Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / Working of Miracles pt. 2

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Working of Miracles pt. 2 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Good evening everybody. It's good to
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be here this evening to share the Word of God
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with us. We started on Sunday. uh very quickly
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and we we moved into the definition of understanding
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what's working of miracles right what it is right
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we try as much as possible to to expand it and
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touch upon every aspect of it right uh so that
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we can be able to understand uh what exactly
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it is we differentiated with a little bit from
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healing saying all miracles are healing uh sorry
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all healings are miracles not all miracles are
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healing and we identify those areas that are
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other miraculous things jesus did the apostles
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did um but they're not exactly healing i think
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we also end on for the healing is spiritual healing
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is supernatural and We can see, right? Walking
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of miracles is spiritual, is supernatural, and
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is spectacular. It means we can see. This evening,
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we're going to deal with something still related
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to walking of miracles. Just continue from where
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we stopped, which is why the miraculous, right?
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That's what we just want to deal with this evening.
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Why the miraculous? Why should we, you know,
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in the working of miracles? What is the essence
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of it? When we begin to pick, of course, some
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of the things that I said on Sunday, I'm going
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to repeat some of them again because we didn't
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read the scriptures, right? When we begin to
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pick it, we'll get to a point where we have to
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expand a little bit on certain understandings
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that we have regarding the miraculous. This evening
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is actually why the miraculous? Why the miraculous?
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So the first thing we're going to see is Mark
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16, 17 to 20, which is what has been read while
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prayer was being led. It says, and these signs
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will follow those who believe in my name. They
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will cast out demons. They will speak with new
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tongues. They will take up serpents and if they
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drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
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them. They will lay hands on the sick and they
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will recover. So then after the Lord had spoken
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to them, he was received into the heaven and
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sat down at the right hand of God. So we said
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last on Sunday that the miraculous, they are
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actually marks of the gospel. We talked about
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that. They are the mark of the gospel. They are
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the mark. of the power of God at work. When the
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preaching of the gospel is taking place, right,
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they are the marks that the power of God is at
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work. So while we are preaching, we should expect
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them, right? While we are preaching, we should
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expect them. So they are the marks of the gospel.
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Now, go to verse 20. Just the same marks, just
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drop to verse 20. It says, And they went out
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and preached everywhere, the Lord walking with
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them and confirming the word through the accompanying
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signs. It said, They went out and preached everywhere,
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the Lord walking with them and confirming the
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word. It means confirming their preaching through
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the accompanying signs. Do you remember when
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we were reading Acts? that God declared Jesus,
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right, by the signs and wonders he did. And we
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said that word, I think, which acts as that,
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let's check, acts, it goes to acts a little bit.
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And I explained that that word is actually the
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declaration. He said he's approved of God. He
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was saying that God approved Jesus, right, by
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the signs and wonders that he did. And I said
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that approve is actually the word to declare,
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right, to make known, to make manifest. uh someone
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to make manifest god right in act um let's see
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i think when peter was preaching that's in chapter
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two sister Acts chapter 2. I'll come back to
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that scripture. I'll come back to the scripture.
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Let's stay on this first. Then I'll come back
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to Acts. Acts 2. Okay, Acts 2, 20, right? 22,
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okay. We say, ye men of Israel, hear these words.
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Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God. Okay,
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a man approved of God, which is declared of God,
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right, by the signs and wonders that follow.
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So that's the word we said is actually declaring.
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Now, back to Mark 16, 20. They went out and preached
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everywhere, the Lord walking with them and confirming
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the word, right? Through the accompanying of
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signs. Amen. Now this can be termed as the entire
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book of Acts. So we can say that the summary
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of the entire book of Acts is Mark 16, 20. Because
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what they did in the entire book of Acts was
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they went about preaching the word of God everywhere.
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You remember from Jerusalem, right? To Samaria,
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to Judea, to everywhere where they went to. So
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they went about preaching the word and the Lord
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was confirming their sign. So that is why in
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the book of Acts, okay? In the book of Acts,
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most of what we are written, right? We are things
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that we are seen physically. He had a lot of
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what we call the eyewitness accounts. Why? Because
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these signs and wonders were a whole lot in that
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place. So we see that when someone gets healed,
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when someone is raised from the dead, when someone
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is, we see it written just the way it's taken
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place. So the book of Acts is actually the, we
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can say the activities of the apostles, right?
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signs and wonders following. Signs and wonders
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following. So we see that it's exactly the summary
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of the entire term. I think the only thing that
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we'll be missing there is persecution. You know,
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the only thing that is missing there is persecution,
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which is what comes with the preaching of the
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gospel. But we see that this is the entirety
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of the entire summary of the book of Acts because
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they went about preaching the gospel and you'll
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see, Thousands were believing. Thousands were
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turning to God. The number of the disciples increased
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as the word of God multiplied, right? The number
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of the disciples increased as the word of God
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multiplied. So, the word working with them is
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the word sonegio. We can write it down. Sonegio,
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S -U -N -E -R. S -U -N -E -R -G -E -O. Which
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means to team up with them. To corroborate what
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they are doing. To team up with them. To work
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together with the people. To walk together with
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the people. So God was walking with them, was
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teaming up with them and confirming, right? And
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confirming the word. So the word confirming,
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the word confirming, I don't know, I'm just going
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to spell it because No, like we said, this is
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not a language, but this is where the scripture
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has been written. Is be bio, B -E -B -A -I -O
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-O. B -E -B -A -I -O -O. B -E -B -A -I -O -O.
