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The Book of Acts Like You_ve Never Seen Before · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: Everything was about to change. The disciples had walked with
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  Speaker 1: Jesus for three years, watched him die, and witnessed his resurrection,
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  Speaker 1: But now something bigger was coming. The small group of
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  Speaker 1: followers was about to become something the world had never
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  Speaker 1: seen before, a movement that would spread across nations and
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  Speaker 1: change history forever. This is the story of how it
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  Speaker 1: all began in the busy streets of Jerusalem, where ordinary
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  Speaker 1: people became extraordinary through the power of God. After his resurrection,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus spent forty days with his disciples, teaching them about
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  Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God and preparing them for what was
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  Speaker 1: coming next. In the first chapter of Acts, we see
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  Speaker 1: Jesus gathering his followers one last time. The disciples were
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  Speaker 1: curious about when Jesus would restore the kingdom to Israel,
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  Speaker 1: but Jesus had something different in mind. As recorded in
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  Speaker 1: Acts one four to five, Jesus told them, do not
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  Speaker 1: leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised,
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  Speaker 1: which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized
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  Speaker 1: with water, but in a few days you will be
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  Speaker 1: baptized with the Holy Spirit. The disciples didn't fully understand
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  Speaker 1: what this meant, but they trusted Jesus enough to wait.
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  Speaker 1: Then came the moment that would change everything. Acts one
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  Speaker 1: nine to eleven tells us what happened next. After he
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  Speaker 1: said this, he was taken up before their very eyes,
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  Speaker 1: and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were
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  Speaker 1: looking intently up into the sky as he was going,
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  Speaker 1: when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them,
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  Speaker 1: men of Galilee. They said, why do you stand here
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  Speaker 1: looking into the sky. This same Jesus who has been
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  Speaker 1: taken from you into heaven will come back in the
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  Speaker 1: same way you have seen him go into heaven. The
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  Speaker 1: disciples stood there, probably feeling confused and maybe a little scared.
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  Speaker 1: Their leader was gone, taken up into the clouds, but
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  Speaker 1: they had his promise. Something powerful was coming and they
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  Speaker 1: needed to wait in Jerusalem for it. They returned to
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  Speaker 1: the city with mixed emotions, not knowing exactly what to expect,
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  Speaker 1: but holding on to jesus words about the gift that
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  Speaker 1: was coming back. In Jerusalem, the disciples gathered in an
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  Speaker 1: upper room to pray and wait. There were about one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and twenty believers there, including Jesus's mother, Mary and
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  Speaker 1: his brothers. But there was a problem. They were missing
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  Speaker 1: one of the twelve apostles. Judas had betrayed Jesus and
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  Speaker 1: then killed himself, leaving only eleven of the original twelve.
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  Speaker 1: Peter stood up among the group and addressed this issue
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  Speaker 1: in Acts one sixteen to seventeen. He said, brothers and sisters,
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  Speaker 1: the scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Spirit spoke long ago through David, concerning Judas, who served
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  Speaker 1: as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one
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  Speaker 1: of our number and shared in our ministry. Peter knew
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  Speaker 1: that the group of twelve needed to be complete for
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  Speaker 1: what was coming. Peter continued in Acts one twenty quoting
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  Speaker 1: from the Psalms. For it is written in the Book
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  Speaker 1: of Psalms, may his place be deserted, let there be
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  Speaker 1: no one to dwell in it, and may another take
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  Speaker 1: his place of leadership. The scriptures themselves pointed to the
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  Speaker 1: need for a replacement. They decided to choose someone who
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  Speaker 1: had been with them from the beginning, someone who had
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  Speaker 1: seen Jesus entire ministry and witnessed his resurrection. Acts one
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  Speaker 1: twenty one twenty two shows their criteria. Therefore, it is
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  Speaker 1: necessary to choose one of the men who have been
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  Speaker 1: with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living
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  Speaker 1: among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when
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  Speaker 1: Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these
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  Speaker 1: must become a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts
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  Speaker 1: one twenty three twenty four shows us how they made
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  Speaker 1: this important decision. So they nominated two men Joseph called Barsabas,
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  Speaker 1: also known as Eustace and Mattias. Then they prayed, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: you know every one's heart. Show us which of these
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  Speaker 1: two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry,
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  Speaker 1: which Judas left to go where he belongs. They cast lots,
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  Speaker 1: which was a common way of making decisions in those days,
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  Speaker 1: trusting that God would guide the outcome. Acts one twenty
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  Speaker 1: six tells us the result. Then they cast lots, and
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  Speaker 1: the lot fell to Matthias, so he was added to
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  Speaker 1: the eleven apostles. Now they were twelve again, complete and
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  Speaker 1: ready for whatever God had planned. Fifty days after Passover
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  Speaker 1: came the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Jerusalem was packed with
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  Speaker 1: visitors from all over the Roman Empire who had come
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  Speaker 1: to celebrate. The disciples were all together in one place,
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  Speaker 1: probably still in that upper room when something incredible happened.
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  Speaker 1: Acts two one A four describes this moment when the
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  Speaker 1: day of Pentecost came. They were all together in one place.
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  Speaker 1: Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind
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  Speaker 1: came from heaven and filled the whole house where they
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  Speaker 1: were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of
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  Speaker 1: fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
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  Speaker 1: All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
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  Speaker 1: began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them.
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  Speaker 1: Imagine the scene, a sound like rushing wind filling the house,
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  Speaker 1: flames of fire appearing above each person's head, and then
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  Speaker 1: these simple fishermen and ordinary people began speaking in languages
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  Speaker 1: they had never learned. The noise was so loud that
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  Speaker 1: people from all over the city came running to see
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  Speaker 1: what was happening. Acts two five D eight tells us
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  Speaker 1: about the crowd's reaction. Now there were staying in Jerusalem,
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  Speaker 1: god fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they
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  Speaker 1: heard this sound, A crowd came together in bewilderment because
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  Speaker 1: each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly Amazed,
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  Speaker 1: they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans, then
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  Speaker 1: how is it that each of us hears them in
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  Speaker 1: our native language? The miracle was incredible. Acts two nine
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  Speaker 1: eleven lists the places these people came from. Parthians, Medes
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  Speaker 1: and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
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  Speaker 1: Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya near Syene.
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  Speaker 1: Visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans
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  Speaker 1: and Arabs. We hear them declaring the wonders of God
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  Speaker 1: in our own tongues. People from all across the known
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  Speaker 1: world were hearing the disciples speak in their own languages
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  Speaker 1: about the wonderful works of God. Some were amazed, but
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  Speaker 1: others mocked, saying in Acts two thirteen, they have had
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  Speaker 1: too much wine. This was the moment Jesus had promised
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit had come with power. When people started
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  Speaker 1: saying the Disciples were drunk, Peter knew he had to
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  Speaker 1: explain what was really happening. This was the same Peter
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  Speaker 1: who had denied Jesus three times just weeks before, but
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  Speaker 1: now he was filled with the Holy Spirit and ready
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  Speaker 1: to speak boldly, Peter stood up with the other eleven
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  Speaker 1: apostles and raised his voice to address the crowd. In
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  Speaker 1: Acts two fourteen to sixteen, he began, fellow Jews, and
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  Speaker 1: all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain
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  Speaker 1: this to you. Listen carefully to what I say. These
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  Speaker 1: people are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine
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  Speaker 1: in the morning. No, this is what was spoken by
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  Speaker 1: the prophet Joel. He then quoted Joel two twenty eight
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  Speaker 1: thirty two about God pouring out his spirit in the
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  Speaker 1: last days. But Peter didn't stop there. He went on
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  Speaker 1: to tell them about Jesus. In Acts two twenty two
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  Speaker 1: twenty four, he said, Hello, Israelites, listen to this. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you
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  Speaker 1: by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you
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  Speaker 1: through him. As you yourselves know, this man was handed
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  Speaker 1: over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge. And you,
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  Speaker 1: with the help of wicked men, put him to death
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  Speaker 1: by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him
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  Speaker 1: from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death,
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  Speaker 1: because it was impossible for death to keep its hold
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  Speaker 1: on him. Peter supported his message with scripture, quoting Psalm
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  Speaker 1: sixteen about God not letting his holy ones see decay.
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  Speaker 1: Then he made his main point in Acts two thirty
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  Speaker 1: two to thirty six. God has raised this Jesus to life,
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  Speaker 1: and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the
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  Speaker 1: right hand of God. He has received from the Father
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  Speaker 1: the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you
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  Speaker 1: now see and hear. For David did not ascend to
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  Speaker 1: hell heaven, and yet he said, the Lord said to
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  Speaker 1: my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make
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  Speaker 1: your enemies a footstool for your feet. Therefore, let all
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  Speaker 1: Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus
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  Speaker 1: whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah. Peter's words cut
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  Speaker 1: straight to their hearts. Acts two thirty seven shows their reaction.
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  Speaker 1: When the people heard this, they were cut to the
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  Speaker 1: heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, brothers,
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  Speaker 1: what shall we do. Peter's answer was simple and direct.
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  Speaker 1: Acts two thirty eight thirty nine records his response, repent
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  Speaker 1: and be baptized every one of you in the name
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  Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins and
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  Speaker 1: you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The
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  Speaker 1: promise is for you and your children, and for all
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  Speaker 1: who are far off, for all whom the Lord our
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  Speaker 1: God will call. The result was amazing. Acts two forty
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  Speaker 1: one tells us that those who accepted his message were baptized,
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  Speaker 1: and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
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  Speaker 1: In one day, the small group of one hundred and
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  Speaker 1: twenty believers became over three thousand. The church was born.
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  Speaker 1: What happened next was beautiful. These new believers didn't just
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  Speaker 1: go back to their normal lives. They formed a completely
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  Speaker 1: new kind of community. Acts two forty two describes what
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  Speaker 1: they did. They devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching and
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  Speaker 1: to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
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  Speaker 1: This wasn't just a once a week meeting. Acts two
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  Speaker 1: forty six. Forty seven shows us how they lived every day.
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  Speaker 1: They continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
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  Speaker 1: broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad
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  Speaker 1: and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of
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  Speaker 1: all the people. And the Lord added to their number
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  Speaker 1: daily those who were being saved. But there was something
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  Speaker 1: even more remarkable about this community. Acts two forty five
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  Speaker 1: tells us all the believers were together and had everything
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  Speaker 1: in common. They sold property and possessions to give to
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  Speaker 1: anyone who had need. Nobody was forced to do this.
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  Speaker 1: They did it because they loved each other and wanted
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  Speaker 1: to make sure everyone had what they needed. Acts two
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  Speaker 1: forty three also mentions that everyone was filled with awe
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  Speaker 1: at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
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  Speaker 1: Miracles were happening regularly, and people could see that God
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  Speaker 1: was truly at work among these believers. The early Church
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  Speaker 1: wasn't perfect, but it was powerful. They shared their lives,
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  Speaker 1: their meals, their resources, and their joy. People in Jerusalem
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  Speaker 1: could see the difference, and many were drawn to join them.
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  Speaker 1: Every day more people were being saved and added to
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  Speaker 1: their community. This was something completely new in the world,
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  Speaker 1: a group of people people united not by race or
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  Speaker 1: social status, but by their faith in Jesus Christ. One afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: Peter and John were going up to the temple for
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  Speaker 1: the three o'clock prayer service. At the temple gate called Beautiful,
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  Speaker 1: they encountered a man who had been lame from birth.
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  Speaker 1: Every day people carried this man to this spot so
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  Speaker 1: he could beg for money from those entering the temple.
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  Speaker 1: Acts three three five describes what happened when he saw
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  Speaker 1: Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
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  Speaker 1: Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said,
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  Speaker 1: look at us. So the man gave them his attention,
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  Speaker 1: expecting to get something from them. The man expected money,
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  Speaker 1: but he was about to receive something far better. Acts
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  Speaker 1: three six to seven continues, Then Peter said, silver or
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  Speaker 1: gold I do not have. But what I do have,
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  Speaker 1: I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
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  Speaker 1: W walk Taking him by the right hand, he helped
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  Speaker 1: him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.
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  Speaker 1: The healing was immediate and complete. Acts three eight tells
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  Speaker 1: us he jumped to his feet and began to walk.
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  Speaker 1: Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking
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  Speaker 1: and jumping and praising God. This man, who had never
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  Speaker 1: walked in his life, was now leaping round the temple,
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  Speaker 1: unable to contain his joy. Everyone who saw him was
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  Speaker 1: absolutely amazed. Acts three nine to ten says when all
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  Speaker 1: the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized
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  Speaker 1: him as the same man who used to sit begging
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  Speaker 1: at the temple gate called beautiful, and they were filled
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  Speaker 1: with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
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  Speaker 1: They healed man clung to Peter and John, and a
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  Speaker 1: crowd quickly gathered around them. In Solomon's Colonnade. Acts three
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  Speaker 1: eleven tells us, while the man held on to Peter
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  Speaker 1: and John, all the people were astonished and came running
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  Speaker 1: to them. In the place called Solomon's Colonnade. The people
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  Speaker 1: were astonished and couldn't understand how this miracle had happened.
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  Speaker 1: This was the perfect opportunity for Peter to speak again.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing the amazed crowd, Peter seized the moment to tell
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  Speaker 1: them about Jesus again, but this time he started by
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  Speaker 1: making sure they understood that he and John hadn't healed
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  Speaker 1: the man through their own power. Acts three twelve thirteen
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  Speaker 1: records how Peter began, fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you?
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  Speaker 1: Why do you stare at us as if by our
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  Speaker 1: own power or godliness we had made this man walk.
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  Speaker 1: The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of
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  Speaker 1: our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus you handed him
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  Speaker 1: over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilot,
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  Speaker 1: though he had decided to let him go. Peter didn't
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  Speaker 1: hold back. He told them exactly what they had done
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  Speaker 1: to Jesus. Acts three fourteen to fifteen continue news, you
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  Speaker 1: disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a
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  Speaker 1: murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life,
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  Speaker 1: but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses
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  Speaker 1: of this. Then Peter explained how the healing had happened.
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  Speaker 1: In Acts three sixteen. He said, by faith in the
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  Speaker 1: name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know,
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  Speaker 1: was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith
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  Speaker 1: that comes through him that has completely healed him, as
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  Speaker 1: you can all see. But Peter didn't just accuse them.
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  Speaker 1: He offered them hope. Acts three seventeen to eighteen shows
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  Speaker 1: his compassion. Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted
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  Speaker 1: in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how
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  Speaker 1: God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets
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  Speaker 1: saying that his Messiah would suffer. Then came the invitation.
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  Speaker 1: Acts three nineteen twenty shows his heart. Repent then and
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  Speaker 1: turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,
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  Speaker 1: that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and
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  Speaker 1: that he may send the messiah who has been appointed
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  Speaker 1: for you, even Jesus. Peter also explained that what was
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  Speaker 1: happening had been predicted by the prophets. In Acts three
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  Speaker 1: twenty two to twenty three, he quoted Moses, for Moses said,
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  Speaker 1: the Lord your God will raise up for you a
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  Speaker 1: prophet like me from among your own people. You must
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  Speaker 1: listen to everything he tells you. Any One who does
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  Speaker 1: not listen to him will be completely cut off from
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  Speaker 1: their people. The message was clear. Jesus was the fulfillment
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  Speaker 1: of everything God had promised through the prophets from the
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  Speaker 1: very beginning. While Peter was still speaking to the crowd,
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  Speaker 1: trouble arrived. Acts four one too tells us the priests
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  Speaker 1: and the captain of the temple, God and the Sadducees
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  Speaker 1: came up to them while they were speaking to the people.
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  Speaker 1: They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the
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  Speaker 1: people proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. The
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  Speaker 1: religious leaders were upset for several reasons. First, Peter and
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  Speaker 1: John were teaching without their permission. Second, they were preaching
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  Speaker 1: about Jesus, whom these same leaders had helped crucify. And
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  Speaker 1: third they were teaching about resurrection from the dead, which
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  Speaker 1: the Sadducees didn't believe. In Acts four to three shows
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  Speaker 1: what happened next. They seized Peter and John, and because
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  Speaker 1: it was evening, they put them in jail until the
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  Speaker 1: next day. The first persecution of the church had begun,
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  Speaker 1: but even being arrested couldn't stop what God was doing.
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  Speaker 1: Acts four to four gives us an important detail, but
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  Speaker 1: many who heard the message believed, so the number of
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  Speaker 1: men who believed grew to about five thousand. Even with
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  Speaker 1: their leaders in jail, the church kept growing. The word
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  Speaker 1: of God was spreading and nothing could stop it. The
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  Speaker 1: next day, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin,
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  Speaker 1: the same group that had condemned Jesus. Acts four five
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  Speaker 1: to seven describes the scene. The next day, the rulers,
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  Speaker 1: the elders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 1: Annas the High Priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
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  Speaker 1: and others of the High Priest's family. They had Peter
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  Speaker 1: and John brought before them and began to question them,
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  Speaker 1: by what power or what name did you do this?
