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Signs And Wonders | Episode #373 | Encore Episode #044 · Reflections On The Word With Richard Kay

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to today's edition of Reflection on the Word with
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  Speaker 1: Richard K. I'm Chuck Christie, and today we are asking
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  Speaker 1: you to spend a few moments of your time with
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  Speaker 1: us each day as Richard shares from God's work with notes, quotes,
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  Speaker 1: and story along with some of his own personal experiences,
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  Speaker 1: to confirm for you God's great love for us, that
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  Speaker 1: his compassion for us never fails, and that He has
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  Speaker 1: a great faithfulness toward us in every regard. Now, if
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  Speaker 1: you miss a portion of today's broadcast or would like
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  Speaker 1: to recommend it to a friend, you can hear this
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  Speaker 1: program anytime online at Talknetwork Radio dot com. Well, now
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  Speaker 1: here's Richard with today's reflection.
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  Speaker 2: Many signs and wonders were being done among the people
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  Speaker 2: through the hands of the apostles that is found in
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  Speaker 2: Acts chapter five and verse twelve. We've talked yesterday about
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  Speaker 2: the fivefold ministry, where we have already identified that there
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  Speaker 2: were some that were given to be apostles, some prophets,
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  Speaker 2: some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for a purpose, and
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  Speaker 2: the purpose was for the training of the saints in
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  Speaker 2: the work of ministry to build up the body of
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  Speaker 2: Christ until we all reach unity in the faith and
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  Speaker 2: in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature
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  Speaker 2: man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Now we
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  Speaker 2: know that that is defined in the Book of Ephesians
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  Speaker 2: in chapter four and verses eleven to sixteen. The reason
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  Speaker 2: that we want to be able to further define the
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  Speaker 2: function of the Fivefold Ministry is to be able to
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  Speaker 2: determine how we are able to benefit because of that function.
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  Speaker 2: You see, if the body of believers, as it continues
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  Speaker 2: to grow, develops and follows the teachings of Christ, then
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  Speaker 2: there's teachings and the demonstrations of how all of this
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  Speaker 2: is applied in our life, the actual knowledge given through
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  Speaker 2: the offices of the five pold Ministry. Now, the reason
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  Speaker 2: that we know that this is so important is demonstrated
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  Speaker 2: in the early Church. Let's look for example of a
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  Speaker 2: few things that took place as the Early Church began
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  Speaker 2: to multiply and grow. We know that at the day
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  Speaker 2: of Pentecost, all of those that were in the Upper Room,
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  Speaker 2: which numbered about one hundred and twenty in that particular gathering,
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  Speaker 2: they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
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  Speaker 2: all spoke in languages that they did not understand, but
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  Speaker 2: languages that could be understood by others, because there were
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  Speaker 2: Jews devout people that were living in the surrounding region
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  Speaker 2: that had come for the feast of Pentecost or if
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  Speaker 2: you will, the Jewish festival of Shebua. The reason that
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  Speaker 2: this is so important is that one hundred and twenty
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  Speaker 2: believers were filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, what takes
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  Speaker 2: place following that event is something normal in the Early Church.
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  Speaker 2: What happens is that believers again come to realize Jesus
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  Speaker 2: is alive, and because he's alive, he can fulfill the
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  Speaker 2: promises that he made while he walked here on this earth.
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  Speaker 2: He can also proclaim and confer the authority that he
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  Speaker 2: has because the authority is given unto him. As we
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  Speaker 2: found in the Great Commission in Matthew twenty eight and
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  Speaker 2: verses eighteen through twenty. We do know that the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit was a promise of the Father, and because of that,
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  Speaker 2: there was a need for people who were not aware
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  Speaker 2: to be instructed as to why they needed this baptism
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  Speaker 2: of the Holy Spirit. And one of the things that
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  Speaker 2: we can see that is very evident in the Early
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  Speaker 2: Church is that the process by which people received Jesus.
