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Acts 19:1-20 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Our main text will be in Acts 19, but I just want to reference the verse in Romans 1.
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So I'm really grateful for the singing this morning and for us praising the Lord together through song.
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! The song I'd rather have Jesus definitely has a special meaning for me right now.
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It was a song I listened to a lot when I first became a Christian in the early 2000s.
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And the line of saying, like, I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land means a lot to me right now.
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I've been going through a house buying process.
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And just, yeah, some of you have done that notice how awful that can be and how sanctifying that can be.
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And, you know, and we're thankful for homes, thankful for places that we can live out kingdom life in.
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And there definitely is an obsession and idolatry in our nation when it comes to houses and throwing so much money, so much money into things.
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And I hope that your soul can say that, that I would rather have Jesus than anything that this world has to offer at all.
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And so, with that in mind, I'm looking at Romans 1.
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Really well-known verse, but I just want to use this verse as a lens to read over Acts 19.
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So, to be thinking about this verse as we go through Acts 19.
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So, well-known, but Romans 1 verse 16, Paul says,
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
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to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
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For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.
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As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.
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And an overarching theme this morning is I just want to emphasize to you that the gospel is not just an important message or a powerful message.
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It's like the only, the most powerful message in the world.
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And it has the power to save dead and rebellious sinners and deliver them from their sin and from death to God,
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to raise the spiritually dead to life.
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I was just a minute to get out of curiosity.
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I just looked up this word, the word power here in this text.
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And verse 16, it's the word dynamis.
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So, that sounds like dynamite.
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Well, that's where some of the origin comes from.
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But listen to this.
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This word power, it means an inerrant power.
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A power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature,
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or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth.
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So, it means that the gospel itself possesses so much power that it doesn't need anything on the outside to help it.
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And in our culture, we've relied so much on gimmicks and ingenuity and theatrics and cool things to think that,
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and thinking that that's going to be what saves people.
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When all the same, you could have the worst speaker in the world come up here.
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And if he truly, genuinely knows Christ and is preaching the gospel message, God can use that.
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He doesn't have to be cool.
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He doesn't have to dress right.
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He doesn't have to be the most eloquent speaker.
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He doesn't have to have smoke and lights.
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He doesn't have to have anything.
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The power of the gospel is enough in and of itself and doesn't need any help.
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And so, keeping that in mind, let's turn to Acts 19.
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That's where our main text is.
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So, we've been going through the book of Acts, if you're new here.
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So, we've been in Acts for quite a while, and we're getting into chapter 19 now.
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Thank you for Caleb stepped in last week and preached for me because I was not feeling good and had a lot of other things going on as well.
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So, Paul has been in Europe, what we would call Europe now.
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And now, him going into Ephesus is kind of the launching place for the gospel going into Asia.
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And so, it's a really awesome, awesome text.
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So, the evangelism of Asia is here, and it kind of starts in the city of Ephesus.
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But just join me in prayer before we go through this together.
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Father, Holy Father, we recognize how unworthy we are.
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And God, we would all be like Peter if you approached us and said,
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Go away from me, Lord.
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I'm a sinful man.
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Not worthy to untie your sandals.
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God, I just ask that you would use me to communicate your word to your people.
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And if there are those here today who do not know the power of the gospel,
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the message of your Son, Jesus Christ, that you would work in their hearts today.
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It's for his name's sake we ask.
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In Christ's name, amen.
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So, we're going to pick up in the beginning of chapter 19.
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All right.
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Verse 1.
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And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth,
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Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.
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There he found some disciples.
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And he said to them,
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Do you receive the Holy Spirit when you believe?
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And they said, No.
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We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
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And he said,
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Into what then were you baptized?
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And they said,
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Into John's baptism.
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And Paul said,
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John baptized with the baptism of repentance,
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telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
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that is, Jesus.
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On hearing this,
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they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
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And when Paul had laid his hands on them,
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the Holy Spirit came on them,
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and then began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
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There were about 12 men in all.
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And then he entered the synagogue,
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and for three months spoke boldly,
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reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
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But when some became stubborn,
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and continued in unbelief,
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speaking evil of the way,
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before the congregation,
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he withdrew from them,
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and took the disciples with him.
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Reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.
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This continued for two years,
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so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord,
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both Jews and Greeks.
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And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
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so that even the handkerchiefs or aprons that he touched,
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his skin,
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were carried away the sick,
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and their diseases left them,
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and the evil spirits came out of them.
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Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists
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undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus
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over those who had evil spirits,
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saying,
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I adjure you by Jesus,
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whom Paul proclaims.
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Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Siva
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was doing this.
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But the evil spirit answered them,
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Jesus I know,
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and Paul I recognize,
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but who are you?
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And the man in whom the evil spirit leaped on them,
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mastered all of them,
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and overpowered them,
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so that they fled out of the house,
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naked and wounded.
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And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus,
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both Jews and Greeks,
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and fear fell upon them all,
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and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
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Also many of those who were now believers came,
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confessing and divulging their practices.
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A number of those who had practiced magic arts
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brought their books together
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and burned them in the sight of all.
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And they counted the value of them
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and found that it came to 50,000 pieces of silver.
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So the word of the Lord continued to increase
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and prevail mightily.
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So today,
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just by way of introduction,
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just kind of want to,
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we'll get more into,
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so if you keep reading,
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you see like if you have subtitles in your Bible,
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it says a riot and nephesis.
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We'll get to that next week.
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That's attached to this message though,
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so it'll be kind of going into next week.
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But just a little bit about the city of Ephesus.
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It's modern day Turkey
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on the east side of the Aegean Sea,
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and it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia.
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So that's where their headquarters were set up.
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That's where the governor of that territory was.
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Major port city.
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And it was the fifth largest city
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in all the Roman Empire,
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which at this time
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hadn't got as big as it would be,
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but it was really big already.
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And the big thing,
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and we'll talk about this more next week,
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not to get into all this now,
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but the big boast that they had
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was that they had the temple of Artemis,
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and that was also like the Roman goddess Diana.
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We'll talk more about all that next week.
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So if you like mythology,
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come back next week,
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and you'll see how Jesus kind of plays
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the trump card over mythology.
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But as we go through this today,
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there are going to be five lessons
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that we see,
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that we can learn from Paul
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in like sharing the gospel,
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and kind of compare that,
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line that up with like how
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it is in your own life,
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as well as,
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there are going to be intermingles,
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so don't think there's just going to be
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the big bullets of this message.
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All right,
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if this message had a title,
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it would be six ways
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the gospel impacts a culture.
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Okay,
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six ways that the gospel impacts a culture.
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All right,
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so number one,
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the gospel causes sinners to be saved.
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That's what we just read in Romans 1.
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The gospel causes sinners to be saved.
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Very clear explanation of this.
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We're going to walk through it
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like verse 1 through 7.
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So Paul comes into Ephesus,
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and he encounters some disciples
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of John the Baptist.
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Apollos was in Corinth at the time,
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and so he comes in
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and just kind of runs into these guys.
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And they had probably moved,
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relocated from Palestine
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or Judea to this region
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while John the Baptist had his ministry.
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So they probably left
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before Jesus came on the scene,
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most people believe.
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And it's interesting
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that John the Baptist
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had an influence that far,
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and his teaching
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had an influence that far.
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Apollos would be a great example of that.
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He had had the baptism of John
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and fully recognized
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that Jesus was the Messiah
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that John's testimony pointed to.
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He just needed
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a little further instruction.
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That's what Nathan taught on
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a few weeks ago.
