Latest / Reflections On The Word With Richard Kay / Holy Spirit Baptism for Gentiles | Episode #401 | Encore Episode #072

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Holy Spirit Baptism for Gentiles | Episode #401 | Encore Episode #072 · Reflections On The Word With Richard Kay

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to today's edition of Reflection on the Word with
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  Speaker 1: Richard K. I'm Chuck Christie, and today we are asking
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  Speaker 1: you to spend a few moments of your time with
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  Speaker 1: us each day as Richard shares from God's work with notes, quotes,
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  Speaker 1: and story along with some of his own personal experiences,
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  Speaker 1: to confirm for you God's great love for us, that
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  Speaker 1: his compassion for us never fails, and that He has
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  Speaker 1: a great faithfulness toward us in every regard. Now, if
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  Speaker 1: you miss a portion of today's broadcast or would like
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  Speaker 1: to recommend it to a friend, you can hear this
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  Speaker 1: program anytime online at Talknetwork Radio dot com. Well, now
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  Speaker 1: here's Richard with today's reflection.
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  Speaker 2: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 2: came down on all those who heard the message. The
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  Speaker 2: circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded because
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  Speaker 2: the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out
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  Speaker 2: on the gentiles, also, for they heard them speaking in
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  Speaker 2: other languages and declaring the greatness of God Act ten
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  Speaker 2: Versus forty four through forty six. As we continue in
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  Speaker 2: our study the working and the power manifested through believers
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  Speaker 2: by the Holy Spirit, we come to a very interesting
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  Speaker 2: account biblically that shows us God is not a respector
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  Speaker 2: of persons. It doesn't matter whether you are born of
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  Speaker 2: a particular persuasion or whether you are in a totally
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  Speaker 2: different culture. It makes no difference. God has provided a
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  Speaker 2: sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. But more than
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  Speaker 2: just the sacrifice, which we are not in any way minimizing,
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  Speaker 2: he has empowered believers to continue the work of ministry.
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  Speaker 2: And so we come to the account in the Book
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  Speaker 2: of Acts in chapter ten, where what is really happening
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  Speaker 2: is that the Gentiles have heard the Gospel message, which
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  Speaker 2: prior to that time had been only delivered to the Jews.
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  Speaker 2: And so in this case we see the account that
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  Speaker 2: Peter is sent to speak to those who were not Jews.
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  Speaker 2: And you may recall the account because each time that
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  Speaker 2: we have found that there has been a presentation of
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  Speaker 2: the Gospel, people's hearts are changed. They come to a
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  Speaker 2: saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the same
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  Speaker 2: is true in this case. Recounting what had taken place,
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  Speaker 2: I want us to look earlier into the passages that
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  Speaker 2: actually provide what had taken place. As you recall, there
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  Speaker 2: was a man that was living in Cesarea. He was
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  Speaker 2: not a Jew, in fact, he was of the Italian regiment.
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  Speaker 2: He was in fact a Roman, and he by the
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  Speaker 2: name of Cornelius, was a centurion, and so he was
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  Speaker 2: a devout man. What does it mean when we say
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  Speaker 2: that a person is a devout man. I think that
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  Speaker 2: in this illustration he was described as a devout man
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  Speaker 2: because he did good for his neighbors and he had
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  Speaker 2: a good reputation with the Jewish people. You see, Rome
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  Speaker 2: actually was the ruling authority over that nation at that time.
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  Speaker 2: And yet rather than just being the tyrant that they
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  Speaker 2: could have been, here is a centurion who, out of
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  Speaker 2: the goodness of his heart, is charitable to the Jewish people,
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  Speaker 2: whom in many cases they were persecuting because of their beliefs.
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  Speaker 2: Now it talks about how he was praying, and after praying,
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  Speaker 2: he received a vision where he actually saw this man
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  Speaker 2: who was waiting at a house of Simon the Tanner.
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  Speaker 2: The man that he saw was the man the apostle Peter.
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  Speaker 2: This was all done in a vision. The angel spoke
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  Speaker 2: to him and said that he was to send the
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  Speaker 2: people to the household that would actually summon Simon called
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  Speaker 2: Peter to bring him to his house. Now, this was
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  Speaker 2: almost totally unheard of in that day and in that culture.
