Cheer UP! Podcast
Cheer UP! Podcast
Journeying With The Apostle Paul
Want to discover how a fierce persecutor became one of the most influential figures of Christianity? Dive into the powerful story of the Apostle Paul in our latest episode! What lesson resonates with you?
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butt. Hi and welcome to the Cheer Up Podcast. I am your host, kara Hunt, and with me is the sweet, as always, sherri Swalwell. Sherri Saintly, sweet, sweet and saintly I like that better. Sherri Sweet and Saintly Swalwell, how are you today?
Speaker 2:Sherri, I have a lot of friends who would not agree with you on that one, but, thank you, I will take it.
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Speaker 1:Okay, for those who have been listening for the past couple of weeks, you know we've been kind of we've been going through biblical figures. Not kind of we've been going through biblical figures, and this week we are going to do Paul. Am I right, sherry? We are going to do Paul, am I right, sherry? We are going to do Paul, and I can't wait to hear what Sherry is going to talk to us today about the I was going to say the Apostle Paul, that's correct, am I right, sherry? For some reason I have a hard time relating him to an apostle, I don't know why, but yeah, so she's going to talk to us a little bit today about the Apostle Paul. So what do you want to share with us today, sherry? About Paul.
Speaker 2:I am super excited. I asked Kara if I could talk about Paul because he is like the exact opposite of who I am as far as personality and things like that go, and I always in the past was really intimidated by Paul and, to be honest with you, I kind of still feel intimidated by Paul. So I'm not sure how I'm going to greet him up in heaven, Like I don't know if I'm going to stand back and people and be like don't yell at me, because he just seems like a very intense person. But the more you read about Paul and the more I've read about Paul, the more I actually one highly respect him, but two kind of have grown to love him a little bit like a, like an uncle in a way. So I don't know what you know about Paul or what you don't, but there's a couple of things that I want to highlight about him.
Speaker 2:Number one he was a Jew and he and if I say anything, if I get anything wrong, interrupt me, Kara, but I'm pretty sure that I've I've got, I'm pretty sure I've got it right. But if I, if I do, go off course, hit me. Well, not hit me, but interrupt me. You can't hit me. Well, not hit me but interrupt me. You can't hit me people, because we're not even in the same room, but but you can't interrupt with. I can throw tomatoes, no go ahead.
Speaker 2:Here we go. So paul was a jew and he was a very learned scholar. So he, like, knew what he was talking about. He knew the Bible up and down, he knew the Torah, he knew all of the biblical teachings. He um, you could liken him in that regard to Jesus as far as he studied the Bible religiously. He knew it in and out, upside down, all the way around. But he also was a very mean, mean person. I wouldn't say that he well, he did not have the Holy Spirit in him. He did not have. He had not accepted Jesus into his heart. He did not have a relationship with God. He was all about religion and he actually was.
Speaker 2:What is the word that I want? He is responsible for the stoning of Stephen, and Stephen was the first believer who was martyred because of being stoned. And so, and it says in the Bible when it talks about the stoning of Stephen, in fact I have it right here, hold on, I have it right here. I had two different things that are two different passages that I want to talk about, but in the stoning of Stephen he talks about somebody with standing. Here we go. While they were stoning, stephen, stephen played. Sorry, let me back up just a minute. I'm so excited to talk about Paul that I'm like tripping over my own words.
Speaker 2:But anyway, stephen was stoned, saul. Okay, so Paul was named Saul when he was the Jewish leader and he did not have a relationship with God. It was all about religion for him. His name was Saul, and so it says the stoning of Stephen. It's really short. I'm just going to read it it's 54. It's Acts 7, 54 to 59. God, look, he said. I see heaven open and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. After they covered their ears this is the same he's saying he's in people and yelling at the top of their voices they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. That is Paul, the Apostle Paul, and he was the one who instigated, coordinated, got Stephen martyred. While they were stoning him, stephen prayed Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out Lord, do not hold this sin against them. When he had said this, he fell asleep and Saul approved of their killing him. That is the very first sentence of chapter eight, the very last sentence of the incident where he was stoned.