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So these disciples
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basically had a lot of pieces
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of the puzzle with that
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and had the whole complete picture
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put together for them yet.
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So as followers of John,
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they would have known
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that John came to prepare
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the way of the Messiah.
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They would have known that,
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but they did not know
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that Jesus was that Messiah.
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So here's one of those little sub-things.
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Something you can learn from Paul
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in this text
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is that Paul initiates
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gospel conversation.
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Okay?
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So,
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I'm not going to downplay this
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because we're going to see
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another example in a minute,
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but most people
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in the church today,
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they are not proactive
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in actually talking to people
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about Christ.
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They're more reactive.
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They'll think,
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I'll just go about my day
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and if God just drops somebody
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in front of me,
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then I will just talk to them.
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Or they think,
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you know,
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I'll get a divine appointment,
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which is true.
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That's very true.
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But,
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I'm telling you that
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like the gospel and the kingdom
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will not be where it is
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if that's all we did.
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There are people
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who must go out
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and hunt down people
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to share Jesus with.
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And,
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so,
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this is one of those
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opportunities.
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He walks up,
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he sees these guys,
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and he just starts talking to them
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about their belief.
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He knew they were disciples of John.
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So,
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he kind of asked them,
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if you look at this,
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he uses very clear,
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look at verses 1 through 7,
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very clear,
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intentional questions
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to kind of draw out
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what they believe.
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It's that simple.
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He just said,
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did you receive the Holy Spirit
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when you believed?
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And to who were you baptized?
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And their answers
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just clearly revealed
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that they were not quite,
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I believe,
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not quite born again
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or saved yet.
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And the reasons why,
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there's two of them,
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they said they had not even heard
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of the Holy Spirit,
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even though John taught
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that Jesus would come
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and baptized with the Holy Spirit
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and with fire.
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They hadn't even heard
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of the Holy Spirit.
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And then,
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verse 4 reveals
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they didn't even know
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who Jesus was.
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So,
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but what's awesome,
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though,
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is Paul recognized
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from his viewpoint
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that John's legacy,
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John's teaching,
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had helped them recognize
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what they had missed.
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And so,
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he basically just filled in
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the missing pieces
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of the puzzle for them.
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So,
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they were in a very,
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very unique state
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in redemptive history,
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very similar to,
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like,
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an Old Testament believer
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kind of waiting
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for the Messiah to come.
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So,
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he basically is like,
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oh,
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okay,
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I got you.
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Got you.
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John came to tell you
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to turn away from your sins
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and to prepare the way
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of the Savior.
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He was the voice
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of the one crying
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in the wilderness,
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prepare the way
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of the Lord.
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Well,
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the Lord came.
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His name was Jesus
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of Nazareth.
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He lived,
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He loved,
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He died on the cross,
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He was resurrected.
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He is the Messiah.
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And so,
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they gladly received that
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and were baptized
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into the name
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of the Lord Jesus.
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And,
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the result of that
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is they began speaking
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in tongues
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and prophesying.
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That's not a message
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about this today.
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But,
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but,
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very clearly,
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it is done,
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I believe,
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in this text
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as an outward
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demonstration
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and verification
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of giving Paul
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like a dramatic way
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to enter Ephesus.
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Because as we're going
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to read,
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there's a lot
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of like supernatural
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dark things
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going on.
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And for him
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to kind of come
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and show
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in a very visible way
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that the Savior
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who he represented
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was powerful
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was very important
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at the time.
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And so,
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these men
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had deep roots
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in the Old Testament
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scriptures.
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And so,
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very clearly,
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it meant a lot
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to them
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to hear that prophecy
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out of Joel 2,
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I think,
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fulfilled.
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So,
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they were born again.
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They were saved
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right there.
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So,
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we saw that Paul
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initiated gospel
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conversation.
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Excuse me.
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Which leads to
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the second thing.
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Alright,
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the gospel
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causes sinners
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to be hardened.
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Alright?
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See that in verses
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8 through 10.
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So,
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right after that,
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he went into
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the synagogue.
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So,
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he happened up
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on these first guys.
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It just kind of happened.
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So,
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it was the
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unintentional encounter
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that he had
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with John's disciples.
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But now,
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he very intentionally
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goes into the synagogue,
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which,
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again,
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he initiates
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gospel conversation.
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And,
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it's almost like
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a seek and destroy
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mission.
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He,
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he sought out
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the lost people
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to allow the power
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of God
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to destroy
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the sin
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of their life.
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And so,
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he went,
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as was his way,
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he went into
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the synagogue
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to engage
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with the people there
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who understood
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someone of the scriptures.
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So,
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here's some other
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things we can observe
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about the way
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Paul engaged
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in this text
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right here.
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If you look
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at these verses,
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verses 8 through 10,
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just ask yourself
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the question,
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how did he speak
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about the gospel?
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Do you see him
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like using
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emotional manipulation
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or theatrics?
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It just says,
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Paul spoke
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the gospel boldly.
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All right?
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He spoke
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the gospel boldly
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about the things
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concerning the Messiah,
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the one that met him
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on the road to Damascus
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and saved him
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from his sins.
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And this idea
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to speak boldly
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means
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to speak freely,
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to speak confidently,
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to speak with full assurance
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about what you were saying.
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Think about,
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like,
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how you talk about
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the Savior.
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Does it carry
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that kind of confidence?
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Like,
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I know
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in whom
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I believed.
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could you
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just think about,
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those of you
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who are married,
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think about
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the confidence
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you can speak of
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about your spouse,
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how they are yours,
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that they belong to you.
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And just think,
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can I speak
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with the same kind
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of boldness
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about the gospel?
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So,
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he wasn't unsure
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or timid.
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He didn't come across
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uncertain or doubtful.
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He was sure
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about the Messiah
18:16
he spoke about.
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So,
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Paul spoke
18:19
the gospel boldly.
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And another thing
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to note under this
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is that Paul
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spoke the gospel
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persuasively.
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Okay?
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Paul,
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it says here,
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was reasoning
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and persuading them
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about the kingdom
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of God.
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So,
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again,
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unfortunately,
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a lot of churches
18:39
and ministries
18:40
have used emotional
18:41
manipulation
18:42
to invoke
18:43
a certain response
18:45
from people.
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I'm not even
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a musician
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and I know this.
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I mean,
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I'm not a musician,
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you know.
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You can play
18:54
certain musical keys
18:55
to invoke
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certain emotional
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responses in people.
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So,
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are what people
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are experiencing
19:03
actually real?
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Is it like
19:04
the work of God
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or is it just
19:06
an emotional
19:06
manipulation?
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And usually,
19:09
like 15 minutes
19:10
after that service
19:11
is over,
19:11
you can tell
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which one it was
19:13
by what people
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were doing
19:15
and what they're
19:15
talking about.
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And how they
19:17
lived their lives
19:17
outside of that.
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And so,
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what we see
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is in reasoning
19:23
persuading,
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right?
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The genuine
19:27
gospel evangelism,
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it's a call
19:30
to persuade people
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to Christ.
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So,
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to be persuaded
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is not to be deceived.
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It's the opposite.
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You're convinced.
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Like,
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you show them
19:38
the evidence,
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you talk about it,
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here it is,
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this is Jesus,
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and they,
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the Lord uses that
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through His Holy Spirit
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to convince them.
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They are persuaded
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to follow Christ.
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So,
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throughout the book
19:51
of Acts,
19:51
you see that idea
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of preaching,
19:53
teaching,
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persuading people
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to believe.
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It's an appeal
19:58
to their mind.
20:00
It changes
20:00
their disposition,
20:02
and that's why
20:03
they believe.
