Welcome And Mission

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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

John Eldredge Sits In

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Hello, I'm John Eldridge, author of Wild at Heart, and it's an honor to be sitting in this week for Kyle and Joby. For the next five days, we're going to explore some of the biblical narratives on the masculine journey and how God deals with men.

Acts 9 And Saul’s Encounter

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Today, our reading is from the book of Acts, chapter 9, in the incredible story of the conversion of the Apostle Paul. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 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. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. He replied, Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and he did not eat or drink anything.

Jesus On A First Name Basis

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There is so much about this story that is just fantastic. So much to be learned here. One of the first things I want you to see is Jesus introduces himself to Saul, who at this moment is a man who hates him and he wants to be known on a first name basis. He doesn't answer Saul's question, who are you, Lord? with I am the Lord God Almighty, or, you know, I am the Savior. He says, My name is Jesus. Jesus invites us into a first name basis relationship with him.

A Conversion That Rewrites Reality

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The second thing I want you to see is how immersive Saul's conversion is. Okay, so Saul recently stood approvingly at the stoning of Stephen when the beautiful, beautiful friend of Jesus was murdered. Saul was there approving. This man is a religious zealot. He is a man who thinks he knows what the story is. This is a man who is consumed with his view of things, right? And the conversion that is taking place for him, I mean, he is going to undergo a radical transformation. His entire understanding of the scriptures that he loves, his entire understanding of reality, because the voice that's speaking to him impossibly is Jesus of Nazareth, Yahweh, incarnate.

The Story You Want Versus True

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You see, friends, there's the story that you want to be true, and there's the story that is true. And learning to come to face the reality of the difference of those things, people do this all the time. Oh, our son's not an alcoholic. Yeah, I mean, we do find him passed out once in a while, but he's a good boy and he's trying. It's like, no, he's an alcoholic and he needs an intervention. Or I lost my job because these people are idiots. No, you lost your job because you are difficult to work with. You see, there's the story that we want to be true, and there's the story that is true. And conversion to Jesus Christ is learning to see the difference. And this conversion, this coming to face reality, is essentially the story of growing up. It is the story of our ongoing conversion life in Jesus Christ.

A Prayer For Honest Clarity

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And so what I want you to think about today as we close is to ask Jesus, Lord, Jesus, what is the story I think is true that actually isn't true? What is the narrative about my marriage, about my kids, about my work, about my life, maybe even about you, God, that you want to bring a saul-like conversion to? Show me. Show me, Lord, the story I am clinging to that is actually not true.

Share And Leave A Review

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Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.