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  Speaker 1: This was Peter's moment. The same man who had denied
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  Speaker 1: Jesus three times was now standing before the most powerful
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  Speaker 1: religious court in Israel. But this time was different. Peter
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  Speaker 1: was filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to speak
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  Speaker 1: the truth. Acts four eight to twelve records his bold response. Then, Peter,
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  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rules and
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  Speaker 1: elders of the people, if we are being called to
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  Speaker 1: account to day for an act of kindness shown to
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  Speaker 1: a man who was lame, and are being asked how
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  Speaker 1: he was healed, then know this you and all the
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  Speaker 1: people of Israel. It is by the name of Jesus
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  Speaker 1: Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised
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  Speaker 1: from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is the stone you build as rejected, which has
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  Speaker 1: become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else,
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  Speaker 1: for there is no other name under Heaven given to
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  Speaker 1: mankind by which we must be saved. The religious leaders
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  Speaker 1: were amazed at Peter's boldness, especially since they knew he
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  Speaker 1: was an ordinary fisherman without formal religious training. But they
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  Speaker 1: couldn't deny the miracle. The healed man was standing right
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  Speaker 1: there with them. The early church was experiencing incredible growth
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  Speaker 1: and unity. People were shared, wearing everything they had, and
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  Speaker 1: the love between believers was something the world had never
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  Speaker 1: seen before. But this beautiful picture was about to be
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  Speaker 1: disrupted by a tragic event that would show everyone just
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  Speaker 1: how seriously God took the purity of his church. A
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  Speaker 1: man named Anonius and his wife Sapphira owned some property.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing how others were selling their possessions to help the community,
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  Speaker 1: they decided to sell their land too, But instead of
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  Speaker 1: giving all the money to the apostles like others had done,
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  Speaker 1: they kept some for themselves, which wouldn't have been wrong
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  Speaker 1: if they had been honest about it. The problem was
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  Speaker 1: that they lied about it, pretending they were giving everything
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: when they weren't. Acts five one two tells us what
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: happened now. A man named Anonius, together with his wife Saffira,
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: also sold a piece of property with his wife's full knowledge.
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: He kept back part of the money for himself, but
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: They wanted to look generous and spiritual like the others,
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: but They also wanted to keep some money for themselves.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: When Anonius brought the money to Peter, something amazing happened. Peter,
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: filled with the Holy Spirit, knew exactly what Anonius had done.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: Acts five three four records Peter's confrontation. Then, Peter said, Anonius,
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: how is it that Satan has so filled your heart
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: kept for yourself some of the money you received for
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: the land. Didn't it belong to you before it was sold?
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: What made you think of doing such a thing. You
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: have not lied just to human beings, but to God.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Peter made it clear that Anonius didn't have to sell
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: the land, and even after selling it, he could have
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: kept whatever amount he wanted. The sin wasn't in keeping
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: the money, It was in lying about it. He was
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: trying to deceive the Holy Spirit himself. The consequences were
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: immediate and shocking. Acts five five to six tells us
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: when Anonaius heard this, he fell down and died, and
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: some young men came forward, wrapped up his body and
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: carried him out and buried him. Anonaeus died instantly, right
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: there in front of everyone. About three hours later, Sapphira
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: came in, not knowing what had happened to her husband.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Peter decided to give her a chance to tell the truth.
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: Acts five seven eight shows this moment. About three hours later,
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: asked her, tell me, is this the price you and
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: Anonius got for the land? Yes? She said, that is
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: the price. Safhira had the opportunity to be honest, but
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: she chose to continue the lie. Peter's response was swift
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: and sobering. Acts five nine ten records what happened. Peter
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: said to her, how could you conspire to test the
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: spirit of the Lord? Listen, the feet of the men
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: who buried your husband are at the door, and they
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: will carry you out. Also at that moment, she fell
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: down at his feet and died. Then the young men
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: came in, and, finding her dead, carried her out and
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: buried her beside her husband. The impact on the church
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: was profound. Acts five eleven tells us great fear seized
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: the whole church and all who heard about these events
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: This wasn't the kind of fear that destroys, but the
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: kind of reverent fear that brings wisdom and purity. Everyone
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: understood that God was holy and that lying to him
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: had serious consequences. Despite the sobering incident with Anonius and Sapphira,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: God continued to work powerfully through the Apostles. The fear
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: that had come upon the church didn't stop the miracles.
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: It actually seemed to make them more powerful and meaningful.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Acts five twelve gives us a summary of what was happening.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: The Apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people,
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: and all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade,
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: the same place where Peter had preached after healing the
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: Lame Man, became a regular meeting place for the growing church.
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: The respect people had for the Apostles was incredible. Acts
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: five thirteen tells us no one else dared join them,
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: even though they were highly regarded by the people. People
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: recognized that something holy and powerful was happening with these believers,
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: and they didn't dare to pretend to be part of
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: it unless they were genuinely committed. But this respect didn't
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: stop people from wanting to be healed. Acts five fourteen
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: sixteen describes the amazing scenes that were taking place. Nevertheless,
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: more and more men and women believed in the Lord
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: and were added to their number. As a result, people
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: brought the sick into the streets and laid them on
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: beds and mats, so that at least Peter's shadow might
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: were healed. Can you imagine this scene. People were so
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: desperate for healing that they would lay sick family members
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: and friends in the streets, hoping that even Peter's shadow
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: would bring healing as he walked by. And the incredible
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: thing is that it worked. Everyone who came was healed,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: not just some of them, but all of them. The
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: power of God was so strong through the apostles that
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: even Peter's shadow could heal people. This wasn't because Peter
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: himself was special, but because the Holy Spirit was working
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: through him in such a powerful way. People were coming
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: from towns all around Jerusalem bringing the sick and demon possessed,
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: and none of them went home disappointed. Word about these
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: miracles spread quickly throughout the region. The church was growing rapidly,
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: and the religious leaders were becoming more and more concerned
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: about what was happening. The very people they had tried
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: to stop were now performing miracles that no one could deny.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: The religious leaders had had enough. The apostles were becoming
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: more popular than ever, and their message about Jesus was
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: spreading throughout Jerusalem and beyond. The same Sadducees who had
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: arrested Peter and John before decided I did it was
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: time to take more drastic action. Acts five seventeen eighteen
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: tells us what happened. Then. The High Priest and all
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: his associates who were members of the party of the Sadducees,
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: them in the public jail. This time it wasn't just
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: Peter and John. They arrested all the apostles. The religious
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: leaders thought that by locking them all up they could
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: finally stop this movement, but they had forgotten something important.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: The same God who had raised Jesus from the dead
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: was still at work that night, something incredible happened. Acts five,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: nineteen twenty describes the miraculous rescue. But during the night,
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: jail and brought them out. Go stand in the temple courts,
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: he said, and tell the people all about this new life.
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: Of the Lord came and opened the jail doors. Not
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: only did he free the apostles, but he gave them
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: specific instructions about what to do next. They weren't supposed
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: to hide or run away. They were supposed to go
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: right back to the temple and keep preaching about Jesus.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: The apostles obeyed immediately. Acts five twenty one tells us
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: at daybreak, they entered the temple courts as they had
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: been told and began to teach the people. When the
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: High Priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin,
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: the full assembly of the elders of Israel, and sent
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: to the jail for the apostles. Picture this scene. While
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: the religious leaders were gathering for their important meeting to
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: deal with the apostle problem, the apostles were already back
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: in the temple teaching the people. The very men they
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: thought they had safely locked away, were free and preaching again.
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: The confusion that followed was almost comical. Acts five twenty
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: two twenty four describes what happened when the guards went
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: to get the prisoners, but on arriving at the jail,
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: the officers did not find them there. So they went
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: back and reported, we found the jail securely locked, with
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them,
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: we found no one inside. On hearing this report, the
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. The
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: jail was still locked, the guards were still at their posts,
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: but the prisoners were gone. No one could explain how
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: it had happened. The religious leaders were confused and probably
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: a little scared. If these men could escape from a
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: locked jail, what else might they be able to do.
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: Then someone came with news that made everything even more confusing.
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: Acts five twenty five tells us then someone came and said, look,
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: the men you put in jail are standing in the
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: temple courts teaching the people. The escaped prisoners weren't hiding.
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: They were right back where they had been arrested, doing
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: exactly what they had been told not to do. As
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: the church continued to grow rapidly, new challenges began to emerge.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: With thousands of believers now part of the community, organizing
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: daily life became more complicated. The apostles were trying to
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: handle everything, preaching, teaching, healing, and making sure everyone's needs
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: were met, but they were getting overwhelmed. A particular problem
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: arose that needed immediate attention. Acts six point one describes
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: the issue. In those days when the number of disciples
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: daily distribution of food. The Greek speaking Jewish believers felt
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: that their widows weren't getting fair treatment compared to the
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: Hebrew speaking Jewish widows. This was a serious problem that
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: could have divided the church. The apostles knew they needed
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: to address it quickly, but they also recognized that they
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: couldn't do everything themselves. Acts six two to four shows
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: their solution. So the twelve gathered all the disciples together
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: and said it would not be right for us to
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: to wait on tables, brothers and sisters, choose seven men
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: from among you who are known to be full of
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: to them and will give our attention to prayer and
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: the ministry of the Word. This was a wise decision.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: The apostles recognized that both preaching the eye Word and
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: caring for people's physical needs were important, but they needed
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: to focus on what God had specifically called them to do.
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: They asked the community to choose seven men who were
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: full of them, the Holy Spirit and wisdom to handle
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: the food distribution. The church like this idea Acts six
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: per five to six tells us what happened next. This
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, also Philip
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: Procorus nicanor Timon Parmenas, and Nicholas from Antioch, a convert
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: prayed and laid their hands on them. It's interesting to
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: note that all seven men chosen had Greek names, which
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: suggests they were from the group that had been complaining.
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: This showed the wisdom and fairness of the apostles, they
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: made sure the Greek speaking believers felt heard and represented.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: The result was exactly what they had hoped for. Acts
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: six seven describes the outcome. So the word of God spread.
• 32:58
  Speaker 1: The number of disciples in Jeruusualem increased rapidly, and a
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: large number of priests became obedient to the faith. When
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: the apostles were freed up to focus on preaching and
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: the practical needs were being met, the church grew even faster.
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: Even some of the priests, the very people who had
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: been opposing them, began to believe in Jesus. This was
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: an important moment in the early Church because it established
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: the principle that different people have different gifts and callings.
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: Not everyone needed to do everything, but everyone could contribute
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: their unique abilities to help the church grow and thrive.
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: Among the seven men chosen to serve tables, one stood
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: out in a remarkable way. Stephen wasn't content to just
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: distribute food. He began to perform incredible miracles and preach
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: with amazing power. Act six eight tells us now Stephen,
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: a man full of God's grace and power, performed great
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: wonders and signs among the people. Stephen had been chosen
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: to wait on tables, but God had bigger plans for him.
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: He was full of grace and power, and the miracles
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: he performed were undeniable. People through our Jerusalem began to
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: hear about this man who had started as a food server,
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: but was now doing the same kinds of miracles as
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: the apostles. But with great power came great opposition. Acts
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: six nine of ten describes what happened. Opposition arose, however,
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, as it
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: was called, Jews of Syrene and Alexandria, as well as
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: the provinces of Cilicia and Asia, who began to argue
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: with Stephen, But they could not stand up against the
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. These were educated,
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: experienced religious leaders from different parts of the Roman Empire.
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: They thought they could outsmart this simple deacon, but they
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: were wrong. When Stephen spoke, he was filled with the
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit and his wisdom was beyond anything they had encountered.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: They couldn't win the arguments, so they decided to try
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: a different approach. Acts six eleven fourteen shows us their
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: dirty tactics. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say,
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: we have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: against God. So they stirred up the people and the
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: who testified, this fellow never stop speaking against this holy
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: place and against the law, for we have heard him
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place
• 35:49
  Speaker 1: and change the customs Moses handed down to us. When
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: they couldn't defeat Stephen in honest debate, they resorted to
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: lies and false accusations. They bribed people to lie about
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: what Stephen had said, claiming he had spoken against Moses
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: and God. This was a serious charge that could result
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: in death by stoning. But even in this dangerous situation,
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: God's presence was evident. Acts six point fifteen gives us
• 36:18
  Speaker 1: an amazing detail. All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: was like the face of an angel. Even his enemies
• 36:29
  Speaker 1: could see that there was something different about Stephen. His
• 36:32
  Speaker 1: face glowed with the presence of God, just like Moses's
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: face had glowed when he came down from Mount Sinai.
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: Stephen was about to give the longest speech recorded in
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: the Book of Acts, and it would be his last.
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: But before he spoke, everyone in that room could see
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: that he was a man filled with the Holy Spirit.
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: Standing before the same court that had condemned Jesus was
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: given a chance to defend himself against the false charges.
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: But instead of just defending himself, Stephen used this opportunity
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: to preach the most comprehensive sermon about God's relationship with
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: Israel that we find in the New Testament. The High
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: Priest asked him in Act seven, one, are these charges true?
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: What followed was an incredible journey through Israel's history, starting
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: with Abraham and going all the way to their current situation.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: Stephen wasn't just defending himself. He was showing them how
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: they had consistently rejected God's messengers throughout history. Stephen began
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: with Abraham in Act seven two to three. Brothers and fathers,
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: listened to me. The God of Glory appeared to our
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he
• 37:53
  Speaker 1: lived in Harn. Leave your country and your people, God said,
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: and go to the land I will show you. He
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: then traced God's dealings with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph,
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: showing how God had always been faithful even when his
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: people faced difficulties. He talked about Moses and how the
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: Israelites had rejected him initially, just like they were now
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: rejecting Jesus. Acts seven thirty five makes this connection clear.
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: This is the same Moses they had rejected with the
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: words who made you ruler and judge? He was sent
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself through
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. Stephen
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: also talked about the Tabernacle and Solomon's temple, but he
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: made a crucial point in Acts seven forty eight fifty However,
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: the Most High does not live in houses made by
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: human hands, As the prophet says, heaven is my throne
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: will you build for me, says the Lord? Or where
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: will my resting place be? Has not my hand made
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: all these things? Then Stephen got to his main point.
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: He looked directly at his accusers and said in Acts
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: seven fifty one fifty three, you stiff necked people. Your
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: your ancestors. You always resist the Holy Spirit. Was there
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: ever a prophet? Your ancestors did not persecute, They even
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One.
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: And now you have betrayed and murdered him, You who
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: have received the law that was given through angels, but
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: have not obeyed it. Stephen wasn't pulling any punches. He
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: told them directly that they were just like their ancestors,
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: who had always rejected God's messengers, and now they had
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: killed the ultimate messenger, Jesus himself. The reaction was explosive.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: Acts seven fifty four tells us when the members of
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: teeth at him. They were absolutely enraged by Stephen's words.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: But Stephen wasn't looking at them any more. Acts seven
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: fifty five to fifty six describes what Stephen saw. But Stephen,
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open,
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: and the Son of Man standing at the right hand
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: of God. In his final moments, Stephen received a vision
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: of Jesus in heaven standing to welcome his faithful servant home.
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: This was too much for the religious leaders. Acts seven
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: fifty seven to fifty eight shows their violent response at this.
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: They covered their ears and yelling at the top of
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: their voices. They all rushed at him, dragged him out
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: of the city, and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: man named Saul. Here we see the introduction of a
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: young man named Saul, who would later become the Apostle.
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: He wasn't throwing stones, but he was in charge of
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: the execution, watching over the coats of those who were
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: Even as he was dying, Stephen showed the same spirit
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: as Jesus. Act seven fifty nine sixty records his final words.
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: While they were stoning him. Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out, Lord,
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: do not hold this sin against them. When he had
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: said this, he fell asleep. Stephen died praying for forgiveness
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: for his killers, just as Jesus had done on the Cross.
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: Stephen's death marked a turning point for the early Church.
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: Up until this time, the persecution had been relatively limited
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: to the Apostles, but Stephen's martyrdom unleashed something much more
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: widespread and violent. Acts eight one tells us what happened immediately,
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: and Saul approved of their killing him. On that day,
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem,
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: and all except the Apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: The same Saul who had watched over the coats during
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: stephen stoning now led a systematic campaign to destroy the church.
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: Acts eight two three describes the scope of this persecution.
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him, but
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house,
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: he dragged off both men and women and put them
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: in prison. This wasn't random violence, It was an organized
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: effort to completely eliminate the Christian movement. Saul was thorough
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: and ruthless. He went from house to house searching for believers.
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: He didn't just arrest the men, he dragged away women too.
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: Families were torn apart, and the church in Jerusalem was decimated.
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: The believers who had lived together in such beautiful community
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: now fleeing for their lives. But God had a purpose
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: in this persecution. Acts eight four reveals the unexpected result.
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went.
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: The persecution that was meant to destroy the church actually
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: spread it far beyond Jerusalem. The believers didn't just run
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: and hide. They kept preaching about Jesus wherever they ended up.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: This was exactly what Jesus had told them would happen
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: in Acts one eight. He had said they would be
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: of the earth. The persecution forced them to move beyond
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, fulfilling jesus prediction. The irony
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: was incredible. Saul thought he was destroying Christianity, but he
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: was actually helping it spread faster than it ever had before.
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: Every believer who fled Jerusalem became a missionary, carrying the
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: Gospel to new places and new people. One of the
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: believers who was scattered by the persecution was Philip, one
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: of the seven deacons who had been chosen to serve tables.
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: But like Stephen. Philip's ministry went far beyond food distribution.
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: When he fled Jerusalem, he went to Samaria and began
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: preaching there. This was significant because Jews and Samaritans had
• 44:28
  Speaker 1: hated each other for centuries. Most Jews wouldn't even travel
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: through Samaria if they could help it, But Philip went
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: there and began telling the Samaritans about Jesus. Acts eight
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: five to six tells us what happened. Philip went down
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.
• 44:48
  Speaker 1: When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed,
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: they all paid close attention to what he said. The
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: Samaritans were amazed by Philip's message and the mirror he performed.
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: Acts eight seven to eight describes the incredible results, for
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: great joy in that city. Not only were people believing
• 45:18
  Speaker 1: in Jesus, but they were being freed from demons and
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: healed of physical ailments. The whole city was filled with joy.
