male announcer: This
presentation is brought to you
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by the friends of the
"Amazing Facts" ministry.
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¤¤¤
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Doug Batchelor: If you take up
the keys for Christian growth,
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you're gonna grow, and if
you are not making an effort
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to oppose the escalator of sin,
you're on the down escalator,
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that's where you're gonna go.
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You have to make
an effort to go up.
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Doug Batchelor: I heard about
some tourists that were visiting
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a number of sites around Europe
and they were traveling together
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in a van and they'd stop at the
different locations, and they
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didn't have a tour guide
with them but they'd inquire
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about what was
happening from place to place.
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They're looking at some of the
places where great people like
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Luther and Calvin and some of
the different kings and monarchs
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and people of history
were born and where they lived.
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And they came to this
beautiful, picturesque village
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on the border of France
and Switzerland, and they were
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taking pictures and looking
around and they saw a man
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sitting there by the town
square and they said, "Were any
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great men born in this village?"
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And he answered with
his French accent and said,
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"No, only babies," no great
men, only babies born here.
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So it doesn't matter how
old you are, if you are 9 or 90,
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if you have accepted
Christ, you are a baby at first.
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You're a baby Christian and
that's normal, that's wonderful,
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you're born again, but
you don't want to stay a baby.
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It is a tragedy when you meet
people who have been Christians
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for years and they've
not grown, not grown in the
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right direction anyway.
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Paul talks about this in 1
Corinthians chapter 3, verse 1,
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"And I, brethren, could not
speak to you as spiritual people
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but as carnal,
as babes in Christ.
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I fed you with milk and not with
solid food; for until now you're
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not able to receive it, and
even now you're still not able;
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for you are carnal.
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For wherever there is envy,
strife, and divisions among you,
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are you not carnal and
behaving like mere men?"
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Now, a baby, they're very cute,
they're lovely, they're pure
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in many ways and they're
very selfish, they are what
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you would call carnal creatures.
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What's on a baby's mind?
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"I want to be comfortable,
I want to be entertained,
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I want to be fed, and if I
needed cleaning, clean me."
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Babies are not
thinking, "How are you doing?
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Is there anything
I can do for you?"
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They're very selfish.
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And you know, when you first
come to Christ, you may come
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to Christ and you say, "I don't
want to go to the lake of fire
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and I do want to go to
heaven," so you're thinking
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about yourself.
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And that might be a suitable
starting point, but as you
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mature as a Christian, you're
supposed to overcome the total
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selfish carnal way of
thinking and begin to eat more
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substantial Christian food.
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Now, we're gonna
be talking about the
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"Keys to Christian Growth."
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There's things you
can do to encourage growth
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and there's things you
can do to miss out on growth,
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and we'll be talking about both.
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First of all, Jesus said, Mark
4:26, "The kingdom of God is as
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if a man should scatter seed on
the ground, and should sleep by
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night and rise by day," meaning
day and night goes by, "And the
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seed should sprout and grow, and
he himself does not know how."
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The seed does what?
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It sprouts and it
doesn't stay the same, it grows.
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You know, they have seeds that
they found in King Tut's tomb,
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they had some beans, they put
them in the sunlight with some
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moisture and warmth and
they sprouted, 3,000 years old.
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How does God somehow store
the essence of life in a seed
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like that and, thousands of
years later in just the right
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conditions, it'll grow?
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And so the secret that Jesus is
telling us here about growth is,
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if you give the right
conditions, it is natural
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for you to grow; if they're
neglected, you won't grow.
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So we know that there's a
problem, what is the answer?
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There's seven keys, I'm not
going to get through all of them
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today, seven keys
to spiritual growth.
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And it's basically, when a
baby's born, it's the same seven
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things a baby needs:
food, air, exercise, family,
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regular cleaning, rest and love.
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I don't have seven fingers
in his hands, you'll have to use
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your imagination
for those last two.
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So these are the seven keys;
if a person does these things on
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a regular basis they will grow,
if you want spiritual growth
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these are the things.
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So what's the first thing? Food.
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What do you think the food is?
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It's the Bible, you've got to
eat right, you gotta eat right
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and you gotta eat regular.
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1 Peter chapter 2, verse 2, "As
newborn babes, desire the pure
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milk of the word,
that you may grow thereby."