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So confirming, which simply means to ratify something.
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To ratify something. To ratify something. To
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ratify something. It also means to put something
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into effect, right? Also means to put something
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into effect. To put something into effect. To
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authenticate something, right? To authenticate
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something. Palm, what they are doing. So, what
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it simply means is that while they are preaching
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the gospel, right, while they are teaching and
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they are raising disciples, in the course of
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that, right, you will see that the apostles will
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make a statement, right, and you will see healing
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take place. You will see them say, rise and walk.
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Right? And you will see that statement. In the
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midst of their going everywhere to preach the
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gospel. So their words, what they say, what they
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do to reveal Christ to people, right, is confirmed.
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Means it's authenticated by the signs and wonders.
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So we see Acts, right? Acts 5, Acts 5 verse 12.
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We see Acts 5 verse 12. He said, by the hands
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of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought
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among the people. And there were always one accord
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in the Solomon's porch. Right? He said, many
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signs and wonders were carried out by the hands
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of the apostles. At 5 .15, same 5 .15 to 16.
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15 to 16. He said, in so much that they brought
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forth the sick into the streets and laid them
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on beds and couches, that at least, at least,
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it shows you how the miraculous was so available,
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so much available. People were seeing it and
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believing it. That at least, not by laying of
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hands, but by the presence of a man passing.
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He said, by at least the shadow of Peter passing
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by. So we see God backing up the preaching of
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the gospel by these signs and wonders. Authenticating.
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the signs, or let's get the preaching of words
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by the signs and wonders. Right. Acts 19 verse
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11. Acts 19 verse 11. Start from verse 10. Right.
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We start from verse 10. And this continued by
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the space of two years. so that all they which
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dwell in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus,
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both Jews and Greeks. Right? But let's take a
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little bit back. Let's see what was happening
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there. Let's see from verse 1. Maybe we can find
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something. It said, And it came to pass that
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while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed
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through the upper coast, came to Ephesus. And
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finding certain disciples, he said unto them,
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Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye have
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believed? And they said unto him, We have not
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so much heard of whether there be any Holy Ghost.
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And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye
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baptized? And they said unto him, John's baptism.
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Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the
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baptism of repentance, saying unto the people
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that they should believe on him which should
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come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When
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they heard this, they were baptized in the name
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of the Lord. So, a clarity of the gospel, right?
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Clarify the gospel to them. Preach to them, right?
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That the preaching that took place there taught
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them much more in clarity. So, we see him preaching
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them. Verse 6 says, And when Paul had laid hands
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on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they
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spoke with tongues and prophesied. And all the
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men were about twelve. And they went into the
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synagogue and spoke boldly for the space of three
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months. So we are seeing somebody's labor in
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preaching. Someone's labor in preaching. Meeting
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people who seem to have received the word, but
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clarified the gospel unto them. And we see him
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again going into the synagogue and in the space
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of three months preaching, disputing and persuading.
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the things concerning the kingdom of God. So
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it was engaging people, right? Engaging people.
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Now let's see what happened as a result of this.
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He said, but when divers were hardened, right?
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He said, but when divers were hardened and they
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believed not, they believed not, but spoke evil
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of the way before the multitude, it departed
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from them and separated the disciples, distinctly
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in the school of one. And this continued by the
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space of two years so that that we dwell in Asia
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had the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and
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Greeks. So we see him preaching, laboring in
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the place of preaching the gospel. And God wrote
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special miracles by the hands of Paul so that
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from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs
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or aprons. and diseases departed from them, and
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the evil spirit went out of them. So while he
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was preaching, people believe in the miraculous,
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they receive it. They receive it. So we see that
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in the place of preaching the gospel, we see
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the miraculous taking place. We see people believing,
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people believing as has been taught and as has
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been wrought. Acts chapter 8, verse 5 to 8, I
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think we have. Acts chapter 8 verse 5 to 8. which
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he did. For unclean spirits, the same, you know,
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similar narrative of what happened when Paul's
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shadow was passing, Peter's shadow was passing,
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Paul's handkerchief was being taken. Unclean
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spirits crying out with loud voice came out of
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many that were possessed with them. And many
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taken with palsies, and they that were lame were
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healed. And there was what? There was great joy
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in what? in that city. So this is what we say
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every Sunday, right? We say it, right? We say
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we do what? We bring great joy to cities. We
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bring great joy to where? To cities. So what
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did we see that is taking place? Preaching of
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the word and the miraculous. Bringing great joy
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to cities. So it means that if you really want
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to bring great joy to cities, we must avail ourselves
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to walk in the miraculous. If truly we want to
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bring great joy to cities, we will not just say
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we will go and preach and not expect the miraculous,
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but expect it in abundance. So as we are going
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to preach, we want to bring great joy to cities,
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we will expect the miraculous. So this is the
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way by which we can bring great joy to cities.
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So we see that the preaching of the gospel and
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the miraculous, they go together. They go together
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and it's a mark of the gospel, bringing great
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joy to cities. The second one is that miraculous
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is also for the believers. For the believers,
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I already said that on Sunday, but we should
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talk about it again. Remember that firstly, the
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working of miracles as a word or as a phrase,
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Firstly, the walking of miracles as a phrase
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will be found in where? 1 Corinthians 12, which
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is a letter written to a church. We see that
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it's found in the place where a letter, Paul's
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letter to the Corinthian church. So it therefore
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means that in that sense, the believers in that
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church should or are beneficiaries of the walking
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of miracles as well. because it's written to
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them, right? So they can walk in miracles among
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themselves in that church. So that is the first
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thing that we'll see, that the context of it,
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the context of that chapter 12 is that it's written
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to a church. And it is that it is for the what?
