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Singing Jailbirds - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed
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  Speaker 1: and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 16.25 As words of Acts 16 resonate in my spirit,
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  Speaker 1: I stand excited because I now have a major key
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  Speaker 1: to my unending success. Today I acknowledge that prayer is
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  Speaker 1: should be my first response and not my last resort.
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  Speaker 1: As I look at Paul and Silas, I realize that
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  Speaker 1: my worship is a warship that can be used to
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  Speaker 1: break the oppression and chains of the enemy. Through my
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  Speaker 1: voice and through my praise and worship, you will send
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  Speaker 1: a shockwave and an earthquake that will shake the foundation
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  Speaker 1: of my prison. and free me. No matter where I
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  Speaker 1: am or what I face, I will never forget that
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  Speaker 1: one of the greatest weapons that I possess is my worship.
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  Speaker 1: With this truth, I will sing your praises everywhere I go,
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  Speaker 1: and when I do, the chains of hell and the
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  Speaker 1: chains of my enemy will not be able to hold me.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying with us today.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Singing Jailbirds In our last story, we were able to
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  Speaker 2: read the letter Paul wrote to the Galatian church. Paul,
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  Speaker 2: with the love and wisdom of Jesus, implored the Galatian
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  Speaker 2: church to stop binding themselves to the law. He encouraged
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  Speaker 2: them to live under grace and living in the Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: Now we see.
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  Speaker 2: Paul and Silas faced with a vexing demon. As Paul
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  Speaker 2: confronts the demon, he is met with imprisonment. As Paul
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  Speaker 2: and Silas dwell in the dark depths of a Roman
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  Speaker 2: jail cell, they are able to be lights of hope,
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  Speaker 2: inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, this is Jack Graham with another episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year. In our last episode, we heard
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  Speaker 4: Paul's letter to the church in Galatia and his powerful,
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  Speaker 4: beautiful explanation of salvation by grace alone in Christ alone.
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  Speaker 4: He urged the Galatians to not let themselves be enslaved
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  Speaker 4: to the burden of the law now that they have
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  Speaker 4: received the liberty that is ours in Christ. He then
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  Speaker 4: encourages us to use our freedom in Christ to walk
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  Speaker 4: by the Spirit and not the flesh and to produce
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  Speaker 4: the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 4: find Paul and his missionary partner Silas confronting an evil
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  Speaker 4: spirit and facing a Roman prison. Yet even in the
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  Speaker 4: darkness of their cell, They are full of hope and
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  Speaker 4: praise as they glorify God with singing. And as a result,
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  Speaker 4: a man and his family comes to personal faith in
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  Speaker 4: the Lord. Let's listen now in this reading from the
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  Speaker 4: book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Servants of the Most High God, she screamed. Make way
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  Speaker 2: for the servants.
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  Speaker 3: Of God, she yelled even louder.
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  Speaker 2: These men have come in the name of God. She
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  Speaker 2: laughed and twirled around in circles. It had been days
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  Speaker 2: of her nonsense. Paul, Luke, Silas, and Timothy had been
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  Speaker 2: followed through Thyatira by a slave girl possessed by a demon.
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  Speaker 2: For days, she rolled around on the floor, yelling and
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  Speaker 2: proclaiming their arrival. It had grown maddening. Even though what
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  Speaker 2: she was saying was true, she said it spitefully and jokingly.
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  Speaker 2: Every place they entered into, she yelled and screamed. It
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  Speaker 2: deterred people from listening to them. It scared people away.
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  Speaker 2: Sometimes truth spoken rudely can do just as much damage
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  Speaker 2: as a lie. The slave girl was clearly disturbed and
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  Speaker 2: fed multiple herbs to keep her mind trapped in a cage.
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  Speaker 2: Her owners would make money off of her, selling her
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  Speaker 2: off as a fortune teller.
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  Speaker 3: At first, it broke Paul's heart to see a girl
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  Speaker 3: so broken.
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  Speaker 2: However, after days of endless yelling, Paul was thrown into
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  Speaker 2: a small rage. These men are of God!
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  Speaker 3: Hear them! Hear them! she shouted.
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  Speaker 2: Her wicked cackles pierced the ears of people in the streets.
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  Speaker 2: Here are the men who have come to be... In
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  Speaker 2: the name of Jesus, come out of this girl, you
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  Speaker 2: unclean spirit! Paul interrupted and yelled. The girl fell onto
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  Speaker 2: the floor, rolling in the dirt. Her fists banged on
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  Speaker 2: the floor and her teeth bit into her tongue. But then,
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  Speaker 2: like a storm that had finally been broken by the sun...
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  Speaker 2: The demon left her.
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  Speaker 3: She wept where she lay on the road.
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  Speaker 2: Paul and Silas lifted her to her feet and brushed
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  Speaker 2: the dirt off her clothing.
