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Speaker 1: Let us pray, and at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed

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Speaker 1: and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them

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Speaker 1: Acts sixteen twenty five. As words of Act sixteen resonate

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Speaker 1: in my spirit, I stand excited because I now have

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Speaker 1: a major key to my unending success. To day, I

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Speaker 1: acknowledge that prayer should be my first response and not

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Speaker 1: my last resort. As I look at Paul and Silas,

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Speaker 1: I realize that my worship is a warship that can

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Speaker 1: be used to break the oppression and chains of the enemy.

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Speaker 1: Through my voice and through my praise and worship, you

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Speaker 1: will send a shock wave and an earthquake that will

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Speaker 1: shake the foundation of my prison and free me. No

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Speaker 1: matter where I am or what I face, I will

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Speaker 1: never forget that one of the greatest weapons that I

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Speaker 1: possess is my worship. With this truth, I will sing

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Speaker 1: your praises everywhere I go, and when I do, the

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Speaker 1: chains of hell and the chains of my enemy will

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Speaker 1: not be able to hold me. In Jesus name, Amen,

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Speaker 1: thank you for praying with us to day. Continue your

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Speaker 1: time with God by listening to today's Bible story brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Bible in a year dot com.

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Speaker 2: Singing jail birds. In our last story, we were able

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Speaker 2: to read the letter Paul to the Galician Church. Paul,

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Speaker 2: with the love and wisdom of Jesus, implored the Galician

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Speaker 2: church to stop binding themselves to the law. He encouraged

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Speaker 2: them to live under grace and living in the spirit.

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Speaker 2: Now we see Paul and Silas faced with a vexing demon.

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Speaker 2: As Paul confronts the demon, he is met with imprisonment.

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Speaker 2: As Paul and Silas dwell in the dark depths of

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Speaker 2: a Roman jail cell, they are able to be lights

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Speaker 2: of hope. Inspired by the Book of Acts.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with another episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a year. In our last episode, we heard

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Speaker 3: Paul's letter to the Church in Galicia and his powerful,

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Speaker 3: beautiful explanation of salvation by Grace alone in Christ alone.

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Speaker 3: He urged the Galicians to not let themselves be enslaved

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Speaker 3: of the burden of the law now that they have

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Speaker 3: received the liberty that is ours in Christ. He then

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Speaker 3: encourages us to use our freedom in Christ, to walk

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Speaker 3: by the spirit and not the flesh, and to produce

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Speaker 3: the fruit of the Spirit in our lives today. We'll

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Speaker 3: find Paul and his missionary partner Silas confronting an evil

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Speaker 3: spirit and facing a Roman prison. Yet even in the

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Speaker 3: darkness of their cell, they are full of hope and

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Speaker 3: praise as they glorify God with singing, and as a result,

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Speaker 3: a man in his family comes to personal faith in

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Speaker 3: the Lord. Let's listen now in this reading from the Book.

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Speaker 2: Of Acts, servants of the Most High God. She screamed,

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Speaker 2: make way for the servants of God. She yelled, even louder,

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Speaker 2: These men have come in the name of God. She

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Speaker 2: laughed and twirled around in circles. It had been days

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Speaker 2: of her nonsense. Paul, Luke, Silas, and Timothy had been

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Speaker 2: followed through Thiaterra by a slave girl possessed by a demon.

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Speaker 2: For days she rolled around on the floor, yelling and

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Speaker 2: proclaiming their arrival. It had grown maddening. Even though what

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Speaker 2: she was saying was true, she said it spitefully and jokingly.

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Speaker 2: Every place they entered into she yelled and screamed. It

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Speaker 2: deterred people from listening to them. It scared people away.

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Speaker 2: Sometimes truth spoken rudely can do just as much damage

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Speaker 2: as a lie. The slave girl was clearly disturbed and

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Speaker 2: fed multiple herbs to keep her mind trapped in a cage.

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Speaker 2: Her owners would make money off of her, selling her

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Speaker 2: off as a fortune teller. At first, it broke Paul's

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Speaker 2: heart to see a girl so broken. However, after days

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Speaker 2: of endless yelling, Paul was thrown into a small rage.

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Speaker 2: These men are of God. Hear them, hear them, she shouted,

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Speaker 2: Her wicked cackles pierced to the ears of people in

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Speaker 2: the streets. Here are the men who have come to

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Speaker 2: be in the name of Jesus. Come out of this girl,

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Speaker 2: you unclean spirit. Paul interrupted and yelled. The girl fell

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Speaker 2: on to the floor, rolling in the dirt. Her fists

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Speaker 2: banged on the floor and her teeth bit into her tongue.

