Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / No Silver, No Gold - The Book of Acts

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No Silver, No Gold - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have
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  Speaker 1: I none, but such as I have I give thee.
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  Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up
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  Speaker 1: and walk. Acts 3.6 Dear Lord, as I meditate on
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  Speaker 1: today's reading in Acts 3-4, I will bring my attention
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  Speaker 1: to Peter and John and the lame man outside the
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  Speaker 1: gate called Beautiful. As I look through the story, I
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  Speaker 1: thank you that you are giving me the ability to
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  Speaker 1: give to people what they truly need and not the
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  Speaker 1: needs on the surface level. Because I am a change agent,
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  Speaker 1: what you give to me to give to your children
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  Speaker 1: will meet the deepest need of their heart. In the
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  Speaker 1: same way that man received healing, I praise your Holy
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  Speaker 1: Spirit that through my life you will use me as
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  Speaker 1: a conduit to bring healing and restoration to your children
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  Speaker 1: who are waiting just outside of a beautiful life. When
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  Speaker 1: I am questioned and asked by what authority do I
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  Speaker 1: operate in, I will boldly declare that by the finished
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  Speaker 1: works of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, I
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  Speaker 1: have all rights and authority to speak life, to live life,
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  Speaker 1: and to breathe new life into God's children. Thank you,
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, that your authority is in my life and
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  Speaker 1: is evident in the miracles that surround my purpose and destiny.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: stay tuned for The Bible in a Year, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by Bibleinayear.com.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: No silver, no gold. In our last story, the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit descended on the disciples like a whirlwind. The strength
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  Speaker 2: and authority of Jesus was poured out on the disciples
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  Speaker 2: as they proclaimed the glory of Christ. Thousands were added
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  Speaker 2: to the church that day and the movement of Christ's
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  Speaker 2: family began. Now we see glimpses of Jesus in the
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  Speaker 2: way Peter and John teach and heal the people around them.
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  Speaker 2: Seeing that the disciples were becoming more like Jesus every day,
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  Speaker 2: The priests and elders feared that they would have another
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  Speaker 2: problem on their hands, inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham here with today's episode of the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast. In our last episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: the disciples and others were given the Holy Spirit on
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  Speaker 3: the day of Pentecost. As they gathered in the temple
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  Speaker 3: with Jews from all over the world, a rushing wind
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  Speaker 3: came and tongues of fire descended upon them. These are
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  Speaker 3: symbols of the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: They began to speak God's truth in other languages so
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  Speaker 3: that the people could understand the gospel. Peter then spoke
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  Speaker 3: to the crowd and delivered a message that cut to
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  Speaker 3: people's hearts, and over 3,000 repented of their sin and
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  Speaker 3: received Christ that day, and the church was birthed. Today
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear as Peter and John began to boldly, courageously
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  Speaker 3: carry out the mission of Jesus. preaching and healing with
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  Speaker 3: wisdom and power that clearly was not of themselves, but
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  Speaker 3: was in the power of the resurrection, the power of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus himself. They will soon face opposition for their message
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  Speaker 3: that threatens the power of the religious elite, just as
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  Speaker 3: it happened to Jesus. So, let's listen now to today's
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  Speaker 3: reading from God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The lame beggar watched as dozens of people passed by
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  Speaker 2: him to enter into the synagogue. It was the hour
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  Speaker 2: of prayer. and many devoted men and women entered into
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  Speaker 2: the house of God to pray and seek him. It
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  Speaker 2: was a fruitful time for the lame beggar. He would
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  Speaker 2: lay beside the gate called Beautiful and ask for spare coins.
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  Speaker 2: Since people felt charitable before praying, he would often make
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  Speaker 2: most of his money in that time. The man raised
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  Speaker 2: his cup and shook it, waiting for coins to trickle in.
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  Speaker 2: The lame man saw two men walking side by side
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  Speaker 2: into the gate. Spare some coin for a poor lame man,
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  Speaker 2: he asked. The two men looked at him. The taller
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  Speaker 2: and older one knelt down and looked him deeply in
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  Speaker 2: the eye. He smiled and held out his hands. Gold
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  Speaker 2: and silver I do not have, he said. But what
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  Speaker 2: I have I can give to you. In the name
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus Christ, get up and walk. Then all of
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  Speaker 2: a sudden, the lame man felt a warm sensation travel
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  Speaker 2: from his toes up his spine. He looked down to
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  Speaker 2: his feet and moved them. His eyes began to water
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  Speaker 2: with tears, and he rose to his feet. He hugged
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  Speaker 2: the two men. They were none other than John and Peter.
