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Paul in Ephesus - The Books of Acts & Ephesians · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And this was known to all the
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  Speaker 1: Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus. And fear fell
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  Speaker 1: on them all, and the name of the Lord was magnified.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 19.17 Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I
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  Speaker 1: denounce and rebuke every evil spirit that would ever try
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  Speaker 1: to come against my life and the plans of the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Through the Word of God, I understand and recognize that
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  Speaker 1: through the blood of Jesus, I have true power and
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  Speaker 1: authority over every dark spirit who would ever try to
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  Speaker 1: step against me. Satan, you are rendered helpless and weak
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  Speaker 1: because you are a defeated foe. Holy Spirit, will you
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  Speaker 1: never allow me to forget that in you I have
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  Speaker 1: complete power and control. Unlike the seven sons in Acts 19,
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  Speaker 1: I declare that my name is known in the gates
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  Speaker 1: of hell. I declare that demons tremble when my feet
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  Speaker 1: touch the ground. With the same tenacity as Paul in Ephesus,
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  Speaker 1: I take control over every atmosphere and declare every place
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  Speaker 1: my foot treads as holy ground, dedicated to the Lord
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  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for making
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  Speaker 1: prayer a priority in your day. To learn more about
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  Speaker 1: the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Paul in Ephesus In our last story, Paul established the
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  Speaker 2: Corinthian church. The wicked port city of Corinth was a
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  Speaker 2: dark and twisted place, yet the light of Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: spreading forth in power. Now we see a new church emerge.
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  Speaker 2: The church of Ephesus begins with Paul and just twelve
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  Speaker 2: men willing to connect with the people around them. They
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  Speaker 2: would soon face danger, demons, and angry mobs. However, nothing
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  Speaker 2: would prevail against the work of Jesus. inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: books of Acts and Ephesians.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our previous time together, we
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  Speaker 3: heard how Paul journeyed to Corinth and planted the church
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  Speaker 3: in that city, even in the midst of sin and
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  Speaker 3: deplorable conditions. Debauchery, really. A Corinthian society that was corrupt.
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  Speaker 3: Paul remained in Corinth for a year and a half
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  Speaker 3: to plant the deep roots of the gospel for the church.
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  Speaker 3: that they may stay grounded in the truth. It would
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  Speaker 3: be a continual battle against a prevailing and a perverse culture.
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  Speaker 3: Today we will go with Paul to Ephesus as he
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  Speaker 3: begins yet another church after finding 12 individuals who are
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  Speaker 3: eager to receive the truth of Jesus Christ. We'll find
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  Speaker 3: Paul healing people as Jesus did, and we'll see how
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  Speaker 3: God's purposes prevail even in the midst of persecution. So
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  Speaker 3: let's listen once again to the reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The cool breeze on the Corinthian shore faded as Paul
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  Speaker 2: journeyed inland to Ephesus. He had built up a great
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  Speaker 2: team of noble men and women there, and he had
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  Speaker 2: faith that the Lord would move in that city despite
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  Speaker 2: its corruption. As he entered the city, he caught word
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  Speaker 2: that there were disciples in the city. Paul wandered through
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  Speaker 2: the streets, inquiring as to where he can find the
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  Speaker 2: followers of Jesus. He found them in a home in
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  Speaker 2: the heart of the city.' Did you receive the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit when you believe?' Paul asked. We have not heard
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  Speaker 2: of such a thing, they answered. So Paul spoke to
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  Speaker 2: them about the Spirit of God, baptism, and the mission
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  Speaker 2: of Christ. So the Holy Spirit came upon all twelve
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  Speaker 2: of the people there in Ephesus. They began speaking in
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  Speaker 2: tongues and doing mighty works in the name of Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: Paul grew close to the Ephesians, and together they built
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  Speaker 2: a community of believers. Paul and the Ephesian believers were
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  Speaker 2: in the middle of the city healing the sick. They
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  Speaker 2: would tend to wounds, pray, and watch the Lord do
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  Speaker 2: mighty works of compassion. The days were long and filled
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  Speaker 2: with purpose. For two years Paul endeavored in the city,
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  Speaker 2: so long that the Ephesians became Paul's adopted family. It
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  Speaker 2: was late, and a group of Jewish exorcists walked into
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  Speaker 2: the home of a man possessed by a demon. They
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  Speaker 2: were the seven sons of Siva. They stepped forward towards
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  Speaker 2: the demoniac. His eyes darted forward like a lion stalking
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  Speaker 2: its prey. The sons had never seen a glare so evil.
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  Speaker 2: The man's eyes looked human, but behind them was the
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  Speaker 2: spirit of the enemy. The room was dark, and the
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  Speaker 2: Jews trembled as the demoniac stood to his feet. One
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  Speaker 2: of the sons took a step forward and yelled, Come
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  Speaker 2: out of this man by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.