Speaker 2:Um, one thing that I want to point out. Even though we're talking about Saul turned to Paul. Today, I want to point out Stephen's story. Him being st is really an encouragement to me. I know you're going to be like well, that's like really weird, sherry. How is that an encouragement? But it's an encouragement to me because the Bible tells us how Jesus was right there with him, how God was right there with him.
Speaker 2:There is no way that we should be afraid. I mean, there's the typical human fear. I get that of the unknown and, and you know, nobody I don't think wakes up in the morning and says, hey, I want to be a martyr today, I want to be tortured and killed, and um, that's how I want to die and go to heaven. So at the end of the day I'm going to be in heaven, but until then this is going to be fun. Nobody says that. But. But the thing that I just want to kind of have people tuck in the back of their head is that God is with us. If that happens to be our mission and that happens to be our assignment, and that's what God's plan is for our lives, we don't have to worry because God is going to be right there with us the whole entire time. He never loses or forsakes us. He will be right there with us the whole entire time. He never loses or forsakes us. He will be right there, and that is something that has really comforted me. I don't want to say encouraged me, because I don't really want to think about having to go through anything like that, but it has really comforted me. So I know we're talking about Paul today, but I really wanted to talk about that part. Well, anyway, chapter 9. But I really wanted to talk about that part. Well, anyway, chapter 9. So Stephen was martyred in chapter 7, the end of chapter 7. So there's only one more chapter in between.
Speaker 2:And then, in chapter 9, saul is on the road to Damascus, and a lot of people have heard of his story, of his testimony. But he was on the way to Damascus. God strikes him blind and then he ends up being. I think he fasted for three days when he, when God blinded him, he said the Lord called him in a. You know? Sorry, I gotta go up a little bit, because that's the part I want to talk about. So, as he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. This is Saul. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him Saul, saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, lord, saul asked. Saul knew right away who he was talking to. He knew that from the beginning, even though he didn't know more about him. But he knew who was doing the talking. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told that you must do so. He stayed in the city for three days, blind, and he didn't eat or drink anything. So he did fast in the city for three days.
Speaker 2:Well then, while he's in the city for those three days, fasting and praying and blind, god calls out to Ananias, and Ananias is a disciple. And it says in Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision. Ananias yes, lord. He answered. Now see the difference right there already. So Paul had to ask who are you, lord? And Ananias, he knew who he was right away.
Speaker 2:So we're talking religion versus relationship. Ananias already had a relationship with God and he knew his voice. He says yes, lord. He answered. The Lord told him go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. So this Ananias, he wants to obey God because that's what his whole. He's in a relationship with God and he wants to obey God because he's in this relationship with God.
Speaker 2:But everybody, well, saul had a reputation and his reputation was I'm going to kill reputation? Was I'm going to kill believers? I'm going to kill christians, disciples, blah, blah, blah. So ananias was like um, really, god? Like, are you sure this is what I have to do? And he says lord, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on your name. But the Lord said to Ananias so this man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.
Speaker 2:And that is the part that I wanted to read to everybody. So God has a mission for all of us. God has a purpose and a plan for all of us. And I wanted to read to everybody so God has a mission for all of us. God has a purpose and a plan for all of us.
Speaker 2:And I used to think to myself and again, if I'm, if I'm wrong in this, kara, let me know and interrupt me, but I I've always. I don't think that God sits there and punishes people necessarily for their choices, but at the same token, I believe that God sits there and punishes people necessarily for their choices, but at the same token, I believe that God allows us to have consequences for our actions and for our choices. And so I've always wondered you know, paul had such a huge ministry after he became Paul, so he was Saul at first. He tortured, persecuted, was absolutely horrid to believers. His conversion was real and he was not afraid to speak the truth in love. And I always wondered, I'm like, so how is it that he just kind of like gets off scot-free? Well, anybody who chooses to be a believer, anybody who chooses to cross that line from religion to relationship, to really truly have a relationship with God, doesn't get off scot-free.
