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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: 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, this is Jack Graham once again with today's episode
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  Speaker 3: of the Bible in a Year. Thank you for joining
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  Speaker 3: millions of people who have downloaded this podcast. In our
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  Speaker 3: previous episode, we heard how Paul planted a church in
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  Speaker 3: Ephesus that became a strong, bold, and effective body of believers.
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  Speaker 3: Paul would hold a very special place in his heart
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  Speaker 3: for the Ephesian church. and find great encouragement in the
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  Speaker 3: faith of the believers there. Today, we'll hear as Paul
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  Speaker 3: continues his missionary work after leaving Ephesus. We'll hear how
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  Speaker 3: he performs yet another miracle that demonstrates the power of
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  Speaker 3: Christ living in him and working through him. As he
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  Speaker 3: moves throughout Asia, he'll share the gospel of Jesus with
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  Speaker 3: every opportunity, even as he looks ahead with some concern
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  Speaker 3: as to his return to Jerusalem. Now, let's listen to
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  Speaker 3: 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. 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, we
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  Speaker 3: read these words from Paul, some of my favorites in
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  Speaker 3: all of the book of Acts and in the Bible itself.
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  Speaker 3: But I do not account my life of any value,
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  Speaker 3: nor is precious to myself, if only I may finish
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  Speaker 3: my course in the ministry that I have received from
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  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus to testify to the Paul was not
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  Speaker 3: saying his life had no value or that it wasn't valuable.
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  Speaker 3: To the contrary, he was saying that his value and
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  Speaker 3: worth was not according to his own efforts or plans,
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  Speaker 3: but God's. He knew that there would be no greater
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  Speaker 3: value than to pour himself out for the sake of
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  Speaker 3: the advancement of the gospel, being willing to suffer anything
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  Speaker 3: for the cause of Christ. That was his high and
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  Speaker 3: holy calling and purpose, and it was of infinitely greater
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  Speaker 3: worth than anything else he could imagine. Oh, that we
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  Speaker 3: would be so bold and courageous to share the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: And remember this, ministry is not achieved, it is received
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  Speaker 3: from the Lord. Paul continued speaking to the Ephesians, warning
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  Speaker 3: them to be on guard, that false teachers and wolves
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  Speaker 3: would try to lead them astray, that they were to
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  Speaker 3: hold tight to the teaching that they had received and
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  Speaker 3: remember God's Word. He would later write a very powerful
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  Speaker 3: letter to the Ephesians in which he reminded them how
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  Speaker 3: Christ reconciled them and all of creation to himself and
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  Speaker 3: to God the Father, calling them to unity in Christ
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  Speaker 3: with each other as Christ's church and encouraging them to
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  Speaker 3: put away falsehood, speaking the truth in love. and to
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  Speaker 3: live as brand new people in Christ. It was a
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  Speaker 3: bittersweet time, as Paul and the Ephesians knew this would
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  Speaker 3: likely be the last time they would be together this
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  Speaker 3: side of eternity. Dear God, we thank you for the
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  Speaker 3: courage and the commitment of the Apostle Paul. What a
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  Speaker 3: great man. May we be motivated by his example for
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  Speaker 3: our own witness in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: Help us to hold fast to the truth of the
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  Speaker 3: Word of God, and to speak boldly the testimony of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus everywhere we go. May you bless your church and
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  Speaker 3: the missionary movement of Jesus all around the world. In Jesus'
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  Speaker 3: name we pray, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: You can download the Pray.com app and make Bible study
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  Speaker 3: and prayer the priority of your life. And if you
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  Speaker 3: also want to encourage you to go to jackgraham.org. That's
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  Speaker 3: jackgraham.org for we have resources that are free and available
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  Speaker 3: for you so that you may know Christ and grow
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  Speaker 3: in him. God bless you.