Latest / Eurasia Region Podcast / S1-E93 | Everyday Eurasia | Antonie Holleman

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S1-E93 | Everyday Eurasia | Antonie Holleman · Eurasia Region Podcast

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  Hello and welcome to the Everyday Eurasia podcast,
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  Inspiring Faith for Every Day. Each day we are on a journey
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  with Jesus in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, and in so
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  many different places around the world.
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  Is it beautiful that no matter where we are, we can walk with
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  him every single day? Jesus is the one who connects us
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  all and stands at the very center of our lives day after
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  day. Through this podcast, you'll
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  hear voices from across the region sharing devotionals that
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  reminds us of God's presence in our everyday moments.
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  This week on the Everyday Eurasia podcast, we are joined
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  by the Northern Europe field. Each day we hear stories and
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  devotionals from across the field, offering a glimpse into
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  the life and ministry of the church in this part of the
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  region. Today we will listen to Anthony
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  Holloman. He is district Superintendent of
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  the Benelux District, consisting of the counties of Belgium,
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  Netherlands and Luxembourg. He's also the field strategy
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  coordinator of the Northern Europe Field.
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  Have you ever wondered what it was like for the apostles in
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  Jerusalem when the persecution broke out after the stoning of
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  Stephen? Acts chapter 8 verse one states
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  that a great persecution began against the church.
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  All except the apostles were scattered.
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  Today we call these people refugees, and the book of Acts
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  continues saying that those refugees started to preach the
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  Word wherever they went. And while the apostles were in
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  Jerusalem, they received various reports about what was happening
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  out there away from Jerusalem. They heard about the preaching
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  of Philip in Samaria. Samaritan.
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  Are these the people who were not straight in their theology
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  concerning Moses and the Law? Yes indeed.
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  So will they get it right this time concerning Jesus?
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  The apostles sent Peter and John to check it out and to see what
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  had happened. Chapter 8, verse 14.
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  And what they observed was that this was definitely a movement
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  of the Spirit. A little later they heard a
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  rumor that fall the great persecutor of the church had
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  become a follower of Jesus Christ, and that he is now
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  trying to get into contact with the apostles.
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  Chapter 9, verse 26 states that the apostles were all afraid of
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  him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
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  In the end, it was Barnabas who introduced Saul to the apostles,
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  and indeed his conversion was a miraculous work of God's
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  intervention. After some time, another rumor,
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  Peter had made a trip to Caesarea and had eaten with
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  Gentiles, a violation of the Jewish law.
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  And so they criticized Peter, Chapter 11, verse 2.
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  And Peter had to defend himself, saying, this was not my
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  initiative. The Spirit forced me into doing
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  this. It was obvious that these people
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  in Caesarea received the Spirit just as they had received the
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  Spirit. So Peter says, who was I to
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  think that I could oppose God? Chapter 11, Verse 17.
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  Sometime after this news reached Jerusalem that the church in
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  Antioch had started to evangelize the Greeks, Gentiles
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  with no knowledge of Jewish law and tradition, and many of them
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  had come to faith. And so they sent Barnabas, and
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  he was amazed by what he saw, and he went on to Tarsus to get
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  the help of Saul, and the two of them ministered for a year in
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  the city of Antioch. Do you see the picture?
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  It started in Jerusalem with bad news, persecution, believers
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  becoming refugees. It was a time of crisis.
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  And then reports came in of unexpected events, People coming
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  to faith, people the church had never intended to reach out to.
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  It had never crossed their minds that these people would be open
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  to the gospel. This was not their initiative,
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  but the Spirit. They had to change some of their
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  theological ideas in order to createspace in their thinking
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  for what God was doing. We see some of this happening in
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  Northern Europe. Many had written off the church.
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  In old Europe. The church is dying dry bones,
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  and we and the churches had adjusted ourselves to this
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  situation with the mentality of endurance, holding the Fort
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  against the attacks of secularism.
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  But what we see happening now is that immigrants, refugees, are
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  instrumental in rejuvenating the church.
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  Christians from other parts of the world come into our
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  countries and start new churches.
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  People from a Muslim background are coming to faith.
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  Those who, in the political opinion of many, are seen as a
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  problem to society are a blessing to the church.
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  God is doing a new work that we have not anticipated.
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  As God is working a new thing, we need to change our thinking
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  so that we do not oppose what God is doing.
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  Oh Lord, help us to change our thinking so that we are ready to
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  see the new work that you are doing in our midst.
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  Help us to embrace the new work you are doing even when we need
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  to let go of things that are precious to us.
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  Lord help us that we do not spend in the way of what do you
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  are doing. Guide us and be with us in Jesus
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  name, Amen. Thank you for listening to the
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  everyday Eurasia podcast Inspiring Faith for Everyday.
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  For more Everyday Stories, subscribe on this podcast
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  channel, follow our socials, Facebook and Instagram, or our
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  newsletter. Snapshots for our newsletter and
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  further information about the Eurasia region, visit our
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  website. Eurasia Region Org.