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Leaving the Ephesians - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. I have showed you all things, how
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  Speaker 1: that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and
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  Speaker 1: to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said,
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  Speaker 1: It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts
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  Speaker 1: 20.35 In the name of Jesus, through Acts 20 and 21,
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  Speaker 1: I declare that I am now walking in a different discipline.
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  Speaker 1: I decree and declare, that my body no longer has
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  Speaker 1: control of my life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 1: I am making the decision to build up my innermost being,
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  Speaker 1: so that when I need to move in faith, my
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  Speaker 1: body can't override my spirit. For Your Word declares that
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  Speaker 1: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. So
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  Speaker 1: instead of feeding my fleshly desires for comfort, I will
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  Speaker 1: instead turn to my spirit that is powered by your
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, Jesus, and move forward with purpose and power.
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  Speaker 1: As one season ends and another begins, strengthen those I've impacted.
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  Speaker 1: Continue to inspire those I've been aligned to in seasons past,
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. May my heart be felt and my gratitude
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  Speaker 1: shown to everyone who has played a role in helping
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  Speaker 1: me to achieve all that you have called me to
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  Speaker 1: do thus far. In Jesus' name. Amen. Listening to these
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  Speaker 1: daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from
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  Speaker 1: the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Leaving the Ephesians. In our last story, Paul established the
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  Speaker 2: church of Ephesus. The Ephesians became very close to Paul
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  Speaker 2: and they all ministered alongside one another like family. There
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  Speaker 2: never was a more fruitful church that Paul led than
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  Speaker 2: the church in Ephesus. Together they healed, preached, and protected
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  Speaker 2: people from demons. Now we see Paul leaving Ephesus to
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  Speaker 2: respond to the call of God. Danger awaited Paul. And
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  Speaker 2: he and the Ephesians part ways to never see each
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  Speaker 2: other again.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 3: slash stress. In our previous episode, we heard how Paul
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  Speaker 3: planted a church in Ephesus that became a strong, bold,
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  Speaker 3: and effective body of believers. Paul would hold a very
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  Speaker 3: special place in his heart for the Ephesian church and
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  Speaker 3: find great encouragement in the faith of the believers there. Today,
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  Speaker 3: We'll hear as Paul continues his missionary work after leaving Ephesus.
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  Speaker 3: We'll hear how he performs yet another miracle that demonstrates
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  Speaker 3: the power of Christ living in him and working through him.
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  Speaker 3: As he moves throughout Asia, he'll share the gospel of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus with every opportunity, even as he looks ahead with
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  Speaker 3: some concern as to his return to Jerusalem. Now, let's
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  Speaker 3: listen to today's reading from the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Paul spoke in the center of a warm and crowded
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  Speaker 2: upper room. He had spoken for hours on the word
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  Speaker 2: of God, telling stories and sharing his heart. However, the
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  Speaker 2: night was hot, and a young man named Eutychus could
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  Speaker 2: barely keep his eyes open. He leaned against the lattice
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  Speaker 2: near the window for fresh air, doing his best to
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  Speaker 2: remain attentive and awake. As Jesus once said, the spirit
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  Speaker 2: is willing, but the flesh is weak. So it was
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  Speaker 2: for poor Eutychus. He listened to Paul teach the word
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  Speaker 2: of God and slowly drifted into a deep sleep. As
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  Speaker 2: Eutychus lost consciousness, his shoulder leaned against the lattice. Paul
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  Speaker 2: continued to speak without taking a breath until he heard
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  Speaker 2: a crack in the back of the room. Paul could
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  Speaker 2: say nothing to stop what was happening. Eutychus had fallen asleep,
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  Speaker 2: leaned against the window lattice, and fallen through the floor below.
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  Speaker 2: Eutychus hit the floor with a deadly thud. Paul ran
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  Speaker 2: down the stairs to the street below the upper room.
