Subscriber Update: They Will Not Listen
But Someone Will
Paul stands on the stairs above the crowd, bruised from the beating that nearly ended him. The mob has just tried to tear him apart. Roman soldiers had to carry him away to keep him alive. Yet when he is given a moment to speak, he does not retreat into silence or diplomacy. He raises his hand and begins to speak to the same men who were shouting for his death.
He knows what is coming.
The Lord had already shown him. When Paul recounts his calling, he remembers praying in the temple and hearing the voice of Jesus Christ say that the people would not accept his testimony.
Paul offers his own objections to the crowd. They know who he was. They saw the fury with which he persecuted the church.
The answer does not change.
They will not listen.
Yet Paul still Speaks
This pattern runs through the whole story of God with his prophets. When the Lord called Jeremiah, he said plainly that the people were rebellious children. The prophet was not sent because the nation was eager to hear, but because the Father had something to say. The Lord warned him that kings, priests, and people would fight against him.
Ezekiel was told he was being sent to a stubborn house, hard of heart and stiff of neck. The command remained unchanged: speak my words whether they hear or refuse to hear, because the calling of a prophet does not depend on the probability of success. It depends on obedience to the voice of the Father.
Patriarchy is Fraternity
Scripture reveals God not merely as ruler but as Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. From that fountain flows the whole order of the kingdom. Human fatherhood is not the source of this language. It is the reflection of it. God is the true Father, and his people are called sons.
A father instructs his house whether the sons listen or rebel.
The prophets therefore stand as elder brothers inside the household of God. When Jeremiah speaks, it is the Father confronting disobedient sons. When Ezekiel warns, it is the Father calling stubborn children back to the table. When Paul stands before the mob, battered and breathing hard, he is still acting as a son who bears the word of his Father.
Silence is Not an Option.
A father who refuses to speak abandons his household. But the God of Israel does not abandon his sons. Even when they rage, even when they mock, even when they close their ears, the Father still sends his Word through those he calls.
Paul embodies that obedience. He knows the crowd will erupt at the goyim. He knows most of them will not receive what he says. Yet he speaks calmly in their own language and recounts the mercy shown to him on the Damascus road.
The message is declared not because the mob will applaud, but because the Father has decreed that it is so.
One Ear is Enough
He stands before the mob not because he believes the whole city will repent, but because somewhere in that crowd there is somebody who will.
The kingdom of God does not advance by unanimous applause. It advances by faithful speech and sovereign election. The preacher does not control the harvest. The Father does.
They will not listen. But someone will.
That one is a son.
Just Keep Dialing
The season of my life feels like Paul’s posture on those stairs.
Obedience does not look like it will help me. Labor does not look like. it will bear fruit. The seed I’m scattering looks like its falling on barren soil.
What of that? And, what of that?
Scripture tells us that Paul made tents with his own hands while the gospel advanced. The apostle who reasoned in synagogues and spoke before governors also stitched leather and worked the trade.
Much of my energy is building work with my hands, step by step. There is real progress there, and I am grateful for it. Provision matters. Discipline matters. And honest work has a way of clarifying the soul.
But my hope remains what it has always been: teaching, writing, and preaching the word of God publicly. The road back into that work is slow, because that is the way that it is. But the direction has not changed.
The Saved podcast continues. Going live on Saturday this week found a few extra viewers. Proverbs on X are also showing up on the StarFall podcast, so make sure you’re subscribed for almost daylight short hits of Red Letters and Wisdom.
Meanwhile, the novel Earth continues to move forward. I’m into Chapter 20, and Chapter 7 is now publicly updated. Give it a glance and see if I don’t catch your fancy.
I’ve also continued playing with Grok, Chat, and other AI toys the same way I once played with my Gameboy. I really enjoy making pretty things, and after Doxazomen and VD have proven the concept, I’m about ready to try my hand at some Suno. But for now, I’m just enjoying promoting their work on Intsa-Facebook.
Thank You Paying Subscribers
None of this happens in isolation.
Your support—your reading, listening, sharing, and financial backing—remains as important as ever. Independent work is exactly that: independent. It moves forward only because people believe the work is worth continuing.
I am deeply grateful. There are days when the road feels uncertain, but your presence here has made it possible to move forward with confidence rather than hesitation. Because of you, the work continues. Because of you, my voice remains.
Some will not listen.
But some will.
