Latest / Grace 809 / Lifespring! One Year Bible - Acts 21-22: What To Do

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Lifespring! One Year Bible - Acts 21-22: What To Do · Grace 809

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Steve Webb: We do have plenty of evidence for the reality of that
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forgiveness.
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Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the
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Lifespring family Audio Bible and podcasting since 2004. I'm
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your OG God caster Steve Webb. This is the daily show where
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we're reading through the entire Bible in a year and this is
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gospel Saturday, we'll read Acts 21 and 22. I'm calling today's
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episode what to do. Before we begin, if you've not yet sent
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that email with your thoughts on whether you think I should keep
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the Lifespring family Audio Bible going in some form after
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this season is over at the end of the month, or if you have
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another idea for a podcast that you'd like me to do, how about
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pausing the show right here to do that? I want to hear from you
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even if you've never written to me before, send that email to
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steve.lifespring@gmail.com and in the subject line, put the
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next step. Very important the next step. The show notes page
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for today's episode is at Lifespring media.com/s 12. E
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339. Let's get started.
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Acts chapter 21. We said goodbye to them and left. After sailing
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straight across we came to costs. The next day we reached
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Rhodes and from there we went to Patra. There we found a ship
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that was going to Phoenicia. So we went aboard and sailed away.
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We came to where we can see Cyprus and then sailed south of
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it onto Syria. We went ashore at tyre where the ship was going to
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unload its cargo. There we found some believers and stayed with
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them a week. By the power of the Spirit. They told Paul not to go
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to Jerusalem. But when our time with him was over, we left and
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went on our way. All of them together with their wives and
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children went with us out of the city to the beach, where we all
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knelt and prayed. Then we said goodbye to one another and went
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on board the ship while they went back home. We continued our
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voyage sailing from Tyre to Ptolemais where we greeted the
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believers and stayed with them for a day. On the following day
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we left and arrived in Surya there we stayed at the house of
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Philip the evangelist, one of the seven men who had been
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chosen as helpers in Jerusalem. He had four unmarried daughters
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who proclaimed God's message. We had been there for several days
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when a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. He came out
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to us took Paul's belt, tied up his own feet and hands with it
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and said, This is what the Holy Spirit says, the owner of this
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belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and
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they will hand him over to the Gentiles. When we heard this, we
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and the others there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But he
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answered, what are you doing crying like this and breaking my
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heart. I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem, but even
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to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus. We could not
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convince him so we gave up and said May the Lord's will be
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done. After spending some time there we got our things ready in
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left for Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Surya also went
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with us and took us to the house of the man we were going to stay
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with Nathan from Cyrus who had been a believer since the early
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days. When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers
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welcomed us warmly. The next day Paul went with us to see James
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and all the church elders were present. Paul greeted them and
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gave a complete report of everything that God had done
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among the Gentiles through his work. After hearing him they all
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praised God. Then they said, Brother Paul, you can see how
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many 1000s of Jews have become believers and how devoted they
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all are to the law. They have been told that you've been
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teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries to abandon
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the law of Moses telling them not to circumcise their
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children, or follow the Jewish customs, they are sure to hear
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that you have arrived, what should be done, then, this is
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what we want you to do. There are four men here who have taken
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a vow, go along with them and join them in the ceremony of
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purification and pay their expenses, then they'll be able
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to shave their heads. In this way, everyone will know that
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there is no truth in any of the things that they have been told
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about you but that you yourself live in accordance with the Law
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of Moses. But as for the Gentiles who have become
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believers, we have sent them a letter telling them we decided
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that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols
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or any blood or any animal that has been strangled, and that
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they must keep themselves from sexual immorality. So Paul took
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the men and the next day performed the ceremony of
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purification with him. Then he went into the temple and gave
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notice of how many days it would be until the end of the period
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of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for
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each one of them. But just when the seven days were about to
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come to an end, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in
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the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul,
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people of Israel they shouted help. This is the man who goes
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everywhere teaching everyone against the people of Israel,
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the law of Moses in In this temple, and now he has even
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brought some Gentiles into the temple and defiled this holy
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place. They said this because they had seen Trophimus from
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Ephesus, with Paul in the city, and they thought that Paul had
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taken him into the temple. Confusion spread through the
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whole city and the people all ran together, grabbed Paul and
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dragged him out of the temple. At once the temple doors were
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closed. The mob was trying to kill Paul, when the report was
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sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of
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Jerusalem was rioting at once the commander took some officers
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and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw
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him with the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul, the
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commander went over to Paul arrested him in ordered him to
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be bound with two Chainz. Then he asked Who is this man and
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what has he done? Some in the crowd shattered one thing,
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others something else. There was such confusion, the commander
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could not find out exactly what had happened. So he ordered his
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men to take Paul up into the fort. They got as far as the
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steps with him, and then the soldiers had to carry him
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because the mob was so wild. They were all coming after him
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and screaming kill him. As the soldiers were about to take Paul
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into the fort, he spoke to the Commander, may I say something
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to you? You speak Greek to you, the commander asked, then you
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are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a
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revolution and led 4000 armed terrorists out into the desert.