20:05
Hold your hand there.
20:06
I don't have many places
20:07
for you to look at it all,
20:08
outside our main text,
20:10
but look at Acts 17,
20:11
just two chapters back.
20:16
Just to kind of show you
20:17
this is a theme
20:18
in Acts.
20:19
So,
20:20
he's in Thessalonica
20:21
in Greece,
20:23
and look at
20:24
chapter 17,
20:25
verse 1 through 4,
20:28
and just jump ahead.
20:29
It says,
20:29
on three Sabbath days
20:31
he reasoned with them
20:32
from the Scriptures.
20:35
Alright?
20:35
So,
20:36
that was his authority.
20:37
He wasn't using
20:37
his own opinions
20:38
or his own ideas.
20:39
He was using
20:40
the Scripture,
20:42
explaining
20:42
and proving
20:44
that it was necessary
20:45
for the Christ
20:46
to suffer
20:47
and to rise
20:48
from the dead,
20:49
and saying,
20:50
this Jesus
20:51
whom I proclaim
20:52
to you
20:52
is the Christ.
20:54
And some of them
20:55
were persuaded
20:56
and joined Paul
20:57
and Silas,
20:59
as did a great many
21:00
of devout Greeks
21:01
and not a few
21:02
of the leading women.
21:04
So,
21:05
you kind of see
21:06
this as a theme.
21:06
He's reasoning.
21:07
He's persuading.
21:09
Shilling people
21:10
who Jesus is.
21:11
And God uses that
21:13
to draw them
21:14
to himself.
21:15
So,
21:16
those are
21:16
awesome words.
21:19
So,
21:19
just to throw this
21:20
out there,
21:20
there are certain people,
21:22
I think spiritual gifts
21:23
are a good thing.
21:24
I think they're
21:24
a biblical thing.
21:25
But I feel like
21:26
the church
21:26
is just extremely
21:28
erred in the terms
21:29
of,
21:30
I don't have the gift
21:31
of evangelism,
21:32
so I'm not
21:34
going to share.
21:36
as
21:36
nowhere in the Bible.
21:40
You're called
21:40
to share
21:41
with the ability
21:41
that God
21:42
has given you
21:42
to share.
21:44
Right?
21:44
You may not be.
21:45
There are some people
21:46
that are very
21:46
gifted by God
21:48
to communicate
21:49
the truth,
21:49
to communicate
21:50
the gospel,
21:51
but that doesn't
21:53
mean that the rest
21:54
of us
21:55
should just sit back.
21:56
We all are
21:57
heralds of the gospel.
21:59
Alright?
22:00
And,
22:01
this is
22:02
a great example
22:03
of that.
22:04
Reasoning,
22:04
explaining,
22:05
proving,
22:06
persuading.
22:08
Okay?
22:08
So,
22:09
I also want to tell you
22:10
that persuasion
22:11
takes,
22:12
it's more of an art
22:13
instead of a gimmick
22:15
or a method.
22:17
Okay?
22:17
So,
22:17
it's more like
22:18
something like
22:20
fly fishing
22:21
or painting.
22:22
You practice
22:23
and you get better
22:24
and better
22:24
and better at it.
22:25
You can't,
22:27
I think we have
22:27
such an attraction
22:28
in our culture
22:29
to five-step things
22:30
and just show me
22:31
the method
22:32
and I will apply
22:33
this method
22:33
to every situation.
22:35
You know,
22:36
those of you
22:36
who are really engaged
22:37
in serious evangelism
22:38
know that just
22:39
doesn't work.
22:40
Can you sit down,
22:41
please,
22:41
while you're drinking
22:42
your cocktail
22:42
on the beach
22:43
while I share
22:43
five things with you
22:45
and most of the time
22:46
they don't even make it
22:47
past the second thing.
22:50
If you notice,
22:52
Jesus never spoke
22:53
to people
22:55
the same way.
22:56
You ever notice that?
22:56
Like he always had,
22:58
he applied the context
22:59
of the gospel
23:00
to the situation
23:01
that he was in
23:02
at the time.
23:04
So,
23:05
it takes time,
23:06
it takes practice
23:06
to be able to learn
23:08
to talk about
23:10
Christ.
23:11
So,
23:12
exercise those muscles.
23:13
Ask him
23:13
to help you.
23:16
And so,
23:17
it's more of an art
23:18
and not a method.
23:19
Kind of throw that
23:20
out there.
23:22
Alright?
23:23
So,
23:23
something else
23:24
we can learn
23:24
just from this
23:25
few verses
23:26
about
23:27
the way
23:29
Paul shared
23:29
the gospel.
23:31
And this is a big one.
23:32
I think this was
23:32
definitely lacking
23:33
in the American church.
23:36
Paul persevered
23:37
in gospel ministry.
23:39
That's it.
23:40
Paul persevered
23:41
in gospel ministry.
23:42
Most of us
23:45
go give it a shot
23:47
and if we get shot down
23:48
we don't want to go back out.
23:49
And we think,
23:50
you know,
23:50
I tried
23:51
and it didn't work.
23:53
You know,
23:54
we have to build up
23:55
some thicker skin.
23:57
We have to
23:57
understand
23:58
that winning people
23:59
takes time
24:00
to knock down
24:01
all the walls
24:02
in their heart.
24:03
There are some people
24:03
that come to know
24:04
Christ really quickly.
24:07
Others,
24:07
it's just a
24:08
constant battering
24:09
at their sin,
24:10
the idols in their life
24:12
and eventually
24:12
they are saved.
24:15
But just notice
24:16
that
24:17
it says that
24:18
Paul reasoned
24:19
and shared Christ
24:20
in the synagogue
24:21
for three months.
24:23
Alright?
24:24
And then
24:25
he did it daily
24:27
in the hall of Tyrannus.
24:28
He said it continued
24:29
for two years.
24:31
That's a lot of
24:33
teaching,
24:34
reasoning,
24:34
and explaining.
24:35
He said he did it daily.
24:37
He said that
24:37
all the residents
24:38
of Asia
24:38
heard the word
24:39
of the Lord,
24:39
both Jews and Greeks.
24:41
But as this
24:42
bullet says,
24:44
some are hardened.
24:45
Okay?
24:46
And that's what we read
24:46
that some of these
24:47
men in the synagogue
24:48
were hardened.
24:49
Don't bring
24:50
that junk in here.
24:51
We don't want to hear it.
24:53
It's against
24:53
everything we've ever
24:54
been taught.
24:55
And so,
24:56
the gospel can say,
24:57
but the opposite effect
24:58
is it can harden.
25:00
Men love darkness
25:01
rather than the light.
25:03
So,
25:06
when I think about
25:07
perseverance,
25:11
I think of
25:12
a hero of mine.
25:15
His picture's in my
25:16
study down there.
25:18
Some of you may know
25:19
who he is,
25:19
but his name was,
25:21
funny last name,
25:22
William Wilberforce.
25:24
And he was a
25:25
British
25:25
parliamentarian
25:27
in the late
25:28
1700s,
25:29
early 1800s.
25:31
Young guy.
25:31
was best friends
25:33
with the prime minister.
25:36
It was William Pitt.
25:38
But,
25:38
on October
25:39
28th,
25:41
1787,
25:43
he
25:44
dedicated his life
25:46
to two goals.
25:50
He says,
25:50
God Almighty
25:51
has set before me
25:53
two great objects,
25:55
the suppression
25:55
of the slave trade
25:57
and the reformation
25:58
of morals.
