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THE WORLD AFTER THE DEATH OF JESUS – THIS WILL SHOCK YOU · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: They said it would end at the cross. The prophecies
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  Speaker 1: seemed shattered. The Chosen One defeated, his body sealed behind
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  Speaker 1: stone and Roman steel. But the ancient prophets had spoken
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  Speaker 1: of something far more terrifying than death. They had spoken
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  Speaker 1: of what comes after. In three days, an empty tomb
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  Speaker 1: would unleash a force that no empire could contain. Dead
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  Speaker 1: men walked, languages unlearned, poured from common fishermen. A blinding
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  Speaker 1: light on a desert road would transform history's fiercest persecutor
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  Speaker 1: into its greatest messenger. The prophet Daniel had seen it.
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  Speaker 1: Kingdoms would rise and fall, but one kingdom would never end.
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  Speaker 1: Isaiah had declared it a light to the nations that
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  Speaker 1: darkness could not overcome, And now it was happening. Rome's
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  Speaker 1: most sadistic emperor would try to extinguish it with fire
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  Speaker 1: and blood, but even his cruelty would only fuel the flames.
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  Speaker 1: Within one generation, the movement exploded from a hunt hundred
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  Speaker 1: and twenty terrified believers to hundreds of thousands across three continents.
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  Speaker 1: The Temple would fall exactly as predicted, The Gospel would
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  Speaker 1: reach the ends of the earth. Everything the prophets foretold
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  Speaker 1: was unfolding before their eyes. This is what really happened
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  Speaker 1: after Jesus died, and it will shock you. The heavy
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  Speaker 1: wooden door closed with a thud, and the disciples pushed
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  Speaker 1: furniture against it. They were trapped inside an upper room
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  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, hearts pounding with fear. Just days ago they
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  Speaker 1: had watched Roman soldiers nail their teacher to a cross.
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  Speaker 1: They had seen him die, and now they wondered if
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  Speaker 1: they were next. John chapter twenty, verse nineteen describes this
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  Speaker 1: moment on the evening of that first day of the week,
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  Speaker 1: when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for
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  Speaker 1: fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among
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  Speaker 1: them and said, peace be with you. But before Jesus appeared,
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  Speaker 1: they in that room, drowning in despair. Peter was there,
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  Speaker 1: the one who had promised to follow Jesus anywhere, even
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  Speaker 1: to death. Yet when a servant girl had asked if
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  Speaker 1: he knew Jesus, Peter had denied it three times. The
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  Speaker 1: memory burned in his mind. He had failed his master
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  Speaker 1: at the worst possible moment. The other disciples weren't doing
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  Speaker 1: much better. They had all run away. When the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: came to arrest Jesus in the garden of gethsemone. They
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  Speaker 1: had abandoned him, and now the religious leaders who had
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  Speaker 1: orchestrated jesus execution were still in power, still watching, still dangerous.
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  Speaker 1: Outside Jerusalem buzzed with conversation about the crucified prophet. Some
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  Speaker 1: people mocked him, others felt confused. The Pharisees and chief
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  Speaker 1: priests breathed easier, believing they had eliminated a threat to
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  Speaker 1: their authority. They had wanted Jesus dead, and now he was,
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  Speaker 1: or so they thought. Inside that life, the disciples whispered
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  Speaker 1: among themselves. What would they do now? Where would they go?
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  Speaker 1: Could they ever return to their old lives as fishermen
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  Speaker 1: and tax collectors. Everything they had believed about Jesus being
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  Speaker 1: the Messiah seemed to have died with him on that cross.
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  Speaker 1: Early Sunday morning, before the sun had fully risen, a
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  Speaker 1: small group of women made their way through the quiet
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  Speaker 1: streets of Jerusalem. They carried spices and perfumes prepared to
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  Speaker 1: anoint jesus body according to Jewish burial customs. Mary Magdalen
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  Speaker 1: walked alongside Mary, the mother of James, and Salome. Their
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  Speaker 1: eyes were red from crying. As they walked, they discussed
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  Speaker 1: a practical problem. Mark chapter sixteen, Verses three and four
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  Speaker 1: tells us they asked each other who will roll the
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  Speaker 1: stone away from the entrance of the tomb. But when
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  Speaker 1: they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was
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  Speaker 1: very large, had been rolled away. The massive stone that
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  Speaker 1: had sealed the tomb was gone. The women's hearts raced.
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  Speaker 1: Had some one stolen Jesus body. They approached the tomb
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  Speaker 1: cautiously and looked inside. What they saw made them gasp.
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  Speaker 1: A young man dressed in brilliant white sat where Jesus
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  Speaker 1: body should have been. Mark chapter sixteen, verses five and
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  Speaker 1: six records their reaction and his words. As they entered
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  Speaker 1: the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a
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  Speaker 1: white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
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  Speaker 1: Don't be alarmed, he said, you are looking for Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: the Nazarene who was crucified. He has risen. He is
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  Speaker 1: not here. See the place where they laid him. The
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  Speaker 1: angel continued speaking, giving them specific instructions in verse seven.
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  Speaker 1: But go tell his disciples and Peter. He is going
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  Speaker 1: ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him
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  Speaker 1: just as he told you. The women stumbled out of
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  Speaker 1: the tomb, their minds spinning. Jesus was alive. How could
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  Speaker 1: this be? They had seen him die, They had watched
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  Speaker 1: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap his body in linen
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  Speaker 1: and lay him in this very tomb. Mark chapter sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: verse eight describes their emotional state. Trembling and bewildered. The
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  Speaker 1: women went out and fled from the tomb. They said
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  Speaker 1: nothing to anyone because they were afraid. But Mary Magdalene
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  Speaker 1: couldn't stay silent for long. John chapter twenty, verse two
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  Speaker 1: tells us what she did. So she came running to
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  Speaker 1: Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved,
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  Speaker 1: and said, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb,
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  Speaker 1: and we don't know where they have put him. Peter
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  Speaker 1: and John immediately ran to the tomb to see for themselves.
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  Speaker 1: John arrived first, but waited outside. Peter, always impulsive, rushed
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  Speaker 1: straight in. John chapter twenty, verses six and seven describe
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  Speaker 1: what they found. Then Simon Peter came along behind him
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  Speaker 1: and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips
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  Speaker 1: of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that
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  Speaker 1: had been wrapped around jesus head. The cloth was still
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  Speaker 1: lying in its place, separate from the linen. The burial
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  Speaker 1: cloths were there, but jesus body was gone. Something impossible
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  Speaker 1: had happened. Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb after Peter
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  Speaker 1: and John left, weeping. She bent down to look inside again,
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  Speaker 1: and this time she saw two angels in white. They
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  Speaker 1: asked her why she was crying. As she explained, she
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  Speaker 1: turned around and saw a man standing there. She assumed
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  Speaker 1: he was the gardener. John Chapter twenty, verses fifteen and
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  Speaker 1: sixteen capture this powerful moment. He asked her, woman, why
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  Speaker 1: are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?
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  Speaker 1: Thinking he was the gardener, she said, sir, if you
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  Speaker 1: have carried him away, tell me where you have put him,
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  Speaker 1: and I will get him. Jesus said to her. But Mary,
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  Speaker 1: she turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic raboni,
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  Speaker 1: which means teacher. Jesus was alive. Mary had seen him,
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  Speaker 1: spoken with him, heard him say her name. She ran
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  Speaker 1: to tell the disciples. Her fear transformed into joy. That
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  Speaker 1: same day, two of jesus followers walked toward a village
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  Speaker 1: called Emmaeus. About seven miles from Jerusalem. They discussed everything
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  Speaker 1: that had happened, trying to make sense of it all.
