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Howdy Mars Hill Church
and our extended family

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of Mars Hill Global;
I'm Pastor Sutton Turner,

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your executive pastor
here in Ethiopia.

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Some might ask,
"What is our extended family

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of Mars Hill Global?"

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Well, that's 250,000 people
that join us by podcast

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each and every week!

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I want to first encourage you
to be a part of a local church,

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wherever you are in the world,
be a part of a local church

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and give your tithe
to the local church.

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Secondly, I want
to encourage you to give,

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give over and beyond your tithe
to Mars Hill Global.

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We're planting churches
in Ethiopia, India,

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and the United States

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because we want to see
more people be saved by Jesus.

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We want to see
more people grow with Jesus

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and we want to see
more people on Jesus' mission.

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I pray that you
would consider being a part

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of the extended family
of Mars Hill Global.

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Go to marshillchurch.com/global
and sign up today.

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Jesus is doing
some incredible things

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and we would like you to be a part
of what Jesus is already doing.

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You will receive power!

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You will receive power!

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You will receive power!

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All right, here's what we're
working on at the Driscoll house

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this week,
the family heritage project.

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Two of my kids are working on
the family heritage project.

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Did I get it right, Calvin?

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Calvin, did I get it right?
Family heritage project?

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You ever done this where you
have to trace

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your family lineage history?

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We came from here, here's who
we are, here's our descendants.

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Any of you ever done
that, your ancestry,

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your history, biologically?

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That's what we're
working on at our house.

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Two of the kids got it for
a project this week at school.

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And what's true biologically
is also true spiritually.

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It's good to trace your
family history and ancestry,

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but it's also good to look at
our spiritual church family

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ancestry and history.

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Where did we come from?
Where did Christianity begin?

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How did it all get started?

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Who were the fathers and mothers
back at the beginning

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and how have we inherited
this great legacy

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as the church of Jesus Christ?

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Well, for that research, you
need to go to the book of Acts.

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And so if you've got a Bible,
go to the book of Acts.

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And here's what we do.

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If you're new--and I know
a lot of you are new now

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that we're sort of post-Easter.

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Almost 400 of you were baptized.

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We love you, we're glad
to have you, we welcome you.

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And yeah, you can clap if
you want, that's all good.

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One of the things we love to do
at Mars Hill is go through

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books of the Bible.

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And we just finished
the book of James,

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and the book of Acts is
the book that we're in now,

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beginning today
in chapter 5, verse 12.

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And Acts is
a very long book of the Bible,

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and it looks
at the early church history.

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And so we have divided it over
the course of a number of years.

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We take a big chunk of Acts
after the Easter celebration,

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our biggest weekend of the year.

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And so we're in Acts chapter 5, and as
you're finding it in the Bible

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or on your phone, let me explain
to you a little bit about Acts,

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since we're jumping in.

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It's written by
a guy named Luke,

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and he is a highly educated,
very articulate medical doctor.

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He's a physician.

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He only writes
two books of the Bible.

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There's a guy named Paul
who writes a lot more books,

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but insofar as length goes,
Luke contributes more

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to the New Testament
than any other author.

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And he really writes
a prequel and a sequel;

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it's a book in two parts.

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He writes the book of Luke,
which is about the life

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and ministry of Jesus, and he
writes the book of Acts,

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which is about the life
and ministry of Jesus' people,

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the first Christians,
the early church,

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and their explosion and
expansion outside of Jerusalem.

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And he is a man who has
first-hand experience

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for what he is writing in
the book of Acts.

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He was very close friends
with a guy you'll meet

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in the next few weeks.

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His name is Paul.

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They were traveling companions,
so as Paul is going on

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various missionary journeys,
Luke is alongside of him

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as a co-laborer, co-minister,
friend, and I believe,

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possibly even his private,
personal, medical counsel,

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because Paul took
a lot of beatings,

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his body was in bad shape,

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and Luke would have tended to
and bandaged up his friend

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to keep pressing forward
and preaching the gospel.

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And he is funded
for his research by

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a man named Theophilus.

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This man is mentioned
early in Luke and Acts.

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He's a generous man,
he's a wealthy man,

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he's a benefactor.

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For those of you who
are generous like him,

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we praise God for you.

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He funded Luke so that he could
travel, conduct interviews,

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meet with Jesus' family,
and friends,

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and witnesses of his life,
death, burial, miracles,

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teaching, and resurrection.

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And so Luke does this massive,
massive historical research

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about Jesus
and the early church.

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And for those of you who may
have doubts or suspicions about

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his credibility,
you're not alone.

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Some have wondered if
the stories that he shares

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with us are in fact historical
and actual, and they are.

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And there was a man, his
name is Sir William Ramsey.

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He was one of the leading
archeologists

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in the late 19th
and early 20th century,

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and he had doubts
about Luke's historicity

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and his
historical accuracy.

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And so he,
as a trained archeologist,

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spent upwards of 15 years of his
life examining and seeking to

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disprove Luke in Acts,
seeking to show that he is

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historically inaccurate.

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And here is what he concluded
after 15 years of research

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as a professional who sought
to disprove the historicity

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of Luke in Acts.

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He says, quote, "Luke is
a historian of the first rank.

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"This author
should be placed along with

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the very greatest
of historians."

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Christianity is not
just philosophy,

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it's not just spirituality,
it's not just ideology,

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it's not just morality,
it's history,

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that Jesus lived and he
said and did some things,

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that Jesus died and he rose.

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And all of that is shown
in the book of Luke,

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that Jesus is God
who died and rose.

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And then Acts picks up
where Luke left off,

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saying that Jesus appeared for
40 days to crowds upwards of

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500 at a time, and then Jesus
ascended into heaven.

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And before he returned
to his heavenly throne,

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where he rules and reigns
at this very moment,

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Jesus said something very
important and it's a clue for us

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in our understanding
of the rest of Acts.

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In Acts 1:8,
Jesus says this:

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"You will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you,

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and you will be my witnesses,"
starting locally

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and culminating globally.

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So Jesus' life was lived by
the power of the third member

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of the Trinity,
God the Holy Spirit.

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And he lived, and he died,
and he rose, and he is God,

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and he's Savior, and he
ascended, and he promised,

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"The Holy Spirit is coming to
empower the church, my people,

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to live a life
patterned after mine."

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And what it means
to live a spirit-filled,

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spirit-empowered life is to be
one who bears witness to Jesus,

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who demonstrates with a changed
life and declares with

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clear speech that Jesus is
God, that Jesus forgives,

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that Jesus loves,
that Jesus saves.

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As we like to say it,
it's all about Jesus.

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It's all about Jesus, and that's
the story of the book of Acts.

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It's God sending the Holy Spirit
to the church to empower them

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to be witnesses for Jesus.

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And here we are as part of that
great witness 2,000 years later.

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Jesus is the most famous person
in the history of the world.

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Jesus is the most beloved,
worshiped, adored person

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in the history
of the world.

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He has had more
impact than anyone.

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No nation, no organization,
no effort of any human being

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has ever even come
close to the impact

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and the life-altering effect
of Jesus Christ.

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And we're all witnesses
to him 2,000 years later

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because the Holy Spirit
has come in power.

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And so the book of Acts shows
the explosion

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that begins to erupt after
the resurrection of Jesus,

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that 120 followers soon have
added to their number 3,000,

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and then thousands
more are added.

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But by the time we pick
up the story in Acts chapter 5,

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persecution
and opposition arises.

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For every action,
there's a reaction.

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For every convert,
there's a critic.

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For every salvation, there is
a condemnation by those

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who are critical
of the work of God.

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And so we will look
today at what true, real,

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spirit-empowered, life
on the earth ministry is,

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beginning in Acts chapter 5 verse 12
where we learn that ministry

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is about God helping people.

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We're going to cover
a lot of Bible today.

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I hope you're okay with me
reading a lot of Bible.

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If not, I'm going
to read it anyways,

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so we'll start
in chapter 5, verse 12.

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Here is the historical
record from Dr. Luke.

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"Now many signs and wonders were
regularly done among the people

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"by the hands of the apostles.

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And they were all together,"
this declaration of unity,

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"in Solomon's Portico."

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It's a meeting area where you
could have large meetings.

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"None of the rest
dared join them,

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"but the people held
them in high esteem.

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"And more than ever believers
were added to the Lord,

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"multitudes of both
men and women,

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"so that they even carried out
the sick into the streets

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"and laid them on cots and mats,
that as Peter came by at least

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his shadow might fall
on some of them."

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They're hoping for
miraculous healing.

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"The people also gathered from
the towns around Jerusalem,

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"bringing the sick and those
afflicted with unclean spirits,

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and they were all healed."

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Here's what's going on.

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The apostles, the leaders, chosen
by Jesus are doing ministry

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openly and publicly.

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You need to get that,
because today,

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people want ministry to be
done privately, not publicly.

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You won't get in any trouble
if you're like,

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"Well, Jesus is true for me.

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"I'm not sure
he's true for you.

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"I need Jesus but I'm not sure
you need Jesus

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"and I don't want to tell you
about Jesus

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"because Jesus
lives in my heart,

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"not in my life.

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"I have a personal
relationship with Jesus,

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"not a public
relationship with Jesus,

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"and it's something
between me and God,

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and it doesn't affect my
relationship with anyone else."

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You won't get in
trouble for that.

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They're going to get in trouble
because their faith

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has gone public;
it's not private.

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They are inviting others
to learn about Jesus.

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And four things are happening.

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One, people are being loved.

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Outcasts, those who are sick,
those who are demonized,

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those who are out of their
mind, they're being loved,

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and welcomed, and embraced,
and brought into community

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to receive affection.

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Number two, we read that
people are being saved.

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Non-Christians are becoming
Christians, and at that time,

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there was criticism,
and opposition,

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and ostracism against
Christianity

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as there is in our day.

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Today, perhaps unlike any other
time in the history of our

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nation, there are no benefits
to waving the Team Jesus flag.

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Have you noticed that?

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You notice that?

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If you just say, "I love Jesus.

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I believe the whole Bible,"
there's no perks at work.

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00:12:50,792 --> 00:12:52,708
People tend not to, "Yay!

243
00:12:52,792 --> 00:12:54,125
That's wonderful!"

244
00:12:54,167 --> 00:12:55,500
No.

245
00:12:55,583 --> 00:12:59,167
"Oh, you're the intolerant,
narrow-minded bigots."

246
00:12:59,208 --> 00:13:04,125
"Thank you for
the open-minded tolerance

247
00:13:04,167 --> 00:13:08,792
that I receive." Right?

248
00:13:08,833 --> 00:13:11,792
We are in a day when
Christianity is no longer

249
00:13:11,833 --> 00:13:13,500
at the center,
it's at the margins.

250
00:13:13,583 --> 00:13:16,333
It's no longer respected,
it's rejected.

251
00:13:16,375 --> 00:13:18,125
And so it was in that day.

252
00:13:18,167 --> 00:13:20,125
There were people who respected
the Christians

253
00:13:20,167 --> 00:13:21,500
and the Christian leaders

254
00:13:21,583 --> 00:13:23,500
and were curious
about their message,

255
00:13:23,583 --> 00:13:25,875
but they were hesitant
and reticent to join,

256
00:13:25,958 --> 00:13:29,125
to step over the line and say,
"That's it, I'm on Team Jesus.

257
00:13:29,167 --> 00:13:30,500
I'm a Christian."

258
00:13:30,583 --> 00:13:33,000
How many of you are
in that place today?

259
00:13:33,083 --> 00:13:34,750
You're like, "I'm interested.
I'm curious.

260
00:13:34,833 --> 00:13:38,750
"I'm in process, but I'm
hesitant and I'm reticent

261
00:13:38,833 --> 00:13:42,042
"to step over the line, and wave
the Team Jesus flag,

262
00:13:42,125 --> 00:13:44,042
and be all in for Jesus."

263
00:13:44,125 --> 00:13:47,208
So were they, but it says
that many, multitudes,

264
00:13:47,292 --> 00:13:50,250
numbers of the people
who heard about Jesus,

265
00:13:50,333 --> 00:13:52,542
they crossed the line of faith.

266
00:13:52,625 --> 00:13:56,250
They went public in their
commitment to Jesus,

267
00:13:56,333 --> 00:13:58,917
both men and women.

268
00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,000
I would urge you, I would
implore you, I would invite you,

269
00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:04,000
give yourself to Jesus.

270
00:14:04,083 --> 00:14:05,500
Give your sin to Jesus.

271
00:14:05,583 --> 00:14:08,417
Give your soul to Jesus.

272
00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:12,917
Don't allow the criticism of
others to damn you to Hell.

