the that was a different movie with the same sort of vibe. I hate the word vibe, but you know what I mean. Uh no, it was That was the one where he had the he had to get inject, he had the I don't remember. Yeah, you you No, there was a there was a bus in that episode too.

Devin 1:46

Yeah, no, this is Speed is Sandra Bowl again. But anyways, I found out speed came out before the matrix, and uh that that was really kind of what launched him. And in my opinion, that's what did it. Go argue with the wall if you disagree. But you were introduced to counterreads through the matrix. No, no, through speed. Oh, through speed. I I thought for some reason that speed came after the matrix, and and it did not. I was wrong on that note. So, you know, being an uncommon man, I gotta admit whenever I'm wrong, right? I mean, yes. Oh man. So I I real quick before we dive into this episode, there's more.

Airport Small Talk Gone Wrong

Devin 2:29

By the oh yeah, I know there is more. Because um, as you know, I I traveled to Phoenix this last week, and there was uh uh a certain etiquette that was broken by this woman in the airport. So if you are not aware, the etiquette of the airport is you don't talk to the person you don't know. Right? Like that's just what I mean. Some people do. I mean sure. Okay. So there's this woman that at 5 30 in the morning she has decided to engage in conversation with the guy next to me. Thank God I was left out of this because not and this dude, by the way, was not having this conversation. Like he never not one time walked up from his phone. And then she gets sat two rows behind me on the plane. Now I'm watching Lone Survivor on my iPad. All right, it's like two-hour flights, two hour movie, we're good to go, right? And I hear this woman over my airpods, over the sound of a war movie telling the entire airplane what she was doing. Like everybody, number one, cared. But then number two, um, I found out she was going to Hawaii to visit a friend. And I didn't realize at the time, but I had put my bag in the compartment right above her. So I go to retrieve my bag after the airplane has landed, and uh she is looking down, and then uh, like she's not paying attention to the fact that I'm closer to her than me and you are at this table right now. We can almost smell each other's coffee spread. She was on the out seat. She was on the eyes, and I was reaching above her. Yes, I put on deodorant. I was reaching above her to get my bag, and she's looking down, not paying attention to the fact that I'm trying to reach above her. And I get the bag and I said, Excuse me, ma'am, I'm so sorry. Let me just grab this real quick right here. And then she looks, she's still looking down. She looks up, she makes direct eye contact, eye contact with me. And then she just she goes, Oh, wow, you're cute. Okay, anyways, and then bolts off the plane. Like I've never seen it. All right, that serious, dead serious. That was the exact same look that I had. And so let me set this like, okay, this is like mid-50s bleach blonde hair, insanely red lipstick, like Barbie doll, uh Barbie aged. You see what I'm saying? Barbie aged. Okay. And um, we're good, we're now we've moved to uh waiting to get our bags. And the woman who was sitting with her just turns around, she looks dead at me. She said, Did that woman say to you what I think she said to you? I said, What do you think she said to me? She said, Did she say that you were cute and then walked away? And I said, Yes, yes, she did. And she goes, and you're married because I see the ring on your finger. And I went, Mm-hmm. And she goes, Well, don't worry. I got her whole life story for the entire two-hour plane ride. And I was like, Yeah, I did not envy you. Um, so I immediately get off the phone. Oh, or I'm sorry, get off the plane, and uh I call my wife to let her know that I landed. And then I was like, Hey, by the way, baby, she goes, Yeah, I said, I just want to let you know I still got it. She goes, she goes, What are you talking about? And I was like, I don't know, but this mid-50s cougar on the plane um said that I was cute and then walked away. I still got it. She goes, All right, babe, I'll see you when you fly back home. She was like, Yeah, okay. I thought it was so, anyways,

Why Break Down Bible Lives

Devin 6:29

yeah, funny. So, anyways, John and I are back for uh episode 17. If you've made it this long, congratulations. Uh, episode 17, um, still working on a coffee sponsor. I'm given this um Japanese looking mug out of Starbucks. I remember you talking about it. Yeah, I got it in Japan. Yeah, it it's weird-looking mug. I just need you to know that.