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: Even a man named Simon, who had been practicing sorcery
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: and amazing people with his magic, believed and was baptized.
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: Acts eight thirteen tells us Simon himself believed and was baptized,
• 45:39
  Speaker 1: and he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs
• 45:43
  Speaker 1: and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: about what was happening in Samaria, they sent Peter and
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: John to investigate. Acts eight fourteen to seventeen describes their visit.
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Sir Mer had
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them.
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: They had simply been baptized in the name of the
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: and they received the Holy Spirit. This was a crucial
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: moment because it showed that the Gospel was truly for everyone,
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: not just Jews. The same Holy Spirit that had come
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: to the Jewish believers at Pentecost now came to the Samaritans.
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: After this success in Samaria, Philip received a very different
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: kind of assignment. Acts eight twenty six tells us. Now,
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: an angel of the Lord said to Philip go south
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: to the road, the desert road that goes down from
• 46:54
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip was told to leave the successful
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: revival in Samaria and go to a desert road. This
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: must have seemed strange, but Philip obeyed. Acts eight twenty seven.
• 47:07
  Speaker 1: Twenty eight describes who was on that road. So he
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch,
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: an important official in charge of all the treasury of
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: the Kandace, which means queen of the Ethiopians. This man
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home,
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: the Prophet. This Ethiopian was a high ranking government official
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: who had been to Jerusalem to worship. He was obviously
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: seeking God, and he was reading from the Prophet Isaiah.
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: As he traveled home. The Holy Spirit told Philip to
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: go near the chariot, and Philip heard the man reading aloud.
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: Acts eight thirty thirty one shows Philip's approach. Then Philip
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: Isaiah the Prophet. Do you understand stand what you are reading,
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: Philip asked, how can I He said, unless someone explains
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: it to me. So he invited Philip to come up
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: and sit with him. The Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: fifty three, the passage about the suffering servant. Ax eight
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: thirty two thirty three quotes what he was reading. He
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: not open his mouth in his humiliation. He was deprived
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: life was taken from the earth. The Ethiopian asked Philip
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: who the prophet was talking about, himself or someone else.
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: This gave Philip the perfect opportunity to explain the gospel.
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: Acx eight thirty five tells us. Then Philip began with
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: that very passage of scripture and told him the good
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: news about Jesus. The Ethiopian believed immediately and wanted to
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: be baptized. Acts eight thirty six thirty eight describes what happened.
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: As they traveled along the road. They came to some water,
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: and the eunuch said, look, here is water. What can
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: stand in the way of my being baptized? And he
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
• 49:17
  Speaker 1: After the baptism, something amazing happened. Acts eight thirty nine
• 49:22
  Speaker 1: forty tells us. When they came up out of the water,
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: the spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: the eunuch did not see him again, but went on
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at a Zotus and
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: traveled about preaching the Gospel in all the towns until
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: he reached Caesarea. Philip was supernaturally transported to another location,
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: and the Ethiopian went home to Africa, probably taking the
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: Gospel with him. Through persecution, God had scattered his people,
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: and now the Gospel was spreading to Samaria and even
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: to Africa through just one of bee Median deacon who
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: was willing to leave his successful ministry and go to
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: a desert road. Saul of Tarsus was the most feared
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: enemy of the early Church. He had watched Stephen's execution
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: with approval and then launched a violent campaign to destroy
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: every Christian he could find. He was intelligent, educated, and
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: absolutely convinced that he was serving God by persecuting these
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: followers of Jesus. But God had very different plans for
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: this young Pharisee. Acts nine one to two shows us
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: Saul's state of mind. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the
• 50:43
  Speaker 1: High Priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: in Damascus, so that if he found any there who
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Saul wasn't satisfied with
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: persecuting Christians in Jerusalem. He wanted to hunt them down
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: wherever they had fled. Damascus was about one hundred fifty
• 51:07
  Speaker 1: miles north of Jerusalem, and Saul had heard that many
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: Christians had escaped there. He got official letters from the
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: High Priest giving him authority to arrest any followers of
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: the Way, as Christianity was called and bring them back
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: to Jerusalem for trial. Saul was like a bounty hunter
• 51:28
  Speaker 1: tracking down believers with the full backing of the religious establishment.
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: The journey to Damascus took several days, and Saul was
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: probably planning his strategy the whole way. He had no
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: idea that he was about to have an encounter that
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: would completely change the direction of his life and the
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: history of the world. Acts nine three four describes what
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: happened as they approached Damascus. As he neared Damascus on
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
• 52:01
  Speaker 1: He fell to the ground and heard a voice say
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? A
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: brilliant light, brighter than the midday sun suddenly surrounded Saul
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: and knocked him to the ground. Then he heard a
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: voice speaking directly to him. Saul was confused and terrified.
• 52:24
  Speaker 1: Acts nine five to six records his response, who are you, Lord?
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: Saul asked, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. The
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: Lord replied, now get up and go into the city,
• 52:37
  Speaker 1: and you will be told what you must do. The
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: voice identified itself as Jesus, the very person Saul thought
• 52:46
  Speaker 1: was dead and whose followers he was trying to destroy.
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: This was the moment everything changed for Saul. He realized
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: that Jesus was alive, that he really was the Messiah,
• 52:58
  Speaker 1: and that by persecuting Christians he had actually been persecuting
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: Jesus himself. The man who had been so confident in
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: his mission was now face to face with the risen Christ.
• 53:10
  Speaker 1: The physical effects of this encounter were dramatic. Acts nine
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: seven to nine tells Us. The men traveling with Saul
• 53:17
  Speaker 1: stood there speechless. They heard the sound but did not
• 53:20
  Speaker 1: see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when
• 53:24
  Speaker 1: he opened his eyes he could see nothing, so they
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days,
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: he remained blind and did not eat or drink anything.
• 53:35
  Speaker 1: Saul's companions heard the sound but couldn't see what Saul
• 53:38
  Speaker 1: was seeing. They had to lead this proud, independent man
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: by the hand into the very city where he had
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: planned to arrest Christians. For three days, Saul sat in darkness,
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: fasting and praying, trying to process what had happened to him.
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: The persecutor had become the persecuted, and he knew his
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: life would never be the same aim. During those three
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: days of blindness, Saul had time to think about everything
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: he had done. He probably remembered Stephen's face shining like
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: an angel, and Stephen's prayer for forgiveness. Even as he
• 54:14
  Speaker 1: was being stoned, he might have thought about all the
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: families he had torn apart, the believers, he had imprisoned,
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: the fear he had caused throughout the church. The weight
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: of his actions must have been overwhelming. But God wasn't
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: finished with Saul yet. He had a plan to restore
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: this broken man and use him in ways that no
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: one could have imagined. While Saul was sitting in darkness,
• 54:40
  Speaker 1: God was preparing someone to help him. In Damascus lived
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: a disciple named Anonius, not the same Anonius who had
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: died for lying to the Holy Spirit, but a different
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: man with the same name. This Anonius was about to
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: receive one of the most challenging assignments anyone could imagine.
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: Acts nine ten twelve describes what happened in Damascus. There
• 55:08
  Speaker 1: was a disciple named Anonius. The Lord called to him
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: in a vision. Anonius, yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord
• 55:17
  Speaker 1: told him go to the house of Judas on Straight
• 55:20
  Speaker 1: Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: For he is praying in a vision he has seen
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: a man named Anonius come and place his hands on
• 55:30
  Speaker 1: him to restore his sight. God was asking Anonius to
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: go find the most dangerous enemy of the church and
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: help him. This must have seemed impossible. Anonius knew exactly
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: who Saul was and what he had come to Damascus
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: to do. Acts nine thirteen to fourteen shows Anonius's very
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: reasonable concerns. Lord Anonius answered, I have heard many reports
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: about this man and all the harm he has done
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: to your holy people in Jerusalem, and he has come
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: who call on your name. But God reassured Anonius and
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: revealed his amazing plan for Saul. Acts nine fifteen sixteen
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: records God's response, But the Lord said to Anonius, go,
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: this man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name
• 56:23
  Speaker 1: to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: of Israel. I will show him how much he must
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: suffer for my name. God had chosen Saul the persecutor
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: to become his messenger to the Gentiles. Anonius obeyed, even
• 56:39
  Speaker 1: though it must have been terrifying. Acts nine seventeen two
• 56:43
  Speaker 1: to eighteen tells us what happened when he found Saul.
• 56:47
  Speaker 1: Then Anonius went to the house and entered it, placing
• 56:50
  Speaker 1: his hands on Saul. He said, brother, Saul, the Lord
• 56:54
  Speaker 1: Jesus who appeared to you on the road. As you
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: came here, has sent me so that you may see
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: He got up and was baptized. Noticed that anoneus called
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: him brother Saul. This man who had been the Church's
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: greatest enemy was now welcomed as a brother. Saul's sight
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: was restored, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and
• 57:24
  Speaker 1: he was baptized. The transformation was complete. The persecutor had
• 57:29
  Speaker 1: become a believer. Acts nine nineteen to twenty shows us
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: what happened next, and after taking some food, he regained
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: At once he began to preach in the synagogues that
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: Jesus is the Son of God. Instead of arresting Christians,
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: Saul immediately began preaching about Jesus in the very synagogues
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: where he had planned to find believers to persecute. The
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: reaction action was exactly what you would expect. Acts nine
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: twenty one tells us all those who heard him were
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: astonished and asked, isn't he the man who raised Havoc
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem? Among those who call on this name, And
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners? To
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: the chief priests. People couldn't believe what they were hearing.
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: The man who had come to destroy the church was
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: now preaching for it. But Saul wasn't just making an
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: emotional decision. He was convinced by the truth. Acts nine
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: twenty two says. Yet Saul grew more and more powerful
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: Jesus is the Messiah. Saul used his extensive knowledge of
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: the Hebrew scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: The same intelligence and education that had made him a
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: dangerous persecutor now made him a powerful preacher. However, this
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: dramatic change made Saul many enemies. Acts nine twenty three
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: to twenty five describes what happened after many days had
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: gone by. There was a conspiracy among the Jews to
• 59:12
  Speaker 1: kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night.
• 59:16
  Speaker 1: They kept close watch on the city gates in order
• 59:19
  Speaker 1: to kill him, but his followers took him by night
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: and lowered him in a basket through an opening in
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: the wall. The Jewish leaders in Damascus were so angry
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: with Saul's conversion that they plotted to kill him. They
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: watched all the gates of the city so he couldn't escape,
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: but the believers helped him escape in the most undignified
• 59:40
  Speaker 1: way possible. They lowered him over the city wall in
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: a basket at night. The proud Pharisee, who had entered
• 59:47
  Speaker 1: Damascus with official letters now had to sneak out like
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: a fugitive. This was just the beginning of the sufferings
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: that God had told Anoneus that Saul would endure. The
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: man who had once been respected by the religious establishment
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: was now rejected by them. The man who had once
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: been feared by Christians was now protected by them. Everything
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 1: in Saul's life had been turned upside down. While Saul
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 1: was beginning his new life as a believer, Peter was
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: continuing his ministry throughout the region. The persecution that had
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 1: scattered the believers from Jerusalem had also spread the Gospel
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 1: to new areas, and Peter was traveling around to encourage
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: these new churches and see what God was doing. Acts
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 1: nine thirty two to thirty four tells us about an
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 1: incredible miracle that happened in the town of Lydda. As
• 1:00:43
  Speaker 1: Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: Lord's people who lived in Lydda. There he found a
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 1: man named Eneus who was paralyzed and had been bedridden
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 1: for eight years. Eneus, Peter said to him, Jesus Christ
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: heals you, get up and roll up your mat. Immediately,
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 1: Eneus got up. This miracle was similar to what Jesus
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: had done many times during his earthly ministry. Inaeus had
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: been paralyzed for eight years, completely helpless and dependent on others,
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: but when Peter spoke to him in the name of
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, he was instantly healed. Not only could he move,
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: but he had the strength to get up and roll
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: up his own mat. The impact of this miracle was
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: immediate and widespread. Ax nine thirty five tells us all
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 1: those who lived in Lidda and Charon saw him and
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: turned to the Lord. The healing of Eneus caused a
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: revival in the entire region. People who had heard about
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: Jesus but weren't sure if he was real now had
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 1: undeniable proof of his power. While Peter was still in Lidda,
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: he received an urgent message from the nearby town of Joppa.
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: Acts nine thirty six thirty seven explains what had happened
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: in Joppa. There was a disciple named Tabitha in Greek,
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: her name was Dorcas. She was always doing good and
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died,
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 1: and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: Dorcas was a beloved member of the church in Joppa.
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: She was known for her kindness and generosity, always helping
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: those in need. When she became sick and died, the
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 1: whole community was devastated. But they had heard about what
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 1: Peter had done in Lydda, and they wondered if maybe
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 1: he could help. Acts nine thirty eight thirty nine describes
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: their desperate plea. Lydda was near Jopper, So when the
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 1: men to him and urged him please come at once.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: Peter went with them, and when he arrived, he was
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 1: taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him,
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: crying and showing him the robes and other clothing the
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: Dorcas had made while she was still with them. The
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 1: widows showed Peter the clothes that Dorcas had made for them.
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: This wasn't just any woman who had died. This was
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 1: someone who had spent her life serving others. The robes
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: and clothing were evidence of her love and generosity. The
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 1: widows were weeping not just because they had lost a friend,
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: but because they had lost someone who had cared for
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: them when no one else would. Peter was moved by
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 1: their grief, but he also remembered what Jesus had done
• 1:03:34
  Speaker 1: when he raised people from the dead. Acts nine forty
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: forty two tells us what happened next. Peter sent them
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: all out of the room. Then he got down on
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 1: his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, Tabitha,
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: get up. She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: sat up. He took her by the hand and helped
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: her to her feet. Then he called for the believers,
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. This
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: became known all over Jopper, and many people believed in
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 1: the Lord. Peter followed the same pattern that Jesus had
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: used when he raised Jyrus's daughter from the dead. He
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 1: sent everyone out of the room, prayed, and then spoke
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: to the dead woman. When Dorcas opened her eyes and
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: sat up, Peter helped her to her feet and called
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: everyone back in to see that she was alive. The
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: news of this miracle spread throughout Jopper and beyond. People
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 1: who had never heard of Jesus now wanted to know
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: more about him. The resurrection of Dorcas was proof that
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 1: Jesus had power over death itself, and many people believed
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 1: because of it. Acts nine forty three tells us that
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: Peter stayed in Jopper for some time After this. Peter
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: stayed in Jopper for some time with a tanner named Simon.
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 1: This detail might seem unimportant, but it's actually signficant. Tanners
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 1: worked with dead animal skins, which made them ceremonially unclean.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: According to Jewish law, most religious Jews wouldn't even associate
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: with a tanner, let alone stay in his house. But
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: Peter was already beginning to learn that God's kingdom was
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: bigger than the Jewish ceremonial laws. While Peter was staying
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: with Simon the tanner in Joppa, God was preparing him
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 1: for the most important breakthrough in the early Church's history.
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: Up until this point, the Gospel had been preached primarily
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: to Jews and Samaritans, people who were at least connected
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: to the Jewish faith, but God wanted to show that
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 1: the Gospel was for everyone, including gentiles who had no
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 1: connection to Judaism at all. About thirty miles north of Joppa,
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: in the city of Caesarea, lived a Roman centurion named Cornelius.
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 1: Acts ten one to two describes him. At Caesarea, there
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: were devout and God fearing. He gave generously to those
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: in need and prayed to God regularly. Cornelius was not
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: a Jew, but he was what was called a God fearer,
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: a gentile who worshiped the God of Israel without fully
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: converting to Judaism. He was a good man who tried
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: to live according to God's laws, gave money to help
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 1: the poor, and prayed regularly. But according to Jewish thinking
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 1: at that time, he was still an outsider who couldn't
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 1: be fully accepted into God's people. One afternoon, Cornelius had
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: a vision that would change everything. Acts ten three to
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: six tells us what happened one day at about three
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 1: an angel of God who came to him and said Cornelius.
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord,
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: he asked. The Angel answered, your prayers and gifts to
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
• 1:07:07
  Speaker 1: Now send men to Jopper to bring back a man
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 1: named Simon, who is called Peter. He is staying with
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 1: Simon the Tanner, whose house is by the sea. God
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: had noticed Cornelius's prayers and generosity, and he was about
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: to answer them in a way that Cornelius never could
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 1: have imagined. The angel gave him very specific instructions, send
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 1: men to Jopper to find Peter, who was staying with
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: Simon the Tanner by the sea. Acts ten seven to
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: eight shows us Cornelius's immediate obedience. When the angel who
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 1: spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: He told them everything that had happened and sent them
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: to Jopper. Cornelius didn't hesitate or question what he had
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: been told. He sent three men on the thirty mile
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: journey to find Peter. The next day, while Cornelius's men
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 1: were traveling toward Jopper, Peter was having his own vision.
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: Acts ten nine two to ten sets the scene about
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: noon the following day, as they were on their journey
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 1: and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: to prey. He became hungry and wanted something to eat,
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: a trance. What happened next challenged everything Peter believed about
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: clean and unclean foods. Acts ten eleven two to fourteen
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 1: describes the vision he saw heaven opened and something like
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: a large sheet being let down to earth by its
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 1: four corners. It contained all kinds of four footed animals,
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him,
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: get up, Peter, kill and eat. Surely not, Lord Peter replied,
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 1: I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. This vision
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: was shocked king to Peter. As a devout Jew, he
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: had never eaten any food that was forbidden by the
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: law of Moses. The sheet contained all kinds of animals
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 1: that Jews were not allowed to eat, pigs, shellfish, and
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 1: other creatures that were considered unclean. When the voice told
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 1: him to kill and eat. Peter's immediate response was to refuse,
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: but God wasn't finished with the lesson. Acts ten fifteen
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 1: sixteen continues, the voice spoke to him a second time.
