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Speaker 1: Let us pray, and Paul dwelled two whole years in

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Speaker 1: his own hired house and received all that came in

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Speaker 1: unto him preaching the Kingdom of God Acts twenty eight

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Speaker 1: thirty and thirty one. With each passing day, week, month,

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Speaker 1: and year of my journey, I thank you that through

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Speaker 1: my steadfast dedication to You and my craft, I am

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Speaker 1: now gaining the respect and influence needed for me to

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Speaker 1: take my life to the next level. When people hear

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Speaker 1: my name, I thank you Lord that they see that

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Speaker 1: I am a person of action and that I get

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Speaker 1: things done. Like Paul in his lifetime, I stand in

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Speaker 1: the shadow of great men and women who have gone

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Speaker 1: before me to show me that faith in God is

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Speaker 1: never wasted. Confidence. May Paul's ability to focus on objectives

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Speaker 1: and not obstacles rub off on me. May Paul's words

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Speaker 1: remind me to speak with authority and credibility. And lastly,

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Speaker 1: may Paul's dedication to never compromise and never drift from

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Speaker 1: God given absolutes and instruction be the anchor in which

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Speaker 1: I set out to establish the life of my ministry, family, business,

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Speaker 1: and personal growth. In Jesus Name, Amen, listening to these

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Speaker 1: daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from

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Speaker 1: the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a Year

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

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Speaker 2: The End.

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Speaker 3: In our last story, Paul endured still homes and shipwrecks

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Speaker 3: with his captors on their journey to Rome. The wind

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Speaker 3: and waves were relentless and the hope of the men

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Speaker 3: was fading. The men were left shipwrecked and defeated on

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Speaker 3: the shores of Malta. Now we reach the end of

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Speaker 3: Paul's recorded journey as he finally makes his way to Rome.

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Speaker 3: He meets the believers in Rome and is embraced by

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Speaker 3: the Jews inspired by the Book of Acts.

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Speaker 4: Hello Jack Graham, once again with the Bible in a

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Speaker 4: Year podcast, Thanks for joining us. In our last episode,

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Speaker 4: we heard how the ship that carried Paul and other

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Speaker 4: prisoners headed to Rome was overwhelmed by a storm and

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Speaker 4: forced to run aground on an island. Throughout days of

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Speaker 4: terror and distress, Paul comforted the crew and passengers, telling

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Speaker 4: them that the God he served would spare every life

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Speaker 4: on ship. After more than two weeks of peril, they

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Speaker 4: finally arrived safely on the island of Malta, just as

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Speaker 4: Paul said they would. Today, we'll hear how the inhabitants

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Speaker 4: of Malta were kind and welcoming, and how God works

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Speaker 4: through Paul to heal the sick on the island and

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Speaker 4: to provide a way to leave the island. We'll also

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Speaker 4: hear of Paul's arrival in Rome, the welcome he received

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Speaker 4: from the church there, and the openness of the Jews

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Speaker 4: in Rome to hear about hope in Jesus Christ. So

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Speaker 4: let's listen now to this reading from the Book of Acts.

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Speaker 3: The soldiers, sailors, and prisoners all lay on their backs,

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Speaker 3: looking up at the blue skies above. They were exhausted,

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Speaker 3: sapped of all energy. Months at sea, with rain and

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Speaker 3: wind beating down at them, had taken its toll. However,

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Speaker 3: they were happy to be on shore, even if it

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Speaker 3: was because of a shipwreck. Luke and Paul lay on

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Speaker 3: the sand, unbelievably grateful to God for his protection. As

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Speaker 3: they stared at the baby blue skies, they heard a

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Speaker 3: rustling in the trees behind them. The men arose to

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Speaker 3: their feet to find natives peering out at them. They

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Speaker 3: emerged from the plants with trepidation, seeing that themans still

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Speaker 3: carried some of their weapons. It didn't take long for

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Speaker 3: the men to make peace with the natives. They were

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Speaker 3: surprisingly kind and shared their food with the men. Their

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Speaker 3: gentleness was unusual but refreshing. As the night came, they

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Speaker 3: all sat by the fire, warming themselves with the bright flames.

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Speaker 3: Paul arose to gather more sticks to put into the fire,

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Speaker 3: not knowing that a viper lay hidden in the reeds.

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Speaker 3: Paul picked up the reeds and carried them to the fire.

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Speaker 3: He threw them in. The viper, still among the twigs,

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Speaker 3: leaped out of the flames and fastened itself to Paul's hand.