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  Speaker 1: A stranger joined them on the road and asked what
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  Speaker 1: they were talking about. They explained about Jesus of Nazareth,
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  Speaker 1: a prophet mighty in word and deed, and how the
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  Speaker 1: chief priests had handed him over to be crucified. Luke
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  Speaker 1: chapter twenty four, verse twenty one records their heartbreak. But
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  Speaker 1: we had hoped that he was the one who was
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  Speaker 1: going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is
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  Speaker 1: the third day since all this took place. The stranger
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  Speaker 1: began explaining the scriptures to them, showing how the Messiah
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  Speaker 1: had to suffer these things before entering his glory. When
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  Speaker 1: they reached Demaeus, they urged him to stay with them
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  Speaker 1: at dinner. Something remarkable happened. Luke chapter twenty four, Verses
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  Speaker 1: thirty and thirty one tell us when he was at
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  Speaker 1: the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it,
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  Speaker 1: and began to give it to them. Then their eyes
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  Speaker 1: were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from
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  Speaker 1: their sight. It had been Jesus all along. They immediately
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  Speaker 1: returned to Jerusalem to tell the others. Meanwhile, the disciples
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  Speaker 1: remained in that locked upper room. Suddenly Jesus stood among them.
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  Speaker 1: They were terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost, but
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  Speaker 1: Jesus showed them his hands and feet, the wounds from
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  Speaker 1: the crucifixion still visible. Luke chapter twenty four, Verses forty
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  Speaker 1: one through forty three describe what happened next. And while
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  Speaker 1: they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement,
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  Speaker 1: he asked them, do you have anything here to eat?
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  Speaker 1: They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he
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  Speaker 1: took it and ate it in their presence. Jesus was real, solid, alive.
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  Speaker 1: He wasn't a spirit or a vision. He had truly
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  Speaker 1: risen from the dead. But one disciple wasn't there that evening.
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  Speaker 1: Thomas had missed this appearance. When the others told him
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  Speaker 1: they had seen the Lord, he refused to believe them.
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  Speaker 1: Jun Chapter twenty, verse twenty five records his famous declaration,
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  Speaker 1: unless I see the nail marks in his hands and
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  Speaker 1: put my finger where the nails were, and put my
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  Speaker 1: hand into his side, I will not believe. A week later,
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  Speaker 1: the disciples gathered again in the same room. This time
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  Speaker 1: Thomas was with them. Once more, Jesus appeared among them
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  Speaker 1: despite the locked doors. He looked directly at Thomas and said,
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  Speaker 1: in John chapter twenty, verses twenty seven, put your finger
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  Speaker 1: here see my hands. Reach out your hand and put
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  Speaker 1: it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas fell
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  Speaker 1: to his knees and declared in verse twenty eight, my
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  Speaker 1: Lord and my God. Over the next forty days, Jesus
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  Speaker 1: appeared to his followers multiple times, Paul would later write
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  Speaker 1: in First Corinthians, chapter fifteen, verse six. After that, he
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  Speaker 1: appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and
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  Speaker 1: sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living,
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  Speaker 1: though some have fallen asleep. Jesus appeared by the sea
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  Speaker 1: of Galilee, where he cooked breakfast for Peter and several
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  Speaker 1: other disciples. He gave Peter a chance to affirm his
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  Speaker 1: love three times, once for each denial. He appeared on mountains,
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  Speaker 1: in rooms, on roads. Each appearance strengthened the disciple's faith
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  Speaker 1: and proved beyond doubt that death had not defeated him.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus led his disciples to a mountain in Galilee, a
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  Speaker 1: place he had specified before his death. When they saw
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  Speaker 1: him there they worshiped him, though Matthew chapter twenty eight,
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  Speaker 1: verse seventeen honestly admits when they saw him they worshiped him,
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  Speaker 1: but some doubted. Even after multiple appearances, some still struggled
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  Speaker 1: to fully comprehend what they were witnessing. But Jesus didn't
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  Speaker 1: rebuke their doubts. Instead, he gave them a mission that
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  Speaker 1: would change everything. Matthew Chapter twenty eight, Verses eighteen through
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  Speaker 1: twenty record his words. Then Jesus came to them and said,
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  Speaker 1: all authority in heaven and on earth has been given
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  Speaker 1: to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations,
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  Speaker 1: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
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  Speaker 1: the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
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  Speaker 1: to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
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  Speaker 1: am with you always to the very end of the age.
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  Speaker 1: This wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. The disciples
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  Speaker 1: had followed Jesus through Galilee and Judea, watching him teach
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  Speaker 1: and heal among the Jewish people, but now he was
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  Speaker 1: expanding their vision to include everyone everywhere. All nations meant Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Ethiopians,
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  Speaker 1: people they had never met who spoke languages they didn't know.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus was taking a group of ordinary Jewish men and
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  Speaker 1: transforming them into global ambassadors. He promised them authority based
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  Speaker 1: on his own authority. He assured them he would never
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  Speaker 1: leave them, even as they ventured into unknown territories. Mark's
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  Speaker 1: account adds another dimension to this commission. Mark chapter sixteen,
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  Speaker 1: verses fifteen through eighteen reco Jesus, saying, go into all
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  Speaker 1: the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Whoever
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  Speaker 1: believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does
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  Speaker 1: not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany
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  Speaker 1: those who believe in my name. They will drive out demons,
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  Speaker 1: They will speak in new tongues. They will pick up
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  Speaker 1: snakes with their hands, and when they drink deadly poison,
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  Speaker 1: it will not hurt them at all. They will place
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  Speaker 1: their hands on sick people, and they will get well.
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  Speaker 1: The mission came with power. They wouldn't go alone or defenseless.
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  Speaker 1: They would carry the same authority Jesus had demonstrated during
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  Speaker 1: his earthly ministry. Luke's gospel adds one more crucial detail.
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  Speaker 1: Luke Chapter twenty four, verse forty nine quotes Jesus, I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to send you what my father has promised, but
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  Speaker 1: stay in the city until you have been clothed with
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  Speaker 1: power from on high. The disciples needed to wait. They
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  Speaker 1: had their instructions, but they weren't ready yet. Something else
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  Speaker 1: was coming, something that would equip them for the impossible
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  Speaker 1: task ahead. The disciples returned to Jerusalem and waited, Just
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  Speaker 1: as Jesus had instructed. Acts Chapter one, verse fourteen tells
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  Speaker 1: us they all joined together constantly in prayer, along with
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  Speaker 1: the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with
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  Speaker 1: his brothers. About one hundred and twenty believers gathered regularly
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  Speaker 1: in an upper room. They prayed, They waited, They wondered
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  Speaker 1: what would happen next. During this time, they selected Matthias
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  Speaker 1: to replace Judas Iscariot, bringing the number of apostles back
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  Speaker 1: to twelve. Then came the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, fifty
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  Speaker 1: days after Passover. Jerusalem filled with Jews from every nation,
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  Speaker 1: people who had traveled from across the Roman Empire and
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  Speaker 1: beyond to celebrate at the Temple. The believers were together
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  Speaker 1: in one place when it happened. Acts Chapter two, verses
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  Speaker 1: two through four described the moment. Suddenly, a sound like
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  Speaker 1: the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and
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  Speaker 1: filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw
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  Speaker 1: what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and
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  Speaker 1: came to rest on each of them. All of them
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  Speaker 1: were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
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  Speaker 1: in other tongues as the spirit enabled them. The noise
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  Speaker 1: attracted a crowd. People from Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphilia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete,
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  Speaker 1: and Arabia all heard the disciples speaking. But here's what
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  Speaker 1: amazed them. As Acts Chapter two, verses six through eight explain,
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  Speaker 1: when they heard this sound, a crowd came together in
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  Speaker 1: bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken.
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  Speaker 1: Utterly Amazed, they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then?
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  Speaker 1: How is it that each of us hears them in
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  Speaker 1: our native language. These were ordinary men from Galilee, fishermen
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  Speaker 1: and common workers. Yet they were speaking fluent Persian, Latin, Greek, Egyptian,
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  Speaker 1: and languages they had never studied. Some people in the
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  Speaker 1: crowd mocked them, suggesting they were drunk, but it was
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  Speaker 1: only nine in the morning. Stood up with the eleven
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  Speaker 1: other apostles. This was the same Peter who had denied
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  Speaker 1: Jesus just weeks earlier. Now he raised his voice and
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  Speaker 1: addressed the crowd with complete boldness. He explained that this
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  Speaker 1: wasn't drunkenness, but the fulfillment of prophecy. Acts chapter two,
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  Speaker 1: Verses twenty two through twenty four record part of his message.