273
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:17,208
It's much better to face
their wrath than his.

274
00:14:17,292 --> 00:14:19,417
And many were saved.

275
00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:22,000
So people are loved,
people are saved.

276
00:14:22,083 --> 00:14:24,125
Number three,
people are healed.

277
00:14:24,167 --> 00:14:27,125
It says that
sick people get healed.

278
00:14:27,167 --> 00:14:30,208
We believe that God is the same
yesterday, today, and forever.

279
00:14:30,292 --> 00:14:34,167
He has healed, he will
heal, and he is healing.

280
00:14:34,208 --> 00:14:38,458
We believe that in the kingdom
of God, no one will be sick.

281
00:14:38,500 --> 00:14:40,958
We believe that sickness has
entered the world because of

282
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,167
sin, and occasionally
the kingdom of God

283
00:14:43,208 --> 00:14:46,500
breaks into this world
and healing comes to reveal

284
00:14:46,583 --> 00:14:49,250
Jesus as our Great Physician.

285
00:14:49,333 --> 00:14:51,125
There are people
at Mars Hill Church

286
00:14:51,167 --> 00:14:54,167
who have been physically healed.

287
00:14:54,208 --> 00:14:56,958
This is all recorded
by a medical doctor.

288
00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,083
We know of people--I know of
people who have been

289
00:15:00,167 --> 00:15:03,500
physically healed by Jesus
because he's alive and well

290
00:15:03,583 --> 00:15:06,125
right now and he still heals.

291
00:15:06,167 --> 00:15:09,500
As Jesus healed when he was on
the earth, he rules from heaven.

292
00:15:09,542 --> 00:15:12,833
He can still heal on the earth
because his jurisdiction

293
00:15:12,875 --> 00:15:14,500
has no limitation.

294
00:15:14,583 --> 00:15:16,417
You need to know that.

295
00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:18,000
If you're sick, you pray.

296
00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:20,125
If you're sick, we'll pray.

297
00:15:20,167 --> 00:15:23,583
Sometimes God's answer
is yes. For the believer

298
00:15:23,667 --> 00:15:26,208
sometimes God's answer is later,

299
00:15:26,292 --> 00:15:28,833
upon the resurrection
of the dead.

300
00:15:28,917 --> 00:15:31,833
But people
were being healed.

301
00:15:31,917 --> 00:15:33,958
And number four, people
were being delivered.

302
00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:36,125
They had unclean,
demonic spirits.

303
00:15:36,167 --> 00:15:38,958
Our culture
does not believe this,

304
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:41,208
but the Bible declares this.

305
00:15:41,292 --> 00:15:43,958
There isn't just God,
there is Satan who,

306
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,750
along with the fallen angels,
are in rebellion against God.

307
00:15:47,833 --> 00:15:50,750
Satan is not equal to God,
he is equal to the angels

308
00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:54,750
created by God,
ruled over by God.

309
00:15:54,833 --> 00:15:57,750
But what happened was there was
a great war in the presence

310
00:15:57,833 --> 00:16:01,708
of God where Satan and demons—
they were originally angels,

311
00:16:01,792 --> 00:16:04,333
they didn't want to glorify
God, they wanted God's glory.

312
00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:06,500
They didn't want to submit to
God's authority,

313
00:16:06,583 --> 00:16:08,833
they wanted to have
God's authority.

314
00:16:08,875 --> 00:16:11,833
And as a result, they were
cast down and they were fallen,

315
00:16:11,875 --> 00:16:14,500
and they have been at work
in the world ever since,

316
00:16:14,583 --> 00:16:15,917
beginning with
our first parents.

317
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:21,708
What that means is this:
not all spirituality is good,

318
00:16:21,792 --> 00:16:25,125
godly, or safe.

319
00:16:25,167 --> 00:16:28,750
Reports will tell you that most
Americans believe in Satan,

320
00:16:28,833 --> 00:16:31,833
but here's the truth,
they don't believe in demons.

321
00:16:31,875 --> 00:16:35,250
This is why we have spirituality
in the place of Christianity.

322
00:16:35,333 --> 00:16:38,542
And this great erroneous
false teaching is that

323
00:16:38,625 --> 00:16:40,167
the spirit realm is good.

324
00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:42,708
Open yourself up to whatever
religion, or ideology,

325
00:16:42,792 --> 00:16:45,833
or experience, or spirituality,
and it's all good

326
00:16:45,917 --> 00:16:47,250
because spirituality is good.

327
00:16:47,333 --> 00:16:48,667
No it's not.

328
00:16:48,708 --> 00:16:51,458
Just as you would not open
your door to any person,

329
00:16:51,500 --> 00:16:54,958
inviting them into your home,
you should not open your soul

330
00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:59,000
to any spirit, inviting
them into your life.

331
00:16:59,083 --> 00:17:02,292
Some people are dangerous,
some spirits are dangerous.

332
00:17:02,333 --> 00:17:05,917
Some people are unclean,
some spirits are unclean.

333
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,667
And these people were very
spiritual but they were open

334
00:17:08,750 --> 00:17:11,583
to demons, they were oppressed,
and they were depressed,

335
00:17:11,667 --> 00:17:14,375
their minds were affected,
their bodies were polluted,

336
00:17:14,458 --> 00:17:16,333
their souls were discouraged.

337
00:17:16,375 --> 00:17:19,208
They were in bondage.

338
00:17:19,292 --> 00:17:21,583
What they didn't need was
more tolerance and diversity.

339
00:17:21,667 --> 00:17:23,833
They needed deliverance,

340
00:17:23,875 --> 00:17:27,500
and the God of the Bible came
and delivered them,

341
00:17:27,542 --> 00:17:29,458
and all of the sudden
the unclean spirits

342
00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:30,833
were removed from them,

343
00:17:30,917 --> 00:17:33,542
and the Holy Spirit
indwelled and filled them,

344
00:17:33,625 --> 00:17:35,042
and they were delivered.

345
00:17:35,125 --> 00:17:36,667
People got their
right mind back.

346
00:17:36,708 --> 00:17:39,750
They got their health,
and healing, and hope back.

347
00:17:39,833 --> 00:17:42,542
And I'm not saying that all
mental and/or physical illness

348
00:17:42,625 --> 00:17:45,333
is the result of demonic
oppression or possession,

349
00:17:45,417 --> 00:17:50,208
but I am not eliminating it from
the category of possibility.

350
00:17:50,292 --> 00:17:51,917
Now, who could be against this?

351
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,125
People are loved, people
are saved, people are healed,

352
00:17:54,167 --> 00:17:55,750
people are delivered.

353
00:17:55,833 --> 00:17:58,458
They didn't get in trouble
for doing these things,

354
00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:02,125
but doing them publicly
in the name of Jesus.

355
00:18:02,167 --> 00:18:04,875
That's what will
get you in trouble,

356
00:18:04,958 --> 00:18:11,333
is doing good things in
the name of Jesus publicly.

357
00:18:11,375 --> 00:18:13,375
You need to know that.

358
00:18:13,458 --> 00:18:15,292
You need to know that.

359
00:18:15,333 --> 00:18:18,500
God still does these things,

360
00:18:18,583 --> 00:18:20,833
and if we participate
with him by the power

361
00:18:20,875 --> 00:18:24,125
of the Holy Spirit,
we will receive opposition

362
00:18:24,167 --> 00:18:25,708
as they received.

363
00:18:25,792 --> 00:18:28,542
And very quickly the opposition
comes because for every action

364
00:18:28,625 --> 00:18:30,250
there's a reaction.

365
00:18:30,333 --> 00:18:33,667
Again, for every healing,
there is hatred.

366
00:18:33,708 --> 00:18:37,417
For every deliverance,
there is a debate.

367
00:18:37,500 --> 00:18:40,833
For every conversion,
there is a criticism.

368
00:18:40,917 --> 00:18:43,417
This is the price of ministry.

369
00:18:43,500 --> 00:18:48,167
Quickly, we then read it didn't
take long, but here is the fact,

370
00:18:48,208 --> 00:18:51,167
that ministry is
about helping people.

371
00:18:51,208 --> 00:18:52,750
We just examined that.

372
00:18:52,833 --> 00:18:54,750
Why do we do all that we do?

373
00:18:54,833 --> 00:18:57,250
Because we love people,
because we want to help people,

374
00:18:57,333 --> 00:18:58,917
because we want
to serve people.

375
00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,208
But ministry's not just
about helping people,

376
00:19:01,292 --> 00:19:03,625
it's also about
jealous opposition.

377
00:19:03,667 --> 00:19:10,000
Acts 5:17, "But"--here it
comes--"the high priest,"

378
00:19:10,042 --> 00:19:11,375
There's the leader.

379
00:19:11,458 --> 00:19:12,792
You can tell.

380
00:19:12,833 --> 00:19:14,708
Priest, priest, priest,
priest, priest, high priest,

381
00:19:14,792 --> 00:19:16,417
there's the leader.

382
00:19:16,500 --> 00:19:18,125
He "rose up."

383
00:19:18,167 --> 00:19:19,500
He got upset.

384
00:19:19,583 --> 00:19:20,917
He didn't like this.

385
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,333
He didn't approve.

386
00:19:22,375 --> 00:19:24,333
Nobody asked his permission.

387
00:19:24,375 --> 00:19:25,917
"And all who were
with him

388
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,625
(that is, the party
of the Sadducees)."

389
00:19:27,667 --> 00:19:29,833
There's a leader and a group.

390
00:19:29,917 --> 00:19:31,708
We would call these
the Progressives.

391
00:19:31,792 --> 00:19:37,250
These in that day were
the Liberals, okay?

392
00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:40,667
"And filled with"--what's
the word, Mars Hill?

393
00:19:40,708 --> 00:19:42,750
Very important.

394
00:19:42,833 --> 00:19:45,625
"Jealousy."

395
00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:47,833
So "they arrested the apostles

396
00:19:47,875 --> 00:19:50,500
and put them
in the public prison."

397
00:19:50,583 --> 00:19:56,333
At this point, had the apostles
done anything wrong, yes or no?

398
00:19:56,417 --> 00:19:58,250
We would say no.

399
00:19:58,333 --> 00:20:01,333
You loved people, told them
about Jesus, they got saved,

400
00:20:01,375 --> 00:20:04,125
you laid hands and prayed over
them and some got healed,

401
00:20:04,167 --> 00:20:06,500
and demons got cast out.

402
00:20:06,583 --> 00:20:08,250
Yay!

403
00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:11,750
That's four things
we can get behind.

404
00:20:11,833 --> 00:20:14,250
All of the sudden,
along come the opponents.

405
00:20:14,333 --> 00:20:16,000
"This needs to stop!

406
00:20:16,083 --> 00:20:18,250
More people need to be sick!"

407
00:20:18,333 --> 00:20:20,167
What?

408
00:20:20,208 --> 00:20:23,542
Here comes
the pro-sickness parade.

409
00:20:23,625 --> 00:20:24,958
You're like, "What?"

410
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:26,333
Right?

411
00:20:26,417 --> 00:20:29,042
"No, more people need to be
demon-possessed, and go to Hell,

412
00:20:29,125 --> 00:20:30,458
"and not have friends.

413
00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:32,042
This needs to stop."

414
00:20:32,125 --> 00:20:36,417
You say, "Well, this is
crazy what they're opposing."

415
00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:40,417
What they're opposing is that
they don't have the power,

416
00:20:40,500 --> 00:20:43,667
they don't have the control,
that the Holy Spirit has not

417
00:20:43,708 --> 00:20:47,750
anointed and appointed them
for this kind of ministry.

418
00:20:47,833 --> 00:20:51,333
As a result,
they suffer from jealousy.

419
00:20:51,417 --> 00:20:53,708
And the disciples,
the apostles,

420
00:20:53,792 --> 00:20:55,125
they haven't done
anything wrong.

421
00:20:55,167 --> 00:20:56,750
Okay, let me just be honest.

422
00:20:56,833 --> 00:21:01,417
Sometimes, hypothetically,
a loud mouth preacher

423
00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:05,833
says something
he shouldn't, okay?

424
00:21:05,875 --> 00:21:09,500
And he receives opposition
because he deserved it.

425
00:21:09,583 --> 00:21:11,292
Hypothetically, okay?

426
00:21:11,333 --> 00:21:17,208
I knew a guy like that once
and I prayed for him, okay?

427
00:21:17,292 --> 00:21:21,500
But here, have they said
or done anything wrong?

428
00:21:21,583 --> 00:21:22,917
No.

429
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:24,875
So just because there's
opposition doesn't mean

430
00:21:24,958 --> 00:21:27,333
there was sin or error.