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  Speaker 2: People were screaming and losing their composure, but Paul knew
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  Speaker 2: exactly how Jesus could be glorified in this moment. He
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  Speaker 2: bent over the lifeless body and took him up in
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  Speaker 2: his arms. Do not worry, Paul said. Life will be
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  Speaker 2: restored to him in the name of Jesus. So that morning,
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  Speaker 2: Eutychus woke up with air in his lungs and his
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  Speaker 2: body uninjured. Paul continued his travels along the Sea of Asia.
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  Speaker 2: He and Luke preached the gospel in every city they visited.
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  Speaker 2: But Ephesus was on his mind. Paul knew that his
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  Speaker 2: journey would ultimately end in Jerusalem, but he was frightened.
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  Speaker 2: The Jews burned with rage against Paul. He was of
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  Speaker 2: them once. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was
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  Speaker 2: a high-ranking official, given authority and influence. He gave it
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  Speaker 2: all up for Christ. For that reason, the Jews hated him.
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  Speaker 2: Yet the Spirit drew him there. So Paul decided to
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  Speaker 2: go to Ephesus one more time to see his dear friends.
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  Speaker 2: They were his true family. Paul arrived in Ephesus again
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  Speaker 2: and called the elders to join him in the room
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  Speaker 2: of meeting. The men gathered around Paul. His lips were
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  Speaker 2: quivering and his hands were shaking. Paul took a long,
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  Speaker 2: drawn-out breath and began speaking. You know that I have
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  Speaker 2: served among you without fear. You know that I am
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  Speaker 2: not one to shrink in the face of danger or persecution.
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  Speaker 2: There was a pause and Paul looked up at the
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  Speaker 2: loving faces of his brothers and sisters. Paul smiled and
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  Speaker 2: cleared his throat, trying to hold back tears. I am
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  Speaker 2: going to Jerusalem. I don't know what will happen to
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  Speaker 2: me there. The only thing I know is that the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit draws me forward so that I might finish
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  Speaker 2: the race well. It is very possible that none of
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  Speaker 2: you will see my face again. Tears broke through Paul's
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  Speaker 2: hardened face. I know that when I leave, there will
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  Speaker 2: be wolves in sheep's clothing coming out against you. Be alert,
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  Speaker 2: my friends. put on the full armor of God. The
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  Speaker 2: whole Ephesian church gathered around Paul. They knelt together and prayed.
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  Speaker 2: They embraced him and cried on his shoulders. They knew
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  Speaker 2: they would not see his face again.
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  Speaker 3: However, Paul would.
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  Speaker 2: One day write them a letter from prison, a letter
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  Speaker 2: reminding them of their firm identity in Jesus, that they
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  Speaker 2: are to be rooted and grounded in love, remembering that
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  Speaker 2: all good things spring forth from Christ. the Ephesian church
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  Speaker 2: would forever hold a special place in Paul's heart.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's scripture in the city of Troas. After
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  Speaker 3: leaving Ephesus, Paul had gone to Macedonia, then Greece, where
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  Speaker 3: he ministered for three months until the Jews there formed
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  Speaker 3: a plot against him and he left. In Troas, Paul
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  Speaker 3: and his missionary companions shared the gospel for seven days,
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  Speaker 3: and on Sunday of the second week, Paul gathered to
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  Speaker 3: break bread with the church there and share some teaching
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  Speaker 3: before leaving. Apparently, he had much to say, because we're
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  Speaker 3: told he prolonged his speaking until midnight. Hungry for truth,
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  Speaker 3: the brothers in Troas hung onto his every word, lighting
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  Speaker 3: lamps in the upper room as the night grew darker.
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  Speaker 3: We hear of one young man named Eutychus who was
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  Speaker 3: seated high up near a window in the third floor.
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  Speaker 3: Try as he might have, he could not stay awake
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  Speaker 3: into the late hours of the night, and eventually he
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  Speaker 3: drifted into a deep sleep, falling through the window to
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  Speaker 3: the ground below. His name, which means fortunate, seemed to
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  Speaker 3: have failed him because his unfortunate fall proved fatal as
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  Speaker 3: people rushed to his aid and found his lifeless body.