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  Speaker 1: Fellow Israelites, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a
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  Speaker 1: man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and
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  Speaker 1: signs which God did among you through him. As you
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  Speaker 1: yourselves know, this man was handed over to you by
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  Speaker 1: God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. And you, with the help
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  Speaker 1: of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him
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  Speaker 1: to the cross. But God raised him from the dead,
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  Speaker 1: freeing him from the agony of death, because it was
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  Speaker 1: impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Peter continued,
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  Speaker 1: quoting from the Psalms and explaining how David had prophesied
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  Speaker 1: about the Messiah's resurrection. He declared in Acts chapter two,
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  Speaker 1: verse thirty six, Therefore, let all Israel be assured of
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  Speaker 1: this God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified both
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  Speaker 1: Lord and Messiah. The words cut deep. The crowd asked
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  Speaker 1: what they should do. Peter's answer in verse thirty eight
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  Speaker 1: was direct, repent and be baptized, every one of you
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  Speaker 1: in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of
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  Speaker 1: your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
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  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. Dacts chapter two, verse forty one tells us
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  Speaker 1: the result. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and
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  Speaker 1: about three thousand were added to their number that day.
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  Speaker 1: Three thousand people in one day. The movement that had
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  Speaker 1: started with a handful of frightened disciples hiding in a
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  Speaker 1: room had just exploded into the thousands. The three thousand
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  Speaker 1: new believers didn't just accept a message and go home.
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  Speaker 1: They formed something the world had never seen before. Acts
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  Speaker 1: Chapter two, verses forty two through forty seven described this
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  Speaker 1: new community. They devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and
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  Speaker 1: to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and
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  Speaker 1: signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together
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  Speaker 1: and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions
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  Speaker 1: to give to anyone who had need. Every day they
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  Speaker 1: continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke
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  Speaker 1: bread in their homes and ate together with glad and
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  Speaker 1: sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all
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  Speaker 1: the people and the Lord. Added to their number daily
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  Speaker 1: those who were being saved. This wasn't a social club
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  Speaker 1: or a weekly religious meeting. These believers lived their faith
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  Speaker 1: every single day. They learned from the apostles, asking questions,
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  Speaker 1: and growing in their understanding. They eate meals together, not
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  Speaker 1: in fancy buildings, but in their own homes, sharing what
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  Speaker 1: they had. The phrase had everything in common meant something radical.
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  Speaker 1: When someone had a need, others sold their possessions to help.
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  Speaker 1: A believer with two coats would sell one to help
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  Speaker 1: someone who had none. Those with land or houses sold
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  Speaker 1: them and brought the money to the apostles to distribute. Acts.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter four, verses thirty four and thirty five emphasized this point.
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  Speaker 1: There were no needy persons among them. For from time
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  Speaker 1: to time those who owned land or houses sold them,
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  Speaker 1: brought the money from the sales and put it at
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  Speaker 1: the apostle's feet, and it was distributed to anyone who
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  Speaker 1: had need. One example stands out Acts Chapter four, verse
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  Speaker 1: thirty six and thirty seven tell Us Joseph, a levite
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  Speaker 1: from Cyprus, whom the Apostles called Barnabas, which means son
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  Speaker 1: of encouragement, sold a field he owned, and brought the
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  Speaker 1: money and put it at the apostles feet. This generosity
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  Speaker 1: wasn't forced. Nobody made these believers share. They did it
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  Speaker 1: willingly because they genuinely cared for each other. They saw
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  Speaker 1: themselves as one family, and families take care of their own.
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  Speaker 1: They met daily in the temple courts, the same place
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  Speaker 1: where Jesus had taught. They prayed together, sang together, and
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  Speaker 1: encouraged one another. In their homes, they celebrated the Lord's Supper,
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  Speaker 1: remembering jesus death and resurrection, over simple meals. The people
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  Speaker 1: of Jerusalem watched this community with fascination. They saw joy, generosity,
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  Speaker 1: and genuine love. They watched believers care for widows, feed
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  Speaker 1: the poor, and welcome strangers. This wasn't the cold, rule
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  Speaker 1: focused religion of the Pharisees. This was something alive, something real.
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  Speaker 1: The Apostles didn't just teach with words, They demonstrated God's
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  Speaker 1: power through miraca signs that confirmed their message. One afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: Peter and John went to the temple for prayer at
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  Speaker 1: three o'clock. At the temple gate called Beautiful, they encountered
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: a man who had been unable to walk since birth.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: Every day people carried him to this spot so he
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: could beg for money from those entering the temple. Acts
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: Chapter three, verses four through eight, describe what happened. Peter
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said,
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: look at us. So the man gave them his attention,
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, silver
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: or gold I do not have. But what I do have,
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Nazareth walk Taking him by the right hand, he helped
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: he went with them into the temple courts, walking and
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: jumping and praising God. Imagine the scene, a man who
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: had never walked in his entire life suddenly leaping and jumping,
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: shouting praises to God. Everyone at the temple recognized him
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: as the beggar who sat at the gate every day.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: Now he was dancing. A crowd quickly gathered, amazed at
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: what they were seeing. Peter seized the opportunity to preach
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: about Jesus, explaining that the power didn't come from him
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: or John, but from faith in Jesus's name. The miracles continued.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter five, Verses twelve and fifteen tell us the
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: Apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: As a result, people brought the sick into the streets
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: and laid them on beds and mats, so that at
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them. As
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: he passed by. Peter's shadow, people believed that even his
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: shadow carried healing power. This shows how much the Apostle's
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: reputation had grown Jerusalem with stories of miraculous healings. Acts
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: Chapter five, verse sixteen ADS. Crowds gathered also from the
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: impure spirits, and all of them were healed, all of them,
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: not some, not most. All of them were healed. The
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: blind received sight the deaf heard, the lame walked, people
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: possessed by demons were set free. These weren't magic tricks
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: or exaggerations. These were real people with real problems receiving
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: real healing. The religious leaders who had crucified Jesus watched
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: these developments with growing alarm. The movement they thought they
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: had crushed was spreading faster than ever. When Peter and
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: John healed the lame Beggar, they arrested them and brought
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: them before the Sanhedrin, the same council that had condemned Jesus.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: Acts chapter four, verse seven records their question. They had
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Peter and John brought before them, and began to question them,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: by what power or what name did you do this? Peter,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Spirit, answered boldly. Acts Chapter four,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: Verses ten through twelve give his response. Then, know this,
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: you and all the people of Israel. It is by
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: but whom God raised from the dead, that this man
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: stands before you. Healed Jesus is the stone you builders rejected,
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: which has become the corner stone. Salvation is found in
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: no one else, for there is no other name under
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: heaven given to mankind, by which we must be saved.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: The council members were stunned. These were uneducated ordinary men,
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: yet they spoke with such confidence and authority. Acts chapter four,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: verse thirteen tells us when they saw the courage of
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: Peter and John and realized that they were unschool ed
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: these men had been with Jesus. They couldn't deny the miracle.