25:59
So,
26:02
he had not been
26:03
a believer
26:03
for a long time
26:04
and then he came
26:05
to know Christ
26:05
right at the height
26:07
of his political
26:07
popularity,
26:09
which any politician
26:11
would know.
26:11
That's like a big deal
26:12
because like,
26:13
now I've got to turn around
26:14
and tell everybody else
26:16
the opposite thing.
26:18
So,
26:18
he was really feeling
26:19
the weight of that
26:20
and he hated,
26:22
appalled,
26:23
the slave trade.
26:26
Cool enough,
26:26
his pastor
26:28
was John Newton,
26:29
the guy who wrote
26:29
Amazing Grace
26:30
and a man who was
26:32
a slave trader
26:33
before he became
26:33
a Christian.
26:35
And,
26:35
so Newton encouraged him,
26:37
take it out,
26:39
attack it,
26:40
God be with you,
26:41
you know,
26:41
I'm here.
26:43
And,
26:43
so,
26:45
the slave trade
26:47
and the reformation
26:47
of morals
26:48
in the British society,
26:51
none of those
26:51
were going to be
26:52
accomplished
26:52
in a quick speech.
26:54
None of them.
26:55
He knew it would
26:56
take years
26:57
and years.
26:59
John Wesley
27:00
wrote to him
27:02
in 1790
27:03
and listen to what he said,
27:05
unless God
27:06
has raised you up
27:07
for this very thing,
27:09
you will be worn out
27:10
by the opposition
27:11
of man
27:12
and of devils.
27:14
But if God
27:14
be with you,
27:16
who can be against you?
27:18
So like,
27:18
you're going to fail.
27:19
Like,
27:19
if this is a mission
27:20
you're going to undertake
27:21
on your own,
27:23
if God hasn't raised you up
27:24
for this,
27:24
then you're going
27:24
to be burned out.
27:28
So,
27:28
just think about it.
27:29
Walking into
27:30
a place like Congress.
27:33
So,
27:33
how many of you
27:35
are actually aware
27:35
of like,
27:36
you ever watch
27:36
like a British
27:37
Parliament thing
27:39
on TV?
27:39
It is nothing
27:40
like ours at all.
27:41
Like,
27:41
they make fun
27:42
of each other,
27:43
like severe sarcasm.
27:45
They make fun
27:45
of the highest office.
27:47
It's like a comedy show
27:48
sometimes.
27:50
So,
27:50
there's not that
27:51
respect.
27:52
Sometimes we might
27:53
see in ours,
27:53
but ours could be
27:55
going that way.
27:56
But anyways,
27:57
so when he went in there
27:58
the first time,
27:59
can you imagine this?
28:00
Like,
28:00
hundreds of men
28:01
sitting in this room
28:02
and probably 70%
28:04
of them have some
28:05
involvement in the
28:06
slave trade.
28:07
And then they're
28:08
standing up and
28:08
saying like,
28:10
I want to propose
28:11
that we make a motion
28:11
to end the slave trade.
28:13
Like,
28:14
the outrage
28:15
that came out.
28:16
So,
28:16
he knew that wasn't
28:17
going to come down
28:18
in one speech.
28:19
He knew it was
28:20
going to take years
28:21
and years to bring
28:22
it down.
28:24
So,
28:24
what he learned
28:25
about perseverance,
28:26
he wrote this
28:27
in a letter.
28:29
He says,
28:30
I daily
28:30
become more sensible
28:32
that my work
28:34
must be affected
28:35
by a constant
28:36
and regular
28:37
exertions
28:38
rather than
28:39
by sudden
28:40
and violent
28:41
ones.
28:42
In other words,
28:43
he understood
28:43
that if this
28:45
was going to happen,
28:45
it was going to
28:46
be a marathon run
28:47
and not a sprint.
28:49
And we have to
28:50
think of
28:52
sharing the gospel
28:53
that way.
28:54
It's a battle.
28:57
So,
28:58
I mentioned
28:58
Cody Klikner
28:59
a little while ago.
29:00
So,
29:01
when you see him
29:01
congratulating,
29:02
they won their
29:04
conference,
29:04
and now they're
29:05
going and playing
29:06
to some other
29:06
big things in the
29:07
nation.
29:08
And Cody really
29:09
seeks to live out
29:09
gospel life
29:10
on the baseball
29:11
team.
29:12
Very few people
29:13
who do that.
29:13
but,
29:16
so we were,
29:18
I did a lot
29:19
of ministry
29:19
with the
29:20
baseball team.
29:20
And there
29:21
was one year,
29:22
man,
29:22
we were just
29:23
shot down
29:23
and shot down
29:24
and shot down
29:25
like nothing
29:26
we did
29:26
was working.
29:27
And every week
29:28
we just renewed
29:29
our strength
29:30
in the Lord.
29:31
And finally,
29:33
we were able
29:34
to put together
29:35
an evangelistic
29:36
Bible study
29:36
after it was
29:37
just shot down
29:38
multiple times.
29:39
Guys didn't
29:39
show up.
29:40
We were like,
29:41
you know,
29:41
order food,
29:41
show up,
29:42
and like 15
29:43
guys said
29:44
they were going
29:44
to be there
29:44
and like two
29:45
were there.
29:45
That happened
29:46
multiple times.
29:49
You just got
29:49
to remember
29:49
like they're
29:51
going to resist
29:51
and they're
29:52
going to be
29:52
hard-headed
29:52
and they're
29:53
going to be
29:53
stubborn.
29:54
But God,
29:56
the power of
29:56
the gospel,
29:58
can draw them
29:59
to himself
29:59
when he's ready.
30:00
And he did.
30:02
And several
30:03
guys came to
30:03
know the Lord
30:04
that year
30:04
through the
30:06
teaching of the
30:07
word.
30:08
So we have
30:09
to keep with
30:09
it.
30:09
We can't just
30:10
be upset
30:10
and run
30:11
away with
30:11
our tail
30:12
between our
30:12
legs every
30:13
time something
30:14
doesn't work
30:14
out.
30:16
Paul taught
30:17
two years,
30:18
almost daily,
30:20
to get to
30:20
where all the
30:21
residents of
30:22
Asia have
30:22
heard the
30:22
word.
30:24
So persevere
30:25
in gospel
30:26
ministry.
30:28
So I should
30:29
tell you that
30:30
Wilberforce,
30:31
he started
30:31
that battle
30:32
in 1787.
30:34
Or excuse me,
30:35
I flipped it
30:35
over the wrong
30:35
time.
30:36
Yeah,
30:37
1787.
30:38
1787.
30:39
So on
30:40
February
30:41
1807,
30:43
so nearly
30:44
20 years
30:44
later,
30:46
the slave
30:46
trade was
30:47
taken down
30:47
at 4 a.m.
30:48
in the
30:48
morning.
30:50
That's 20
30:50
years of
30:51
constant
30:52
slander,
30:52
being attacked.
30:54
And he saw
30:54
it as a
30:55
work of God,
30:55
a work of
30:56
the gospel,
30:56
not as
30:57
just political
30:58
change.
30:59
So such
31:00
is gospel
31:01
evangelism.
31:01
We have
31:02
to persevere.
31:04
Number
31:04
three,
31:04
the gospel
31:08
causes
31:08
miraculous
31:09
acts.
31:11
Verse 11
31:11
through 12.
31:14
So a
31:14
good while
31:15
back,
31:15
I did a
31:15
message on
31:16
things like
31:16
this.
31:17
You can
31:17
go back
31:17
and look
31:19
it up
31:19
later.
