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I Am With You - The Book of The Gospels · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Teach them to observe all things whatsoever
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  Speaker 1: I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,
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  Speaker 1: even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28.20
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  Speaker 1: Dear Jesus, When you left the disciples, you promised one
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  Speaker 1: of the greatest comforters that will ever be, and that
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  Speaker 1: is your Holy Spirit. In the same way the disciples
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  Speaker 1: waited in expectation for your Holy Spirit, I too will
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  Speaker 1: wait in expectation each and every morning for your Spirit
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  Speaker 1: to rest on my mind and heart. With the empowerment
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  Speaker 1: of the Holy Spirit, I know that whatever I put
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  Speaker 1: my hands to will go from natural to supernatural. No
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  Speaker 1: matter what I do, I will not move. until I
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  Speaker 1: feel your supernatural hand upon me. I will not speak
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  Speaker 1: unless my words are empowered by your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: that you haven't left me by myself. Thank you that
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  Speaker 1: even when you ascended to heaven, you cared enough about
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  Speaker 1: our lives to give us the one who puts power
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  Speaker 1: behind your word, the Holy Spirit. as I grow in
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  Speaker 1: my faith. Holy Spirit, teach me and lead me into
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  Speaker 1: all truth. In Jesus' name. Amen. Listening to these daily
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  Speaker 1: prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the
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  Speaker 1: Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by BibleInAYear.com I am with you.
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  Speaker 2: In our last story, we learned about Jesus restoring the
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  Speaker 2: faith of Thomas and the failures of Peter. In this story,
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  Speaker 2: the ministry of Jesus on earth draws to a close,
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  Speaker 2: and room is made for the work and ministry of
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit through the apostles. Jesus ascends into the
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  Speaker 2: heights of heaven, leaving the disciples eagerly awaiting a move.
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  Speaker 3: Of God's Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the Gospels.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. Thank you so much for joining us.
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  Speaker 3: In our previous episode, we heard how Jesus appeared to
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  Speaker 3: both Thomas and Peter and gave them exactly what they
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  Speaker 3: needed to experience a renewal of their faith. Neither Thomas'
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  Speaker 3: doubts or Peter's failures were too great for the risen
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  Speaker 3: Christ to overcome. And as a result, both of these
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  Speaker 3: men went on to do great things for the kingdom
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  Speaker 3: of God and to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll hear as Jesus prepares the disciples for His
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  Speaker 3: return to heaven and the great mission He was giving
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  Speaker 3: them to go into all the world and proclaim the
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  Speaker 3: good news. He would not leave them alone, however, because
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  Speaker 3: He promised to send them the Holy Spirit, the Helper
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  Speaker 3: who would be with them always. So let's listen now
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  Speaker 3: to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus sat with His disciples once again at the Mount
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  Speaker 2: of Olives. The sun was descending gently over the city
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  Speaker 2: of Jerusalem. The men gazed at the temple below with
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  Speaker 2: the breeze dancing around them. The eleven remaining disciples sat
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  Speaker 2: beside Jesus, listening to him speak on the kingdom of God.
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  Speaker 2: For forty days they had been next to him, soaking
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  Speaker 2: in every word he spoke. Jesus had also revealed himself
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  Speaker 2: to over five hundred others, and they all followed as well.
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  Speaker 2: There they all sat, listening to their Lord and watching
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  Speaker 2: the sunset.' Lord,' Is it time for you to restore
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  Speaker 2: the kingdom of Israel?
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  Speaker 3: They asked.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus gave his familiar smile, still peering into the distance
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  Speaker 2: towards the temple. The grass danced around him. It is
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  Speaker 2: not for you to know the time or season, Jesus answered.