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  Speaker 3: She gave a remorseful.
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  Speaker 2: Grin towards the men and then ran back to her masters.
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  Speaker 2: Even though the exacerbating noise was gone, Paul had a
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  Speaker 2: sinking feeling that this was not over. The girl ran
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  Speaker 2: home to her owners, wailing with tears of joy and freedom.
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  Speaker 2: Her owners, however, were displeased with her restoration. They made
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  Speaker 2: a great deal of money from the demon inside her.
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  Speaker 2: The demon was able to tell fortunes and speak in
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  Speaker 2: ancient dialects. Many people paid a great amount to listen
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  Speaker 2: to a tongue of dark magic. They struck the girl,
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  Speaker 2: and she crawled back into the space she was kept.
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  Speaker 2: The owners would deal with her later, but for now,
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  Speaker 2: they set their sights on Paul. Silas and Paul were
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  Speaker 2: enjoying themselves in the marketplace. They bought food for their
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  Speaker 2: travels and spoke about Christ to the shopkeepers and vendors
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  Speaker 2: as they passed. Paul was walking towards a man selling
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  Speaker 2: dates and bread when he felt a swift blow to
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  Speaker 2: his right temple. Paul fell immediately onto the ground. He
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  Speaker 2: looked up to see a boot coming down on his ribcage.
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  Speaker 2: Paul felt the air leave his chest. He gasped and
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  Speaker 2: looked over to see Silas pinned onto the ground by
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  Speaker 2: another large figure. Paul was turned around and bound by ropes.
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  Speaker 2: He and Silas were tied up and marched to the
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  Speaker 2: magistrate courthouse. These Jews are disturbing our city, the slave
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  Speaker 2: owners declared before the court. They advocate for traditions that
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  Speaker 2: are not Roman. Paul and Silas looked at one another.
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  Speaker 2: They would not be receiving a fair trial. Paul opened
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  Speaker 2: his mouth to speak to the judge, but was interrupted
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  Speaker 2: by a right hook to the jaw. Their robes were
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  Speaker 2: ripped off their bodies. and the magistrates ordered for Paul
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  Speaker 2: and Silas to be beaten with rods. Paul watched the
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  Speaker 2: long and thin branch strike Silas' back.
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  Speaker 3: Silas did not scream.
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  Speaker 2: He was strong and knew what being a Christian entailed.
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  Speaker 2: He turned his back on those who whipped him. Paul
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  Speaker 2: received the same beating. The sharp branch broke through his
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  Speaker 2: bare skin. Blood and splinters caked onto his back. After
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  Speaker 2: a steady beating, Paul and Silas.
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  Speaker 3: Were thrown into prison.
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  Speaker 2: The stone floor was cold and jagged. It ripped Paul's
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  Speaker 2: feet underneath him. Before the two men could catch their breath,
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  Speaker 2: the jailer arrived.
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  Speaker 4: He was a.
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  Speaker 3: Large man, clearly well-built for his job.
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  Speaker 2: His grip was violent and hard as he fastened their
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  Speaker 2: ankles into chains. However, there was something different about him.
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  Speaker 3: Paul could see that behind the scowl was a face
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  Speaker 3: of a lost sheep.
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  Speaker 2: It was midnight, and the cold prison walls enveloped the
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  Speaker 2: prisoners in darkness. A dim torchlight could be seen from
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  Speaker 2: the distant hallways where the jailer slept. Paul could hear
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  Speaker 2: a steady drip of cold water fall onto the jagged stone.
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  Speaker 2: It echoed across the silent prison. All the prisoners were
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  Speaker 2: in the corners of their cells, shivering and waiting for
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  Speaker 2: morning light. Paul and Silas thought about Jesus, how he
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  Speaker 2: had suffered the scorn of men, yet still loved them.
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  Speaker 2: He maintained hope and joy, so they would do the same.
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  Speaker 2: One by one, the prisoners lifted their heads as they
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  Speaker 2: heard voices singing hymns to God. Paul and Silas sang
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  Speaker 2: with joyful shouts and beautiful melodies. Their songs bounced off
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  Speaker 2: the cold stone walls. Its echo was hauntingly powerful. The
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  Speaker 2: frigid prison air was filled with the warm praises of
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  Speaker 2: God's children. The songs became louder as other prisoners joined
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  Speaker 2: in on the melody. An orchestra of hope erupted from
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  Speaker 2: the dark depths of the Roman dungeon as hurting men
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  Speaker 2: turned to their God. As they sang, the earth itself
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  Speaker 2: began to shake. As if God was joining in on
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  Speaker 2: the music, a mighty earthquake shook the foundation of the prison.
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  Speaker 2: The hinges of the doors were shaken open, and the
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  Speaker 2: iron bars fell like the walls of Jericho. Paul and Silas'
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  Speaker 2: chains were unfastened, and there was a clean escape made
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  Speaker 2: ready for them. However, Paul and Silas did not move.
