February 24, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Most of us, if we're Christians, believe God can. You've
gone in your faith when you believe he will.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Doctor Tony Evans talks about making the important transition from
acknowledgement to assurance.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You're believing him to do it, not just believing that
he can do it.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Today, Doctor Evans
will give us some exciting examples of divine intervention meeting
earthly challenges as he continues our study in the Book
of Acts from prayer to a prison break. We'll see
(00:38):
how the Holy Spirit continues to orchestrate the unstoppable spread
of Christianity and the miraculous ways God can work in
our own lives when we trust him. Let's get started well.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Christianity has been spreading like wildfire, as we've seen so
far through the first eleven chapters. That will always create resistance.
And resistance takes place in chapter twelve as herod Verse one,
the King lays hands on some who belong to the
church in order to mistreat them. So you have government
resistance to the expansion of the faith. So much and
(01:10):
so that in verse two, we have the first martyr
of the church, James, the brother of John, is put
to death with the sword because of his testimony and
his leadership. And so then they go and then verse
three they arrest Peter, which leads to a very interesting story.
So they arrest Peter, they seize him, and they put
(01:33):
him in prison, and I mean they lock him down
because according to verse four, there are four squads of
soldiers to God him. So he's not getting out of here.
But the church was making fervent prayer for Peter. Prayer
is God's link between what's going on on earth and
(01:55):
what you need from heaven. That is the link, That
is the specific wiring that God has placed in the
spiritual realm to bring Heaven into history, eternity and to time.
They're praying, and behold, say behold, behold means watch out
(02:18):
and aims of the Lord appears. Suddenly out of nowhere,
a light shines in the south, and he wakes Peter up,
and he says, get up, get up, Get up, get up,
get up. Quickly his chains fall off. He said to him,
gird up yourself, get dressed, put on your sandals, wrap
(02:39):
your cloak, around you and follow me. And he went
out and continue to follow him. He did not know
what was going on. He didn't know what the angel
was real or not, because this is like other worldly.
He thought he was seeing a vision. So he passed
the first and second God come to the iron gates
(03:03):
that lead to the city, which opened for them by themselves.
Went out and went into the street, and immediately the
angel departed. And now he knows the Lord has sent
forth an angel to rescue him. When he realized this,
he went to the house to marry the mother of John,
who was also called Mark, John Mark where and will
(03:26):
meet him again. In a moment when many others were
gathered together praying. Okay, so now they've been praying for
God to deliver Peter. They've been praying hard too, because
it says they were praying fervently. He knocks on the door.
A serving girl named Rhoda comes to answer it in
verse thirteen, and when she recognized Peter's voice, because of
(03:51):
her joy, she did not open the gate, but ran
in and announced that Peter was standing in front of
the gate. She leaving the boys standing outside in the cold.
They had to put on his cloak said, Peter is
out there, and they said, you are out of your mind.
Verse sixteen says, and when they opened the door they
(04:14):
saw him and were amazed. Prayer can bring about deliverance.
That's what That's what the story says. So Harris ticked
off verse nineteen when heard had searched for him and
had not found him. He examined the gods in order
that they be led away to execution. You wouldn't want
(04:36):
to be in a guard because you get killed for
something you ain't know nothing about and could not control. Now,
he was very angry with the people tirnside, and on
one accord they came and having one over, Blitz blessed
us the king chamberlain. They were asking for peace because
(04:57):
their country was led by the king's country tree. On
an appointed day, Herod, having put on his royal apparel
so he looked he looked like a king, took his
seat on the on the rostrum and began delivering an
address to them. So he's speaking. The people kept crying
(05:18):
out the voice of a god and not of a man,
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because
he did not give God the glory, and he was
eaten by worms and died because what he did he
(05:40):
took the glory for himself. And whenever a government or
leaders deify themselves and become godlike in their mindset, that
is a dangerous thing to do. That is because God
will judge. Pride. Yeah, pride is not just having confidence,
(06:06):
that's no. Pride is thinking more of yourself than you
ought to think, you know, and putting yourself in a
godlike position. Okay, everything you do is because of what
God has already done. So that's why you always want
to give him the glory. You know, appreciate the recognition,
(06:29):
but give him the glory. So Barnabas and Saul they
remain in Jerusalem and fulfill their ministry, and they bring
along with them John Mark, who's the author of the
Second Gospel, the Gospel of Mark, chapter thirteen. Now they're
in Antioch, and we have a very interesting worship service
taking place. For a number of reasons, the one who
(06:52):
was in it. There were prophets who had a more
itinerant ministry, and teachers who were kind of the instructors
of the church. You've got barnable Us and Simeon, who
is called Niger. So is he is a black man
in the church, and Lucius of Sirene, which is a
North African in the church. My point is it was
(07:13):
a mixture Jews, Gentiles, Africans. One of the best ways
to hear from God is in worship, corporate worship or
personal worship, personal devotions. It says while they were ministering
to God, so they were sending something up, but God
was saying something down. He was speaking. How does God
(07:38):
speak When he speaks to a number of ways. He
speaks through bringing thoughts to your mind. He speaks by
using other people to plant thoughts in your mind. But
he does speak. It's called the illumination of the spirit.
