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I Am with You - The Book of The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Teach them to observe all things whatsoever
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  Speaker 1: I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
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  Speaker 1: even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28.20
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  Speaker 1: Dear Jesus, When you left the disciples, you promised one
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  Speaker 1: of the greatest comforters that will ever be, and that
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  Speaker 1: is your Holy Spirit. In the same way the disciples
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  Speaker 1: waited in expectation for your Holy Spirit, I too will
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  Speaker 1: wait in expectation each and every morning for your Spirit
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  Speaker 1: to rest on my mind and heart. With the empowerment
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  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit, I know that whatever I put
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  Speaker 1: my hands to will go from natural to supernatural. No
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  Speaker 1: matter what I do, I will not move. until I
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  Speaker 1: feel your supernatural hand upon me. I will not speak
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  Speaker 1: unless my words are empowered by your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: that you haven't left me by myself. Thank you that
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  Speaker 1: even when you ascended to heaven, you cared enough about
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  Speaker 1: our lives to give us the one who puts power
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  Speaker 1: behind your word, the Holy Spirit. as I grow in
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  Speaker 1: my faith. Holy Spirit, teach me and lead me into
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  Speaker 1: all truth. In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to these daily
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  Speaker 1: prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the
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  Speaker 1: Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: I am with you. In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: about Jesus restoring the faith of Thomas and the failures
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  Speaker 2: of Peter. In this story, the ministry of Jesus on
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  Speaker 2: earth draws to a close, and room is made for
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  Speaker 2: the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit through the apostles.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus ascends into the heights of heaven, leaving the disciples
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  Speaker 2: eagerly awaiting a move of God's Spirit. Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. Thank you so much for joining us.
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  Speaker 3: In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus appeared to
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  Speaker 3: both Thomas and Peter and gave them exactly what they
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  Speaker 3: needed to experience a renewal of their faith. Neither Thomas'
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  Speaker 3: doubts or Peter's failures were too great for the risen
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  Speaker 3: Christ to overcome. And as a result, both of these
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  Speaker 3: men went on to do great things for the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of God and to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll hear as Jesus prepares the disciples for His
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  Speaker 3: return to heaven and the great mission He was giving
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  Speaker 3: them to go into all the world and proclaim the
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  Speaker 3: good news. He would not leave them alone, however, because
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  Speaker 3: He promised to send them the Holy Spirit, the Helper
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  Speaker 3: who would be with them always. So let's listen now
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  Speaker 3: to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus sat with His disciples once again at the Mount
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  Speaker 2: of Olives. The sun was descending gently over the city
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  Speaker 2: of Jerusalem. The men gazed at the temple below with
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  Speaker 2: the breeze dancing around them. The eleven remaining disciples sat
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  Speaker 2: beside Jesus, listening to him speak on the kingdom of God.
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  Speaker 2: For forty days they had been next to him, soaking
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  Speaker 2: in every word he spoke. Jesus had also revealed himself
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  Speaker 2: to over five hundred others, and they all followed as well.
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  Speaker 2: There they all sat, listening to their Lord and watching
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  Speaker 2: the sunset.' Lord,' Is it time for you to restore
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  Speaker 2: the kingdom of Israel? they asked. Jesus gave his familiar smile,
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  Speaker 2: still peering into the distance towards the temple. The grass
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  Speaker 2: danced around him. It is not for you to know
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  Speaker 2: the time or season, Jesus answered. That is for God
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  Speaker 2: alone to know, and for me to obey. The eleven
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  Speaker 2: were disappointed at his answer. Jesus, knowing the fear that
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  Speaker 2: was in their hearts, reassured them, Trust in me. You
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  Speaker 2: will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus rose to his feet and turned towards the sun.
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  Speaker 2: The wind picked up, causing his robes to flow like doves' wings.
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  Speaker 2: All authority that has been given to me I give
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  Speaker 2: to you. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.