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 1: This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 1: back to heaven. Three times God showed Peter this vision,
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: and three times Peter refused to eat, But the message
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: was clear. God was declaring these foods clean. While Peter
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: was still trying to understand what this vision meant, Cornelius's
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 1: men arrived. Acts ten seventeen nineteen tells us while was
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 1: wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 1: at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon, who
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 1: was known as Peter, was staying there. While Peter was
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, Simon,
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 1: three men are looking for you. The Holy Spirit told
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 1: Peter to go with these men without hesitation. Acts ten
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty three shows what happened. So get up and
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: I have sent them Peter went down and said to
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: the men, I'm the one you're looking for. Why have
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: you come. The men replied, we have come from Cornelius
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 1: the Centurion. He is a righteous and god fearing man
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 1: who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 1: angel told him to ask you to come to his
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: house so that he could hear what you have to say.
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: Then Peter invited the men into the house to be
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: his guests. Even though these were gentiles, Peter welcomed them
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: into the house. This was already a big step for
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: a Jewish man. The next day, Peter went with them
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: to Caesarrea, taking some other believers with him as witnesses.
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: When they arrived at Cornelius's house, they found that he
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 1: had gathered his family and close friends to hear what
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: Peter had to say. Acts ten twenty five twenty six
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 1: describes their meeting. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: him and fell at his feet in reverence, but Peter
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: made him get up. Stand up. He said, I am
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: only a man myself. Peter had to stop Cornelius from
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 1: worshiping him. This shows how much respect Cornelius had for Peter,
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: but also how Peter was learning that God's power worked
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: through ordinary people. Acts ten twenty eight shows that Peter
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: finally understood what his vision meant. He said to them,
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 1: you are well aware that it is against our law
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 1: for a Jew to asay, associate with or visit a gentile.
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: But God has shown me that I should not call
• 1:12:04
  Speaker 1: anyone impure or unclean. The vision about food wasn't really
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 1: about food at all. It was about people. God was
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: teaching Peter that he doesn't consider any person unclean or
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: unworthy of the Gospel. After Peter baptized Cornelius and his household,
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: words spread quickly throughout the church. When Peter returned to Jerusalem,
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: he faced some serious criticism from the Jewish believers, who
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: couldn't believe he had gone into a gentile's house and
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: eaten with them. Acts eleven one three describes the confrontation
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: the apostles and the believers. Throughout Judea heard that the
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: gentiles also had received the word of God. So when
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 1: and said, you went into the house of uncircumcised men
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 1: and ate with them. This was a big deal in
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 1: the early Church. These Jewish believers had accepted Jesus as
• 1:13:06
  Speaker 1: their Messiah, but they still believed that gentiles needed to
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: become Jews first before they could become Christians. The idea
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: that gentiles could be saved without following Jewish laws was
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: revolutionary and threatening to them. Peter could have gotten defensive
• 1:13:23
  Speaker 1: or angry, but instead he carefully explained everything that had happened.
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 1: Acts eleven four to ten shows how he started his defense.
• 1:13:33
  Speaker 1: Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story.
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 1: I was in the city of Jopper praying, and in
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 1: a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 1: a large sheet being let down from Heaven by its
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: four corners, and it came down to where I was.
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 1: I looked into it and saw four footed animals of
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 1: the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. Then I heard
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 1: a voice telling me get up, Peter, kill and eat.
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: I replied, surely not, Lord, nothing impure or unclean as
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: ever entered my mouth. The voice spoke from heaven a
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: second time, do not call anything impure that God has
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: made clean. This happened three times, and then it was
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: all pulled up to heaven again. Peter told them about
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: his vision in detail, making sure they understood that this
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 1: had come from God, not from his own ideas. He
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 1: explained how confused he had been by the vision, just
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: like they were confused now. Then he told them about
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 1: Cornelius's vision and how the Holy Spirit had directed him
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: to go with the men. Acts eleven, eleven, and fourteen
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 1: continues his account. Right then, three men who had been
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 1: I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no
• 1:14:49
  Speaker 1: hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: with me, and we entered the man's house. He told
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 1: us how he had seen an angel appear in his
• 1:14:59
  Speaker 1: house and say, send to Jopper for Simon, who is
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 1: called Peter. He will bring you a message through which
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 1: you and all your household will be saved. Peter made
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 1: sure to mention that six other Jewish believers had gone
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 1: with him as witnesses. He also emphasized that Cornelius had
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: received a vision from an angel, making it clear that
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: God was directing these events. But the most convincing part
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: of Peter's defense was what happened when he started preaching
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 1: to Cornelius and his household. Acts eleven fifteen, who was seventeen,
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 1: describes the climax of his story. As I began to speak,
• 1:15:41
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come
• 1:15:44
  Speaker 1: on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: Lord had said, John baptized with water, but you will
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 1: be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So if God gave
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: them the same gift he gave us, who believed in
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: I could stand in God's way? This was the key argument.
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit had come upon these gentiles in exactly
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 1: the same way he had come upon the Jewish believers
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: at Pentecost. God himself had shown that he accepted these
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: gentiles without requiring them to become whose first How could
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 1: Peter argue with God? The response was immediate and profound.
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: Acts eleven eighteen tells us when they heard this, they
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 1: had no further objections and praised God, saying, so, then,
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 1: even to gentiles, God has granted repentance that leads to life.
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: The Jewish believers realized that God's plan was bigger than
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: they had understood. The Gospel truly was for everyone, not
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 1: just for Jews. This was a turning point in the
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 1: history of the Church. From this moment on, the Church
• 1:16:50
  Speaker 1: began to understand that Christianity was not just a Jewish sect,
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: but a new way of relating to God that was
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: available to all people, regard regardless of their ethnic or
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 1: religious background. The persecution that had scattered believers from Jerusalem
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: continued to bear fruit in unexpected places. Some of the
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: scattered believers traveled north to the great City of Antioch
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: in Syria, about three hundred miles from Jerusalem. Antioch was
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 1: the third largest city in the Roman Empire after Rome
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 1: and Alexandria, and it was a place where many different
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: cultures and religions mixed together. Acts eleventh, nineteen twenty one
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 1: tells us what happened when the Gospel reached Antioch. Now,
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus,
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however,
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 1: Men from Cyprus and Syrene went to Antioch and began
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: to speak to Greeks, also telling them the good news
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 1: about the Lord Jesus. The Lawd's hand was with them,
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 1: and a great number of people believed and turned to
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 1: the Lord. At first, the scattered believers only preached to Jews,
• 1:18:08
  Speaker 1: just as they had always done, But some believers from
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 1: Cyprus and Syrene began doing something revolutionary. They started preaching
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: to Greeks as well. These weren't God fearing gentiles like Cornelius,
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: but pagans who had no connection to Judaism at all.
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 1: The results were amazing. Large numbers of Greeks believed in
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: Jesus and turned from their pagan religions to follow him.
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: Word of this remarkable development reached the Church in Jerusalem,
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 1: and they decided to send someone to investigate what was happening.
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 1: Acts eleven, twenty two to twenty four describes who they sent.
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 1: News of this reached the Church in Jerusalem, and they
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 1: the grace of God had done, he was glad and
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 1: encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: all their hearts. He was a good man, full of
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 1: people were brought to the Lord. Barnabas was the perfect
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 1: choice for this mission. His name means son of encouragement,
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: and that's exactly what he was. Instead of being a
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: critical or suspicious of what was happening in Antioch, he
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: rejoiced when he saw how God was working. He encouraged
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 1: the new believers to stay faithful to the Lord, and
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 1: even more people came to faith under his ministry. But
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: Barnabas realized that this growing church needed more help than
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 1: he could provide alone. He remembered a certain former persecutor
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: who had become a believer and was somewhere in the region.
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 1: Acts eleven, twenty five twenty six tells us what Barnabas did.
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 1: Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 1: when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 1: church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 1: called Christians first at Antioch. Saul had been in his
• 1:20:10
  Speaker 1: hometown of Tarsus for several years since his conversion, probably
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: preparing for ministry and learning to live as a believer.
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: Barnabas brought him to Antioch, and together they spent a
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 1: year teaching the rapidly growing church. The believers in Antioch
• 1:20:27
  Speaker 1: were so different from anything any one had seen before
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: that people needed a new name for them. They were
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: called Christians, meaning followers of Christ for the first time.
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 1: This was significant because it showed that Christianity was becoming
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: recognized as something distinct from Judaism. These believers weren't just
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: Jewish converts or god fearing gentiles. They were people from
• 1:20:52
  Speaker 1: all backgrounds who had been transformed by their faith in
• 1:20:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. The church in Antioch also became the first
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 1: to send organized relief to other believers. Acts eleven twenty
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 1: seven to thirty describes what happened during this time. Some
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them,
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: named Agabus, stood up and through the spirit, predicted that
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 1: This happened during the reign of Claudius. The disciples, as
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: each one was able, decided to provide help for the
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 1: their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. When
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: the believers in Antioch heard that there would be a
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 1: famine in Judea, they immediately took up a collection to
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: help their fellow believers in Jerusalem. This showed the unity
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 1: and love that existed between these different churches, despite their
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: different backgrounds and locations. Around this time, the Church faced
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: a new wave of persecution, but this time it came
• 1:22:00
  Speaker 1: from the political authorities rather than the religious leaders. Herod
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 1: Agrippa the Fiend, the grandson of Herod the Great, had
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 1: become king over Judea and was trying to gain favor
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: with the Jewish people by persecuting Christians. Acts twelve one
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 1: two describes what happened. It was about this time that
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 1: King Herod arrested some who belonged to the Church, intending
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 1: to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John,
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 1: put to death with the sword. James was one of
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 1: the original twelve Apostles, part of the Inner Circle that
• 1:22:36
  Speaker 1: had been closest to Jesus. His execution was a shock
• 1:22:39
  Speaker 1: to the entire church. James was the first of the
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: apostles to be martyred, and his death showed that following
• 1:22:46
  Speaker 1: Jesus could cost everything. But it also demonstrated that the
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: church would continue even when its leaders were killed. The
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: gospel message was bigger than any one person, even one
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 1: of the original twelve. When Herod saw how much the
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 1: Jewish people approved of James's execution, he decided to arrest
• 1:23:06
  Speaker 1: Peter as well. Acts twelve three four tells us when
• 1:23:10
  Speaker 1: he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 1: festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: out for public trial after the Passover. Peter was heavily guarded.
• 1:23:34
  Speaker 1: Sixteen soldiers were assigned to watch him. Herod planned to
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 1: execute Peter publicly after the Passover festival, probably expecting the
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: same positive reaction he had received when he killed James.
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 1: But the Church wasn't just sitting back and accepting this persecution.
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 1: Acts twelve five tells us so Peter was kept in prison,
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 1: While Peter was in chains, the believers were on their
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 1: knees crying out to God for his release. The night
• 1:24:07
  Speaker 1: before Peter was scheduled to be executed, God answered their
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 1: prayers in a dramatic way. Acts twelve to six to
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 1: seven describes what happened the night before Herod was to
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 1: bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 1: bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly,
• 1:24:29
  Speaker 1: an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone
• 1:24:32
  Speaker 1: in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: woke him up. Quick, get up, he said, and the
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 1: chains fell off Peter's wrists. Even facing execution the next morning,
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 1: Peter was sleeping peacefully. This shows the incredible peace that
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 1: God gives to those who trust in Him, even in
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: the most difficult circumstances. But God wasn't going to let
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 1: Peter die. He had more work for him to do.
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: Acts twelve eight ten continues the amazing story. Then the
• 1:25:01
  Speaker 1: angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals,
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: and Peter did so. Wrap your cloak around you and
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: follow me, the angel told him. Peter followed him out
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 1: of the prison, but he had no idea that what
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 1: the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city.
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: It opened for them by itself, and they went through it.
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 1: When they had walked the length of one street, the
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 1: angel left him. Peter thought he was dreaming or having
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: a vision. The whole thing seemed too incredible to be real.
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: But when the angel left him standing alone on the street,
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 1: he realized that God had actually delivered him from prison.
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: Acts twelve eleven to twelve shows Peter's reaction. Then Peter
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 1: came to himself and said, now I know without a
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 1: doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: were hoping would happen. When this had dawned on him,
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 1: he went to the house of Mary, the mother of
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 1: John also nucolb Mark, where many people had gathered and
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: were praying. Peter went to the house where he knew
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: believers would be gathered, the home of Mary, the mother
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: of John Mark. These believers had been praying all night
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 1: for Peter's release, but they were about to discover that
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: sometimes God answers prayers in ways that are almost too
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: good to believe. When Peter arrived at Mary's house, he
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 1: found believers gathered there praying for him. What happened next
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 1: was almost comical. Acts twelve, thirteen fifteen describes the scene.
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: Peter knocked at the outer entrance and a servant named
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice,
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 1: she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 1: and exclaimed, Peter is at the door. You're out of
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: your mind, they told her. When she kept insisting that
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 1: it was so, they said it must be his angel.
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: The believers had been praying for Peter's release, but when
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: their prayers were answered, they couldn't believe it. Rhoda was
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 1: so excited that she forgot to open the door, and
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: when she told the others that Peter was there, they
• 1:27:18
  Speaker 1: thought she was crazy. They even suggested that it might
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 1: be Peter's angel. Apparently they found it easier to believe
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 1: that Peter was dead and his angel was visiting them
• 1:27:29
  Speaker 1: than to believe that God had actually freed him from prison.
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 1: Acts twelve, sixteen seventeen shows what happened next. But Peter
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 1: saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: for them to be quiet, and described how the Lord
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: had brought him out of prison. Tell James and the
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 1: other brothers and sisters about this, he said, and then
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: he left for another place. When they finally opened the
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: door and saw Peter standing there, alive and free, they
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: were amazed. Peter quickly told them what had happened and
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 1: asked them to tell James, the brother of Jesus, who
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 1: had become a leader in the Jerusalem Church, and the
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 1: other believers. Then he left town, probably realizing that it
• 1:28:16
  Speaker 1: wouldn't be safe for him to stay in Jerusalem. The
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: next morning, there was chaos at the prison. Acts twelve,
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 1: eighteen nineteen tells us. In the morning, there was no
• 1:28:26
  Speaker 1: small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become
• 1:28:29
  Speaker 1: of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 1: him and did not find him, he cross examined the
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 1: guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. Herod was furious
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 1: that his most important prisoner had escaped. He interrogated the guards,
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 1: but they had no explanation for what had happened. In
• 1:28:53
  Speaker 1: his rage, he had them executed, even though they were
• 1:28:56
  Speaker 1: not responsible for Peter's supernatural escape. This shows the kind
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 1: of man Herod was cruel and quick to blame others
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: for things beyond their control. But God wasn't finished dealing
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 1: with Herod. The King had killed James, tried to kill Peter,
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 1: and executed innocent guards. His pride and cruelty were about
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 1: to catch up with him in a dramatic way. Acts twelve,
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty three describes Herod's final downfall. He had been
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: quarreling with the people of Tire and Sidon. They now
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 1: joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 1: the support of Blastos, a trusted personal servant of the king,
• 1:29:37
  Speaker 1: they asked for peace because they depended on the king's
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: country for their food supply. On the appointed day, Herod,
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 1: wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered
• 1:29:48
  Speaker 1: a public address to the people. They shouted, this is
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: the voice of a God, not of a man. Immediately,
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 1: because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 1: of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 1: by worms and died. Herod was having a dispute with
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 1: the cities of Tire and Sidon, and representatives from these
• 1:30:11
  Speaker 1: cities came to make peace with him. On the day
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: of the meeting, Herod dressed in his finest royal robes
• 1:30:17
  Speaker 1: and gave a speech from his throne. The people, trying
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: to flatter him and win his favor, shouted that he
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: spoke like a God, not a man. This was Herod's
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 1: fatal mistake. Instead of rejecting their worship and giving glory
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 1: to God, he accepted their praise. The same God who
• 1:30:35
  Speaker 1: had sent an angel to free Peter, now sent an
• 1:30:38
  Speaker 1: angel to strike down Herod. The proud king who had
• 1:30:42
  Speaker 1: thought he could destroy God's Church, was eaten by worms
• 1:30:45
  Speaker 1: and died a horrible death. The contrast couldn't have been clearer. Peter,
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: who was humble and gave glory to God, was miraculously
• 1:30:55
  Speaker 1: delivered from death. Herod, who was proud and accepted worship
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: that build longed only to God, was struck down and
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 1: died in agony. Acts twelve twenty four gives us the
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 1: final summary of this period. But the Word of God
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: continued to spread and flourish. Despite persecution, imprisonment, and execution.
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: The church kept growing. Herod's attempts to destroy it had
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 1: failed completely, and God's kingdom continued to advance. This period
• 1:31:26
  Speaker 1: in the church's history showed several important truths. First, following
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: Jesus doesn't guarantee an easy life. James was killed while
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: Peter was rescued, and both were faithful servants of God. Second,
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 1: God is in control even when things look hopeless. He
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 1: can open prison doors and strike down kings. Third, the
• 1:31:48
  Speaker 1: Church is bigger than any individual. It continued to grow
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 1: even when its leaders were killed or imprisoned. And finally,
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 1: God will judge those who oppose his people and his purposes.