Jon 6:53

Why is it weird? It's got Japanese things on it, like Mount Fuji. Why there's a cat, I don't know, but and fish and ramen, and now I'm hungry.

Devin 7:03

All right, anyways, so episode 17. Oh man. Paul. Paul, so so this this episode is kind of brought because we got some very good feedback on the episode that we did about David. And that, what a lot of people may not know, that podcast was recorded months ago and was kind of reserved, like in the case. They know I put it in the episode. Okay, cool. It it kind of put in the bank, you know, so to speak, like we'll pull this one out whenever whenever the Lord reveals that it's time.

Jon 7:37

Like we recorded it and we were like, I don't know about this one. It doesn't really have a topic. Like it had a topic, it was just David. And we're like, what is what are we trying to say here? And we it was just we were talking about David, and that was pretty much it. And truth be told, both of us thought it sucked.

Devin 7:50

I did when we got done. No, both of us did. And then we put it out there, and everybody came back and was like, No, man, that was an awesome episode. So they like they loved it. So we said, Okay, well, what if every now and then we just kind of broke down like uh a different biblical character? So today, uh, not character, because that makes it sound like it's not a sure story. You know what I'm saying? But characters, like a Bible, somebody who is in the Bible. We'll go with that. Personality. Nah that's worse. That's worse. That's worse. How did you do that? Make it worse? Yes. I'm really good at it.

Saul The Persecutor To Paul

Devin 8:26

Okay, cool.

Jon 8:26

Give me a chance, you'll mess up a good thing, right? So Paul went from Saul of Tarsus to the Apostle Paul. We're talking a murderer of Christians to the apostle to the Gentiles, and a man that authored 13, he's accredited anyway, 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament. There's some discussion on whether some of those he wrote or not. Whatever. No, beside the point, he he murdered Christians, wrote a good chunk of the New Testament.

Devin 9:00

Like that's that's a heck of a life life story turnaround in and of itself. Yeah. Um when we were in seminary, one of the things we actually did was we kind of broke down like how many could he have been attested to have written. Uh he could have been attested to have written 19 of the 27 books. Oh, really? Yeah. Wow. So like there's a bunch to I guess a commonly accredited to 13. Yeah, he's he's very commonly accredited to those. Uh, he could have written as many as 19. Most theologians settle on around the 15, 16 number. Um, but that was regardless. We're not trying to have a right, right. And I'm not here to debate that, but uh but saying that to say this this was a man who literally murdered people, like unalived them. I think it's the 2026 term. He unalived them. I hate that so much. Please don't say it again. Well, you ruined it, let me ruin it, all right? Then goes on to write two-thirds of the New Testament. Yeah. Like, that is absolutely insane. But let's start kind of back further. You said he was Saul.

Training Authority And Stephen’s Death

Jon 10:06

So Saul of Tarsus. Of Tarsus. A Roman citizen, very highly educated under uh I always mispronounce this. Gamelel. Gamel Gam Gamel Gameliel. Gamelliel. That guy. That guy. He was um very high up in the Sanhedrin. For those that don't know, this is like 10-ish people that are over all of Judaism. Like what they say goes everywhere in Judaism. So we trained Jude Judaism? Judaism? Judaism. Okay. There's there's multiple pronunciations.

Devin 10:46

But but uh so still, so somebody who's highly educated, um, kind of uh, you know, the it of the it crowd, and then goes on and begins murdering Christians, and then we see what God did with the rest of his life.

Jon 11:00

So Yeah, so if I'm not mistaken, he was trained in Jerusalem under Gam Gamelliel. Why can I not pronounce that G-A-M-A-L-I-E-L. Yep, that guy. That dude. He was trained in Jerusalem by him, goes back to where to his hometown, and then several years later, it does not say that he was a member of the Sanhedrin in the Bible, but there's plenty of evidence to back to suggest that.

Devin 11:29

That's right.

Jon 11:29

To suggest that he was.

Devin 11:31

But I I think we're we might miss something here. Maybe you're a dude out there and you're going, man, I've just messed up entirely too much. Like, there's no way. You know what? You didn't unalive people.