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You will become like what you
listen to and what you look at,
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you are the sum total of what
you're taking into your mind.
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If you want there to be a change
in who you are, there needs
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to be a change in what
you eat; talking about what
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you're eating, what
do you feed yourself?
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What are you reading?
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What are you watching?
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You're kidding yourself if
you're watching bad things and
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you're thinking that it's
having no impact on who you are
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as a person and how
it shapes your character.
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Everybody is going to be
the sum total of what they eat.
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They say, "You
are what you eat."
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It's true physically,
it's true spiritually.
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And most of you know
what I'm sharing now, I say it
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all the time but the single most
important thing you can do is
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read the Word, spend
time regularly in the Bible,
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make it a priority.
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Faith comes by hearing.
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You want more faith?
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You want a mature faith?
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"Faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God."
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Job says, "I have
treasured the words of His mouth
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More than my necessary food."
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Now, when you're a
baby, you must be spoon-fed.
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As you get a little older, you
know, you eventually put a spoon
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in the baby's hand and they're
sitting sometimes in a highchair
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and you try to help them.
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You put the spoon their hand,
you take the spoon and you put
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it in their mouth.
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And sometimes they'll throw the
spoon across the room and they
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just take their hands and put it
in their mouth, sometimes they
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take their hands and put
in their ear and their nose.
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And they're learning to
feed themselves and it's cute,
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you know?
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as long as you got a
shower curtain on the floor
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or something to clean up, it is.
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But when they get a little
older, if you see an adult
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doing like that you
go move to another room.
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Right?
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You want to learn
how to feed yourself.
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There's so many baby Christians
out there, friends, I hope you
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won't take offense,
I'm just telling you.
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Honestly, all they get all week
long is what they get in church
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once a week, they're
not feeding themselves.
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If you're a mature Christian,
you have your own personal Bible
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study plan and you really have
no excuse for not having one
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except that you don't care or
it's not a priority, but that's
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gonna be, the result will be
your relationship with the Lord.
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There's so many opportunities
for you to download
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a Bible reading program,
a thousand different things.
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You can say, "I want to do a
program where I go through the
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Gospels, I want to do a program
where I go through the history,
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I want to read through the Bible
chronologically, I want to study
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faith, grace, hope," and this is
a million different ways you can
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study the Word
and be in the Word.
00:08:04.18\00:08:06.92
So to act like,
"I don't know how."
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Well, you could
if you wanted to.
00:08:08.38\00:08:10.19
If you are
hungry, you figure it out.
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And in the last days, when we go
through a great time of trouble
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and we're going to be challenged
about what we believe we need
00:08:20.36\00:08:24.87
to know how to give an
answer to anyone who asks us for
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the reason for the hope that
is in us with meekness and fear.
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We need to be able to
defend what we believe.
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When Jesus was tempted by
the devil in the wilderness
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He didn't say, "Hang on.
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Do you have a Bible somewhere?
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I'll find a promise."
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He had stored the Word in
His mind, He right away said,
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"It is written, it is
written, it is written."
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Jesus did not memorize
and recite Scripture using any
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supernatural power that is above
and beyond what is available
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to you.
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The same way He quoted the Bible
to the devil is the same way
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you and I can do it.
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He read it at His mother's
knee, she taught Him the Word,
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probably learned
Scripture songs, He studied it
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as an adult.
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"As His custom was, He
went into the synagogue on
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the Sabbath day, He stood
up to read the Scriptures."
00:09:09.98\00:09:12.51
Certainly every Sabbath, but
then on a daily basis He was a
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storing the Word of God, so when
the trials came He had a Word.
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We, if we're gonna be mature, if
we're going to be able to fight
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the good fight of faith in
the last days, we need to be
00:09:23.86\00:09:26.63
focusing on the Word of
God and knowing why we believe
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what we believe.
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And when the devil comes to
tempt us, God has, "Given to us
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exceeding great and
precious promises, that by these
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we might become
partakers of the divine nature."
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Memorize the promises of God.
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"I have treasured the words of
His mouth More than my necessary
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food," Job says.
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Jeremiah said, "Your words
were found, and I ate them,
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And Your word was to me the
joy and rejoicing of my heart."
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Why is the Word so important
to someone who falls in love
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with Jesus?