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: Its pride led to his destruction. The Church had survived
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 1: its first major political persecution and had learned that no
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: earthly power could stop the spread of the Gospel. The
• 1:32:11
  Speaker 1: stage was now set for the next phase of God's plan,
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 1: sending the Gospel to the ends of the earth through
• 1:32:18
  Speaker 1: the missionary journeys that were about to begin. The church
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: in Antioch had become a powerful center of Christian activity,
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 1: with believers from many different backgrounds worshiping together. It was
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: here that God chose to launch the first organized missionary
• 1:32:35
  Speaker 1: effort to carry the Gospel beyond the immediate region around Jerusalem.
• 1:32:41
  Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit was about to use this diverse church
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: to change the world. Acts thirteen one three tells us
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 1: how it all began. Now in the church at Antioch,
• 1:32:53
  Speaker 1: there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius
• 1:32:59
  Speaker 1: of Serene, Manighan, who had been brought up with Herod
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 1: the Tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord
• 1:33:06
  Speaker 1: and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me,
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 1: Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have
• 1:33:13
  Speaker 1: called them. So, after they had fasted and prayed, they
• 1:33:17
  Speaker 1: placed their hands on them and sent them off. This
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 1: was a remarkable moment in church history. The Holy Spirits
• 1:33:25
  Speaker 1: specifically called Barnabas and Saul for missionary work, and the
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: Church responded by commissioning them through prayer and fasting. Noticed
• 1:33:35
  Speaker 1: the diversity of the leadership team. They came from different
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 1: countries and backgrounds, showing that God's Kingdom truly was for
• 1:33:43
  Speaker 1: all people. The two missionaries, along with John Mark as
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 1: their helper, sailed first to the island of Cyprus, which
• 1:33:52
  Speaker 1: was Barnabas's homeland. Acts thirteen four to five describes their arrival.
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 1: The two of them, sent on their way by the
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 1: to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the
• 1:34:08
  Speaker 1: Word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 1: them as their helper. Their strategy was clear. They went
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 1: to the synagogues first, where they could find people who
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 1: already knew the Hebrew scriptures and were expecting a Messiah.
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: This approach would become Paul's standard method throughout his missionary journeys.
• 1:34:28
  Speaker 1: As they traveled across Cyprus, they encountered both success and opposition.
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 1: Acts thirteen six to eight describes a significant confrontation. They
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 1: traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos.
• 1:34:43
  Speaker 1: There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named
• 1:34:46
  Speaker 1: bar Jesus, who was an attendant of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus.
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: The Proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul
• 1:34:56
  Speaker 1: because he wanted to hear the word of God. But
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 1: Elimus the sorcerer, for that is what his name means,
• 1:35:03
  Speaker 1: opposed them and tried to turn the Proconsul from the faith.
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 1: Sergius Paulus was the Roman governor of Cyprus, and he
• 1:35:12
  Speaker 1: was genuinely interested in hearing about Jesus, but bar Jesus,
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 1: also called Eleamus, was trying to prevent him from believing this.
• 1:35:21
  Speaker 1: Sorcerer saw the missionaries as a threat to his influence
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: over the governor. Paul's response was swift and powerful. Acts.
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 1: Thirteen nine to eleven records what happened. Then Saul, who
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: straight at Illymous and said, you are a child of
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 1: the devil and an enemy of everything that is right.
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery.
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 1: Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord.
• 1:35:52
  Speaker 1: Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You
• 1:35:55
  Speaker 1: are going to be blind for a time, not even
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 1: able to see the light of the sun. Immediately, mist
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 1: and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 1: someone to lead him by the hand. This is the
• 1:36:09
  Speaker 1: first time Luke calls Saul by his Roman name Paul,
• 1:36:12
  Speaker 1: which he would use from this point forward. The miracle
• 1:36:14
  Speaker 1: of Eleimus being struck blind was similar to what had
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 1: happened to Paul himself on the road to Damascus, showing
• 1:36:22
  Speaker 1: God's power over those who oppose his message. The result
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 1: was exactly what God intended. Acts thirteen twelve tells us
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 1: when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. The
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 1: Roman governor became a believer, showing that the Gospel was
• 1:36:42
  Speaker 1: penetrating even the highest levels of Roman society. From Cyprus,
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: Paul and Barnabas sailed to the mainland and traveled to
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: Pisidian Antioch, a different city from the Antioch where they
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 1: had been commissioned. Here Paul preached one of his most
• 1:37:00
  Speaker 1: important sermons, recorded in Acts thirteen to sixteen forty one.
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 1: He traced the history of Israel from the time in
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 1: Egypt through King David, then proclaimed that Jesus was the
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: promised descendant of David, who had been raised from the dead.
• 1:37:14
  Speaker 1: The response was mixed but encouraging. Acts thirteen forty two
• 1:37:19
  Speaker 1: to forty four describes what happened as Paul and Barnabas
• 1:37:23
  Speaker 1: were leaving the synagogue. The people invited them to speak
• 1:37:26
  Speaker 1: further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 1: congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 1: to Judaism followed. Paul and Barnabas who talked with them
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 1: and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city gathered to
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 1: hear the word of the Lord. The interest was so
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 1: great that almost the entire city came to hear them
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 1: the following week. But this success also created problems. Acts
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 1: thirteen forty five forty six tells us when the Jews
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 1: saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began
• 1:38:04
  Speaker 1: to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 1: Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly, we had to
• 1:38:11
  Speaker 1: speak the word of God to you first. Since you
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 1: reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life,
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 1: we now turn to the gentiles. This became a pattern
• 1:38:23
  Speaker 1: throughout Paul's ministry, initial interest from both Jews and Gentiles,
• 1:38:28
  Speaker 1: followed by jealousy and opposition from some Jewish leaders, leading
• 1:38:32
  Speaker 1: to a greater focus on reaching gentiles. Paul quoted from
• 1:38:36
  Speaker 1: Isaiah forty nine to six to justify this strategy. I
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: have made you a light for the gentiles, that you
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 1: may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. The
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 1: results among the gentiles were remarkable. Acts thirteen forty eight
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 1: forty nine reports when the gentiles heard this, they were
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: glad and honored the word of the Lord, and all
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 1: who were appointed for eternal life believed. The word of
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 1: the Lord spread through the whole region. Many gentiles believed,
• 1:39:09
  Speaker 1: and the Gospel spread throughout the entire area, but opposition
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 1: continued to grow. Acts thirteen fifty fifty two describes how
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 1: the missionaries were forced to leave, but the Jewish leaders
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 1: incited the god fearing women of high standing and the
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 1: leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 1: Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their region. So
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 1: they shook the dust off their feet as a warning
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 1: to them and went to Iconium, and the disciples were
• 1:39:40
  Speaker 1: filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Even though
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: they were driven out of the city, Paul and Barnabas
• 1:39:46
  Speaker 1: left behind a group of joyful believers who were filled
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 1: with the Holy Spirit. The persecution couldn't destroy what God
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 1: had started. In Iconium, they experienced similar success and opposition.
• 1:40:04
  Speaker 1: Acts fourteen one to three tells us a Iconium, Paul
• 1:40:08
  Speaker 1: and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There
• 1:40:11
  Speaker 1: they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: and Greeks believed. But the Jews, who refused to believe,
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 1: stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 1: the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there
• 1:40:26
  Speaker 1: speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed his message of
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: grace by enabling with them to perform signs and wonders
• 1:40:34
  Speaker 1: despite opposition. They stayed for a considerable time and saw
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 1: God confirm their message through miracles, but eventually the division
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 1: in the city became so great that they had to flee.
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 1: Acts fourteen five six describes their escape. There was a
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: plot of foot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 1: their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them, but they
• 1:40:57
  Speaker 1: found out about it and fled to the like Chaonian
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 1: cities of Listra and Derbe, and to the surrounding country.
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 1: In Listra, Paul performed a remarkable miracle that led to
• 1:41:09
  Speaker 1: an unexpected problem. Acts fourteen eight two ten tells the story.
• 1:41:14
  Speaker 1: In Listra, there sat a man who was lame. He
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 1: had been that way from birth and had never walked.
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked
• 1:41:23
  Speaker 1: directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed,
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 1: and called out, stand up on your feet. At that,
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 1: the man jumped up and began to walk d healing
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 1: was so dramatic that the crowd thought Paul and Barnabas
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 1: were gods. Acts fourteen eleven to thirteen describes their reaction.
• 1:41:45
  Speaker 1: When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 1: in the Lycaonian language, the gods have come down to
• 1:41:51
  Speaker 1: us in human form. Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 1: they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The
• 1:41:59
  Speaker 1: priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city,
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 1: brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. Paul
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 1: and Barnabas were horrified by this response. Acts fourteen fourteen
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 1: tut fifteen shows their reaction. But when the apostles Barnabas
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 1: and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 1: rushed out into the crowd, shouting, friends, why are you
• 1:42:24
  Speaker 1: doing this? We too are only human like you. We
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 1: these worthless things to the living God who made the
• 1:42:35
  Speaker 1: heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 1: They desperately tried to stop the people from worshiping them,
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 1: explaining that they were just ordinary men bringing a message
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 1: about the true God. But the crowd was so excited
• 1:42:52
  Speaker 1: that they could barely restrain them from offering sacrifices. Then
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 1: the situation completely reversed. Acts fourteen, nineteen twenty tells us
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 1: what happened. Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium
• 1:43:08
  Speaker 1: and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 1: him outside the city, thinking he was dead, but after
• 1:43:14
  Speaker 1: the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 1: went back into the city. The next day he and
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 1: Barnabas left for Durbom. The same crowd that had wanted
• 1:43:24
  Speaker 1: to worship Paul as a god now stoned him and
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 1: left him for dead. This shows how quickly public opinion
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 1: can change and how dangerous missionary work could be. But
• 1:43:34
  Speaker 1: God protected Paul and he was able to get up
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 1: and continue his ministry. After preaching in Derby and making
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 1: many disciples, Paul and Barnabas made the dangerous decision to
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 1: return through all the cities where they had been persecuted.
• 1:43:50
  Speaker 1: Acts fourteen twenty one to twenty three explains why they
• 1:43:54
  Speaker 1: preached the gospel in that city and won a large
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 1: number of disciples. Then they returned to li Vistra, Iconium
• 1:44:01
  Speaker 1: and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain
• 1:44:06
  Speaker 1: true to the faith. We must go through many hardships
• 1:44:10
  Speaker 1: to enter the Kingdom of God, they said. Paul and
• 1:44:14
  Speaker 1: Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, and with
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 1: prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom
• 1:44:21
  Speaker 1: they had put their trust. They risked their lives to
• 1:44:25
  Speaker 1: return and strengthen the new believers, appointing leaders and encouraging
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 1: them to stay faithful despite persecution. This shows the heart
• 1:44:34
  Speaker 1: of true missionary work, not just winning converts, but building
• 1:44:39
  Speaker 1: strong churches that can survive and grow. Finally, they returned
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 1: to Antioch, where their journey had begun. Acts fourteen twenty
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 1: six town twenty eight describes their homecoming from Attalia. They
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 1: sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to
• 1:44:56
  Speaker 1: the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 1: On a ride diving. There, they gathered the church together
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 1: and reported all that God had done through them, and
• 1:45:06
  Speaker 1: how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles,
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: and they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: The first missionary journey was complete, and it had been
• 1:45:17
  Speaker 1: a remarkable success, despite persecution and hardship. Churches had been
• 1:45:23
  Speaker 1: planted throughout the region, and many Gentiles had come to faith.
• 1:45:27
  Speaker 1: The door to the non Jewish world had been opened wide.
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 1: The success of Paul and Barnabas's missionary work among the
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: Gentiles created a serious theological crisis in the early Church.
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 1: Jewish believers had always assumed that Gentiles would need to
• 1:45:45
  Speaker 1: become Jews first before they could become Christians. But now
• 1:45:50
  Speaker 1: hundreds of Gentiles were believing in Jesus without being circumcised
• 1:45:54
  Speaker 1: or following Jewish laws, and the Holy Spirit was clearly
• 1:45:57
  Speaker 1: working among them. The conflict came to a head when
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: some Jewish believers came to Antioch and began teaching the
• 1:46:04
  Speaker 1: Gentile converts that they needed to be circumcised. Acts fifteen
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: one to two describes the problem. Certain people came down
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 1: from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers. Unless
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 1: you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses,
• 1:46:20
  Speaker 1: you cannot be saved. This brought Paul and Barnabas into
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 1: sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas
• 1:46:27
  Speaker 1: were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up
• 1:46:30
  Speaker 1: to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
• 1:46:35
  Speaker 1: This was not a minor disagreement about church practice. It
• 1:46:39
  Speaker 1: was a fundamental question about the nature of salvation. Were
• 1:46:43
  Speaker 1: gentiles required to become Jews in order to be saved
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 1: or could they be saved by faith in Jesus alone.
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 1: The answer would determine the future direction of Christianity. When
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 1: Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, they were warmly received
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: by the Church and the apostles. Acts fifteen three four
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: tells us the Church sent them on their way, and
• 1:47:07
  Speaker 1: as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how
• 1:47:12
  Speaker 1: the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the
• 1:47:16
  Speaker 1: believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 1: welcomed by the Church and the apostles and elders, to
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 1: whom they reported everything God had done through them, But
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: not everyone was pleased with their report. Acts fifteen five
• 1:47:31
  Speaker 1: describes the opposition. Then some of the believers who belonged
• 1:47:35
  Speaker 1: to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said
• 1:47:38
  Speaker 1: the gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: law of Moses. These were Jewish believers who had been
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 1: Pharisees before their conversion, and they couldn't accept that gentiles
• 1:47:51
  Speaker 1: could be saved without following Jewish law. The apostles and
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 1: elders met to consider this question carefully. Acts fifteen six
• 1:48:01
  Speaker 1: to seven sets the scene the apostles and elders met
• 1:48:06
  Speaker 1: to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 1: and addressed them, brothers, you know that some time ago
• 1:48:14
  Speaker 1: God made a choice among you that the gentiles might
• 1:48:18
  Speaker 1: hear from my lips the message of the Gospel and believe.
• 1:48:23
  Speaker 1: Peter reminded them of his experience with Cornelius and how
• 1:48:27
  Speaker 1: God had clearly shown that he accepted gentiles without requiring
• 1:48:31
  Speaker 1: them to be circumcised. First Acts fifteen eight tot. Eleven
• 1:48:35
  Speaker 1: records his powerful argument, God, who knows the heart, showed
• 1:48:39
  Speaker 1: that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,
• 1:48:43
  Speaker 1: just as he did to us. He did not discriminate
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 1: between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now, then,
• 1:48:51
  Speaker 1: why do you try to test God by putting on
• 1:48:53
  Speaker 1: the necks of gentiles a yoke that neither we nor
• 1:48:57
  Speaker 1: our ancestors have been able to bear. Oh, we believe
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 1: it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that
• 1:49:04
  Speaker 1: we are saved, just as they are. Peter's argument was brilliant.
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 1: God himself had shown that he accepted gentiles by giving
• 1:49:12
  Speaker 1: them the Holy Spirit. To require circumcision would be to
• 1:49:17
  Speaker 1: test God by adding requirements that he hadn't imposed. Even
• 1:49:21
  Speaker 1: Jews were saved by grace through faith, not by keeping
• 1:49:25
  Speaker 1: the law perfectly. Then Paul and Barnabas told their story.
• 1:49:29
  Speaker 1: Acts fifteen twelve tells us the whole assembly became silent
• 1:49:33
  Speaker 1: as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
• 1:49:42
  Speaker 1: The miracles God had performed among the Gentiles were clear
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 1: evidence that He was working among them. Finally, James, the
• 1:49:51
  Speaker 1: brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem Church, gave
• 1:49:55
  Speaker 1: his verdict. Acts fifteen thirteen eighteen records his speech. When
• 1:50:00
  Speaker 1: they finished, James spoke up, brothers, he said, listen to me.
• 1:50:05
  Speaker 1: Simon has described to us how God first intervene to
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The
• 1:50:13
  Speaker 1: words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as
• 1:50:16
  Speaker 1: it is written. After this, I will return and rebuild
• 1:50:20
  Speaker 1: David's fallen tent its ruins. I will rebuild, and I
• 1:50:25
  Speaker 1: will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek
• 1:50:28
  Speaker 1: the Lord, even all the gentiles who bear my name,
• 1:50:32
  Speaker 1: says the Lord who does these things things known from
• 1:50:36
  Speaker 1: long ago. James showed that the inclusion of gentiles had
• 1:50:41
  Speaker 1: been predicted by the Old Testament prophets. This wasn't a
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: new idea, it was part of God's plan from the beginning.