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  Speaker 2: Go and baptize them in the name of the Father,
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  Speaker 2: the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teach them what I
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  Speaker 2: have taught you, and obey what I have commanded. The
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  Speaker 2: disciples stood to their feet. They watched as Jesus began
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  Speaker 2: to walk away from them. Jesus sensed their fear. He
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  Speaker 2: turned to them and said, Behold, I am always with you.
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  Speaker 2: Even to the end of the age, I am with you.
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  Speaker 2: And as Jesus said these things, he was enveloped by
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  Speaker 2: a bright cloud. It rolled gracefully around him, covering him
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  Speaker 2: from head to toe. And like a vapor, Jesus ascended
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  Speaker 2: into the heavens. The eleven disciples and five hundred witnesses
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  Speaker 2: looked up to the skies in wonder. The sun had
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  Speaker 2: turned the skies a deep orange, and the clouds that
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  Speaker 2: Jesus ascended upon dissolved into the horizon. They were on
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  Speaker 2: their knees in complete awe of what had happened. The
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  Speaker 2: followers of Jesus had their gaze so fixed on the
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  Speaker 2: skies that they did not see the two men standing
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  Speaker 2: in white robes beside them. Friends, why do you look
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  Speaker 2: to heaven? He will come again. But you are to go.
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  Speaker 2: With that command, the followers of Jesus descended down the
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  Speaker 2: mountain towards Jerusalem. They had a mission to fulfill. They
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  Speaker 2: had a spirit to meet. The eleven returned to Jerusalem. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James,
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  Speaker 2: the son of Alphaeus, Judas, the son of James, and Simon.
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  Speaker 2: They sat in the upper room, praying about their next steps.
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  Speaker 2: They devoted themselves to prayer, seeking the knowledge and guidance
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  Speaker 2: of Christ. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there as well,
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  Speaker 2: along with Jesus' brother. Peter stood up from among the group.
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  Speaker 2: He was nervous. Jesus, in many ways, had been groomed
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  Speaker 2: to lead the disciples as they pursued the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: There were over 120 people in the room with them.
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  Speaker 2: All of them were wide-eyed and hopeful for the future,
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  Speaker 2: but afraid. He encouraged them with the word of God.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke from the heart and declared the need for
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  Speaker 2: a new disciple among the twelve. They chose a man
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  Speaker 2: named Matthias. Together, they sought God. They had no plan.
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  Speaker 2: They had no strategy. They simply waited in that upper
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  Speaker 2: room for a move of God's Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins on top of the Mount of Olives,
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  Speaker 3: which is in Jerusalem. This was the place where Jesus
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  Speaker 3: had preached and taught, where he had prayed the night
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  Speaker 3: he was arrested, and now it would become an even
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  Speaker 3: more strategic spot as Jesus prepared to return to the Father.
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  Speaker 3: For 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus had gone about
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  Speaker 3: showing himself to people, witnesses who would attest to his resurrection,
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  Speaker 3: and spread the word so that all could believe. He
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  Speaker 3: was there with the disciples, teaching and maturing them in
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  Speaker 3: the faith. They wanted to know if he was now
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  Speaker 3: ready to restore Israel's kingdom. To them, Jesus was still
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  Speaker 3: a Messiah, a Jewish Savior, and they expected that God
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  Speaker 3: would restore the glory to his chosen people. Jesus replied
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  Speaker 3: that God's timing was not their timing. God had a
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  Speaker 3: much greater plan, a greater purpose, and a wonderful promise.
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  Speaker 3: Christ's earthly work was finished, but these men still had
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  Speaker 3: a great mission, one that could not be accomplished alone.
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  Speaker 3: So he assured them that they would receive the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 3: the power and the presence of Christ in them. The
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  Speaker 3: message of hope and salvation in Jesus wasn't meant to
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  Speaker 3: stay in just a small corner of the world or
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  Speaker 3: to be only for the Jewish people. The gospel is
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  Speaker 3: for all the world. This wasn't a new plan or
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  Speaker 3: a new strategy. It was God's plan all along. We
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  Speaker 3: know it as the Great Commission. is found in Matthew 28, 19-20,
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  Speaker 3: and these are among the most important verses in the Bible.