Jon 11:42

This guy was like one of the baddest of the bad guys.

Devin 11:45

Yeah, exactly. And then went on the you know, right to so right two-thirds of the New Testament. So say that to say this, it's never too late. Just saying.

Jon 11:52

All right, anyways. Um and to we're talking about the the death of Stephen. So that the Bible does not say that he casted any stones, but Acts 22, 19, 21, this was Paul's account. It it Paul's telling the story, Luke's Luke wrote Acts, obviously, but this is Paul's account. So as I said, Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen, your witness, was being shed, I myself standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those that killed him. And he said to me, Go, for I will send you away to the gent, far away to the Gentiles. Like he was he watched the coats. Like they were he was like, All right, you guys give me your coats, go stone that guy. He was in a position of authority.

Devin 12:49

Yep. But see, here's the thing: he didn't just disagree with Christians, he hunted them. He actively hunted them. He was like, Oh, there's a group of Christians over there. Okay, let me go over there and take care of that. He, like you said, in the in in Acts 9 22, 19, and 21 through 21, he consented to Stephen's death. Literally said, Yep, nope, go kill him. That's fine. But see, here's the thing: he was not simply a weak man who got saved, he was actually someone who was incredibly strong who got redirected. And, you know, whenever I was like prepping for all this, one of the things I'm trying not to we need a bigger table. Anyways, uh, you know, whenever we were talking, you had actually put this point in there that he was not a weak man who got saved, he was a strong man who got who got redirected. I was like, you know what? I've been working out now for a few weeks. Maybe I'm a strong man who got redirected. Maybe I can be. I'm cutting that out.

Jon 13:56

So uh I just thought about this too. There's a guy, I don't know if this man's still alive or not. He was an evangelist. Maybe is. I don't know. He was pretty old when I met him. And I was like 12. But he um his name is Bill Say. He's an evangelist who was a drug kingpin. Went to prison. He wanted to get out of he wanted to get out of the mafia, is what happened. And the mafia was like, Alright, cool, you can get out, but they killed his wife. Jesus. And he goes to prison for killing his wife. Dude was on death row. Somehow or another, I don't know the whole story. I don't remember, because again, I was 12, but he gets he gets out of prison and is an evangelist and travels around the country preaching. Let's go. Like this. I remember being 12 years old. He was preaching at our church. My dad was the pastor of. He's sitting at our like you actually met the dude. Yeah, he's sitting in my living room telling us his story. And then I heard him preach. Wow. And hearing hearing him preach. At 12 years old, I was just like, Holy crap. Yeah. Kind of kind of similar.

Devin 15:06

Yeah.

Jon 15:07

I don't know if they I don't know that he killed people.

Devin 15:09

I'm pretty sure he didn't, but well, I mean, yeah, like we won't go there. But anyway. Um so when we of course know the history of Saul and what Saul did.

The Road To Damascus Moment

Devin 15:22

Uh I think the next piece to kind of cover is is really his conversion. And a lot of people a lot of people know about the road to Damascus.

Jon 15:32

Yeah, and what happened. Just to clarify here, we're not gonna we're not gonna go into detail on all of Paul's life and his missionary journeys and everything. We've we've got a we're we're gonna talk about here in just a second of the things that Paul did to make him uncommon. That made him uncommon. That's right. So before we get to that, his conversion on the road to Damascus, uh, here in Acts 9, 4 through 6, and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, the one are you persecuting. But rise, enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. So let's let's go back to the very beginning.

Devin 16:14

He called him by name. He did. And he didn't just say it once, he called him twice. It's it's it and I I don't know if that's why I I do what I do or whatever, but I have anybody that knows me knows this. If you call me and I don't answer, and it is an absolute emergency, and you need something right then and there from me, double call me. Now, here's the problem.

Jon 16:37

You think that's what Jesus was doing? Like he said Saul and Paul and he didn't answer and he said Saul again, or is it just Saul? No, Saul.