431
00:21:27,375 --> 00:21:31,167
Often times there is,
hypothetically, but not here.

432
00:21:31,208 --> 00:21:33,750
So why are they
receiving opposition?

433
00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:38,167
Not just opposition,
they had them put in prison.

434
00:21:38,208 --> 00:21:40,833
It's kind of a big deal
to arrest the pastor,

435
00:21:40,917 --> 00:21:44,750
at least it is
to the pastor, okay?

436
00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:46,458
You're like,
"Hey, where's your pastor?"

437
00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:47,833
"He's in jail."

438
00:21:47,917 --> 00:21:50,458
"Oh, I read about that.
Sorry."

439
00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:53,042
So, they take the leaders
and they throw them

440
00:21:53,125 --> 00:21:54,750
in public prison.

441
00:21:54,833 --> 00:21:56,250
Here's what this is.

442
00:21:56,333 --> 00:21:59,833
This is public shaming.

443
00:21:59,917 --> 00:22:04,292
This is public disgrace.

444
00:22:04,333 --> 00:22:05,792
It's legal.

445
00:22:05,833 --> 00:22:09,125
I mean, now it's really ugly.

446
00:22:09,167 --> 00:22:10,583
Imagine what it was like.

447
00:22:10,667 --> 00:22:13,333
A lot of the churches,
"Hey, where's our pastor?"

448
00:22:13,375 --> 00:22:14,708
"He's in prison."

449
00:22:14,792 --> 00:22:16,417
"Hmm, what'd he do?"

450
00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:18,208
I mean, you could
see the gossip.

451
00:22:18,292 --> 00:22:20,208
All of the sudden, everybody's
talking about it.

452
00:22:20,292 --> 00:22:22,333
I'm sure, perhaps,
not everything was accurate

453
00:22:22,375 --> 00:22:23,833
that was said.

454
00:22:23,875 --> 00:22:28,250
It's ugly,
it's public, it's legal.

455
00:22:28,333 --> 00:22:31,458
And here's what it is:
jealousy.

456
00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:33,667
Let me ask you a question.

457
00:22:33,708 --> 00:22:36,500
Who are you jealous of?

458
00:22:36,583 --> 00:22:38,500
What are you jealous for?

459
00:22:38,583 --> 00:22:40,333
Under a lot of sins
is jealousy.

460
00:22:40,417 --> 00:22:41,958
Under coveting, jealousy.

461
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,708
Under gossip, jealousy.

462
00:22:43,792 --> 00:22:45,333
Sometimes under lying, jealousy.

463
00:22:45,417 --> 00:22:47,125
Sometimes under
adultery, jealousy.

464
00:22:47,167 --> 00:22:49,833
Sometimes under
thievery, jealousy.

465
00:22:49,917 --> 00:22:52,125
You have it, I want it.

466
00:22:52,167 --> 00:22:58,208
It could be power,
position, prominence.

467
00:22:58,292 --> 00:23:02,500
You can't rejoice that
God has blessed them

468
00:23:02,583 --> 00:23:06,125
because you're jealous of them.

469
00:23:06,167 --> 00:23:08,417
And it happens, right?

470
00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:11,875
And it happens in ministry,
and when it does,

471
00:23:11,958 --> 00:23:14,792
it's the most ugly.

472
00:23:14,833 --> 00:23:18,708
There's arguably nothing uglier
insofar as jealousy is concerned

473
00:23:18,792 --> 00:23:24,500
than jealousy among
religious leaders.

474
00:23:24,542 --> 00:23:26,125
"Oh, their thing is growing?

475
00:23:26,167 --> 00:23:27,583
"Well, it's because
they're compromised,

476
00:23:27,667 --> 00:23:29,042
"and they don't love
the Lord

477
00:23:29,125 --> 00:23:31,833
"and they preach false gospel,
they got it all watered down.

478
00:23:31,875 --> 00:23:33,208
That's why."

479
00:23:33,292 --> 00:23:35,333
Or the Holy Spirit
blessed them.

480
00:23:35,417 --> 00:23:37,917
"Well, yeah, I heard somebody
got saved there, you know,

481
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,417
"but they're a bunch of kooks

482
00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:41,417
"and they do all kinds
of crazy stuff.

483
00:23:41,500 --> 00:23:43,167
And the healing
I'm sure doesn't count."

484
00:23:43,208 --> 00:23:45,167
Are you against healing?
I mean, what?

485
00:23:45,208 --> 00:23:47,333
Or maybe somebody got healed.

486
00:23:47,375 --> 00:23:48,708
"Their thing is growing.

487
00:23:48,792 --> 00:23:50,125
"You know why it's growing?

488
00:23:50,167 --> 00:23:51,625
"They're just stealing
all the people

489
00:23:51,667 --> 00:23:54,125
"from all the other churches
because that's what they are.

490
00:23:54,167 --> 00:23:55,833
"They're all just
a bunch of thieves,

491
00:23:55,917 --> 00:23:57,250
that's what they are."

492
00:23:57,333 --> 00:23:58,667
Really?

493
00:23:58,708 --> 00:24:01,000
Or maybe people are going
there because they're nice.

494
00:24:01,083 --> 00:24:02,875
And that's why they're
leaving your thing,

495
00:24:02,958 --> 00:24:05,208
you're not very nice, okay?

496
00:24:05,292 --> 00:24:08,208
Just throwing it out
there as a possibility.

497
00:24:08,292 --> 00:24:11,833
And so even ministry leaders,
even pastors

498
00:24:11,875 --> 00:24:15,333
can be quite a petty,
jealous bunch.

499
00:24:15,375 --> 00:24:17,833
Jealousy.

500
00:24:17,875 --> 00:24:24,208
Jealousy is a deep root
of sin in the human heart.

501
00:24:24,292 --> 00:24:25,875
Who are you jealous of?

502
00:24:25,958 --> 00:24:29,125
What are you jealous for?

503
00:24:29,167 --> 00:24:34,125
The religious people here, it's
all about power and control.

504
00:24:34,167 --> 00:24:36,458
"You didn't get permission.
We didn't vote on this.

505
00:24:36,500 --> 00:24:38,958
"We didn't agree to it.
It says in the manual.

506
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,042
"You didn't run it
by the high priest.

507
00:24:41,125 --> 00:24:42,750
"See the guy with the big hat?

508
00:24:42,833 --> 00:24:47,500
Nobody even asked him."

509
00:24:47,583 --> 00:24:52,833
But the Holy Spirit decided he
was going to love, and save,

510
00:24:52,875 --> 00:24:55,958
and heal, and deliver people.

511
00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,833
So for religious people, it's
not about helping people,

512
00:24:58,875 --> 00:25:04,667
it's about maintaining control.

513
00:25:04,750 --> 00:25:06,208
Hear me in this.

514
00:25:06,292 --> 00:25:08,875
Religious people,
in the worst sense of that word,

515
00:25:08,958 --> 00:25:13,833
they don't really care
about lost people, okay?

516
00:25:13,875 --> 00:25:17,125
In Jesus' ministry, he's
preaching, teaching, healing.

517
00:25:17,167 --> 00:25:21,625
He's doing all the same stuff:
loving, saving, healing,

518
00:25:21,667 --> 00:25:25,333
delivering lost people,
non-Christians, welcoming,

519
00:25:25,375 --> 00:25:27,208
helping, embracing.

520
00:25:27,292 --> 00:25:28,750
Religious people
come along,

521
00:25:28,833 --> 00:25:30,708
"Jesus, we want you
to talk to us.

522
00:25:30,792 --> 00:25:32,458
"Stop talking to them,
talk to us.

523
00:25:32,500 --> 00:25:35,167
"We don't want you to talk
to them about their needs,

524
00:25:35,208 --> 00:25:37,167
"and how you can
love and help them.

525
00:25:37,208 --> 00:25:40,167
"We want you to talk to us about
very important things like

526
00:25:40,208 --> 00:25:42,917
"tithing, and about, you know,
whether or not we should tithe

527
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:45,917
"out of our spice rack, and
what we should do on Saturday,

528
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,917
"and if we pluck
a head of grain,

529
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,125
"is that a good thing
or a bad thing?

530
00:25:50,167 --> 00:25:52,125
"We want to talk
to you right now.

531
00:25:52,167 --> 00:25:53,500
It's very important."

532
00:25:53,583 --> 00:25:56,500
And they make a lot of noise,
and they disrupt and interrupt.

533
00:25:56,583 --> 00:25:59,000
And Jesus can't even talk to
lost people anymore because

534
00:25:59,083 --> 00:26:01,083
the religious people want
to argue about nothing.

535
00:26:01,167 --> 00:26:02,500
Nothing.

536
00:26:02,542 --> 00:26:05,000
So Jesus is always trying to get
the religious people

537
00:26:05,042 --> 00:26:08,000
out of the way so he can talk
to the lost people.

538
00:26:08,042 --> 00:26:10,625
Jesus finally goes to heaven and
the religious people don't quit.

539
00:26:10,667 --> 00:26:13,333
And the leaders are out
trying to talk to lost people,

540
00:26:13,375 --> 00:26:15,000
and then the religious people
show up

541
00:26:15,083 --> 00:26:16,500
and want to argue with them.

542
00:26:16,583 --> 00:26:17,917
"Hey, they got saved."

543
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:19,667
"They didn't get
saved the right way."

544
00:26:19,750 --> 00:26:21,667
"Is there
a wrong way to get saved?"

545
00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:23,083
"We put the fire out!"

546
00:26:23,167 --> 00:26:25,292
"Is there a wrong way
to hold the hose?"

547
00:26:25,333 --> 00:26:28,833
I mean, really.

548
00:26:28,917 --> 00:26:32,500
Religious people want to argue,
they want to fight,

549
00:26:32,583 --> 00:26:34,458
they want power,
they want control,

550
00:26:34,500 --> 00:26:40,417
they want every bit
of attention on them.

551
00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:44,250
Ministry's about helping people,
and sometimes that requires

552
00:26:44,333 --> 00:26:48,500
dealing with, ignoring, religious
people who don't care about

553
00:26:48,583 --> 00:26:54,000
lost people, because their real
issue is jealous opposition.

554
00:26:54,083 --> 00:26:56,542
And here's the truth.

555
00:26:56,625 --> 00:27:00,167
God anoints whoever
he wants to anoint,

556
00:27:00,250 --> 00:27:02,417
and just because he anointed
that person doesn't mean

557
00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:04,833
they're more godly,
or more gifted,

558
00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:07,083
or more capable,
or more special.

559
00:27:07,167 --> 00:27:12,208
Sometimes God likes glory, so he
picks the loser and lets him do

560
00:27:12,292 --> 00:27:14,792
amazing things by his power.

561
00:27:14,833 --> 00:27:17,417
And you can't explain that.

562
00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:19,417
I mean, here's Peter,
he's a fisherman.

563
00:27:19,500 --> 00:27:22,125
The high priest is freaking
out because the high priest has

564
00:27:22,167 --> 00:27:25,125
spent his whole life preparing
to be in charge and next thing

565
00:27:25,167 --> 00:27:27,333
you know, the Holy Spirit
picked the wrong guy.

566
00:27:27,375 --> 00:27:29,833
He picked Peter.

567
00:27:29,917 --> 00:27:34,500
Number three, ultimately,
consistently, loudly, clearly,

568
00:27:34,583 --> 00:27:40,167
passionately, ministry
is about preaching Jesus.

569
00:27:40,208 --> 00:27:41,833
Why are they
getting in trouble?

570
00:27:41,875 --> 00:27:43,917
They're talking about Jesus.

571
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:45,833
If you heal people without
talking about Jesus,

572
00:27:45,917 --> 00:27:48,750
you don't get in trouble,
right?

573
00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:51,125
You're like,
"I healed people."

574
00:27:51,167 --> 00:27:54,458
No deductible,
we're for that, right?

575
00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:56,125
"In the name of Jesus."

576
00:27:56,167 --> 00:27:59,667
Whoa, Jesus, now
we're in controversy.

577
00:27:59,708 --> 00:28:02,125
We're talking about Jesus.

578
00:28:02,167 --> 00:28:04,125
The reason they're getting
in trouble, hear this,

579
00:28:04,167 --> 00:28:05,875
is because they keep
talking about Jesus,

580
00:28:05,958 --> 00:28:08,333
so the pressure's going to be,
"Stop talking about Jesus

581
00:28:08,375 --> 00:28:10,417
and the pressure
will come off."

582
00:28:10,500 --> 00:28:12,417
Let's read.
I'm going to read a lot.