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The benefit of all. Let's go to 1 Corinthians
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12. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 12. 1 Corinthians
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12. So now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren,
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I would have you, I would not have you ignorant.
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So he doesn't want him to be unaware. Yet ye
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know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto
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these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore
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I give you to understand that no man speaking
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by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed.
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And no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by
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the Holy Spirit. Now there are diversity of gifts,
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but the same Spirit. And there are differences
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of administration, but the same Lord. And there
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are diversity of operations, but it is the same
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God who worketh all in all. But the manifestation
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of the Spirit is given to every man, right, to
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profit. So, we see that it is written to a church,
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right? It's expecting that they will walk in
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the things of the Spirit. It's expecting that
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they will be edified walking in the things of
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the Spirit. They will be strengthened walking
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in the things of the Spirit. And that includes
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verse 10, which says, to another the walking
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of miracles. So he's expecting that they would
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also be beneficiaries of this. All right. Then
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we see Acts 12, verse 1 to 11. Acts 12, verse
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1 to 11. We read this on Sunday already. Across
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the scripture, just put James 5, 16. James 5,
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16. Acts 12, verse 11. James 5, 16. Now we can
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go to verse 5 of that chapter because we're already
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on Sunday already. It said, Peter therefore was
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kept in the prison, but prayer was made without
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ceasing. of the church unto God for him, right?
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Prayers were made. So they prayed for Peter and
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the miraculous happened. And verse 11 says, and
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when Peter was come to himself, he said, now
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I know of a surety that the angel, that the Lord
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has sent his angel and has delivered me out of
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the hand of Aaron. This is a miracle, right?
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This is a clear miracle, church praying. a believer,
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an apostle receiving. So it's not just that we
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will preach for you as leaders and you will receive,
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but that you also will pray for us as your pastors
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to enjoy the miraculous. Do we get it? So it's
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not a one -way thing. It's not every time you
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come here, you know, we lay hands on you, you
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will go and we will not be edified. But that's
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you as, the disciple of Christ, as a follower
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of Christ, will also pray for your leaders to
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enjoy the miraculous. So there's no monopoly
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of walking of miracles. There's no monopoly of
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it. It has to be the leaders. It has to be the
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apostles only. No. An apostle was just delivered
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by the prayers of his church. Right? So we are
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very humble. We are very receptive to your prayers.
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So you ministering to us. And you know, in this
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church, this is one of the things we emphasize
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that you can work in the things of, that's why
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we are teaching it, that you can work in it.
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We can also be beneficiaries of it. So it's irrespective
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of, irrespective of your leadership position
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in church, every believer can receive and can
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give it, can minister it. Alright, the third
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one. The third one. The miraculous is demonstrated.
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I can write it down. The miraculous is demonstrated
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in casting out devils. The miraculous is demonstrated
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in casting out devils so that the delivered can
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hear and believe the gospel. The miraculous is
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demonstrated in casting out of devils so that
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the delivered, the one that is delivered, can
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hear and believe the gospel. And be a disciple.
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You should add that. Of course, believing the
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gospel, I just wanted us to extend it because
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of the scripture we are going to read. And be
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a disciple means following Jesus and preaching
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the gospel. Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8. Luke
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chapter 8. Let's see. Why the miraculous? Luke
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chapter 8. Why the miraculous? It said, And it
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came to pass afterward that it went throughout
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every city and village, preaching and showing
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the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. and the
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twelve were with him. And certain women, okay,
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the twelve were with him, and certain women,
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which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities.
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Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven
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devils. And Joanna, the wife of Shuzah, heralded
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stewards. And Susanna, and many others which
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ministered unto him of their substance. Right?
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Ministered unto him of what? Of their substance.
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He said, women. And he just named a few of them.
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Right? He just named three. Right? We see three
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there. So, we see three there. And these three,
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at this point where this message was being reported,
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were they disciples or were they still possessed
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by demons? They were disciples. Okay? They were
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disciples. So, they were delivered of evil spirit
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and they became disciples. They became disciples.
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Certain women which were healed of evil spirit
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and infirmities. So, when people are delivered
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from demons and evil spirits, they are supposed
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to become disciples. That is what we want them
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to become. So you have to preach to them. You
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know, we have to preach to them and tell them,
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you see, this is what has happened to you. This
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is by the power of God. And this is what God
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wants you to do. Right? So it's not like we are
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doing freelance. You know, you just go, you just
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heal. You let the person go. You just go, just
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cast out demons. And you just smile, you know.
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You are enjoying the feel like some people will
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say. But rather, as that miraculous is taking
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place in the life of that person, you are ready
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to preach to the person. You are ready to preach
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to the person. So it is that they will become
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disciples. They will believe the gospel. And
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they will preach the same thing. They will preach
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the same thing. Let's go to Acts 16. Acts 16.
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The miraculous brings people into discipleship
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as they have been healed, as they have been delivered.
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Acts 16. Then came he, okay, we'll go to verse
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30 and 35. He said, then came he to Deb and Lysra
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and built a certain disciple where they are named
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Timotheus, the son of a certain man, which was
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a Jewess. Married in the right place. Yes. And
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believe, and believe. But his father was a Greek.