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Christ is the Living Word.
00:10:02.00\00:10:05.43
When you say you love the
Bible, we're not talking about
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a bunch of words in a book.
00:10:08.04\00:10:09.80
When you say you love the
Bible, you're talking about,
00:10:09.84\00:10:11.71
"I love Christ."
00:10:11.74\00:10:13.98
"The word became
flesh and dwelt among us."
00:10:14.01\00:10:16.58
It's really saying, "I love
Jesus, I want him in my life."
00:10:16.61\00:10:20.55
If you are hungry for Jesus,
what is the most practical thing
00:10:20.58\00:10:23.52
you can do to get
Christ in your mind?
00:10:23.55\00:10:26.02
Read His Word.
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Now, we are all
feeding our souls, but what are
00:10:28.56\00:10:31.46
we feeding them?
00:10:31.49\00:10:33.50
Isaiah said, chapter 55, verse
2, "Why do you spend your money
00:10:33.53\00:10:37.97
for that which is not bread,"
and we're spending our money
00:10:38.00\00:10:41.37
but not for the right
bread, "And your wages for that
00:10:41.40\00:10:44.61
that does not satisfy?
00:10:44.64\00:10:46.41
Listen carefully to
Me, and eat what is good,
00:10:46.44\00:10:50.21
And let your soul
delight itself in abundance."
00:10:50.25\00:10:52.68
Isaiah is not talking about
food here, he's talking about
00:10:52.71\00:10:56.02
satisfying your soul.
00:10:56.05\00:10:58.32
He said eating the things
that will satisfy your soul,
00:10:58.35\00:11:01.86
says you're eating but you're
not eating the right thing.
00:11:01.89\00:11:06.06
You know it's interesting in
that we're living at a time in
00:11:06.09\00:11:08.50
the world where the World Health
Organization says that there is
00:11:08.53\00:11:11.53
a an increasing global
hunger, that there are 11%
00:11:11.57\00:11:18.71
of the world's population,
seven-plus billion people
00:11:18.74\00:11:24.41
are hungry, and it's growing.
00:11:24.45\00:11:25.75
You would think that with all
the food in the world right now
00:11:25.78\00:11:27.82
that wouldn't be.
00:11:27.85\00:11:29.18
And it's especially a paradox,
it's ironic right now because
00:11:29.22\00:11:31.82
we're also living at a time, not
only where there are millions
00:11:31.85\00:11:35.72
of hungry children, but in
prosperous parts of the world
00:11:35.76\00:11:40.26
children are not dying
from hunger, they're dying
00:11:40.30\00:11:43.13
from diseases related with
over-eating the wrong thing.
00:11:43.16\00:11:48.57
They're eating but they're
not eating the good thing.
00:11:48.60\00:11:52.51
That's just like soda pop
and sugar and empty calories
00:11:52.54\00:11:57.18
and not a regular schedule.
00:11:57.21\00:11:58.51
And there's an epidemic of
type-two diabetes right now.
00:11:58.55\00:12:03.08
Says, "Eat that which is good."
00:12:03.12\00:12:04.49
Well, a lot of Christians
are not eating the right thing,
00:12:04.52\00:12:06.59
they're eating junk food,
spiritual junk food; where they
00:12:06.62\00:12:11.73
are watching things and if
you ask them above the latest
00:12:11.76\00:12:14.83
TV series they know the answers
to all those things because
00:12:14.83\00:12:19.17
they are filling their
time and their mind with that.
00:12:19.20\00:12:21.84
This is probably one of the
most important things we can do
00:12:21.87\00:12:24.37
to make a difference
in our spiritual growth.
00:12:24.41\00:12:26.41
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's life-changing
00:12:27.81\00:12:30.15
free resource.
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Not only can you receive
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00:12:44.43\00:12:48.36
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It's now easier than ever
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00:12:50.83\00:12:54.17
"Amazing Facts"
wherever and whenever you want,
00:12:54.20\00:12:57.37
and most important,
to share it with others.
00:12:57.41\00:13:00.48
Doug Batchelor: I'm going to
give you several points about
00:13:02.14\00:13:03.68
what you do with the Bible
in growing through the Word.
00:13:03.71\00:13:07.72
Hear it, read it, and I want
them to support that real quick.