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  Speaker 2: The people stopped to stare at the man who was
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  Speaker 2: jumping up and down. They knew him to be the
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  Speaker 2: lame beggar and were astonished to see him leaping in
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  Speaker 2: front of the gate. Dozens of people gathered to see.
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  Speaker 2: So Peter and John took the opportunity to share with
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  Speaker 2: them the power and the story of Jesus. Since the
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  Speaker 2: man was lame from birth, he clung to Peter and
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  Speaker 2: John for balance. Peter then spoke to the whole crowd, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Do not look at us as if we are the
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  Speaker 2: ones who made him walk. Look at us. We are
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  Speaker 2: not special. It is Jesus who performs these deeds. The
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  Speaker 2: one who you all allowed to be crucified is the
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  Speaker 2: one who works these mighty things, Peter declared the gospel
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  Speaker 2: to the crowds. He spoke of repentance, forgiveness, and purpose.
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  Speaker 2: Many more people were added to the family of God
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  Speaker 2: that day, including the lame beggar, who now walked with
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  Speaker 2: purpose under the will of God. As they were speaking,
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  Speaker 2: an old enemy emerged from the synagogue doors. The priests,
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  Speaker 2: the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees walked out
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  Speaker 2: to see a large group of people surrounding Peter and John.
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  Speaker 2: Their stomachs dropped as they watched five thousand men and
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  Speaker 2: women declare faith in the resurrected Jesus, the Jesus they killed.
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  Speaker 2: The next day Peter and John were preaching again in
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  Speaker 2: the city streets. Caiaphas, the high priest, came with his
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  Speaker 2: guard and yelled, By what power or authority do you
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  Speaker 2: do these things? The high priest was livid, since Peter
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  Speaker 2: and John had been healing and preaching among the people. Peter,
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  Speaker 2: filled with the Holy Spirit, stepped down and walked to
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  Speaker 2: the priests and his guards. Are we being threatened because
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  Speaker 2: we have done good deeds? Peter asked. I want it
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  Speaker 2: to be perfectly clear. I do these things with the
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  Speaker 2: authority of Jesus, the one you crucified. He is the
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  Speaker 2: cornerstone by which we build our lives. There is no
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  Speaker 2: one else we look to for salvation. Peter did not flinch.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke with boldness. Caiaphas had seen this boldness before
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  Speaker 2: in Jesus. It sent chills down his spine. Out of
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  Speaker 2: fear they asked them to leave the temple streets and
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  Speaker 2: not to speak the name of Jesus. Of course they refused.
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  Speaker 2: but the priests could not do anything, for the masses
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  Speaker 2: were in love with the disciples.
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  Speaker 3: In our scripture today, we find a man sitting at
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  Speaker 3: a gate near the entrance of the temple. The gate
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  Speaker 3: was called Beautiful, but for this crippled man, life was
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  Speaker 3: anything but beautiful. He could not provide for his own needs,
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  Speaker 3: and he was surely considered cursed by those around him.
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  Speaker 3: All he could do was beg for spare change and
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  Speaker 3: hope for generous strangers to give him a coin or two.
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  Speaker 3: So as Peter and John passed by, he looked at them,
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  Speaker 3: hoping they would take pity on him and give him something.
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  Speaker 3: These men are now walking in the power of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: Filled with the Spirit, Peter and John looked upon this
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  Speaker 3: man with love and compassion. They were like Jesus. They
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  Speaker 3: were full of Jesus. And Peter and John knew that
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  Speaker 3: this man needed more than physical healing. He needed spiritual healing.
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  Speaker 3: Peter looked at him with kindness. But rather than drop
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  Speaker 3: just a few coins in the beggar's cup, he healed
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  Speaker 3: the man in the name of Jesus Christ. This man
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  Speaker 3: is now on his feet walking and praising God. Can
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  Speaker 3: you imagine the joy of experiencing the power of Christ
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  Speaker 3: and the healing of his body? Of course, this would
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  Speaker 3: cause quite a scene. Those nearby who had seen the
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  Speaker 3: man probably many times unable to walk, and now he
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  Speaker 3: was jumping around and smiling and praising God, He's talking
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  Speaker 3: about Jesus and what Jesus had done for him. Peter
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  Speaker 3: and John knew this was an opportunity to share a
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  Speaker 3: much deeper healing, so they began to share the good news.