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Speaker 2: But then, like a storm that had finally been broken

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Speaker 2: by the sun, the demon left her. She wept where

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Speaker 2: she lay on the road. Paul and Silas lifted her

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Speaker 2: to her feet and brushed the dirt off her clothing.

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Speaker 2: She gave a remorseful grin towards the men, and then

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Speaker 2: ran back to her masters. Even though the exacerbating noise

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Speaker 2: was gone, Paul had a sinking feeling that this was

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Speaker 2: not over. The girl ran home to her owners, wailing

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Speaker 2: with tears of joy and freedom. Her owners, however, were

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Speaker 2: displeased with her restoration. They made a great deal of

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Speaker 2: money from the demon inside her. The demon was able

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Speaker 2: to tell fortunes and speak in ancient dialects. Many people

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Speaker 2: paid a great amount to listen to a tongue of

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Speaker 2: dark magic. They struck the girl and she crawled back

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Speaker 2: into the space she was kept. The owners would deal

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Speaker 2: with her later, but for now they set their sights

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Speaker 2: on Paul. Silas and Paul were enjoying themselves in the

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Speaker 2: market place. They bought food for their travels and spoke

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Speaker 2: about Christ to the shopkeepers and vendors as they passed.

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Speaker 2: Paul was walking towards a man selling dates and bread

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Speaker 2: when he felt a swift blow to his right tempo.

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Speaker 2: Paul fell immediately on to the ground. He looked up

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Speaker 2: to see a boot coming down on his rib cage.

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Speaker 2: Paul felt the air leave his chest. He gasped and

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Speaker 2: looked over to see Silas pinned onto the ground by

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Speaker 2: another large figure. Paul was turned around and bound by ropes.

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Speaker 2: He and Silas were tied up and marched to the

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Speaker 2: magistrate court house. These Jews are disturbing our city. The

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Speaker 2: slave owners declared before the court, they advocate for traditions

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Speaker 2: that are not Roman. Paul and Silas looked at one another.

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Speaker 2: They would not be receiving a fair trial. Paul opened

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Speaker 2: his mouth to speak to the judge, but was interrupted

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Speaker 2: by a right hook to the jar. Their robes were

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Speaker 2: ripped off their bodies, and the magistrates ordered for Paul

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Speaker 2: and Silas to be beaten with rods. Paul watched the

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Speaker 2: long and thin branch strike Silas's back. Silas did not scream.

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Speaker 2: He was strong and knew what being a Christian entailed.

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Speaker 2: He turned his back on those who whipped him. Paul

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Speaker 2: received the same beating. The sharp branch broke through his

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Speaker 2: bare skin, blood and splinters caked onto his back. After

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Speaker 2: a steady beating, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison.

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Speaker 2: The stone floor was cold and jacket it ripped Paul's

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Speaker 2: feet underneath him. Before the two men could catch their breath,

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Speaker 2: the jailer arrived. He was a large man, clearly well

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Speaker 2: built for his job. His grip was violent and hard

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Speaker 2: as he fastened their ankles into chains. However, there was

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Speaker 2: something different about him. Paul could see that behind the

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Speaker 2: scowl was a face of a lost sheep. It was midnight,

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Speaker 2: and the cold prison walls enveloped the prisoners in darkness.

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Speaker 2: A dim torch light could be seen from the distant

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Speaker 2: hallways where the jailers slept. Paul could hear a steady

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Speaker 2: drip of cold water fall on to the jagged stone.

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Speaker 2: It echoed across the silent prison. All the prisoners were

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Speaker 2: in the corners of their cells, shivering and waiting for

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Speaker 2: morning light. Paul and Silas thought about Jesus, how he

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Speaker 2: had suffered the scorn of men, yet still loved them.

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Speaker 2: He maintained hope and joy, so they would do the same.

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Speaker 2: One by one, the prisoners lifted their heads as they

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Speaker 2: heard voices singing hymns to God. Paul and Silas sang

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Speaker 2: with joyful shouts and beautiful melodies. Their songs bounced off

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Speaker 2: the cold stone walls. Its echo was hauntingly powerful. The

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Speaker 2: frigid prison air was filled with the warm praises of

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Speaker 2: God's children. The songs became louder as other prisoners joined

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Speaker 2: in on the melody. An orchestra of hope erupted from

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Speaker 2: the dark depths of the Roman dungeon. As herding men

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Speaker 2: turned to their As they sang, the earth itself began

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Speaker 2: to shake, as if God was joining in on the music.

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Speaker 2: A mighty earthquake shook the foundation of the prison. The

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Speaker 2: hinges of the doors were shaken open, and the iron

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Speaker 2: bars fell like the walls of Jericho. Paul and Silas's

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Speaker 2: chains were unfastened, and there was a clean escape made

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Speaker 2: ready for them. However, Paul and Silas did not move.