Speaker 2:In fact, the study notes in my Bible talk about faith in Christ brings great blessings, which is so true. I mean, there is no other way that I would want to live than to be a believer, but often great suffering too, than to be a believer, but often great suffering too. Paul would suffer for his faith. And then it tells us to see 2 Corinthians 11, 23 to 27. So I switched over to 2 Corinthians 11, and it says this it says are they servants of Christ? So whatever anyone else dare to boast about, I am speaking as a fool. This is Paul talking. I also dare to boast about I am speaking as a fool. This is Paul talking I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am out of my mind to talk like this. I am more.
Speaker 2:I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods once I was culpated with stones. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. So, basically, paul.
Speaker 2:So I always grew up knowing that the Apostle Paul. After his conversion, on the road to Damascus, he became this great, wonderful teacher. He made tents and then he preached also, so that he didn't have to have other people like support his ministry. He did all of these things and I always thought, okay. So it talks about him going to prison, but he writes all these books, these epistles from the New Testament, in prison. So he must have been in, like you know, the country club prison, not the real prison.
Speaker 2:But no, they direct me over to 2 Corinthians 11. And it tells me what kind of stuff that he went through. And he suffered greatly for his faith. And you know what? He never once stood down or he never once compromised or he never once changed his mind. And he also is famous I don't remember where in the Bible it says this but he's also famous for saying I am content to live in little, I'm content to live in much. I've been rich, I've been poor, I've been everything in between, I've been starving, I've had too much to eat, and yet still I'm content in whatever position or place that God places me in.
Speaker 2:So the apostle Paul is pretty amazing. He he hated God but yet kill people in the name of God quote unquote because he was this Jewish scholar, sadducee, or part of the Sanhedrin, so he was part of the upper upper people in the Jewish culture, but yet when he became a believer, he became a believer. There was like no going back. And that I want to have. I don't really want to live the life that Paul lived. To be honest with you, I don't want to be flogged and I don't want to go to jail and stuff like that. Would I, yes, if I had to? But I just have so much respect for him.
Speaker 2:Whenever I think of Paul, I think of the phrase he spoke the truth in love. He loved people so much that he didn't care what culture said, he didn't care what the popular thing was, he didn't want people to go to hell. And so he spoke the truth in love, even if it hurt, even if it wasn't what people wanted to hear. And in that regard I like totally respect Paul and can't wait to meet him. But in the other token, like he spoke the truth in love, so like, what's he going to say to me up in heaven? Um, sherry, dot, dot dot.
Speaker 2:I don't, I don't really want that. But then again, I'm half kidding because I know up in heaven it's not going to be like that, like we're gonna. We're going to all be perfect. Tears are washed away, like all of our reunions and so forth with people are going to be amazing. So I'm half kidding about that, but I, I don't know, he, like was a very intimidating person, but man, oh man, he was on fire for God and he you knew, when you had an encounter with him, who he loves, who he serves and who his master was. And so that's like my impression of Paul in a nutshell. So what do you want to say about Paul?
Speaker 1:What is there not to say about Paul? Because he, despite some things that I'm like, really Paul, you know, you know, at times, boy has he always been one of my top people, that I've always said I can't wait to meet when I get to heaven, because his ministry just speaks to me. I can't read the book of Philippians, for example, without having a renewed strength or renewed faith right, without having a renewed strength or renewed faith right. This was a man and Sherry you touched on this who had been so badly beaten, who had been so blocked, who had been so in prison. And we're not talking, like you said, country club prisons, we're talking like sewer-like prisons in chains. You know, you know, but yet OK, so I don't OK. Like, for example, my husband plays, plays guitar, and you know, when you play the guitar a lot, you get calluses on your fingers Right, but they actually help you play longer, I mean better, like in the long run.