Devin 16:44

No, I think he he was that determined to get Saul's attention that he used his name twice to get the blinding the blinding light probably did the trick. Well, probably so. But you know, I mean, like like it was my dad can't be the only one to have ever done this, okay? But it's kind of like if if my dad just said Devin, I'd and you know, it my little 12-year-old brain. I mean, you were meeting dudes who were former killers and now preaching and all this other stuff, uh, I was, you know, probably getting in trouble for something. But if my dad said Devin, I wouldn't necessarily pay as much attention as if he said Devin and then drop my middle name, which I'm not dropping. So um, but that was how I knew, like, oh crap, like it's time to straighten up. It's time to, I need to listen to the next words that are being said from his mouth. Right. He used a lot of people skip over that and just say, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? He was bound and determined God was going to get Saul's attention. He then sent him a blinding light, a voice from heaven, and he was knocked to the ground. Blinding like he was literally blind. Yes, completely blind. Um, and then he he he just asked him a very simple question. He said, Saul, why are you persecuting me? God didn't ask what he was doing, he asked why. He didn't say, What are you doing? in because God knew that answer. Why? Why are you persecuting me? And then that led into three days of complete blindness with no food, no water, just silence and reckoning.

Ananias Bravery And Saying Yes

Jon 18:24

There's a whole nother story in and of itself with Ananias. Sure, but we're gonna open his eyes, but regardless.

Devin 18:31

But there's something to be said there as well with Ananias. Ananias was just a man living his life out in a city, and then God called upon him, right? But it's told him what he was going to do. And he knew who Saul was, and he was like, You're kidding me, right? Seriously, you want me to go that guy? Do you know what that guy's done? I am a Christian guy. Are you trying to get me killed? Like, you have to so you have to think Ananias doing what he did was extremely brave. But how many of us as men are just living our lives and we completely miss when God's trying to do something cool for us? God had a unique per or a unique plan for Ananias. Right. That he was going to use him because if Ananias did not listen and follow through on what God said to do, could God have gotten somebody else? Sure. Yeah, absolutely. If he had said no, he would have just he would have given it to someone else. He would have exactly how many of us are completely missing it whenever it comes to what God wants to do in our lives and in our families.

Jon 19:35

Attention, go back to the episode on listening. And when God speaks, say yes, go do the thing. Regardless, go do the thing.

Devin 19:43

And what was happening was Ananias did the thing. He did what he was tasked to do.

Jon 19:49

You see. So there's something here that we that you that we don't that you can't that you don't want to miss. So Paul was blind for three days. Sometimes God has to shut everything down to get our attention. He shut everything down for Paul for three days. Paul's sitting there. Paul doesn't know that Ananias is gonna come make scales fall away from his eyes. Right? Paul is like, I'm blind. I don't like what am I doing with my life. I can see now I can't see. He spent he spent three days blind and wondering, what am I doing with my life? This Jesus was this is real. Jesus is real. He really did die on the cross and he really did rise again.

Devin 20:35

That's right.

Jon 20:36

This is real, and I'm out here to persecuting Christians.

Devin 20:40

But see, here's the here's the part that I think a lot of people miss. The blindness was not a punishment, it was a preference.

Jon 20:47

He was preparing me. He got his attention and made Paul realize the truth.

Devin 20:54

So and where I think that applies to us today. Sometimes God's gonna take you down a path that you would never have gone down on your own. Sometimes he's gonna have to shut everything down so that when you look to him, he can then begin to put you on the path that you were always meant to be on.

Jon 21:12

That's right. Now, we're all not necessarily gonna have a blinding light, right? But yeah, please don't. Um That just seems terrifying to me. It's not something that's necessarily just gonna happen to everyone, but this was before sunglasses. I mean again, after this, we're there was Paul had we're not we're not gonna we're not gonna draw out the map here. We're not gonna tell you Paul went here and then this happened. Like we we can do that in another episode if someone really wants us to. What I want to get into here is what made Paul uncommon

Focused On The Upward Call

Jon 21:48

thereafter. That's right. So let's read Philip do you wanna read it?