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  Speaker 2: There was a moment of silence, then a terrible laughter
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  Speaker 2: burst forth from the demon's belly. Ah, yes, Jesus I know.
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  Speaker 2: Paul I know as well. But who are you? A
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  Speaker 2: crooked smile slid across the demon's face. Then, like a
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  Speaker 2: lion finally going in for the kill, the demon-possessed man
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  Speaker 2: leapt forward at the seven sons of Siva. They were
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  Speaker 2: no match for him. The demon grabbed one of them
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  Speaker 2: by the cloak and threw him onto the ground and
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  Speaker 2: began ripping his clothes off. He leapt towards the door
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  Speaker 2: and kept the others from escaping. He took the head
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  Speaker 2: of one son and bashed it against the wall. Each
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  Speaker 2: one of them was brutally beaten and wounded by the demon.
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  Speaker 2: Each of them barely made it out alive. As they
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  Speaker 2: ran away, naked and wounded, they could hear the loud
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  Speaker 2: belly laughs of the demon inside. Word spread of the
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  Speaker 2: demoniac's rage against the seven sons of Siva. Fear fell
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  Speaker 2: upon the entire city of Ephesus. Jews and Greeks alike
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  Speaker 2: trembled at the thought of a demon in their midst,
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  Speaker 2: so they clung to the name of Jesus for safety.
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  Speaker 2: Many in the city understood that there were things beyond
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  Speaker 2: their understanding at work, and they needed to cling to
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  Speaker 2: God for refuge and safety from that which would threaten
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  Speaker 2: their hearts. Together, they brought their idols, carved images, and
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  Speaker 2: books of pagan rituals to the fire. It was a
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  Speaker 2: symbol of their surrender to God. However, just like the
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  Speaker 2: slave girl who told fortunes, there were many people who
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  Speaker 2: profited off idol-making. A silversmith in Ephesus called Demetrius stood
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  Speaker 2: in deep hatred towards Paul. He had made all his
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  Speaker 2: money making shrines in Artemis, but now they were all
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  Speaker 2: being destroyed. He gathered all the craftsmen of Ephesus together
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  Speaker 2: to conspire against Paul. They stormed the place where he
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  Speaker 2: was preaching, yelling, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Demetrius
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  Speaker 2: riled up a large crowd to cause confusion and woe
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  Speaker 2: among the church. Paul was about to stop them, but
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  Speaker 2: realized that the city of Ephesus was coming to their defense.
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  Speaker 2: Paul watched in awe as the fruit of his labor emerged.
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  Speaker 2: All the work he had put in preaching... Teaching and
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  Speaker 2: discipling was showing itself before his very eyes. The city
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  Speaker 2: was clinging to God, even in the midst of persecution
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  Speaker 2: and opposition. It would be the Ephesian church that would
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  Speaker 2: always hold a special place in Paul's heart.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, we begin with Paul traveling to a
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  Speaker 3: new city, Ephesus. This was a place of great wealth
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  Speaker 3: and great spiritual need. It was the epicenter of the
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  Speaker 3: cult of Artemis, the goddess of fertility. People from all
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  Speaker 3: over the world came to Ephesus to pay tribute to
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  Speaker 3: Artemis at her shrine. The fact that it was a
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  Speaker 3: place of great spiritual need and a city that brought
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  Speaker 3: travelers from the world over made it also a city
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  Speaker 3: of great opportunity to spread the gospel. And Paul and
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  Speaker 3: his companions were always ready to bring the gospel of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ to unreached people. Paul found in Ephesus some
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  Speaker 3: people who had heard the gospel, at least in part.
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  Speaker 3: They had eagerly accepted the call to repentance and baptism
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  Speaker 3: that John the Baptist had preached, but their transformation was
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  Speaker 3: not yet complete. So Paul shared with them the fullness
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  Speaker 3: of the gospel and the one to whom John had
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  Speaker 3: pointed others, Jesus Christ. Remember, it was John who said,
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  Speaker 3: Behold the Lamb of God, Jesus, who takes away the
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  Speaker 3: sin of the world. The Ephesians eagerly accepted these words
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  Speaker 3: and were baptized in the name of Jesus. Then as
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  Speaker 3: Paul laid hands upon them, they received the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: The indwelling of God's Spirit is the mark of a believer,
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  Speaker 3: a true Christian. And as they were filled with the
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit, they began to speak in languages and declare
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  Speaker 3: God's truth, much like the first believers at Pentecost. And
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  Speaker 3: so the Ephesian church was birthed with about 12 members.