00:13:07.75\00:13:12.49
Revelation chapter 1, verse
3, "Blessed is he who reads and
00:13:12.52\00:13:17.73
those who hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things
00:13:17.76\00:13:22.36
that are written therein."
00:13:22.40\00:13:23.73
So you've got to read the Word.
00:13:23.77\00:13:25.07
If you can't read, you can hear,
I'm hoping you're doing both.
00:13:25.10\00:13:27.77
When you come to church, you
not only read but you're hearing
00:13:27.80\00:13:30.94
the Word.
00:13:30.97\00:13:32.31
When I drive in the car I
listen to Bible tapes, I listen
00:13:32.34\00:13:39.21
to Christian Radio,
we've got the Bible on CD
00:13:39.25\00:13:43.05
and a thousand other ways.
00:13:43.08\00:13:45.02
You can click on an internet
site and it'll just read
00:13:45.05\00:13:46.49
the Bible to you
now, if you're online.
00:13:46.52\00:13:49.02
But listen to the Word.
00:13:49.06\00:13:50.89
And to some people, they
read the Word and I really like
00:13:50.93\00:13:53.80
the way they read it, they do
a really good job, they're easy
00:13:53.83\00:13:56.30
to listen to.
00:13:56.33\00:13:57.63
And if you want to learn how
to pronounce difficult verses in
00:13:57.67\00:14:01.44
the Bible or words or
names or places, listen to some
00:14:01.47\00:14:04.41
of the other
experts who are reading it.
00:14:04.44\00:14:05.81
You go, "Oh,
that's how you say that."
00:14:05.84\00:14:07.78
But it will do
something for you.
00:14:07.81\00:14:11.35
Hear it, read it, write it.
00:14:11.38\00:14:15.35
Heard someone say, "The
shortest pencil is longer than
00:14:15.38\00:14:19.89
the longest memory."
00:14:19.92\00:14:22.56
If you take notes when
you hear something biblically
00:14:22.59\00:14:26.90
you're gonna
remember a lot more.
00:14:26.93\00:14:28.56
You know, if I just preach,
right now if I asked you what
00:14:28.60\00:14:31.07
I preached about last month,
I bet you there's not 1 in 100
00:14:31.10\00:14:33.94
here who can tell me.
00:14:33.97\00:14:36.24
And if you said, "I knew the
subject," and said, "All right,
00:14:36.27\00:14:38.57
tell me some of the
sermon," you'd probably be hard
00:14:38.61\00:14:42.74
pressed, right?
00:14:42.78\00:14:44.51
You only remember about 5%
or 8% of what you hear within
00:14:44.55\00:14:48.15
two weeks the preacher preached.
00:14:48.18\00:14:50.85
If you write it down it jumps up
to like 20%, you'll remember a
00:14:50.89\00:14:56.42
lot more 'cause it stores it in
a different part of your brain.
00:14:56.46\00:14:59.09
So if you have a good spiritual
thought, write it down.
00:14:59.13\00:15:01.90
I've also found it's not
only write it and hear it,
00:15:01.93\00:15:07.20
but say it, share what you've
learned with someone else.
00:15:07.24\00:15:10.87
People say, "Pastor Doug, how do
you remember so much Scripture?"
00:15:10.91\00:15:13.48
First of all, I
don't know very much.
00:15:13.51\00:15:16.51
Jay N. Andrew is one of
the founders of our church.
00:15:16.54\00:15:19.91
Someone asked him one
time, "Do you have the whole
00:15:19.95\00:15:21.92
Bible memorized?"
00:15:21.95\00:15:23.28
He said, "No," he said, "But if
the New Testament was destroyed,
00:15:23.32\00:15:26.62
I could reproduce it."
00:15:26.65\00:15:29.09
Can you imagine that, memorize
the whole New Testament?
00:15:29.12\00:15:33.70
They say, "Doug, how do you
remember so much Scripture?"
00:15:33.73\00:15:35.46
It's because, involved in
evangelism, I'm sharing it with
00:15:35.50\00:15:38.70
others and it's stored just
at a different place in my brain
00:15:38.73\00:15:41.34
and I remember it
because I've said it.
00:15:41.37\00:15:43.77
So you're not only writing
it, you're not only reading it
00:15:43.81\00:15:46.17
but then you're saying it.