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Paul answered, I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen
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of an important city, please let me speak to the people. The
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commander gave him permission. So Paul stood on the steps and
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motioned with his hand for the people to be silent. When they
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were quiet. Paul spoke to them in Hebrew,
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Acts chapter 22. My fellow Jews, listen to me as I make my
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defense before you. When they heard him speaking to them in
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Hebrew, they became even quieter, and Paul went on. I am
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a Jew, born in Tarsus in silicea, but brought up here in
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Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict
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instruction in the law of our ancestors, and was just as
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dedicated to God as all of you are, who are here today. I
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persecuted to the death, the people who follow this way, I
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arrested men and women and threw them into prison, the high
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priest in the whole council can prove that I am telling the
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truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews
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in Damascus. So I went there to arrest these people and bring
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them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished. As I was
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traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday, a bright
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light from the sky flash suddenly around me, I fell to
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the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do
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you persecute me? Who are you, Lord, I asked. I am Jesus of
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Nazareth whom you persecute. He said to me. The men with me saw
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the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was
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speaking to me. I asked, What shall I do, Lord. And the Lord
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said to me, get up and go into Damascus. And there you will be
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told everything that God is determined for you to do. I was
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blind because of the bright light. And so my companions took
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me by the hand and led me into Damascus. In that city was a man
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named Anand is a religious man who obeyed our law and was
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highly respected by all the Jews living there, he came to me
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stood by me and said, Brother saw, see again, at that very
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moment I saw again and looked at him. He said, The God of our
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ancestors has chosen you to know His will to see his righteous
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servant, and to hear Him speaking with his own voice, for
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you will be a witness for Him to tell everyone what you have seen
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and heard. And now why wait any longer, get up and be baptized,
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and have your sins washed away by praying to Him. I went back
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to Jerusalem. And while I was praying in the temple, I had a
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vision in which I saw the Lord and he said to me, hurry and
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leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept
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your witness about me. Lord, I answered, they know very well
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that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who
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believe in you. And when your witness Steven was put to death,
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I myself was there approving of his murder and taking care of
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the cloaks of his murderers. Go, the Lord said to me, for I will
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send you far away to the Gentiles. The people listen to
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Paul until he said this, but then they started shouting at
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the top of their voices away with him, kill him, he's not fit
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to live. They were screaming, waving their clothes and
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throwing dust up in the air. The Roman commander ordered his men
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to take Paul into the fort, and he told him to whip him in order
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to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him.
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But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the
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officer standing there, Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman
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citizen who hasn't even been tried for any crime? When the
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officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him,
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What are you doing that man as a Roman citizen, So the commander
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went to Paul and asked him, tell me, are you a Roman citizen?
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Yes, answered Paul. The commander said, I became one by
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paying a large sum of money. But I am one by birth, Paul said, at
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once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from
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him. And the commander was frightened when he realized that
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Paul was a Roman citizen, and that he had put him in chains.
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The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were
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accusing Paul of. So the next day he had Paul's chains taken
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off and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to
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meet and then they took Paul and made him stand before them.
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In Acts 21. Today, we got a bit of a travelogue of part of
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Paul's journey, didn't we, and the part that I'd like to bring
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to your attention is when they arrived at Surya they stayed at
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the home of Philip the evangelist. And he, by the way,
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is the same guy who baptized the eunich in chapter eight of Acts.
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Were told that Philip had four unmarried daughters who were
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what we might call today, P K's or a preacher's kids. And they
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also proclaimed God's message. That's pretty awesome that his
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kids love the Lord as much as he did. And in addition to raising
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his kids to know and serve the Lord, he was evidently an
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effective messenger of the gospel because there was a
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thriving community of believers their ancestor, Rhea, we know
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this because when Agabus prophesied and delivered the
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message from the Holy Spirit that Paul would be bound hand
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and foot in Jerusalem, a group of those people begged Paul not
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to go in this is what I think we should consider today. These
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good and loving people who cared so much for Paul that they
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begged him not to go where he'd be harmed. Were asking him to
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turn away from what God had called him to do. Did you notice
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that their motives were good in that they didn't want to see
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their friend in in some ways their pastor come to harm, and
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their pleadings were effective enough that they pro Paul's
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heart, he agonized with him, and maybe was even a bit tempted to
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heed their cries. But his reply to them revealed an even higher
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and better motive, he said, I am ready not only to be tied up in
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Jerusalem, but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.