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  Speaker 2: They could hear the footsteps of the jailer approaching. He
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  Speaker 2: turned to the corner to see the gates busted wide open.
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  Speaker 2: Assuming that Paul and Silas had escaped, the jailer drew
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  Speaker 2: his sword. He wept, knowing that he had dishonored his country,
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  Speaker 2: and to allow escape was inevitable death. The jailer pressed
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  Speaker 2: the tip of his blade against his throat and mumbled
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  Speaker 2: a last word before stepping forward to fall on his sword.
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  Speaker 3: Stop!'' Paul yelled.
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  Speaker 2: The jailer stumbled forward and was caught by Silas before
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  Speaker 2: he could fall on his blade.'' Do not harm yourself,''
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  Speaker 2: Paul said.'' We are all here.'' The jailer trembled in
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  Speaker 2: the arms of Silas. He was bent over before them,
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  Speaker 2: weeping at the fact that they saved his life. Paul
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  Speaker 2: and Silas guided the jailer out of the prison into
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  Speaker 2: the moonlight. There they sat, speaking about the hidden brokenness
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  Speaker 2: in the jailer's heart.
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  Speaker 3: What must.
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  Speaker 2: I do to be saved?'' the jailer asked with tears
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  Speaker 2: in his eyes. Paul and Silas smiled. Believe in Jesus
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  Speaker 2: and you will be saved. You and your household will
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  Speaker 2: be blessed, they answered. So the jailer brought them back
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  Speaker 2: to his home and they preached the gospel to his
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  Speaker 2: entire family. He hid them in his home until it
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  Speaker 2: was the appointed time for them to be released. It
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  Speaker 2: is time for you to leave in peace, the jailer said.
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  Speaker 2: The magistrates have asked for you to go quietly and
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  Speaker 2: in peace. But Paul knew why they wanted them gone.
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  Speaker 2: Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, and they were imprisoned
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  Speaker 2: without a trial. What they had done was condemnable under
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  Speaker 2: Roman law. So the magistrates were forced.
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  Speaker 3: To apologize to Paul and Silas.
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  Speaker 2: After the magistrates groveled, Paul and Silas were content to
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  Speaker 2: leave with joy.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today's reading learning that Paul has a new
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  Speaker 4: companion in ministry, a man named Silas. Paul, Silas, and
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  Speaker 4: Luke were in the Roman city of Thyatira, where they
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  Speaker 4: were staying in a home of a new believer named Lydia,
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  Speaker 4: a wealthy businesswoman who dealt in purple fabrics. As they
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  Speaker 4: went about town preaching the gospel, they were constantly followed
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  Speaker 4: by a young slave girl who was possessed by a
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  Speaker 4: demon that predicted the future. Her owners used this young
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  Speaker 4: girl for personal gain, unconcerned about her or her well-being.
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  Speaker 4: And as Paul and Silas walked through the city, the
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  Speaker 4: young girl would cry out loudly for all to hear,
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  Speaker 4: Her words were true, but they did not come from God.
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  Speaker 4: It is a reminder that all who proclaim Christ Jesus
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  Speaker 4: are not true followers or true worshipers. There are false prophets.
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  Speaker 4: There are demon spirits that exist that proclaim a message.
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  Speaker 4: This was a work of the enemy, Satan himself, to
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  Speaker 4: distract people from the message of Jesus and the gospel.
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  Speaker 4: And Paul saw right through it. Finally, When he had
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  Speaker 4: had enough, he spoke to the evil spirit in this
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  Speaker 4: young girl with the authority given to him by the
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  Speaker 4: Holy Spirit. He commanded the spirit, the demon, to leave
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  Speaker 4: her and at once she was set free. Just as
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  Speaker 4: Jesus had called out demons, Paul continues the Lord's work
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  Speaker 4: in liberating captives from the forces of evil and the
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  Speaker 4: powers of Satan to experience the power of God. What
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  Speaker 4: a relief this must have been for the young demonized girl.
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  Speaker 4: The voices in her head had left her without peace,
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  Speaker 4: and now these voices were silenced. But her masters, who
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  Speaker 4: profited greatly from her condition, were very angry. Their trafficking
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  Speaker 4: had come to a screening halt, and they knew who
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: was to blame. So they appealed to the local magistrate,
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  Speaker 4: saying Paul and Silas were stirring up trouble and advocating
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  Speaker 4: practices that were contrary to Roman law. Of course, this
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  Speaker 4: was a huge lie. But when your enemies have no
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  Speaker 4: real claim against you, they will come with lies and slander.