31:20
But
31:21
miracles
31:22
and acts,
31:23
healings,
31:24
they're usually
31:25
a means for
31:26
God to open
31:27
the door,
31:27
to get the
31:28
attention of
31:28
people in
31:29
these contexts,
31:31
to show
31:33
that Jesus
31:33
is the
31:34
Christ,
31:35
and to
31:36
confirm the
31:36
messenger,
31:37
that he is
31:37
being used
31:38
by God.
31:39
And in the
31:40
last message
31:41
that I said,
31:41
does stuff
31:42
like this
31:42
still happen?
31:44
Absolutely.
31:46
Why don't
31:46
we see more
31:47
of it in our
31:47
culture?
31:49
Either we're
31:49
not looking,
31:50
or I also
31:52
believe the
31:52
greatest barrier
31:53
to people in
31:55
the West or
31:56
in America is
31:57
more ideologies
31:58
and wrong
31:59
thinking and
32:00
secular humanism.
32:02
That's where
32:03
if you go
32:03
to a place
32:03
like the
32:06
jungle,
32:07
or I
32:09
have a good
32:10
friend of
32:10
mine from
32:10
India,
32:11
his nickname
32:13
is Jojo,
32:14
that's what I
32:14
call him.
32:15
He has
32:15
literally long
32:16
beard and
32:17
dreadlocks and
32:18
he has a
32:18
ministry in
32:19
Delhi,
32:20
and he sees
32:21
a lot of
32:21
this.
32:22
Well,
32:22
that is where
32:23
people are
32:23
oppressed
32:24
in a spiritual
32:25
way that does
32:26
come out in a
32:27
demonic fashion.
32:28
and so
32:31
Paul was
32:31
going around
32:32
healing people
32:34
and God was
32:35
validating that
32:36
message that he
32:37
was the messenger
32:38
sent by God.
32:39
And the whole
32:40
handkerchief,
32:40
apron thing,
32:41
there's a very
32:42
constant belief in
32:43
the ancient East
32:44
that objects
32:46
associated with
32:47
holy people
32:48
had power,
32:49
power,
32:49
but really
32:50
the idea is
32:51
like God
32:52
saw fit to
32:53
give Paul
32:54
an extra
32:55
measure of
32:56
power,
32:57
that the
32:58
faith of,
32:58
it's like
32:58
touching Jesus
32:59
to him in
33:00
his garment.
33:01
Jesus' garment
33:01
didn't heal the
33:02
guy,
33:02
Jesus did.
33:03
It's the same
33:03
kind of concept.
33:06
So it wasn't
33:06
these were
33:06
magical objects,
33:08
but rather
33:08
God saw
33:09
please to
33:10
manifest his
33:11
power so
33:12
intensely through
33:13
what Paul is
33:14
doing.
33:15
This happened
33:15
at Cyprus
33:16
and at
33:16
Philippi,
33:17
previously in
33:18
Acts.
33:19
So,
33:21
another
33:21
observation
33:22
about Paul
33:22
here was
33:23
Paul was a
33:24
yielded vessel
33:25
for the
33:25
gospel,
33:27
okay?
33:28
He allowed
33:29
himself to
33:29
be used
33:30
by God.
33:31
He yielded
33:32
to the power
33:33
of the Holy
33:34
Spirit.
33:35
He had no
33:36
ability in
33:36
himself to
33:37
save or
33:38
heal anyone.
33:40
Ephesians
33:40
3,
33:42
verse 7,
33:43
Paul said
33:44
this,
33:44
writing later
33:45
on to the
33:45
church that
33:46
was planted
33:46
here.
33:47
He says,
33:48
of this
33:48
gospel I
33:49
was made
33:49
a minister
33:50
according to
33:51
the gift
33:52
of God's
33:52
grace,
33:54
which was
33:54
given me
33:55
by the
33:55
working of
33:55
his power
33:56
to me
33:58
through who I
33:58
am the
33:59
very least
34:00
of the
34:00
saints.
34:00
So,
34:01
I'm no one
34:02
special.
34:03
This grace
34:04
was given
34:04
to preach
34:05
to the
34:05
Gentiles
34:06
the
34:06
unsearchable
34:07
riches
34:07
of Christ.
34:09
So,
34:10
you don't
34:10
have to be
34:11
special.
34:11
You don't
34:11
have to
34:12
have a
34:13
seminary
34:13
degree.
34:14
You just
34:14
need to
34:14
know the
34:15
scripture,
34:16
know the
34:16
Savior,
34:17
know the
34:17
gospel,
34:18
in order
34:19
for God
34:19
to use
34:20
you.
34:21
Be a
34:21
yielded
34:21
vessel for
34:23
the gospel.
34:25
Number
34:25
four,
34:27
the gospel
34:27
causes false
34:28
teachers to
34:30
be exposed.
34:31
This is one
34:32
of those stories
34:32
that is like
34:33
definitely
34:34
rattled the
34:34
cage.
34:35
Verse 13
34:35
through 16,
34:37
we see that
34:37
there were
34:38
some itinerant
34:40
Jewish
34:40
exorcists,
34:42
right,
34:42
who were
34:43
around
34:43
Ephesus.
34:45
And there's
34:45
a lot of
34:46
history and
34:47
ancient records
34:47
that kind of
34:49
give people
34:50
ceremonies and
34:51
rituals and
34:51
formulas to
34:52
cast out
34:53
evil spirits.
34:55
And they
34:55
would collect
34:56
them in
34:56
books and
34:57
sell those
34:57
books.
34:58
And so,
35:00
even for the
35:00
Jews in this
35:01
time, in the
35:01
first century,
35:02
there was a
35:02
lot of these
35:03
kind of spells
35:04
and there was
35:05
a lot of
35:05
demonic activity
35:06
and they
35:06
would try to
35:07
use their
35:08
words to
35:09
get rid of
35:10
these evil
35:10
spirits.
35:11
So,
35:12
Jesus was
35:13
able to
35:13
cast out
35:14
demons by
35:14
the power
35:15
and authority
35:15
that he
35:16
had.
35:17
We all
35:18
know that.
35:19
And he
35:19
gave that
35:19
same authority
35:20
to his
35:21
disciples,
35:22
his apostles.
35:24
So,
35:25
in a very
35:25
pragmatic
35:26
matter,
35:27
you know,
35:27
these guys
35:28
are watching
35:28
Paul do
35:30
this with
35:31
the real
35:31
power of
35:32
Christ and
35:33
they say,
35:34
hmm,
35:35
Jesus Christ.
35:36
Maybe that's
35:37
another word
35:37
or name I
35:38
can throw
35:38
into my
35:39
formula book.
35:41
To practice
35:41
the same
35:42
kind of
35:42
thing,
35:42
that'd
35:42
be kind
35:43
of cool.
35:44
So,
35:45
they go
35:46
out and
35:46
try this
35:46
and they
35:47
just get
35:47
it handed
35:47
to them
35:48
severely.
35:51
So,
35:51
why didn't
35:53
it work
35:54
for them?
35:54
Okay?
35:55
Well,
35:55
number one,
35:56
these,
35:57
they failed
36:00
to know
36:00
the Savior
36:02
himself.
36:03
Okay?
36:03
If you're
36:04
going to
36:04
invoke
36:04
somebody's
36:04
authority,
36:05
you have
36:05
to know
36:06
that person.
36:07
You have
36:07
to have
36:07
a relationship
36:08
with that
36:09
person.
36:09
It can't
36:09
just be
36:10
a magical
36:11
word that
36:12
you just
36:12
kind of
36:12
throw out
36:13
there.
