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

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. But the voice answered me again from heaven,
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  Speaker 1: What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. Acts
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  Speaker 1: 11.9 Jesus, thank you for showing me the most important
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  Speaker 1: lesson in my life when it comes to people. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you for showing me that whomever you deemed as clean
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  Speaker 1: and pure, no one can reverse it. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: showing me, Jesus, that your plan is for all people,
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  Speaker 1: regardless of their ethnicity, economic standing, and upbringing. Similar to
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  Speaker 1: the life of Peter, use me in my industry to
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  Speaker 1: share stories of your goodness and mercy. As I speak,
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  Speaker 1: let your Holy Spirit charge and change the hearts of
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  Speaker 1: everyone listening. Let your loving kindness be put on full display.
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  Speaker 1: Like the centurion soldier and his family, may other families
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  Speaker 1: come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. You
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  Speaker 1: are a game-changer. You are the way-maker. And through me,
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  Speaker 1: others will know that you have called them, and your
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  Speaker 1: desire is to love on them. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Unclean. In our last story, we saw the work of
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  Speaker 2: God through Peter. One man was restored from being crippled
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  Speaker 2: for eight years. Another was dead and raised to life.
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  Speaker 2: In this, we saw the will of God moving people
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  Speaker 2: out of their beds and into a life of purpose.
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  Speaker 2: Now we see God extend his reach further than just
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  Speaker 2: the Jews. We see a Roman family come to know
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  Speaker 2: the truth and power of Jesus. Peter, who would be
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  Speaker 2: convinced by a dream that no person is common, would
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  Speaker 2: witness the extraordinary power of Christ. Inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of Acts.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. In yesterday's episode, we heard how God
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  Speaker 3: worked through Peter in the towns of Lydda and Joppa
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  Speaker 3: to bring physical healing and life to the sick and dead.
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  Speaker 3: And that ultimately pointed people to faith in Jesus Christ. Today,
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  Speaker 3: we'll see the gospel once again going beyond the Jewish
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  Speaker 3: people as a Roman family comes to faith in Christ.
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  Speaker 3: We'll also see how God is working on the hearts
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  Speaker 3: of his disciples as he speaks to Peter and and
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  Speaker 3: shows him that no person is unclean or excluded from
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  Speaker 3: God's grace. Let's listen now to the reading of God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: The night was silent under the crescent moon. The birds
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  Speaker 2: had not emerged to welcome the morning, and the only
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  Speaker 2: sound was that of stirring in Cornelius' bed. He tossed
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  Speaker 2: and turned in the night, experiencing the intensity of God
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  Speaker 2: coming to his dream. Cornelius, the Lord said, Cornelius stared
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  Speaker 2: at the Lord in complete terror. His bones shook, and
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  Speaker 2: his heart seemed to be beating out of his chest.
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  Speaker 2: Here I am, he whimpered. The Lord spoke with great clarity.
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  Speaker 2: I have seen your righteousness, Cornelius. I have seen your
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  Speaker 2: generosity to the poor and your gentle spirit. Your prayers
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  Speaker 2: to me have been heard. Now send men to Joppa.
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  Speaker 2: My servant Peter resides there by the sea. Cornelius woke
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  Speaker 2: with a jolt. He rubbed his eyes and looked out
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  Speaker 2: his window. The sun was rising and there was work
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  Speaker 2: the Lord desired to do in his household. Cornelius was
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  Speaker 2: a Roman centurion and a Gentile. Many of the Jewish
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  Speaker 2: believers still held on to the belief that Gentiles were
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  Speaker 2: somewhat unclean and not a part of the people of God.
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  Speaker 2: Yet Cornelius remained alert to what the Lord was doing,
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  Speaker 2: so he sent for Peter. The next day Peter was
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  Speaker 2: kneeling by the sea. He often looked out into the ocean,
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  Speaker 2: remembering how Jesus calmed the storms that surrounded him. Now
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  Speaker 2: he prayed that Jesus would calm his inner storms. Peter
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  Speaker 2: closed his eyes, doing his best to focus on the
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  Speaker 2: voice of God. However, his stomach had other plans. Peter
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  Speaker 2: was famished and greatly desired something to eat. As he
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  Speaker 2: was praying, the Lord caused him to sleep. Peter saw
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  Speaker 2: the heavens opened up like light through a cave. Peter
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  Speaker 2: gazed upon what seemed to be a large sheet descending
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  Speaker 2: gracefully to the earth. Peter watched as all kinds of reptiles, birds,
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  Speaker 2: and animals grazed on the sheet. Peter watched the beasts curiously.
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  Speaker 2: Then he heard a voice from heaven saying, Arise, Peter,
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  Speaker 2: hunt and eat. Peter pondered the command. Was this a test?
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  Speaker 2: He knew that many of the animals presented were not
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  Speaker 2: considered clean by the old covenant law. Did God truly
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  Speaker 2: want him to eat what was once considered unholy? Peter
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  Speaker 2: shook his head. By no means. I have never eaten
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  Speaker 2: anything common or unclean, Peter said very sure of himself.