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  Speaker 4: Once again, Paul and his friends find themselves persecuted, only
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  Speaker 4: this time not by Jews but by Romans. He and
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  Speaker 4: Silas were seized, beaten, and thrown into prison. But even
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  Speaker 4: in this, Paul and Silas persevered with praise and saw
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  Speaker 4: the opportunity to worship God as a testimony and a
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  Speaker 4: witness of the power of Jesus. When bad things happen
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  Speaker 4: to us, when circumstances turn against us, When we are
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  Speaker 4: persecuted or set aside for our faith, do we continue
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  Speaker 4: to praise God? Too often we miss the opportunity to
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  Speaker 4: witness to the glory of God and the grace of
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  Speaker 4: God in our lives, in our hardship. But Paul and
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  Speaker 4: Silas didn't miss this chance. So as they sat in
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  Speaker 4: their cell that night, rather than weeping and whining and
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  Speaker 4: licking their wounds, these men sang great songs of praise
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  Speaker 4: and worship. and the other prisoners could hear them lifting
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  Speaker 4: up their God in the name of Jesus. We then
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  Speaker 4: hear how at about midnight, God sent a mighty earthquake
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  Speaker 4: and rocked the prison, threw open the prison doors, and
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  Speaker 4: caused the chains to fall off all the prisoners. This
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  Speaker 4: was their chance to escape. But they didn't. They didn't
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  Speaker 4: run away. When the jailer awoke, he was certain that
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  Speaker 4: the prisoners would be gone, and it would cost him
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  Speaker 4: his life, because when commanders were found out that they
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: had not done their job, they would be executed. So
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  Speaker 4: he resolved to take his own life. But Paul stepped in,
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  Speaker 4: letting him know that no one had escaped. Listen to
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  Speaker 4: the jailer's response in Acts 16, verses 29 and 30.
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  Speaker 4: The jailer called for the lights and rushed in and
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  Speaker 4: fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them
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  Speaker 4: out and asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
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  Speaker 4: That's the most important question that any one of us
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  Speaker 4: can ask and be answered by the witnesses of the gospel. Sirs,
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  Speaker 4: what must I do to be saved? When we see
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  Speaker 4: a miracle like this, when the earthquake came and shook
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  Speaker 4: the house, there's a greater purpose and plan. The chains
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: God wanted to break were not merely those binding Paul
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  Speaker 4: and Silas and the other prisoners, but the chains of
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  Speaker 4: sin that held the jailer and his family. And as
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: a result of Paul's perseverance and praise, this man and
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  Speaker 4: his entire family opened their hearts to the gospel of Christ.
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  Speaker 4: They were all saved. The men went with him to
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  Speaker 4: his home, and his entire family worshiped the Lord with
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  Speaker 4: the Apostle Paul and Silas. And that next morning, the
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: magistrates said word that Paul and Silas were to be released.
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  Speaker 4: They discovered that these men weren't merely Jews, but Roman citizens.
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  Speaker 4: It is the first indication that Paul will wisely use
• 16:00
  Speaker 4: his Roman citizenship to advance the gospel of Jesus far
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  Speaker 4: and wide, all across the Roman Empire. And we'll hear
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  Speaker 4: more about that in our next reading. Dear God, we
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  Speaker 4: thank you for this great scripture in Acts chapter 16
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  Speaker 4: and the power of the gospel to change lives. Lord,
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  Speaker 4: in the midst of our trials and tribulations, may we
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  Speaker 4: always praise you. You have told us to give thanks always,
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  Speaker 4: that we can praise you even in the darkest of times.
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  Speaker 4: Because when we do, you are glorified and Jesus is magnified.
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  Speaker 4: and people will see and hear our witness because of
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  Speaker 4: what Christ has done for us, we can stand firm
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  Speaker 4: in the midst of life's greatest challenges. May it be
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  Speaker 4: so in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: once again for joining the Bible in a Year. And
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: you can help ensure that more and more people can
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: hear the life-changing message of God's Word with your generous
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: gift today. To keep these gospel-centered messages reaching people around
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: the world, please give at www.bibleinayear.com.
• 17:14
  Speaker 5: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
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  Speaker 5: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Dr.
• 17:26
  Speaker 6: Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me
• 17:30
  Speaker 6: on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: Come to me, boy.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: He beckoned the giant and said, I come to.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: You in the name of the Lord of hosts and
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: creator of the stars.
• 17:46
  Speaker 6: You know, we all have giants that we face in
• 17:49
  Speaker 6: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of
• 17:52
  Speaker 6: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,
• 17:57
  Speaker 6: it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to
• 18:01
  Speaker 6: our faith in God and our growth.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: In Jesus Christ.
• 18:05
  Speaker 5: Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees
• 18:09
  Speaker 5: the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms,
• 18:14
  Speaker 5: but the Lord looks into the heart.
• 18:16
  Speaker 6: Listen to Heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans
• 18:20
  Speaker 6: on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
• 18:25
  Speaker 6: get your podcasts.