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Speaker 2: They could hear the footsteps of the jailer approaching. He

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Speaker 2: turned to the corner to see the gates busted wide open.

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Speaker 2: Assuming that Paul and Silas had escaped, the jailer drew

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Speaker 2: his sword. He wept, knowing that he had dishonored his

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Speaker 2: country and to allow escape was inevitable death. The jailer

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Speaker 2: pressed the tip of his blade against his throat and

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Speaker 2: mumbled a last word before stepping forward to fall on

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Speaker 2: his sword. Stop, Paul yelled. The jailer stumbled forward and

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Speaker 2: was caught by Silas before he could fall on his blade.

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Speaker 2: Do not harm yourself, Paul said, We are all here.

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Speaker 2: The jailer trembled in the arms of Silas. He was

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Speaker 2: bent over before them, weeping at the fact that they

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Speaker 2: saved his life. Paul and Silas guided the jailer out

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Speaker 2: of the prison into the moonlight. There they sat speaking

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Speaker 2: about the hidden brokenness in the jailer's heart. What must

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Speaker 2: I do to be saved, the jailer asked, with tears

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Speaker 2: in his eyes. Paul and Silas smiled. Believe in Jesus

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Speaker 2: and you will be saved. You and your household will

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Speaker 2: be blessed, they answered. So the jailer brought them back

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Speaker 2: to his home, and they preached the gospel to his

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Speaker 2: entire family. He hid them in his home until it

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Speaker 2: was the appointed time for them to be released. It

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Speaker 2: is time for you to leave in peace, the jailer said.

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Speaker 2: The magistrates have asked for you to go quietly and

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Speaker 2: in peace. But Paul knew why they wanted them gone.

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Speaker 2: Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, and they were imprisoned

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Speaker 2: without a trial. What they had done was condemnable under

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Speaker 2: Roman law, so the magistrates were forced to apology to

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Speaker 2: Paul and Silas. After the magistrates groveled, Paul and Silas

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Speaker 2: were content to leave with joy.

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Speaker 3: We begin today's reading learning that Paul has a new

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Speaker 3: companion in ministry, a man named Silas. Paul, Silas, and

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Speaker 3: Luke were in the Roman city of Thyra Tyra, where

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Speaker 3: they were staying in a home of a new believer

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Speaker 3: named Lydia, a wealthy businesswoman who dealt in purple fabrics.

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Speaker 3: As they went about town preaching the gospel, they were

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Speaker 3: constantly followed by a young slave girl who was possessed

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Speaker 3: by a demon that predicted the future. Her owners used

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Speaker 3: this young girl for personal gain, unconcerned about her or

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Speaker 3: her well being, and as Paul and Silas walked through

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Speaker 3: the city, the young girl would cry out loudly for

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Speaker 3: all to hear, these men are servants of the Most

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Speaker 3: High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.

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Speaker 3: Her words were true, but they did not come from God.

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Speaker 3: It is a reminder that all who proclaim Christ Jesus

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Speaker 3: are not true followers or true worshipers. There are false prophets,

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Speaker 3: their demon spirits that exist that proclaim a message. This

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Speaker 3: was a work of the enemy Satan himself to distract

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Speaker 3: people from the message of Jesus and the Gospel, and

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Speaker 3: Paul saw right through it. Finally, when he had had enough,

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Speaker 3: he spoke to the evil spirit in this young girl

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Speaker 3: with the authority given to him by the Holy Spirit.

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Speaker 3: He commanded the spirit the demon to leave her at

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Speaker 3: at once. She was set free, just as Jesus had

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Speaker 3: called out demons. Paul continues the Lord's work in liberating

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Speaker 3: captives from the forces of evil and the powers of

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Speaker 3: Satan to experience the power of God. What a relief

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Speaker 3: this must have been for the young demonized girl. The

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Speaker 3: voices in her head had left her without peace, and

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Speaker 3: now these voices were silenced. But her masters, who profited

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Speaker 3: greatly from her condition, were very angry. Their trafficking had

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Speaker 3: come to a screening halt, and they knew who was

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Speaker 3: to blame, so they appealed to the local magistrate, saying

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Speaker 3: Paul and Silas were stirring up trouble and advocating practices

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Speaker 3: that were contrary to Roman law. Of course, this was

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Speaker 3: a huge lie, but when your enemies have no real

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Speaker 3: claim against you, they will come with lies and slander.