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Speaker 3: All the men stepped back, afraid of more vipers emerging

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Speaker 3: from the fire, Yet Paul seemed to not be alarmed.

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Speaker 3: He quietly shook his hand above the fire, and the

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Speaker 3: viper perished by the flames. The natives stood in silence,

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Speaker 3: waiting for Paul's hand to swell up in his face

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Speaker 3: to grow pale, But nothing happened. Paul did not have

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Speaker 3: a fever or chills. His hand did not swell, nor

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Speaker 3: was he in pain. The natives watched him curiously through

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Speaker 3: the flames. They observed his calm demeanor and gentle smile.

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Speaker 3: Who is this man? They whispered, He must be a god.

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Speaker 3: Although Paul suffered no illness, the chief of the village

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Speaker 3: became very ill with fever and dysentery. Sweat beat down

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Speaker 3: his brow, and chills covered his entire body. Paul knelt

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Speaker 3: beside him, joyful for the opportunity to care for him.

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Speaker 3: He prayed over him as well as all the other

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Speaker 3: people on the island who were diseased, and all of

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Speaker 3: them were cured. They honored them and rejoiced over Paul

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Speaker 3: and his companions, so much so that they allowed them

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Speaker 3: to set sail with their only vessel back to Rome.

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Speaker 3: When they entered Rome, they were greeted by Believers who

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Speaker 3: had been expecting them. The soldiers, sailors, and prisoners were

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Speaker 3: all embraced by the Roman Church. Their love for them

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Speaker 3: was overwhelming. Their love and care was like a warm

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Speaker 3: blanket to a weary soul. Paul's heart melted when he

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Speaker 3: met the believers at Rome. He had always desired to

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Speaker 3: see them, and now he finally had a chance. After

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Speaker 3: three days, Paul called for the Jewish leaders to gather.

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Speaker 3: He told them of his plight and his rivalry with

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Speaker 3: the Jews in Israel in Asia. However, the Jews in

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Speaker 3: Rome were less hostile towards Paul. We have not heard

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Speaker 3: any evil words spoken against you, they said. In fact,

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Speaker 3: we would love to hear your message. So Paul preached

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Speaker 3: the Gospel to all the Jews in Rome. They more

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Speaker 3: than anyone, knew about the oppression of the Roman Empire.

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Speaker 3: They more than anyone, desired a savior, so they listened.

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Speaker 3: Their hearts were enthralled by the message of Christ. His love, mercy,

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Speaker 3: and fulfillment of prophecy drew them in. Some believed, others

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Speaker 3: did not. However, Paul was embraced by them. Paul's life

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Speaker 3: would not end in a bed surrounded by loved ones.

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Speaker 3: Eventually he would go before Caesar and be deemed as

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Speaker 3: a threat. Despite his end, Paul served as an example

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Speaker 3: to all who believed in Jesus. He was an example

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Speaker 3: that someone dedicated to evil can be used for good.

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Speaker 3: He was an example of the weakness being used as strength.

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Speaker 3: He was an example of hardship being used for the

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Speaker 3: glory of God. Paul the Apostle once saw the Pharisee

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Speaker 3: died with his head apart from his shoulders, yet his

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Speaker 3: work for the Gospel echoes. Still, his letters to the

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Speaker 3: churches have strengthened generations of Christians to elevate Jesus above

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Speaker 3: all else. Thus ended the recorded acts of the Apostles.

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Speaker 3: Yet the same spirit lives in every believer to this day.

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Speaker 3: The same spirit who healed millions, preached boldly in the temple,

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Speaker 3: gave visions for redemption, and led with grace, still lives

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Speaker 3: in the hearts of all those who believe in Christ.

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Speaker 3: So the acts of the believers still continue to this day,

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Speaker 3: leading people to the presence of God and creating a

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Speaker 3: culture of flourishing until Jesus returns Amen.