00:15:46.21\00:15:48.04
And then finally,
he says, "Keep it."
00:15:48.08\00:15:50.31
If you want the Word to come
alive after you read something
00:15:50.35\00:15:54.35
then put it into practice.
00:15:54.38\00:15:56.58
Proverbs 4, verse 20, "My
son, give attention to my words;
00:15:56.62\00:16:01.16
Incline your ear to my sayings.
00:16:01.19\00:16:03.49
Do not let them depart from your
eyes; Keep them in the midst of
00:16:03.53\00:16:07.03
your heart; For they are
life to those who find them,
00:16:07.03\00:16:10.53
And health to their flesh."
00:16:10.57\00:16:12.70
Alright, so number one, we
grow by eating, number two,
00:16:12.73\00:16:15.44
we grow by breathing.
00:16:15.47\00:16:17.97
You must breathe to live.
00:16:18.01\00:16:20.88
One of the first things
that happens with a new birth is
00:16:20.91\00:16:24.11
a doctor wants to
make sure of what?
00:16:24.15\00:16:26.41
baby's breathing.
00:16:26.45\00:16:28.25
And I was there when our kids
were born and you always kinda
00:16:28.28\00:16:32.92
wait and you're anxious for
that first breath, and even if
00:16:32.95\00:16:35.36
there's a little crying
at the beginning, does that
00:16:35.39\00:16:37.49
make you sad?
00:16:37.53\00:16:38.83
No, they're alive.
00:16:38.86\00:16:41.30
Right?
00:16:41.33\00:16:42.86
If you don't learn to breathe,
prayer, and how often do you
00:16:42.90\00:16:47.50
need to breathe?
00:16:47.54\00:16:48.77
Now you can eat, you know, once
or twice a day, you'll be okay,
00:16:48.80\00:16:50.71
but you can't
breathe once or twice a day.
00:16:50.74\00:16:53.98
Bible says, "Pray without
ceasing," it's like breathing,
00:16:54.01\00:16:57.35
it's absolutely essential.
00:16:57.38\00:17:00.12
Jesus told us, "Ask,"
and that word ask, He said,
00:17:00.15\00:17:03.22
"Ask, it will be given you."
00:17:03.25\00:17:05.02
That word ask, in Greek,
it's a continuation of asking,
00:17:05.05\00:17:09.72
live a life of asking.
00:17:09.76\00:17:12.39
Look at Paul in Ephesians 6:18,
"Praying always with all prayer
00:17:12.43\00:17:18.60
and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end
00:17:18.63\00:17:22.07
with all
perseverance and supplication
00:17:22.10\00:17:24.74
for all the saints."
00:17:24.77\00:17:26.07
Notice, all-all-all-all, always,
"Praying always," an attitude
00:17:26.11\00:17:29.98
of walking with God,
this will help you grow.
00:17:30.01\00:17:33.08
You know, they say that, If kids
that live in places where they
00:17:33.11\00:17:36.22
just don't have good air, it
can actually stunt their growth.
00:17:36.25\00:17:39.75
And fresh air; some of the
tallest people in the world live
00:17:40.92\00:17:45.73
in the mountains where they got
clean air, both in Scandinavia
00:17:45.76\00:17:49.83
and in Africa, good air,
grow; pygmies live in the valley
00:17:49.86\00:17:58.47
of the Congo.
00:17:58.51\00:18:00.94
So you wanna be
where you get good air.
00:18:00.98\00:18:05.35
Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious
for nothing, but in everything
00:18:05.38\00:18:10.62
by prayer," we're praying about
everything, we're praying always
00:18:10.65\00:18:13.72
in supplication; "With
thanksgiving," thanksgiving
00:18:13.76\00:18:17.53
should be part of all prayer;
"Let your request be made known
00:18:17.56\00:18:20.73
to God; and the peace
of God, which surpasses all
00:18:20.76\00:18:24.20
understanding, will guard your
hearts and minds through Jesus
00:18:24.23\00:18:26.97
Christ," and you will grow.
00:18:27.00\00:18:30.47
Without prayer in the spiritual
life, almost quicker than
00:18:30.51\00:18:34.38
anything else, you
begin to dry up and die,
00:18:34.41\00:18:38.21
so we need to breathe.