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 1: Acts fifteen, nineteen twenty one gives James's conclusion. It is
• 1:50:54
  Speaker 1: my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: for the gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 1: should write to them, telling them to abstain from food
• 1:51:04
  Speaker 1: polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of
• 1:51:09
  Speaker 1: strangled animals, and from blood. For the Law of Moses
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: has been preached in every city from the earliest times,
• 1:51:16
  Speaker 1: and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. James's
• 1:51:20
  Speaker 1: decision was wise and practical. Gentiles didn't need to be
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 1: circumcised or keep the entire Law of Moses, but they
• 1:51:28
  Speaker 1: should avoid certain practices that would be particularly offensive to
• 1:51:32
  Speaker 1: Jewish believers or harmful to their own spiritual lives. The
• 1:51:38
  Speaker 1: council wrote a letter explaining their decision. Acts fifteen twenty
• 1:51:42
  Speaker 1: three to twenty nine contains the text the Apostles and Elders,
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 1: your brothers, to the gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Greetings,
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: we have heard that some went out from us without
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 1: our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what
• 1:52:00
  Speaker 1: they said. So we all agreed to choose some of
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 1: our men and send them to you, with our dear
• 1:52:05
  Speaker 1: friends Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives
• 1:52:09
  Speaker 1: for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we
• 1:52:13
  Speaker 1: are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of
• 1:52:16
  Speaker 1: mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the
• 1:52:19
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: anything beyond the following requirements. You are to abstain from
• 1:52:27
  Speaker 1: food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 1: strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well
• 1:52:35
  Speaker 1: to avoid these things farewell. Notice that they said it
• 1:52:40
  Speaker 1: seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. They
• 1:52:44
  Speaker 1: recognized that their decision was guided by God's Spirit, not
• 1:52:47
  Speaker 1: just human wisdom. When the letter reached Antioch, the response
• 1:52:52
  Speaker 1: was overwhelmingly positive. Acts fifteen thirty thirty one tells us,
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 1: so the men were sent off and went down to
• 1:52:59
  Speaker 1: Anti where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
• 1:53:03
  Speaker 1: The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
• 1:53:07
  Speaker 1: The Jerusalem Council had settled one of the most important
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: questions in church history. Christianity was officially recognized as being
• 1:53:16
  Speaker 1: for all people, not just Jews. The gospel could spread
• 1:53:21
  Speaker 1: to every nation without requiring converts to first become Jewish.
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 1: This decision opened the door for Christianity to become a
• 1:53:29
  Speaker 1: truly global religion. After the Jerusalem Council, Paul was eager
• 1:53:35
  Speaker 1: to continue his missionary work. He suggested to Barnabas that
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 1: they returned to visit the churches they had planted on
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 1: their first journey, but a disagreement arose that led to
• 1:53:47
  Speaker 1: a permanent separation between these two longtime partners. Acts fifteen
• 1:53:53
  Speaker 1: thirty six to thirty nine describes what happened some time later.
• 1:53:58
  Speaker 1: Paul said to Barnabas, let us go back and visit
• 1:54:01
  Speaker 1: the believers in all the towns where we preached the
• 1:54:04
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.
• 1:54:07
  Speaker 1: Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
• 1:54:11
  Speaker 1: but Paul did not think it wise to take him
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
• 1:54:17
  Speaker 1: continued with them in the work. They had such a
• 1:54:20
  Speaker 1: sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and
• 1:54:26
  Speaker 1: sailed for Cyprus. John Mark had abandoned them during their
• 1:54:30
  Speaker 1: first journey, and Paul didn't trust him to be reliable
• 1:54:33
  Speaker 1: this time. Barnabas, true to his encouraging nature, wanted to
• 1:54:37
  Speaker 1: give Mark a second chance. Neither man was necessarily wrong,
• 1:54:41
  Speaker 1: but they couldn't agree, so they went separate ways. Acts
• 1:54:46
  Speaker 1: fifteen forty forty one tells us what Paul did. But
• 1:54:51
  Speaker 1: Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to
• 1:54:55
  Speaker 1: the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia,
• 1:54:59
  Speaker 1: strengthening the Paul chose Silas, one of the leaders from
• 1:55:03
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem who had helped deliver the Council's letter as his
• 1:55:07
  Speaker 1: new partner. As they traveled through the region, they revisited
• 1:55:11
  Speaker 1: the churches Paul had planted with Barnabas. In Listre they
• 1:55:15
  Speaker 1: met a young believer who would become one of Paul's
• 1:55:18
  Speaker 1: closest associates. Acts sixteen one, Ti three introduces him. Paul
• 1:55:25
  Speaker 1: came to Darbey and then to Lystra, where a disciple
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 1: named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a Believer,
• 1:55:32
  Speaker 1: but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra
• 1:55:36
  Speaker 1: and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take
• 1:55:40
  Speaker 1: him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because
• 1:55:43
  Speaker 1: of the Jews who lived in that area, for they
• 1:55:46
  Speaker 1: all knew that his father was a Greek. Timothy had
• 1:55:50
  Speaker 1: a Jewish mother and Greek father, making his religious status
• 1:55:54
  Speaker 1: unclear to many Jews. Paul had Timothy circumcised not because
• 1:56:00
  Speaker 1: it was required for salvation, but to remove a potential
• 1:56:03
  Speaker 1: barrier to ministry among Jews. This shows Paul's practical wisdom.
• 1:56:10
  Speaker 1: He was willing to make cultural accommodations when they didn't
• 1:56:14
  Speaker 1: compromise the gospel. As they traveled, they tried to enter
• 1:56:18
  Speaker 1: Asia Minor to preach, but God had other plans. Acts
• 1:56:22
  Speaker 1: sixteen sixty eight describes their frustrated attempts. Paul and his
• 1:56:26
  Speaker 1: companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galicia, having
• 1:56:31
  Speaker 1: been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word
• 1:56:33
  Speaker 1: in the province of Asia. When they came to the
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 1: border of Mesia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the
• 1:56:40
  Speaker 1: Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to, so they
• 1:56:44
  Speaker 1: passed by Mesia and went down to Troas God was
• 1:56:47
  Speaker 1: directing their steps even through closed doors. He wanted them
• 1:56:51
  Speaker 1: to go west to Europe, not east into Asia intro Us.
• 1:56:55
  Speaker 1: Paul received a vision that would change the course of
• 1:56:58
  Speaker 1: world history. Acts sixteen nine to ten describes this crucial moment.
• 1:57:04
  Speaker 1: During the night, Paul had a vision of a man
• 1:57:06
  Speaker 1: of Macedonia standing and begging him come over to Macedonia
• 1:57:10
  Speaker 1: and help us. After Paul had seen the vision, we
• 1:57:14
  Speaker 1: got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that
• 1:57:18
  Speaker 1: God had called us to preach the Gospel to them.
• 1:57:20
  Speaker 1: This is the first time Luke uses we in his narrative,
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 1: indicating that he joined Paul's team at this point. The
• 1:57:28
  Speaker 1: vision of the Macedonian man was God's call to bring
• 1:57:32
  Speaker 1: the Gospel to Europe for the first time. They sailed
• 1:57:35
  Speaker 1: to Macedonia and went to Philippi, a major Roman city.
• 1:57:40
  Speaker 1: Act sixteen eleven to thirteen describes their arrival from troas
• 1:57:45
  Speaker 1: we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace,
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 1: and the next day we went on to Neneapolis. From
• 1:57:52
  Speaker 1: there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the
• 1:57:55
  Speaker 1: leading city of that district of Macedonia, and we stayed
• 1:58:00
  Speaker 1: there several days. On the Sabbath, we went outside the
• 1:58:04
  Speaker 1: city gate to the river, where we expected to find
• 1:58:06
  Speaker 1: a place of prayer. We sat down and began to
• 1:58:10
  Speaker 1: speak to the women who had gathered there. Philippi apparently
• 1:58:14
  Speaker 1: didn't have a synagogue, so they found a group of
• 1:58:17
  Speaker 1: women who met by the river for prayer. Among them
• 1:58:21
  Speaker 1: was a woman who would become the first recorded Christian
• 1:58:24
  Speaker 1: convert in Europe. Acts sixteen fourteen to fifteen tells her story.
• 1:58:32
  Speaker 1: One of those listening was a woman from the city
• 1:58:34
  Speaker 1: of Thyata named Lydia. A dealer in purple cloth, she
• 1:58:39
  Speaker 1: was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart
• 1:58:42
  Speaker 1: to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members
• 1:58:46
  Speaker 1: of her household were baptized. She invited us to her home.
• 1:58:50
  Speaker 1: If you consider me a believer in the Lord, she said,
• 1:58:54
  Speaker 1: come and stay at my house, and she persuaded us.
• 1:58:59
  Speaker 1: Lydia was a successful business woman who dealt in expensive
• 1:59:03
  Speaker 1: purple cloth. When she heard the gospel, God opened her
• 1:59:07
  Speaker 1: heart to believe, and she and her entire household were baptized.
• 1:59:11
  Speaker 1: She then insisted that Paul and his team stay in
• 1:59:14
  Speaker 1: her home, showing the hospitality that would characterize many early Christians.
• 1:59:20
  Speaker 1: But there ministry in Philippi soon led to trouble. Acts
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 1: sixteen sixteen eighteen describes an encounter with a demon possessed girl.
• 1:59:29
  Speaker 1: Once when we were going to the place of prayer,
• 1:59:32
  Speaker 1: we were met by a female slave who had a
• 1:59:34
  Speaker 1: spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling.
• 1:59:41
  Speaker 1: She followed Paul and the rest of us shouting, these
• 1:59:44
  Speaker 1: men are servants of the Most High God, who are
• 1:59:47
  Speaker 1: telling you the way to be saved. She kept this
• 1:59:51
  Speaker 1: up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that
• 1:59:54
  Speaker 1: he turned around and said to the spirit, in the
• 1:59:57
  Speaker 1: name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out
• 1:59:59
  Speaker 1: of her. At that moment the spirit left her. The
• 2:00:03
  Speaker 1: girl had been following them around shouting about who they were,
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 1: even though what she said was true. Paul didn't want
• 2:00:09
  Speaker 1: testimony from a demon. When he cast out the spirit,
• 2:00:12
  Speaker 1: the girl was freed, but her owners were furious because
• 2:00:16
  Speaker 1: they had lost their source of income. Acts sixteen, nineteen
• 2:00:20
  Speaker 1: twenty one shows their reaction. When her owners realized that
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 1: their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul
• 2:00:28
  Speaker 1: and Silas and dragged them into the market place to
• 2:00:31
  Speaker 1: face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said,
• 2:00:35
  Speaker 1: these men are Jews and are throwing our city into
• 2:00:39
  Speaker 1: an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for US Romans to
• 2:00:44
  Speaker 1: accept or practice. The real issue was money. They were
• 2:00:48
  Speaker 1: angry about losing their profitable fortune teller, but they made
• 2:00:52
  Speaker 1: it sound like a matter of public order and Roman law.
• 2:00:56
  Speaker 1: The crowd joined in the attack, and the magistrates had
• 2:01:00
  Speaker 1: Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison. Acts Sixteen
• 2:01:05
  Speaker 1: twenty two to twenty four describes their harsh treatment. The
• 2:01:09
  Speaker 1: crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and
• 2:01:13
  Speaker 1: the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.
• 2:01:17
  Speaker 1: After they had been severely flogged. They were thrown into prison,
• 2:01:21
  Speaker 1: and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When
• 2:01:24
  Speaker 1: he received these orders, he put them in the inner
• 2:01:27
  Speaker 1: cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. Instead of
• 2:01:30
  Speaker 1: being discouraged by their suffering, Paul and Silas did something remarkable.
• 2:01:35
  Speaker 1: Acts sixteen twenty five tells us about midnight, Paul and
• 2:01:39
  Speaker 1: Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
• 2:01:42
  Speaker 1: other prisoners were listening to them, even with their backs
• 2:01:45
  Speaker 1: bleeding and their feet in stocks. They were praising God
• 2:01:49
  Speaker 1: and encouraging each other. Then God intervened in a dramatic way.
• 2:01:54
  Speaker 1: Acsa sixteen twenty six two to twenty eight describes what happened. Suddenly,
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: there was such a violet and earthquake that the foundations
• 2:02:02
  Speaker 1: of the prison were shaken at once. All the prison
• 2:02:05
  Speaker 1: doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer
• 2:02:10
  Speaker 1: woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open,
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 1: he drew his sword and was about to kill himself
• 2:02:16
  Speaker 1: because he thought the prisoners had escaped, but Paul shouted,
• 2:02:20
  Speaker 1: don't harm yourself. We are all here. The earthquake was
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: so powerful that it opened all the doors and broke
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 1: everyone's chains. The jailer assumed the prisoners had escaped and
• 2:02:31
  Speaker 1: was about to kill himself rather than face the punishment
• 2:02:34
  Speaker 1: for losing his prisoners, but Paul stopped him, showing that
• 2:02:38
  Speaker 1: he and the other prisoners were still there. Acts sixteen
• 2:02:42
  Speaker 1: twenty nine to thirty one shows the jailer's response. The
• 2:02:46
  Speaker 1: jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before
• 2:02:51
  Speaker 1: Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, sirs,
• 2:02:55
  Speaker 1: what must I do to be saved? They replied, believe
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you
• 2:03:02
  Speaker 1: and your household. The jailer had seen God's power and
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 1: wanted to know how to be saved. Paul and Silas
• 2:03:10
  Speaker 1: gave him the simple answer, believe in Jesus. They spent
• 2:03:14
  Speaker 1: the rest of the night explaining the Gospel to him
• 2:03:17
  Speaker 1: and his family. Acts sixteen thirty two thirty four describes
• 2:03:22
  Speaker 1: the beautiful result. Then they spoke the word of the
• 2:03:26
  Speaker 1: Lord to him and to all the others in his
• 2:03:29
  Speaker 1: house at that hour of the night. The jailer took
• 2:03:33
  Speaker 1: them and washed their wounds. Then immediately he and all
• 2:03:37
  Speaker 1: his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his
• 2:03:41
  Speaker 1: house and set a meal before them. He was filled
• 2:03:44
  Speaker 1: with joy because he had come to believe in God.
• 2:03:47
  Speaker 1: He and his whole household. The same man who had
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 1: put them in stocks, was now washing their wounds and
• 2:03:55
  Speaker 1: feeding them. His entire family believed and were baptized. That
• 2:03:59
  Speaker 1: very night. Joy filled the house as they celebrated their
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 1: new faith together. The next morning, the magistrates sent orders
• 2:04:07
  Speaker 1: to release Paul and Silas, probably hoping to quietly end
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: the incident, but Paul had a surprise for them. Acts
• 2:04:15
  Speaker 1: sixteen thirty five thirty seven tells us. When it was daylight,
• 2:04:19
  Speaker 1: the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the
• 2:04:22
  Speaker 1: order release those men. The jailer told Paul, the magistrates
• 2:04:27
  Speaker 1: have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you
• 2:04:31
  Speaker 1: can leave, go in peace. But Paul said to the officers,
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 1: they beat us publicly without a trial, even though we
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: do they want to get rid of us quietly? No,
• 2:04:46
  Speaker 1: let them come themselves and escort us out. Paul revealed
• 2:04:50
  Speaker 1: that he and Silas were Roman citizens, which meant they
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 1: had been illegally beaten and imprisoned without a trial. This
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 1: was a serious violation of Roman law that could have
• 2:05:01
  Speaker 1: severe consequences for the magistrates. Acts sixteen thirty eight forty
• 2:05:08
  Speaker 1: describes the magistrate's frightened response. The officers reported this to
• 2:05:13
  Speaker 1: the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 1: were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease
• 2:05:22
  Speaker 1: them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to
• 2:05:25
  Speaker 1: leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of
• 2:05:29
  Speaker 1: the prison, they went to Lydia's house where they met
• 2:05:32
  Speaker 1: with the believers and encouraged them. Then they left. The
• 2:05:36
  Speaker 1: magistrates were terrified when they learned they had illegally treated
• 2:05:40
  Speaker 1: Roman citizens. They came personally to apologize and escort them
• 2:05:45
  Speaker 1: out of prison, then asked them to leave the city.
• 2:05:49
  Speaker 1: Paul and Silas visited the believers one more time to
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 1: encourage them before leaving. The church in Philippi would become
• 2:05:56
  Speaker 1: one of Paul's most beloved and faithful congregateations, supporting his
• 2:06:01
  Speaker 1: ministry financially and spiritually for years to come. What had
• 2:06:05
  Speaker 1: started with opposition and imprisonment had resulted in a strong
• 2:06:10
  Speaker 1: church that included people from very different backgrounds. Lydia, the
• 2:06:15
  Speaker 1: business woman, the jailer and his family, and others who
• 2:06:19
  Speaker 1: had come to faith from Philippi. Paul and his team
• 2:06:23
  Speaker 1: continued their journey through Macedonia and Greece. They preached in
• 2:06:28
  Speaker 1: Thessalonica and Berea, where they saw many people believe, but
• 2:06:32
  Speaker 1: also faced continued opposition from jealous Jewish leaders. Eventually, Paul
• 2:06:38
  Speaker 1: made his way to Athens, the intellectual center of the
• 2:06:41
  Speaker 1: Greek world, where he preached his famous sermon at the Areopagus.
• 2:06:46
  Speaker 1: But it was in Corinth, a major commercial city, that
• 2:06:50
  Speaker 1: Paul would spend an extended period and establish one of
• 2:06:53
  Speaker 1: his most important churches. Acts eighteen one to three describes
• 2:06:58
  Speaker 1: his arrival. After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
• 2:07:02
  Speaker 1: There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus,
• 2:07:07
  Speaker 1: who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla.
• 2:07:10
  Speaker 1: Because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome, Paul
• 2:07:14
  Speaker 1: went to see them, and because he was a tent
• 2:07:16
  Speaker 1: maker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
• 2:07:20
  Speaker 1: Achilla and Priscilla had been forced to leave Rome because
• 2:07:24
  Speaker 1: Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from the city. They
• 2:07:27
  Speaker 1: were tent makers the same trade that Paul had learned,
• 2:07:32
  Speaker 1: so he stayed with them and worked to support himself.
• 2:07:36
  Speaker 1: This was Paul's normal practice. He worked with his hands
• 2:07:40
  Speaker 1: so he wouldn't be a financial burden on the churches
• 2:07:43
  Speaker 1: he was planting. Acts eighteen four to six tells us
• 2:07:47
  Speaker 1: about Paul's ministry strategy in Corinth. Every Sabbath he reasoned
• 2:07:52
  Speaker 1: in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When
• 2:07:57
  Speaker 1: Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively
• 2:08:01
  Speaker 1: to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
• 2:08:07
  Speaker 1: But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook
• 2:08:10
  Speaker 1: out his clothes in protest and said to them, your
• 2:08:14
  Speaker 1: blood be on your own heads. I am innocent of it.