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Speaker 4: In today's reading, the shipwrecked sailors, soldiers, and prisoners are

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Speaker 4: on the island of Malta, where they are washed up, shaken,

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Speaker 4: but safe. To their great surprise, those who lived on

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Speaker 4: Malta were kind and hospitable, helping them gather kindling and

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Speaker 4: start a fire for warmth. Paul set to work gathering

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Speaker 4: firewood too, and was bidden by a viper, a poisonous snake,

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Speaker 4: which should have killed him. The Maltese people, seeing this,

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Speaker 4: assumed he must be evil and this was an act

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Speaker 4: of cosmic justice. They were sure he would swell up

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Speaker 4: and die, but he shook off the snake and walked

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Speaker 4: away unharmed. God had spared Paul, and God had protected

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Speaker 4: this man and opened doors for Paul to heal the

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Speaker 4: sick in Malta. We also know that Paul never missed

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Speaker 4: an opportunity to share his faith in Jesus Christ, to

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Speaker 4: share the hope that his hours in Christ. He is

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Speaker 4: a great example always for us wherever we go, that

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Speaker 4: we would tell people about Jesus. After several months on

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Speaker 4: the island, they were given a boat to depart and

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Speaker 4: conclude the journey to Rome. It had been a long,

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Speaker 4: arduous voyage, and finally Paul was going to get his

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Speaker 4: opportunity to tell Caesar himself, the most powerful man in

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Speaker 4: the world, about the Lord Jesus Christ, and preach to

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Speaker 4: him of the Gospel. Their arrival in Rome had been

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Speaker 4: anticipated by the brothers and sisters there, and they were

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Speaker 4: greeted warmly by believers, some who had traveled from across

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Speaker 4: the region. Paul was given a great deal of freedom

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Speaker 4: and allowed to lodge by himself, with only a Roman

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Speaker 4: soldier there to watch over him. Paul, of course, would

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Speaker 4: share the gospel with these soldiers every time they would

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Speaker 4: exchange duty. Paul had eagerly awaited a chance to meet

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Speaker 4: with the church in Rome. So we can imagine how

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Speaker 4: overjoyed he was to finally get the opportunity, even under

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Speaker 4: these circumstances of imprisonment. But it was not only the

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Speaker 4: believers whom Paul wanted to see. He reached out to

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Speaker 4: the Jews in Rome to tell his side of the

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Speaker 4: story and assure them that he was not causing the

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Speaker 4: kind of trouble he was being accused of in Jerusalem.

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Speaker 4: These Jews were much more reasonable, and they received no

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Speaker 4: report about Paul from Jerusalem. Not only were they not

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Speaker 4: opposed to Paul, they wanted to hear what he believed

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Speaker 4: about Jesus the Messiah. They had heard about this group

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Speaker 4: known as the Way Taken for the words of Jesus.

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Speaker 4: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This

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Speaker 4: is now an opportunity for them to hear about this

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Speaker 4: way of salvation through Jesus Christ and this man. Paul

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Speaker 4: spoke with compassion and strong convictions. In Acts twenty eight

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Speaker 4: twenty three we read when they had appointed a day

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Speaker 4: for him, they came to him at his lodging in

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Speaker 4: greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them,

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Speaker 4: testifying to the Kingdom of God and trying to convince

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Speaker 4: them about Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and

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Speaker 4: from the prophets. It might be easy to miss the

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Speaker 4: importance the significance of this passage. Remember that in every

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Speaker 4: city Paul went to the temple seeking out the Jews

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Speaker 4: to share the Gospel, and in every city he was

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Speaker 4: run out, often under cover of night, lest he would

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Speaker 4: be killed by the Jews. Now Paul is under house arrest,

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Speaker 4: unable to go to the temple, but these religious people

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Speaker 4: came to him. You see, the Gospel cannot be stopped.

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Speaker 4: The message of Jesus is unstoppable. It will not be hindered.

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Speaker 4: God will always provide a way for lost people to

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Speaker 4: hear about His word through faithful Christians. We must be

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Speaker 4: faithful as Paul was and so many others have been

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Speaker 4: throughout the generations, and be bold in our witness and

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Speaker 4: take every opportunity we have to share Christ. After Paul

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Speaker 4: had shared, some believed and were added to the number

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Speaker 4: of Christians in Rome. Others were not convinced and remained

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Speaker 4: in their unbelief. But they did not seek to harm Paul.