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: The healed man stood right there in front of them,
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: a living testimony. After consulting privately, they ordered Peter and
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: John to stop speaking about Jesus. Acts Chapter four, verse
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: nineteen twenty record the apostle's response, but Peter and John replied,
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: which is right in God's eyes to listen to you
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: or to him. You be the judges. As for us,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: The council threatened them further, but eventually released them because
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: the people were praising God for the miracle. Peter and
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: John returned to the other believers and reported everything. The
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: entire group prayed for boldness to continue speaking God's word,
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: but the persecution escalated. The High priest and the Sadducees
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: became jealous of the apostle's influence and arrested all of them,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: putting them in the public jail. At night, something extraordinary happened.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter five, Verses nineteen and twenty tell us, but
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: doors of the jail and brought them out. Go stand
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: in the temple courts, he said, and tell the people
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: all about this new life. The next morning, when the
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: Sanhedrins sent for the prisoners, the guards found the jail
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: securely locked but completely empty. Then someone reported that the
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: apostles were teaching in the temple courts. Again, the captain
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: of the temple guard brought them back to the council,
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: carefully this time, because the people loved the apostles. The
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: high priest confronted them. Acts Chapter five, verse twenty eight
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: records his words, we gave you strict orders not to
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: teach in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: this man's blood. Peter and the other apostles answered with
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: the statement that would define Christian resistancetance for centuries. Acts
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: Chapter five, verse twenty nine, we must obey God rather
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: than human beings. The council members were furious and wanted
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: to kill them, but a Pharisee named Gamilliel, a respected
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: teacher of the law, stood up an advised caution. Acts
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: Chapter five, Verses thirty eight and thirty nine record his wisdom. Therefore,
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: in the present case, I advise you leave these men alone.
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: Let them go, for if their purpose or activity is
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: of human origin, it will fail. But if it is
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: from God, you will not be able to stop these men.
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: You will only find yourselves fighting against God. The council
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: accepted his advice, but had the apostles flogged before releasing them.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Flogging meant being beaten with whips, a painful and humiliating punishment.
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: Yet Acts chapter five, verse forty one describes the apostle's reaction.
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: The apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name. They had
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: been beaten and threatened, but they celebrated. They saw suffering
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: for Jesus as an honor, not a tragedy, and they
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: didn't stop preaching. Verse forty two concludes, day after day
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: in the temple courts, and from house to house. They
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: is the Messiah. As the church in Jerusalem grew, the
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: Apostles realized they needed help managing the daily distribution of
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: food to widows. The Greek speaking believers complained that their
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: widows were being overlooked compared to the Hebrew speaking widows.
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: So the Apostles gathered every one and proposed a solution.
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter six, verses three through five record what happened.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: We will turn this responsibility over to them, and will
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, also
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: Philip Procorus, nicoonor Timon Parmenus, and Nicholas from Antioch, a
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: convert to Judaism. Stephen wasn't just good at distributing food.
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter six, verse eight tells us now Stephen, a
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: man full of God's grace and power, performed great wonders
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: and signs among the people. His wisdom and the Spirit's
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: power in him stirred up opposition. Members of the Synagogue
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: of the Freedmen began arguing with Stephen, but Acts chapter six,
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: verse ten says they could not stand up against the
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. When they
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: couldn't win the debate, they turned to lies. They secretly
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: persuaded men to claim that Stephen had spoken blasphemy against
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: Moses and again against God. They stirred up the people,
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: the elders and the teachers of the law, who seized
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. False witnesses testified
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: against him. Acts chapter six, verse fifteen describes what everyone
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: in the council saw. All who were sitting in the
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: face was like the face of an angel. The High
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: Priest asked Stephen if the charges were true. Stephen responded
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: with a long speech, walking through Israel's history from Abraham
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: to Solomon. He showed how their ancestors had repeatedly rejected
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: God's messengers. Then he turned the accusation back on them.
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: Acts chapter seven, verses fifty one through fifty three record
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: his bold words, You stiff necked people, your hearts and
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: You always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there ever a prophet?
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: Your ancestors did not persecute, They even killed those who
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: have betrayed and murdered him, You who have received the
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: law that was given through angels, but have not obeyed it.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: The council members were furious. They ground their teeth at
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: him in rage. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: looked up to heaven. Acts Chapter seven, verses fifty five
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: and fifty six tell us what he saw. But Stephen,
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open,
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: and the Son of Man standing at the right hand
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: of God. That was too much for them. Acts Chapter seven,
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: verses fifty seven and fifty eight describe what happened next.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: At this they covered their ears and yelling at the
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: top of their voices. They all rushed at him dragged
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile,
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: young man named Saul. As rock struck Stephen's body, he prayed.
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter seven, verse fifty nine records his words. While
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: they were stoning him. Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: Then he fell to his knees and cried out with
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: his last breath, as verse sixty tells us, Lord, do
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: not hold this sin against them, And with those words
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: he died. A young man named Saul stood watching, approving
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: of Stephen's execution. He had no idea that this moment
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: would haunt him for the rest of his life. Stephen's
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: death marked the beginning of intense persecution. Acts Chapter eight,
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: Verses one through three describe what followed, and Saul approved
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: of their killing him. On that day, a great persecution
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: broke out against the Church in Jerusalem, and all except
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him, but Saul began
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: Saul went from door to door, hunting believers like animals.
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: Families fled Jerusalem, leaving behind homes and businesses. The persecution
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: that was meant to destroy the Church actually spread it.
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter eight, verse four explains those who had been
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: scattered preached the Word wherever they went. Philip, one of
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: the seven chosen alongside Stephen, went to a city in Samaria.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: This was significant. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Centuries
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: of religious and ethnic conflict had created a deep divide.
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: Jews traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem would take the long
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: route around Samaria rather than walk through it. But Philip
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: went straight into Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them.
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter eight, verses six through eight described the response
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: when the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed.
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: They all paid close attention to what he said, for
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: great joy in that city. The Samaritans, despised by the Jews,
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: were receiving the Gospel with joy. When the apostles in
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem heard that Sirmaria had accepted God's word. They sent
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: Peter and John to investigate. Acts Chapter eight, Verses fourteen
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: through seventeen tell us, when the apostles in Jerusalem heard
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: that Sir Maaria had accepted the Word of God, they
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: prayed for the new believers there that they might receive
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit had not yet
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: come on any of them. They had simply been baptized
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: John placed their hands on them, and they received the
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. The barrier between Jews and Samaritans was breaking down.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: The Gospel was proving stronger than centuries of hatred. Then
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: an angel spoke to Philip with strange instructions. Acts Chapter eight,
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: Verses twenty six and twenty seven record Now an angel
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: of the Lord said to Philip, go south to the road,
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: Now so he started out, and on his way he
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: all the treasury of the Candacay, which means queen of
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship.
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: The Ethiopian was sitting in his chariot reading from the
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: prophet Isaiah. Philip ran up to the chariot and heard
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: him reading. He asked if the man understood what he
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: was reading. Acts Chapter eight, Verses thirty one and thirty
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: two give the Ethiopian's response. He replied, how can I
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: unless someone explains it to me. So he invited Philip
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: to come up and sit with him. This is the
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: passage of scripture the eunuch was reading. He was led
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: before its shearer, is silent, so he did not open
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: his mouth. The Ethiopian asked Philip whom the prophet was
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: talking about. Philip started with that very passage and told
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: the road, they came to some water. Acts Chapter eight,
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: verses thirty six through thirty eight tell us. The eunuch asked, look,
• 36:37
  Speaker 1: here is water. What can stand in the way of
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water,
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: and Philip baptized him. The gospel had reached Africa through
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: an Ethiopian official who would carry it back to his
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: own country. Meanwhile, Saul continued his campaign of terror against believers.
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter nine, Verses one and two describe his intensity. Meanwhile,
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: He went to the High Priest and asked him for
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: Saul wasn't satisfied with persecuting believers in Jerusalem. He wanted
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: to hunt them down wherever they fled. Armed with official letters,
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: he headed toward Damascus with a group of companions. Then
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: suddenly everything changed. Acts Chapter nine, Verses three through six,
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: described the moment as he neared Damascus on his journey,
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul,
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: why do you persecute me? Who are you? Lord? Saul asked,
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. He replied, Now
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: get up and go into the city, and you will
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: be told what you must do. Saul got up from
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: the ground, but when he opened his eyes he couldn't
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: see anything. His companions led him by the hand into Damascus.
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: For three days, Saul remained blind, refusing to eat or drink.
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: In Damascus lived a disciple named Anonius. The Lord spoke
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: to him in a vision, telling him to go to
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: a house on straight Street and ask for Saul of Tarsus.