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  Speaker 3: These two fishermen were not trained speakers, and they were
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  Speaker 3: certainly not scholars, but God was in them. The Holy
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  Speaker 3: Spirit was filling them, and the Lord gave them the
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  Speaker 3: words to say. Just as Peter had done on the
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  Speaker 3: day of Pentecost, he began to tell everyone of the
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  Speaker 3: love of Jesus and how Jesus was sent by God.
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  Speaker 3: And even though people rejected him, his own people rejected
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  Speaker 3: him and sent him to a cross that Christ rose again.
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  Speaker 3: And now the resurrection power of Christ was alive in
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  Speaker 3: them and available to all who would trust in Christ.
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  Speaker 3: He called them to repentance, to turn from their sins
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  Speaker 3: and receive the grace of God. His words were clear
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  Speaker 3: and compelling and courageous. And once more, they were convicting.
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  Speaker 3: They cut to the heart. 5,000 more souls were saved
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  Speaker 3: that day, and the church continued to grow with explosive,
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  Speaker 3: multiplying growth. Of course, the religious leaders hated this. They
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  Speaker 3: imagined that Jesus' followers would just fade away with time,
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  Speaker 3: but now the opposite is happening. So they had Peter
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  Speaker 3: and John arrested and brought them before the council of
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  Speaker 3: priests and scribes the next day. They tried to intimidate
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  Speaker 3: these two men, these two disciples. But these men were
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  Speaker 3: full of God, and they were full of boldness and courage.
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  Speaker 3: Peter and John, even under custody of the officials, did
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  Speaker 3: not stop preaching the gospel of Christ. They knew the
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  Speaker 3: power of Jesus was in them, and so they fearlessly
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  Speaker 3: carried out the mission of our Lord. The religious leaders
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  Speaker 3: had no basis to keep them confined. After all, they
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  Speaker 3: had simply done a good deed and healed a lame man. Still,
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  Speaker 3: They warned them to stop preaching. And I just absolutely
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  Speaker 3: love Peter and John's response given to us in Acts
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  Speaker 3: 4 verses 19 and 20. Listen to these words. Whether
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  Speaker 3: it is right in the sight of God to listen
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  Speaker 3: to you rather than to God, you must judge. For
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  Speaker 3: we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.
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  Speaker 3: In other words, we're going to obey God and not you.
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  Speaker 3: We are compelled to keep speaking about Jesus. We should
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  Speaker 3: pray for that same boldness today as we share the
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  Speaker 3: gospel with others. We cannot help but speak of what
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  Speaker 3: Christ has done for us. And if we have experienced
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  Speaker 3: the love and grace of Jesus, we are compelled to
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  Speaker 3: tell others. Just like Peter and John and so many others,
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  Speaker 3: we don't need to be eloquent or educated to share
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  Speaker 3: the good news of Christ. We need to be prepared
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  Speaker 3: and know the gospel, but then really simply to be
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  Speaker 3: willing and obedient and trust God that in the power
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  Speaker 3: of the Holy Spirit he would change lives through our
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  Speaker 3: bold witness. Dear God, we thank you for the courageous
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  Speaker 3: example of Peter and John. Help us to look for
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  Speaker 3: opportunities to see people all around us who need the
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  Speaker 3: hope and help that is in Jesus Christ. May we
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  Speaker 3: boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ with the
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  Speaker 3: people we meet. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. This is
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. I want to encourage you
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  Speaker 3: to download the Pray.com app and make prayer and Bible
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: study discipleship a priority in your life. Put Jesus first
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: in your life and watch what he can do when
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: you give your life to him. Be sure to visit JackGraham.org.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: God bless you.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
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  Speaker 1: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. Welcome to
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: the Prey News Podcast, where hope is our only bias.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Each day, we'll unpack the most prominent stories happening in
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: the news and offer a Christian perspective. We won't shy
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: away from the hard topics and we won't dilute the
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: hopeful message of Christ. This is more than a daily
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• 13:08
  Speaker 2: It's a way to be informed and transformed.
• 13:12
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