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  Speaker 2: For a Roman to invite a Jew into his home
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  Speaker 2: was something that was tantamount to treason. And it was
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  Speaker 2: also for a Jew to go into a Roman house
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  Speaker 2: was also a sacrilege, it was a great sin. And
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  Speaker 2: so at the same time that Cornelius is having his vision,
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  Speaker 2: there is also a same type of visitation taking place
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  Speaker 2: with Peter. While he is waiting in that particular home
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  Speaker 2: in Simon the Tanner in Joppa. There he is actually
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  Speaker 2: praying himself. He went up to the house talk and
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  Speaker 2: it was about the noon hour, and he became hungry,
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  Speaker 2: and so as he responded to the natural needs that
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  Speaker 2: he had, he has a vision. And in this vision
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  Speaker 2: he sees a sheet that comes down out of heaven
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  Speaker 2: filled with all types of animals and reptiles and all
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  Speaker 2: of the types of creatures that roam on this earth.
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  Speaker 2: And many of them were unclean. According to the Jewish
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  Speaker 2: laws of kosher rites. They could not touch, much less
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  Speaker 2: eat of those particular animals. And so here is this illustration.
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  Speaker 2: Peter is hungry. Now he sees in a vision there
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  Speaker 2: is a sheet if you will that comes down filled
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  Speaker 2: with all types of animals, and many of them are
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  Speaker 2: classified in the Jewish tradition as unclean. And so he
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  Speaker 2: hears the voice that says, Peter, kill and eat. And
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  Speaker 2: Peter now argues and he proclaims, he says, I will
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  Speaker 2: never eat anything common or unclean. And now the voice
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  Speaker 2: once again says, what God has made clean, you must
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  Speaker 2: not call common. Now this actually happened three times, and
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  Speaker 2: then the vision was finished. At the same time Peter
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  Speaker 2: is receiving this vision, those that were sent from the
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  Speaker 2: house of Cornelia actually have summoned Peter to come to
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  Speaker 2: the house of Cornelius. And when you see what took place,
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  Speaker 2: Cornelius already had his family, he had many of his neighbors,
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  Speaker 2: and of course those that were there were there to
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  Speaker 2: hear what Peter had to say. Remember, Peter was reluctant
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  Speaker 2: to go. But when he saw that these three men
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  Speaker 2: had come so that he could actually go to the
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  Speaker 2: house of Cornelius, he began to understand the vision of
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  Speaker 2: not calling anything God had called clean uncommon or unclean.
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  Speaker 2: In other words, he actually was beginning to understand that
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  Speaker 2: the gospel was meant for believing Jews, as well as
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  Speaker 2: as those who were non Jews who would also believe.
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  Speaker 2: And then, as we find in the following portion of
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  Speaker 2: the Scripture, in Acts ten, we see that Peter began
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  Speaker 2: to speak, And as he began to speak, he says, now,
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  Speaker 2: I really understand that God doesn't show favoritism, but in
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  Speaker 2: every nation, the person who fears Him and does righteousness
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  Speaker 2: is acceptable to him. He sends the message to the Israelites,
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  Speaker 2: proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, he
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  Speaker 2: is Lord of all. You know the events that took
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  Speaker 2: place throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that
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  Speaker 2: John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit and with power, and and how he went
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  Speaker 2: about doing good and healing all who were under the
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  Speaker 2: tyranny of the devil. Because God was with him. We
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  Speaker 2: ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the
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  Speaker 2: Judean country and in Jerusalem. Yet they killed him by
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  Speaker 2: hanging him on a tree. God raised up this man
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  Speaker 2: on the third day and permitted him to be seen
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  Speaker 2: not by all the people, but by us witnesses appointed
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  Speaker 2: beforehand by God, who ate and drank with him. After
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  Speaker 2: he rose from the dead, he commanded us to preach
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  Speaker 2: to the people and to solemnly testify that he is
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  Speaker 2: the one appointed by God to be the judge of
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  Speaker 2: the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about
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  Speaker 2: him that through his name, everyone who believes in him
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  Speaker 2: will receive forgiveness of sins. While Peter was still speaking
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  Speaker 2: these words, the Holy Spirit came down on all those
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  Speaker 2: who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come
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  Speaker 2: with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, also, for
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  Speaker 2: they heard them speaking in other languages and declaring the
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  Speaker 2: greatness of God. Then Peter responded, can anyone withhold water
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  Speaker 2: and prevent these people from being baptized who have received
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded
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  Speaker 2: them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 2: Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
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  Speaker 2: That is the full account from Acts chapter ten, Versus
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  Speaker 2: thirty four through forty eight. A brief explanation here draws
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  Speaker 2: our attention to two very distinct parts. Number One, Peter
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  Speaker 2: is preaching the same gospel message proclaiming the good news
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  Speaker 2: that Jesus is the Messiah. And yet his message, which
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  Speaker 2: had only been imparted to the Jewish believers here shown
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  Speaker 2: as circumcised believers. Those were the recipients of the Holy
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  Speaker 2: Spirit earlier. And yet here we see an astounding event.
