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Saul to Paul - The Book of Acts · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then Saul, who also is called Paul,
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  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes upon him.
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  Speaker 1: Acts 13.9 Dear Lord, as I speak, I thank you
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  Speaker 1: that you are transforming me from a lamb into a lion.
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  Speaker 1: In the same way that you promoted Paul with a
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  Speaker 1: name change, today I receive my new name. Because of Jesus' sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: I was once called fearful, but now I'm called courageous.
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  Speaker 1: When I was once called doubtful, I am now called faithful.
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  Speaker 1: And when I was once called invisible, I am now seen.
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  Speaker 1: When I was once ignored, I am now heard. At
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  Speaker 1: every new season in my life, I will now level
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  Speaker 1: up and step into a new dimension of who I
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  Speaker 1: am with an even greater influence and understanding. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that any and all old names that have ever limited
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  Speaker 1: my life are gone and done away with. Behold, I
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  Speaker 1: stand as a new creation, ready to proclaim the works
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for making prayer
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  Speaker 1: a priority in your life. To hear the Bible come
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  Speaker 1: to life, stay tuned for the Bible in a Year.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Psalm to Paul In our last story, we witnessed the
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  Speaker 2: tragic yet noble death of James. He would be the
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  Speaker 2: first apostle to be martyred, and he would not be
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  Speaker 2: the last. As persecution of the church increased, so did
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  Speaker 2: the risk of imprisonment. Yet death was no match for Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: nor is it a threat to those who believe in him.
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  Speaker 2: So Peter pressed onward. Now we focus on the ministry
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  Speaker 2: of Saul. who learns how to protect the sheep of
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  Speaker 2: God with his words, and thus transitions into the ministry
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  Speaker 2: of apostleship, inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, once again, this is Jack Graham in the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. Our goal in the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast is to encourage you in God's Word,
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  Speaker 3: the Scriptures, so that we can not only know what
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  Speaker 3: the Bible says, but live out the truth of the Scriptures. So, welcome.
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  Speaker 3: In our last episode, we heard how Herod put James
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  Speaker 3: to death and imprisoned Peter. It seemed that the enemy
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  Speaker 3: had gained an upper hand, but the church gathered in
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  Speaker 3: fervent prayer and God delivered Peter from his chains and
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  Speaker 3: dealt with Herod also, striking him down for seeking glory
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  Speaker 3: over God. The church continued to grow and multiplied, powered
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  Speaker 3: by the work of the Holy Spirit. These prayerful, faithful
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  Speaker 3: Christians shared courageously the good news of Jesus Christ to
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  Speaker 3: the world. And today we'll hear how Saul grows into
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  Speaker 3: his own ministry and stands firm in the truth. Saul,
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  Speaker 3: who was dramatically and dynamically converted on the road to Damascus,
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  Speaker 3: is about to defend the flock against false teachers who
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  Speaker 3: try to lead them astray. So let's listen now to
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  Speaker 3: God's holy word.
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  Speaker 2: The church in Antioch continued to strengthen day by day
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  Speaker 2: through the teaching and leading of Barnabas and Saul. As
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  Speaker 2: the leaders of the church prayed with one another, the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit tugged on their hearts to depart from Antioch
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  Speaker 2: toward Cyprus. Barnabas and Saul listened and set sail for
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  Speaker 2: the island of Cyprus. They were filled with hope that
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  Speaker 2: the Lord would move, but there was no telling what
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  Speaker 2: dangers dwelled in the middle of the island. Barnabas and
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  Speaker 2: Saul stepped foot onto the shores of Cyprus. The peaceful
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  Speaker 2: port country was filled with sailors, fishermen, and synagogues. However,
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  Speaker 2: underneath the quaint exterior was a lingering evil, a presence
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  Speaker 2: that slowly poisoned the people without knowledge. Saul sensed it
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  Speaker 2: and kept alert as he met the people of Cyprus.
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  Speaker 2: The two men ventured to Paphos, which was at the
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  Speaker 2: end of the island. Saul sensed a shift in the
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  Speaker 2: air as they walked. Something was not right. Something was unsettling.