Speaker 1:And I guess the same thing could be said about anything like people who use garden tools a lot, or you know, and things like that. Your skin becomes a little bit tougher and it seems like with everything the enemy threw at him, or in every prison he found himself in, or every time he found himself in change, he got changed. He got stronger, he got tougher, he got bolder. So it was almost as if every test and I don't even know if I can use the word test like everything that he went through that was almost meant to break him, made him stronger, and I think it's like that's gold. Excuse me, I forgot what gold is called, but it's like that's gold, the. Excuse me, the the. I forgot what gold is called, but it's like gold. Right, sherry isn't Sherry. The one isn't Sherry isn't gold, the one that's refined under fire.
Speaker 2:Oh no, that's a diamond. Oh yeah, yeah, but gold. I don't know what else gold does, but yeah, that is a diamond.
Speaker 1:You're right, yes, and it's like it's refined right Under fire and I'm just like boy. If there was ever anyone who was refined under fire, it was him. I mean, he grew thick skin, he had the scars to prove everything that he went through, and it didn't deter him, it didn't stop him. And, like you mentioned, sherry, I don't think any of us seek out and say you know what? I'm going to be a martyr and I just want all these things to happen to me. No, of course not. We're human. We don't desire that at all, and I don't even think Paul ever desired that.
Speaker 1:He just went where he was led to go by God, by the Holy Spirit. He did what he was supposed to do and as a result of that, he found himself in some very dangerous and very precarious situations. But he persevered, he persevered and it was like every flocking. He got stronger Every time he was in prison. He just it just made him more determined and he just he did. And you know, when you think about him and I'm just going to use David for a quick example from the Old Testament David was a mighty warrior and I mean the things he'd done is beyond explanation, the way God was able to use him and his heart towards God. But David was kind of like he kind of whined about his situations a little bit. You know, you can go to the book of Psalms, you know, and he would just say, oh Lord, why have you closed your eyes to me or your ears to me and things like that? Right, sherry, you correct me if I'm wrong. Paul doesn't do that, does he?
Speaker 2:Well, that goes right back to the next point that I was thinking about about Paul is that he God? God created him tough from day one. Yeah, he's tough before Paul even knew what his purpose was Like. God creates certain people in this world to be able to withstand stuff that would break the majority of people and in that regard, I have so much what is the word I want Respect. I have so much respect for Paul because he fulfilled the purpose that God created in him before he was even born.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, yeah, he was tough, he had thick skin and I'm not going to go as far to say that he didn't care that those things were happening to him Excuse me, that's not the word I'm looking for that he didn't. That he wasn't in pain that's the word I'm looking for that he wasn't in pain and that you know he physically suffered from that, but he wasn't a complainer, right, he just wasn't. And he may have felt those things. I mean, again, he's only human. We do not worship Paul. He's only human. So, but he just, I don't think it was in his nature so it goes.
Speaker 2:I don't think it was in his nature to complain, right, he was kind of like the modern day or the old fashioned day, rambo.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly, he just kind of, you know, he kept on going. And not only did he keep going, he praised the Lord in a process, amen, he praised God in a process. And it is just, I don't know, because I, you know, you can't help but read through Paul's whole entire journey, the good, the bad, the ugly and the very ugly, and you ask yourself, hmm, my, oh goodness, lord, would I be able to sustain that Like, would I be able to just brush it all off and just keep my eyes focused on you, like Paul did? It's something we have to ask ourselves. And only God knows the truth, right, only God knows the truth. I, for instance, could say, oh Lord, I would never do that, never, never, never. Kind of like Peter, right, when he was like, well, I would never deny you, you know. And then later he did. Or I could say, oh Lord, I'll never be able to do that, don't put me in a position like that. And he's like what are you talking about? You pass with fine colors, you'll come through, you know.
