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Gods and Stones - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And there came thither certain Jews from
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  Speaker 1: Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul,
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  Speaker 1: drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 14.19 Meditating on the events of Acts 14, I
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  Speaker 1: have decided to double down and fix myself steadfastly on
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  Speaker 1: my course of action. I will not deviate from the
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  Speaker 1: original plan you have given me. I realize my calling
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  Speaker 1: to be a resource and a solution to someone's problems.
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  Speaker 1: As I am building my life, I will not be
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  Speaker 1: surprised by the rocks of jealousy and envy that get
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  Speaker 1: hurled my way. And even as some connect and cause
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  Speaker 1: pain to me, I thank you that, like Paul, you
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  Speaker 1: will place a team around me of individuals who are
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  Speaker 1: like-minded and who will help mend and heal the wounds
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  Speaker 1: I just received. I will remain thankful and faithful for
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  Speaker 1: the rich relationships you are continually placing around my life.
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  Speaker 1: I am blessed indeed. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: Gods and Stones In our last story, Paul and Barnabas
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  Speaker 3: began their journey to preach the gospel in parts of
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  Speaker 3: Greece and Rome. Although they were met with some opposition,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord moved. Now Paul has met with some of
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  Speaker 3: the greatest challenges he has ever faced, inspired by the.
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  Speaker 2: Book of Acts.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. Thank you for joining us. We're
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  Speaker 4: so thankful for the millions and millions of people who
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  Speaker 4: have downloaded this app, Pray.com, and are enjoying and experiencing
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  Speaker 4: together the Word of God. In our previous episode, We
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  Speaker 4: heard how Paul and Barnabas, prompted by the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 4: traveled to Cyprus. There they preached the message of Jesus
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  Speaker 4: in the synagogues across the island, winning many to Christ.
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  Speaker 4: We also heard how Paul stood against a magician, a
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  Speaker 4: false prophet named Bar-Jesus, rebuking him and judging him with
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  Speaker 4: blindness because he tried to prevent people from turning to Jesus.
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  Speaker 4: And we saw Paul defending their ministry to the Gentiles,
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  Speaker 4: who were just as much a part of God's plan
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  Speaker 4: for salvation as the Jews. Today we'll hear as Paul
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  Speaker 4: and Barnabas preach in Iconium and Lystra. They'll see many
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  Speaker 4: turn to Christ, but also face great opposition. Paul will
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  Speaker 4: feel the sting and the pain of persecution as his
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  Speaker 4: body endures torture for the sake of the gospel. So
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  Speaker 4: let's hear now the Word of God.
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  Speaker 3: A war for the hearts of God's people emerged from Iconium.
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  Speaker 3: Paul and Barnabas entered into the city with words of love, knowledge,
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  Speaker 3: and forgiveness. Both Jews and Gentiles felt their hearts melt
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  Speaker 3: due to the mercy of Jesus. People who felt far
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  Speaker 3: off from God were brought near. People who were trapped
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  Speaker 3: in a cycle of destructive sin were restored. Jesus was
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  Speaker 3: being glorified. However, there was a den of wolves seeking
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  Speaker 3: to take the sheep of God away. Certain Jewish leaders
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  Speaker 3: spread words of discouragement among the people. They added to
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  Speaker 3: the grace of Jesus by saying that there were still
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  Speaker 3: works that could get you into heaven. They came off
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  Speaker 3: as holy, but Paul could see the truth. They were
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  Speaker 3: men taking the place of God. They thought they could
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  Speaker 3: ascend to perfection by their good deeds, but they were
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  Speaker 3: painfully and utterly wrong. Nevertheless, a great deal of people
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  Speaker 3: began to believe these Jewish leaders. Their minds were poisoned
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  Speaker 3: by false teachings. The city was divided and growing restless.
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  Speaker 3: Soon there was a large call to have Paul and
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  Speaker 3: Barnabas stoned. So they fled to Lystra before more chaos
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  Speaker 3: would emerge. However, Lystra would prove to have its own
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  Speaker 3: demons awaiting. Paul and Barnabas arrived on the shores of
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  Speaker 3: Lystra with hope that people could be saved by Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: As they were walking, they came across a man who
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  Speaker 3: could not use his feet. He was crippled beyond repair
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  Speaker 3: and had never truly been able to walk since birth.
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  Speaker 3: Paul knelt down to him and said, Stand and walk.
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  Speaker 3: So the man was healed. The crowds gathered and watched
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  Speaker 3: Paul heal this man through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: But they saw no spirit. They saw Paul. They saw Barnabas.
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  Speaker 3: The gods have come down to us, they shouted. It
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  Speaker 3: is Zeus and Hermes. Then the men of the city
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  Speaker 3: prepared bulls and calves to offer up at the temple
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  Speaker 3: of Zeus. Paul and Barnabas watched in terror as men
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  Speaker 3: and women bowed to them as gods. They could barely
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  Speaker 3: stand the weight of their worship. It was too much
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  Speaker 3: to bear. The two men ran to the steps of
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  Speaker 3: the temple of Zeus. Stop, they shouted. People were about
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  Speaker 3: to prepare a sacrifice when Paul tore his robes to
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  Speaker 3: reveal his bare chest. I bleed as you do, Paul yelled.