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: Anonius was terrified. Acts Chapter nine, verses thirteen and fourteen
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: record his protest Lord, I have heard many reports about
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: this man and all the harm he has done to
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: your holy people in Jerusalem, and he has come here
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: call on your name. But the Lord had a plan.
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter nine, verse fifteen explains, But the Lord said
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: to Anna Nius, go, this man is my chosen instrument
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: and to the people of Israel. Anonius obeyed. He found
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: Saul and placed his hands on him. Acts Chapter nine,
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: Verses seventeen and eighteen tell us. Then Anonius went to
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: the house and entered it, placing his hands on Saul.
• 39:22
  Speaker 1: He said, brother, Saul the Lord Jesus, who appeared to
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: you on the road as you were coming here, has
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: sent me so that you may see again and be
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: up and was baptized. The church's greatest enemy had become
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: a believer. Saul immediately began preaching in the synagogues that
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: Jesus is the Son of God. Acts chapter nine, verse
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: twenty one describes people's reactions. All those who heard him
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: were astonished and asked, isn't he the man who raised
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners?
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: To the chief priests, Saul grew more and more powerful
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: in his arguments proving that Jesus was the Messiah. This
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: infuriated the Jews in Damascus so much that they plotted
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: to kill him, but Saul's followers helped him escape. Acts
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: chapter nine, verse twenty five tells us but his followers
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: took him by night and lowered him in a basket
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: through an opening in the wall. In the coastal city
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: of Caesarea lived a Roman centurion named Cornelius. He commanded
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: what was known as the Italian Regiment. Acts Chapter ten,
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: verse two describes him. He and all his family were
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: devout and God fearing. He gave generously to those in
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: need and prayed to God regularly. One afternoon, around three o'clock,
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: Cornelius had a vision. An angel appeared to him and
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: called his name. Cornelius stared at the angel in fear
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: and asked what the angel wanted. Acts Chapter ten, verses
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: four through six record the angel's instructions. The angel answered,
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: Jopper to bring back a man named Simon, who is
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: called Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: house is by the sea. Cornelius immediately sent two servants
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: and a devout soldier to Jopper the next day around noon.
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: As these men approached the city, Peter went up on
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: to eat. While the meal was being prepared, he fell
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: into a trance. Acts Chapter ten, Verses eleven through thirteen
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: describe what Peter saw. He saw heaven opened and something
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: like a large sheet being let down to earth by
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: its four corners. It contained all kinds of four footed animals,
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him,
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: get up, Peter, kill and eat. Peter was shocked. The
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: sheet contained animals that Jewish law forbade eating. Acts. Chapter ten,
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: verse fourteen records his response, surely not, Lord, I have
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice spoke again,
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: as verse fifteen tells us, the voice spoke to him
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: a second time, do not call anything impure that God
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: has made clean. This happened three times before the sheet
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: was taken back to heaven. Peter was confused, wondering what
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: the vision meant. Just then, Cornelius's men arrived at the house,
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: calling out and asking if Peter was staying there. The
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: spirit told Peter that three men were looking for him
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: him Acts. Chapter ten, verse twenty records the spirit's instruction,
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: go with them, for I have sent them. Peter went
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: down and asked the men why they had come. They
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: explained about Cornelius and the angel's instructions. The next day,
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: Peter and some believers from Joppa traveled with them to Caesarea.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: Cornelius had gathered his relatives and close friends waiting for
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: Peter to arrive. When Peter entered the house, Cornelius fell
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: at his feet to worship him. Peter made him get up.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter ten, verses twenty seven and twenty eight record
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: what Peter said while talking with him. Peter went inside
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: and found a large gathering of people. He said to them,
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: you are well aware that it is against our law
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: for a Jew to associate with or visit a gentile.
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: But God has shown me that I should not call
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: anyone impure or unclean. Peter understood the vision. Now it
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: wasn't really about food, it was about people. God was
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: telling him that no person should be considered unclean or
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: unfit for the gospel. Cornelius explained his vision and Peter
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: began to speak. Acts Chapter ten, verses thirty four and
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: thirty five give his opening words. Then Peter began to speak,
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: I now realize how true it is that God does
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: not show favoritism, but accepts from every nation the one
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: who fears him and does what is right. Peter told
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: them about Jesus, his life death and Resurrection. As he
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: was still speaking, something remarkable happened. Acts Chapter ten, Verses
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: forty four through forty six describe it. While Peter was
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles, for they
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Peter asked
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: if any one could object to baptizing these people with water,
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: since they had received the Holy Spirit just as the
• 45:16
  Speaker 1: Jewish believers had. So Cornelius and his household were baptized.
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: A Roman centurion and his entire family had become followers
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: of Jesus. Some believers who had fled from the persecution
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch.
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: At first they only shared the message with Jews, but
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: some men from Cyprus and Syrin came to Antioch and
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: began speaking to Greeks as well, telling them the good
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: news about Jesus. Acts Chapter eleven, verse twenty one tells
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: us what happened. The Lord's hand was with them, and
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: Word of this reached the Church in Jerusalem. They sent
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: Barnabas to investigate what was happening in Antioch. When Barnabas
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: arrived and saw the evidence of God's grace, he was
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: filled with joy. Acts Chapter eleven, Verses twenty three and
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: twenty four describe his response. When he arrived and saw
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: what the grace of God had done, he was glad
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: with all their hearts. He was a good man, full
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: of people were brought to the Lord. Barnabas realized this
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: work needed more leadership. He remembered Saul, the converted persecutor,
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: who had been sent away to Tarsus years earlier. Barnabas
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: traveled to Tarsus to look for him. When he found Saul,
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: he brought him to Antioch. Acts Chapter eleven, verse twenty
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: six tells us and when he found him, he brought
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. This was
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: the first time believers were called Christians. The name stuck.
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: In Antioch, a vibrant church grew that included both Jews
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: and Gentiles, worshiping together, learning together, living together as one
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: family in Christ. In the church at Antioch, several prophets
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: and teachers led the congregation, including Barnabas and Saul. Acts
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, verses two and three tell us what happened
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: one day while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit said, set apart for me, Barnabas and Saul,
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: for the work to which I have called them. Don So,
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: on them and sent them off. Barnabas and Saul, along
• 47:47
  Speaker 1: with John Mark as their helper, sailed to Cyprus. They
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: traveled through the island proclaiming God's word in the Jewish synagogues.
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: In Paphos, they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: named Bard Jesus, who opposed their message. Saul, also called Paul,
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Spirit, confronted him directly. Acts Chapter thirteen,
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: verses ten and eleven record Paul's words, you are a
• 48:13
  Speaker 1: child of the devil and an enemy of everything that
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: is right. You are full of all kinds of deceit
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: of the Lord. Now the hand of the Lord is
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: against you. You are going to be blind for a time,
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: not even able to see the light of the sun. Immediately,
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about,
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: seeking someone to lead him by the hand. The governor
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: of Cyprus witnessed this and believed. From Cyprus, Paul and
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: Barnabas sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark left them
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: there and returned to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas continued
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: to Persidi in Antioch. On the Sabbath, they went to
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: the Synagon. After the reading of the Law and the prophets,
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: the synagogue leaders invited them to speak. Paul stood up
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: and delivered a powerful message, tracing Israel's history and explaining
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: how Jesus fulfilled God's promises. Acts Chapter thirteen, Verses thirty
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: eight and thirty nine summarize his message. Therefore, my friends,
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: I want you to know that through Jesus, the forgiveness
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him, every one
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: who believes is set free from every sin, a justification
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: Many Jews and converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas,
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: who urged them to continue in God's grace. The next Sabbath,
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: almost the whole city gathered to hear God's word. When
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: the Jewish leaders saw the crowds, they became jealous and
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: spoke against what Paul was saying. Paul and Barnabas responded boldly.