He brings to light. And so he brings to light.
Set me apart apart, Barnabas and Saul for the work
(07:58):
which I've called them to do. When they fasted, they prayed,
they laid hands on them, meaning recognition that this is
what God wants, and they sent them out. And so
they were sent out by the Holy Spirit. But that
was recognized by the leaders in the church, and so
so we have this recognition and this missionary journey. So
(08:21):
they moved to Cyprus. And when they moved to Cyprus.
They begin this ministry. When they do so, they run
into a problem. They run into a problem because there's
this false prophet in verse six, whose name was bar Jesus,
(08:42):
who was the proconsul to Sergius paul Us, a man
of intelligence. This man summoned Paul and Barnabas because he
wanted to hear more about the word of God. And
uh Elimas, which is the same name, the same person
as Barjonas is that was the translation of his name,
was opposing them, seeking to turn the pro counsul away
(09:03):
from the faith. He didn't want his boss to become
a Christian, but Saul because he didn't want to lose
his influence. But Saul, who was also known as Paul
filled with the Holy spirit. Okay, so God is in
control of this man, fixed his gaze on him, locked
in with him, and said, you are full of all
(09:26):
deceit and fraud, you son of the devil. Paul didn't play.
You ever noticed that, Paul, don't play, Paul, PAULO, Paul
don't play. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
He got that from Jesus because Jesus told Peter, you know,
get it behind me, Satan. You know, so he says, you,
son of the devil, because he's in sync with the devil,
You enemy of all righteousness. Will you not cease to
make crooked the straight way of the Lord. There are
(09:59):
those times than the life of the church where God's
people in the Gospel have to be protected. It is
so easy now, in light of the current climate in
our culture, to dumb down standing for the truth, to
be politically correct, to want to be liked. Now, we
shouldn't go out and intensely make enemies, but neither should
(10:22):
we deny who we are, and be able to distinguish
truth from error. Paul locked in on him and said, no,
this is error. Now behol verse eleven. The hand of
the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind
and not see the sun for a time. And immediately
(10:44):
a mist and a darkness fell on him, and he
went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
Because Paul is full of the spirits or the supernaturalist working,
and he has authority. Then the pro consul believed when
he saw what had happened, and amazed at the teaching
of the Lord.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Doctor Evans will return in a moment to tell us
about another amazing teaching that we're quite a bit freer
than we think we are. First though, today's lesson is
part of Tony's fourteen part sermon series on the Book
of Acts, where we explore the early Church's growth and
the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and spreading the Gospel.
This comprehensive study of the Apostles, journeys and challenges will
(11:28):
inspire you to live out your faith with boldness. For
a limited time, you can get this complete audio collection
as our thank you gift when you make a contribution
to help keep these messages coming to this station, and
it includes a special bonus, Doctor Evans insightful book, Kingdom Purpose,
a guide to discovering your unique role in God's plan
(11:49):
and living it out successfully. Just visit us today at
Tonyevans dot org or call us at one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two, make a contribution and
let us send you the AX audio series and the
Kingdom Purpose Book as a way of showing our appreciation.
Once again. You can find all the details on this
(12:10):
special offer online at Tonyevans dot org or by phone
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two.