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  Speaker 2: Emerging from a home nestled on the shores of Paphos
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  Speaker 2: was a man by the name of Bar-Jesus. He emerged
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  Speaker 2: from his home with staff in hand, glaring at the
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  Speaker 2: two travelers. The second Saul's eyes met his, he knew
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  Speaker 2: that this man was the source of the evil. This
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  Speaker 2: man had a mind held by the enemy. Bar-Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: a man of dark arts. He dabbled in things better
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  Speaker 2: left alone and sacrificed to them for power. Not only this,
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  Speaker 2: but he was also a man of great influence and intelligence.
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  Speaker 2: It made him dangerous. Saul and Barnabas went to preach
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  Speaker 2: in the city, but Bar-Jesus would whisper lies into their
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  Speaker 2: ears and spin tales about them. Saul, filled with the
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  Speaker 2: Spirit of God, confronted him. You are a son of
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  Speaker 2: the enemy himself, Saul said with commanding force. He took
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  Speaker 2: a step forward, causing Bar-Jesus to step back. You are
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  Speaker 2: an enemy of righteousness and filled with corruption. Look me
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  Speaker 2: in the eyes and hear what I am saying. Stop
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  Speaker 2: muddying the pure waters of God. Saul paused to look
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  Speaker 2: at Bar-Jesus. There was no sign of remorse in his eyes.
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  Speaker 2: Saul pointed to him and said, The Lord's hand is
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  Speaker 2: upon you. For a time your eyes will be dimmed
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  Speaker 2: to the light of the sun. Blindness will overtake you
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  Speaker 2: as it once did to me. Every person watching saw Bar-Jesus'
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  Speaker 2: eyes fade into darkness. As if he was caught in
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  Speaker 2: a dark cloud, Bar-Jesus stumbled blindly onto the floor. This
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  Speaker 2: was the moment Saul had truly felt the Spirit of
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  Speaker 2: God move through him. Bar-Jesus was leading the sheep of
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  Speaker 2: God astray, and as Saul spoke, he felt the shepherding
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  Speaker 2: heart of God. He spoke in boldness and stepped forward
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  Speaker 2: in authority. This was the moment Saul of Tarsus ceased
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  Speaker 2: to exist. Now there was only Paul the Apostle. So
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  Speaker 2: Paul and Barnabas ventured forth to preach in Pamphylia. They
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  Speaker 2: sat in the synagogues and proclaimed the word of the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: Paul was able to take what he had learned as
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  Speaker 2: a child and weave the story of Israel and the
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  Speaker 2: story of Jesus together into a beautiful tapestry. At first
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  Speaker 2: they preached to the Jews, and then droves of Jews
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  Speaker 2: and Gentiles alike gathered together to hear Paul speak. The
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  Speaker 2: Jews became jealous that the Gentiles were allowed to enter
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  Speaker 2: into Paul's presence and hear his teaching. They spat and
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  Speaker 2: reviled them, but Paul would not stand for it. The
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  Speaker 2: word of God was given to you first, yet you
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  Speaker 2: treat it like trash and toss it aside. So behold,
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  Speaker 2: we preach to those who have been far off. We
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  Speaker 2: preach to those who would listen. We preach to those
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  Speaker 2: who have not grown complacent in their hearing of truth.
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  Speaker 2: So the Gentiles rejoiced that they were able to enter
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  Speaker 2: into God's presence. They looked to Jesus and believed. Yet
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  Speaker 2: some of the Antioch Jews were not without their bitterness.
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  Speaker 2: They plotted against the disciples and sought to destroy them
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  Speaker 2: as they once did Jesus.
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  Speaker 3: In God's Word today, we read that Barnabas and Saul
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  Speaker 3: are ministering in Antioch. Under their guidance, the church there
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  Speaker 3: had grown in numbers and in strength, with other leaders
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  Speaker 3: emerging to guide the body of Christ in that city.
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  Speaker 3: And so, as Saul and Barnabas prayed and fasted, the
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit spoke to them, saying they were to leave,
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  Speaker 3: there was work to be done in other places, brand
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  Speaker 3: new places. So the Christians in Antioch laid hands on
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  Speaker 3: them and sent them off to pursue God's calling. With
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  Speaker 3: them was John Mark, a young believer from Jerusalem. They
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  Speaker 3: set sail and arrived on the island of Cyprus, where
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  Speaker 3: they began proclaiming the gospel in the synagogues. These missionaries
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  Speaker 3: traveled across the island, telling all who would listen about Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: the Son of God, who had come, lived, and died,
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  Speaker 3: rose again, in order that they might know eternal life.
