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Tongues like Fire - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues
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  Speaker 1: like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 2.3 Holy Spirit, I thank you for overwhelming me
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  Speaker 1: with the wind of your presence. I thank you that
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  Speaker 1: in the same way that tongues like fire fell on
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  Speaker 1: the disciples, that same anointing is falling on me. As
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  Speaker 1: your words fill my mouth, may they be heard and
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  Speaker 1: understood across all boundaries and borders. May your words of
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  Speaker 1: freedom be felt and experienced in the hearts of all
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  Speaker 1: that I speak to. I praise you, Lord, because revival
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  Speaker 1: is breaking out all around me. I praise you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: that through the power of the Holy Spirit, I'm equipped
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  Speaker 1: to fully realize the purpose of my life. Add daily
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  Speaker 1: to the number of those who are impacted by the
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  Speaker 1: gospel of Jesus Christ. Use me as a conduit to
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  Speaker 1: speak words of hope and life to everyone I meet today.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that the wind of change is upon us
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  Speaker 1: and your wind of goodness is about to blow us away.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
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  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: Tongues like fire. In our last story, Jesus commissioned His
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  Speaker 3: disciples to go in power and authority, He comforted them
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  Speaker 3: and told them that the Holy Spirit would come to
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  Speaker 3: help them. So now the disciples wait on the Holy
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  Speaker 3: Spirit to move. In this story, the Holy Spirit shows
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  Speaker 3: up like a whirlwind. The disciples show up to the
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  Speaker 3: temple and declare the truth of Christ to people of
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  Speaker 3: all nations, inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year podcast. Thanks for joining us. In
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  Speaker 2: our most recent episode, we learned of the mission Jesus
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  Speaker 2: gave to his followers and all of us as he
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  Speaker 2: ascended into heaven. He commanded us to go into all
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  Speaker 2: the world and make disciples of all nations, making it
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  Speaker 2: clear that God's plan of salvation is for everyone in
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  Speaker 2: the world. With the mission came the promise of the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit, and today we're going to hear how the
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  Speaker 2: disciples and others gathered in an upper room to wait
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  Speaker 2: for the promise of the Holy Spirit. how they prayed,
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  Speaker 2: and how God gave the gospel message to them in
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  Speaker 2: the presence and the power of Pentecost. Let's now listen
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  Speaker 2: to today's reading from God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: It was Pentecost, a time when devoted people of all
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  Speaker 3: nations came to Jerusalem to celebrate and worship God. The
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  Speaker 3: uproar caused by Jesus' death had subsided, and all seemed
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  Speaker 3: to be coming back to normal. The high priests stood
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  Speaker 3: in the temple courtyards, watching people pass by with their
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  Speaker 3: sacrifices and money purses. They finally began to feel powerful again.
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  Speaker 3: The rumors of Jesus' resurrection still lingered, but they were
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  Speaker 3: hopeful that they had heard the last of his name.
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  Speaker 3: A small wind began to blow through the city of Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 3: and the tents in the temple courtyards swayed to the
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  Speaker 3: gentle gusts. Among the sea of people were the twelve.
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  Speaker 3: They walked with intention, moving towards the temple steps where
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  Speaker 3: Jerusalem once stood. Peter and the rest of the disciples
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  Speaker 3: stood boldly for all to see. People began to look
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  Speaker 3: as the wind picked up even more. Then, like the
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  Speaker 3: breath of God himself, a sound from heaven boomed like
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  Speaker 3: a mighty wind. The entire house of God was filled
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  Speaker 3: with the wind of God. Flames appeared from the sky,
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  Speaker 3: resembling tongues of fire. They hovered over the mouths of
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  Speaker 3: the disciples. The Holy Spirit... had arrived. Just as Jesus
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  Speaker 3: had promised, the life of God was given to each disciple.
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  Speaker 3: They began to utter the truths of God with boldness
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  Speaker 3: and eloquence. Yet the strange thing was that every man
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  Speaker 3: and woman in the temple heard their words in their
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  Speaker 3: own native language. Parthian, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeans, Cappadocians, Asians,
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  Speaker 3: Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians, Libyans, Romans, Jews, Cretans, and Arabians
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  Speaker 3: all heard the disciples preach the truth of God in
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  Speaker 3: their own tongue. Who are these men? they asked. Aren't
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  Speaker 3: they uneducated men from Galilee? How is it that we
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  Speaker 3: hear them all in our own languages? Many were amazed
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  Speaker 3: and confused at what was taking place, but others were
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  Speaker 3: not as impressed. They are drunk, some of them yelled.