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I think we can skip this part. We gotta go to
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verse 11. Right, 16, we can go to verse 11. He
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said, therefore, losing from trials, we came
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with a straight course to Samutrashyap and the
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next day to Neapolis. And from thence to Philpab,
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which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia
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and a colony. And we were in that city abiding
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certain days. And on a Sabbath, we went out of
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the city by a riverside where prayers... was
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wounds to be made. And we sat down and spoke
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unto the woman which resorted, Theta. And a certain
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woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the
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city of Tythera, which worshipped God, heard
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us, whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended
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unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And
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when she was baptized, and her household, she
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besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to
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be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and
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abide there. And she constrained us. So we see
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then that they preached on household and they
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believed. Now in the course of that, not directly,
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but in the course of that, we see that something
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took place from verse 30 to 35. We can read from...
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From verse 22. So after preaching the gospel
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in the house of Lydia, a whole household saved.
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Right? You should know what follows. In verse
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22 it says, And the multitude rose up together
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against them, and the magistrates ranked off
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their robe and commanded to beat them. And when
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they had laid many stripes on them, they cast
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them into the prison, charging the jailer to
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keep them safely. who haven't received such a
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charge, thrust them into the inner prison and
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made their feet fast in the stocks. And admitted,
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Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God,
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and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there
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was a great earthquake, so that the foundation
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of the prison were shaken, and immediately all
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the doors were opened, and everyone, everyone's
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bands were loose. It's not just Paul and... Silas
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the Lord. Everyone found were what? Were loose.
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And the keeper of the prison awoken. So this
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is a miraculous in a circumstance, right? Miraculous
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taking place in a circumstance and among a people
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there. And the keeper of the prison awoken out
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of sleep, seeing that the prison doors open,
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he drew out a sword and would have killed himself.
32:13
Supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul
32:16
cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no
32:19
harm, for we are all here. Then he called for
32:23
a light and sprang in and came trembling and
32:26
fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them
32:29
out and said, Sars, what must I do to be what?
32:33
To be saved. He did not ask them, How did the
32:37
chains break off? Right? He did not ask them,
32:40
How were the doors opened? Right? He did not
32:43
ask them, How is it that it's not just you and
32:45
Silas, but everybody in this prison, their chains
32:49
were broken? It tells us what should be the position
32:54
of someone who is delivered, right? He's not
32:57
delivered from evil spirit, but he was delivered
32:59
from killing himself, right? If Paul had not
33:02
shouted, he would have committed suicide or he
33:05
would have been executed. Having known the people
33:09
who had handed over Paul and Silas to them and
33:12
having known, that they had caused trouble in
33:15
their cities. In fact, they put them in the innermost
33:17
prison. So look at the position of someone who
33:21
was delivered from killing himself, right? More
33:24
like delivered from death. He said, what can
33:26
I do to be saved? So when the miraculous takes
33:31
place, it is that the person who is delivered
33:34
from evil spirit or is delivered from a circumstance,
33:37
right? Must ask, what must I do to be saved?
33:41
The person does not have... You tell the person
33:43
you need to be saved. Right? You need to be saved.
33:47
So many years ago, actually, before I had this
33:52
understanding, I had many people around me, right,
33:56
growing up, that they pray for unbelievers and
33:59
miraculous happens. Right? They just meet an
34:03
unbeliever. They just pray for the person and
34:05
the person gets healed and go. But some of them,
34:08
interestingly, they can be from another entire
34:10
religion. So I saw that consistently. So my question
34:15
when I became much, when I grew up, why are we
34:20
healing them and they are not part of this house?
34:25
That was my question. Why are we healing them?
34:29
Why are we praying for them? Why are we doing
34:32
all of this when they are not even part of this
34:35
house? Or why should we even preach to them and
34:37
pray for them to get healed and we let them go?
34:42
I started questioning that. And the first position
34:46
I took was, we are not praying for them again.
34:48
Let's wait first. That was my first position
34:50
for a couple of years. I'm like, why should we
34:54
pray for someone from another religion that is
34:56
sick? Because I was just seeing, we're just healing
35:00
them and they are going and they're not hearing
35:01
the gospel. But when I started understanding
35:04
the signs and wonders that accompany the preaching
35:07
of the gospel, I understood that the job will
35:11
be complete where they are healed and they are
35:15
preached to. Right? So the problem is not healing
35:19
them or giving them the word or giving them a
35:22
revelation from God. Sometimes you can even receive
35:25
direction for them. Interesting, you will receive
35:28
direction. I mean, things in the natural and
35:31
you will tell them this is it and it would be
35:34
as you have spoken because you carry the Spirit
35:36
of God, right? So in such circumstances, we must
35:40
also be able to preach to them and tell them,
35:44
this is by the Spirit of God, right? Otherwise,
35:49
we will not be different from motivational speakers.
35:58
That's the point. We will not be different from
35:59
any inspiration out there. Because the person
36:01
will not understand where your inspiration is
36:04
coming from. The person will just say, oh. This
36:08
guy is just one of those guys, anything he says,
36:10
I just get inspired. When he just says something,
36:15
it just comes to pass in my life. And they will
36:18
keep coming around because they want to feed
36:20
on what you have. But you must feed them what?