• 2:08:17
  Speaker 1: From now on, I will go to the gentiles. Paul
• 2:08:21
  Speaker 1: followed his usual pattern of starting in the synagogue, but
• 2:08:24
  Speaker 1: when the Jewish leaders rejected his message and became hostile,
• 2:08:28
  Speaker 1: he turned his focus to the gentiles. This wasn't because
• 2:08:32
  Speaker 1: he didn't care about Jewish people, but because he recognized
• 2:08:36
  Speaker 1: that God was opening doors among the gentiles. Paul found
• 2:08:41
  Speaker 1: a strategic place to continue his ministry. Acts eighteen seven
• 2:08:45
  Speaker 1: eight describes what happened. Then Paul left the synagogue and
• 2:08:50
  Speaker 1: went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a
• 2:08:53
  Speaker 1: worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire
• 2:08:58
  Speaker 1: household believed in the Lord, and many of the Corinthians
• 2:09:01
  Speaker 1: who heard Paul believed and were baptized. Paul moved his
• 2:09:05
  Speaker 1: meetings to a house right next door to the synagogue,
• 2:09:08
  Speaker 1: which must have been somewhat provocative, but the strategy worked.
• 2:09:12
  Speaker 1: Even Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed, along with
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 1: his entire household. Many other Corinthians also came to faith
• 2:09:21
  Speaker 1: and were baptized. The success in Corinth was encouraging, but
• 2:09:25
  Speaker 1: Paul faced the same fears and discouragement that any missionary
• 2:09:29
  Speaker 1: would experience. God gave him a special vision to encourage him.
• 2:09:33
  Speaker 1: Acts eighteen nine eleven records this important moment. One night,
• 2:09:38
  Speaker 1: the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision. Do not
• 2:09:40
  Speaker 1: be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent, for
• 2:09:45
  Speaker 1: I am with you, and no one is going to
• 2:09:47
  Speaker 1: attack and harm you, because I have many people in
• 2:09:51
  Speaker 1: this city. So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year
• 2:09:54
  Speaker 1: and a half, teaching them the word of God. God's
• 2:09:57
  Speaker 1: promise of protection, and the assurance that he had many
• 2:10:01
  Speaker 1: people in Corinth gave Paul the confidence to stay for
• 2:10:04
  Speaker 1: eighteen months, longer than he had stayed anywhere else on
• 2:10:09
  Speaker 1: his missionary journeys. This extended time allowed him to thoroughly
• 2:10:14
  Speaker 1: ground the new believers in their faith. During his time
• 2:10:18
  Speaker 1: in Corinth, Paul faced one more legal challenge. Acts eighteen
• 2:10:21
  Speaker 1: twelve and seventeen describes what happened while Gallio was proconsul
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 1: of Achiah. The Jews of Corinth made a united attack
• 2:10:30
  Speaker 1: on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.
• 2:10:34
  Speaker 1: This fellow, they charged, is persuading the people to worship
• 2:10:38
  Speaker 1: God in ways contrary to the law. Just as Paul
• 2:10:42
  Speaker 1: was about to speak, Gallio said to them, if you
• 2:10:46
  Speaker 1: Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime,
• 2:10:51
  Speaker 1: it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
• 2:10:54
  Speaker 1: But since it involves questions about words and names and
• 2:10:57
  Speaker 1: your own law, settle the matter your say, I will
• 2:11:01
  Speaker 1: not be a judge of such things. So he drove
• 2:11:04
  Speaker 1: them from the court. Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes,
• 2:11:09
  Speaker 1: the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul,
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 1: and Gallio showed no concern whatever. Gallio, the Roman governor,
• 2:11:18
  Speaker 1: refused to get involved in what he saw as a
• 2:11:20
  Speaker 1: religious dispute among Jews. This was actually a significant legal
• 2:11:25
  Speaker 1: precedent that protected Christianity as a legitimate religion throughout the
• 2:11:30
  Speaker 1: Roman Empire. The Jewish leader's plan backfired and they ended
• 2:11:36
  Speaker 1: up being driven from the court themselves. When Paul finally
• 2:11:40
  Speaker 1: decided to leave Corinth, Aquilla and Priscilla went with him.
• 2:11:44
  Speaker 1: Acts eighteenth, eighteen to nineteen tells us Paul stayed on
• 2:11:48
  Speaker 1: in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers
• 2:11:52
  Speaker 1: and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquilla.
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 1: Before he sailed, he had his air cut off at
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 1: century A because of a vow he had taken. They
• 2:12:05
  Speaker 1: arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquilla. He
• 2:12:09
  Speaker 1: himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. Meanwhile,
• 2:12:14
  Speaker 1: in Ephesus, where Aquila and Priscilla had remained, an interesting
• 2:12:18
  Speaker 1: situation was developing. Acts eighteen twenty four two to twenty
• 2:12:22
  Speaker 1: six introduces us to Apollos. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos,
• 2:12:27
  Speaker 1: a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a
• 2:12:31
  Speaker 1: learned man with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures. He
• 2:12:35
  Speaker 1: had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and
• 2:12:38
  Speaker 1: he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately.
• 2:12:43
  Speaker 1: Though he knew only the baptism of John, he began
• 2:12:46
  Speaker 1: to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquilla
• 2:12:50
  Speaker 1: heard him, they invited him to their home and explained
• 2:12:54
  Speaker 1: to him the way of God more adequately. Apollus was
• 2:12:58
  Speaker 1: passionate and knowledgeable, but his understanding was incomplete. Priscilla and
• 2:13:03
  Speaker 1: Aquila took him aside and taught him about baptism in
• 2:13:06
  Speaker 1: the name of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• 2:13:09
  Speaker 1: When Paul finally arrived in Ephesus, he found some disciples
• 2:13:14
  Speaker 1: who had the same incomplete understanding. Acts nineteen one to
• 2:13:19
  Speaker 1: seven describes this encounter. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
• 2:13:25
  Speaker 1: took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.
• 2:13:29
  Speaker 1: There he found some disciples and asked them, did you
• 2:13:32
  Speaker 1: receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They answered, no,
• 2:13:37
  Speaker 1: we have not even heard that there is a holy Spirit.
• 2:13:40
  Speaker 1: So Paul asked, then, what baptism did you receive John's baptism?
• 2:13:46
  Speaker 1: They replied. Paul said, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.
• 2:13:51
  Speaker 1: He told the people to believe in the one coming
• 2:13:53
  Speaker 1: after him, that is in Jesus. On hearing this, they
• 2:13:58
  Speaker 1: were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When
• 2:14:01
  Speaker 1: Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came
• 2:14:05
  Speaker 1: on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There
• 2:14:09
  Speaker 1: were about twelve men in all. Paul spent over two
• 2:14:12
  Speaker 1: years in Ephesus, and the results were extraordinary. Acts nineteen
• 2:14:17
  Speaker 1: eight to ten tells us Paul entered the synagogue and
• 2:14:21
  Speaker 1: spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the
• 2:14:24
  Speaker 1: Kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate. They
• 2:14:28
  Speaker 1: refused to believe and publicly maligned the way, so Paul
• 2:14:32
  Speaker 1: left them. He took the disciples with him and had
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 1: discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went
• 2:14:40
  Speaker 1: on for two years, so that all the Jews and
• 2:14:43
  Speaker 1: Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the
• 2:14:46
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord. The revival in Ephesus was so
• 2:14:50
  Speaker 1: powerful that miracles became commonplace. Acts nineteen eleven to twelve
• 2:14:55
  Speaker 1: describes these extraordinary events. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
• 2:15:00
  Speaker 1: so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him
• 2:15:04
  Speaker 1: were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured
• 2:15:07
  Speaker 1: and the evil spirits left them. Even items that had
• 2:15:11
  Speaker 1: touched Paul were bringing healing to people. But this power
• 2:15:15
  Speaker 1: also attracted attention from those who wanted to use it
• 2:15:18
  Speaker 1: for their own purposes. Acts nineteen thirteen to sixteen tells
• 2:15:22
  Speaker 1: a humorous but sobering story. Some Jews, who went around
• 2:15:26
  Speaker 1: driving out evil spirits, tried to invoke the name of
• 2:15:29
  Speaker 1: the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They
• 2:15:33
  Speaker 1: would say, in the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches,
• 2:15:37
  Speaker 1: I command you to come out. Seven sons of Skiva,
• 2:15:42
  Speaker 1: a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day. The
• 2:15:46
  Speaker 1: evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and Paul, I
• 2:15:50
  Speaker 1: know about, but who are you. Then the man who
• 2:15:54
  Speaker 1: had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.
• 2:15:58
  Speaker 1: He gave them such a beating that they ran out
• 2:16:01
  Speaker 1: of the house naked and bleeding. This incident had a
• 2:16:04
  Speaker 1: profound impact on the city. Acts nineteen seventeen twenty describes
• 2:16:09
  Speaker 1: the result. When this became known to the Jews and
• 2:16:12
  Speaker 1: Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear,
• 2:16:16
  Speaker 1: and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in
• 2:16:19
  Speaker 1: high honor. Many of those who believed now came and
• 2:16:24
  Speaker 1: openly confessed what they had done. A number who had
• 2:16:27
  Speaker 1: practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
• 2:16:32
  Speaker 1: When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total
• 2:16:36
  Speaker 1: came to fifty thousand drakmas. In this way, the word
• 2:16:40
  Speaker 1: of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. The
• 2:16:47
  Speaker 1: revival was so complete that people burned their expensive magic
• 2:16:51
  Speaker 1: books publicly. Fifty thousand drakmas was an enormous sum, roughly
• 2:16:56
  Speaker 1: one hundred and thirty seven years wages for a common worker.
• 2:17:00
  Speaker 1: This showed how serious these new believers were about turning
• 2:17:04
  Speaker 1: away from their old practices. After more than two years
• 2:17:08
  Speaker 1: in Ephesus, Paul felt led to return to Jerusalem, even
• 2:17:13
  Speaker 1: though he sensed danger awaiting him there. As he traveled
• 2:17:16
  Speaker 1: through Macedonia and Greece one final time, he made a
• 2:17:20
  Speaker 1: decision that would lead to one of the most emotional
• 2:17:23
  Speaker 1: scenes in the book of Acts. Acts twenty thirteen to
• 2:17:27
  Speaker 1: sixteen describes Paul's travel plans. We went on ahead to
• 2:17:33
  Speaker 1: the ship and sailed for Asos, where we were going
• 2:17:36
  Speaker 1: to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 1: he was going there on foot. When he met us
• 2:17:42
  Speaker 1: at Asos, we took him aboard and went on to
• 2:17:45
  Speaker 1: Mitilein the next day, we set sail from there and
• 2:17:49
  Speaker 1: arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over
• 2:17:53
  Speaker 1: to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Melitus.
• 2:17:58
  Speaker 1: Paul had decided to ale past Ephesus to avoid spending
• 2:18:02
  Speaker 1: time in the province of Asia, for he was in
• 2:18:04
  Speaker 1: a hurry to reach Jerusalem if possible by the day
• 2:18:08
  Speaker 1: of Pentecost. Paul was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem,
• 2:18:12
  Speaker 1: but he couldn't bear to leave the region without saying
• 2:18:14
  Speaker 1: good bye to the Ephesian church leaders, so he sent
• 2:18:18
  Speaker 1: for them to meet him in Miletus, about thirty miles
• 2:18:21
  Speaker 1: south of Ephesus. Acts twenty seventeen to twenty one begins
• 2:18:25
  Speaker 1: Paul's farewell address from Melitus. Paul sent to Ephesus for
• 2:18:30
  Speaker 1: the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 1: to them, you know how I lived the whole time
• 2:18:37
  Speaker 1: I was with you, From the first day I came
• 2:18:39
  Speaker 1: into the province of Asia, I served the Lord with
• 2:18:42
  Speaker 1: great humility and with tears, and in the midst of
• 2:18:46
  Speaker 1: severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents, you
• 2:18:49
  Speaker 1: know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 1: would be helpful to you, but have proclaimed it to
• 2:18:55
  Speaker 1: you publicly and from house to house. I have declared
• 2:18:59
  Speaker 1: to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to
• 2:19:01
  Speaker 1: God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
• 2:19:06
  Speaker 1: Paul reminded them of his ministry among them, how he
• 2:19:09
  Speaker 1: had served with humility, tears, and perseverance despite opposition. He
• 2:19:15
  Speaker 1: had held nothing back, teaching them everything they needed to
• 2:19:18
  Speaker 1: know about following Jesus. Then Paul shared something that must
• 2:19:22
  Speaker 1: have shocked them. Acts twenty twenty two to twenty four
• 2:19:27
  Speaker 1: reveals his sense of destiny and now, compelled by the Spirit,
• 2:19:33
  Speaker 1: I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen
• 2:19:36
  Speaker 1: to me there. I only know that in every city,
• 2:19:40
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are
• 2:19:43
  Speaker 1: facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me.
• 2:19:49
  Speaker 1: My only aim is to finish the race and complete
• 2:19:52
  Speaker 1: the task the Lord Jesus has given me the task
• 2:19:55
  Speaker 1: of testifying to the good news of God's grace. Paul
• 2:20:00
  Speaker 1: knew he was walking into danger, but he was determined
• 2:20:03
  Speaker 1: to be faithful to his calling. He considered his life
• 2:20:07
  Speaker 1: worth nothing compared to completing the mission Jesus had given him.
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 1: Acts twenty twenty five to twenty seven contains Paul's sobering prediction.
• 2:20:18
  Speaker 1: Now I know that none of you, among whom I
• 2:20:20
  Speaker 1: have gone about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again. Therefore,
• 2:20:25
  Speaker 1: I declare to you to day that I am innocent
• 2:20:28
  Speaker 1: of the blood of any of you, for I have
• 2:20:30
  Speaker 1: not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
• 2:20:34
  Speaker 1: Paul believed this would be the last time he would
• 2:20:37
  Speaker 1: see these beloved friends. He wanted them to know that
• 2:20:41
  Speaker 1: he had faithfully preached everything God wanted him to teach them. Then,
• 2:20:46
  Speaker 1: Paul gave them their final charge. Acts twenty twenty eight
• 2:20:49
  Speaker 1: thirty one records his passionate appeal, keep watch over yourselves
• 2:20:54
  Speaker 1: and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
• 2:20:56
  Speaker 1: made you overseers be shepherds of the Church of God,
• 2:20:59
  Speaker 1: which he bought with his own blood. I know that
• 2:21:02
  Speaker 1: after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you
• 2:21:06
  Speaker 1: and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number.
• 2:21:09
  Speaker 1: Men will arise and distort the truth in order to
• 2:21:13
  Speaker 1: draw away disciples. So be on your guard. Remember that
• 2:21:17
  Speaker 1: for three years I never stopped warning each of you,
• 2:21:20
  Speaker 1: night and day. With tears. Paul warned them about false
• 2:21:24
  Speaker 1: teachers who would try to deceive the church. Some would
• 2:21:27
  Speaker 1: come from outside, but others would arise from within their
• 2:21:30
  Speaker 1: own leadership. They needed to be constantly vigilant to protect
• 2:21:35
  Speaker 1: the flock. Acts twenty thirty two thirty five concludes Paul's speech. Now,
• 2:21:40
  Speaker 1: I commit you to God and to the word of
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 1: his grace, which can build you up and give you
• 2:21:45
  Speaker 1: an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have
• 2:21:49
  Speaker 1: not coveted any one's silver or gold or clothing. You
• 2:21:53
  Speaker 1: yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my
• 2:21:56
  Speaker 1: own needs and the needs of my companions. When everything
• 2:22:00
  Speaker 1: I did, I showed you that by this kind of
• 2:22:03
  Speaker 1: hard work we must help the weak. Remembering the words
• 2:22:06
  Speaker 1: the Lord Jesus himself said, it is more blessed to
• 2:22:10
  Speaker 1: give than to receive. Paul reminded them that he had
• 2:22:14
  Speaker 1: worked with his own hands to support himself and even
• 2:22:18
  Speaker 1: help others. He quoted words of Jesus that aren't recorded
• 2:22:22
  Speaker 1: in the Gospels, it is more blessed to give than
• 2:22:25
  Speaker 1: to receive. The farewell was heart breaking. Acts twenty thirty
• 2:22:31
  Speaker 1: six thirty eight describes the emotional scene when Paul had
• 2:22:36
  Speaker 1: finished speaking, He knelt down with all of them and prayed.
• 2:22:40
  Speaker 1: They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
• 2:22:44
  Speaker 1: What grieved them most was his statement that they would
• 2:22:46
  Speaker 1: never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to
• 2:22:50
  Speaker 1: the ship. These leaders, who had worked closely with Paul
• 2:22:53
  Speaker 1: for over two years, were devastated by his departure. They
• 2:22:58
  Speaker 1: knew the dangers he faced and feared they would never
• 2:23:01
  Speaker 1: see him again. Their tears and embraces showed the deep
• 2:23:05
  Speaker 1: bonds that had been formed through ministry together. Despite warnings
• 2:23:09
  Speaker 1: from the Holy Spirit and prophecies about the dangers he
• 2:23:12
  Speaker 1: would face, Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem. Acts
• 2:23:16
  Speaker 1: twenty one ten fourteen describes one final attempt to dissuade him.