Devin 21:52

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go ahead, sure. In Philippians 3, 13 and 14. Uh the reason I want to read this is I actually had to memorize this in seminary and um it was probably one of the hardest versions. I didn't memorize this when I was like seven. I paid a lot of I paid thousands of dollars to have to memorize this verse. Philippians three God, I hope none of my professors listen to this. Philippians 3, 13 and 14. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. You see Paul, what made him uncommon, number one, he was focused. Focused on what he was so he was focused on the call that God had given him the mission in his life. He was mission. Mission focused that that God had given him he refused to let his past define him. How many of us and how many of our how much of our lives could change and be better if we learn to forgive ourselves of our mistakes to before we live in the past.

Jon 23:09

Before we talk about well you already talked about living the past. But what I want to point out there mission focused you can apply that to so many aspects of your life like if the if the mission is the focus then the obstacles that get in the way are nothing more than speed bumps. That's right. If you're not focused on the mission and you're more focused on whatever path you're on and not the end goal then those speed bumps become roadblocks.

Devin 23:41

But see too many of us view view those speed bumps and those roadblocks as inconveniences when the reality of the situation is this how many of the inconveniences do we put ourselves in?

Jon 23:52

Well that's true. And and they might well see where I'm going with that I got you but the reality is they might be inconvenient but at the same time they're just that they're just a little inconvenient and you if you're focused on the mission you will quickly find a way to overcome that and still move towards your end goal. That's right.

Devin 24:12

The end goal being what God has has ordained for you and for your life and there was a a a funny story or not a story but a funny situation that happened whenever I was leaving Phoenix flying back to Birmingham there was this guy sitting in a chair and his buddy was with him and he's just sitting there you can tell the guy starting to get like heated like stewed and he asked the TSA guy I heard him say can I just go through the scanner and the TSA TSA guy goes nope once you've opted out that's it you can't go through until you've been thoroughly searched and patted down and I go through uh the line and I said and I just looked at the TSA guy and he he just kind of nodded to me and he said well the guy refused to go through the scanner and so me kind of being my funny self um I turned back to the guy sitting in the chair and I just looked at him I said is that the timeout chair and he turns around and he goes no I'm sitting here because I refuse to go through that scanner um but you know what I think next time I'm just gonna go through the stupid scanner he didn't say stupid uh he said I I think I'm just gonna go through the stupid scanner because this is an inconvenience and I straight up looked at him dead faced in all and I said an inconvenience caused by who like you did it buddy. And then I walked through the scanner and his buddy went oh oh and then I walked through the scanner and I never saw the guy again and I was just like bro you are sitting here getting mad over something you literally caused and did but I get a little off topic here. Yeah but sorry uh you know squirrel but I mean so it's a it's a valid he he was focused he was focused on the mission what that dude's mission should have been was getting through the freaking scanner so that you can get your button so here's a here's a bit of an extreme example of being example of being mission focused.

Mission Over Comfort Under Pressure

Jon 26:13

So you know what happens when a submarine so okay uh story too little a little bit a little bit of uh for reference here when a submarine is on mission i.e maybe somewhere where they're may or may not supposed to actually be gotta be super quiet can't be found that sort of thing everybody like you do you there's all kinds of measures to be as quiet as possible like doors come off of hinges people don't wear boots you wear tennis shoes that kind of thing okay okay you be as quiet as possible there are there are lots and lots of very detailed rules on that I was also quiet as massive guess what happens when you're on mission and someone dies I don't know if I want to know the answer they go in the freezer no dead serious I I assume I assume regular ships are the same way again this is an extreme example but what are you gonna do? Like what are you gonna do? Just pop up and get everybody killed? No you put the guy in the freezer everybody files it away in one of their little waffle squares. Remember waffles and spaghetti if you haven't heard that episode yet in heaven and it's it sucks but I mean thankfully I don't think that really happens very often I didn't have that happen. So they're f your the the focus is the mission you accomplish the mission in the same vein in certain circumstances if something catastrophic happens with your family back home someone will be notified of that. Whether that information gets to you or not until you get to a port is determined by your chain of command like if someone close to you died.

