Podcast Summary: The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode: Day 333: Peter Is Rescued from Prison
Date: November 29, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)
Readings: Acts 12; 1 Corinthians 5–6; Proverbs 28:1–3
Theme: Trusting in God’s mysterious providence, confronting sin within the Church, and glorifying God in our bodies.

Episode Overview

Day 333 marks a major milestone in the podcast journey—almost to the end of the Bible-in-a-Year reading plan. Fr. Mike focuses on dramatic events in the early Church, especially the rescue of Peter from prison; St. Paul’s stern guidance to the Corinthians on public, persistent sin; and the sobering call to glorify God with our lives. The theme woven throughout is a call to trust God’s plan, even in suffering and confusion, and to take both sin and redemption seriously.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Acts 12: God’s Providence — James’s Martyrdom & Peter’s Rescue

• Event Recap: King Herod persecutes the Church, killing James (the brother of John) and imprisoning Peter, who is miraculously freed by an angel.
• Reflection on God’s Mysterious Ways
  • Fr. Mike highlights the uncomfortable tension: Why did God save Peter but not James?
    • Quote:
      “God miraculously delivered Peter from prison. Why didn’t he miraculously deliver James from being beheaded? ... The answer? We don’t know, other than we are called to trust the Lord.” (14:18)
  • True faith means trusting God with the “destination”—life with Him—even when “the way” is hidden, hard, or seemingly unfair.
    • Quote:
      “The point of the journey is Him. ... Sometimes the way to the destination is death, suffering, pain. ... Sometimes it’s being part of a miracle.” (14:56)
• Spiritual Takeaway:
  • Our call is to trust, not always to understand.

2. 1 Corinthians 5–6: Confronting Public Sin and Maintaining Community Integrity

• Background: Fr. Mike sets the cultural and spiritual context—Corinth was notorious for moral decay, reflected disturbingly among Christians.
• Public Sin – The Case of Incest
  • A man is living with his father’s wife, and the community isn’t alarmed. Paul instructs them to remove him—this is about serious, public, unrepentant sin.
    • Quote:
      “Here is this person among you who claims to be a believer, who is publicly living in a way that goes against what we believe, and you guys are fine with it. ... You’re arrogant. You boast of this. Ought you not rather to mourn?” (17:41)
• What is Excommunication?
  • Fr. Mike explains it’s not punitive but a recognition of reality:
    • Quote:
      “Excommunication does not put someone outside the house. It’s declaring the reality that is already present. ... You can't receive communion because you're not in communion with us.” (19:33)
  • It’s about inviting repentance, not condemnation:
    • Quote:
      “Deliver him to Satan ... that his spirit may be saved ... the idea is that he realizes he’s outside and comes back in ... right now, people just tolerating this doesn’t call him to conversion in any way, shape or form.” (20:05)
• Community Judgment vs. Private Sin
  • Not every sin is public, but persistent, grave public sin jeopardizes both the sinner’s soul and the Church’s witness.

3. Fraternal Correction and Mutual Accountability

• Not Judging Outsiders, But Honest About the Family
  • St. Paul teaches not to “police the world” but to care deeply about holiness within the faith community.
    • Quote:
      “He doesn’t mean the immoral of the world ... But I’m talking about the brothers and sisters here in the community who are acting and living this way. Treat them as you would treat an outsider.” (22:37)
  • Mutual correction is tricky, and Fr. Mike admits it’s hard in real life. He calls listeners to let the Holy Spirit convict them, and to risk loving correction for others’ good.

4. Lawsuits and Fractured Fellowship (1 Corinthians 6)

• Discouraging Legal Battles Between Christians
  • Fr. Mike laments:
    • Quote:
      “Here are Christians treating each other like they’re strangers ... bringing each other to court, and that’s a disgrace.” (23:49)
  • Christians are called to radically different ways of resolving conflict.

5. Sin, Redemption, and Our Identity in Christ

• Paul’s List of Grave Sins
  • Fr. Mike touches on the full spectrum: immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexual acts, theft, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, robbery.
    • Quote:
      “This is a word of God list. ... Some of them are distant from us. Some of them are very close to us ... We can sometimes excuse ourselves and make ourselves the exception.” (25:00)
• The Good News:
  • Paul tells the Corinthians that some of them used to be these things, but they were changed.
    • Quote:
      “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. ... Every one of us is broken. Every one of us is loved.” (26:36)
  • Our response isn’t to judge others but to be convicted by the Word and let Christ conquer our brokenness.
• Our Bodies as Temples
  • Fr. Mike stresses Paul’s teaching:
    • Quote:
      “You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” (27:04)
  • Even our most personal struggles and desires are called to be offered to God.

6. Proverbs 28:1–3: The Righteousness of the Bold

• Contrasts the righteous, who “are bold as a lion,” with the anxious wicked.
• Calls for wisdom, just leadership, and empathy for the poor.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On trusting God in confusing suffering:
  “We know the destination, but we don’t know the way to the destination. ... The only thing we get to do is say yes to that.” (15:51)

• On excommunication:
  “It doesn’t put someone outside the house ... It’s pointing out the reality that is already present.” (19:35)

• On mutual accountability:
  “Allowing the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, and allowing fraternal correction ... I have to listen to them. And maybe I have to do that to others.” (22:47)

• On confronting our own sin:
  “This is a list of your sins. This is a list of my sins. And I’m praying that I’m convicted by this list and by the Holy Spirit.” (27:46)

Important Timestamps

• Acts 12 Reading & Reflection (03:50–15:35)
• 1 Corinthians 5–6 Reading & Reflection (15:36–27:50)
• Proverbs 28:1–3 & Final Reflection (27:51–end)
• On Trust and Mystery in God’s Plan (14:18, 14:56, 15:51)
• On Excommunication and Community Discipline (19:33–20:05)
• On Redemption and Our Identity in Christ (26:36, 27:04, 27:46)

Tone and Closing Word

Fr. Mike’s tone is honest, pastoral, and at times urgent. He routinely addresses hard truths with hope, ending with a prayerful encouragement to allow the love of God to conquer brokenness:
“Let the love part win, not the broken part. ... I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow.” (28:02)

Summary Takeaway:
Episode 333 stirs believers to wrestle with God’s mysterious providence, embrace both the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s mercy, and live boldly for Christ in every area of life.