00:18:38.25\00:18:39.85
You need to eat, you need to
breathe, you need to exercise.
00:18:39.88\00:18:42.62
You grow through exercise.
00:18:42.65\00:18:44.79
If a baby is eating and if a
baby is exercising and they're
00:18:44.82\00:18:48.89
breathing, they don't
worry about growing, it's going
00:18:48.92\00:18:52.63
to happen, it will be natural.
00:18:52.66\00:18:54.20
You need to exercise your faith.
00:18:54.23\00:18:55.53
Now how do you do that?
00:18:55.56\00:18:56.87
What does that mean?
00:18:56.90\00:18:58.37
Ephesians 4:15, "But, speaking
the truth in love, we may
00:18:58.40\00:19:03.57
grow up in all things into Him."
00:19:03.61\00:19:06.51
One of the ways that you
exercise as a Christian is
00:19:06.54\00:19:09.58
you share your faith.
00:19:09.61\00:19:10.85
You realize you can't keep your
faith if you don't give it away?
00:19:10.88\00:19:14.48
Christianity is a miracle
of life that you get to keep
00:19:14.52\00:19:17.55
by sharing it, you
keep it by giving it away.
00:19:17.59\00:19:21.02
That doesn't mean everybody
is a preacher, teacher, pastor,
00:19:21.06\00:19:24.29
evangelist, but every believer
is called upon to do something
00:19:24.33\00:19:29.03
to share.
00:19:29.06\00:19:31.77
Have you ever seen somebody,
you've been talking to them,
00:19:31.80\00:19:35.27
they had a tragic
experience 30 years ago?
00:19:35.30\00:19:39.01
I've seen World War II veterans,
and they haven't thought about
00:19:39.04\00:19:44.35
it in years and someone will ask
them, "Can you please tell me
00:19:44.38\00:19:46.65
what happened at
Pearl Harbor or D-Day?"
00:19:46.68\00:19:49.55
And they start to tell the story
and they break down and begin
00:19:49.58\00:19:52.62
to cry 'cause they
relive the experience.
00:19:52.65\00:19:56.26
When you tell others what Jesus
has done for you, you relive
00:19:56.29\00:20:00.46
the experience and it reaffirms
it in your own life and
00:20:00.50\00:20:04.93
you will grow in your maturity.
00:20:04.97\00:20:07.67
2 Thessalonians 1:3, "We
are bound to give thanks to God
00:20:07.70\00:20:11.34
always for you, brethren, as it
is fitting, because your faith
00:20:11.37\00:20:14.94
grows exceedingly,"
Paul was thanking God because
00:20:14.98\00:20:18.88
they were
growing in their faith,
00:20:18.91\00:20:20.55
"And the love of every one of
you abounds towards each other."
00:20:20.58\00:20:24.39
Those Thessalonian believers
were sharing their faith
00:20:24.42\00:20:26.79
and they were growing as they
shared it in their community.
00:20:26.82\00:20:30.39
In Revelation 12:11,
"They overcome by the blood
00:20:30.43\00:20:33.93
of the Lamb and the
word of their testimony."
00:20:33.96\00:20:37.57
See, we're
overcoming by testifying.
00:20:37.60\00:20:41.94
If you will believe in your
heart and share with your mouth
00:20:41.97\00:20:45.44
the Lord Jesus Christ, we're to
proclaim it, we're to share it
00:20:45.47\00:20:47.88
with others, it does something
to seal it in our own lives.
00:20:47.91\00:20:52.61
You know, if you want to
be a Christian, you got to get
00:20:52.65\00:20:55.95
right in the middle of it.
00:20:55.98\00:20:57.99
So often people,
they stay near the edge.
00:20:58.02\00:21:00.52
It's like they're born again
and then they stop, they say,
00:21:00.56\00:21:03.83
"Praise the Lord,
I've got eternal life now,"
00:21:03.86\00:21:06.39
but they don't grow
and they become stunted.
00:21:06.43\00:21:10.50
Years ago, this ship was sailing
across the Caribbean, and the
00:21:10.53\00:21:18.37
water was a little rough, the
boat was rocking and pretty soon
00:21:18.41\00:21:20.98
one of the series
called, "Man overboard."