Speaker 1:And so none of us really know except God, and I think all we, and I think all we can do is just ask you, excuse me. So just ask God Lord, whatever may come is just ask you, excuse me, to just ask God Lord, whatever may come, just give me the strength that I need to be able to get through whatever comes my way. Just give us the strength to just to get through it and for me to accomplish your will in a situation. And I think that's what I learned about Paul. You know, yeah, I just that's just one of the things, you know, I, I, I felt like I've I've learned about Paul. He's just, he's so resilient. You know, um, it's one of the words I just want to, I think, emphasize he was just, he was just resilient, he was one tough cookie, he was just resilient.
Speaker 1:He was one tough cookie, you know. Yeah, he was one tough cookie and he never lost focus. He just kept the path. He just kept going. He just kept going. I think that's the word. I just that's what I would like to leave readers with is just, no matter how down it looks, no matter how hopeless it looks, because while he's writing these epistles in prison, he didn't know if he was going to ever get out or not. Right know, you know, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter. He was going to still do what he felt like the Lord had called, that he had been called to do, and he just kept the faith and he just kept going. And I and again I just one of the things that really stood out, stands out to me is that he just did not complain. That to me and I keep emphasizing that, because I'm not sure I could have done the same thing I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:I think it's because he kept his focus on God and he kept his focus on the mission. Like he? I honestly well not sometimes. I honestly believe that people who have either not grown up in a Christian environment, with Christian parents and a Christian upbringing, or people who have strayed and then come back, I honestly think that they have a deeper appreciation for their relationship with.
Speaker 2:God, because they know what it is to not have it, and I can't stop thinking about when he, paul, was shipwrecked and I believe you'd have to read the story yourself because I don't know if I have all the details right but I believe that, like God had told him ahead of time, this is what's going to happen. This is what I want you to do. This is, you know, kind of like those 007 movies or the like. Get smarter. The mission possible.
Speaker 2:This is what's going to happen to you, paul. These are the you know, because god well, I think we've learned from all of um the different uh bible stories that we have read about that god does not make you guess, like he doesn't. He doesn't keep you guessing, he tells you ahead of time what's going to happen. It's whether or not you want to listen to him or whether or not you want to obey, but anyway. So he told Paul during this one particular time you're going to get shipwrecked. This is what's going to happen. This is what I need you to do. You're going to land on this island. This is what I want to happen. Blah, blah, blah. Well, paul, you know, everything went the way that god said it was going to. Paul was not surprised. They get to the um, the island, and they start looking for wood, and so because they were going to build a fire, because they were cold and tired, and all that stuff, and so there he reached into this wood pile and he pulled out a viper and the viper bit him.
Speaker 2:And Paul was so focused on what God had told him he needed to do that Paul shook the viper off the snake. It was a poisonous snake. For those who don't know what a viper is, I didn't necessarily know that at first, a long time ago. So if you're reading and you are listening and you don't know what a viper is, it's a snake, a poisonous snake, and so all of the people are watching in wonder, waiting for him to heal over and die but let's go, we've got stuff to do people.
Speaker 2:He's like you're wasting time type of a thing. So like he knew his mission, he was on point and he didn't let anything distract him. I almost kind of feel and and I don't think it says this in the bible, maybe it does but I almost kind of feel, and I don't think it says this in the Bible, maybe it does, but I almost kind of feel like he was like I wasted so much time earlier in life chasing after the wrong thing that I've got a lot to make up for.
Speaker 2:So I don't have time for if you're not going to be part of the program or part of the solution, then you need to get out of the way, because I got stuff to do, places to go, I got. I got a God to take care of and a God to serve. Not that he had to take care of God, but I mean he has a God to serve, a mission that God wanted him to do, and so I just kind of I don't know. I have a lot of respect for Paul. Like I said, there's a little bit of me that is intimidated by Paul.
Speaker 2:But the more I read about him and the more that I study him and he just honestly goodness, we love people and he didn't want anyone else to go through what he went through of not having that relationship with God. 9, god used him mightily to speak the truth, to speak God's truth to the Gentiles, and that is a key component. Even though he was a Jew himself, he was a key component for the gospel being spread to the Gentile people, being spread to the Gentile people. And if it wasn't for Paul, I would not necessarily be a believer, because I'm a Gentile and I would not have heard or had the opportunity to become a believer. So thank you, paul.