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Wow. His aim was truly to follow God's leading the Holy Spirit's
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message to Paul through Agabus was not to dissuade Paul from
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continuing on, but to prepare him for what lay ahead. God
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wanted Paul and the other believers to know that when he
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was bound and delivered to the Gentiles, it was all a part of
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his plan. And their response was what I hope ours is when we face
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difficult times, may the Lord's will be done. There really is no
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better way to live than that. And then in Acts 22, one of the
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aspects of God in Christianity that some non believers have a
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really hard time reconciling is forgiveness, especially
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forgiveness of a particularly heinous crime. And on one level,
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I understand that difficulty. But today, we read of Paul's
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confession to the Lord that he had been responsible for the
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rest of believers. And he even held the cloaks of those who
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stoned Steven to death. But in spite of those terrible crimes,
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Jesus forgave Paul, and even made him one of the linchpins of
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the church. There's no way we can explain the depth of God's
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love for us or his enormous capacity for forgiveness. But we
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do have plenty of evidence for the reality of that forgiveness.
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If not in Paul, then in each one of us, none of us deserves the
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gift of grace that God offers, but he offers it anyway. If
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we'll only accept it, he takes the pieces of our broken lives
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and create something so much more than we could have ever
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thought possible. I'm sure it never entered Paul's mind that
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he would play the role that he has in human in church history.
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What will God do with your life? Like the song says, I can only
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imagine. What are your thoughts? Have a comment? Let me know. Go
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to Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 339. Tomorrow's epistle Sunday
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and we'll finish the book of First John. Boost.
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Thanks to distinguished producer and Lifespring family Berean
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brother Paul of Seattle for his weekly row of ducks donation
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today of $22.22 and also his monthly $20 donation came in
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today, Brother Paul, you are a blessing. Thank you for your
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support.
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On this day in church history, August 6 1774, English religious
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leader and Lee and a small band of followers arrived in America
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at New York City, her sect the United Society of believers in
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Christ Second appearing is commonly known as the shakers
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and on this date in church history August 6 1966, Swiss
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reformed theologian Karl Barth wrote in a letter, since God
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does in fact, address man in his word. He obviously regards him
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as addressable in spite of the fact that man as a sinner closes
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his ears and heart to him. Well, beloved, I pray that we don't do
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that to him. I pray that we keep our ears and our hearts open to
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him. That's what this episode is about today, isn't it following
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the will of God?
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I spoke today with a man named Kerry whose wife Gina has been
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diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. And just a
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couple of years ago, their 19 year old son died. Both Kerry
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and Gina have quite a lot of anger toward God in their heart,
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both for the death of their son and for Gina's cancer. Now, I
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don't know what their level of faith is. But they do believe
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that there is a God. I don't know if they're Christians. But
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like I said, they're angry at him. So let's pray for both
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Kerry and Gina. Also, as I record this, about 5:30 In the
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afternoon, on August 5, your yesterday, Kathi had her first
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infusion today of her new cancer treatment. She and Del I believe
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are probably on their way home from City of Hope right now, as
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far as I know, the treatment went well. But that's all I
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know. So let's pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we do
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want to do your will, you do have a specific plan for each of
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us. And we know that your plan is much better than anything we
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could think of. So we ask you to guide our steps to guide our
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thoughts as we seek Your will for our lives. You gave us a
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general overarching plan when Jesus told the disciples
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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
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in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
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and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you,
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then Lord, that's quite a task on its own. But it looks
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different for each of us. So teach us Lord, what your
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specific plan is for each of us. And I pray now for Gina and
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Kerry, I pray, Lord, that if they don't know Jesus as their
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Savior, first of all, that they would come to know Him, that
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they would confess their sins, and that they would turn their
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lives over to you that they would invite you into their life
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as their Savior. I know, Lord, that you understand their pain
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and their anger and I pray that you'll reveal yourself to them
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as the loving father that you are, draw them to you. Help them
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to see how very much you love them. And if it is in your will
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bring healing to Gina. They've been told that the cancer is
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terminal, but you do have the ability to heal her. We ask for
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your will to be done in their lives, and we ask for their
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salvation. Lord, I ask that you be with Del and Kathy and I
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pray, Lord, that you keep any bad side effects at bay. I pray
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that you'll bless the Lifespring family, I thank you for them and
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for the ones that have sent mails with their thoughts about
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the future of this podcast and whatever it is, I'm going to do
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with podcasting going forward. guide my thoughts as I seek your
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will Lord, I am yours and I want to do what you want me to do. I
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pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you've got a prayer request
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or a praise please do go to prayer dot Lifespring media.com.
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Please do give some thought and prayer to the question of what
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you'd like to see me do once the season is over and email me at
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steve.lifespring@gmail.com with the words the next step in the
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subject line, comment on the show but Lifespring
18:49
media.com/s 12 e 339. Thanks to the team Kirsty Sean of San
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Pedro and Denise and Kirsty thank you for this week's
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newsletter. You did a great job summing up the announcement.
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Thank you for all you do. Thanks to the sad streamers and thanks
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to Brother Paul of Seattle for your consistent support. And
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thank you for sharing your time with me today. Support the show
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with your time talent or treasure go to Lifespring
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media.com/support Until tomorrow may God bless you richly My name
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is Steve Webb. Bye. Adios