36:14
Example,
36:14
if you
36:15
were coming
36:15
from Caesar
36:16
in this
36:17
day as a
36:17
messenger and
36:18
you evoked
36:18
his authority,
36:20
that carried
36:21
a lot of
36:21
power with it.
36:22
Right?
36:23
But,
36:23
if you
36:24
did not,
36:24
if you
36:24
were a
36:25
false
36:25
messenger,
36:26
it could
36:27
cost you
36:27
your life.
36:28
So,
36:29
the power
36:30
of someone's
36:31
name carries
36:32
authority,
36:33
but only as
36:34
far as that
36:34
relationship is
36:35
there.
36:35
So,
36:38
these
36:39
chance to
36:39
get rid of
36:40
evil spirits
36:40
did not
36:41
work.
36:42
And,
36:42
they were
36:43
stripped
36:43
naked,
36:44
and they
36:44
ran away.
36:45
That was a
36:45
great picture
36:46
of shame
36:47
and humiliation,
36:48
and that
36:48
scared the
36:49
blank out
36:52
of the
36:52
people in
36:53
Ephesus.
36:54
Because,
36:55
they were
36:55
like,
36:55
wow,
36:55
these guys
36:55
were at
36:56
the top
36:56
of our
36:56
school here,
36:57
and they
36:58
just got
36:58
handed to
36:59
them by
37:00
a real
37:00
demonic
37:01
spirit.
37:02
These books
37:03
must not
37:03
work.
37:04
This is
37:05
dangerous.
37:05
Let's
37:05
get rid
37:06
of these.
37:07
So,
37:08
that flows
37:09
into the
37:09
next thing.
37:12
Number
37:12
five,
37:14
the gospel
37:14
causes
37:15
idolatry
37:16
to be
37:16
renounced.
37:18
Verse 17
37:19
through 20.
37:21
Alright?
37:21
So,
37:22
very,
37:23
very strong
37:24
belief in
37:24
magical
37:25
incantations
37:26
in this
37:27
period to
37:27
cast out
37:28
evil
37:29
spirits.
37:30
They had
37:31
spells for
37:31
protection,
37:32
to get
37:32
somebody's
37:33
love,
37:34
to have
37:34
good
37:34
child
37:35
birth,
37:35
to have
37:36
all kinds
37:36
of stuff.
37:37
So,
37:37
they had
37:37
so many
37:38
rituals.
37:40
So,
37:40
50,000
37:41
pieces of
37:42
silver,
37:44
probably
37:44
referring to
37:45
the Greek
37:46
dragma at
37:47
the time,
37:48
around
37:49
six million
37:49
dollars
37:50
in today's
37:52
currency.
37:54
So,
37:54
not just
37:55
like threw
37:55
away comic
37:56
books,
37:56
they threw
37:56
away like
37:57
seriously
37:57
published
37:59
quality books
38:00
at that
38:00
time,
38:01
and they
38:01
renounced
38:02
it.
38:03
And it
38:03
says that
38:04
it was
38:04
all in
38:04
the name
38:05
of the
38:05
Lord
38:05
Jesus.
38:05
It was
38:06
extolled.
38:06
He was
38:06
extolled.
38:08
And so,
38:09
a severe
38:10
book burning
38:10
of the
38:11
right kind,
38:12
that's
38:12
associated
38:13
with a
38:13
very negative
38:14
thinking,
38:14
but of
38:15
the right
38:15
kind,
38:17
idolatry
38:18
is renounced.
38:20
Okay?
38:20
So,
38:20
when someone
38:20
comes to
38:21
know Christ,
38:22
idolatry is
38:23
a big thing
38:24
that they
38:24
will face.
38:26
Okay?
38:26
It says
38:28
in Romans
38:28
1 that
38:30
we've
38:30
exchanged
38:30
the truth
38:31
about God
38:32
for a lot.
38:32
Romans 2,
38:33
excuse me.
38:34
And so,
38:35
all of us
38:36
have worshipped
38:37
idols.
38:37
It doesn't
38:38
have to
38:38
be a
38:38
statue of
38:40
something.
38:40
We all
38:40
have loved
38:41
and given
38:42
our attention
38:42
to things
38:43
that are
38:44
infinitely
38:44
lesser
38:45
than God.
38:47
And God
38:47
calls that
38:48
idolatry.
38:49
It's making
38:50
things into
38:51
ultimate
38:51
things over
38:52
God.
38:54
And so,
38:55
Paul wrote
38:56
in 1 Thessalonians
38:57
1.9,
38:58
he says,
38:59
I remember
38:59
how you
39:00
turned to
39:00
God from
39:01
idols to
39:02
serve the
39:03
living and
39:03
true God
39:04
and to
39:05
wait for
39:05
His Son
39:06
from heaven
39:07
whom He
39:09
raised from
39:09
the dead,
39:10
Jesus who
39:11
delivers us
39:12
from the
39:12
wrath to
39:13
come.
39:15
So,
39:15
idolatry is
39:16
renounced.
39:16
These people
39:17
who have
39:17
this deep
39:18
pagan past
39:19
turned away
39:20
from it
39:20
and turned
39:21
to Christ.
39:23
So,
39:23
ask yourself,
39:25
though I'm
39:25
not worshiping
39:26
a statue
39:26
or reading
39:26
a spell
39:27
book,
39:28
what are
39:28
idols in
39:29
my life
39:29
that still
39:30
compete
39:30
highly for
39:31
my love
39:32
and my
39:32
attention
39:33
to love
39:34
more than
39:35
the Savior?
39:37
So,
39:38
number six
39:39
and lastly,
39:41
this is what
39:41
we'll get to
39:41
next week,
39:43
the gospel
39:43
causes hostility,
39:46
severe hostility.
39:48
That's number
39:48
six and that'll
39:49
be the rest
39:49
of this chapter.
39:50
chapter.
39:51
But,
39:52
I thought
39:53
it would be
39:54
fitting
39:55
to read you
39:57
something
39:57
because I
39:59
have a great,
39:59
there's a great
40:00
tendency of
40:00
people in
40:02
the western
40:02
church to
40:03
think that
40:03
this stuff
40:04
isn't real
40:04
anymore.
40:06
It is.
40:09
So,
40:09
there's a
40:10
ministry that
40:10
I supported
40:12
in years past
40:13
called
40:13
The Every
40:13
Tribe.
40:15
I encourage
40:15
you to look
40:16
them up.
40:16
They're very
40:17
gospel-centered,
40:17
solid,
40:20
reform,
40:20
mission group
40:21
to every
40:23
tribe.
40:24
This is,
40:25
the founder
40:26
of it is a
40:26
man named
40:27
David Seton
40:28
and he did
40:29
a ton of
40:29
ministry in
40:30
Papua New
40:31
Guinea and
40:31
the tribes
40:32
and jungles
40:33
there.
40:34
Very
40:35
brave man
40:37
for the
40:38
gospel.
40:40
He wrote a
40:40
book called
40:41
Reckless
40:41
Abandoned.
40:42
So,
40:42
if you want
40:42
to read a
40:43
book that
40:43
really pushes
40:45
you,
40:45
it's called
40:46
Reckless
40:46
Abandoned by
40:47
David Seton.
40:49
So,
40:50
excuse me,
40:52
I'm still in
40:53
recovery by the
40:53
way,
40:54
so thank you
40:54
for bearing
40:54
with my
40:55
health right
40:55
now.
40:58
He did a
40:58
lot of
40:59
work with
40:59
a tribe
41:00
called the
41:00
Chambri
41:00
Tribe and
41:02
he started
41:02
it in
41:04
the late
41:04
80s.