36:24
With the gospel. We must feed them. Like this
36:27
is what we have to do. We must feed them with
36:30
the gospel. As much as they are injured, we must
36:32
preach to them. We must tell them, you need to
36:34
be saved. Right? You can enjoy these signs and
36:37
wonders and you don't belong to the family. You're
36:40
not safe. You don't have eternal life in you.
36:43
So we have to preach to them as they are being
36:46
delivered, right, from circumstances and things
36:49
around. Now, the fourth one, the fourth one,
36:52
which is going to take us a little bit, almost
36:55
throughout the end of this teaching, is that
36:59
the miraculous helps us to address opposition
37:08
to the preaching of the gospel. The miraculous
37:12
can help us to address opposition to the preaching
37:18
of the gospel. The miraculous can help us to
37:23
address opposition to the preaching of the gospel.
37:28
Acts 16, verse 19. Acts 16, verse... Let's start
37:43
from verse 16. It said that it came to pass as
37:47
we went to pray, a certain damsel possessed with
37:50
the spirit of divination met us. We brought what?
37:53
Our masters much gain. By what? By soothsaying.
37:59
By soothsaying. Brought much gain to our master.
38:04
By soothsaying. This is an opposition to the
38:07
gospel. You know why? Because he is like Simon
38:12
that was considered the great the great sorcerer
38:17
until Philip appeared. So Simon was considered
38:24
the greatest of all time until Philip appeared.
38:28
That was an opposition. How can I put it? Any
38:34
standing that is against the power of God and
38:37
is being exalted there is an opposition to the
38:39
gospel. Because you need the miraculous to clear
38:43
their eyes and then they will see the message
38:46
of the gospel. And we see that in the case of
38:48
Philip. So here again, we see an opposition,
38:51
you know, this guy has been making money, right,
38:55
from this damn cell. The same followed Paul and
38:58
us. And Christ was saying, these men are the
39:01
servants of the most high God, right? We dealt
39:03
with this last Sunday, right? This statement
39:06
does not mean she is saved, but it's definitely
39:09
an opposition. He said, which show us the way
39:13
of salvation. Right? Well, she's not in the way
39:17
of salvation. Neither are our owners in the way
39:20
of salvation. And this she did many days. But
39:23
Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit.
39:27
So it was a spirit at work. I command thee in
39:29
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.
39:32
And he. came out the same hour. And when the
39:37
master saw that the hope of their gains were
39:39
gone, they called Paul and Silas and drew them
39:42
into the marketplace, onto the ruler. So what
39:46
we see there is that Paul was preaching and there
39:50
was someone distracting, right? A distraction.
39:53
So we can cast that out, right? We can cast that
39:57
out in that sense. So we see that Paul did not
40:01
kill her. Paul did not harm her, right? But Paul
40:06
actually cast out the demon. So let's go to Acts
40:09
13, 6 -12. Acts 13, 6 -12. And when they had
40:21
gone through the eyes of Paphos, they found a
40:23
sudden sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose
40:27
name was Bar -Jesus. which was with the deputy
40:31
of the country, Sardius Paulus, a prudent man
40:35
who called for Barnabas and Saul and desired
40:38
to hear the word of God. But Elymas, the sorcerer,
40:43
for Saul is his name by interpretation, withstood
40:48
them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the
40:52
faith. Right? A sorcerer seeking to turn away
40:56
the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, whose name
41:01
was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost,
41:04
set his eyes on him, and said, O fool of all
41:07
subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the
41:11
devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt
41:15
thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the
41:18
Lord? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is
41:21
upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing
41:24
the sun for a season. And immediately there fell
41:28
on him a mist. and a darkness. And he went about
41:32
seeking some to lead him by the hand. Now we
41:37
see the miraculous taking place here, right?
41:40
Is it a miraculous taking place here? Yes, it's
41:43
the miraculous taking place. There's an opposition
41:44
to the gospel and Paul spoke a word, right? Paul
41:49
spoke a word and that word causing to be blind
41:53
for a season, right? To be blind for a season.
41:56
Now, this blindness, We must pay attention to
42:01
it because he said for a season, right? It means
42:05
that it's not that his eyeballs fell off, neither
42:10
were his eyes bleeding, right? But the eyes were
42:14
there but could not see for a season. Why? So
42:17
that the person Paul is preaching to can receive
42:22
the message of the gospel, right? So we'll see
42:25
it in verse 12. Look at verse 12. Verse 12 says,
42:29
then, after this guy had been taken out of the
42:32
way, the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed,
42:36
being astonished, at the doctrine of the Lord.
42:41
So, two things. He saw the miraculous and he
42:45
heard the doctrine. He saw the miraculous, he
42:48
was astonished, he heard the doctrine and he
42:51
believed. Right. So, it means that in certain
42:54
situations, we can do such. But we need to be
42:57
careful. Now, Paul did not harm him. Just like
43:00
I said, Paul did not harm the other lady, right?
43:03
Paul did not harm him. Paul did not say, be blind
43:07
and let your eyes not see again. But Paul gave
43:12
an instruction that he might be able not to see
43:14
for a season. It means that after a season, he
43:18
will be able to see, right? That is what it means.
43:20
Now, this is similar to what happens to Apostle
43:23
Paul, right? when he had an encounter on his
43:27
way to Damascus, right? So we can see Acts 8,
43:31
9 to 13. Just pay attention to that being blind
43:35
for a season. So this is not killing the person.
43:39
This is not harming the person, but doing something,
43:43
right, that will make the person go out of the
43:46
way. Okay, this is... This is the story of Simon.
