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

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. When the shower of no's comes my way,
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  Speaker 1: I will no longer take their ignorance as a personal
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  Speaker 1: attack against my character, but will chalk it up to
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  Speaker 1: their ignorant and clouded hearts. When the fear of alienation
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  Speaker 1: arises in me, I will rest my mind and think
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  Speaker 1: back on the words you spoke to Paul in Acts 18.
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  Speaker 1: For in your word to him, you reassured him that
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  Speaker 1: you have many people in the city of Corinth that
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  Speaker 1: are yours. and who will rally around Paul when his
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  Speaker 1: time of need would come. Right now, I receive that
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  Speaker 1: word for myself. I gladly welcome the kingdom connections that
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  Speaker 1: are appointed to me at just the right time. Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: that you are always looking out for me as I
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  Speaker 1: walk out your purpose for my life. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
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  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Paul in Corinth. In our last story, we were able
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  Speaker 2: to read the letters written by Paul to the church
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  Speaker 2: in Thessalonica. Paul encouraged them to continue in their pursuit
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  Speaker 2: of a quiet and peaceful life that honors God. Now
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  Speaker 2: we see a new church emerge in one of the
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  Speaker 2: darkest cities in the known world, Corinth. The church in
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  Speaker 2: Corinth would be birthed through struggle, so much so that
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  Speaker 2: Paul would need to remain a year and a half
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  Speaker 2: to train them.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, this is Jack Graham once again with today's episode
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  Speaker 4: of the Bible in a Year podcast. At our last
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  Speaker 4: time together, we heard how Paul and Silas planted a
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  Speaker 4: church in Thessalonica and discipled new believers in order to
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  Speaker 4: lead the church forward. They faced opposition and were forced
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  Speaker 4: to flee undercover for a night in Berea, where they
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  Speaker 4: found Jewish believers who were more open to reasoning through
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  Speaker 4: the scriptures to determine what was truly God's Word. We
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  Speaker 4: then heard how Paul went to Athens and shared the
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  Speaker 4: gospel with Greeks in the public square, using relatable, relevant
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  Speaker 4: language to introduce them to the God they'd never met.
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  Speaker 4: Today we'll hear how Paul brought light into the dark
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  Speaker 4: city of Corinth. He will meet fellow tent makers who
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  Speaker 4: would become not only partners in the marketplace, but in
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  Speaker 4: mission as well. Despite the sin that abounded in this place,
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  Speaker 4: the gospel took hold Jesus came alive in the hearts
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  Speaker 4: of those who received him, and Paul remained many months
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  Speaker 4: in order to disciple these brand new Christians. Let's listen
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  Speaker 4: now to this reading from the book of Acts.
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  Speaker 2: Paul felt the ocean breeze caress his face as he
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  Speaker 2: descended into the city of Corinth. This ancient port city
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  Speaker 2: was bustling with culture and trade. It was Julius Caesar
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  Speaker 2: who had restored the city to its former glory. Its
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  Speaker 2: buildings were large and bright, gazing over the oceans. Its
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  Speaker 2: streets were busy with trade and business, yet the city
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  Speaker 2: was not for the weak-hearted. Many dangers lurked in the
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  Speaker 2: city of Corinth. Its port made it a hub for
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  Speaker 2: many dangerous people, and its temple to Aphrodite made it
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  Speaker 2: a city fueled by carnal pleasures. Paul knew that Corinth's
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  Speaker 2: outward beauty was not to be trusted. It was often
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  Speaker 2: said that in order to survive Corinth, one must be
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  Speaker 2: brave and unwavering. So Paul walked the city streets, looking
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  Speaker 2: for any sign of familiar faces or buildings. He knew
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  Speaker 2: the first step was to find like-minded people and seek
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  Speaker 2: their protection. Paul walked past the temple of Aphrodite. Male
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  Speaker 2: and female prostitutes lay on the temple steps, beckoning for
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  Speaker 2: Paul to draw near. Paul looked away and fixed his
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  Speaker 2: gaze towards the docks. There he saw a man thrown
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  Speaker 2: overboard with a weight around his neck. The city would
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  Speaker 2: take Paul's soul if he was not careful. After a
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  Speaker 2: day of searching, Paul met a Jewish couple named Aquila
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  Speaker 2: and Priscilla. Claudius had commanded that all Jews residing in
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  Speaker 2: Rome be banished, so the two of them found themselves
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  Speaker 2: living in Corinth with the other exiles. Paul and Aquila
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  Speaker 2: became good friends, since both of them were tent makers
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  Speaker 2: by trade. The two of them mended tents together and
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  Speaker 2: preached in the nearby synagogues. Soon Silas and Timothy journeyed
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  Speaker 2: to meet Paul. A few weeks had passed and Paul
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  Speaker 2: was becoming well acquainted with some of the Corinthian Jews.