41:06
And,
41:07
as you know,
41:08
like in a
41:09
lot of
41:09
tribal
41:09
cultures in
41:10
Papua New
41:10
Guinea,
41:11
there's
41:12
sorcery,
41:12
there's
41:13
witch
41:13
doctors,
41:13
there's
41:14
a lot
41:15
of serious
41:15
death and
41:16
paganism.
41:17
In those
41:18
cultures,
41:18
and it's
41:19
real,
41:19
it's like
41:19
demonic
41:20
oppression.
41:22
And,
41:22
so I'll
41:24
read to
41:24
you,
41:25
my reading
41:27
out loud
41:27
voice is
41:28
not the
41:28
best this
41:28
morning,
41:29
so,
41:30
but I
41:30
hope that
41:31
God enables
41:32
you just
41:32
to listen
41:32
to this,
41:33
it's really
41:33
good.
41:34
But I
41:35
want you
41:35
to see
41:35
that all
41:35
the things
41:36
that we
41:36
just talked
41:36
about,
41:37
all these
41:37
points,
41:38
still happen.
41:39
They're all
41:40
the same
41:40
thing,
41:40
when a
41:41
gospel comes
41:41
into a
41:42
culture and
41:43
shakes it.
41:44
okay,
41:46
he says,
41:48
this is David
41:48
talking,
41:49
he says,
41:49
over hundreds
41:50
of years,
41:50
the Chambrite
41:51
tribesmen have
41:52
devised a
41:53
ritual to help
41:53
them discern
41:54
the identity
41:55
of the
41:56
person who
41:58
is responsible
41:59
for death.
42:00
Then that
42:01
death could
42:01
be avenged
42:02
and the
42:02
spirits
42:02
satisfied.
42:04
The ritual
42:05
is called
42:05
muabu,
42:07
which means
42:08
the shaking
42:09
of the
42:09
bamboo,
42:11
initiated
42:11
by men,
42:13
call upon
42:13
evil spirits
42:14
to come
42:14
and possess
42:15
them and
42:16
to empower
42:17
a bamboo
42:17
pole,
42:18
which will
42:19
indicate the
42:20
guilty person
42:21
in the
42:22
Chambrite.
42:23
So they
42:23
lay a
42:24
stick of
42:24
bamboo on
42:25
the ground
42:25
and it
42:26
would move
42:27
and point
42:28
to the
42:29
person guilty
42:30
of the
42:31
crime.
42:33
And so
42:33
he says,
42:35
the Chambrite
42:35
men have
42:36
boasted to
42:36
me for six
42:37
years about
42:37
how easy
42:38
it was
42:38
to conjure
42:40
up evil
42:40
spirits.
42:41
It is so
42:42
simple,
42:42
they would
42:43
say,
42:43
even our
42:44
children can
42:45
do it.
42:46
Tribal
42:46
children grow
42:47
up learning
42:47
how to
42:48
manipulate the
42:48
spirits through
42:49
a variety
42:50
of sacrifices
42:51
and magical
42:52
rituals.
42:53
So just
42:54
like we
42:54
read,
42:56
and he
42:57
says,
42:58
Antonio,
43:00
who was a
43:00
woman in
43:01
this tribe
43:02
who had
43:02
died,
43:03
she was a
43:04
Christian.
43:05
And so
43:05
they were
43:05
trying to
43:06
find someone
43:06
to blame
43:07
for her
43:08
death.
43:08
And so
43:11
she was
43:11
buried that
43:12
afternoon
43:12
in the
43:13
chamber
43:13
were prepared
43:14
for the
43:16
ritual that
43:17
same evening.
43:19
As the
43:20
sun was
43:20
setting,
43:21
more than
43:21
200 people
43:22
gathered in
43:23
the open
43:23
area before
43:24
the huts.
43:25
Two young
43:26
men stood
43:27
up to
43:27
begin the
43:28
solemn
43:28
incantation.
43:31
One man
43:32
held a
43:32
five-foot-long
43:33
bamboo pole
43:34
while the
43:35
other tapped
43:36
on it
43:37
rhythmically
43:37
with a
43:38
human bone.
43:40
He chanted
43:40
softly,
43:42
at first
43:43
inviting the
43:43
spirit of
43:44
Antonio to
43:45
take control
43:46
of the
43:46
bamboo.
43:47
Then his
43:48
chants became
43:49
louder and
43:49
more aggressive.
43:52
Excuse me.
43:54
He says,
43:54
I inched over
43:55
toward the
43:56
bamboo.
43:57
So David's
43:57
moving right
43:59
up towards it.
43:59
And he said,
44:01
Annoyed that
44:02
they were
44:03
attempting to
44:03
conjure the
44:04
spirit of
44:04
Antonio,
44:05
to him was
44:05
a sister in
44:06
the Lord.
44:08
I shouted
44:09
at them,
44:09
Antonio is a
44:10
follower of
44:11
Jesus.
44:11
She is in
44:11
heaven with
44:12
God right
44:12
now, and
44:13
her spirit
44:14
will not
44:14
appear tonight.
44:16
Some minutes
44:17
later, an
44:18
intense verbal
44:19
and spiritual
44:19
warfare ensued.
44:21
The
44:21
chambery
44:22
sorcerers were
44:22
begging with
44:24
the spirits to
44:24
come and take
44:25
over the
44:26
bamboo physically.
44:28
But I
44:28
prayed the
44:29
Lord of
44:29
restrain them
44:30
to show
44:30
himself to
44:31
be more
44:31
dominant than
44:32
these ancestral
44:33
spirits.
44:34
Finally, after
44:36
many hours, they
44:37
gave up and
44:38
disgusted, they
44:39
said, the
44:39
spirits won't
44:40
come tonight.
44:42
And I said,
44:43
that's right.
44:44
I snapped
44:45
back at them.
44:46
Our great
44:47
God is more
44:48
powerful than
44:49
the spirits, and
44:50
he has proven
44:51
his superiority
44:51
by disarming
44:52
your spirits and
44:54
forbidding that
44:55
bamboo to move
44:56
tonight.
44:56
It's every time
44:57
before it had
44:57
moved, and he
44:58
said, it's not
44:58
going to happen.
44:59
In the name
45:00
of Jesus, and
45:01
it didn't
45:01
happen.
45:03
He says,
45:04
suddenly, anger
45:05
and confusion
45:07
erupted as
45:08
people were
45:09
running around
45:09
screaming and
45:10
throwing coconuts
45:11
at us.
45:12
I thought the
45:13
people were
45:13
chasing after us,
45:15
so I yelled
45:15
to our team,
45:16
run.
45:17
They took
45:17
off, sprinting
45:18
down through
45:19
the grass.
45:20
As a part of
45:21
my team hustled
45:21
back to our
45:22
campsite, I
45:22
continued to
45:23
shout at them
45:24
God's truth and
45:25
power and
45:26
authority over
45:27
their spirits.
45:27
So he's
45:29
running and
45:30
yelling back
45:30
at them kind
45:31
of thing.
45:32
I persisted
45:33
with loud
45:34
preaching about
45:35
the supremacy
45:36
of God over
45:36
evil spirits.
45:38
And then
45:38
unexpectedly, a
45:40
woman appeared
45:41
out of the
45:41
shadows of a
45:42
thatched hut.
45:44
Along with
45:44
those by my
45:45
team, it was
45:46
obvious that
45:47
she had a
45:47
surge of
45:48
demonic
45:49
power.