We'll hear more from doctor Evans right after.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
This, I urge you to take this course.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Doctor Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves
as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training
Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Bible.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That covers very important ground what they are and what
they're not.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
One of the most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century,
the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy
of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove
of historical and spiritual significance.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light
on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to
the New Testament.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and
beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins
better than you ever have before.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist, dive
into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer Doctor
Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating Biblical Studies at
Tony Evans Training dot Org. Explore the Kingdom anytime, anywhere.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
For Paul now comes in verse sixteen through forty one.
He's defending who Jesus is. He reviews the history to
show Jesus who Jesus was through David, through the ministry
of John and Baptist he uses a scripture to prove
the resurrection all driving to verse thirty eight. Therefore, let
(13:48):
it be known to you, brethren, that through him, forgiveness
of sins is proclaimed to you, and through him, everyone
who believes is freed from all things wow from which
you could not be freed through the law of Moses.
So in verse forty four, the next week, because they
wanted him to come the next Saturday, the next Sabbath,
(14:09):
he comes nearly the whole city as symbol to hear
the word of the Lord. And when the Jews saw
the crowd, when they saw this guy's getting a little
audience here, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting
the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming. So he's
now getting this resistance from the Jews because now all
(14:31):
these people, the whole town is showing up. Paul and
Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, it was necessary that
the word of God be spoken to you first, since
you repudiated it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Good.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
In other words, your rejection makes you unworthy of eternal life. Behold,
we are turning to the Gentiles because the Jews have
rejected us. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began
rejoicing and glorifying the word of God verse forty eight.
And as many has been pointed to, eternal life bleeded,
and the word of the Lord was being spread through
the whole region. But the Jews, not wanting to give
(15:04):
up Verse fifty, incited the devout women of prominence and
the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution
against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district.
But they shook off the dust off their feet and
protest against them and went to Iconia because of your rejection,
(15:25):
and I'm gonna leave you with God now. They ended
the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke. Large number
of people, both Jews and Greeks are listening to what
they have to say. But the people were divided verse four.
Some sided with the Jews and some sided with the Apostles.
So some were against them, some were for them. And
(15:45):
when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and
the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and stone them,
they became aware of it and fled to other cities.
And they continued to preach the gospel. They appreached it
with power, such as verse eight. Unlessen, a man was
sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from
(16:07):
his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man was
listening to Paul as he spoke, and when he had
fixed his gaze on them. Paul liked to fix his
gaze on people if it fix his gaze on him,
he had seen that he had faith to be made well.
That's an interesting phrase. Faith to be made well. Believing
God to do something. Okay, let me give you a difference,
(16:31):
not believing merely that he can. Please make that distinction
in your belief your faith. Many of us, most of us,
if we're Christians, believe God can. But you've grown in
your faith. When you believe he will, you're believing him
(16:56):
to do it, not just believing that he can do it.
That's a different level of confidence in the Lord. And
so this man had faith to be made well. When
married the Mother of Jesus, she gets this angel saying
you're gonna get pregnant, and Joseph won't have anything to
(17:16):
do with it, and she says, well, how can this be,
I'm a virgin. He says, with God, nothing is impossible.
That means he can do what I just said he
can do. But then she said, so be it. She
(17:36):
believed him to do it based on what he said.
She believes him to do it, not just that he
could do it. And when she expresses that believes him
to do it, it gets done. So don't only believe
that it can if it's something that's in his will,
believe him too. And when that happened, super natural took
(18:00):
place in this man's life. He leaped verse ten and
began to walk. And when the crowds saw this, they
raised their voice and began to say, the gods have
become like men and have come down to us. And
they began verse twelve, calling barnabas Zeus and calling calling
bar herbs because he was the chief speaker. The gods
(18:24):
are among us. Okay, these boys are dumb. They know
what happened to Herod verse fourteen. But when the apostles,
Barnabas and Ba heard it, they tore their robes. Don't
know you did 't and rushed out into the crowd,
crying and saying, men, why are you doing these things?
(18:49):
We are also men of the same nature as you.
Don't bring that God stuff up in here, up in here.
We are men just like you, and preach the gospel
to you that you should turn from the vain things
to a living God, who made the heaven and the
earth and the sea. And you see how he deflecting
(19:09):
all that stuff to God. He just they believe in God.