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  Speaker 3: They are drunk fishermen from Galilee. Peter stepped out from
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  Speaker 3: among them and looked at the crowd. We are not drunk.
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  Speaker 3: It is only morning after all, Peter declared. A small
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  Speaker 3: chuckle could be heard from the crowd. Peter looked at
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  Speaker 3: the sea of faces below. He was welled up with love.
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  Speaker 3: The love of Jesus overcame him. He was born to
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  Speaker 3: be here. People of Israel, hear my words, Peter shouted.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus of Nazareth did mighty works among you. You saw
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  Speaker 3: them with your own eyes. He was delivered into the
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  Speaker 3: hands of the priests and killed. You crucified him. However,
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  Speaker 3: God used him to defeat the sting of death, for
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  Speaker 3: Jesus could not be held by the grave. The crowd
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  Speaker 3: became silent as they listened to the Holy Spirit speak
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  Speaker 3: through Peter. The once angry and foolish fisherman was now
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  Speaker 3: preaching in front of thousands of people. Brothers and sisters,
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  Speaker 3: our King David died and was buried in his tomb.
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  Speaker 3: You can still visit it today, but the tomb of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus is empty. He is raised. Let all the house
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  Speaker 3: of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made
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  Speaker 3: him both Lord and Christ. Peter paused for a moment,
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  Speaker 3: looking at the lost souls that stood before him.
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  Speaker 2: Repent!
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  Speaker 3: Repent and be baptized. For forgiveness and atonement for your
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  Speaker 3: sins are in Jesus and no longer in the temple.
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  Speaker 3: All who are far off, come. To Peter's astonishment, thousands
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  Speaker 3: of people came forward to be prayed for and be baptized.
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  Speaker 3: Three thousand souls believed in the finished work of Jesus
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  Speaker 3: that day, and they devoted themselves to the teaching of
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  Speaker 3: the twelve disciples. They grew in community and fellowship with
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  Speaker 3: one another. Awe came upon every soul. They shared all
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  Speaker 3: that they had with one another. Day by day, the
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  Speaker 3: Lord added to their numbers as they preached the gospel,
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  Speaker 3: broke bread, and met in each other's homes. Souls were
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  Speaker 3: being saved. Revival had begun, and the world would.
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  Speaker 2: Never be the same. In our scripture today, we begin
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  Speaker 2: in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Jesus had ascended
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  Speaker 2: to heaven just ten days before. And the disciples were
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  Speaker 2: still waiting for the promise of the Spirit, just as
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  Speaker 2: Jesus commanded them. They were expecting the power of God
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  Speaker 2: to fall upon them and enable them to preach the
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  Speaker 2: gospel to the world. Pentecost was an important date of
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  Speaker 2: feasting for the Jews. So as Peter and the other
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  Speaker 2: disciples gathered in the temple courts, Jews from all over
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  Speaker 2: the known world had gathered in Jerusalem to commemorate the
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  Speaker 2: harvest of wheat. Little did anyone know at that time,
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  Speaker 2: but this Pentecost would involve a different kind of harvest,
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  Speaker 2: a harvest of souls. Suddenly, as they waited and prayed,
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  Speaker 2: the sound of rushing wind came from heaven and filled
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  Speaker 2: the place. Then the disciples and those gathered with them
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  Speaker 2: saw tongues of fire coming down and resting on their heads.
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  Speaker 2: It was as though they became human candles lit up
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  Speaker 2: by the presence of God. The Spirit of God, the
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  Speaker 2: promised helper and advocate, has now arrived. And those who
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  Speaker 2: had followed Jesus and were waiting for the power that
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  Speaker 2: came from God, they received that power in the presence
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  Speaker 2: and the promise of the Holy Spirit that day. The
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  Speaker 2: Spirit of God, of course, has always been present. And
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  Speaker 2: he often filled people throughout the Bible. Joseph, David, Joshua,
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  Speaker 2: and many others experienced the power of the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: But it was not permanent. This time it was different.
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  Speaker 2: This was the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus had
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  Speaker 2: given days before. And also, according to the scripture, a
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  Speaker 2: fulfillment of Joel's prophecy that God would pour out his
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  Speaker 2: spirit on all flesh, that men and women would prophesy
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  Speaker 2: and speak God's truth to others. This is exactly what
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  Speaker 2: happened on that day when the Holy Spirit came. They
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  Speaker 2: began to speak with languages as the spirit enabled them
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  Speaker 2: so that people understood the gospel. As they spoke God's truth,
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  Speaker 2: Travelers and foreigners who were there to worship could understand
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  Speaker 2: their mother tongues, all that these men and women were saying.