45:50
Obviously, this
45:51
was a very
45:52
and more
45:53
potent
45:54
sorceress.
45:55
she waved
45:56
her hands
45:57
over her
45:59
head and
45:59
began to
45:59
chant and
46:00
dance to
46:01
plea with
46:02
the spirits
46:02
to move
46:03
the bamboo.
46:04
Once again,
46:06
there was a
46:06
time of
46:07
intense
46:07
spiritual
46:08
conflict as
46:09
she begged
46:10
the spirits
46:10
to reveal
46:11
themselves.
46:12
I continue
46:13
to pray
46:14
loudly for
46:15
the power
46:16
and presence
46:16
of our
46:17
Lord to
46:18
invoke her
46:18
and disempower
46:20
her to
46:21
raise the
46:21
spirits and
46:22
to take
46:23
control of
46:23
the bamboo.
46:24
Amazingly,
46:25
to me,
46:26
the Lord
46:27
promoted me
46:28
to issue
46:28
a challenge.
46:29
It sounds
46:29
like something
46:29
I like a
46:30
lot here in
46:31
the promise
46:31
of Baal.
46:32
I yelled
46:32
at her,
46:33
Rosa,
46:35
bring out
46:35
your most
46:36
powerful
46:36
sorcerer.
46:38
If he
46:38
can persuade
46:39
these spirits
46:39
to shake
46:40
the bamboo,
46:41
we will
46:43
follow and
46:44
worship your
46:45
spirits,
46:45
but if he
46:46
can't do
46:46
it, you
46:47
will need
46:47
to repent
46:48
and worship
46:49
and follow
46:49
our God.
46:51
Sounds just
46:51
like Elijah.
46:52
him.
46:53
So Rosa
46:54
became even
46:54
more desperate,
46:56
twisting around,
46:57
dancing frantically
46:58
to summon the
46:59
spirits, but
46:59
the bamboo
47:00
remained
47:01
lifeless.
47:03
Finally,
47:04
with loud
47:04
cursing, she
47:05
gave up and
47:06
retreated back
47:07
into the
47:07
night.
47:08
One of the
47:09
men grabbed
47:10
the bamboo
47:10
and angrily
47:11
shoved it
47:11
through the
47:13
doorway of a
47:14
hut.
47:15
As the
47:15
villagers began
47:16
to disperse,
47:17
I quickly
47:17
issued the
47:18
challenge once
47:19
more for
47:19
them to bring
47:20
out their
47:20
most powerful
47:21
sorcerer,
47:22
like this
47:22
is all
47:22
you got?
47:23
Anybody
47:23
else here
47:24
want to
47:24
give it
47:24
a go?
47:25
But they
47:26
refused to
47:27
try.
47:28
Instead,
47:29
these furious
47:30
villagers chased
47:31
after us as
47:32
I shouted,
47:34
Christ is
47:35
greater than
47:35
your spirits.
47:37
So,
47:38
this is when
47:39
a machete
47:40
wielding
47:40
tribesman ran
47:42
after me.
47:43
He took
47:44
three quick
47:44
steps forward
47:45
and raised
47:45
the bush
47:46
knife over
47:47
me.
47:48
I
47:48
wheeled around
47:49
to avoid
47:49
being hit in
47:50
the head.
47:51
Fully
47:51
expecting to
47:52
be hit,
47:53
he slashed
47:54
and he
47:55
missed.
47:56
When I
47:56
peeked around,
47:57
I saw one
47:58
of the
47:58
unsaved
47:58
chambery
47:59
men had
48:00
jumped between
48:01
us and
48:02
said,
48:03
leave this
48:03
man alone.
48:05
Why would
48:05
an unsaved
48:06
man do
48:06
this?
48:08
Not because
48:08
he was a
48:09
believer.
48:09
He wasn't.
48:10
He did it
48:11
because he
48:11
had seen the
48:12
obvious
48:12
demonstration of
48:13
God's
48:14
authority over
48:15
the evil
48:15
spirits.
48:16
And he was
48:17
afraid of
48:17
what our
48:18
God would
48:18
do to
48:18
him if I
48:19
was killed.
48:19
To my
48:21
amazement,
48:22
forty
48:23
chambery
48:23
villagers
48:24
encircled
48:24
me and
48:25
quietly
48:25
take me
48:26
back to
48:26
my camp.
48:27
My strength
48:28
left me and
48:29
I began to
48:29
fall on the
48:30
ground weeping.
48:31
I wept because
48:32
of the great
48:33
love for the
48:33
chambery.
48:34
I wept because
48:35
of this
48:36
incredible
48:36
adrenaline rush
48:37
of almost
48:38
having my
48:38
head chopped
48:39
off.
48:39
I wept because
48:42
of the
48:42
realization God
48:44
had just
48:44
shown through
48:46
us of a
48:46
display of
48:47
his power
48:47
openly rebuking
48:49
the spirits
48:50
that ruled
48:51
over the
48:52
chambery for
48:53
thousands of
48:54
years.
48:55
All that
48:56
emotion exploded.
48:58
The machete
48:59
man, the guy
49:00
tried to kill
49:01
him, came to
49:02
visit me the
49:02
next day.
49:04
He brought a
49:04
gift of two
49:05
beetle nuts and
49:07
apologized and
49:08
he says, I don't
49:08
know what came
49:09
over me last
49:10
night, but I
49:11
almost killed
49:11
you.
49:15
He says, I
49:16
responded to
49:16
him, I know
49:18
what came over
49:19
you.
49:20
You are a
49:20
servant of
49:21
evil spirits,
49:22
but last night
49:24
our God showed
49:25
himself to be
49:26
more powerful
49:27
than your
49:27
spirits.
49:28
You need to
49:29
repent and
49:29
turn to the
49:30
Lord Jesus.
49:32
This man's
49:33
western name is
49:34
Bob.
49:35
Sorry, Bob.
49:36
I now
49:38
jokingly refer
49:39
to him as
49:39
Machete Bob.
49:42
He has
49:42
become my
49:43
best friend
49:44
among the
49:44
chambery and
49:46
recently has
49:46
come to know
49:47
Christ and
49:48
he follows us
49:49
around every
49:50
day helping
49:50
us in
49:51
everything we
49:52
did.
49:53
So before he
49:55
became a
49:55
believer, he
49:56
insisted I
49:56
use his
49:57
canoe and
49:58
boat motor
49:59
whenever I
50:00
needed to go
50:00
up the river
50:01
to talk to
50:02
the tribes
50:03
about Christ.
50:04
the spiritual
50:05
conflict with
50:06
the sorceress
50:07
was a turning
50:08
point in
50:09
evangelism of
50:10
this tribe.
50:11
Dozens of
50:12
villagers began
50:13
inviting us to
50:14
speak with them
50:15
and many came
50:16
to know Christ.
50:18
This demonstration
50:19
of God's power
50:20
has given them
50:21
courage to
50:22
listen to the
50:22
gospel message
50:23
and seriously
50:24
consider who
50:25
Jesus Christ
50:26
really is.
50:30
Good stuff.
50:30
So you see
50:33
all these
50:34
things we just
50:34
mentioned happening
50:35
even in
50:36
cultures today
50:36
and they still
50:38
will even in
50:38
ours even
50:39
though we
50:39
don't always
50:40
see supernatural
50:41
signs.
50:43
So believe
50:45
and trust in
50:46
the gospel is
50:46
the power of
50:47
God for
50:48
salvation to
50:49
all who
50:50
believe.
50:51
Let's pray
50:51
together.
50:52
Let's pray
50:51
together.
50:52
Let's pray
50:52
together.