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  Speaker 3: We are men. We are men who bring you the
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  Speaker 3: good news of the living God, the only God. But
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  Speaker 3: even as Paul spoke these words, they seemed to fall
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  Speaker 3: on deaf ears. Night fell, and all the chaos of
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  Speaker 3: the day had ceased.
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  Speaker 2: For a moment.
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  Speaker 3: Paul slept soundly in his bed, finding a brief moment
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  Speaker 3: of peace under the stars. The silence was broken by
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  Speaker 3: footsteps coming closer to Paul. He awoke to a small
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  Speaker 3: lamp hanging over him. It was the elders from Antioch.
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  Speaker 3: They had found him. Before Paul could move, they grabbed
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  Speaker 3: him and bound him with ropes. Paul struggled to break free,
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  Speaker 3: but the men had tied his hands and feet together.
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  Speaker 3: They drug him for miles back to Antioch. The morning
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  Speaker 3: was breaking, and Paul had been tied to a post
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  Speaker 3: outside the city. He looked around. Large stones caked with
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  Speaker 3: dried blood sat on the floor. Paul knew this place.
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  Speaker 3: He was well acquainted with the stoning arena. The first
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  Speaker 3: stone was a direct blow to the head, but not
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  Speaker 3: strong enough to knock him out. Paul peered up at
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  Speaker 3: the angry stares of Jewish leaders. One of them wound
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  Speaker 3: up and threw the stone directly at his ribcage. Paul
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  Speaker 3: heard two of his ribs snap underneath the weight of
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  Speaker 3: the rock. He gasped for air and coughed up blood.
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  Speaker 3: Then a third stone was thrown. This time it hit
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  Speaker 3: him in the eye, sending his thoughts swirling into madness.
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  Speaker 3: A barrage of stones came afterwards. Paul screamed as his
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  Speaker 3: bones snapped into the hurled stones. Soon Paul was reduced
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  Speaker 3: to an unconscious and limp body. His breathing had slowed
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  Speaker 3: and he was completely covered in blood. Thinking he was dead,
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  Speaker 3: Paul was left on the side of the gate outside Antioch.
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  Speaker 3: Hours had passed, and Paul was just beginning to regain
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  Speaker 3: feeling in his limbs. As he did his best to
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  Speaker 3: prop himself up against the wall, he saw some of
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  Speaker 3: the believers running up to him. They took him in
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  Speaker 3: and nursed his wounds back to health. Paul rested all
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  Speaker 3: day and then was back to preaching the next day.
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  Speaker 3: He would not allow broken bones and torn skin to
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  Speaker 3: prevent him from preaching the gospel. A whipped back did
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  Speaker 3: not prevent Jesus. He carried his cross forward with intent
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  Speaker 3: to put an end to shame and sin. Paul would
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  Speaker 3: do the same. No amount of pain would keep him
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  Speaker 3: from following Christ.
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  Speaker 4: Finds Paul and Barnabas in Iconium, having fled there when
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  Speaker 4: the Jews in Antioch stirred up persecution against them. In
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  Speaker 4: Iconium they preached in the synagogue, and many Jews and
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  Speaker 4: Greeks alike came to faith in Jesus. Clearly the Holy
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  Speaker 4: Spirit was moving through these men, and the message of
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  Speaker 4: salvation in Christ alone was being embraced by more and
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  Speaker 4: more people. But the Holy Spirit was not the only
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  Speaker 4: one moving. As is always the case, when God is
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  Speaker 4: at work, the enemy is at work as well, trying
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  Speaker 4: to destroy the good things of God. So we heard
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  Speaker 4: that unbelieving Jews in Iconium began to stir up anger
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  Speaker 4: against Paul and the other Christians. They poisoned the minds
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  Speaker 4: of the Gentiles against these men. So Paul and Barnabas
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  Speaker 4: remained there for some time to make sure the truth
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  Speaker 4: was clearly taught and the new believers were grounded in
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  Speaker 4: the faith so that when they left, They would not
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  Speaker 4: be shaken by lies or by the false teachers. Finally,
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  Speaker 4: their enemies tried to have them stoned so that they
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  Speaker 4: had to flee, and they went to Lystra, where they
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  Speaker 4: encountered a man who was unable to walk. His feet
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  Speaker 4: had not worked since he was born. Paul looked upon
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  Speaker 4: him with compassion and spoke to him, saying, Stand upright
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  Speaker 4: on your feet. This miraculous healing got the attention of
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  Speaker 4: the people of Lystra, but they misunderstood what was happening.