He made the heaven, he made the sea, he made
the land, he made the earth, He made me, he
made you. What else can I come up with? I'm
not him, we're not him. And the generations gone by,
but permitted all nations to go their own way. Okay,
so he gives people freedom to depart from him. He
(19:32):
gives people freedom to go away from him. And yet
he did not leave himself without a witness in that
he did good and gave you rains from heaven and
fruitful seasons. In other words, God validates his existence in nature.
The heavens and earth declare the glory of God. You
got to be out of your mind to be an atheist.
(19:54):
You got you got, you gotta crazy to be an atheist,
to think that the universe, the huge universe. And then
this just the earth just happened. A meeba started it,
a big bang started it. Just all these foolish So
you can't You can't have a watch without a watch maker.
(20:15):
Too many parts, too many parts. So so you have
to be educated in the atheism, okay, because it's not
that's not normal. And so he talks from nature the
existence of God. So God gives a witness. But the
Jews came from Antioch. These boys are being tracked down there.
They won't let him go, and having won over the crowds,
(20:37):
they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing he was dead. He looked like he was dead,
and while the disciples stood around him, he stood up
and into the city. He was revived. The next day
he went away to Barnaboas and Derby, and after that
he preached the gospel to the city. Paul been knocked unconscious,
(20:57):
they think he's dead. He gets up, gets back to
his senses, and he back our preaching again. We call
this a bad boy, that's all I say. It's a
bad boy. I mean, but you have to understand where
he caught, where he came from, where God brought him from.
You know, he was a murderer, and God and brought
(21:17):
him out. So that wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do.
And light of where he came from. And so we'll
come to the conclusion of this. And he strengthened the
souls of the disciples Verse twenty two, and carriaging them
to continue into faith through many tribulations, we must enter
the Kingdom of God. So this thing about is all
blessing all the time. It's all fun all the time.
(21:41):
It's all no suffering all the time. It's not true.
Now that's going to be different for everybody. For most
of us, being a Christian in America, even with all
the problems, it's fairly easy. Being a Christian in Syria
is not. Being a Christian in Iraq is not. Every
day you wake up you're wondering is this your last day?
(22:04):
So you got folks standing for Christ wondering is this
my last day? And we often don't stand for Christ
without any concern about any day. He says, you enter
the Kingdom of God with this and the good stuff
he talked about. God gives us good stuff. But he
says that this all those who lived God in Pristes
(22:25):
was of persecution. When they appointed elders for them in
every church, noticed plural elders every individual church. So body
of a body of leaders, body of leaders had prayed
with fasting. They commended them to the Lord whom they
had believed. And they so they continue their ministry, and
they're going from city to city, commending verse twenty six
(22:48):
the grace of God and the work that God was
accomplishing through them. And when they had arrived and gathered
the church together, they began to report all the things
that God had done with them, and how He had
opened the door of to the gentiles. And they spend
a long time there with the disciples.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well, there are many exciting events still to come in
the story of the early Church, as doctor Tony Evans
continues our journey through the Book of Acts. Remember, today's
lesson is just one of fourteen in this powerful, engaging series,
and we'd like to send you the entire two volume
collection on CD or as a digital download as our
(23:28):
thank you gift when you make a generous donation to
support the mission of sharing Biblical insights and fostering spirits
will renewal. As I mentioned, it comes bundled with Tony's
thought provoking book, Kingdom Purpose, which will help you uncover
and fulfill your divine calling. This special double offer is
only available for a limited time, so be sure to
(23:50):
contact us today to make the arrangements. You can reach
us day or night at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two, where someone in our resource center
is always available to help you, or make your request
online at Tonyevans dot org. You'll find the details you
need right there on the homepage. Once again, that's Tonyevans Dorg.
(24:13):
Doctor Evans will touch on a number of powerful stories
as he continues his look at the Book of Acts Tomorrow,
highlighting the power of grace over law, the role of
the Holy Spirit in guiding believers, and the miraculous events
that unfold when faith is put into action, both in
biblical times and today. Yeah, there's a lot to digest,
(24:36):
so be sure to join US
Most of us, if we're Christians, believe God can. You've
gone in your faith when you believe he will.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Doctor Tony Evans talks about making the important transition from
acknowledgement to assurance.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You're believing him to do it, not just believing that
he can do it.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Today, Doctor Evans
will give us some exciting examples of divine intervention meeting
earthly challenges as he continues our study in the Book
of Acts from prayer to a prison break. We'll see
(00:38):
how the Holy Spirit continues to orchestrate the unstoppable spread
of Christianity and the miraculous ways God can work in
our own lives when we trust him. Let's get started well.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Christianity has been spreading like wildfire, as we've seen so
far through the first eleven chapters. That will always create resistance.