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  Speaker 2: They were drawn to the message of the preaching of
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  Speaker 2: the Gospel. They were drawn to the manifestations of the
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  Speaker 2: works that were being performed by the apostles and by
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  Speaker 2: other believers, and we will talk about how that became
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  Speaker 2: quite evident. We want to mention a couple of things,
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  Speaker 2: and we're going to these because they are actually a
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  Speaker 2: very significant portion in the growth of the Body of Christ.
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  Speaker 2: What took place was that everyone was in agreement. They
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  Speaker 2: sold what they possessed and they distributed it among those
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  Speaker 2: who had need. They brought what they owned and they
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  Speaker 2: provided it to those that were apostles. What happened was
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  Speaker 2: that they actually saw how the Holy Spirit anointed those
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  Speaker 2: leaders to direct them, and in one case, after having
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  Speaker 2: sold their possession for distribution, many came to provide what
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  Speaker 2: they owned and what they had sold, so that it
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  Speaker 2: could be distributed, as we said, to those within the
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  Speaker 2: body who were in need. One couple who is cited
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  Speaker 2: in the scripture, and Anius and his wife Sephira, actually
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  Speaker 2: conspired to lie to the apostles when they approached them.
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  Speaker 2: And so this is the event that took place. We
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  Speaker 2: know that the man and Anius and Sephira sold a
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  Speaker 2: piece of property. They held back a part of the proceeds,
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  Speaker 2: and they conspired to tell the apostles that they had
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  Speaker 2: sold for that price. Now what took place was a
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  Speaker 2: very quick and a very deliberate demonstration of the power
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  Speaker 2: of the Holy Spirit. You see, when they said this
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  Speaker 2: is the price we sold the property for, they knew
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  Speaker 2: they were lying. They had conspired to do that. So
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  Speaker 2: the first came to the apostle Peter. Now they were
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  Speaker 2: gathered together, as was the distribution for the saints, and
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  Speaker 2: they came. First. Annius came and they were questioned. He said,
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  Speaker 2: this is what we sold the property for. Peter did
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  Speaker 2: not mix any words. He simply said to Anonius, why
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  Speaker 2: do you lie to the Holy Spirit. Now Peter had
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  Speaker 2: to have been shown that this was a lie. It
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  Speaker 2: was not something that he just suspected in the natural.
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  Speaker 2: He actually was given supernatural knowledge that this had taken place.
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  Speaker 2: And what followed proved that the Holy Spirit had given
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  Speaker 2: him that knowledge. At that very moment, and Anias fell
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  Speaker 2: down dead because Peter had said, you lied to the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit. About three hours later, his wife came in.
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  Speaker 2: This was Sephira. Sephirah was asked the same question, and
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  Speaker 2: she gave the same response. He then said the same
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  Speaker 2: thing to her, only he did tell her that the
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  Speaker 2: same people who carried out her husband before her would
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  Speaker 2: carry her out as well, because she had lied to
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit. And she fell dead again at his feet.
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  Speaker 2: This was a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: And as we follow there were many signs and wonders
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  Speaker 2: that were being done among the people through the hands
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  Speaker 2: of the apostles, and so we can see that the
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  Speaker 2: apostles were used to confer the power and anointing of
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit. One of the things that took place
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  Speaker 2: when they were called to provide for those who had
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  Speaker 2: been selected as deacons, as we had looked at in
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  Speaker 2: Stevens' particular case, where they said, we want to select
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  Speaker 2: seven men who are a good reputation, and they have
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit, and they can be trusted, they are
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  Speaker 2: full of faith. And they came and they laid hands
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  Speaker 2: on these men to confer the commissioned blessing for them
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  Speaker 2: to become deacons or essentially those who would care for
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  Speaker 2: the daily distribution for the saints. And so the preaching
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  Speaker 2: about God flourished, and the number of the disciples in
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  Speaker 2: Jerusalem multiplied greatly. Now, Stephen was not an apostle. Stephen
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  Speaker 2: was a deacon. But before he was given the commissioning
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  Speaker 2: as a deacon, he was a believer, full of faith,
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  Speaker 2: of good reputation, and full of the Holy Spirit. Why
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  Speaker 2: was this so important Because it is Stephen who stands
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  Speaker 2: before those that were later to stone him to death,
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  Speaker 2: because he preached the gospel message, revealing to them from
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  Speaker 2: Moses all the way to the fulfillment of all the
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  Speaker 2: prophecies about Jesus the Messiah. And when they heard this,
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  Speaker 2: they were so angry that they stoned him for blasphemy.