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: Acts Chapter thirteen, verse forty six records their declaration, we
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: had to speak the word of God to you first,
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: of eternal life, we now turn to the gentiles. The
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: Gentiles were thrilled to hear this. Many believed, and the
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: the Jewish leaders stirred up persecution, and Paul and Barnabas
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: were forced to leave the city. They shook the dust
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: off their feet and went to Iconium. In Iconium, they
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: spoke in the synagogue, and a great number of Jews
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: and Greeks believed, but those who didn't believe stirred up
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: the Gentiles against them. Paul and Barnabas stayed there a
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: long time, speaking boldly about the Lord, who confirmed their
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: message by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. When
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: they learned of a plot to stone them, they fled
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: to Listra and Derbey. In Listra, Paul healed a man
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: who had been lame from birth. The crowds were so
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: amazed that they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods. The
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: priest of Zeus even brought bulls and wreaths to offer
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: sacrifices to them. When Paul and Barnabas realized what was happening,
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd. Acts
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: chapter fourteen, verse fifteen records their words, friends, why are
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: you doing this? We too are only human like you.
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: from these worthless things to the living God who made
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything
• 51:36
  Speaker 1: in them. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: and turned the crowd against Paul. They stoned him and
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: when the disciples gathered around him, Paul got up and
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: went back into the city. The next day, he and
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: Barnabas left for Derbey. After preaching in Derbey and making
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: many disciples, they returned to listra, Ionium and Antioch, strengthening
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: Acts chapter fourteen, verse twenty two records their message, we
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: They appointed elders in each church and returned to Antioch,
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: where they had been committed to God's grace for the
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: work they had now completed. Some men came from Judea
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: to Antioch and began teaching the believers something troubling. Acts
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: chapter fifteen, verse one tells us what they said. Unless
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: you cannot be saved. This created sharp dispute. Paul and
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: Barnabas argued strongly against this teaching. The church decided to
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem to discuss
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: this question with the apostles and elders. When they arrived
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, they reported everything God had done through them
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: among the gentiles, but some believers who belonged to the
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: party of the Pharisees stood up. Acts. Chapter fifteen, verse
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: five records their position the gentiles must be circumcised and
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: required to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: stood up and addressed them. Acts Chapter fifteen, Verses seven
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: through eleven give his argument. Brothers, you know that some
• 53:30
  Speaker 1: time ago God made a choice among you that the
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the Gospel,
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: and believe, God, who knows the heart, showed that he
• 53:41
  Speaker 1: accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: as he did to us. He did not discriminate between
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith. Now, then,
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: why do you try to test God by putting on
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: the necks of gentiles a yoke that neither we nor
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: our ancestors have been able to bear. No, we believe
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: we are saved, just as they are. Everyone listened as
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: Barnabas and Paul described the signs and wonders God had
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: done among the Gentiles through them. Then James, the brother
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: of Jesus, spoke, He quoted from the prophets, and reached
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: a conclusion. Acts Chapter fifteen, verses nineteen and twenty record
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: his decision. It is my judgment, therefore, that we should
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: not make it difficult for the gentiles who are turning
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: to God. Instead, we should write to them, telling them
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. The
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: apostles and elders chose men to send back to Antioch,
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: with Paul and Barnabas, carrying a letter explaining their decision.
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: The letter began with these words in Acts Chapter fifteen,
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: verses twenty four and twenty. We have heard that some
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you,
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: troubling your minds by what they said. So we all
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: agreed to choose some men and send them to you,
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul. When the believers
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: in Antioch read the letter, they rejoiced at its encouraging message.
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: The Gospel was for everyone, and faith in Jesus was enough.
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: Paul wanted to revisit all the churches they had established.
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: He and Barnabas disagreed about whether to take John Mark
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: with them again, since he had left them during the
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: first journey. The disagreement was so sharp that they parted ways.
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, while Paul chose
• 55:45
  Speaker 1: Silas and traveled through Syria and Celicia. In Lystra, Paul
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: met a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was Jewish and
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: father was Greek. The believers in Lystra and Iconium spoke
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: well of him, so Paul wanted Timothy to join them. Paul, Silas,
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: and Timothy traveled through the region, delivering the decisions from
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem and strengthening the churches. Acts Chapter sixteen, verses six
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: through eight describe what happened next. Paul and his companions
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galicia, having been
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: the province of Asia. When they came to the border
• 56:26
  Speaker 1: of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: of Jesus would not allow them to, so they passed
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: by Missia and went down to trow Us intro Us.
• 56:37
  Speaker 1: Paul had a vision. Acts Chapter sixteen, verses nine and
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: ten tell us. During the night, Paul had a vision
• 56:44
  Speaker 1: of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him come
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: over to Macedonia and help us and Doune. After Paul
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: had seen the vision, we got ready at once to
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: preach the Gospel to them. They sailed from Troas to Samothrace,
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: then to Neapolis, and finally to Philippi, a Roman colony
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: and leading city in Macedonia. On the Sabbath, they went
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: outside the city gate to the river, where they expected
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: to find a place of prayer. They sat down and
• 57:18
  Speaker 1: spoke to the women gathered there. Acts Chapter sixteen, Verse
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: fourteen introduces one listener. One of those listening was a
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: woman from the city of Thyata named Lydia, a dealer
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. Lydia
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: and her household were baptized. She invited Paul and his
• 57:42
  Speaker 1: companions to stay at her house, and they accepted. The
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: Gospel had reached Europe through a business woman whose heart
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: guard opened. As Paul traveled from city to city establishing churches,
• 57:54
  Speaker 1: he couldn't stay in each place forever. But the new
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: believers faced problems, asked questions, and sometimes fell into error.
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: So Paul wrote letters to guide them, encourage them, and
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: correct them when necessary. The church in Corinth struggled with divisions.
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: Some said they followed Paul, others said they followed Apollus,
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: still others claimed Peter or Christ. They also faced issues
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: with sexual immorality and disputes about spiritual gifts. Paul wrote
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: to them, addressing these problems directly. In First Corinthians, Chapter one,
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: verses ten through thirteen, Paul confronted their divisions. I appeal
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: another in what you say, and that there be no
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household,
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What
• 58:56
  Speaker 1: I mean is this One of you says I follow Paul,
• 59:00
  Speaker 1: another I follow Apollos, another I follow Cephus, still another
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: I follow Christ? Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
• 59:13
  Speaker 1: Were you baptized in the name of Paul. Paul wrote
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: about love in words that would echo through history. First
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: Corinthians chapter thirteen, verses four through seven describe it. Love
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy. It
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: does not boast. It is not proud. It does not
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: dishonor others. It is not self seeking. It is not
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. To the
• 59:51
  Speaker 1: churches in Galicia, Paul wrote urgently about a serious problem.
• 59:56
  Speaker 1: Some teachers were telling the Galician believers they needed to
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: follow Jewish law to be truly saved. Paul was outraged.
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: Galatians chapter one, verses six through nine express his alarm.
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 1: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: one who called you to live in the grace of Christ,
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: and are turning to a different gospel, which is really
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ.
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 1: But even if we or an angel from heaven should
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 1: preach a gospel other than the one we preach to you,
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: let them be under God's curse. As we have already said.
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: So now I say again, if anybody is preaching to
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 1: be under God's curse. Paul emphasized that salvation comes through
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: faith alone. Galatians Chapter two, verse sixteen states his position.
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: Clearly know that a person is not justified by the
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 1: works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 1: So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus,
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 1: that we may be justified by faith in Christ and
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: not by the works of the law, because by the
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 1: works of the law no one will be justified. To
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: the Church in Rome, a church Paul had never visited,
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: but hoped to, he wrote his most systematic explanation of
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 1: the gospel. He explained how both Jews and Gentiles had
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: sinned and needed salvation. Romans chapter three, verses twenty three
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: and twenty four summarize this, for all have sinned and
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 1: fall short of the glory of God, and all are
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 1: by Christ Jesus. Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison,
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 1: Yet his letter overflowed with joy Philippians, Chapter four, verses
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: four through seven encourage believers. Rejoice in the Lord always.
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 1: I will say it again, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 1: anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 1: with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: and your minds in Christ Jesus. These letters circulated among
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: the churches. Believers copied them and shared them with other congregations.