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  Speaker 4: These Greeks believed in many gods. And when they saw
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  Speaker 4: the healing, they began to praise Paul and Barnabas, believing
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  Speaker 4: they were Hermes and Zeus, Greek gods. At first, Paul
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  Speaker 4: and Barnabas did not understand what was going on. But
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  Speaker 4: when the priest of Zeus brought bulls and calves to
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  Speaker 4: offer sacrifices to them, they were horrified, tearing their clothes
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  Speaker 4: as a sign of their rejection of such blasphemy. Paul
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  Speaker 4: then spoke to them, urging them to see they were
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  Speaker 4: not gods, but mere men. He then preached a simple
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  Speaker 4: message to them in terms that related to their pagan understanding.
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  Speaker 4: So we read in Acts 14 verses 15 to 17
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  Speaker 4: these words, we bring you good news that you should
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  Speaker 4: turn from these vain things to a living God who
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  Speaker 4: made the heavens and the earth and the sea and
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  Speaker 4: all that is in them. In past generations He allowed
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  Speaker 4: all the nations to walk in their own ways, yet
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  Speaker 4: He did not leave Himself without a witness, for He
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  Speaker 4: did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons,
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  Speaker 4: satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. Paul was getting
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  Speaker 4: on their level. He is building a bridge to share
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  Speaker 4: the gospel. And this is an important aspect of how
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  Speaker 4: we share our faith. While the core message of Jesus
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  Speaker 4: and the gospel of his grace never changes, we always
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  Speaker 4: look for ways to reach our culture with the message
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  Speaker 4: of the gospel. We bring the message of good news
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  Speaker 4: in the context so that hearers can comprehend it. And
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  Speaker 4: yet still, even after their protest and witness to the
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  Speaker 4: truth of the God who is, many still wanted to
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  Speaker 4: see them as gods. We're told they were scarcely able
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  Speaker 4: to stop them from offering sacrifices. For many in the
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  Speaker 4: crowd that day, they were simply not ready to comprehend
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  Speaker 4: or receive the gospel. The truth is, we can speak
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  Speaker 4: the words of truth that we are called to deliver,
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  Speaker 4: but we can't force anyone to believe or understand them.
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  Speaker 4: We then heard how the Jews in Antioch and Iconium
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  Speaker 4: were determined to stop these men. They came to Lystra
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  Speaker 4: and took Paul by force to stone him. Paul had
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  Speaker 4: seen this happen before. Surely he remembered how he had
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  Speaker 4: led similar raids when he was persecuting the church. Now
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  Speaker 4: Paul himself was the target of the persecution. He was
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  Speaker 4: stoned and dragged out of the city and left to die.
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  Speaker 4: But the disciples gathered around him, and Paul rose up,
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  Speaker 4: pressed down but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned, struck
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  Speaker 4: down but not destroyed. Most people would have run as
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  Speaker 4: far away as possible, but not Paul. He entered the
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  Speaker 4: city again, and the next day went to Derby to
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  Speaker 4: continue preaching the gospel. There was no stopping his mission,
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  Speaker 4: and there is no stopping the good news of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 4: He and all the believers understood their trials and tribulations
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  Speaker 4: were a part of following Jesus. They were willing to
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  Speaker 4: take up the cross in order to proclaim the cross.
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  Speaker 4: And they knew it's worth it all to give our
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  Speaker 4: all to follow Jesus. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank
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  Speaker 4: you for the scripture and the powerful testimony of the
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  Speaker 4: Apostle Paul, his resilience and perseverance in the face of trials.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for so many who have gone before us
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  Speaker 4: in martyrdom and faith to live faithfully for you, to
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  Speaker 4: proclaim your words so that we could be delivered the
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  Speaker 4: truth of the gospel. May we also be faithful in
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  Speaker 4: our own generation and and courageous to boldly share Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 4: And it is in his name that we pray. Amen.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 4: Pray.com app and make prayer and Bible study the priority
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  Speaker 4: of your life. And if you enjoyed this podcast, tell
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  Speaker 4: someone about it. Pass it on. Let others know because
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: it is our desire to get God's word to as
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  Speaker 4: many people as possible as fast as possible. And if
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: you want to know more about what it means to
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  Speaker 4: be a Christ follower, what it means to be a
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  Speaker 4: disciple of Jesus, then go to jackgraham.org, jackgraham.org. And we
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  Speaker 4: have many resources that are available for you there. God
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  Speaker 4: bless you.
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  Speaker 5: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 13:38
  Speaker 5: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.
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  Speaker 2: Come to me, boy.
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  Speaker 3: You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
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  Speaker 5: He beckoned the giant and said, I come to you
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  Speaker 5: in the name of the Lord of hosts and creator
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  Speaker 5: of the stars.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we all have giants that we face in
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  Speaker 2: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of
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  Speaker 2: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,
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  Speaker 2: it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to
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  Speaker 2: our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 5: Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees
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  Speaker 5: the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms.
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  Speaker 5: but the Lord looks into the heart.
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  Speaker 2: Listen to Heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans
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  Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: your podcasts.