43:57
Acts 9. Let's go to Acts 9. Just move to the
44:00
next page. Acts 9, from verse 4 to 8. And he
44:04
fell to the earth and heard the voice saying,
44:06
Soul, soul, what persecuted thou me? And he said,
44:09
Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus,
44:12
whom thou persecuted. It is hard for thee to
44:16
kick against the priest. And trembling and astonished,
44:19
said, Lord, what would thou have me to do? And
44:23
the Lord said, Arise and go on into the city,
44:25
and it shall be unto thee, it shall be told to
44:27
thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed
44:31
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but
44:34
seeing no man. Verse 8. And Saul arose from the
44:38
earth, and when his eyes were opened, he did
44:42
what? He saw no man. He saw who? No man. He saw
44:49
no man. Now go to verse 15 and 16. But the Lord
44:57
said unto him, this is Ananias, right? But the
45:00
Lord said unto him, go thy way for Paul, that
45:03
he is Paul. For Paul is a chosen vessel unto
45:05
me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings
45:09
and the children of Israel. For I will show him
45:12
how great things they must suffer for my sake,
45:15
for my name's sake. That's four. Verse 17. And
45:18
Ananias went his way. and entered into the house,
45:23
and putting his hand on him, he said, Brother
45:27
Paul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto
45:30
thee in the way, as thou camest and sent me,
45:34
that thou mightest receive thy sight, be filled
45:37
with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell
45:40
from his eyes, as it has been, what? Scales.
45:46
So will you say Jesus blind Paul? Right? And
45:52
Bo was not able to see forever. No. It means
45:55
that he had a miraculous encounter, right, that
45:58
stopped him from going ahead to persecute the
46:01
church. And how that took place was that something
46:06
physical that was stopping him from progressing
46:08
in doing that took place. But that was just for
46:14
what? A season. He did no harm to his eyes because
46:18
he received his eyes, he received his sight back.
46:22
So similarly, right, in the case of Elemas, we
46:26
see that he was blind for a season. For a season
46:28
and afterwards, they could see again. Right?
46:33
They could see again. So it means that we can
46:37
put in the miraculous, not to harm people, but
46:41
to disrupt things around them, right, when they
46:44
are opposing the gospel. when they are opposing
46:48
the gospel. We can, I mean, we can pray people
46:51
away from positions where they stood against
46:53
the gospel. And that can happen. They can be
46:58
changed. Things can happen. They can decide to
47:01
leave the place themselves. So this is the miraculous
47:05
power. So what we see here is that the body was
47:07
no harm. The physical body was no harm. But the
47:09
physical body could not function for a season.
47:13
Okay? The eyes could not function for... So this
47:18
is a miraculous intervention in the case when
47:21
the gospel is being opposed. Now let's find a
47:27
few exceptions and we'll just spend some time
47:31
on that and close. 2 Kings 1 .6 -5 2 Kings 1
47:42
.6 -5 So we are not praying for people to lose
47:53
their sight forever, to die or to break their
47:56
bones. No, we're not praying for that because
47:59
Jesus is showing a pattern, right? He's teaching
48:03
us a pattern. So from chapter 1, verse 6 to 15,
48:08
it said, And they said unto him, There came a
48:11
man up to meet us and said unto us, Go and turn
48:15
again unto the king. that sent you. And say unto
48:18
him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there
48:22
is no God in Israel that thou sendest to inquire
48:25
of Beelzebub, the God of Ekron? Therefore thou
48:29
shalt not come down from the bed on which thou
48:32
hast gone up, but thou shalt surely die. Right?
48:36
Thou shalt surely die. Now, this is a pattern
48:39
that is, you can see it in the Old Testament,
48:42
what we call the Old Testament text. But when
48:45
we pay attention, To the epistles, to the gospels,
48:50
we don't find such pattern. Do we get it? The
48:55
pattern, well, the first thing you have to check
48:58
is that what the prophets Elijah said, was it
49:03
wrong? No, the first statement was not wrong.
49:05
The statement that, is it that there's no God
49:07
in Israel that you go about seeking an idol?
49:14
So that's a good statement, right? It's more
49:17
or less, we can say it's also more or less propagating
49:20
the gospel, meaning that there is God, right?
49:23
You should hear from the God of Israel, not going
49:25
after idols. So that's very justified, right?
49:30
That is very justified. So is there no God? Now,
49:32
the question is, how did the prophets, right?
49:38
How did the prophets function and address? Now,
49:41
in the New Testament text, definitely you would
49:44
know. that what will happen is that healing will
49:47
take place and the people will believe, right?
49:50
Did you see that pattern consistently? Healing
49:52
will take place and the people will believe.
49:55
The people will be delivered from evil spirits
49:57
and they will believe. But here, something different
50:01
happened, which Jesus also referred to. The prophet
50:04
actually said, the king himself should die, right?
50:07
That is the first thing. Now look at subsequent
50:11
statements that followed. Look at subsequent
50:14
statements that followed. He said unto them,
50:20
What manner of man was he which came up to meet
50:23
you? Verse 7. And told you these words. And they
50:26
answered him, He was a hairy man gilded with
50:30
gildo of leather about his loins. And he said,
50:33
It is Elijah the Tishbite. And the king sent
50:37
unto him a captain of fifty, which is fifty.