583
00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:13,833
Here we go.

584
00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:15,208
It's all right here.

585
00:28:15,292 --> 00:28:16,625
It's going to take awhile.

586
00:28:16,667 --> 00:28:18,000
Hang in there.

587
00:28:18,083 --> 00:28:19,417
It's a narrative, big story.

588
00:28:19,500 --> 00:28:20,833
We'll catch the whole thing.

589
00:28:20,875 --> 00:28:22,208
Verse 19,

590
00:28:22,292 --> 00:28:25,375
"But during the night
an angel of the Lord—"

591
00:28:25,458 --> 00:28:30,500
ninja angel
on special assignment,

592
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:34,750
in the Greek—

593
00:28:34,833 --> 00:28:38,542
During the night
a ninja angel of the Lord

594
00:28:38,625 --> 00:28:43,042
on special assignment opened
the prison doors.

595
00:28:43,125 --> 00:28:44,458
I love that.

596
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:45,833
Okay, let me say this.

597
00:28:45,917 --> 00:28:48,542
God is funny, okay?

598
00:28:48,625 --> 00:28:50,833
When you read systematic
theologies about God,

599
00:28:50,917 --> 00:28:52,250
it'll list his attributes.

600
00:28:52,333 --> 00:28:54,750
It doesn't list funny, because
the guy who wrote it's

601
00:28:54,833 --> 00:28:56,250
not funny,

602
00:28:56,333 --> 00:29:00,625
but there are times when
you read the Bible—it's funny.

603
00:29:00,667 --> 00:29:02,417
This is a funny part, okay?

604
00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:05,167
About--It was, "But during
the night"--and I can't--okay,

605
00:29:05,250 --> 00:29:06,583
I'll just say this.

606
00:29:06,667 --> 00:29:08,625
I said this in
a previous--I can't read,

607
00:29:08,667 --> 00:29:14,625
because, as my eye doctor said,
I'm of a certain age, okay?

608
00:29:14,667 --> 00:29:17,333
So if you see me
doing this, right,

609
00:29:17,375 --> 00:29:22,583
it's because my glasses will be
here, I think, next week, okay?

610
00:29:22,667 --> 00:29:25,208
I tried to do
point one and get healed,

611
00:29:25,292 --> 00:29:27,500
but instead
I ended up getting glasses.

612
00:29:27,542 --> 00:29:31,458
But I can't read anything,
it's all blurry.

613
00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:33,708
And some of you
young people think it's funny.

614
00:29:33,792 --> 00:29:35,458
There's only one advantage
to getting old,

615
00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:36,833
that's lower car insurance.

616
00:29:36,917 --> 00:29:41,333
Otherwise, there is
no advantage, okay?

617
00:29:41,375 --> 00:29:45,333
So if I mispronounce words,
hey, hey, respect your elders.

618
00:29:45,375 --> 00:29:46,833
Some of us are struggling.

619
00:29:46,875 --> 00:29:49,333
Okay, okay, verse 19.

620
00:29:49,375 --> 00:29:51,542
"But during the night
an angel of the Lord

621
00:29:51,625 --> 00:29:53,958
opened the prison doors
and brought them out."

622
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,917
Okay, why were they in prison?

623
00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:00,458
For talking about Jesus.

624
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:06,625
So he jailbreaks them and said,
"Go and stand in the temple

625
00:30:06,667 --> 00:30:09,500
and speak to the people
all the words of this Life."

626
00:30:09,583 --> 00:30:11,042
Do you get that?

627
00:30:11,125 --> 00:30:13,542
"You're talking about
Jesus, go to prison."

628
00:30:13,625 --> 00:30:16,042
The angel shows up,
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm gonna— let's get out."

629
00:30:16,125 --> 00:30:17,833
"What do you need us to do?"

630
00:30:17,917 --> 00:30:19,250
"Talk about Jesus."

631
00:30:19,333 --> 00:30:23,250
What?

632
00:30:23,333 --> 00:30:26,250
I put my finger in the socket,
I electrocuted myself,

633
00:30:26,333 --> 00:30:30,708
and you told me to put my
finger back in the socket?

634
00:30:30,792 --> 00:30:34,042
Yes, for Jesus.

635
00:30:34,125 --> 00:30:38,333
Verse 21, "And when they
heard this"--they did it.

636
00:30:38,417 --> 00:30:40,625
"They entered
the temple at daybreak."

637
00:30:40,667 --> 00:30:42,208
They got up early.

638
00:30:42,292 --> 00:30:45,333
"Oh, it's early,
time to go get arrested again.

639
00:30:45,417 --> 00:30:48,750
Don't want to be late
for this."

640
00:30:48,833 --> 00:30:50,333
"And began to teach."

641
00:30:50,417 --> 00:30:52,000
So, they're talking
about Jesus.

642
00:30:52,083 --> 00:30:53,625
"Now when
the high priest came"--

643
00:30:53,667 --> 00:30:56,958
this is where it gets funny--

644
00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,333
"and those who were with
him"--all very serious.

645
00:30:59,417 --> 00:31:05,833
Furrowed brow, big hats,
"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."

646
00:31:05,875 --> 00:31:07,333
"They called together
the council."

647
00:31:07,375 --> 00:31:09,208
"Oh, we need to get
the committee together,

648
00:31:09,292 --> 00:31:11,208
"and the sub-committee,
and the oversight committee,

649
00:31:11,292 --> 00:31:12,708
and the reporting committee."

650
00:31:12,792 --> 00:31:14,917
"All the senate of
the people of Israel,

651
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,125
and sent to the prison
to have them brought."

652
00:31:17,167 --> 00:31:20,333
"Okay, we're ready,
go get the prisoners.

653
00:31:20,375 --> 00:31:24,417
"But"--that's a funny word--
"when the officers came,

654
00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:26,833
they did not find
them in the prison."

655
00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:28,208
Imagine being that guy.

656
00:31:28,292 --> 00:31:31,250
You have one job.

657
00:31:31,333 --> 00:31:34,042
Go to the prison, and get
the people, and bring them.

658
00:31:34,125 --> 00:31:40,208
You're like,
"There's no people."

659
00:31:40,292 --> 00:31:44,542
"So they returned and reported,"
Point number one,

660
00:31:44,625 --> 00:31:47,333
we found the prison
securely locked.

661
00:31:47,417 --> 00:31:49,667
Good news, the locks work.

662
00:31:49,708 --> 00:31:52,167
Point number two, the guards
were standing at the door,

663
00:31:52,208 --> 00:31:53,750
looking very guardly.

664
00:31:53,833 --> 00:31:56,833
They were doing their job.

665
00:31:56,875 --> 00:32:02,292
And number three, but--
that's a funny word.

666
00:32:02,333 --> 00:32:05,500
But when we opened them,

667
00:32:05,583 --> 00:32:09,792
there were no people
in the prison.

668
00:32:12,583 --> 00:32:19,542
So, we don't have people because
they're not in the prison.

669
00:32:22,083 --> 00:32:25,833
Awkward moment, right?

670
00:32:25,875 --> 00:32:28,250
Okay, so what now?

671
00:32:28,333 --> 00:32:30,958
That's how I know
nobody made the book up.

672
00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,542
This is--who's sitting around
in a committee like,

673
00:32:33,625 --> 00:32:37,125
"Oh, we'll do this,"
you know?

674
00:32:37,167 --> 00:32:40,625
And then, verse 24,

675
00:32:40,667 --> 00:32:42,333
"Now when
the captain of the temple

676
00:32:42,417 --> 00:32:44,042
"and the chief priests
heard these words,

677
00:32:44,125 --> 00:32:46,833
they were greatly
perplexed."

678
00:32:46,917 --> 00:32:49,333
They're like, "Hmm, so
what you're saying is,"

679
00:32:49,375 --> 00:32:50,750
stroking their beard.

680
00:32:50,833 --> 00:32:53,458
"What you're saying is, you
put the people in the prison."

681
00:32:53,500 --> 00:32:54,833
"Yes."

682
00:32:54,917 --> 00:32:56,542
"And you locked the door."
"Yes."

683
00:32:56,625 --> 00:32:58,333
"And the guards were there."
"Yes."

684
00:32:58,375 --> 00:32:59,833
"And you went there."
"Yes."

685
00:32:59,875 --> 00:33:01,375
"And the guards were there."
"Yes."

686
00:33:01,458 --> 00:33:02,875
"And the door was locked."
"Yes."

687
00:33:02,958 --> 00:33:04,375
"And there were no people."
"Yes."

688
00:33:04,458 --> 00:33:07,875
"We are perplexed."

689
00:33:12,458 --> 00:33:15,292
That's so awesome.

690
00:33:15,333 --> 00:33:18,500
"Wondering what
this would come to.

691
00:33:18,542 --> 00:33:20,125
And someone came
and told them—"

692
00:33:20,167 --> 00:33:23,000
so here comes Barney Fife,
in from the side like, keystone cops,

693
00:33:23,083 --> 00:33:26,125
"There's new information."

694
00:33:26,167 --> 00:33:27,833
Here's what he says,
"'Look!

695
00:33:27,875 --> 00:33:30,458
The men whom you put in prison
are standing in the temple.'"

696
00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:33,708
They're doing it again.

697
00:33:33,792 --> 00:33:35,333
They're teaching
the people.

698
00:33:35,417 --> 00:33:37,167
"Then the captain
with the officers

699
00:33:37,208 --> 00:33:39,542
"went and brought them,
but not by force,

700
00:33:39,625 --> 00:33:42,250
for they were afraid of
being stoned by the people."

701
00:33:42,333 --> 00:33:45,208
Okay, if you're in Washington,
I need to explain this stoning,

702
00:33:45,292 --> 00:33:46,667
okay?

703
00:33:46,708 --> 00:33:48,917
This is different
than ours, okay?

704
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:54,167
Their stoning,
it's legal here, okay?

705
00:33:54,208 --> 00:33:56,625
Their stoning was
you pick up rocks,

706
00:33:56,667 --> 00:34:01,125
and you surround someone as
a mob, and you hurt them.

707
00:34:01,167 --> 00:34:02,708
So, the religious
leaders are like,

708
00:34:02,792 --> 00:34:04,708
"Okay, these people
are popular,

709
00:34:04,792 --> 00:34:06,292
"these apostles talking
about Jesus.

710
00:34:06,333 --> 00:34:10,667
"We'd like to arrest them,
but we don't want to get hurt,

711
00:34:10,750 --> 00:34:13,208
"so we've got to do this
a little more cleverly,

712
00:34:13,292 --> 00:34:15,292
a little more politically."

713
00:34:15,333 --> 00:34:17,083
"When they had brought
them," verse 27,

714
00:34:17,167 --> 00:34:18,833
"they set them
before the council.

715
00:34:18,875 --> 00:34:21,000
And the high priest questioned
them, saying"--

716
00:34:21,042 --> 00:34:25,625
okay, you've got to see furrowed
brow, pointy finger.

717
00:34:25,667 --> 00:34:28,333
"'We strictly charged you.'"

718
00:34:28,417 --> 00:34:29,958
These were very clear.

719
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:35,708
"It's in the minutes!"

720
00:34:35,792 --> 00:34:41,667
"'We strictly charged you
not to teach in this name.'"

721
00:34:41,708 --> 00:34:44,250
What name?

722
00:34:44,333 --> 00:34:46,833
The name of Jesus.

723
00:34:46,917 --> 00:34:52,333
They don't say
the name of Jesus.

724
00:34:52,375 --> 00:34:55,167
The whole fight is
over the name of Jesus.

725
00:34:55,208 --> 00:34:58,167
All the opposition is
around the name of Jesus.

726
00:34:58,208 --> 00:34:59,750
You know why?

727
00:34:59,833 --> 00:35:03,000
His is the name
above every name.

728
00:35:03,042 --> 00:35:05,583
His is
the most important name.

729
00:35:05,667 --> 00:35:10,583
His is the name that
is worthy of all glory.

730
00:35:10,667 --> 00:35:12,208
And so they get in trouble

731
00:35:12,292 --> 00:35:13,792
because they keep talking
about Jesus.

732
00:35:13,833 --> 00:35:16,292
And then when they get brought
before the religious leaders,

733
00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:20,292
they say, "We told you
not to use this name."

734
00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:21,833
What name?

735
00:35:21,875 --> 00:35:23,333
Mars Hill,
I'll tell you what.

736
00:35:23,375 --> 00:35:26,000
Since it's a declaration of
war on the demonic realm,

737
00:35:26,083 --> 00:35:28,667
at the count of three, let's
all just say Jesus together.