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Speaker 3: Once again, Paul and his friends find themselves persecuted, only

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Speaker 3: this time not by Jews, but by Romans. He and

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Speaker 3: Silas were seized, beaten, and thrown into prison. But even

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Speaker 3: in this Paul and Silas persevered with praise and saw

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Speaker 3: the opportunity to worship God as a testimony and a

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Speaker 3: witness of the power of Jesus. When bad things happen

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Speaker 3: to us, when circumstances turn against us, when we are

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Speaker 3: persecuted or set aside for our faith, do we continue

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Speaker 3: to praise God? Too often we miss the opportunity to

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Speaker 3: witness to the glory of God and the grace of

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Speaker 3: God in our lives, in our hardship. But Paul and

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Speaker 3: Silas didn't miss this chance. So as they sat in

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Speaker 3: their cell that night, rather than weeping and whining and

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Speaker 3: licking their wounds, these men sang great songs of praise

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Speaker 3: and worship, and the other prisoners could hear them lifting

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Speaker 3: up their God in the name of Jesus. We then

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Speaker 3: hear how at about midnight God sent a mighty earthquake

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Speaker 3: and rocked the prison through open the prison doors and

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Speaker 3: caused the change to fall off all the prisoners. This

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Speaker 3: was their chance to escape, but they didn't. They didn't

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Speaker 3: run away. When the jailer awoke, he was certain that

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Speaker 3: the prisoners would be gone and it would cost him

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Speaker 3: his life, because when commanders were found out that they

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Speaker 3: had not done their job, they would be executed. So

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Speaker 3: He resolved to take his own life, but Paul stepped in,

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Speaker 3: letting him know that no one had escaped. Listened to

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Speaker 3: the jailer's response. In Acts sixteen, verses twenty nine to thirty,

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Speaker 3: the jailer called for the lights and rushed in and

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Speaker 3: fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them

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Speaker 3: out and asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

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Speaker 3: That's the most important question that any one of us

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Speaker 3: can ask and be answered by the witnesses of the gospel. Sirs,

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Speaker 3: what must I do to be saved? When we see

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Speaker 3: a miracle like this, when the earthquake came and shook

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Speaker 3: the house, there's a greater purpose and plan. The change

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Speaker 3: God wanted to break were not merely those binding Paul

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Speaker 3: and Silas and the other prisoners, but the chains of

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Speaker 3: sin that held the jailer and his family. And as

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Speaker 3: a result of Paul's perseverance and praise, this man and

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Speaker 3: his entire family opened their hearts to the Gospel of Christ.

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Speaker 3: They were all saved. The men went with him to

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Speaker 3: his home, and his entire family worshiped the Lord with

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Speaker 3: the apostle Paul and Silas, and that next morning, the

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Speaker 3: magistrates that were that Paul and Silas were to be released,

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Speaker 3: they discovered that these men weren't merely Jews, but Roman citizens.

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Speaker 3: It is the first indication that Paul will why use

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Speaker 3: his Roman citizenship to advance the Gospel of Jesus far

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Speaker 3: and wide, all across the Roman Empire. And we'll hear

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Speaker 3: more about that in our next reading. Dear God, we

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Speaker 3: thank you for this great scripture in Acts chapter sixteen,

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Speaker 3: and the power of the Gospel to change lives. Lord,

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Speaker 3: in the midst of our trials and tribulations, may we

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Speaker 3: always praise you. You have told us to give thanks

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Speaker 3: always that we can praise You even in the darkest

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Speaker 3: of times, because when we do, You are glorified, and

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Speaker 3: Jesus is magnified, and people will see and hear our witness.

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Speaker 3: Because of what Christ has done for us, we can

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Speaker 3: stand firm in the midst of life's greatest challenges. May

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Speaker 3: it be so in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen,

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Speaker 3: thank you once again for joining the Bible in a year,

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Speaker 3: and you can help ensure that more and more people

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Speaker 3: can hear the life changing message of God's Word with

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Speaker 3: your generous gift today to keep these gospel centered messages

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Speaker 3: reaching people around the world. Please give at www dot

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Speaker 3: Bible in a year dot com.

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Speaker 4: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

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Speaker 4: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

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Speaker 5: Hello, I'm doctor Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have

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Speaker 5: you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.

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Speaker 2: Come to me, Boy, you and your God will crumble

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Speaker 2: beneath my feet.

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Speaker 1: He beckoned the giant and said, I come.

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Speaker 2: To you in the name of the Lord of Hosts

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Speaker 2: and Creator of the stars.

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Speaker 5: You know we all have giants that we face in

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Speaker 5: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of

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Speaker 5: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,

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Speaker 5: it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to

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Speaker 5: our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

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Speaker 4: Look past his height and appearance. Samuel for man sees

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Speaker 4: the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms,

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Speaker 4: but the Lord looks into the heart.

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Speaker 5: Listen to Heroes in the Bible with doctor Tony Evans

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Speaker 5: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get

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Speaker 5: your podcast