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  Speaker 2: Peter believed he had passed God's test, showing himself to
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  Speaker 2: be obedient with old traditions. Yet the voice spoke a
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  Speaker 2: second time, saying, What God has made clean you shall
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  Speaker 2: not call unclean. The saying was repeated three times, and
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  Speaker 2: Peter woke up. Still hungry and still confused, he went
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  Speaker 2: to go eat, still pondering what the Lord meant in
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  Speaker 2: his heart. A few hours passed, and the men sent
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  Speaker 2: by Cornelius had reached Peter. They implored him to join
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  Speaker 2: them at Cornelius' home. They told Peter of Cornelius' faithfulness
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  Speaker 2: and goodwill towards the people of God. So Peter went
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  Speaker 2: back with them to Caesarea. They walked for over a
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  Speaker 2: day and arrived at the home of the centurion. Peter
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  Speaker 2: walked in through the door and saw a house filled
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  Speaker 2: with Roman Gentiles. All of Cornelius' family and friends were
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  Speaker 2: there to see Peter. When Cornelius saw Peter, he ran
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  Speaker 2: towards him and fell at his feet. Peter's face grew red.
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  Speaker 2: He was flustered by the gesture. Please stand up. I
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  Speaker 2: am only a man, like you. Cornelius stood to his feet.
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  Speaker 2: As Peter looked around the room, he began to realize
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  Speaker 2: what God was trying to say to him through his dream.
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  Speaker 2: He saw many faces wearing expectant grins. Peter sighed and
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  Speaker 2: laughed to himself. God was faithful to him. He had
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  Speaker 2: shown Peter exactly what his will was. Peter raised his
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  Speaker 2: voice to the crowd and said, You all know that
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  Speaker 2: Jews are not supposed to associate or build friendships with
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  Speaker 2: anybody from another nation. However, God has recently showed me
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  Speaker 2: that I am not to call anyone unclean or common,
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  Speaker 2: even Gentiles. So Peter ate with them and exchanged stories
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  Speaker 2: about who Jesus was and what he was sent to do.
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  Speaker 2: Cornelius and his family gathered around Peter, listening. Peter laughed
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  Speaker 2: and cried as he told stories of Jesus' kindness, compassion, strength,
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  Speaker 2: and even humor. It was not before long that every
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  Speaker 2: person in Cornelius' house came to believe in Christ. The
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  Speaker 2: Holy Spirit moved like rushing waves over the Gentiles that night.
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  Speaker 2: Signs and wonders were done among them. Even more, their
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  Speaker 2: whole worldview began to shift and change. They believed in
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  Speaker 2: God for their city and their communities. They sought the
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  Speaker 2: gifts of the Spirit and experienced the full weight of
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  Speaker 2: His glory upon them. The whole household of Cornelius was baptized,
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  Speaker 2: and they began to change the community with their deeds.
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  Speaker 2: This was the beginning of a new wave of God's majesty.
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  Speaker 2: It was promised thousands of years ago that through the
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  Speaker 2: seed of Abraham all nations would be blessed. Jesus was
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  Speaker 2: that seed. Through Him all nations would be able to
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  Speaker 2: come to God, not just one specific group, but every
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  Speaker 2: culture and nation under the sun God would work in
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  Speaker 2: and through the Gentiles. As a result, every nation on
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  Speaker 2: earth would know the name of Christ.
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  Speaker 3: As we open today's reading, we are introduced to a
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  Speaker 3: man named Cornelius. He was a centurion, a commander in
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  Speaker 3: the Roman army. Although he was a Gentile, we are
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  Speaker 3: told that Cornelius was a God-fearing man. He was earnestly
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  Speaker 3: seeking the Lord and living out the Christlike principles of
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  Speaker 3: prayer and even caring for the poor. And so one
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  Speaker 3: night as he slept, God sent an angel to him
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  Speaker 3: in a vision saying God had seen his devotion and
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  Speaker 3: generosity and was pleased with him. So the angel gave
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  Speaker 3: him specific instructions to send for a man named Peter
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  Speaker 3: who was at Joppa. You see, though Cornelius' was seeking
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  Speaker 3: God and showed religious devotion, he was still not in
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  Speaker 3: a relationship with the one true God through Jesus Christ.
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  Speaker 3: He needed to hear the gospel and follow Jesus. And
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  Speaker 3: although the angel could bring a word from God, he
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  Speaker 3: could not preach the gospel. This is an opportunity and
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  Speaker 3: a task given to Christians. It is our calling and
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  Speaker 3: it is our privilege as believers to be witnesses and
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  Speaker 3: to share the good news of eternal life with people
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  Speaker 3: who need to know the Lord. And so when he awoke,
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  Speaker 3: Cornelius did as the angel had told him to do
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  Speaker 3: and sent two men to find Peter. As we soon discover,
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  Speaker 3: God had two purposes in sending for Peter. He would
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  Speaker 3: work through Peter to share the good news of Jesus
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  Speaker 3: with Cornelius and And he would use Cornelius to show
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  Speaker 3: Peter that God's grace and salvation is meant not only
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  Speaker 3: for the Jews, but to Gentiles as well, for the
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  Speaker 3: whole world. The next day, as Cornelius' men were headed
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  Speaker 3: to find Peter, we hear that Peter was very hungry,
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  Speaker 3: and as he prayed on the rooftop, God put him
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  Speaker 3: in some kind of a trance. God sent him a
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  Speaker 3: vision of a sheep descending from the heavens, filled with
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  Speaker 3: animals of all kinds. These were animals considered unclean by
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  Speaker 3: Jewish law. And then a voice told Peter to rise, kill,
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  Speaker 3: and eat. But Peter protested, affirming that he had never
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  Speaker 3: defiled himself with unclean or common things. The same voice
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  Speaker 3: spoke again, saying, What God has called clean do not
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  Speaker 3: call unclean or common. Three times Peter heard this voice
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  Speaker 3: say the same thing. Once again, it seems Peter needed
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  Speaker 3: something to be said three times to get through to him.