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 1: What Paul wrote to address specific situations became timeless instruction
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: for all who would follow Christ. Tensions between the Jews
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 1: and Rome had been building for years. The Romans taxed heavily,
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 1: disrespected Jewish customs, and ruled with an iron fist. In
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: sixty six a d. These tensions exploded into open revolt.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: Jewish rebels attacked the Roman garrison in Jerusalem and defeated them.
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: Rome couldn't let this stand. Emperor Nero sent General Vespasian
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 1: with a massive army to crush the rebellion. Vespasian's son Titus,
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: led legions into Judaea, destroying city after city. By seventy
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: a d they surrounded Jerusalem. Jesus had predicted this forty
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: years earlier. Luke Chapter twenty one, verses twenty through twenty
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: four record his prophecy, When you see Jerusalem being surrounded
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 1: by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 1: let those in the city get out, and let those
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: in the country not enter the city. For this is
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 1: the time of punishment, in fulfillment of all that has
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 1: been written. How dreadful it will be in those days
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 1: for pregnant women and nursing mothers. There will be great
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 1: distress in the land and wrath against this people. They
• 1:03:50
  Speaker 1: will fall by the sword and will be taken as
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: by the gentiles until the times of the Genda Tiles
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 1: are fulfilled. The Roman army built a wall of siege
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 1: stakes around Jerusalem, exactly as Jesus had foretold. No one
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: could get in or out inside the city. Three different
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: Jewish factions fought each other even as the Romans waited outside.
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: Food ran out. Famine became so severe that the Jewish
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: historian Josephus recorded horrifying acts of desperation. After months of siege,
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: the Romans breached the walls. They slaughtered hundreds of thousands
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: of people. The temple, expanded and beautified by Herod, became
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: the focus of fierce fighting. When Roman soldiers finally took it,
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: fire spread through the structure. The magnificent temple that had
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: stood as the center of Jewish worship burned to the ground.
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: The gold decorations melted, seeping between the stones. Roman soldiers
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: later pried apart every stone to collect the gold. Jesus
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: words in Matthew chapter twenty four, verse two came true. Truly,
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 1: I tell you, not one stone here will be left
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 1: on another. Every one will be thrown down. The destruction
• 1:05:08
  Speaker 1: of Jerusalem marked the end of the temple sacrifice system.
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 1: Judaism would have to reinvent itself without the Temple. For Christians,
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 1: it confirmed Jesus's prophetic words and marked the final separation
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: between Christianity and Judaism. Christianity reached Rome through various paths.
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: Some Jews who had heard Peter preach at Pentecost returned
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: to Rome and brought the message with them. Travelers and
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: merchants carried the Gospel along the empire's roads. The church
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: in Rome grew steadily, meeting in homes throughout the city.
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: Peter eventually came to Rome, though the exact timing isn't
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: recorded in scripture. He provided leadership and encouragement to this
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: strategic church in the heart of the Empire. Peter wrote
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 1: letters to believers scattered across Asia Minor who faced suffering
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: for their faith. First Peter Chapter one, verses three through seven,
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 1: opened his first letter with encouragement. Praise be to the
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In his
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: great mercy, He has given us new birth into a
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 1: This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 1: faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 1: last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: for a little while you may have had to suffer
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 1: than gold, which perishes, even though refined by fire, may
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 1: result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: Peter reminded believers of their identity. Verse Peter, chapter two,
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: verse nine declared, but you are a chosen people, a
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: may declare the praises of Him who called you out
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: of darkness into his wonderful light. He also wrote about
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: how believers should respond to suffering. First Peter Chapter four,
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: verses twelve and thirteen advised, dear friends, do not be
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 1: surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 1: But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 1: so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: Peter wrote a second letter warning about false teachers who
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: would infiltrate the church. Second Peter, Chapter two, verses one
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 1: through three cautioned, but there were also false prophets among
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: They will secretly introduce destructive heresies even denying the sovereign
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 1: will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 1: of truth into disrepute. In their greed, these teachers will
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 1: hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: According to early Church tradition, Peter was martyred in Rome
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: during Nero's persecution. He reportedly asked to be crucified upside down,
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: feeling unworthy to die the same way Jesus had died.
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: The fisherman, who had once denied knowing Jesus three times
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 1: gave his life, boldly proclaiming his lord. In July of
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 1: sixty four a d a massive fire broke out in Rome.
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 1: It burned for six days, destroying much of the city.
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: Rumors spread that Emperor Nero himself had started the fire
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 1: to clear space for his building projects. Whether true or not,
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: Nero needed someone to blame. He chose the Christians. The
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 1: Roman historian Tacitus, who lived through this period, later wrote
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: about what happened. Though not a Christian himself, Tacitus recorded
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: that Nero blamed the Christians for the fire to deflect
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: suspicion from himself. The persecution that followed was brutal, beyond imagination.
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 1: Christians were arrested throughout Rome. They were condemned not for
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 1: starting the fire there was no real evidence, but for
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 1: what the Romans called hatred of humanity because Christians refused
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: to worship Roman gods. The executions became public spectacles designed
• 1:09:47
  Speaker 1: to terrorize and entertain. Some Christians were sown into animal
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: skins and thrown to wild dogs that tore them apart.
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 1: Others were crucified in public places. Some were covered in
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 1: pitch and set on fire to serve as human torches,
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: lighting Nero's gardens at night for his parties. Even Tacitus,
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 1: no friend to Christianity, wrote that people began to feel
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: pity for the Christians. The cruelty was so extreme that
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: it backfired, causing Romans to sympathize with the victims rather
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 1: than celebrate their punishment. Paul was likely in Rome during
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 1: this time. Second Timothy, written from prison, reflects the loneliness
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 1: and hardship he faced. Second Timothy Chapter four, verses six
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: through eight contain his final words for I am already
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: being poured out like a drink offering, And the time
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight.
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: on that day, and not only to me, but also
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: to all who have longed for his appearing. According to tradition,
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: Paul was beheaded outside Rome. As a Roman citizen, he
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: received a quicker death than crucifixion. The man who had
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: once persecuted the church died as one of its greatest martyrs.
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: Nero's persecution was geographically limited to Rome, but it set
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 1: a terrible precedent. It showed that the Roman state could
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: and would use extreme violence against Christians. More persecution would
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: come in later decades and centuries, but the Church continued
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: to grow despite the bloodshed. As the eye witnesses of
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: Jesus ministry grew older and began to die, the need
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 1: to preserve their testimonies became urgent. The apostles and their
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: close associates wrote accounts of jesus life and the early
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: church's growth. Matthew, the tax collector, who had followed Jesus
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 1: wrote his Gospel with Jewish readers in mind. He began
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 1: with a genealogy connecting Jesus to Abraham and David, showing
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 1: how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Matthew repeatedly used
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: phrases like this happened to fulfill what was spoken by
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: the prophet, demonstrating that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Mark,
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: likely recording Peter's eye witness account, wrote a fast paced narrative.
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: His gospel emphasized action, using the word immediately repeatedly. Mark
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 1: showed Jesus as a servant who came not to be served,
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 1: but to serve and give his life as a ransom
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 1: for many. Luke, a physician and careful historian, investigated everything thoroughly.
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 1: Luke Chapter one, verses one through four explain his purpose.
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: were handed down to us by those who from the
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: first were eye witnesses and servants of the Word. With
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: from the beginning, I too, decided to write an order
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 1: account for you. Most excellent Theophilus, so that you may
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 1: know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 1: Luke wrote a two volume work. His Gospel told the
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 1: story of Jesus, while Acts recorded the story of the
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: Church from jesus ascension through Paul's imprisonment in Rome. Together,
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: these books provided a comprehensive history of Christianity's first three decades. John,
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 1: the last surviving apostle, wrote his Gospel much later than
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 1: the others. His purpose was different. John Chapter twenty, Verses
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 1: thirty and thirty one state his goal. Jesus performed many
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: not recorded in this book. But these are written that
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: of God, and that by believing you may have life
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: in his name. John emphasized jesus divine nature. His Gospel
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: opened with profound theological statements. John Chapter one, verses one
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: through three declared, in the beginning was the Word, and
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 1: the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 1: He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 1: things were made. Without him, nothing was made that has
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 1: been made. Other apostles also wrote letters James, the brother
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 1: of Jesus, wrote practical instructions about living out faith. Jude
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: warned about false teachers. These writings circulated among churches, copied
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: and shared, becoming the foundation of what would be recognized
• 1:14:34
  Speaker 1: as the New Testament. During the reign of Emperor Domitian,
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 1: the apostle, John was exiled to Patmos, a small rocky
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 1: island in the Aegean Sea. There he received a series
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: of visions that he recorded in the Book of Revelation.