738
00:35:28,708 --> 00:35:31,000
One, two, three, Jesus!

739
00:35:31,083 --> 00:35:32,458
They wouldn't say it.

740
00:35:32,500 --> 00:35:34,042
We've got to say it.

741
00:35:34,125 --> 00:35:36,667
And there'll be opposition,
but it's demonic in orientation

742
00:35:36,708 --> 00:35:39,833
because if the problem is
around the name of Jesus,

743
00:35:39,875 --> 00:35:43,833
then that's
a good problem to have.

744
00:35:43,917 --> 00:35:47,667
"'Yet here you have filled
Jerusalem with your teaching,

745
00:35:47,708 --> 00:35:51,458
"'and you intend to bring
this man's blood upon us.'

746
00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:53,125
But Peter
and the apostles answered--"

747
00:35:53,167 --> 00:35:54,500
I love this.

748
00:35:54,583 --> 00:35:56,500
Peter's like,
"Okay, so let me get this.

749
00:35:56,583 --> 00:35:58,000
I'm not supposed to preach?"

750
00:35:58,083 --> 00:35:59,417
"Correct."

751
00:35:59,500 --> 00:36:04,417
"Since you're all here,
I have a sermon."

752
00:36:04,500 --> 00:36:09,292
I love this guy.

753
00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:12,917
Sermon, arrested, released,
another sermon, arrested again,

754
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,625
told not to preach,

755
00:36:15,667 --> 00:36:19,083
sermon number three
coming right up.

756
00:36:19,167 --> 00:36:23,708
He says--it says, "Peter
and the apostles answered--"

757
00:36:23,792 --> 00:36:25,708
so they're all unified,
and they're together,

758
00:36:25,792 --> 00:36:27,833
and Peter is
the preacher and the leader.

759
00:36:27,875 --> 00:36:31,125
"We must obey God
rather than men."

760
00:36:31,167 --> 00:36:35,167
"Dear Mr. Big Hat,

761
00:36:35,208 --> 00:36:38,167
"Jesus said, 'Be witnesses.'

762
00:36:38,208 --> 00:36:40,250
"You could say, 'Not be witness.'

763
00:36:40,333 --> 00:36:43,333
"Cute throne,
I know a better one.

764
00:36:43,375 --> 00:36:47,667
We're going to talk
about Jesus."

765
00:36:47,708 --> 00:36:49,125
And then he
talks about Jesus,

766
00:36:49,167 --> 00:36:52,500
preaches a sermon to the guy
who arrested him twice

767
00:36:52,583 --> 00:36:55,667
for preaching a sermon
about Jesus.

768
00:36:55,708 --> 00:36:57,917
"'The God of our fathers
raised—'"

769
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:03,292
he uses the name of Jesus,
"'whom you killed—'"

770
00:37:03,333 --> 00:37:07,167
"Oh, by the way, since we're
here, you murdered God."

771
00:37:07,250 --> 00:37:08,583
"'Hanging him on a tree.'"

772
00:37:08,667 --> 00:37:10,000
There's a quote of Deuteronomy:

773
00:37:10,042 --> 00:37:12,000
Cursed is any man
hung on a tree.

774
00:37:12,042 --> 00:37:13,375
But he didn't stay dead.

775
00:37:13,458 --> 00:37:16,917
"'God exalted him at his right
hand as Leader and Savior,

776
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,625
to give repentance to Israel
and forgiveness of sins.'"

777
00:37:19,667 --> 00:37:21,292
"You know what?
You're a sinner, too.

778
00:37:21,333 --> 00:37:22,667
"You need to repent.

779
00:37:22,750 --> 00:37:24,167
"You need Jesus to forgive you.

780
00:37:24,250 --> 00:37:26,833
"While we're at it,
I'm going to do an altar call

781
00:37:26,875 --> 00:37:29,458
here in the court."

782
00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,667
"'And we are witnesses to these
things,'" because Jesus said,

783
00:37:32,708 --> 00:37:34,417
You will receive power.

784
00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:37,042
You will be my--what?

785
00:37:37,125 --> 00:37:38,458
Witnesses.

786
00:37:38,500 --> 00:37:39,833
Peter's got the Holy Spirit.

787
00:37:39,917 --> 00:37:42,042
He was a coward before this.

788
00:37:42,125 --> 00:37:43,917
He was a total coward.

789
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,417
Jesus is getting arrested,
tried, crucified.

790
00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:48,458
Peter hangs back
in the distance.

791
00:37:48,500 --> 00:37:50,417
Here's Peter, right?

792
00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:53,167
He's like, "What are
they doing to Jesus?

793
00:37:53,208 --> 00:37:54,958
"That looks painful.

794
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:57,125
That looks very painful, whoa"

795
00:37:57,167 --> 00:37:59,750
And a young gal around
the fire is like,

796
00:37:59,833 --> 00:38:01,208
"Aren't you with Jesus?"

797
00:38:01,292 --> 00:38:02,625
"No, I never met him.

798
00:38:02,667 --> 00:38:04,792
Don't know that guy."

799
00:38:04,833 --> 00:38:06,167
"You have a Galilean accent."

800
00:38:06,250 --> 00:38:07,583
"Oh no I don't."

801
00:38:07,667 --> 00:38:09,000
He starts cussing.

802
00:38:09,042 --> 00:38:10,500
"See, I'm not a good man.

803
00:38:10,542 --> 00:38:11,875
Blah, blah, blah."

804
00:38:11,958 --> 00:38:18,667
Right? So, and he denies
Jesus three times.

805
00:38:18,750 --> 00:38:21,333
That's Peter,
and here's Peter.

806
00:38:21,375 --> 00:38:23,792
Something's changed
in Peter, amen?

807
00:38:23,833 --> 00:38:27,417
What happened was he received
the Holy Spirit and he got power

808
00:38:27,500 --> 00:38:31,042
to be a witness.

809
00:38:31,125 --> 00:38:33,125
"'And we are witnesses
to these things

810
00:38:33,167 --> 00:38:34,833
and so is the Holy Spirit--'"

811
00:38:34,917 --> 00:38:38,042
see, he gives all the credit to
the power of the Holy Spirit--

812
00:38:38,125 --> 00:38:40,000
"'whom God has given
to those who obey.'"

813
00:38:40,083 --> 00:38:42,667
"And while we're at it, you
don't have the Holy Spirit.

814
00:38:42,708 --> 00:38:44,167
"That's why you
don't love Jesus.

815
00:38:44,208 --> 00:38:45,542
"You're kindling.

816
00:38:45,625 --> 00:38:46,958
"You're going to burn forever.

817
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:48,667
"You're those religious guys
who murdered Jesus.

818
00:38:48,708 --> 00:38:50,333
"He got up 3 days later.

819
00:38:50,417 --> 00:38:54,250
You need to repent, join
the team, Team Jesus."

820
00:38:54,333 --> 00:38:57,958
Okay, this is
what they're doing

821
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:03,583
to the judge who has the right

822
00:39:03,667 --> 00:39:07,792
to jail them again.

823
00:39:07,833 --> 00:39:11,792
And God sends
an angel to get them out.

824
00:39:11,833 --> 00:39:14,333
God doesn't have to send
an angel, but he can.

825
00:39:14,375 --> 00:39:16,167
Angels are messengers
and ministers.

826
00:39:16,250 --> 00:39:18,125
In addition to unclean,
demonic spirits,

827
00:39:18,167 --> 00:39:20,625
there are clean spirits
called angels.

828
00:39:20,667 --> 00:39:24,917
It had to be a great day for
that angel, amen, up in heaven?

829
00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:29,750
"We have a report.
Apostles in prison.

830
00:39:29,833 --> 00:39:34,708
What are we going to do?"
"Get the ninja angel."

831
00:39:34,792 --> 00:39:38,667
Ninja angel sitting on
the bench like, "Finally!

832
00:39:38,708 --> 00:39:41,250
"Yeah, I've been working
on picking locks.

833
00:39:41,333 --> 00:39:45,833
Finally!
10-4."

834
00:39:45,917 --> 00:39:47,833
You know, off he goes.

835
00:39:47,917 --> 00:39:50,833
Here's the point, God doesn't
have to get you out of every

836
00:39:50,917 --> 00:39:53,833
situation, but God can get you
out of any situation, okay?

837
00:39:53,917 --> 00:39:55,250
He can.

838
00:39:55,333 --> 00:39:58,458
And we don't even know how he
got them out because the door

839
00:39:58,500 --> 00:40:00,667
was still locked
and the guards were in place.

840
00:40:00,708 --> 00:40:03,500
I don't know what happened,
but it was awesome.

841
00:40:03,583 --> 00:40:06,250
See later, they're going to die
and get murdered and martyred,

842
00:40:06,333 --> 00:40:08,458
so you don't get
an angel every time,

843
00:40:08,500 --> 00:40:11,750
but sometimes God loves
the church so much that he'll

844
00:40:11,833 --> 00:40:18,417
even send angelic free staff
to help out in time of need.

845
00:40:18,500 --> 00:40:19,833
That'd be fine.

846
00:40:19,875 --> 00:40:22,833
Okay, anyways, they're
commanded to stop preaching.

847
00:40:22,917 --> 00:40:25,333
They get in trouble
for preaching.

848
00:40:25,375 --> 00:40:26,833
Do you see how this works?

849
00:40:26,917 --> 00:40:31,667
Preach, arrested, jailbreak
by an angel, preach again,

850
00:40:31,708 --> 00:40:33,833
arrested again,
preach again.

851
00:40:33,875 --> 00:40:35,417
What's the point?

852
00:40:35,500 --> 00:40:36,833
Keep preaching.

853
00:40:36,917 --> 00:40:39,333
Keep talking about Jesus.

854
00:40:39,375 --> 00:40:41,250
And when you're left
with this dilemma,

855
00:40:41,333 --> 00:40:44,708
"Okay, it's getting expensive
for me.

856
00:40:44,792 --> 00:40:46,958
"I'm either going to stop
talking about Jesus

857
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:48,708
"and make it go away

858
00:40:48,792 --> 00:40:50,750
"or I'm going to keep talking
about Jesus

859
00:40:50,833 --> 00:40:52,750
and pay the price to pay."

860
00:40:52,833 --> 00:40:54,167
They decide, "You know what?

861
00:40:54,208 --> 00:40:56,917
"Jesus paid
the greatest price for us,

862
00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,833
we'll pay any price for him."

863
00:40:59,917 --> 00:41:03,500
And better than us living a life
of comfort and ease is people

864
00:41:03,542 --> 00:41:07,625
being loved, and saved,
and healed, and delivered.

865
00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:11,792
And there's a joy in seeing
the work of the Holy Spirit in

866
00:41:11,833 --> 00:41:18,083
and through people, and that's
what ministry's all about.

867
00:41:18,167 --> 00:41:21,167
Now, they do say--and I want to
unpack this briefly--

868
00:41:21,250 --> 00:41:24,167
"'We must obey God
rather than men.'"

869
00:41:24,250 --> 00:41:25,917
We must obey God
rather than men.

870
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:30,625
And so I want to be careful
with this because this can be

871
00:41:30,667 --> 00:41:33,542
an opportunity
for spiritual abuse.

872
00:41:33,625 --> 00:41:35,833
Because sometimes people
say, "God told me."

873
00:41:35,917 --> 00:41:38,833
Well, we'll see, okay?

874
00:41:38,875 --> 00:41:41,708
You can't just pull out
the "God told me" card.

875
00:41:41,792 --> 00:41:45,333
Ladies, let's say you meet
a guy and the guy says,

876
00:41:45,417 --> 00:41:47,458
"God told me to marry you."

877
00:41:47,500 --> 00:41:51,625
"Interesting, he
didn't tell me

878
00:41:51,667 --> 00:41:55,667
"or my dad, you know,

879
00:41:55,708 --> 00:42:00,833
"so I don't have to just assume
that because you say

880
00:42:00,875 --> 00:42:04,625
the Lord says that the Lord
in fact has spoken."

881
00:42:04,667 --> 00:42:06,208
You need to be very careful.

882
00:42:06,292 --> 00:42:09,167
Somebody comes along, "God
told me to plant a church."

883
00:42:09,250 --> 00:42:11,333
Let's check that.

884
00:42:11,375 --> 00:42:13,833
All right, you can't--I mean,
1 Corinthians 14 is clear.

885
00:42:13,875 --> 00:42:16,333
If you think you got
a word from the Lord,

886
00:42:16,375 --> 00:42:18,333
you've got to check
it by the leaders.