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  Speaker 3: just as Jesus had told him three times to feed
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  Speaker 3: my sheep. God is now showing Peter that there is
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  Speaker 3: a new reality and that everyone can have a relationship
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  Speaker 3: with Jesus. God wasn't speaking just about food. It was
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  Speaker 3: much bigger than that. It was about faith and how
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  Speaker 3: to know Christ. As Peter sat there, trying to understand
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  Speaker 3: what he had just experienced, who should come into the
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  Speaker 3: house but the men Cornelius had sent? God's Spirit spoke
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  Speaker 3: to Peter, saying, that they had been sent there by
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  Speaker 3: the Lord and that Peter was to go with them.
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  Speaker 3: So Peter went to the men and told them that
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  Speaker 3: he was the one they were looking for. And they
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  Speaker 3: told him all about Cornelius and his vision and their
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  Speaker 3: reason for coming. Peter invited the men in as guests
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  Speaker 3: to stay the night. This is significant, as we already
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  Speaker 3: see Peter's perspective on Gentiles being changed. The next day
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  Speaker 3: they left for the home of Cornelius, and when they arrived,
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  Speaker 3: the man was thrilled. so much so that he fell
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  Speaker 3: at Peter's feet to worship him. If this was the
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  Speaker 3: man God had sent to him, surely he was worthy
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  Speaker 3: of worship. But, of course, Peter refused to be worshipped.
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  Speaker 3: He lifted him up and said, I'm just a man.
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  Speaker 3: Cornelius had gathered his family and many others to hear
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  Speaker 3: what Peter had to say. And as Peter stood there,
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  Speaker 3: he explained what he was doing in sharing Christ and
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  Speaker 3: that it was beyond anything that he had been taught
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  Speaker 3: as a Jew. They were not to associate with foreigners
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  Speaker 3: in this way, Peter said. But then he told them
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  Speaker 3: that God had shown him that he should not consider
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  Speaker 3: anyone outside the grace and the love of God. So
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  Speaker 3: in Acts 10, 34-35, Peter says this, Truly I understand
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  Speaker 3: that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone
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  Speaker 3: who fears him and does what is right is acceptable
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  Speaker 3: to him. Peter was beginning to understand the fullness of
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  Speaker 3: the gospel, that Jesus came to free the whole world
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  Speaker 3: of sin, to forgive all who would trust in him,
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  Speaker 3: to make all things new, that Jesus is not just
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  Speaker 3: for the Jews, but for the Jews, the Gentiles, and
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  Speaker 3: the whole world. Peter then shared the gospel with his
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  Speaker 3: house full of Gentiles, telling them about Jesus and how
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  Speaker 3: he had died and risen from the grave in order
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  Speaker 3: to bring salvation to all who would trust in him.
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  Speaker 3: As he spoke, The Holy Spirit fell upon all those
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  Speaker 3: who heard the word. Peter's Jewish companions who had come
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  Speaker 3: along were amazed, seeing that God's Spirit was not limited
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  Speaker 3: to Jews, but also is now being poured out on Gentiles.
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  Speaker 3: It was a new era for the church. The gospel
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  Speaker 3: has been unleashed and it is unstoppable. Men and women
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  Speaker 3: from every tongue and every nation can now know that
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  Speaker 3: Jesus is Lord and discover new life in Him. Let's
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  Speaker 3: pray together. Dear God, how we thank you for this
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  Speaker 3: passage of scripture that reminds us just how much you
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  Speaker 3: love the world, that there is not a person in
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  Speaker 3: this world that you do not love. We know that
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  Speaker 3: we have all sinned and broken your commandments, and yet
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  Speaker 3: you've demonstrated your love toward us, and that while we
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  Speaker 3: were yet sinners, you died on the cross for us
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  Speaker 3: and rose again so that we could be forgiven and
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  Speaker 3: be set free from the power of sin and death
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  Speaker 3: in our lives. So Lord, we praise you for this.
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  Speaker 3: And may we be witnesses of this truth. Lord, help
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  Speaker 3: us to go in your name and tell others of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus who is powerful to save. For it is in
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  Speaker 3: his name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. And before we go, I want you
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  Speaker 3: to know that I would love to send you my
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  Speaker 3: daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every single day.
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  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org.