And resistance takes place in chapter twelve as herod Verse one,
the King lays hands on some who belong to the
church in order to mistreat them. So you have government
resistance to the expansion of the faith. So much and
(01:10):
so that in verse two, we have the first martyr
of the church, James, the brother of John, is put
to death with the sword because of his testimony and
his leadership. And so then they go and then verse
three they arrest Peter, which leads to a very interesting story.
So they arrest Peter, they seize him, and they put
(01:33):
him in prison, and I mean they lock him down
because according to verse four, there are four squads of
soldiers to God him. So he's not getting out of here.
But the church was making fervent prayer for Peter. Prayer
is God's link between what's going on on earth and
(01:55):
what you need from heaven. That is the link, That
is the specific wiring that God has placed in the
spiritual realm to bring Heaven into history, eternity and to time.
They're praying, and behold, say behold, behold means watch out
(02:18):
and aims of the Lord appears. Suddenly out of nowhere,
a light shines in the south, and he wakes Peter up,
and he says, get up, get up, Get up, get up,
get up. Quickly his chains fall off. He said to him,
gird up yourself, get dressed, put on your sandals, wrap
(02:39):
your cloak, around you and follow me. And he went
out and continue to follow him. He did not know
what was going on. He didn't know what the angel
was real or not, because this is like other worldly.
He thought he was seeing a vision. So he passed
the first and second God come to the iron gates
(03:03):
that lead to the city, which opened for them by themselves.
Went out and went into the street, and immediately the
angel departed. And now he knows the Lord has sent
forth an angel to rescue him. When he realized this,
he went to the house to marry the mother of John,
who was also called Mark, John Mark where and will
(03:26):
meet him again. In a moment when many others were
gathered together praying. Okay, so now they've been praying for
God to deliver Peter. They've been praying hard too, because
it says they were praying fervently. He knocks on the door.
A serving girl named Rhoda comes to answer it in
verse thirteen, and when she recognized Peter's voice, because of
(03:51):
her joy, she did not open the gate, but ran
in and announced that Peter was standing in front of
the gate. She leaving the boys standing outside in the cold.
They had to put on his cloak said, Peter is
out there, and they said, you are out of your mind.
Verse sixteen says, and when they opened the door they
(04:14):
saw him and were amazed. Prayer can bring about deliverance.
That's what That's what the story says. So Harris ticked
off verse nineteen when heard had searched for him and
had not found him. He examined the gods in order
that they be led away to execution. You wouldn't want
(04:36):
to be in a guard because you get killed for
something you ain't know nothing about and could not control. Now,
he was very angry with the people tirnside, and on
one accord they came and having one over, Blitz blessed
us the king chamberlain. They were asking for peace because
(04:57):
their country was led by the king's country tree. On
an appointed day, Herod, having put on his royal apparel
so he looked he looked like a king, took his
seat on the on the rostrum and began delivering an
address to them. So he's speaking. The people kept crying
(05:18):
out the voice of a god and not of a man,
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because
he did not give God the glory, and he was
eaten by worms and died because what he did he
(05:40):
took the glory for himself. And whenever a government or
leaders deify themselves and become godlike in their mindset, that
is a dangerous thing to do. That is because God
will judge. Pride. Yeah, pride is not just having confidence,
(06:06):
that's no. Pride is thinking more of yourself than you
ought to think, you know, and putting yourself in a
godlike position. Okay, everything you do is because of what
God has already done. So that's why you always want
to give him the glory. You know, appreciate the recognition,
(06:29):
but give him the glory. So Barnabas and Saul they
remain in Jerusalem and fulfill their ministry, and they bring
along with them John Mark, who's the author of the
Second Gospel, the Gospel of Mark, chapter thirteen. Now they're
in Antioch, and we have a very interesting worship service
taking place. For a number of reasons, the one who
(06:52):
was in it. There were prophets who had a more
itinerant ministry, and teachers who were kind of the instructors
of the church. You've got barnable Us and Simeon, who
is called Niger. So is he is a black man
in the church, and Lucius of Sirene, which is a
North African in the church. My point is it was
(07:13):
a mixture Jews, Gentiles, Africans. One of the best ways
to hear from God is in worship, corporate worship or
personal worship, personal devotions. It says while they were ministering
to God, so they were sending something up, but God
was saying something down. He was speaking. How does God
(07:38):
speak When he speaks to a number of ways. He
speaks through bringing thoughts to your mind. He speaks by
using other people to plant thoughts in your mind. But
he does speak. It's called the illumination of the spirit.