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 1: Revelation Chapter one, verses nine to ten describe how it began.
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: I John, your brother and companion in the suffering kingdom
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 1: and patient endurance that are hours in Jesus was on
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: the island of Patmos because of the word of God
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's Day, I
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: was in the spirit and I heard behind me a
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 1: loud voice, like a trumpet. The voice told John to
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 1: write what he saw and send it to seven churches
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 1: in Asia Minor, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thiatera, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: When John turned to see who was speaking, he saw
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 1: the risen Christ. In Glory Revelation, Chapter one, Verses thirteen
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: through sixteen described the vision. And among the lampstands we
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe,
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: reaching down to his feet, and with a golden sash
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 1: around his chest. The hair on his head was white
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 1: a furnace, and his was like the sound of rushing waters.
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 1: out of his mouth was a sharp, double edged sword.
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: His face was like the sun, shining in all its brightness.
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: John fell at his feet as though dead, but Jesus
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 1: touched him and said, in verse seventeen and eighteen, do
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: not be afraid. I am the first and the last.
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: I am the living one. I was dead, and now
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: look I am alive, forever and ever, and I hold
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 1: the keys of death and hades. Jesus dictated messages to
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: each of the seven churches, commending their strengths and correcting
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: their weaknesses. To Smyrna, he promised in Revelation chapter two,
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: verse ten, do not be afraid of what you are
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: about to suffer. I tell you the devil will put
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: some of you in prison to test you, and you
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful even to
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 1: the point of death, and I will give you life
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 1: as your victor's crown. Then John saw a door standing
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: open in heaven. A voice invited him to come up.
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: What followed were visions of heavenly worship, judgments upon the earth,
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: cosmic battles, and the ultimate triumph of God. John saw
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 1: scrolls opened, trumpets sounded, and bowls of God's wrath poured out.
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 1: He witnessed the defeat of Satan and the establishment of
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: a new heaven and new Earth. Revelation Chapter twenty one,
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 1: verses three and four described the final vision, and I
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, God's
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: dwelling place is now among the people, and He will
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: dwell with them. They will be his people, and God
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: himself will be with them and be their God. He
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 1: will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: no more death or mourning, or crying or pain, for
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: the old order of things has passed away. The book
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: ended with an invitation and a warning. Revelation Chapter twenty two,
• 1:18:00
  Speaker 1: verse seventeen called out the spirit and the bride, say come,
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 1: and let the one who hears say come. Let the
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: one who is thirsty come, and let the one who
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 1: Jesus had promised to return, but years turned into decades.
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: Some believers became confused and discouraged. Why hadn't he come
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: back yet? In Thessalonica, some people stopped working, believing the
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: end was so near that normal life didn't matter any more.
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 1: Paul addressed this in his second letter to them. Second Thessalonians,
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 1: Chapter two, verses one through three urged calm concerning the
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: to him. We ask you, brothers and sisters not to
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us,
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth, or
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 1: by letter, asserting that the day of the Lord has
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way,
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 1: for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 1: to destruction. Paul reminded them to continue living responsibly. Second
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: Thessalonians chapter three, verses ten through twelve instructed, for even
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: when we were with you, we gave you this rule.
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 1: We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive.
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: They are not busy. They are busy bodies. Such people
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: settle down and earn the food they eat. Peter also
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: tackled this question directly. Some scoffers were asking why the
• 1:19:47
  Speaker 1: promised coming hadn't happened. Second Peter Chapter three, verses three
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 1: and four describe their mockery. Above all, you must understand
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: that in the last days scoffers will come scoffing, and
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: following their own evil desires, they will say, where is
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 1: this coming? He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 1: Peter explained that God's timing differs from human timing. Tewod
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: Peter Chapter three, verses eight and nine provided perspective. But
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 1: do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord,
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 1: a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: years are like a day. The Lord is not slow
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 1: in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 1: is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: everyone to come to repentance. The delay wasn't divine procrastination,
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: it was divine mercy, providing more time for people to
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 1: respond to the Gospel. Jesus had told his disciples they
• 1:20:56
  Speaker 1: didn't need to know the exact timing acts. Chapter one,
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 1: verse seven recorded his words, it is not for you
• 1:21:03
  Speaker 1: to know the times or dates the Father has set
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: by his own authority. Believers were called to remain faithful
• 1:21:10
  Speaker 1: and watchful, ready at any moment, but not obsessed with
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: predicting when the return of Christ. Became a source of
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: hope rather than anxiety, motivating believers to live faithfully in
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: the present while looking forward to the future. By the
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 1: end of the first century, Christianity had spread throughout the
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 1: Roman Empire and beyond. Churches existed in major cities and
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: small towns across Asia, Minor Greece, Italy, North Africa, and
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: potentially as far as Spain and India. What had begun
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 1: as a small Jewish movement in Jerusalem had become a
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: diverse international faith. The original apostles had all died, most
• 1:21:54
  Speaker 1: as martyrs, but they had trained a new generation of
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 1: leaders who carried on their work. Men like Timothy, Titus
• 1:22:03
  Speaker 1: and others who had learned directly from the Apostles now
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 1: taught and led churches themselves. The New Testament writings circulated
• 1:22:12
  Speaker 1: among the churches. Believers recognized these documents as authoritative, reading
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: them alongside the Hebrew Scriptures in their gatherings. The Four Gospels, Acts,
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 1: Paul's Letters, and the other Apostolic writings were being copied
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: and shared, forming the foundation of what would become the
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: New Testament canon. Christians had developed distinct practices that set
• 1:22:37
  Speaker 1: them apart. They baptized new believers, confessing Jesus as Lord.
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: They gathered on the first day of the week to
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 1: celebrate the Lord's Supper, remembering Jesus death and resurrection. They
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: sang hymns, prayed together, and devoted themselves to learning from
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: the Apostolic teachings. The church faced ongoing challenges. Persecution came
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 1: in waves, sometimes intense and localized, other times empire wide.
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 1: False teachers tried to distort the Gospel, adding requirements or
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: denying core truths about Jesus. Internal disputes arose over leadership,
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: practice and doctrine. Yet the church continued to grow. Believers
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: lived differently than their neighbors. They cared for widows and orphans.
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 1: They refused to abandon infants, a common practice in Roman society.
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: They helped the poor and sick. They refused to worship
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: the emperor or Roman gods, even when threatened with death.
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: This commitment, combined with the message of forgiveness and eternal
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 1: life through Jesus, attracted people from all social classes. The
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 1: movement that began with frightened disciples hiding in an upper
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  Speaker 1: room had become unstoppable. Roman persecution couldn't crush it. Heresies
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  Speaker 1: couldn't corrupt it. Distance couldn't contain it. The Gospels spread
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  Speaker 1: from person to person, city to city, nation to nation.
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  Speaker 1: The death of Jesus, which seemed like the end, had
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  Speaker 1: actually been the beginning of something that would transform the
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  Speaker 1: world for centuries to come. If this story impacted you,
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  Speaker 1: don't keep it to yourself, hit that subscribe button and
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  Speaker 1: share this video with someone who needs to hear about
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  Speaker 1: the unstoppable power of the Gospel. The early Church grew
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  Speaker 1: because ordinary people told others what they had seen and heard.
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  Speaker 1: You can be part of that same mission to day, subscribe, share,
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  Speaker 1: and let's spread this message together. The story that began
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  Speaker 1: after Jesus's death is still being written, and your part
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  Speaker 1: of it.