50:42
And he went up to him, and behold, he sat on
50:45
the top of the hill, and he spake unto him, Thou,
50:49
O man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
50:52
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of
50:56
fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come
51:00
down from heaven and consume thee, and thy fifty.
51:04
And there came fire down from heaven and consumed
51:08
him and his fifty. And again also, He sent unto
51:12
him another captain of 50 with 50. And he answered
51:15
and said unto him, O man of God, just said the
51:18
king, come down quickly. And Elijah said unto
51:21
them, if I be a man of God, let fire come down
51:24
from heaven and consume thee and thy 50. And
51:28
fire from of God, as written here, came down
51:32
from heaven and consumed him and the 50. And
51:35
13 again. Now until... And he sent again a captain
51:41
of the third 50 with 50. And the third captain
51:45
of 50 went up and came and fell on his knees
51:48
before Elijah and besought him and said to him,
51:51
O man of God, I pray thee. Now he pleaded, let
51:55
my life and the life of this 50 thy servant be
51:59
precious in their sight. What's a wise captain?
52:04
A wise captain did that. Now the question is,
52:09
Can we say this is the miraculous? Can we say
52:19
this is the miraculous? Okay. Don't forget the
52:23
miraculous. Let's now pick it together. The miraculous
52:26
is taking place through the spirit of Christ.
52:31
Are we together? Are we all on the same page
52:34
on that? That the miraculous takes place through
52:36
the spirit of Christ. That is why. From beginning,
52:38
I will not have you to be ignorant. Things concerning
52:41
spiritual. So the miraculous takes place through
52:45
the spirit of Christ. Right? We see that. Now,
52:51
two things has been mentioned here. The king
52:55
should die and the 50 died. Of course, the king
53:02
is still a prophecy. The other one is already
53:03
taking place. Can the spirit of Christ produce
53:06
death? That becomes the question. Can the Spirit
53:12
of Christ produce death? Now, this is one of
53:15
the places where the disciples understood this
53:19
power. There was still something that happened
53:21
there. And they wanted to work in the power of
53:24
Elijah. Luke 9, verse 51. Let's go to Luke 9,
53:28
verse 51. Amidst all the things that happened
53:31
in the Old Testament, this was one that was supposedly
53:34
desired by the disciples. To be practiced. So
53:40
Luke 9, 51 to 56. The disciples desired. Now
53:48
look at the context. It's also like an opposition
53:50
to the gospel. This one also is like opposition
53:53
to the serving and worship of God. Luke chapter
53:57
9 is also similar. Opposition to what Christ
54:00
wants to do. He said, and it came to pass. When
54:04
the time was come. that he should be what? Received
54:08
of. Right? So he's talking about the death, burial
54:12
and resurrection of Christ. He stood by the side
54:15
of his face to go to Jerusalem. Verse 52. And
54:19
sent messengers before his face and they went
54:21
and entered into a village of the Samaritans
54:24
to make ready for him. 53. Look at the offense.
54:28
And they did not receive him because his face
54:32
was as though he would go to Jerusalem. So it
54:34
means that in a place it was not received. And
54:37
the disciples said what? And when the disciples,
54:40
James and John, saw this, you won't receive the
54:44
Lord. They said, Lord, without that, we command
54:49
fire to come down from heaven and consume them,
54:53
even as Elias did. So, some people, right, are
54:59
opposing. So he sent messengers to them and went
55:03
to the village to make ready for him. So they're
55:06
not ready to make ready for Christ. That's all
55:09
I can say. So they're not receiving Christ. They're
55:12
not giving him an attention. They're not allowing
55:15
him to come into their cities. We have this opposition.
55:19
Can we just call down fire? Just like Elias did.
55:24
And just clear this city. And show them that
55:28
there is God in Israel. because of course that
55:33
was what Elijah was trying to prove by cursing
55:36
the death of the king and cursing the 50 to die.
55:40
Can we just show them that there's God in Israel
55:43
by sending down fire? But look at what Jesus
55:46
responded, which is crucial. He said, but he
55:49
turned and rebuked them and said, ye know not
55:52
what manner of spirit ye are. For the son of
55:55
man is not come to destroy man's life, but to
56:00
save them. And what did Jesus do? He went to
56:03
another village. Did you see that? Jesus moved
56:08
on to another village. That was his response.
56:14
He moved on to another village. So, starting
56:18
from what Elias did. Jesus said that he's literally
56:21
saying that Elias' example in what he did is
56:25
not an example to you. That is not the pattern
56:30
you would follow. as my disciples, as those who
56:35
would carry my message, that is not the pattern
56:38
you would follow. So that was just it. So you
56:42
don't know what manner of spirit you are of.
56:47
That if you will walk in the spirit of Christ,
56:49
it does not function this way. It does not use
56:54
death to cause people even in the point of opposition
56:59
to the gospel. That's what he just said, right?
57:03
He's not going to use, he's not going to cost
57:05
debts to people even when they are opposing.
57:09
So, the difference, right, in what we saw that
57:14
happened to Elymas, that happened to Paul, right,
57:19
is that in their lives, they continued their
57:24
life afterwards. They had the privilege to hear
57:27
the gospel. They had the privilege because they
57:30
were not blind forever. Paul had the privilege.
57:32
We can see how that ended. And it took time to
57:35
write the entire, you know, most of the epistles.