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  Speaker 2: That is for God alone to know, and for me
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  Speaker 2: to obey. The eleven were disappointed at his answer. Jesus,
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  Speaker 2: knowing the fear that was in their hearts, reassured them,
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  Speaker 2: Trust in me. You will receive power when the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit has come upon you. Jesus rose to his feet
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  Speaker 2: and turned towards the sun. The wind picked up, causing
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  Speaker 2: his robes to flow like dove's wings. All authority that
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  Speaker 2: has been given to me I give to you. Go, therefore,
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  Speaker 2: and make disciples of all nations. Go and baptize them
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  Speaker 2: in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit. Teach them what I have taught you, and
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  Speaker 2: obey what I have commanded. The disciples stood to their feet.
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  Speaker 2: They watched as Jesus began to walk away from them.
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  Speaker 2: Jesus sensed their fear. He turned to them and said, Behold,
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  Speaker 2: I am always with you. Even to the end of
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  Speaker 2: the age, I am with you. And as Jesus said
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  Speaker 2: these things, he was enveloped by a bright cloud. It
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  Speaker 2: rolled gracefully around him, covering him from head to toe.
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  Speaker 2: And like a vapor, Jesus ascended into the heavens. The
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  Speaker 2: eleven disciples and five hundred witnesses looked up to the
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  Speaker 2: skies in wonder. The sun had turned the skies a
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  Speaker 2: deep orange, and the clouds that Jesus ascended upon dissolved
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  Speaker 2: into the horizon. They were on their knees in complete
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  Speaker 2: awe of what had happened. The followers of Jesus had
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  Speaker 2: their gaze so fixed on the skies that they did
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  Speaker 2: not see the two men standing in white robes beside them. Friends,
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  Speaker 2: why do you look to heaven? He will come again.
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  Speaker 2: But you are to go. With that command, the followers
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  Speaker 2: of Jesus descended down the mountain towards Jerusalem. They had
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  Speaker 2: a mission to fulfill. They had a spirit to meet.
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  Speaker 2: The eleven returned to Jerusalem. Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James,
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  Speaker 2: the son of Alphaeus, Judas, the son of James, and Simon.
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  Speaker 2: They sat in the upper room, praying about their next steps.
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  Speaker 2: They devoted themselves to prayer, seeking the knowledge and guidance
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  Speaker 2: of Christ. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there as well,
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  Speaker 2: along with Jesus' brother. Peter stood up from among the group.
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  Speaker 2: He was nervous. Jesus, in many ways, had been groomed
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  Speaker 2: to lead the disciples as they pursued the Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 2: There were over 120 people in the room with them.
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  Speaker 2: All of them were wide-eyed and hopeful for the future,
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  Speaker 2: but afraid. He encouraged them with the word of God.
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  Speaker 2: He spoke from the heart and declared the need for
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  Speaker 2: a new disciple among the twelve. They chose a man
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  Speaker 2: named Matthias. Together, they sought God. They had no plan.
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  Speaker 2: They had no strategy. They simply waited in that upper
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  Speaker 2: room for a move of God's Holy Spirit.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins on top of the Mount of Olives,
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  Speaker 3: which is in Jerusalem. This was the place where Jesus
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  Speaker 3: had preached and taught, where he had prayed the night
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  Speaker 3: he was arrested, and now it would become an even
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  Speaker 3: more strategic spot as Jesus prepared to return to the Father.
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  Speaker 3: For 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus had gone about
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  Speaker 3: showing himself to people, witnesses who would attest to his resurrection,
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  Speaker 3: and spread the word so that all could believe. He
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  Speaker 3: was there with the disciples, teaching and maturing them in
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  Speaker 3: the faith. They wanted to know if he was now
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  Speaker 3: ready to restore Israel's kingdom. To them, Jesus was still
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  Speaker 3: a Messiah, a Jewish Savior, and they expected that God
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  Speaker 3: would restore the glory to his chosen people. Jesus replied
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  Speaker 3: that God's timing was not their timing. God had a
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  Speaker 3: much greater plan, a greater purpose, and a wonderful promise.
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  Speaker 3: Christ's earthly work was finished, but these men still had
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  Speaker 3: a great mission, one that could not be accomplished alone.