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  Speaker 2: And as he's being stoned, he is actually being watched
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  Speaker 2: by those who are committing this act, and he says
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  Speaker 2: to them, as he prays to his father, he says,
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  Speaker 2: forgive them of this sin, in the same manner that
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  Speaker 2: Jesus had stated, forgive them, for they know not what
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  Speaker 2: they do. Stephen became the first martyr. Now this also
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  Speaker 2: had a tremendous impact on one Saul of Tarsus. The
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  Speaker 2: reason that we know this is because Saul of Tarsus
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  Speaker 2: was persecuting believers everywhere he could find them, and Stephen
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  Speaker 2: was one who had been stone, and Saul of Tarsus
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  Speaker 2: was there to witness that act. What is the reason
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  Speaker 2: that this is critical in our understanding? Well, I offer
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  Speaker 2: three things. Number one, the Holy Spirit was proclaiming the
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  Speaker 2: Gospel with miraculous signs and wonders. He was doing things
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  Speaker 2: through believers that would bring others to a knowledge that
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  Speaker 2: Jesus was alive, that this power of the Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 2: was available to believers. And because of this it became
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  Speaker 2: a normative practice that those who believed were baptized. Now
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  Speaker 2: in some cases we even have read that those believers
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  Speaker 2: who first received the Gospel, they were baptized in water,
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  Speaker 2: and then following that the apostles and those appointed came
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  Speaker 2: to them, laid hands on them, and they received the
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  Speaker 2: promise of the Father the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 1: Richard will be right back in a moment to wrap up.
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  Speaker 1: But if you've just joined us, you've been listening to
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  Speaker 1: Reflections on the Word with Richard k you can hear
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  Speaker 1: this message in its entirety again online as well as
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  Speaker 1: Richard's entire archive at talknetwork Radio dot com. We would
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  Speaker 1: like to acknowledge our theme song, how Great is Thy
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  Speaker 1: Faith Us? From the America's Torn Five Favorite Hymns album.
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  Speaker 1: Unless otherwise. Express scriptures are read from the Homan Christian
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  Speaker 1: Standard Bible, which is published by Homan Bible Publishers in Nashville, Tennessee.
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  Speaker 1: Additional resources used for Reflections on the Word with Richard
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  Speaker 1: K include Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Our Daily Bread
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  Speaker 1: and printed by Discovery House Publishers. Again, here is Richard
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  Speaker 1: to wrap up today's message.
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  Speaker 2: So, folks, I'm telling you that the baptism in water
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  Speaker 2: may have followed those who believe initially, and yet we
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  Speaker 2: find that without the baptism, the Holy Spirit provided these
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  Speaker 2: would have been commissioned for the work of ministry to
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  Speaker 2: continue to spread the Gospel would not have taken place.
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  Speaker 2: And so we know throughout all of the passages that
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  Speaker 2: followed through the Book of Acts and in many of
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  Speaker 2: the letters that were written by the apostles, that the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit was conveyed in a specific manner. There was
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  Speaker 2: a process, and there was instruction, and the instruction was
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  Speaker 2: to allow people to see that the Holy Spirit would
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  Speaker 2: empower them to do the work of ministry. The reason
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  Speaker 2: that we have brought this into our study is because
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  Speaker 2: we are going to look much more closely at how
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit uses individuals in the Christian life today.
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  Speaker 2: And that is today's reflection on the Word.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Richard. Join us again tomorrow when we continue
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  Speaker 1: with the next edition of Reflections on the Word. Richard
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  Speaker 1: K or Richard Tire Team. This is Chuck Christie saying
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  Speaker 1: thanks for listening to this edition Reflections on the Word