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  Speaker 3: When they reached the far end of the island, they
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  Speaker 3: encountered a man named Bar-Jesus. He was called a magician
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  Speaker 3: and was a false prophet who led many astray with
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  Speaker 3: his considerable influence. Persecution was not the only threat to
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  Speaker 3: the church in the work of spreading the good news.
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  Speaker 3: Satan does not employ one single tactic to lead people
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  Speaker 3: away from God and his truth. This false prophet worked
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  Speaker 3: to undermine Saul and Barnabas' preaching and turn people away
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  Speaker 3: from the one true God. Saul saw the danger of
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  Speaker 3: this false teacher Bar-Jesus, and so he says in Acts
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  Speaker 3: 13 verses 10-11, You son of the devil, you enemy
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  Speaker 3: of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, Will
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  Speaker 3: you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
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  Speaker 3: And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you,
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  Speaker 3: and you will be blind and unable to see the
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  Speaker 3: Son for a time. As Paul spoke these words to Bar-Jesus,
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  Speaker 3: the man became blind, dependent upon others to lead him around.
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  Speaker 3: This man, whose name literally meant Son of Jesus, was
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  Speaker 3: anything but the Son of Jesus. He was the son
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  Speaker 3: of the enemy, and Saul was not going to allow
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  Speaker 3: him to lead others away from the Lord. Here we
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  Speaker 3: see the zeal of Saul, now Paul the missionary. Paul
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  Speaker 3: was defending the truth with passion and conviction, and this
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  Speaker 3: was his calling, his high calling as a From this
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  Speaker 3: point on into the scriptures, Saul is referred to as Paul.
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  Speaker 3: This was not a new name. Rather, it was his
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  Speaker 3: Roman name, whereas Saul was his Jewish name. It is
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  Speaker 3: symbolic as Paul has now become a minister not only
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  Speaker 3: to the Jews, but to the Romans, to the Gentiles everywhere.
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  Speaker 3: And so Paul and Barnabas continued to travel around the region,
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  Speaker 3: speaking not only in synagogues, but to the Jews in
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  Speaker 3: the town squares, to Gentiles who came to hear the
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  Speaker 3: word of God. This was God's plan all along. that
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  Speaker 3: everyone would hear the good news of Jesus Christ and
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  Speaker 3: experience his grace. Many Jewish people, however, were angry and
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  Speaker 3: still felt that salvation was not for the Gentiles. But
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  Speaker 3: Paul stood against this false teaching, rebuking those who tried
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  Speaker 3: to turn the Gentiles away from God's grace and mercy.
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  Speaker 3: The Gentiles rejoiced and received the gospel gladly, but the
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  Speaker 3: Jews in Antioch grew angrier and stirred up persecution against
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  Speaker 3: Paul and Barnabas. who now had to run to a
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  Speaker 3: new place, Iconium. The gospel was still on the move,
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  Speaker 3: and those whom God was working through were filled with
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  Speaker 3: the joy of the Holy Spirit as they courageously took
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  Speaker 3: the message of Christ to as many people as they could.
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  Speaker 3: Paul and Barnabas' ministry would bear great fruit, but it
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  Speaker 3: would not be without challenges. And the next time, we'll
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  Speaker 3: hear as Paul experiences the pain of persecution firsthand. Let's pray. God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for your word. Thank you for reminding
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  Speaker 3: us to stand firm on the truth and to be
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  Speaker 3: watchful of false teachers who would undermine the message of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus and the gospel. Give us the boldness to take
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  Speaker 3: the good news not only to the nations but to
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  Speaker 3: our neighbors as we share the love of Christ and
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  Speaker 3: his power to save. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. Again,
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  Speaker 3: this is Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. I would encourage
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  Speaker 3: you to download the Pray.com app and make Bible study
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  Speaker 3: and prayer the priority of your life. And if you
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  Speaker 3: are enjoying this podcast, let someone else know. Pass the
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  Speaker 3: good news around to others. And if you want to
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  Speaker 3: know more about the Bible and how to live God's
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  Speaker 3: truth in your life, go to JackGraham.org. That's JackGraham.org. There
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  Speaker 3: are resources and Bible studies there available for you that
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  Speaker 3: you may know and grow in your faith. We want
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  Speaker 3: to equip you and encourage you in the Word of God.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you. Thank you for joining us today.