Devin 28:01

Because the mission has to stay on course correct under no circumstances can we deviate and Paul was somebody who was just that right he was so focused on the mission that God had given him he didn't live in his past he refused to be defined by it. And then go ahead I think a lot of us have this issue where we choose to define ourselves based upon our past well I've gone too far I've done too much. You haven't never it's never too late he didn't live in his he would when those refused to live in his past not in his sin and not in his former accolades.

Jon 28:40

And when those little inconveniences came up he didn't throw pity parties for himself this guy was beaten shipwrecked cold hungry put in jail and he kept going until he was finally killed until the Lord was finished with him.

Devin 28:55

Right and and you gotta remember most of what some some people may or may not know this most of his letters were actually written from prison. Right this were all like house arrest yeah this was a man who took the worst like one of one of Devin's two biggest fears right because I have to I have two major fears in this world one is creepy no shoulders also known as snakes all I'm terrified by them. What did you just say creepy no shoulders creepy no shoulders yeah they don't have shoulders all right and they're weird. Neither do lizards but and and I I don't like lizards either all right continue. Anyway and the other one is jail I guess and the and the other one is going to prison like literally terrifies me. Well Paul saw your fear and was like I'm gonna write the Bible I'm gonna write half the New Testament in this like and that's that's nuts uh by the way to think about um but one of the other things that I think a lot of people uh tend to miss is he was very adaptable uh to yeah to his circumstances his adaptability his contentment was something that he learned and this this again goes back to being right back to the beginning he was focused on the mission so all of these things that came up he was like okay adapt and overcome let's go how can I oh you guys want to kill me guess what I'm a Roman citizen let me I'm getting a little bit ahead here I'm gonna say it anyway let me let me appeal to Caesar and then I can go to Rome I can preach to everybody between here and there when I get there. Right because as a Roman citizen if you appealed to Caesar who was the emperor at that time if you appealed to him as a Roman citizen citizen it meant that you were automatically going to go see him. Tell me God didn't have a plan when he picked Saul that's right um but going back to his adaptability uh and the contentment was something that is he learned you have to remember when you're on a mission from God it's going to cost you it's going to cost you things if for s for for Paul it cost him something to get everywhere he went.

Jon 30:59

Yeah there's something I've learned over the past several years is and there's actually a book um blanking on the author's name but it's called the The Obstacle is the way and it's written it's about um stoic philosophy really but it there's a lot of truth to that generally speaking if you have two roads to go down the one the harder road is generally going to be the better road right if you have a holiday. Yep that's it if you choose the more comfortable path or you choose the harder path the harder path nine and a half times out of ten is going to be the right road when we choose Jesus we're not picking the easier path we're picking the path with what the outcome that we want on the other end right you got heaven or hell we're picking we're picking the correct path but it is not the easier path.

Devin 31:57

Paul you're right paul Paul chose the harder path when we choose Jesus and we choose a life that is to follow him we are choosing the harder course and the thing about it is this the path to get to where you want to be and the path to get to where the Lord has you is typically not going to be the easier one.

Jon 32:19

But here's the here's the crazy thing about that yes it is going to be the more difficult path because the Satan's not going to attack somebody that's not living for God if you're not pursuing God if you don't have Jesus in your life every single person who doesn't is going to have a Jesus sized hole in their heart.

Devin 32:38

Yeah every time dude that's so true whenever it comes to like even relationships with those that we love the most here on earth you know like whenever I was traveling last week one of the yeah it was fun sitting you know in a hot tub overlooking the desert and this beautiful pool and this hotel and this amazing sunset and all this other stuff. But do you know how lonely I felt like how bored I was because my wife wasn't there like it was it was awful and and if in in that sense of like I I missed her like that that you see what I'm saying? So so that's where I'm saying like to to your point of of saying like you're going to have those moments where you don't you you will question it but you will not feel eyes fulfilled there will be be as you said that Jesus sized hole in your heart.

