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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture,

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Speaker 1: a calming, scripture centered devotional podcast designed to help you

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Speaker 1: end each day with God's word in your mind and

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Speaker 1: on your heart. Right after this short word from our sponsors,

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Speaker 1: we'll reflect on tonight's scripture, Acts Chapter four. Tonight's Scripture

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Speaker 1: reflection is written by Greg Grandchamp and read by Lea Gerard.

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Speaker 1: Acts chapter four. The priests and the captain of the

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Speaker 1: temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and

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Speaker 1: John while they were speaking to the people. They were

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Speaker 1: greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people proclaiming

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Speaker 1: in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter

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Speaker 1: and John, and because it was evening, they put them

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Speaker 1: in jail until the next day. But many who heard

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Speaker 1: the message believed, so the number of men who believed

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Speaker 1: grew to about five thousand. 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: Honest the High Priest was there, and so were Caiaphus, 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: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,

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Speaker 1: rulers and elders of the people, if we are being

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Speaker 1: called to account today for an act of kindness shown

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Speaker 1: to a man who was lame, and are being asked

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Speaker 1: how he was healed, then know this you and all

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Speaker 1: the people of Israel. It is by the name of

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Speaker 1: Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God

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Speaker 1: raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

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Speaker 1: Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become

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Speaker 1: the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for

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Speaker 1: there is no other name under Heaven given to mankind

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Speaker 1: by which we must be saved. When they saw the

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Speaker 1: courage of Peter and John and realized that they were

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Speaker 1: un schooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took

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Speaker 1: note that these men had been with Jesus. But since

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Speaker 1: they could see the man who had been healed standing

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Speaker 1: there with them, there was nothing they could say. So

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Speaker 1: they ordered them to withdraw from the sand Hedrin, and

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Speaker 1: then conferred together, what are we going to do with

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Speaker 1: these men? They asked, everyone living in Jerusalem knows they

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Speaker 1: have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.

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Speaker 1: But to stop this thing from spreading any further among

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Speaker 1: the people, we must warn them to speak no longer

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Speaker 1: to anyone in this name. Then they called them in

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Speaker 1: again and commanded them not to speak or teach at

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Speaker 1: all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied,

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Speaker 1: which is right in God's eyes to listen to you

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Speaker 1: or to him. You be the judges. As for us,

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Speaker 1: we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

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Speaker 1: After further threats, they let them go. They could not

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Speaker 1: decide how to punish them because all the people were

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Speaker 1: praising God for what had happened. For the man who

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Speaker 1: was miraculously healed was over forty years old. On their release,

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Speaker 1: Peter and John went back to their own people and

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Speaker 1: reported all that the chief priests and the elders had

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Speaker 1: said to them. When they heard this, they raised their

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Speaker 1: voices together in prayer to God, Sovereign Lord. They said,

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Speaker 1: you made the heavens and the earth and the sea

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Speaker 1: and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit

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Speaker 1: through the mouth of your servant, our father David why

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Speaker 1: do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain?

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Speaker 1: The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers

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Speaker 1: band together against the Lord and against his anointed one. Indeed,

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Speaker 1: Herod and ponscious Pilot met together with the gentiles and

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Speaker 1: the people of Israel in this city to conspire against

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Speaker 1: your Holy Servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what

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Speaker 1: your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord,

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Speaker 1: consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your

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Speaker 1: word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal

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Speaker 1: and perform signs and wonders through the name of your

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Speaker 1: Holy Servant Jesus. After they prayed, the place where they

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Speaker 1: were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with

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Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God boldly.

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Speaker 1: All the believers were won in heart and mind. No

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Speaker 1: one claimed that any of their possessions was their own,

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Speaker 1: but they shared everything they had with great power. The

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Speaker 1: apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of Lord Jesus,

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Speaker 1: and God's grace was so powerfully at work in them

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Speaker 1: all that there were no needy persons among them. For

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Speaker 1: from time to time those who owned land or houses

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Speaker 1: sold them, brought the money from the sales and put

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Speaker 1: it at the apostle's feet. Then it was distributed to

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Speaker 1: anyone who had need. Joseph a Levi from Cyprus, whom

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Speaker 1: the apostles called Barnabas which means son of Encouragement, sold

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Speaker 1: a field he owned, and brought the money and put

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Speaker 1: it at the apostle's feet. Not long after Jesus's crucifixion

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Speaker 1: and resurrection, his disciples were hidden away in a locked room,

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Speaker 1: fearing that they were next to be arrested. Then Jesus

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Speaker 1: suddenly came to them, speaking words of peace over them.

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Speaker 1: Jesus told them that he was setting them out into

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Speaker 1: the world in his name, in other words, to get

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Speaker 1: out of hiding and go. But now they knew they

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Speaker 1: were not alone. Now they knew that He was with

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Speaker 1: them and would be no matter what happened. Suddenly the

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Speaker 1: disciples were encouraged and emboldened. Peter delivered the first ever

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Speaker 1: gospel sermon. Then, with new boldness and courage, Peter and

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Speaker 1: John headed to the temple to preach again. We have

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Speaker 1: to be amazed that this was the very same Peter

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Speaker 1: who only a short time before had denied even knowing

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Speaker 1: Jesus three times, but courage and confidence were now his.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes for us, such boldness is a difficult thing. Maybe

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Speaker 1: we're a bit more reserved. After all, Peter was always brash,

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Speaker 1: and else we feel like that's not our gift. But

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Speaker 1: we don't have to be as bold as Peter to

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Speaker 1: be bold in our ways. We can each find our

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Speaker 1: own boldness, not from within, but from the one who

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Speaker 1: delivers our peace and our strength and our courage. Let's

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Speaker 1: face it, sometimes it's all too easy to be silent

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Speaker 1: about our faith when we know we should speak out

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Speaker 1: when we see someone, even someone we don't know, who

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Speaker 1: needs prayer or help. Maybe it's a neighbor who's not

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Speaker 1: a believer, or a cashier at the market. Let's find

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Speaker 1: a degree of boldness, maybe not like Peter, but a

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Speaker 1: peace that passes understanding. To not be shy about who

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Speaker 1: we are and in home we have placed our faith.

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Speaker 1: We should remember that Jesus all us the same assurance

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Speaker 1: and peace he offered the disciples, no matter who we are,

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Speaker 1: no matter our personalities, we can count on Him always

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Speaker 1: to give us the strength we need to be bold

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Speaker 1: for him, Sovereign Lord as you did for those early disciples.

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Speaker 1: Please give me the strength and courage to be bold

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Speaker 1: for you as you did. Then, Father, send your Holy

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Speaker 1: Spirit to give me the words and the boldness to

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Speaker 1: always live my life for your kingdom and for your glory. Amen.

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Speaker 1: How did Tonight's scripture speak to you? Share your thoughts

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Speaker 1: in the Your Nightly Scripture Forum discussion. Thank you for

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Speaker 1: listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture was read from

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Speaker 1: the New International Version by Biblica. All rights reserved. If

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Speaker 1: tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to follow the show

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Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts so your next Nightly Scripture is ready

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Speaker 1: when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is a production of

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Speaker 1: Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you and we'll see

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Speaker 1: you tomorrow. Night