00:21:21.01\00:21:23.81
Well, back then that was pretty
serious because these big old
00:21:23.85\00:21:26.41
ships, it was hard to turn them
around, and as it was moving
00:21:26.45\00:21:29.65
along, you know,
if there were sharks,
00:21:29.68\00:21:32.29
if the water was too cold.
00:21:32.32\00:21:33.69
And so they hear the
cry, "Man overboard."
00:21:33.72\00:21:35.76
You know, someone runs the back
of the boat and they could see
00:21:35.79\00:21:37.99
the sailor's off there bobbing
in the water, and the captain
00:21:38.03\00:21:41.70
tells them,
"Turn the ship around."
00:21:41.73\00:21:43.90
And they turn the ship around,
it lumbers around, they lower
00:21:43.93\00:21:46.67
the sails, they let down the
lifeboat, they send off a rescue
00:21:46.70\00:21:50.14
party, and they found this wet
sailor off there, it was warm
00:21:50.17\00:21:53.74
water, he was okay.
00:21:53.78\00:21:55.21
They hauled him in, they brought
him ashore, everybody cheered
00:21:55.24\00:21:57.81
'cause, you know I used to
read these stories, a man went
00:21:57.85\00:22:00.45
overboard there was like a
50% chance they'd never get them
00:22:00.48\00:22:02.88
back if it was a cold ocean.
00:22:02.92\00:22:06.15
And so they have there as soon
as they said, "Man overboard,"
00:22:06.19\00:22:08.59
someone was ready on the
stern to throw a rope to them
00:22:08.62\00:22:11.43
right away with a ring on it.
00:22:11.46\00:22:13.63
Well, they get this guy back
up in the boat and he's standing
00:22:13.66\00:22:15.83
there leaning against the
deck and everybody's rejoicing,
00:22:15.86\00:22:17.93
they're slapping them on
the back, and they saved him.
00:22:17.97\00:22:21.04
And they hoist up the sails
and they begin on their journey
00:22:21.07\00:22:23.67
again, and pretty soon
they hear, "Man overboard."
00:22:23.71\00:22:28.51
Same sailor fell off.
00:22:28.54\00:22:31.85
So he turned the boat around
again and, they lower the sails
00:22:31.88\00:22:34.78
and they come up to him and
they launched life boat, a lot
00:22:34.82\00:22:36.72
of work involved in all
this, and they paddle up to him
00:22:36.75\00:22:38.95
and he's still out there alive.
00:22:38.99\00:22:40.32
They pick them up, they brought
him back and the captain said,
00:22:40.36\00:22:42.39
"Brother, what
seems to be the problem?"
00:22:42.42\00:22:45.59
He says, "Well, sir, I
guess I stayed too close
00:22:45.63\00:22:47.66
to where I got in."
00:22:47.73\00:22:51.57
Some people keep falling out
because they stayed too close
00:22:51.60\00:22:55.30
to where they got in.
00:22:55.34\00:22:58.51
Once you accept Christ, don't
stay in the crib, don't stay and
00:22:58.54\00:23:03.35
just milk-milk-milk-milk-milk.
00:23:03.38\00:23:05.18
I get tired of it after a
while, I don't know about you.
00:23:05.21\00:23:09.52
But we need to continue to grow
in the Lord, look for a deeper
00:23:09.55\00:23:13.22
experience, look for more work,
bigger challenges in Christ,
00:23:13.25\00:23:19.29
a better view of Him that
we might grow in our knowledge.
00:23:19.33\00:23:23.87
You know, they say the fastest
growing plant in the world,
00:23:23.90\00:23:28.17
fastest growing
thing is the bamboo.
00:23:28.20\00:23:32.77
It it can grow up to 35 inches
in a day, and how tall would you
00:23:32.81\00:23:38.51
be today if
that's how fast you grew?
00:23:38.55\00:23:41.82
35 inches in a day,
that is pretty amazing.
00:23:41.85\00:23:45.39
They actually measure
bamboo growth in miles per hour,
00:23:45.42\00:23:50.53
its 0.00002 miles
per hour on a good day.
00:23:50.56\00:23:58.40
According to "RHS Dictionary
of Gardening," there are
00:23:58.43\00:24:01.04
approximately
1,000 species of bamboo.