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  Speaker 3: Can you imagine the chaos? What a church service! Paul, however,
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  Speaker 3: remained calm. He went downstairs, bent over the young man,
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  Speaker 3: and taking him into his arms, told the people not
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  Speaker 3: to be alarmed because there was still life in Eutychus.
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  Speaker 3: Then he went back to eating and teaching, talking for
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  Speaker 3: quite a while longer with them before leaving. Eutychus, we're told,
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  Speaker 3: was taken away alive, just as Paul had said. As Elijah, Elisha,
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  Speaker 3: and Jesus before him, Paul was operating with God's power,
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  Speaker 3: the power of the resurrection flowing through him, so that
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  Speaker 3: not even death could have the final say. We then
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  Speaker 3: heard how Paul continued his travels throughout Asia. He had
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  Speaker 3: a singular purpose and plan, to make the name of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus known throughout the world. But even as he traveled,
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  Speaker 3: he knew his calling was leading him back to Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 3: a place where he once was in the in-crowd of
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  Speaker 3: Jewish leaders and rabbis. Now he was persona non grata
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  Speaker 3: among the Jews because he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah.
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  Speaker 3: Before going home to Jerusalem, however, Paul wanted to see
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  Speaker 3: his beloved Ephesian church brothers and sisters once again. So
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  Speaker 3: he called for the elders there to gather. He went
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  Speaker 3: back to Ephesus and spoke to them, reminding them of
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  Speaker 3: his passion and purpose as he went about Asia. And
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  Speaker 3: every stop the Holy Spirit had told him of the
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  Speaker 3: persecution he would face, and yet he continued. He pressed
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  Speaker 3: on with the message of Christ. In Acts 20, 24,
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  Speaker 3: we read these words from Paul, some of my favorites
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  Speaker 3: in all of the book of Acts and in the
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  Speaker 3: Bible itself. But I do not account my life of
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  Speaker 3: any value, nor is precious to myself, If only I
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  Speaker 3: may finish my course in the ministry that I have
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  Speaker 3: received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel
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  Speaker 3: of the grace of God. Paul was not saying his
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  Speaker 3: life had no value or that it wasn't valuable. To
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  Speaker 3: the contrary, he was saying that his value and worth
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  Speaker 3: was not according to his own efforts or plans, but God's.
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  Speaker 3: He knew that there would be no greater value than
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  Speaker 3: to pour himself out for the sake of the advancement
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  Speaker 3: of the gospel. being willing to suffer anything for the
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  Speaker 3: cause of Christ. That was his high and holy calling
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  Speaker 3: and purpose, and it was of infinitely greater worth than
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  Speaker 3: anything else he could imagine. Oh, that we would be
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  Speaker 3: so bold and courageous to share the gospel. And remember this,
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  Speaker 3: ministry is not achieved, it is received from the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: Paul continued speaking to the Ephesians, warning them to be
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  Speaker 3: on guard, that false teachers and wolves would try to
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  Speaker 3: lead them astray. that they were to hold tight to
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  Speaker 3: the teaching that they had received and remember God's word.
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  Speaker 3: He would later write a very powerful letter to the
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  Speaker 3: Ephesians in which he reminded them how Christ reconciled them
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  Speaker 3: and all of creation to himself and to God the Father,
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  Speaker 3: calling them to unity in Christ with each other as
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  Speaker 3: Christ's church and encouraging them to put away falsehood, speaking
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  Speaker 3: the truth in love and to live as brand new
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  Speaker 3: people in Christ. It was a bittersweet time as Paul
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  Speaker 3: and the Ephesians knew this would likely be the last
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  Speaker 3: time they would be together this side of eternity. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for the courage and the commitment of
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  Speaker 3: the Apostle Paul. What a great man. May we be
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  Speaker 3: motivated by his example for our own witness in the
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  Speaker 3: power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to hold fast
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  Speaker 3: to the truth of the Word of God and to
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  Speaker 3: speak boldly the testimony of Jesus everywhere we go. May
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  Speaker 3: you bless your church and the missionary movement of Jesus
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  Speaker 3: all around the world. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily tasks and
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.