He brings to light. And so he brings to light.
Set me apart apart, Barnabas and Saul for the work
(07:58):
which I've called them to do. When they fasted, they prayed,
they laid hands on them, meaning recognition that this is
what God wants, and they sent them out. And so
they were sent out by the Holy Spirit. But that
was recognized by the leaders in the church, and so
so we have this recognition and this missionary journey. So
(08:21):
they moved to Cyprus. And when they moved to Cyprus.
They begin this ministry. When they do so, they run
into a problem. They run into a problem because there's
this false prophet in verse six, whose name was bar Jesus,
(08:42):
who was the proconsul to Sergius paul Us, a man
of intelligence. This man summoned Paul and Barnabas because he
wanted to hear more about the word of God. And
uh Elimas, which is the same name, the same person
as Barjonas is that was the translation of his name,
was opposing them, seeking to turn the pro counsul away
(09:03):
from the faith. He didn't want his boss to become
a Christian, but Saul because he didn't want to lose
his influence. But Saul, who was also known as Paul
filled with the Holy spirit. Okay, so God is in
control of this man, fixed his gaze on him, locked
in with him, and said, you are full of all
(09:26):
deceit and fraud, you son of the devil. Paul didn't play.
You ever noticed that, Paul, don't play, Paul, PAULO, Paul
don't play. You know.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
He got that from Jesus because Jesus told Peter, you know,
get it behind me, Satan. You know, so he says, you,
son of the devil, because he's in sync with the devil,
You enemy of all righteousness. Will you not cease to
make crooked the straight way of the Lord. There are
(09:59):
those times than the life of the church where God's
people in the Gospel have to be protected. It is
so easy now, in light of the current climate in
our culture, to dumb down standing for the truth, to
be politically correct, to want to be liked. Now, we
shouldn't go out and intensely make enemies, but neither should
(10:22):
we deny who we are, and be able to distinguish
truth from error. Paul locked in on him and said, no,
this is error. Now behol verse eleven. The hand of
the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind
and not see the sun for a time. And immediately
(10:44):
a mist and a darkness fell on him, and he
went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
Because Paul is full of the spirits or the supernaturalist working,
and he has authority. Then the pro consul believed when
he saw what had happened, and amazed at the teaching
of the Lord.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Doctor Evans will return in a moment to tell us
about another amazing teaching that we're quite a bit freer
than we think we are. First though, today's lesson is
part of Tony's fourteen part sermon series on the Book
of Acts, where we explore the early Church's growth and
the powerful work of the Holy Spirit and spreading the Gospel.
This comprehensive study of the Apostles, journeys and challenges will
(11:28):
inspire you to live out your faith with boldness. For
a limited time, you can get this complete audio collection
as our thank you gift when you make a contribution
to help keep these messages coming to this station, and
it includes a special bonus, Doctor Evans insightful book, Kingdom Purpose,
a guide to discovering your unique role in God's plan
(11:49):
and living it out successfully. Just visit us today at
Tonyevans dot org or call us at one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two, make a contribution and
let us send you the AX audio series and the
Kingdom Purpose Book as a way of showing our appreciation.
Once again. You can find all the details on this
(12:10):
special offer online at Tonyevans dot org or by phone
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two.