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  Speaker 2: While Peter is still speaking the words of the Gospel,
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit comes down on all of those within
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  Speaker 2: the house of Cornelius. And now we see the distinction.
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  Speaker 2: Not only are the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit, as
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  Speaker 2: they believe in the Lord Jesus and the message of
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  Speaker 2: the Messiah and the Savior of all mankind, but they
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  Speaker 2: receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit before being baptized
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  Speaker 2: in water. Isn't that a strange significance. If Jesus wanted
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  Speaker 2: only a baptism of water, that is what he would
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  Speaker 2: have provided. But here he demonstrates by the baptism of
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  Speaker 2: the Holy Spirit. And I want you to notice why
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  Speaker 2: they knew that this baptism had taken place. Now, these
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  Speaker 2: were Jewish believers that accompanied Peter in the household of Cornelius,
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  Speaker 2: and as they heard the message, they saw that the
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit came down on all those in the House
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  Speaker 2: of Cornelius, for they heard them speaking in other languages,
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  Speaker 2: some versions say in other tongues and declaring the greatness
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  Speaker 2: of God.
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  Speaker 1: Richard will be right back in a moment to wrap up.
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  Speaker 1: But if you just joined us you've been listening to
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  Speaker 1: Reflections on the Word with Richard K. You can hear
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  Speaker 1: this message in its entirety again online as well as
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  Speaker 1: Richard's entire archive at Talknetwork Radio dot com. We would
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  Speaker 1: like to acknowledge our theme song, how Great Is Thy Faithfulness,
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  Speaker 1: from the America's twenty five Favorite Hymns album unless otherwise.
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  Speaker 1: Express scriptures are read from the Homan Christian Standard Bible,
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  Speaker 1: which is published by Homan Bible Publishers in Nashville, Tennessee.
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  Speaker 1: Additional resources used for Reflections on the Word with Richard
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  Speaker 1: K include Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Our Daily Bread
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  Speaker 1: and printed by Discovery House Publishers. Again, here is Richard
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  Speaker 1: to wrap up today's message.
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  Speaker 2: Now, I want you to understand this portion is very
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  Speaker 2: very important. You see, they received the Holy Spirit, and
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  Speaker 2: they spoke with other languages. And yet in this account,
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  Speaker 2: the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit in the exact same way.
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  Speaker 2: So what you see here is both the gift of
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  Speaker 2: tongues that is being brought into play by the Holy Spirit,
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  Speaker 2: as well as the interpretation of those languages, because they
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  Speaker 2: heard them speaking in other languages and they knew they
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  Speaker 2: were declaring the greatness of God. And so we see
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  Speaker 2: that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not just
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  Speaker 2: for a specific view. It was not for the select
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  Speaker 2: Jews only. It was for all hearers of the Gospel.
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  Speaker 2: And so we see that with this particular account, God
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  Speaker 2: is not one who shows favoritism in the use of
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  Speaker 2: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He will baptize a
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  Speaker 2: believer in the Holy Spirit, and all they must do
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  Speaker 2: is seek him. And that is today's Reflection on the Word.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Richard. Join us again tomorrow when we continue
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  Speaker 1: with the next edition of Reflections on the Word with
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  Speaker 1: Richard k or Richard on the entire team. This is
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  Speaker 1: Chuck Christie saying thanks for listening to this edition of
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  Speaker 1: Reflections on the Word.