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  Speaker 3: So he assured them that they would receive the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 3: the power and the presence of Christ in them. The
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  Speaker 3: message of hope and salvation in Jesus wasn't meant to
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  Speaker 3: stay in just a small corner of the world or
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  Speaker 3: to be only for the Jewish people. The gospel is
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  Speaker 3: for all the world. This wasn't a new plan or
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  Speaker 3: a new strategy. It was God's plan all along. We
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  Speaker 3: know it as the Great Commission. is found in Matthew 28, 19-20,
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  Speaker 3: and these are among the most important verses in the Bible.
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  Speaker 3: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
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  Speaker 3: in the name of the Father and of the Son
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  Speaker 3: and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
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  Speaker 3: that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
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  Speaker 3: you always to the end of the age. After delivering
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  Speaker 3: to the disciples their and our marching orders, These men
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  Speaker 3: watched dumbfounded as Jesus ascended into the sky, high above
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  Speaker 3: the clouds until they could see him no more. This
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  Speaker 3: is the ascension of Jesus, one of the most important
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  Speaker 3: events in all of the Bible. The disciples and other
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  Speaker 3: witnesses stood amazed, looking up into the heavens. They couldn't
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  Speaker 3: possibly understand it all, but they knew that Jesus was
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  Speaker 3: Lord and that he had given them a mission and
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  Speaker 3: a promise. As they stood there, Two men appeared beside them.
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  Speaker 3: They asked the disciples why they were looking into the sky.
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  Speaker 3: Jesus would return, they assured them. But it was not
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  Speaker 3: time to wait. It was time to go. These are
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  Speaker 3: important words for us today as... followers of Jesus. We
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  Speaker 3: live in anticipation and assurance that one day Jesus is
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  Speaker 3: coming again. This time not as a baby in a
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  Speaker 3: manger in a small, unremarkable town, but as King of
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  Speaker 3: kings and Lord of lords, coming in the clouds to
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  Speaker 3: reign forever. It is such a great hope for every Christian.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, the Bible calls it the blessed hope. But
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  Speaker 3: just as the disciples had a mission, we have a
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  Speaker 3: mission too, and that is to carry out the Great
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  Speaker 3: Commission and to tell the world who Jesus is and
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  Speaker 3: what He can do to change every life who will
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  Speaker 3: come to Him. We are to go into all the
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  Speaker 3: world and proclaim the gospel. The disciples returned to Jerusalem
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  Speaker 3: knowing only that they had a mission and a promise.
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  Speaker 3: Soon they would receive the Holy Spirit. the same Spirit
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  Speaker 3: of God who was at creation, the one who surrounded
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  Speaker 3: and led Israelites in the deserts, and the one who
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  Speaker 3: spoke to Elijah in the desert in a still small voice,
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  Speaker 3: God's Holy Spirit would be given to them, just as
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  Speaker 3: Jesus promised. He would be with them always. And it
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  Speaker 3: is so important to remember that God has given His
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  Speaker 3: Spirit to all who trust in Him, every believer. So
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  Speaker 3: they waited just as Jesus had commanded them to wait.
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  Speaker 3: And what would come next would spark a new movement
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  Speaker 3: that would spread like fire, changing the world forever. And
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear about that in our next episode. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you for the truth that Jesus is Lord,
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  Speaker 3: that he lived, died, rose again, and ascended on high.
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  Speaker 3: We also thank you for the mission that you've given
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  Speaker 3: us and the commission to work with your church and
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  Speaker 3: your people to take the gospel to the world. We're
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  Speaker 3: so grateful for the promise of your soon return. And
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  Speaker 3: until then, may we be busy about the work of
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  Speaker 3: your kingdom as we look forward to seeing you face
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  Speaker 3: to face. In Jesus' name, amen. I'm really glad that
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  Speaker 3: you listened to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham, pastor in Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 3: Pray.com app and make Bible study and prayer the priority
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  Speaker 3: of your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, please let
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  Speaker 3: others know about it. So many are joining us. In fact,
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  Speaker 3: millions of people have downloaded the Bible in a year.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you.