• 2:23:21
  Speaker 1: After we had been there a number of days, a
• 2:23:24
  Speaker 1: prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, coming over to us.
• 2:23:28
  Speaker 1: He took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet
• 2:23:31
  Speaker 1: with it, and said, the Holy Spirit says, in this way,
• 2:23:35
  Speaker 1: the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of
• 2:23:38
  Speaker 1: this belt and will deliver him to the Gentiles. And
• 2:23:41
  Speaker 1: when we heard this, we and the people there pleaded
• 2:23:44
  Speaker 1: with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered,
• 2:23:48
  Speaker 1: why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am
• 2:23:52
  Speaker 1: ready not only to be bound, but also to die
• 2:23:55
  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. When
• 2:24:00
  Speaker 1: he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said
• 2:24:03
  Speaker 1: the Lord's will be done. Agabus performed a symbolic act,
• 2:24:08
  Speaker 1: using Paul's belt to bind his own hands and feet,
• 2:24:11
  Speaker 1: showing exactly what would happen to Paul in Jerusalem. But
• 2:24:14
  Speaker 1: Paul refused to be deterred. He was ready to die
• 2:24:18
  Speaker 1: if necessary, for the sake of Jesus. When Paul arrived
• 2:24:22
  Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, he was warmly received by the church leaders,
• 2:24:26
  Speaker 1: but they had concerns about his reputation among Jewish believers.
• 2:24:31
  Speaker 1: Acts twenty one to twenty twenty four describes their suggestion
• 2:24:35
  Speaker 1: When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said
• 2:24:38
  Speaker 1: to Paul, you see, brother, how many thousands of Jews
• 2:24:41
  Speaker 1: have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
• 2:24:45
  Speaker 1: They have been informed that you teach all the Jews
• 2:24:48
  Speaker 1: who live among the gentiles to turn away from Moses,
• 2:24:51
  Speaker 1: telling them not to circumcise their children or live according
• 2:24:55
  Speaker 1: to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly
• 2:24:59
  Speaker 1: hear that you have of come, So do what we
• 2:25:01
  Speaker 1: tell you. There are four men with us who have
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: made a vow. Take these men join in their purification
• 2:25:07
  Speaker 1: rights and pay their expenses so that they can have
• 2:25:10
  Speaker 1: their heads shaved. Then every one will know there is
• 2:25:13
  Speaker 1: no truth in these reports about you, but that you
• 2:25:16
  Speaker 1: yourself are living in obedience to the law. The Jerusalem
• 2:25:22
  Speaker 1: leaders asked Paul to participate in a purification ceremony to
• 2:25:26
  Speaker 1: show that he still respected Jewish customs. Paul agreed, hoping
• 2:25:31
  Speaker 1: to remove any misunderstanding about his ministry, but the plan backfired.
• 2:25:36
  Speaker 1: Acts twenty one twenty seven thirty describes what happened when
• 2:25:42
  Speaker 1: the seven days were nearly over. Some Jews from the
• 2:25:45
  Speaker 1: province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred
• 2:25:49
  Speaker 1: up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, fellow Israelites,
• 2:25:52
  Speaker 1: help us. This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere
• 2:25:56
  Speaker 1: against our people and our law and this place. And besides,
• 2:26:00
  Speaker 1: he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this
• 2:26:03
  Speaker 1: holy place. They had previously seen Trothemus the Ephesian in
• 2:26:07
  Speaker 1: the city with Paul, and assumed that Paul had brought
• 2:26:10
  Speaker 1: him into the temple. The whole city was aroused and
• 2:26:14
  Speaker 1: the people came running from all directions, seizing Paul. They
• 2:26:18
  Speaker 1: dragged him from the temple and immediately the gates were shut.
• 2:26:22
  Speaker 1: Jews from Asia, who knew Paul from his missionary work,
• 2:26:25
  Speaker 1: saw him in the temple and falsely accused him of
• 2:26:28
  Speaker 1: bringing gentiles into the restricted area. The crowd became a
• 2:26:32
  Speaker 1: violent mob, dragging Paul out of the temple and trying
• 2:26:36
  Speaker 1: to kill him. Roman soldiers intervened just in time. Acts
• 2:26:41
  Speaker 1: twenty one thirty one thirty six describes the rescue. While
• 2:26:45
  Speaker 1: they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander
• 2:26:49
  Speaker 1: of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem
• 2:26:52
  Speaker 1: was in an uproar. He immediately took some officers and
• 2:26:55
  Speaker 1: soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters
• 2:26:59
  Speaker 1: saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
• 2:27:03
  Speaker 1: The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him
• 2:27:06
  Speaker 1: to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who
• 2:27:09
  Speaker 1: he was and what he had done. Some in the
• 2:27:13
  Speaker 1: crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the
• 2:27:16
  Speaker 1: commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar,
• 2:27:20
  Speaker 1: he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. When
• 2:27:23
  Speaker 1: Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was
• 2:27:26
  Speaker 1: so great he had to be carried by the soldiers.
• 2:27:29
  Speaker 1: The crowd that followed kept shouting get rid of him.
• 2:27:33
  Speaker 1: Paul was rescued from the mob, but arrested by the Romans.
• 2:27:37
  Speaker 1: As they carried him up the steps to safety, he
• 2:27:39
  Speaker 1: asked permission to speak to the crowd. Acts twenty two
• 2:27:43
  Speaker 1: one two begins his defense. Brothers and fathers, listen now
• 2:27:48
  Speaker 1: to my defense. When they heard him speak to them
• 2:27:51
  Speaker 1: in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Paul told his story
• 2:27:56
  Speaker 1: in Aramaic, the language of the people, which got their attention.
• 2:28:00
  Speaker 1: He described his Jewish upbringing, his persecution of Christians, his
• 2:28:06
  Speaker 1: conversion on the road to Damascus, and his calling to
• 2:28:09
  Speaker 1: preach to the Gentiles. The crowd listened until he mentioned
• 2:28:13
  Speaker 1: his mission to the Gentiles. Then they erupted again in anger.
• 2:28:18
  Speaker 1: After multiple trials and appeals, Paul finally exercised his writer
• 2:28:22
  Speaker 1: as a Roman citizen to have his case heard by
• 2:28:26
  Speaker 1: Caesar in Rome. Acts twenty seven one to two describes
• 2:28:31
  Speaker 1: the beginning of this momentous journey. When it was decided
• 2:28:35
  Speaker 1: that we would sail for Italy. Paul and some other
• 2:28:38
  Speaker 1: prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who
• 2:28:42
  Speaker 1: belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from
• 2:28:45
  Speaker 1: Adramytium about to sail for ports along the coast of
• 2:28:48
  Speaker 1: the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus,
• 2:28:53
  Speaker 1: a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. Paul was traveling
• 2:28:59
  Speaker 1: as a prisoner, but he wasn't alone. Luke was still
• 2:29:03
  Speaker 1: with him. Noticed the we passages, and Aristacus, a faithful
• 2:29:08
  Speaker 1: companion from Thessalonica, had also joined them. The centurion Julius
• 2:29:14
  Speaker 1: was in charge of transporting the prisoners to Rome. The
• 2:29:17
  Speaker 1: journey began well, but as they progressed, the weather became
• 2:29:21
  Speaker 1: increasingly dangerous. Acts twenty seven, p. Ninety to eleven describes
• 2:29:26
  Speaker 1: the growing concern. Much time had been lost and sailing
• 2:29:30
  Speaker 1: had already become dangerous because by now it was after
• 2:29:34
  Speaker 1: the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, men, I
• 2:29:38
  Speaker 1: can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous
• 2:29:41
  Speaker 1: and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to
• 2:29:44
  Speaker 1: our own lives also. But the centurion, instead of listening
• 2:29:48
  Speaker 1: to Paul, followed the advice of the pilot and of
• 2:29:51
  Speaker 1: the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable
• 2:29:55
  Speaker 1: to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on,
• 2:29:59
  Speaker 1: hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a
• 2:30:03
  Speaker 1: harbor in crete, facing both southwest and northwest. Paul, experienced
• 2:30:09
  Speaker 1: in travel and perhaps guided by the Holy Spirit, warned
• 2:30:13
  Speaker 1: that continuing the voyage would be dangerous, but the ship's
• 2:30:16
  Speaker 1: officers and the centurion decided to risk it, hoping to
• 2:30:20
  Speaker 1: reach a better harbor for the winter. Their decision proved
• 2:30:24
  Speaker 1: to be a disaster. Acts twenty seven thirteen to twenty
• 2:30:28
  Speaker 1: describes the terrifying storm that followed. When a gentle south
• 2:30:33
  Speaker 1: wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity, so they
• 2:30:37
  Speaker 1: weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before
• 2:30:41
  Speaker 1: very long a wind of hurricane force called the northeaster,
• 2:30:44
  Speaker 1: swept down from the island. The ship was caught by
• 2:30:48
  Speaker 1: the storm and could not head into the wind, so
• 2:30:51
  Speaker 1: we gave way to it and were driven along As
• 2:30:55
  Speaker 1: we passed to the lee of a small island called Cowder.
• 2:30:58
  Speaker 1: We were hardly able to make the life life boat secure,
• 2:31:01
  Speaker 1: so the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.
• 2:31:05
  Speaker 1: On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard
• 2:31:08
  Speaker 1: with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared
• 2:31:12
  Speaker 1: for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally
• 2:31:16
  Speaker 1: gave up all hope of being saved. The storm was
• 2:31:20
  Speaker 1: so severe that they couldn't see the sun or stars
• 2:31:23
  Speaker 1: for days, making navigation impossible. They threw cargo and equipment
• 2:31:28
  Speaker 1: overboard to lighten the ship, but nothing seemed to help.
• 2:31:32
  Speaker 1: Everyone on board gave up hope of survival, but Paul
• 2:31:36
  Speaker 1: had received a message from God. Acts twenty seven twenty
• 2:31:40
  Speaker 1: one to twenty six records his encouraging words. After they
• 2:31:44
  Speaker 1: had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up
• 2:31:48
  Speaker 1: before them and said, men, you should have taken my
• 2:31:52
  Speaker 1: advice not to sail from crete. Then you would have
• 2:31:55
  Speaker 1: spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge
• 2:31:58
  Speaker 1: you to keep up your courage, because not one of
• 2:32:01
  Speaker 1: you will be lost. Only the ship will be destroyed.
• 2:32:05
  Speaker 1: Last night, an angel of the God to whom I
• 2:32:08
  Speaker 1: belong and whom I serve, stood beside me and said,
• 2:32:11
  Speaker 1: do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar,
• 2:32:15
  Speaker 1: and God has graciously given you the lives of all
• 2:32:19
  Speaker 1: who sail with you. So keep up your courage, men,
• 2:32:22
  Speaker 1: for I have faith in God that it will happen
• 2:32:25
  Speaker 1: just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground
• 2:32:28
  Speaker 1: on some island. Paul's faith stood in stark contrast to
• 2:32:34
  Speaker 1: every one else's despair. God had promised that all two
• 2:32:38
  Speaker 1: hundred and seventy six people on board would survive, even
• 2:32:42
  Speaker 1: though the ship would be destroyed. Paul's confidence in God's
• 2:32:45
  Speaker 1: promise gave hope to the desperate sailors and passengers. After
• 2:32:49
  Speaker 1: fourteen days of being driven by the storm, they finally
• 2:32:52
  Speaker 1: approached land. Acts twenty seven thirty nine forty four describes
• 2:32:58
  Speaker 1: the dramatic ending. When daylight came, they did not recognize
• 2:33:03
  Speaker 1: the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach,
• 2:33:07
  Speaker 1: where they decided to run the ship aground if they
• 2:33:09
  Speaker 1: could cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea,
• 2:33:13
  Speaker 1: and at the same time untied the ropes that held
• 2:33:16
  Speaker 1: the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind
• 2:33:20
  Speaker 1: and made for the beach. But the ship struck a
• 2:33:23
  Speaker 1: sand bar and ran aground. The bow stuck. She fast
• 2:33:28
  Speaker 1: and would not move, and the stern was broken to
• 2:33:31
  Speaker 1: pieces by the pounding of the surf. The soldiers planned
• 2:33:35
  Speaker 1: to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from
• 2:33:37
  Speaker 1: swimming away and escaping, but the centurion wanted to spare
• 2:33:41
  Speaker 1: Paul's life and kept them from carrying out their plan.
• 2:33:45
  Speaker 1: He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first
• 2:33:48
  Speaker 1: and get to land. The rest were to get there
• 2:33:51
  Speaker 1: on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In
• 2:33:54
  Speaker 1: this way, everyone reached land safely. The ship was destroyed
• 2:33:59
  Speaker 1: exactly as Paul had predicted, but every single person survived.
• 2:34:03
  Speaker 1: The centurion Julius, who had come to respect Paul during
• 2:34:08
  Speaker 1: the voyage, prevented the soldiers from killing the prisoners. Some
• 2:34:12
  Speaker 1: swam to shore, others floated on pieces of the broken ship,
• 2:34:15
  Speaker 1: but all two hundred seventy six people made it safely
• 2:34:19
  Speaker 1: to land. They discovered they were on the island of Malta,
• 2:34:22
  Speaker 1: where the local people showed them extraordinary kindness. Acts twenty
• 2:34:27
  Speaker 1: eight one to six describes their reception. Once safely on shore,
• 2:34:32
  Speaker 1: we found out that the island was called Malta. The
• 2:34:34
  Speaker 1: islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and
• 2:34:38
  Speaker 1: welcomed us all. Because it was raining and cold, Paul
• 2:34:42
  Speaker 1: gathered a pile of brushwood, and as he put it
• 2:34:44
  Speaker 1: on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat,
• 2:34:47
  Speaker 1: fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the
• 2:34:51
  Speaker 1: snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other,
• 2:34:55
  Speaker 1: this man must be a murderer, for though he escaped
• 2:34:58
  Speaker 1: from the sea, the goddess just has not allowed him
• 2:35:01
  Speaker 1: to live. But Paul shook the snake off into the
• 2:35:04
  Speaker 1: fire and suffered no harm. Even after surviving the shipwreck,
• 2:35:08
  Speaker 1: Paul faced danger when a poisonous snake bit him. The
• 2:35:11
  Speaker 1: local people first thought he must be a murderer being
• 2:35:14
  Speaker 1: punished by the gods, but when he suffered no harm,
• 2:35:18
  Speaker 1: they changed their minds and thought he was a god himself.
• 2:35:22
  Speaker 1: Paul spent three months on Malta, during which time he
• 2:35:26
  Speaker 1: healed many people and preached the Gospel Acts twenty eight
• 2:35:30
  Speaker 1: eleven to sixteen describes the final leg of his journey.
• 2:35:34
  Speaker 1: After three months, we put out to sea in a
• 2:35:37
  Speaker 1: ship that had wintered in the island. It was an
• 2:35:40
  Speaker 1: Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor
• 2:35:44
  Speaker 1: and Pollux. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there
• 2:35:48
  Speaker 1: three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Regium.
• 2:35:52
  Speaker 1: The next day the south wind came up, and on
• 2:35:54
  Speaker 1: the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some
• 2:35:57
  Speaker 1: brothers and sisters who invited us to spend and a
• 2:36:00
  Speaker 1: week with them, And so we came to Rome. The
• 2:36:03
  Speaker 1: brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming,
• 2:36:06
  Speaker 1: and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius
• 2:36:09
  Speaker 1: and the three Taverns to meet us. At the sight
• 2:36:12
  Speaker 1: of these people, Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When
• 2:36:16
  Speaker 1: we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself,
• 2:36:19
  Speaker 1: with a soldier to guard him. Paul's long and dangerous
• 2:36:23
  Speaker 1: journey to Rome was finally complete. Believers from the Roman
• 2:36:27
  Speaker 1: Church came out to meet him, encouraging his heart. After
• 2:36:31
  Speaker 1: all he had been through. In Rome, he was given
• 2:36:33
  Speaker 1: the unusual privilege of living in his own rented house
• 2:36:37
  Speaker 1: under house arrest, where he could receive visitors and continue
• 2:36:41
  Speaker 1: his ministry while awaiting his trial before Caesar. The Book
• 2:36:46
  Speaker 1: of Acts ends with Paul in Rome still preaching the
• 2:36:50
  Speaker 1: gospel even as a prisoner. His journey from persecutor to
• 2:36:54
  Speaker 1: missionary to prisoner demonstrates that God can use anyone and
• 2:36:59
  Speaker 1: any circumstances to accomplish his purposes. The Gospel had now
• 2:37:04
  Speaker 1: reached the capital of the Roman Empire, and from there
• 2:37:08
  Speaker 1: it would continue to spread to the ends of the earth.
• 2:37:12
  Speaker 1: If this journey through Acts has encouraged your faith or
• 2:37:15
  Speaker 1: helped you understand God's word better, I'd love for you
• 2:37:19
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• 2:37:22
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• 2:37:28
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• 2:37:31
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• 2:37:35
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• 2:37:38
  Speaker 1: church community. Someone in your life needs to hear these
• 2:37:42
  Speaker 1: stories of God's faithfulness and power. When you share, your
• 2:37:46
  Speaker 1: participating in the same mission that started in Acts, spreading
• 2:37:50
  Speaker 1: the good News to the ends of the earth. Thanks
• 2:37:54
  Speaker 1: for watching and remember, the story of acts continues through
• 2:37:58
  Speaker 1: us to day. God is still writing his story through
• 2:38:03
  Speaker 1: ordinary people who are willing to say yes to his
• 2:38:06
  Speaker 1: extraordinary call.