887
00:42:18,375 --> 00:42:21,333
So what we're looking for, if
you believe God has told you

888
00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:24,125
something, especially to do
something that is difficult like

889
00:42:24,167 --> 00:42:29,708
this, we're looking for a godly
person--Peter's a godly person.

890
00:42:29,792 --> 00:42:31,750
In godly community--it says
he's with the apostles,

891
00:42:31,833 --> 00:42:33,167
they're all agreed.

892
00:42:33,208 --> 00:42:36,000
Under godly authority--they
all agree on this.

893
00:42:36,083 --> 00:42:38,958
With a godly motive--to
talk about Jesus.

894
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,958
Doing a godly thing--wanting
to minister to people.

895
00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:46,625
In a godly way--by being open in
public and not hiding anything.

896
00:42:46,667 --> 00:42:49,750
So if you believe the Lord has
told you something, he may have,

897
00:42:49,833 --> 00:42:51,167
but I would ask,

898
00:42:51,208 --> 00:42:53,167
"Are you a godly person
in godly community

899
00:42:53,208 --> 00:42:55,167
"under godly authority
with a godly motive doing

900
00:42:55,208 --> 00:42:56,917
a godly thing in a godly way?"

901
00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:59,417
And what they are demonstrating
is what we would call

902
00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:01,500
civil disobedience.

903
00:43:01,583 --> 00:43:04,333
Civil disobedience like in
China where they have

904
00:43:04,375 --> 00:43:06,000
population controls.

905
00:43:06,083 --> 00:43:08,083
If a woman who loves
Jesus gets pregnant,

906
00:43:08,167 --> 00:43:10,833
the government comes and says,
"You have to have an abortion."

907
00:43:10,875 --> 00:43:12,625
She could say, "I can't do that.

908
00:43:12,667 --> 00:43:15,083
I need to obey God.
I can't obey you."

909
00:43:15,167 --> 00:43:17,125
And when we're talking
about civil disobedience,

910
00:43:17,167 --> 00:43:19,792
we're talking about
as a last resort,

911
00:43:19,833 --> 00:43:24,125
doing what is best for
the gospel of Jesus Christ,

912
00:43:24,167 --> 00:43:27,208
which probably means
it's not benefiting you.

913
00:43:27,292 --> 00:43:29,167
And that's what
they're practicing.

914
00:43:29,250 --> 00:43:31,875
They're putting it all on
the line for Team Jesus.

915
00:43:31,958 --> 00:43:36,000
Last point, perhaps
my least favorite,

916
00:43:36,083 --> 00:43:38,792
ministry is about taking
a beating while rejoicing.

917
00:43:38,833 --> 00:43:41,292
They don't give you a class
in this in seminary

918
00:43:41,333 --> 00:43:43,333
or Bible college, right?

919
00:43:43,375 --> 00:43:46,208
When they punch you
in the mouth, quote the Psalms.

920
00:43:46,292 --> 00:43:49,333
I mean, they don't
teach you this, okay?

921
00:43:49,417 --> 00:43:51,333
We'll read it.
It's a long section.

922
00:43:51,417 --> 00:43:54,833
We'll read it all together.

923
00:43:54,917 --> 00:43:59,458
"When they heard
this," chapter 5, verse 33 of Acts,

924
00:43:59,500 --> 00:44:02,417
"they were enraged
and wanted to kill them."

925
00:44:02,500 --> 00:44:05,708
It's escalating, okay?

926
00:44:05,792 --> 00:44:09,000
An angel has shown
up and it gets worse.

927
00:44:09,083 --> 00:44:14,792
"But"--see, this is
always--here it comes.

928
00:44:14,833 --> 00:44:16,167
"A Pharisee."

929
00:44:16,250 --> 00:44:17,583
Oh, here's the right, right?

930
00:44:17,667 --> 00:44:20,083
The Sadducees are the left,
the Pharisees are the right.

931
00:44:20,167 --> 00:44:21,583
The Sadducees
are the Liberals,

932
00:44:21,667 --> 00:44:23,333
the Pharisees
are the Conservatives.

933
00:44:23,375 --> 00:44:26,500
The Sadducees are people who
compromise on certain things and

934
00:44:26,583 --> 00:44:31,833
the Pharisees who are, well, they like
to add things to God's word.

935
00:44:31,875 --> 00:44:34,500
"But a Pharisee
in the council named Gamaliel,

936
00:44:34,583 --> 00:44:37,708
"a teacher of the law held
in honor by all the people,

937
00:44:37,792 --> 00:44:41,417
stood up and gave orders to put
the men outside for a little while."

938
00:44:41,500 --> 00:44:43,125
"Take the 12,
put them outside.

939
00:44:43,167 --> 00:44:44,833
"Let's have a private,
closed door meeting.

940
00:44:44,875 --> 00:44:46,333
"I want to think about this.

941
00:44:46,375 --> 00:44:48,042
"You guys are really
fired up here.

942
00:44:48,125 --> 00:44:50,417
Cooler heads
maybe should prevail."

943
00:44:50,500 --> 00:44:52,417
"And he said to them,
'Men of Israel,

944
00:44:52,500 --> 00:44:55,167
take care what you are about
to do with these men.'"

945
00:44:55,208 --> 00:44:56,542
"Think this through.

946
00:44:56,625 --> 00:44:59,833
Let's hit the brakes here."

947
00:44:59,917 --> 00:45:02,292
And he gives a few examples,
case studies.

948
00:45:02,333 --> 00:45:05,333
"'For before these
days Theudas rose up,

949
00:45:05,375 --> 00:45:08,000
"'claiming to be somebody,
and a number of men,

950
00:45:08,083 --> 00:45:09,500
"'about four hundred,
joined him.

951
00:45:09,583 --> 00:45:12,000
"'He was killed, and all who
followed him were dispersed

952
00:45:12,083 --> 00:45:13,417
and came to nothing.'"

953
00:45:13,500 --> 00:45:16,125
That guy said he was
somebody and he was nobody,

954
00:45:16,167 --> 00:45:17,500
and it went away.

955
00:45:17,583 --> 00:45:20,208
"'After him Judas the Galilean
rose up in the days of

956
00:45:20,292 --> 00:45:23,000
the census and drew away some
of the people after him.'"

957
00:45:23,042 --> 00:45:25,583
He started doing his own
ministry, but "'he too perished,

958
00:45:25,667 --> 00:45:27,833
and all who followed
him were scattered.'"

959
00:45:27,875 --> 00:45:29,333
It really fell apart.

960
00:45:29,375 --> 00:45:31,417
"'So in the present case
I tell you,

961
00:45:31,500 --> 00:45:33,917
"'keep away from these
men and let them alone,

962
00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:37,125
""for if this plan or this
undertaking is of man,

963
00:45:37,167 --> 00:45:40,583
"'it will fail;
but if it is of God,

964
00:45:40,667 --> 00:45:42,708
"'you will not be able
to overthrow them.

965
00:45:42,792 --> 00:45:47,000
"'You might even be
found opposing God!'

966
00:45:47,083 --> 00:45:51,542
"So they took his advice,
and when they had called in

967
00:45:51,625 --> 00:45:55,542
the apostles, they beat them
and charged them"--what?

968
00:45:55,625 --> 00:45:58,708
"Not to speak in the name of
Jesus, and let them go."

969
00:45:58,792 --> 00:46:01,000
"No more talking about Jesus!"

970
00:46:01,042 --> 00:46:04,833
"Then they left the presence
of the council"--what?

971
00:46:04,875 --> 00:46:06,875
What's the word?

972
00:46:06,958 --> 00:46:08,417
"Rejoicing."

973
00:46:08,500 --> 00:46:10,417
How many of you didn't
see that coming?

974
00:46:10,500 --> 00:46:13,917
They beat them up and then
the guys threw a party.

975
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:18,667
They got kazoos,
and hats, and a cake.

976
00:46:18,750 --> 00:46:20,917
They put it all on Instagram.

977
00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:24,500
Missing teeth,
eating cake, what happened?

978
00:46:24,583 --> 00:46:30,708
We got beaten for Jesus,
what a great day!

979
00:46:30,792 --> 00:46:34,000
The story continues.

980
00:46:34,083 --> 00:46:36,083
"They left the presence
of the council,

981
00:46:36,167 --> 00:46:40,208
rejoicing that they
were counted worthy

982
00:46:40,292 --> 00:46:44,125
to suffer dishonor."

983
00:46:44,167 --> 00:46:47,833
It's all about
public dishonor, shame.

984
00:46:47,875 --> 00:46:51,458
Shut up, back down,
go home, stop.

985
00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:55,500
"And every day--" guys
didn't even take a day off.

986
00:46:55,583 --> 00:46:58,542
You'd be like,
"I need 2 weeks vacation.

987
00:46:58,625 --> 00:47:00,708
"I got beaten.

988
00:47:00,792 --> 00:47:04,333
"I'm going to put it on YouTube
and flee to Canada, you know?

989
00:47:04,375 --> 00:47:06,500
That's how I'm going
to communicate."

990
00:47:06,583 --> 00:47:09,333
"Every day, in the temple,"

991
00:47:09,375 --> 00:47:12,417
which is where all
the religious people are,

992
00:47:12,500 --> 00:47:15,292
which is where they got in
trouble in the first place,

993
00:47:15,333 --> 00:47:19,833
which is where they got
in trouble in the second place.

994
00:47:19,875 --> 00:47:25,125
They're either really brave
or not very smart.

995
00:47:25,167 --> 00:47:27,833
"And from house to house—"

996
00:47:27,875 --> 00:47:29,500
they had Community Groups—

997
00:47:29,583 --> 00:47:32,667
"they did not cease teaching
and preaching that

998
00:47:32,750 --> 00:47:35,000
the Christ is Jesus."

999
00:47:35,042 --> 00:47:39,500
So, the thing is escalating
and they took a beating.

1000
00:47:39,542 --> 00:47:42,000
Now when we read that,
some of your translations

1001
00:47:42,042 --> 00:47:44,000
will say flogging.

1002
00:47:44,042 --> 00:47:45,917
Flogging was with
a cat o' nine tails

1003
00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:47,333
or a flagger.

1004
00:47:47,375 --> 00:47:49,167
This is my usual
Good Friday accoutrement.

1005
00:47:49,208 --> 00:47:50,833
This is what
they did to Jesus.

1006
00:47:50,917 --> 00:47:52,250
Think about it.

1007
00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:53,958
Oh, what did they do to Jesus?

1008
00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:56,667
Oh, they opposed him, religious
people hated him, they beat him,

1009
00:47:56,708 --> 00:47:58,167
they arrested him,
they flogged him.

1010
00:47:58,208 --> 00:48:01,375
Going to do the same thing to
the people who are talking about

1011
00:48:01,458 --> 00:48:02,917
Jesus that they did to Jesus.

1012
00:48:03,000 --> 00:48:05,125
And legally, you were only
allowed to flog somebody

1013
00:48:05,167 --> 00:48:07,458
only 40 times.

1014
00:48:07,500 --> 00:48:10,750
Many people died from that.

1015
00:48:10,833 --> 00:48:12,833
Some of the religious
leaders decided,

1016
00:48:12,917 --> 00:48:15,667
"Well, what if we miscount?"

1017
00:48:15,708 --> 00:48:18,542
So they would only allow
39 in case you miscounted,

1018
00:48:18,625 --> 00:48:20,042
then you actually got the 40.

1019
00:48:20,125 --> 00:48:22,042
Because here's how
weird religion is.

1020
00:48:22,125 --> 00:48:25,333
It doesn't bother you that
you're flogging someone,

1021
00:48:25,417 --> 00:48:29,000
it bothers you that
you miscounted.

1022
00:48:29,083 --> 00:48:31,833
Okay, that's how
kooky religion is.

1023
00:48:31,875 --> 00:48:34,458
Oh, you're destroying someone.

1024
00:48:34,500 --> 00:48:36,542
But was it 40?

1025
00:48:36,625 --> 00:48:39,125
Because that's really the issue.

1026
00:48:39,167 --> 00:48:41,833
The guy with
the clicker missed one.

1027
00:48:41,875 --> 00:48:46,458
This is how bizarre religion
apart from the Holy Spirit

1028
00:48:46,500 --> 00:48:47,958
can become.

1029
00:48:48,000 --> 00:48:51,042
It's no longer about people,
it's about rules,

1030
00:48:51,125 --> 00:48:53,250
and control, and power.

1031
00:48:53,333 --> 00:48:55,125
And so they flogged,
they beat,

1032
00:48:55,167 --> 00:48:57,458
they almost destroy
the apostles.