Joy As A Defiant Choice

Jon 33:35

Tell us uh uh so all right so we know that Paul was somebody who was focused uh he didn't live in his past he was tough uh strong he he didn't throw pity parties for himself he didn't whine about everything and when those hardships did come up he you skipped one he was adaptable yeah and then the hardships came up and what did he do he rejoiced Philippians 4 4 rejoice always written from a prison so can you imagine you're saying in prison all of a sudden you know what rejoice always baby hold on that was a kid that's a that's a song I learned in Sunday school okay we're not going back no remember it rejoice in the Lord always and again as I rejoice rejoice in the Lord always and again as I rejoice rejoice yes I do remember it anyways so um suffering he did suffering yes produces perseverance so all of us suffer at to some point in our lives perseverance comes out on the other side of that yep because suffering produces perseverance that produces character and that produces hope right you cannot skip links in that chain I'll say that again suffering produces perseverance which produces character which produces hope the next thing Paul said was he said count it all joy not feel it count it it's a deliberate act of the will of the father that's all he wanted that was all his mission was what could your life look like what could our lives look like as husbands as fathers as leaders if we were that determined that it was a deliberate act on our part that we wanted the will of the Father he could he could consider it joy because he was where he was because he knew he was doing the will of God and he knew that it was the will of God that got him where he was and he was in those places for a reason guess what he was imprisoned he couldn't go anywhere what else is he going to do? Oh let me let me let me write the Bible small thing right he was there and he it was allowed time to write if he wasn't that tell me this what did Paul do he went around to all these different cities planting churches building churches guiding them writing them letters most of him he most of them he wrote from prison but if he hadn't have been in prison what would he have been doing probably on another missionary journey if he's on a missionary journey what's he not doing writing I don't know I'm speculating here but maybe God put him speculation maybe God put him put him there in prison so that he could so that he had time to write I think there's also a common misconception of counted all joy joy in hardships is not weakness dressed up in a spiritual language it's literally the most defiant thing that a man can do.

Devin 36:53

Most men out there are not joyful beings and I think that is a crime like that that is wrong that is one area that we are failing in. I I said this to you and we're gonna cover this in a future episode by the way very very soon but men live in an emotional straitjacket and I'm gonna dive deeper in that in a in a future episode but we refuse to we focus on the next thing that makes us happy and we've we've defined the difference on this on this podcast of the difference between joy and happiness. Joy and hardship is not weakness dressed up in spiritual language and we have to move past that we need to seek joy in our lives we'll talk about the the defiant aspect of that real quick.

Jon 37:38

Yeah go for it some people are naturally a little bit defiant I would probably include myself in that and what do we mean what we mean is when you're faced with hardships you're natural naturally you want to sit and slump and be depressed and hope it all goes away being joyful is literally saying oh I'm you you want me to be you want me to be sad nope screw you you give me two options I'm gonna pick the third option I'll make my own option yeah that's yeah that's that's me in a nutshell but oh a hundred percent regardless Paul is like oh you put me in prison I'm gonna be happy about it so actually when Britney and I were uh starting to date they there she had dated one guy before me like I was she married the second guy she ever she ever dated.

Devin 38:33

Good for her and right oh such a smart woman and um the ex's mother still attended the church the ex did not whenever Britney and I started dating but his mother did that woman hated me with every fiber of her being and like every single Sunday morning I mean she avoided me like the plague and I went out of my way every people were like oh you're being such a you know whatever no honestly I chose the other option I'm not going to you want to hate me fine you need a reason to not like me and not liking me because I'm now dating the girl that your son was is not adequate enough. So I went out of my way every single week I would you know how much I love coffee I would literally wait on my coffee until I saw her go in to get hers and then I would and then I would be like how are you this morning and I would have fun with it oh it was so great I had fun with it to the point like she could never she she eventually wound up liking me and then now you know follows me and my wife on social media and it's kind of funny but I went out of my way like I chose the third option like I'm going to make you so uncomfortable that you're going to like me and she did dang it it worked all right all right so what appalled so he was so he was so joyous in fact he's he would sing in prison Devin if you were in prison what would you be singing that's a good question it wouldn't be it wouldn't be hymns it wouldn't be praise songs hopefully nothing for the sake of those around you unless you're by yourself ouch I mean same you could probably sing better than me you didn't you don't you don't like my rendition of the the children's song not even a little bit I think that's fair okay um I I would not you rejoiced in hardships he was in prison and sang about it the Lord said make a joyful noise.