Speaker 1:And you know what I want to piggyback on something you said earlier. Piggyback on something you said earlier how he was bit by a snake and everyone was sitting there waiting for him to kill over and die. He lived, right, he lived, he did not die. But it just made me wonder in our Christian journeys, how many times have people thought we were down and out and we were about to kill over? Right, not necessarily physically, but they didn't expect for us to rebound after that job loss or after the loss of a loved one. You know they just thought we were down and out. Or you know we lost our homes. Or you know cars were taken, or you know careers were shattered and or destroyed. You know things like that, when people just really counted you out and they were just waiting for you to kill over and be like I'm done, I'm giving up the faith.
Speaker 1:I thought God was going to see me through this. He didn't, you know, and or you know you just kind of just take to your bed and never get out, and they were just sitting there just waiting for him to kill over. But he was so focused on what he was doing that it didn't even bother him. It didn't even bother him. And to me, that's just another reason why I just admire his tenacity so much and his passion so much, because it teaches us that as long as we stay focused on God, we're going to be all right.
Speaker 1:We're going to survive even when the enemy fires fiery darts our way, even when we get bit by quote, unquoteunquote poisonous, toxic snakes, you know, and everyone else thinking well, they're done for, oh, that's it. They've been through a lot, but they're not going to come out of this one, you know, and God's just like oh yeah, you know. Kind of reminds me of Job, when Satan was like oh well, that's only because you bless him, you take away his blessings, and he's not going to be that way. Do you see what I'm saying? They were just waiting him, his friends and everyone else was. His wife even said why don't you just curse God and die?
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Because there was just no everyone had counted him out but God. And somehow, intuitively, spiritually, I should say Paul knew that, he knew it, he knew, he just knew and he just stayed focused on what he knew. And I'm sorry, Cher, I just ran off on a rant.
Speaker 2:No, you didn't go off on a rant at all. I want to actually piggyback on that and say and God, okay. So God created Paul with the personality that he did Because he knew the mission that he had for him. He also knew that Paul would eventually become a believer. He knew that Paul would do the great things that he called Paul to do. He knew that Paul would do the great things that he called Paul to do. But he also used Paul's time.
Speaker 2:So I don't think that he chose for Saul pre-Paul days. I don't think he chose for Saul to be a Sanhedrin and to kill Stephen and to be a part of all of that. But he knew that Paul saw was going to and he used that time in his life for good. So it goes back to Romans 8, 28. All things work together for good. Those who love God are called according to his purpose. Paul was absolutely 100% called according to God's purpose and he used all that training that Paul got when he was Saul, before he became Paul and before the conversion. So again, I don't think that God, I don't think it was part of God's plan for him to not be a believer and I don't think it was part of God's plan for Stephen to die at the hands of Paul. But God used all of that, and he used that period of time, that training, in his life for good so that when he became a believer he already had all that knowledge. He didn't have to then spend 20 years learning the.
Speaker 2:Torah learning the books of the Bible. He knew it, so he was able to jumpstart his ministry right away, and so God is doing the same thing for us. So where are you in your life or let's say that you have lived a life far from God and all of a sudden you have become a believer. What in your past is God going to use, or has he used, to prepare you for the plan and the mission and the purpose and the destiny that he put in your heart when he formed you in your mother's womb? God, that is the kind of God that we serve. That is the God that we serve, not just the kind, but that is the God we serve.
Speaker 1:He takes everything, every circumstance, every instance, every experience Everything that the enemy meant for bad, exactly.
Speaker 2:And he uses it for good, and that, I think, is a great way to end on our note today, because only God. So if you are Stephen and you are being martyred, whether physically or whether bullied or threatened or persecuted at work, remember God is right there with you. You are not dealing with it alone. Look up and ask God to show himself to you, ask him how he is going to rescue you. Sometimes the rescuing means you go to heaven, meaning he'll take you out of the situation. Sometimes it'll just provide comfort while you're in it. If you are a stall and you're running from god or you have, you want nothing to do with god, but you're wondering, after talking today or listening to the podcast today is god really real? Does he do stuff like that in 2024, like he did, you know, way back when? Have a conversation with him. I'm challenging you to have a conversation and ask God to show himself to you. Show himself real to you.