57:41
So it shows that the man himself was not destroyed,
57:43
but he remained a vessel that can be used by
57:47
God. But in this context, when men are destroyed,
57:51
right, especially those who are in unbelief and
57:55
in opposition to the gospel, They add nothing
57:58
to the kingdom. Do we get it? They add nothing
58:03
to the kingdom. So it therefore teaches us to
58:06
pray, right? It teaches us and shape our prayer
58:10
life that when we pray, right? For those who
58:14
hate us, those who oppose the gospel, those who
58:16
stop us, right? From doing what God has called
58:22
us to do. It is not to pray for them. that they
58:27
would die to the point where they wouldn't receive
58:28
the gospel. I mean, that is what Jesus is saying.
58:33
So his desire is that as much as they oppose
58:37
you, they must be saved. So looking from the
58:42
example of Paul, it means that we can pray that
58:44
they can be blind for a season. They can be taken
58:47
out of space. The natural circumstances around
58:50
them can take them away. Natural circumstances
58:54
can shift them away so that you can function.
58:57
Not that they would lose their life, but circumstances
59:01
around them would change their trajectory so
59:04
that you can preach the gospel, so that you can
59:07
live the life that Christ has called you to live.
59:11
Your prayer still for them is that they will
59:14
be saved. Do we get it? So the miraculous will
59:18
not cause deaths. That's it. The miraculous will
59:20
not cause death. Whatever caused death, we have
59:22
to investigate it. Whatever caused death. Even
59:26
if the person says, in the name of Jesus, we
59:28
need to investigate it. Don't forget, someone
59:32
was saying these are the servants of the living
59:33
God and she was fully possessed and she was,
59:37
you know, one supplying money to her owners.
59:41
If you read that statement alone, you would think
59:42
she's saved. So, math statements does not really
59:47
emphasize. So, what I'm trying to say is that
59:49
We must know how to pray while we are desiring
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the miraculous. Now, when prayer was made for
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Paul, it is not that the gods should die. We've
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never seen that in active, that none of them
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pray that Herod should die. None of them pray
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that the jailer should die. None of them pray
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that it is always that Paul will be delivered.
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And that is why we pray that prayer that will
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be delivered from unreasonable men. Right? Because
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not all men have what? Faith. It means that there
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are people who are faithless, right? They would
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want to oppose you all the time. But your prayer
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for them is that you are regularly delivered.
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If you read the entire book of Acts, you will
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see how God regularly delivers Paul from the
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hands of his enemies. Right? Through different
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circumstances. So our prayers as believers is
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that we will know how to, we will pray in a direction
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that will still preserve life that men can be
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saved. That men can be saved. You can put this
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other one's scripture down. Let's also clear
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this one before we go. Exodus 22 verse 18. Exodus
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22, verse 18. Exodus 22, verse 18. This is one
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other scripture in the Old Testament that actually
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shows something about God. Now, Exodus 22, verse
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18. Is anybody there? We will pray that they
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will be blind for a season. We will pray that
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they would not have capacity to come out when
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we are preaching. We will pray that they would
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be distracted. Are we there? 22 verse 18. He
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said, thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
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Right? You can read from verse 16. And if a man
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is saying, okay, I think those are just part
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of the law. Just that verse 18. He said, thou
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shalt not suffer a witch to live. It therefore
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means that, because this is one of the scriptures
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that people say, well, Moses wrote, right? That
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we should not allow a sorcerer to live. But all
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the sorcerers that we have been reading in the
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New Testament, none of them were killed. Are
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we together? None of Olimaz was not killed. The
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lady was not killed. The one that the damsel
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was not killed. So we did not find anywhere in
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the New Testament text where sorcerers are being
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killed. But rather, they are being delivered.
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Do we get it? They are being delivered and they
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come to the knowledge. Right? The women that
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were delivered from evil spirits, they came to
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the knowledge of God. Now, so what is the problem?
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It therefore means that, of course, as we are
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teaching, we are going to teach the law, why
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Moses wrote more than one. But here, one of the
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things that we can pay attention here is that
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because this statement was mentioned only once
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in the entire, Old Testament and the New Testament,
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we cannot use it as a measure or what would determine
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what we pray. It was mentioned once in an entire
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Bible, so it cannot stand as the basis of how
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we pray, to pray that a witch should die. So
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it means that your prayer life is not built on
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one verse. Look at how we moved from prayer was
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made for Paul, or for Peter rather, and how we
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connected it to James, right? And there are several
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scriptures that teaches us that we will and can
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be delivered by the power of prayer. But here,
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there are no scriptures that consistently follow
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this pattern. Well, rather, we've seen several
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scriptures that consistently show how sorcerers
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are being delivered. Therefore, Where would your
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doctrine be? On the one or on the several that
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shows how the witch is being delivered? On the
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several. That is what they call in, how would
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I put it? I said, there has to be witnessing
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scriptures to what you practice. You must have
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witnessing scriptures. So if you are practicing
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something as a believer, there have to be witnessing
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scriptures to that thing. You cannot use one
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scripture. If one or two or three scriptures
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does not solidly establish, we cannot pick up
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that. So that was just once across the scripture
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and the New Testament, we never found such a
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practice again. So, I think we'll stop here for
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today, right? My prayer is just that as we go...
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That you'll pray for yourself that I know how
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to walk in the miraculous. I know how to pray
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to make the miraculous take place. I will not
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cause that. I don't cause that. I cause life
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to be established. I cause people to come to
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the knowledge of Jesus. We appreciate you being
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here today. We hope you carry this word with
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you throughout your week. Until next time, stay
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blessed.