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  Speaker 2: They were amazed and astounded, unable to understand how these
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  Speaker 2: men from Galilee, most of whom had never traveled more
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  Speaker 2: than a few miles from home, could speak in these
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  Speaker 2: languages that they had never known or studied, languages that
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  Speaker 2: people had spoken all over the world. When some of
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  Speaker 2: the people who observed them saw it, they assumed the
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  Speaker 2: men were drunk and speaking gibberish. But Peter, filled with
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit, stood up and spoke. Peter, the same
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  Speaker 2: man who was known for lashing out, speaking before thinking,
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  Speaker 2: acting brashly, began to calmly and confidently address the crowd.
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  Speaker 2: The man who denied the Lord three times, now full
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  Speaker 2: of the Spirit, speaks with power and conviction, with boldness
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  Speaker 2: and courage. In Acts 2, verse 17, we hear as
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  Speaker 2: he proclaims that today was the fulfillment of the prophecy
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  Speaker 2: of Scripture. And in the last days it shall be,
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  Speaker 2: God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on
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  Speaker 2: all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
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  Speaker 2: and your young men shall see visions, and your old
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  Speaker 2: men shall dream dreams. As he continued, Peter poured out
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  Speaker 2: the truth of the gospel to those gathered that day.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke of who Jesus is and what he did
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  Speaker 2: by dying on the cross and rising again. Many of
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  Speaker 2: that crowd no doubt had been there when they cried out,
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  Speaker 2: crucify him, crucify him, and the blood of Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: on their hands. But rather than the stain of condemnation,
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  Speaker 2: the blood of Jesus Christ would cleanse them of their
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  Speaker 2: sins and change their lives if they would only repent
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  Speaker 2: and receive him. The very death for which they were
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  Speaker 2: responsible was the very means by which God brought salvation
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  Speaker 2: and redemption to them. His words cut them to the core.
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  Speaker 2: Convicted of their sins, they said, what must we do?
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  Speaker 2: And Peter told them about repentance, turning from their sin
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  Speaker 2: and trusting in Christ. He spoke to them about being
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  Speaker 2: baptized in the name of Jesus. And as they turned
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  Speaker 2: from their sin, confessed and trusted Christ for his grace.
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  Speaker 2: they too received the incredible gift of God's Spirit. This
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  Speaker 2: day of Pentecost was a harvest of souls. More than
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  Speaker 2: 3,000 came to Christ that day and believed in the gospel.
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  Speaker 2: It was the birth of the church, the body of Christ.
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  Speaker 2: And as more heard about the good news of Jesus Christ,
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  Speaker 2: their numbers grew day after day after day. Multitudes of
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  Speaker 2: people were coming to faith in Christ. The Spirit of
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  Speaker 2: God had sparked a fire that would spread across Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria,
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  Speaker 2: and to the uttermost parts of the world and change
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  Speaker 2: the course of history and the destiny of mankind. There
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  Speaker 2: would be those who would try to extinguish the flame
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  Speaker 2: of God, but nothing would stop the movement of Jesus
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  Speaker 2: Christ into the world. God's word would not be stopped,
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  Speaker 2: and neither could his people. Dear God, we thank you
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  Speaker 2: for the dear Holy Spirit. Thank you for giving us
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  Speaker 2: this promise. and your presence in our lives every single day.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for today's scripture in Acts chapter 2 and
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  Speaker 2: what happens when we proclaim the gospel and your spirit
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  Speaker 2: works through us. May you give us boldness that we
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  Speaker 2: may believe and that we may proclaim the good news
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus Christ. And let me just say to someone
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  Speaker 2: listening to this right now who does not have a
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  Speaker 2: personal relationship with Jesus Christ, if you will repent of
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  Speaker 2: your sins, That means to turn from your sin, to
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  Speaker 2: be willing for God to change your heart and forgive
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  Speaker 2: you of all your sin by receiving Christ as your
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  Speaker 2: Lord and Savior. Then you also will receive the power
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  Speaker 2: of God in your life to forgive you, to change you,
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  Speaker 2: and to make you a brand new person and give
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  Speaker 2: you the promise of heaven. Put your faith and trust
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  Speaker 2: in Jesus today. In his name we pray.
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  Speaker 4: Amen.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 2: Pray.com app and make prayer and Bible study the priority
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• 14:09
  Speaker 2: you want to know more about what it means to
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  Speaker 2: be a Christ follower, what it means to be a
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  Speaker 2: disciple of Jesus, then go to jackgraham.org, jackgraham.org. And we
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  Speaker 2: have many resources that are available for you there. God
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  Speaker 2: bless you.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 14:33
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