1033
00:48:57,500 --> 00:49:02,917
And it's all because this
mediator, this person of peace,

1034
00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:07,083
this rabbi comes in,
this teacher, and says,

1035
00:49:07,167 --> 00:49:09,333
"This is going to
go one of two ways.

1036
00:49:09,375 --> 00:49:14,083
If this is what God's
doing, you can't stop it."

1037
00:49:14,167 --> 00:49:15,500
And he's true,

1038
00:49:15,583 --> 00:49:18,333
so 2,000 years later,
here we are.

1039
00:49:18,375 --> 00:49:20,708
Christianity's the biggest thing
in the history of the world.

1040
00:49:20,792 --> 00:49:23,083
We're still talking about Jesus.

1041
00:49:23,167 --> 00:49:27,083
Nothing can stop the church
because it's of God.

1042
00:49:27,167 --> 00:49:29,292
And he says,
"But if it's not of God,

1043
00:49:29,333 --> 00:49:33,333
it'll just self-destruct and go
away, so don't worry about it."

1044
00:49:33,375 --> 00:49:37,000
So they beat the disciples, and
they give the illusion that they

1045
00:49:37,042 --> 00:49:39,708
leave it in the hand of God,
but ultimately they beat

1046
00:49:39,792 --> 00:49:41,625
the disciples
to incentivize them,

1047
00:49:41,667 --> 00:49:43,500
"Don't talk about Jesus.

1048
00:49:43,583 --> 00:49:45,333
"Don't preach about Jesus.

1049
00:49:45,375 --> 00:49:47,292
Don't teach about Jesus."

1050
00:49:47,333 --> 00:49:50,125
And it says that
the leaders, they're released,

1051
00:49:50,167 --> 00:49:52,125
and here's what
they're not doing,

1052
00:49:52,167 --> 00:49:53,500
running away from the prison.

1053
00:49:53,583 --> 00:49:58,333
They are limping away
from the flogging.

1054
00:49:58,375 --> 00:50:01,208
The flesh on their
back is like ribbons.

1055
00:50:01,292 --> 00:50:05,958
They're bleeding, they're
exhausted, they're traumatized.

1056
00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,750
They look like
a zombie horror film.

1057
00:50:08,833 --> 00:50:10,458
And what do they do?

1058
00:50:10,500 --> 00:50:12,833
They drag themselves
into the temple.

1059
00:50:12,875 --> 00:50:15,042
"Sorry I'm late for service.

1060
00:50:15,125 --> 00:50:20,333
"Let me tell you about Jesus.

1061
00:50:20,417 --> 00:50:23,833
"He took a beating like this
for you

1062
00:50:23,917 --> 00:50:27,292
because he loves you."

1063
00:50:29,625 --> 00:50:34,458
Wow, every day,

1064
00:50:34,500 --> 00:50:38,333
teaching about Jesus.

1065
00:50:38,375 --> 00:50:41,167
The body's still bleeding,
it's still seeping,

1066
00:50:41,208 --> 00:50:46,917
it's still healing, but
the body belongs to the Lord.

1067
00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:50,625
Here's the big idea,
Mars Hill.

1068
00:50:50,667 --> 00:50:52,917
Jesus took a beating for you.

1069
00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:57,167
Sometimes you may need to
take a beating for him.

1070
00:50:57,208 --> 00:50:59,667
They didn't tell
you this at camp.

1071
00:50:59,708 --> 00:51:02,000
When you're in
junior high, right,

1072
00:51:02,083 --> 00:51:05,458
and they let you Jet Ski
all day, they say,

1073
00:51:05,500 --> 00:51:07,125
"Oh, the Jet Ski's
from Jesus."

1074
00:51:07,167 --> 00:51:09,125
Thanks Jesus,
I love Jet Skiing.

1075
00:51:09,167 --> 00:51:11,125
"Oh, tonight we're going
to have a campfire,

1076
00:51:11,167 --> 00:51:13,167
"roast some marshmallows,
s'mores, acoustic guitar.

1077
00:51:13,208 --> 00:51:16,667
All right, who wants
Jesus' love?"

1078
00:51:16,708 --> 00:51:18,208
"I do!"

1079
00:51:18,292 --> 00:51:20,042
They didn't tell you this.

1080
00:51:20,125 --> 00:51:22,250
"Who wants to get
beaten for Jesus?"

1081
00:51:22,333 --> 00:51:24,042
Oh, put your hand down.

1082
00:51:24,125 --> 00:51:28,500
Right?

1083
00:51:28,583 --> 00:51:31,417
So many believers are so
ill-equipped for what is truly

1084
00:51:31,500 --> 00:51:33,750
the Christian life because
all you're told is,

1085
00:51:33,833 --> 00:51:35,542
"God loves you
and he'll bless you."

1086
00:51:35,625 --> 00:51:38,333
They don't tell you that not
everybody loves you and not

1087
00:51:38,375 --> 00:51:41,458
everybody's going to bless you,
that you may get treated like

1088
00:51:41,500 --> 00:51:43,125
he was treated.

1089
00:51:43,167 --> 00:51:45,750
And in that day, they would
beat your body, and today,

1090
00:51:45,833 --> 00:51:49,000
social media, you'll lose your
reputation, social capital,

1091
00:51:49,083 --> 00:51:51,167
friends, maybe a job.

1092
00:51:51,208 --> 00:51:52,833
You're going to
have to--Mars Hill,

1093
00:51:52,917 --> 00:51:56,250
you're going to have to pay
a price.

1094
00:51:56,333 --> 00:51:59,833
He paid the ultimate price, you
may need to pay a little price

1095
00:51:59,875 --> 00:52:03,083
to walk with him, to be
a witness to him so that others

1096
00:52:03,167 --> 00:52:07,667
can meet him
and be saved and served by him.

1097
00:52:07,708 --> 00:52:09,750
But our goal is not
comfort and ease,

1098
00:52:09,833 --> 00:52:12,458
our goal is to be witnesses.

1099
00:52:12,500 --> 00:52:16,000
Jesus took a beating for you.

1100
00:52:16,083 --> 00:52:20,500
Sometimes you may need
to take a beating for him.

1101
00:52:20,583 --> 00:52:22,833
Number two, when you take
your beating for Jesus,

1102
00:52:22,875 --> 00:52:26,625
whatever it costs you--friends,
family, job, spouse.

1103
00:52:26,667 --> 00:52:29,458
I'm not saying that
that's what you want,

1104
00:52:29,500 --> 00:52:32,333
but if that's the price you
need to pay to maintain

1105
00:52:32,375 --> 00:52:35,833
your allegiance to Jesus
and to be a witness of him,

1106
00:52:35,875 --> 00:52:41,208
then pay whatever
price you need to pay.

1107
00:52:41,292 --> 00:52:44,708
And ultimately,
ask the Holy Spirit to help

1108
00:52:44,792 --> 00:52:47,250
get you to the place
of rejoicing.

1109
00:52:47,333 --> 00:52:49,833
It says that they were beaten
and they left rejoicing

1110
00:52:49,917 --> 00:52:52,042
because they were beaten for
the name of Jesus.

1111
00:52:52,125 --> 00:52:55,042
Let me say this, there's
a lot of beatings in your life,

1112
00:52:55,125 --> 00:52:58,458
a lot of beatings in my life
that we totally had coming.

1113
00:52:58,500 --> 00:53:01,167
You can't be like, "They
beat me, I'm like Jesus."

1114
00:53:01,250 --> 00:53:03,000
Jesus is like, "No you're not.

1115
00:53:03,042 --> 00:53:06,042
You're not anything like me.
You're not!"

1116
00:53:06,125 --> 00:53:10,125
Right, here's what Jesus
says in Matthew 5:10:

1117
00:53:10,167 --> 00:53:11,667
Blessed are those who
are persecuted

1118
00:53:11,708 --> 00:53:13,667
because of righteousness.

1119
00:53:13,708 --> 00:53:15,167
If you're saying,
"I'm getting persecuted

1120
00:53:15,208 --> 00:53:17,333
"because I won't sleep with my
boyfriend or girlfriend.

1121
00:53:17,417 --> 00:53:19,833
"I'm getting persecuted because
I won't lie on the job.

1122
00:53:19,917 --> 00:53:22,208
"I'm getting persecuted because
I did talk about Jesus.

1123
00:53:22,292 --> 00:53:24,708
"I'm getting persecuted
because I was trying to do,

1124
00:53:24,792 --> 00:53:26,458
"by the grace of God,
in humility,

1125
00:53:26,500 --> 00:53:28,250
"through the power
of the Holy Spirit,

1126
00:53:28,333 --> 00:53:29,667
the right thing,"

1127
00:53:29,708 --> 00:53:32,125
then you're blessed.

1128
00:53:32,167 --> 00:53:34,625
You're not blessed by the
people who are persecuting you,

1129
00:53:34,667 --> 00:53:38,000
but you're blessed by
the Lord who was persecuted for you.

1130
00:53:38,083 --> 00:53:41,042
That's the big idea.

1131
00:53:41,125 --> 00:53:45,167
You may not begin
with rejoicing.

1132
00:53:45,208 --> 00:53:48,167
There will be
a season of mourning.

1133
00:53:48,208 --> 00:53:51,542
There will be a season
of grieving, like,

1134
00:53:51,625 --> 00:53:54,042
"Lord, what are you doing?
Why is it so hard?

1135
00:53:54,125 --> 00:53:56,750
Why did that happen?"

1136
00:53:56,833 --> 00:53:59,750
But even if you don't
get quickly to rejoicing,

1137
00:53:59,833 --> 00:54:02,500
you can invariably get to
rejoicing if you persevere by

1138
00:54:02,583 --> 00:54:05,792
the power of the Holy Spirit,
and he will empower you.

1139
00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:10,917
Number three,
they keep going to church.

1140
00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:12,667
It says they go to the temple.

1141
00:54:12,708 --> 00:54:14,833
This is where they have
the really big meetings

1142
00:54:14,917 --> 00:54:16,250
because they have big rooms.

1143
00:54:16,333 --> 00:54:18,167
So they're still
public witnessing.

1144
00:54:18,208 --> 00:54:20,667
Like, Christianity is
under a little pressure

1145
00:54:20,708 --> 00:54:22,833
and the leaders have been
arrested twice.

1146
00:54:22,917 --> 00:54:24,417
It's kind of a news story.

1147
00:54:24,500 --> 00:54:26,167
It's a little bit of a thing.

1148
00:54:26,208 --> 00:54:27,667
And the believers
have to decide,

1149
00:54:27,708 --> 00:54:30,417
"Are we going to go to church?
Oh, would you look.

1150
00:54:30,500 --> 00:54:31,833
"The game's on.

1151
00:54:31,875 --> 00:54:33,833
I don't know if I can make it."

1152
00:54:33,875 --> 00:54:36,000
But they go, and to walk
in--this is publicly,

1153
00:54:36,083 --> 00:54:39,000
and it's in front of a whole
bunch of a religious people

1154
00:54:39,083 --> 00:54:42,917
in the same place where they
had multiple controversies.

1155
00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:44,833
And the believers are
like, "You know what?

1156
00:54:44,917 --> 00:54:46,833
"I'm on Team Jesus.

1157
00:54:46,917 --> 00:54:49,500
Grab the flag,
join the parade."

1158
00:54:49,583 --> 00:54:51,333
It just is what it is.

1159
00:54:51,375 --> 00:54:52,958
Here's the truth.

1160
00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:57,500
If you don't care about Jesus
enough to actually

1161
00:54:57,583 --> 00:55:01,500
commit yourself publicly to him,
why would anyone find

1162
00:55:01,542 --> 00:55:04,125
your invitation to him
to be compelling?

1163
00:55:04,167 --> 00:55:06,250
You don't believe it
so why should they?

1164
00:55:06,333 --> 00:55:08,750
You're not committed to it,
so why should they be?

1165
00:55:08,833 --> 00:55:11,958
If they take a little bit out of
your account and that's enough

1166
00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:17,250
for you abandon your faith, then
you don't have faith at all.

1167
00:55:17,333 --> 00:55:23,333
It's a test
and the believers decide,

1168
00:55:23,417 --> 00:55:26,250
"We're going to be together,
and we're going to learn about

1169
00:55:26,333 --> 00:55:28,708
"Jesus, and we're going
to sing to Jesus,

1170
00:55:28,792 --> 00:55:32,667
"and everybody's going to know,
and we want them to join us

1171
00:55:32,708 --> 00:55:35,167
because we want
them to meet him."

1172
00:55:35,208 --> 00:55:36,917
They also keep going
to Community Group.

1173
00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:38,917
That's what we call it,
house to house.