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  Speaker 2: Daily he would speak of Jesus and preach the good
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  Speaker 2: news of forgiveness. Yet they would deny him daily. Each
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  Speaker 2: day they would mock him and mock Christ. They would
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  Speaker 2: blaspheme against Jesus and curse him. However, the Gentiles were
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  Speaker 2: receiving Christ with gladness. So Paul wiped the dust off
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  Speaker 2: his robe and lifted his hands, saying, Your blood be
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  Speaker 2: on your own heads. From now on I will turn
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  Speaker 2: my attention to the Gentiles. As Paul continued in ministry,
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  Speaker 2: many Corinthians came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. prostitutes, sailors, thieves, craftsmen,
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  Speaker 2: and Roman guards came together at the feet of Jesus
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  Speaker 2: to worship. One night Paul was tossing and turning in
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  Speaker 2: his bed. Sweat beat down his neck. Even the ocean
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  Speaker 2: breeze could not cool him down. He was riddled with
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  Speaker 2: anxious fear. Fear of the Jews. Fear of sinning with
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  Speaker 2: the prostitutes. Fear of being stabbed or beaten. All of
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  Speaker 2: these things rushed upon Paul with great force. So he
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  Speaker 2: cried out to God, and whispered sweet hymns to comfort
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  Speaker 2: him in the night. As Paul drifted off to sleep,
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  Speaker 2: the Lord came to him in a dream, saying, Be
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  Speaker 2: of good courage, Paul. Keep speaking and do not be silent.
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  Speaker 2: I have gone before you, and I am with you.
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  Speaker 2: No one will attack you, for there are many in
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  Speaker 2: this city who belong to me. Calmed by the presence
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  Speaker 2: of God, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and
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  Speaker 2: a half. He would teach the word of God and
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  Speaker 2: build up leaders in the Corinthian church. However, there was
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  Speaker 2: a dark force arising in the Jews of Corinth. They
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  Speaker 2: made a united attack against Paul. As he was mending
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  Speaker 2: tents near the marketplace, they ambushed him. Paul was once
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  Speaker 2: again met with a fury of fists and feet to
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  Speaker 2: his face and ribs. He was tackled to the floor
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  Speaker 2: and bound. The Jews sacrificed the shalom peace of God
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  Speaker 2: for the sake of violence against their brother. So they
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  Speaker 2: brought him to the court, hoping to get him sentenced
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  Speaker 2: to prison or banished. The Jews brought Paul before Galileo,
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  Speaker 2: the pro-council of Achaia. They spat at Paul and pointed, saying,
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  Speaker 2: This man is telling people to worship God apart from
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  Speaker 2: our traditions. He ought to be punished. Galileo looked down
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  Speaker 2: from his high platform. He leaned back from his desk
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  Speaker 2: and laughed. Are you joking? he scoffed. I thought this
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  Speaker 2: was a matter of crime. but it is just your
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  Speaker 2: petty Jewish law. Get out of my sight and settle
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  Speaker 2: this among yourselves. Livid, the Jews brought a man named
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  Speaker 2: Sustan before Gallio and beat him nearly to death. Sustan
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  Speaker 2: was also a believer, so they wanted to show Gallio
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  Speaker 2: the severity of their crimes. But Gallio was a Roman
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  Speaker 2: and couldn't care less about the affairs of the Jews.
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  Speaker 2: So the Corinthian church emerged from a dark and wicked city.
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  Speaker 2: The church would have to be on guard and alert
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  Speaker 2: if it was to survive. Paul knew this and stayed
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  Speaker 2: a long time to ensure they were taken care of. However,
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  Speaker 2: the Corinthian church would prove to be difficult for Paul.
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  Speaker 2: When he left, they would fall prey to different schemes
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  Speaker 2: of false teachers and corrupt practices. It would only be
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  Speaker 2: through a stiff rebuke from Paul that they would return
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  Speaker 2: to their relationship with Jesus.
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  Speaker 4: As we begin today's reading, we find Paul in the
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  Speaker 4: busy port town of Corinth. It was a place where
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  Speaker 4: commerce abounded and so did sin, especially immorality, sexual sin.
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  Speaker 4: This was where the temple of Aphrodite was located and
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  Speaker 4: worshipers of this false god indulged in all manner of
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  Speaker 4: sexual immorality. It pervaded and perversed the culture and would
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  Speaker 4: be a battle the Christians in Corinth would have to
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  Speaker 4: fight and be prepared against these temptations. Paul met two Jews,
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  Speaker 4: a husband and wife named Aquila and Priscilla. They were
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  Speaker 4: tent makers like him, and he soon joined them in
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  Speaker 4: the marketplace to support his missionary efforts. As he did
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  Speaker 4: in every city, Paul devoted time to sharing the good
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  Speaker 4: news of Jesus with both Jews and Gentiles. He went
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  Speaker 4: to the synagogue every Sabbath and reasoned through the scriptures
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  Speaker 4: to show people who Jesus is and why his claims
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  Speaker 4: could be believed. This was a common theme in Paul's ministry,
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  Speaker 4: and it reminds us that our faith is not blind acceptance.