Speaker 2:And if you are Paul and you have maybe you've grown up in the church your whole life. Maybe you've never had a conversion story, but you've just always had a heart for God One kudos to you, because God can use. God uses everybody. He uses the people who have gone astray and come back. He uses the people who have chosen to never go astray and to just stay on the straight and narrow and just develop their relationship with him.
Speaker 2:But ask God to say what is it that you want me to do and how do you want to use my life? What in my past training are you going to use for your good? And show me how you want me to do that, or how are you preparing me? What do you have me in currently that you're going to use for your good and use for your service down the road, for your good and use for your service down the road? So I mean Paul, I just I hope that we got you excited about him and that you're ready to read about him yourself, because Paul is so complex and there is so much about him. He has written so many books of the New Testament that it would take many, many, many episodes to cover all of Paul.
Speaker 1:And then we would even be touching on it. That's just the beginning.
Speaker 2:And so, like we've always said in the past, we just want to get you excited to learn about these biblical figures for yourself. So drop us a comment in an email cheeruppodcasts at gmailcom, if you want to let us know what your thoughts are about the podcast today. Or feel free to start a conversation in the Facebook group Cheer Up Podcast on Facebook. Um, also, we were talking at the beginning of the episode today that if you are interested and you would want one of us to be a part of the book club, um, email us at cheer up podcast at gmailcom. We would absolutely love to to join one of your um one of your group nights, whether it's the first one, the last one, one in the middle, whatever it is, we would love to do that. So if you want to feature one of our books, feel free to email us and we'll go from there.
Speaker 2:Check out Tara's website, tarahrhuntcom, and remember her books are all in audiobook as well. So if you like audiobooks versus reading the books yourself, um, paper dolls all of them are in audiobook, which is amazing, completely awesome. If you want to check out the membership to grow your relationship with god jesus in the everyday, that's over on my website. We both actually also have YouTube channels. If you want to check those out, those are on our website. So KaraRHuntcom and SherrySlowellcom. And yeah, john1633 says these things. I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace In the world. You will have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. I think that Paul is a really great example of finding his peace in God, despite all of the trials and the tribulations that he faced in this world because he most certainly didn't start facing major trials and tribulations, it seems, until he became a believer.
Speaker 2:So from the outside worldly perspective, it looks as though he did worse in life once he chose to accept Jesus. But we all know that the suffering that happens on this earth is temporary compared to the eternal glory that we have up in heaven with God. And just like God was with Stephen when he was being martyred, god was with Paul when he was suffering as well. So don't think that just because Paul had martyred or had been a part of martyring Stephen, that God wasn't he was going to ignore him and not comfort him or be with him when he himself was being tortured and flogged and all those things that. 1 Corinthians 11, 23 through 20. Let me make sure I got that right for you. I wrote it down One second. Well, sorry, I lost my paper, but it was 2 Corinthians 11, I think, 23 through 27.
Speaker 2:Um, god was with Paul just as much as he was with Stephen, because God is with all of his children, and God was, was paying attention to and calling Saul, even when he was running from his purpose and his destiny that God had originally given him. So remember that too. I want to give you that encouragement as well, that God loves us all so much that he doesn't want anyone to not be a believer, to not have a relationship with him. He wants all of us to have a relationship with him, a true godly relationship. So I hope that our talk about Paul today was very encouraging, and we would really love to hear your thoughts on Paul and also on what we talked about today. So drop us an email, start a conversation in the Facebook group, and next week we're going to talk about Barnabas, who is known as the encourager, and I'm excited to hear what Kara is going to tell us about Barnabas. So have a great rest of your day today, have a great week and we will talk to you next week. Thank you.