Jon 40:36

James one two and three joy count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing Paul was kind of so I guess I kind of did what Paul did with that with the ex's mother because everything they didn't want Paul to do like he did.

Devin 41:06

He preached to the to the jailers he preached to the jailers he knew his power as a Roman citizen so he appealed to Caesar right which was his right it brought him more time to preach more people along the way this was not Paul trying to cheat and escape death this was Paul going I'm going to preach to as many ears as I can because that's my mission.

Jon 41:32

So people that if you're if if someone was focused on comfort they would be focused on how uncomfortable they are and they would have done none of these things Paul was focused on the mission not on comfort comfort will kill you every single time if he had been focused on comfort we would have none of this we wouldn't be having this conversation right now we may well Jesus God would have found somebody else if Paul said no but I mean you get blinded by a light for three days you're probably not going to say no but regardless we wouldn't be having this conversation right now about Paul we'd be having it about someone else I think well if Paul had been focused

Uncommon Men Pursue Christ

Jon 42:11

on comfort.

Devin 42:11

Yeah I mean comfort kills that's literally the title of a book by uh a very awesome woman in our church link in the show notes to Amazon yep that's right shout out Jim Matthews author of the book Comfort Kills uh my wife has read it I don't that's not that's not the the title of the book that's not the title it's every yes oh no boy but she she has a chapter in there called comfort kills maybe I don't remember the chapter talking about I remember that right it's every day it's it's whatever give the book screen screen it up god I hope Jen don't hear this my bad she probably expects nothing less anyways anyways he chose not to focus on the comfort how many men do we know that choose to focus on comfort to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Jon 42:58

So God used a man that watched over the garments of those that killed Stephen he killed Christians and then he died for Christ not to mention God used him to write nearly half the books in the New Testament or more depending we're not going to have that conversation if you think that God can't use you with what you've been through or where you're at think again Paul said yes shout out to the book to what to what God called him to do and he dedicated his life to it and he didn't quit. And that's what made Paul somebody that quite frankly I I don't know that our world has ever seen or ever will see since he's the he's the Paul is the physical embodiment of everything that we believe in and what we're trying to the message that we're trying to put across with this podcast. He is the physical embodiment of all of it.

Devin 43:55

He was so uncommon in everything he did and that's Heart, like you said, behind this podcast, is to call out the next the next men of the Lord, right? Who will dare to be uncommon, who will not be that comfort person. It's easy to sit there and say, focus on all the things that are wrong in our lives. It's easy to focus on where things have gone wrong. Uh, where where you stink as a person, where you stink as a human being, as whatever it is, whatever lies that you've allowed yourself to believe, whatever lies that the enemies told you that you've that you've allowed yourself to believe. I have to believe that Paul was reminded of his past at some point in time. And the man chose, made a unique decision to pursue at all cost.

Prayer And How To Connect

Devin 44:47

Let's pray. Father, we love you. God, thank you so much for this platform. God, our our prayer, mine and John's prayer, is that you hide us behind the cross. Lord, that you are seen and heard, and it is not us. God, I pray for every ear listening to this under the sound of my voice right now. God, that you would begin to equip these men to live uncommon lives. We thank you for the men of this world like Paul. We thank you for Paul himself, that everything that you did, everything that you brought through him to show us, to lead us, and to guide us, we thank you for that. And I pray, Lord, that you enable and empower the men listening to this to have that same fierce tenacity that Paul did, to be mission focused, to not worry about the mistakes of the past, but to focus on the mission of the future that you have for each one of their lives. God, we love you, we honor you, we thank you today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Jon 45:47

Thanks for listening. Remember to like, share, and subscribe. If you know someone who would enjoy this, please pass it along. You can follow us on Instagram at uncommon.man or reach out at theuncommonman.podcast at gmail.com. Keep pursuing excellence, and above all, pursue Christ.