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  Speaker 4: but reasonable based upon genuine, legitimate truth. God has given
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  Speaker 4: us minds with which to reason, and He has revealed
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  Speaker 4: Himself through His Word, the Bible, and we can have
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  Speaker 4: confidence and trust the Bible and therefore believe and have
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  Speaker 4: faith in God and the things that God says in
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  Speaker 4: His Word. Soon Paul was joined by Silas and Timothy,
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  Speaker 4: and together they continued to share the gospel. But it
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  Speaker 4: was tiring work, and day after day Paul felt the
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  Speaker 4: rejection and ridicule that came from religious people, until finally
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  Speaker 4: he had had enough. He wrote them off in his mind,
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  Speaker 4: resolving to speak only to Gentiles who were open to
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  Speaker 4: the gospel. It's a relatable experience. Many times people who
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  Speaker 4: are religious, even members of our own family, and closest
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  Speaker 4: circles can frustrate us because they reject the truth of
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  Speaker 4: Jesus Christ. But don't miss what happened to Paul as
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  Speaker 4: we read in Acts 18 verse 9. One night, the
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  Speaker 4: Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, Do not be afraid.
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  Speaker 4: Keep on speaking. Do not be silent. This is great
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  Speaker 4: encouragement for us today. We must not be silent, even
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  Speaker 4: in the face of rejection. We can expect rejection and
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  Speaker 4: move forward through it. It can be disheartening and disappointing,
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  Speaker 4: but we must not be silent in our mission to
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  Speaker 4: take the message of Jesus Christ to the world, beginning
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  Speaker 4: with those nearby, closest to us, our neighbors, our family
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  Speaker 4: and friends, and to the nations. So we heard then
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  Speaker 4: that Paul listened to God's words to him and persevered.
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  Speaker 4: He stayed in Corinth, teaching and preaching God's word. And
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  Speaker 4: the church was growing there, but so was opposition. Finally,
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  Speaker 4: the angry religious crowd in opposition to Paul, took him
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  Speaker 4: before the Roman governor. They accused him of teaching about
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  Speaker 4: a God that wasn't part of their religious traditions. This
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  Speaker 4: Roman ruler wasn't interested, really. This wasn't a legal or
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  Speaker 4: criminal matter. He sent them away, no doubt frustrated that
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  Speaker 4: Paul was free to continue teaching about Jesus. It was
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  Speaker 4: a victory, albeit a small one, and one that allowed
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  Speaker 4: Paul to remain there, discipling believers and growing the church.
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  Speaker 4: And this was such an important task. The darkness in
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  Speaker 4: Corinth was strong, seeping into the society and threatening to
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  Speaker 4: poison the burgeoning, growing church. Later, Paul would write two
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  Speaker 4: letters to the church in Corinth, urging the believers to
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  Speaker 4: turn back to Jesus and root out false teaching and
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  Speaker 4: evil practices that had found their way into the church.
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  Speaker 4: His words would serve as a reminder to us today
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  Speaker 4: to always be vigilant in truth, rejecting the sin and
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  Speaker 4: the culture that surrounds us and holding true to our
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  Speaker 4: identity and our commitment to Christ. Let's pray. Dear God,
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  Speaker 4: we thank you for today's reading and the reminder that
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  Speaker 4: we must never be silent in the face of opposition
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  Speaker 4: or rejection, but always speak the truth of your word.
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  Speaker 4: May we boldly share the gospel of Jesus Christ to
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  Speaker 4: our neighbors and to the nations. As long as we
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  Speaker 4: have breath in our lungs, may we keep speaking the
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  Speaker 4: name of Jesus and delivering his truth.
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  Speaker 3: Amen.
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  Speaker 4: My wife, Deb, and I would like to invite you
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  Speaker 4: and your family and friends to join us on two
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  Speaker 4: very special journeys with Jesus to the Bible lands and
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  Speaker 4: to the wonders of Alaska. We are going to be
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: taking a trip to Israel, as we've done many, many
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  Speaker 4: times before, April 1st through the 10th, 2024. You'll see
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: all the great places of the Bible, and the Bible
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  Speaker 4: will come alive for you as you walk where Jesus walked.
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  Speaker 4: Then in Alaska, we will see the wonders of God's
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  Speaker 4: creation and the power and the beauty and the majesty
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  Speaker 4: of his presence on a cruise, a Bible study cruise,
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  Speaker 4: July 6th through the 13th. I will be leading Bible study.
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  Speaker 4: We'll be seeing and adventuring all across Alaska with the
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  Speaker 4: great sights and sounds of that magnificent place. And we
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: would love to have you. We will worship together, study
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: God's word together and cruise together all across Alaska. So
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: Whether it is Israel or Alaska or both, we would
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: love to have you. Just go to jackgram.org or prestonwood.org
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: for information.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Dr.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: Tony Evans and I'm excited to have you join me
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible. Come to me, boy.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
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  Speaker 1: He beckoned the giant and said.
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  Speaker 2: I come to you in the name of the Lord
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  Speaker 2: of hosts and creator of the stars.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we all have giants that we face in
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  Speaker 3: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of
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  Speaker 3: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,
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  Speaker 3: it will encourage, inspire us, and challenge all of us
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  Speaker 3: to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 4: Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees
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  Speaker 4: the outward appearance.
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  Speaker 1: They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: Looks into the heart. Listen to Heroes in the Bible
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  Speaker 3: with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
• 15:07
  Speaker 3: or wherever you get your podcasts.