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  Speaker 3: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
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  Speaker 3: in the name of the Father and of the Son
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  Speaker 3: and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
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  Speaker 3: that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
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  Speaker 3: you always to the end of the age. After delivering
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  Speaker 3: to the disciples their and our marching orders, These men watched, dumbfounded,
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  Speaker 3: as Jesus ascended into the sky, high above the clouds
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  Speaker 3: until they could see him no more. This is the
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  Speaker 3: ascension of Jesus, one of the most important events in
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  Speaker 3: all of the Bible. The disciples and other witnesses stood amazed,
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  Speaker 3: looking up into the heavens. They couldn't possibly understand it all,
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  Speaker 3: but they knew that Jesus was Lord and that he
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  Speaker 3: had given them a mission and a promise. As they
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  Speaker 3: stood there, two men appeared beside them. They asked the
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  Speaker 3: disciples why they were looking into the sky. Jesus would return,
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  Speaker 3: they assured them. But it was not time to wait.
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  Speaker 3: It was time to go. These are important words for
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  Speaker 3: us today as... followers of Jesus. We live in anticipation
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  Speaker 3: and assurance that one day Jesus is coming again, this
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  Speaker 3: time not as a baby in a manger in a small,
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  Speaker 3: unremarkable town, but as King of kings and Lord of lords,
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  Speaker 3: coming in the clouds to reign forever. It is such
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  Speaker 3: a great hope for every Christian. In fact, the Bible
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  Speaker 3: calls it the blessed hope. But just as the disciples
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  Speaker 3: had a mission, we have a mission too, and that
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  Speaker 3: is to carry out the Great Commission and to tell
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  Speaker 3: the world who Jesus is and what He can do
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  Speaker 3: to change every life who will come to Him. We
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  Speaker 3: are to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.
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  Speaker 3: The disciples returned to Jerusalem knowing only that they had
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  Speaker 3: a mission and a promise. Soon they would receive the
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit. the same Spirit of God who was at creation,
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  Speaker 3: the one who surrounded and led Israelites in the deserts,
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  Speaker 3: and the one who spoke to Elijah in the desert
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  Speaker 3: in a still small voice, God's Holy Spirit would be
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  Speaker 3: given to them, just as Jesus promised. He would be
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  Speaker 3: with them always. And it is so important to remember
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  Speaker 3: that God has given His Spirit to all who trust
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  Speaker 3: in Him, every believer. So they waited just as Jesus
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  Speaker 3: had commanded them to wait. And what would come next
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  Speaker 3: would spark a new movement that would spread like fire,
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  Speaker 3: changing the world forever. And we'll hear about that in
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  Speaker 3: our next episode. Dear God, we thank you for the
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  Speaker 3: truth that Jesus is Lord, that he lived, died, rose again,
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  Speaker 3: and ascended on high. We also thank you for the
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  Speaker 3: mission that you've given us and the commission to work
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  Speaker 3: with your church and your people to take the gospel
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  Speaker 3: to the world. We're so grateful for the promise of
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  Speaker 3: your soon return. And until then, may we be busy
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  Speaker 3: about the work of your kingdom as we look forward
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  Speaker 3: to seeing you face to face. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: I'm really glad that you listened to today's Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham, pastor in Dallas, Texas.
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• 12:10
  Speaker 3: and prayer the priority of your life. If you enjoyed
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• 12:17
  Speaker 3: are joining us. In fact, millions of people have downloaded
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: the Bible in a year. Thank you for sharing the
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  Speaker 3: good news of Jesus Christ. God bless you.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 12:36
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• 12:41
  Speaker 4: Welcome to the Pre-News Podcast, where hope is our only bias.
• 12:46
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• 13:00
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