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  Speaker 3: And from this, it would grow to be a force
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  Speaker 3: in the city to change the culture around them by
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  Speaker 3: the power of the gospel. Paul got right to work
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  Speaker 3: at Ephesus, going to the synagogue and speaking boldly for
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  Speaker 3: three months. The fact that he spoke so openly without
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  Speaker 3: persecution for three months must have been encouraging to him.
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  Speaker 3: But soon there were grumblings and anger among the Jews,
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  Speaker 3: and Paul resolved to take his message into the public square.
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  Speaker 3: Here he would reason with Greeks in the lecture hall
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  Speaker 3: of Tyrannus, sharing the word of God for two years,
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  Speaker 3: so that many Jews, as well as Gentiles, heard the truth.
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  Speaker 3: We also hear that Paul went about with great power
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  Speaker 3: to heal in the name of Jesus. This was not
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  Speaker 3: his power, but God's power. It was a sign to
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  Speaker 3: unbelievers that opened the door for him to share the
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  Speaker 3: truth about Jesus, of his cross and his resurrection. and
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  Speaker 3: the salvation that he provides to all who believe in him,
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  Speaker 3: not only then, but now. Eventually, Paul was well known
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  Speaker 3: in the city of Ephesus, so much so that even
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  Speaker 3: unbelievers tried to attach themselves to the apostle. We heard
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  Speaker 3: of seven Jewish brothers, the sons of Sceva, who tried
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  Speaker 3: to cast out demons in Paul's name. This story is
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  Speaker 3: really comical, but it's sad at the same time. These
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  Speaker 3: men did not know Jesus or follow him. They only
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  Speaker 3: sought glory and power for themselves. One day a demon
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  Speaker 3: they tried to cast out made it clear. He knew
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  Speaker 3: Jesus and feared Jesus and he feared Paul, but not
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  Speaker 3: these men. They had no power and the beating they
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  Speaker 3: received from the demon-possessed man made this clear. It's a
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  Speaker 3: powerful reminder that power comes not from any human being
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  Speaker 3: or in any human name, even that of the Apostle Paul.
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  Speaker 3: Power comes from God himself and in the name of
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  Speaker 3: the Savior who changes lives. When word got out about this,
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  Speaker 3: it was a tremendous witness for Christ and many began
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  Speaker 3: to call on the name of the Lord and become saved.
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  Speaker 3: And from that, a small group of 12 or so men,
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  Speaker 3: God began to establish the church at Ephesus. And it
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  Speaker 3: changed the city. They impacted their entire region. Look what
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  Speaker 3: it says in Acts 19, verses 18 and 19. I
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  Speaker 3: just love this. Many of those who believed now came
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  Speaker 3: and openly confessed what they had done. A number who
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  Speaker 3: had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
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  Speaker 3: A genuine encounter with Jesus cannot help but transform our
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  Speaker 3: lives and change us from the inside out. We now
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  Speaker 3: find our identity in Christ and we can change the
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  Speaker 3: world around us. We close today's reading hearing how a
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  Speaker 3: riot broke out with both Greeks and Jews opposing the
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  Speaker 3: message of Christ, stirring up trouble and trying to draw
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  Speaker 3: Paul into a fight. But the disciples and even some
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  Speaker 3: government officials who were friends of Paul kept him from
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  Speaker 3: getting into the chaos. God was protecting the church from danger,
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  Speaker 3: and soon the riot dissipated with no harm coming to
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  Speaker 3: Paul or the other Christians. But the battle was far
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  Speaker 3: from over. There would still be persecution, opposition, and threats
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  Speaker 3: and intimidation to God's work in Ephesus. Later, Paul would
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  Speaker 3: write to his fellow Christians at Ephesus, reminding them of
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  Speaker 3: this spiritual battle, for which they would need the full
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  Speaker 3: armor of God to be able to withstand the attacks
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  Speaker 3: of the enemy. It is an armor that all Christians
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  Speaker 3: possess and we must put on each day with faith.
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  Speaker 3: We can win our spiritual battles with spiritual weapons. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: thank you for the Word of God and how it
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  Speaker 3: reminds you of the power of Jesus to change lives.
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  Speaker 3: We remember that we face spiritual battles every day and
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  Speaker 3: therefore we armor up. We arm ourselves with the truth
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  Speaker 3: of your Word and protect ourselves with the Word of
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  Speaker 3: God and the testimony of Jesus. in whose name we pray. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: This is Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. I want to
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  Speaker 3: encourage you to download the Pray.com app and make prayer
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  Speaker 3: and Bible study discipleship a priority in your life. Put
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  Speaker 3: Jesus first in your life and watch what He can
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  Speaker 3: do when you give your life to Him. If you
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  Speaker 3: enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love because
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  Speaker 3: by Inviting others to join us on this journey through
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  Speaker 3: the Bible, many will meet the Lord and experience His
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  Speaker 3: power in their lives. God bless you.