00:24:01.07\00:24:03.74
The tallest recorded in the
tropics is 130 feet, and the
00:24:03.77\00:24:07.01
amazing thing is bamboo is
grass, it's in the grass family.
00:24:07.04\00:24:13.48
But you know why
it grows so fast?
00:24:13.52\00:24:15.48
It's in the ideal environment,
bamboo doesn't grow that fast in
00:24:15.52\00:24:19.45
the Arctic, it grows near the
equator where it's got a lot of
00:24:19.49\00:24:24.39
sun, on islands where they
get a lot of rain, they've got
00:24:24.43\00:24:28.73
volcanic soil and the
very best of conditions,
00:24:28.76\00:24:32.53
and it grows like crazy.
00:24:32.57\00:24:35.70
Matter of fact, they build
everything out of bamboo and
00:24:35.74\00:24:37.71
you go on those
parts of the world.
00:24:37.74\00:24:40.28
If you followed the
rules, if you take up the keys
00:24:40.31\00:24:45.05
for Christian
growth, you're gonna grow.
00:24:45.08\00:24:47.58
male announcer: Don't forget
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To get your digital copy of
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It's now easier than ever
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and most important,
to share it with others.
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male announcer: "Go into all
the world and preach the Gospel
00:25:25.82\00:25:29.06
to every creature."
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Through radio, television,
print, evangelistic events
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and the internet, "Amazing
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Armed with these precious
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Please visit
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That website again is
ReachTheWorld.AmazingFacts.org.
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Thank you for your support.
00:26:22.91\00:26:24.48
male announcer: What if
you could know the future?
00:26:27.75\00:26:31.12
What would you do?
00:26:31.15\00:26:33.29
What would you change?
00:26:33.32\00:26:35.82
To see the future, you
must understand the past.
00:26:35.86\00:26:40.20
male: Alexander the Great
becomes king when he's only 18,
00:26:40.23\00:26:42.73
but he's military prodigy.
00:26:42.76\00:26:45.60
male: 150 years in
advance, Cyrus had been named.
00:26:45.63\00:26:50.71
male: Nebuchadnezzar
built the city as a showcase
00:26:50.74\00:26:53.58
to the entire world.
00:26:53.61\00:26:55.68
male: Rome was
violent, they were ruthless,
00:26:55.71\00:26:59.21
they were determined.
00:26:59.25\00:27:00.68
male announcer: This intriguing
documentary hosted by Pastor
00:27:03.35\00:27:06.25
Doug Batchelor explores the most
striking Bible prophecies that
00:27:06.29\00:27:10.49
have been dramatically
fulfilled throughout history.
00:27:10.53\00:27:14.56
"Kingdoms In Time," an
extraordinary adventure
00:27:14.60\00:27:18.37
through the Bible's most
amazing fulfilled prophecies.
00:27:18.40\00:27:21.87
Are you ready?
00:27:21.90\00:27:23.57
female announcer: Let's
face it, it's not always easy
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to understand everything
you read in the Bible.
00:27:27.61\00:27:29.98
With over 700,000 words
contained in 66 books, the Bible
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can generate a lot of questions.
00:27:34.35\00:27:36.32
To get biblical, straightforward
answers, call into "Bible
00:27:36.35\00:27:39.62
Answers Live," a live nationwide
call in radio program where you
00:27:39.65\00:27:43.66
can talk to Pastor Doug Bachelor
and ask him your most difficult
00:27:43.69\00:27:46.93
Bible questions.
00:27:46.96\00:27:48.26
For times and stations
in your area, or to listen
00:27:48.30\00:27:51.03
to answers online,
visit BAL.AmazingFacts.org.
00:27:51.07\00:27:55.64
male announcer: Don't forget
to request today's free offer,
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it's sure to be a blessing.
00:28:04.31\00:28:05.88
And thank you for your continued
support as we take the Gospel
00:28:05.91\00:28:09.25
of Jesus Christ to the world.
00:28:09.28\00:28:11.22
We hope you'll join us
next week, as we delve deep into
00:28:11.25\00:28:14.39
the Word of God to
explore more "Amazing Facts."
00:28:14.42\00:28:17.59
This presentation was
brought to you by the friends
00:28:23.20\00:28:25.53
of the "Amazing Facts" ministry.
00:28:25.57\00:28:27.57