1174
00:55:39,000 --> 00:55:42,042
Meals, friendship, time
together, loving one another,

1175
00:55:42,125 --> 00:55:44,000
caring for one another,
serving one another

1176
00:55:44,083 --> 00:55:46,000
because you're
the family of God.

1177
00:55:46,083 --> 00:55:48,542
And especially when a little
opposition, or ostracism,

1178
00:55:48,625 --> 00:55:50,833
or persecution comes
against God's people,

1179
00:55:50,917 --> 00:55:54,833
they need to hang together
and support one another because

1180
00:55:54,875 --> 00:55:58,833
they're the family of God
and that's what they do.

1181
00:55:58,917 --> 00:56:00,333
And here's what I love.

1182
00:56:00,375 --> 00:56:03,208
I love the last line.

1183
00:56:03,292 --> 00:56:06,333
"They did not cease teaching
and preaching that

1184
00:56:06,417 --> 00:56:08,625
the Christ is Jesus."

1185
00:56:08,667 --> 00:56:10,958
You walk into
their big meetings,

1186
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:12,333
what are they talking about?

1187
00:56:12,417 --> 00:56:13,750
Jesus.

1188
00:56:13,833 --> 00:56:16,250
Walk into their little meetings,
what are they talking about?

1189
00:56:16,333 --> 00:56:17,667
Jesus.

1190
00:56:17,708 --> 00:56:19,333
Why are these people
so controversial?

1191
00:56:19,417 --> 00:56:20,750
Jesus.

1192
00:56:20,833 --> 00:56:23,750
Anything good happens,
who gets the credit?

1193
00:56:23,833 --> 00:56:25,333
Jesus.

1194
00:56:25,375 --> 00:56:28,833
Anybody needs help,
it's in the name of Jesus.

1195
00:56:28,875 --> 00:56:31,917
And they won't stop
talking about Jesus.

1196
00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:35,167
Mars Hill, we can't stop
talking about Jesus.

1197
00:56:35,208 --> 00:56:37,667
We're here to be
witnesses of him.

1198
00:56:37,708 --> 00:56:40,333
And the Holy Spirit wants
to empower you, and me,

1199
00:56:40,417 --> 00:56:44,167
and us to be witnesses
who continually testify,

1200
00:56:44,208 --> 00:56:46,250
"Jesus is alive.
He forgives sin.

1201
00:56:46,333 --> 00:56:48,000
"He helps people.
He changed my life.

1202
00:56:48,083 --> 00:56:50,167
"He changed their life.
He did this.

1203
00:56:50,208 --> 00:56:51,833
"He did that.
He loves you.

1204
00:56:51,917 --> 00:56:53,667
You need him."

1205
00:56:53,708 --> 00:56:57,667
If you're here and you don't
know Jesus, you need Jesus.

1206
00:56:57,708 --> 00:57:00,708
I want you to be clear from
the story that these people

1207
00:57:00,792 --> 00:57:03,500
are very moral,
they're very religious,

1208
00:57:03,583 --> 00:57:05,167
they're very spiritual,

1209
00:57:05,208 --> 00:57:08,250
and they're very wrong
because they don't have Jesus.

1210
00:57:08,333 --> 00:57:11,625
And we're not trying to recruit
you to morality or spirituality.

1211
00:57:11,667 --> 00:57:13,958
We're not trying to
recruit you to religion,

1212
00:57:14,000 --> 00:57:16,333
but to invite you to Jesus.

1213
00:57:16,375 --> 00:57:18,958
We want you to turn from
sin, and trust in him,

1214
00:57:19,000 --> 00:57:22,333
and as the multitudes did, cross
the line over to Team Jesus

1215
00:57:22,417 --> 00:57:25,167
and go public with your faith.

1216
00:57:25,208 --> 00:57:27,042
For those of us
who are believers,

1217
00:57:27,125 --> 00:57:30,667
you need to know this, that
this life comes with a price,

1218
00:57:30,708 --> 00:57:32,917
that there is
opposition, ostracism,

1219
00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:36,667
persecution that comes against
those who would make much of

1220
00:57:36,708 --> 00:57:38,458
the name of Jesus.

1221
00:57:38,500 --> 00:57:40,958
But what a great joy,
what a great glory,

1222
00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:42,333
what a great honor,

1223
00:57:42,417 --> 00:57:45,625
what a great privilege it is
to be counted worthy of

1224
00:57:45,667 --> 00:57:49,167
being opposed because of Jesus.

1225
00:57:49,208 --> 00:57:52,542
You're going to pay a price.

1226
00:57:52,625 --> 00:57:55,333
Make it for
the name of Jesus.

1227
00:57:55,417 --> 00:57:58,708
You're going to live your
life for some cause,

1228
00:57:58,792 --> 00:58:00,375
reason, or purpose.

1229
00:58:00,458 --> 00:58:02,417
Make it the name of Jesus.

1230
00:58:02,500 --> 00:58:05,458
And as we get ready to sing,
and to celebrate, and respond,

1231
00:58:05,500 --> 00:58:08,042
we're going to collect
our tithes and offerings,

1232
00:58:08,125 --> 00:58:09,667
we're going to
partake of Communion.

1233
00:58:09,708 --> 00:58:13,333
We give to the God who has given
all to us so that more

1234
00:58:13,417 --> 00:58:14,958
might come to hear of him.

1235
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:18,917
We also partake of Communion,
remembering Jesus' broken body

1236
00:58:19,000 --> 00:58:21,625
and shed blood, that he
took a beating for us,

1237
00:58:21,667 --> 00:58:24,250
and he died for us,
and he rose for us.

1238
00:58:24,333 --> 00:58:26,750
And we're going to sing,
remembering that right now

1239
00:58:26,833 --> 00:58:29,000
he's surrounded by angels
and departed saints,

1240
00:58:29,083 --> 00:58:31,750
and these people
who died in faith,

1241
00:58:31,833 --> 00:58:34,458
they close their eyes in death
and they open them

1242
00:58:34,500 --> 00:58:36,042
to the glory of Jesus.

1243
00:58:36,125 --> 00:58:38,708
And they're singing his
praises together forever.

1244
00:58:38,792 --> 00:58:41,417
And as we sing,
we join the angelic hosts,

1245
00:58:41,500 --> 00:58:46,750
we join the departed saints
in enjoying the name of Jesus.

1246
00:58:46,833 --> 00:58:49,208
And lastly, if you're
not in a Community Group,

1247
00:58:49,292 --> 00:58:51,000
we want you to get in one.

1248
00:58:51,083 --> 00:58:53,542
This is not a walk that
you can make alone.

1249
00:58:53,625 --> 00:58:55,542
This is a walk that
we make together.

1250
00:58:55,625 --> 00:58:57,542
And so when it comes
to Community Groups,

1251
00:58:57,625 --> 00:59:00,292
just as they met from
house to house, so do we.

1252
00:59:00,333 --> 00:59:02,792
My first question is, are
you in a Community Group?

1253
00:59:02,833 --> 00:59:04,792
If not, let us
find one near you.

1254
00:59:04,833 --> 00:59:08,000
We love you, we want to get you
plugged in with God's people.

1255
00:59:08,042 --> 00:59:11,375
Number two, the questions now
that I want you to discuss this

1256
00:59:11,458 --> 00:59:14,583
week are, what opposition
have you faced as a Christian,

1257
00:59:14,667 --> 00:59:16,417
if you're a Christian?

1258
00:59:16,500 --> 00:59:21,833
And I don't want to say that
your opposition and persecution,

1259
00:59:21,875 --> 00:59:25,833
if it escalated to that degree,
pales in comparison

1260
00:59:25,875 --> 00:59:27,208
to what they suffered.

1261
00:59:27,292 --> 00:59:29,208
Maybe it's difficult for you

1262
00:59:29,292 --> 00:59:32,417
and we want to love and hear
that so that we can sympathize

1263
00:59:32,500 --> 00:59:34,625
with you, and walk with you,
and love you.

1264
00:59:34,667 --> 00:59:36,708
What opposition have you
faced as a Christian?

1265
00:59:36,792 --> 00:59:39,292
Number three, how did you
respond to that opposition?

1266
00:59:39,333 --> 00:59:42,417
Was it godly like they did or
was it ungodly and something

1267
00:59:42,500 --> 00:59:45,125
maybe you need to apologize
for or learn to do better

1268
00:59:45,167 --> 00:59:47,333
the next time
by the Spirit's power?

1269
00:59:47,375 --> 00:59:49,833
Number four, where do you need
to guard your heart

1270
00:59:49,875 --> 00:59:51,208
against jealousy?

1271
00:59:51,292 --> 00:59:55,000
The problem here started in
the heart filled with jealousy.

1272
00:59:55,083 --> 00:59:57,583
That's where so
many problems begin.

1273
00:59:57,667 --> 00:59:59,083
Who are you jealous of?

1274
00:59:59,167 --> 01:00:00,500
What are you jealous of?

1275
01:00:00,542 --> 01:00:03,708
And number four, who do you
need to talk with about Jesus?

1276
01:00:03,792 --> 01:00:06,458
Who is God calling you
to be a witness to?

1277
01:00:06,500 --> 01:00:09,042
Maybe you've not spoken to them
because you're fearful of

1278
01:00:09,125 --> 01:00:11,458
their response, you're fearful
of the price you might pay,

1279
01:00:11,500 --> 01:00:14,625
you're fearful of
the reaction they might have.

1280
01:00:14,667 --> 01:00:18,250
The Holy Spirit will empower you
to be a witness.

1281
01:00:18,333 --> 01:00:20,750
And in Community Group,
I want you to be praying

1282
01:00:20,833 --> 01:00:22,333
for one another

1283
01:00:22,375 --> 01:00:25,958
and those people you are
to be speaking to about Jesus.

1284
01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:29,000
And then obey the Holy Spirit
and trust him to give you

1285
01:00:29,083 --> 01:00:31,208
the words to speak
and the courage to have,

1286
01:00:31,292 --> 01:00:34,500
because the only thing worse
than someone not liking you

1287
01:00:34,583 --> 01:00:38,500
because you introduced them to
Jesus is someone going to Hell

1288
01:00:38,583 --> 01:00:41,833
because you refused to
talk to them about Jesus.

1289
01:00:41,875 --> 01:00:45,500
There's nothing more important
than someone's eternal destiny.

1290
01:00:45,583 --> 01:00:48,833
And we go there because we
are sinners, but ultimately,

1291
01:00:48,875 --> 01:00:52,333
the way out of that path of
destruction is someone who knows

1292
01:00:52,417 --> 01:00:55,000
Jesus sharing with us
the truth and love of Jesus.

1293
01:00:55,083 --> 01:00:58,458
And if we truly love someone,
we share with them his love

1294
01:00:58,500 --> 01:01:00,500
for them, amen?

1295
01:01:00,542 --> 01:01:03,000
Father God, thanks for
a chance to preach the Bible.

1296
01:01:03,083 --> 01:01:05,542
I like this,
this is very fun for me.

1297
01:01:05,625 --> 01:01:09,125
Holy Spirit, thanks for
writing a book that is perfect.

1298
01:01:09,167 --> 01:01:12,125
Thanks for writing a book
that is unlike any other book.

1299
01:01:12,167 --> 01:01:14,542
Thank you for writing a book
that brings power

1300
01:01:14,625 --> 01:01:17,000
and life transformation.

1301
01:01:17,083 --> 01:01:20,125
Holy Spirit,
thank you for joining us.

1302
01:01:20,167 --> 01:01:21,542
Thank you for saving us.

1303
01:01:21,625 --> 01:01:23,042
Thank you for empowering us.

1304
01:01:23,125 --> 01:01:24,542
Thank you for gifting us.

1305
01:01:24,625 --> 01:01:25,958
Thank you for sending us.

1306
01:01:26,000 --> 01:01:27,958
Thank you for filling us.

1307
01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:32,042
Thank you for showing us who
Jesus is and what he's done.

1308
01:01:32,125 --> 01:01:35,000
Help us, by your
power, Holy Spirit,

1309
01:01:35,083 --> 01:01:37,583
to live for
the fame of Jesus' name, amen.

1310
01:01:39,000 --> 01:01:41,917
Each year, over 10 million
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1311
01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:45,000
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worldwide for free.

1312
01:01:45,083 --> 01:01:47,625
This ministry is generously supported

1313
01:01:47,667 --> 01:01:50,250
by Mars Hill church members
and listeners like you.

1314
01:01:50,333 --> 01:01:53,833
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to preach Jesus to the world,

1315
01:01:53,875 --> 01:01:56,833
Please consider making
a tax-deductible donation

1316
01:01:56,875 --> 01:01:59,708
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