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Speaker 4: The Book of Acts closes on an incredibly happy note,

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Speaker 4: telling us that Paul lived peacefully there for two years,

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Speaker 4: openly sharing Christ with all. During this time there, Paul

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Speaker 4: wrote letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and also the

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Speaker 4: Letter to Philemon. His letters give hope, strength, wisdom, and

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Speaker 4: faith to us today, just as they did when he

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Speaker 4: wrote them so many years ago. These words, of course,

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Speaker 4: were not just the words of a man, but the

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Speaker 4: word of God. For God's word is inspired, breathed out

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Speaker 4: by the Holy Spirit. All scripture is given by inspiration

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Speaker 4: of God. And when we read the Bible, from Genesis

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Speaker 4: to Revelation, we are reading God's book. We are reading

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Speaker 4: the book all about Jesus. Paul was eventually released and

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Speaker 4: continued his missionary work in Europe. But later Paul would

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Speaker 4: be arrested again by Emperor Nero the Caesar and would

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Speaker 4: be martyred for his faith. As he would later describe

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Speaker 4: to Timothy in his letter to him, he had fought

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Speaker 4: the good fight, he had kept the faith, he had

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Speaker 4: finished the course, and along the way he had blessed

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Speaker 4: countless people and still does today through the centuries by

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Speaker 4: his own personal example of faithfulness and boldness and compassion,

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Speaker 4: his missionary zeal for the lost and the least and

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Speaker 4: the last all around the world. And he gave us

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Speaker 4: these magnificent New Testament letters that we still read today

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Speaker 4: for our Christian growth. But we need to remember this,

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Speaker 4: as in any book of the Bible, we miss the

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Speaker 4: point if we look to the human personalities or the

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Speaker 4: characters of the Bible as the heroes. Paul himself was

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Speaker 4: a hero, but he always pointed people to Jesus. He

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Speaker 4: always stepped aside and pointed to Christ and said, Jesus

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Speaker 4: is Lord. The Book of Acts is a wonderful story

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Speaker 4: of the New Testament Church, and it reminds us that

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Speaker 4: the witness of Christ cannot be stopped. The Gospel of

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Speaker 4: our Lord Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection. It

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Speaker 4: marches all around the world so that all may ultimately hear.

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Speaker 4: Paul's life ended, but God's work and witness did not.

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Speaker 4: And the same Holy Spirit that guided Paul, who strengthened

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Speaker 4: him through persecution, beating, imprisonment, and even death. This spirit,

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Speaker 4: the Holy Spirit, lives in us and enables us and

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Speaker 4: empowers us to proclaim the name of Christ today. May

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Speaker 4: we continue to be faithful and fervent till the whole

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Speaker 4: world hears. Dear God, we thank you for the scriptures.

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Speaker 4: We thank you that you have inspired these words not

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Speaker 4: just of human origin, but by the Holy Spirit. That

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Speaker 4: the Bible is your book. And we thank you for

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Speaker 4: the story of Acts, the story of the Church and

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Speaker 4: Christians as they press forward with the message of hope

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Speaker 4: and salvation all across the known world and ultimately to

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Speaker 4: the whole world. May we and our generation be bold

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Speaker 4: in our witness and continue to work faithfully for the

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Speaker 4: Lord Jesus Christ, growing his church, building believers until he

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Speaker 4: comes again in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for listening

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Speaker 4: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack

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Speaker 4: Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download thepray dot Com app and

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Speaker 4: make prayer and Bible study the priority of your life.

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Speaker 4: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love,

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Speaker 4: because by sharing this with others, you can make a

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Speaker 4: difference in their lives, a big, big difference. You can

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Speaker 4: help ensure that more and more people hear these life

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Speaker 4: changing readings from God's Word. With a gift today, to

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Speaker 4: keep these gospel centered messages reaching people around the world.

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Speaker 4: Please give now at www dot bible in a year

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Speaker 4: dot com and if you want more resources on how

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Speaker 4: to tap into God's power for Christian living, visit Jack

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Speaker 4: Graham dot org. When you visit us at Jack Graham

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Speaker 4: dot org, you will find many free resources as to

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Speaker 4: how you may grow in your faith and share your

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Speaker 4: witness with the Gospel. We would love for you to

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Speaker 4: take us up on that offering. God bless you.

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Speaker 5: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

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Speaker 5: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

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Speaker 3: Hello.

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Speaker 2: I'm doctor Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you

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Speaker 2: 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.

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Speaker 5: I come to you in the name of the Lord

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Speaker 5: of Hosts and Creator of the stars.

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Speaker 2: You know, we all have giants that we face in

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Speaker 2: our life, and when you understand that the greatness of

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Speaker 2: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,

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Speaker 2: it will encourage, inspire, and challenge all of us to

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Speaker 2: our faith in God and our growth.

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Speaker 5: In Jesus Christ look past his height and appearance. Samuel

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Speaker 5: for Man sees the outward appearance. They see the strength

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Speaker 5: of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.

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Speaker 2: Listen to Heroes in the Bible with doctor Tony Evans

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Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get

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Speaker 2: your podcast