We'll hear more from doctor Evans right after.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
This, I urge you to take this course.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
Doctor Craig Evans, renowned expert on the New Testament, serves
as the special guest lecturer for the Tony Evans Training
Center course on the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Bible.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
That covers very important ground what they are and what
they're not.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
One of the most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century,
the Dead Sea Scrolls provide unparalleled insights into the accuracy
of the Bible. These ancient manuscripts offer a treasure trove
of historical and spiritual significance.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
They preserve for us the Hebrew Bible and shed light
on the teaching of Jesus and the major contributors to
the New Testament.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
The scrolls open a vivid window into the life and
beliefs of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
You will understand the Bible and Jesus and Christian origins
better than you ever have before.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Take your first step as an honorary amateur archaeologist, dive
into the Dead Sea Scrolls with special guest lecturer Doctor
Craig Evans. Discover this and other fascinating Biblical Studies at
Tony Evans Training dot Org. Explore the Kingdom anytime, anywhere.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
For Paul now comes in verse sixteen through forty one.
He's defending who Jesus is. He reviews the history to
show Jesus who Jesus was through David, through the ministry
of John and Baptist he uses a scripture to prove
the resurrection all driving to verse thirty eight. Therefore, let
(13:48):
it be known to you, brethren, that through him, forgiveness
of sins is proclaimed to you, and through him, everyone
who believes is freed from all things wow from which
you could not be freed through the law of Moses.
So in verse forty four, the next week, because they
wanted him to come the next Saturday, the next Sabbath,
(14:09):
he comes nearly the whole city as symbol to hear
the word of the Lord. And when the Jews saw
the crowd, when they saw this guy's getting a little
audience here, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting
the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming. So he's
now getting this resistance from the Jews because now all
(14:31):
these people, the whole town is showing up. Paul and
Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, it was necessary that
the word of God be spoken to you first, since
you repudiated it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Good.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
In other words, your rejection makes you unworthy of eternal life. Behold,
we are turning to the Gentiles because the Jews have
rejected us. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began
rejoicing and glorifying the word of God verse forty eight.
And as many has been pointed to, eternal life bleeded,
and the word of the Lord was being spread through
the whole region. But the Jews, not wanting to give
(15:04):
up Verse fifty, incited the devout women of prominence and
the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution
against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the district.
But they shook off the dust off their feet and
protest against them and went to Iconia because of your rejection,
(15:25):
and I'm gonna leave you with God now. They ended
the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke. Large number
of people, both Jews and Greeks are listening to what
they have to say. But the people were divided verse four.
Some sided with the Jews and some sided with the Apostles.
So some were against them, some were for them. And
(15:45):
when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and
the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and stone them,
they became aware of it and fled to other cities.
And they continued to preach the gospel. They appreached it
with power, such as verse eight. Unlessen, a man was
sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from
(16:07):
his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man was
listening to Paul as he spoke, and when he had
fixed his gaze on them. Paul liked to fix his
gaze on people if it fix his gaze on him,
he had seen that he had faith to be made well.
That's an interesting phrase. Faith to be made well. Believing
God to do something. Okay, let me give you a difference,
(16:31):
not believing merely that he can. Please make that distinction
in your belief your faith. Many of us, most of us,
if we're Christians, believe God can. But you've grown in
your faith. When you believe he will, you're believing him
(16:56):
to do it, not just believing that he can do it.
That's a different level of confidence in the Lord. And
so this man had faith to be made well. When
married the Mother of Jesus, she gets this angel saying
you're gonna get pregnant, and Joseph won't have anything to
(17:16):
do with it, and she says, well, how can this be,
I'm a virgin. He says, with God, nothing is impossible.
That means he can do what I just said he
can do. But then she said, so be it. She
(17:36):
believed him to do it based on what he said.
She believes him to do it, not just that he
could do it. And when she expresses that believes him
to do it, it gets done. So don't only believe
that it can if it's something that's in his will,
believe him too. And when that happened, super natural took
(18:00):
place in this man's life. He leaped verse ten and
began to walk. And when the crowds saw this, they
raised their voice and began to say, the gods have
become like men and have come down to us. And
they began verse twelve, calling barnabas Zeus and calling calling
bar herbs because he was the chief speaker. The gods
(18:24):
are among us. Okay, these boys are dumb. They know
what happened to Herod verse fourteen. But when the apostles,
Barnabas and Ba heard it, they tore their robes. Don't
know you did 't and rushed out into the crowd,
crying and saying, men, why are you doing these things?
(18:49):
We are also men of the same nature as you.
Don't bring that God stuff up in here, up in here.
We are men just like you, and preach the gospel
to you that you should turn from the vain things
to a living God, who made the heaven and the
earth and the sea. And you see how he deflecting
(19:09):
all that stuff to God. He just they believe in God.
He made the heaven, he made the sea, he made
the land, he made the earth, He made me, he
made you. What else can I come up with? I'm
not him, we're not him. And the generations gone by,
but permitted all nations to go their own way. Okay,
so he gives people freedom to depart from him. He
(19:32):
gives people freedom to go away from him. And yet
he did not leave himself without a witness in that
he did good and gave you rains from heaven and
fruitful seasons. In other words, God validates his existence in nature.
The heavens and earth declare the glory of God. You
got to be out of your mind to be an atheist.
(19:54):
You got you got, you gotta crazy to be an atheist,
to think that the universe, the huge universe. And then
this just the earth just happened. A meeba started it,
a big bang started it. Just all these foolish So
you can't You can't have a watch without a watch maker.
(20:15):
Too many parts, too many parts. So so you have
to be educated in the atheism, okay, because it's not
that's not normal. And so he talks from nature the
existence of God. So God gives a witness. But the
Jews came from Antioch. These boys are being tracked down there.
They won't let him go, and having won over the crowds,
(20:37):
they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing he was dead. He looked like he was dead,
and while the disciples stood around him, he stood up
and into the city. He was revived. The next day
he went away to Barnaboas and Derby, and after that
he preached the gospel to the city. Paul been knocked unconscious,
(20:57):
they think he's dead. He gets up, gets back to
his senses, and he back our preaching again. We call
this a bad boy, that's all I say. It's a
bad boy. I mean, but you have to understand where
he caught, where he came from, where God brought him from.
You know, he was a murderer, and God and brought
(21:17):
him out. So that wasn't anything he wasn't willing to do.
And light of where he came from. And so we'll
come to the conclusion of this. And he strengthened the
souls of the disciples Verse twenty two, and carriaging them
to continue into faith through many tribulations, we must enter
the Kingdom of God. So this thing about is all
blessing all the time. It's all fun all the time.
(21:41):
It's all no suffering all the time. It's not true.
Now that's going to be different for everybody. For most
of us, being a Christian in America, even with all
the problems, it's fairly easy. Being a Christian in Syria
is not. Being a Christian in Iraq is not. Every
day you wake up you're wondering is this your last day?
(22:04):
So you got folks standing for Christ wondering is this
my last day? And we often don't stand for Christ
without any concern about any day. He says, you enter
the Kingdom of God with this and the good stuff
he talked about. God gives us good stuff. But he
says that this all those who lived God in Pristes
(22:25):
was of persecution. When they appointed elders for them in
every church, noticed plural elders every individual church. So body
of a body of leaders, body of leaders had prayed
with fasting. They commended them to the Lord whom they
had believed. And they so they continue their ministry, and
they're going from city to city, commending verse twenty six
(22:48):
the grace of God and the work that God was
accomplishing through them. And when they had arrived and gathered
the church together, they began to report all the things
that God had done with them, and how He had
opened the door of to the gentiles. And they spend
a long time there with the disciples.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well, there are many exciting events still to come in
the story of the early Church, as doctor Tony Evans
continues our journey through the Book of Acts. Remember, today's
lesson is just one of fourteen in this powerful, engaging series,
and we'd like to send you the entire two volume
collection on CD or as a digital download as our
(23:28):
thank you gift when you make a generous donation to
support the mission of sharing Biblical insights and fostering spirits
will renewal. As I mentioned, it comes bundled with Tony's
thought provoking book, Kingdom Purpose, which will help you uncover
and fulfill your divine calling. This special double offer is
only available for a limited time, so be sure to
(23:50):
contact us today to make the arrangements. You can reach
us day or night at one eight hundred eight hundred
thirty two twenty two, where someone in our resource center
is always available to help you, or make your request
online at Tonyevans dot org. You'll find the details you
need right there on the homepage. Once again, that's Tonyevans Dorg.
(24:13):
Doctor Evans will touch on a number of powerful stories
as he continues his look at the Book of Acts Tomorrow,
highlighting the power of grace over law, the role of
the Holy Spirit in guiding believers, and the miraculous events
that unfold when faith is put into action, both in
biblical times and today. Yeah, there's a lot to digest,
(24:36):
so be sure to join US
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