And next to Jesus,
Paul is one of the most
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well known figures
of the New Testament.
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But who was Paul really?
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Join us today on
"Back to Our Roots"
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as you hear us talk about it.
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Welcome once again
to "Back to Our Roots."
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I'm your host
Pastor Alex Schlusser
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and my co-host-- Rachel Hyman.
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And we're so glad that
you've decided to join us today.
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We have a really
special program today.
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We're gonna be
talking about the Rabbi Paul.
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Now Rachel I bet
that when we say that,
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even that
statement, the Rabbi Paul,
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some people are going, what?
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What Rabbi? Who, Paul, who?
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Yeah.
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You know, I don't know
how many people associate
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the fact that Paul
of the New Testament--
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Was a very popular Rabbi.
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A very prominent, a
very well known Rabbi.
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Today, we're gonna be
discussing his early life.
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And what made him who he was?
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The biblical character,
figure that we know him to be.
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You know, maybe we
want to start where for him
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was the starting of
his walk with Jesus.
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You know, the
scriptures in the Book of Acts
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talk about the persecution
that was talking place.
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And Paul was maybe the leader
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or the most
zealot of all of the Jews
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at that point that
we're coming against it.
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You know, this had become
a growing sect within Judaism
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and there were
many of the leaders
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that were
fearing for their power
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and fearing for their
persuasion over the people
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and here was this upstart Rabbi
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by the name of Jesus or
Yeshua that had proclaimed
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something that was like wildfire
spreading through the nation.
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And Paul, when
we first meet him,
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he's hunting down
the Jewish believers
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and persecuting
them and sending them
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to their death literally.
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Killing them. Right.
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And when we first meet Paul,
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it's actually at
the stoning of Stephen,
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that he's standing there
holding the cloaks of them
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that are stoning Stephen.
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But we want to pick
it up now in Acts 9:3.
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And let me read this
little passage for you.
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"Now as he went on his way,"
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now the "he" is Paul,
"he approached Damascus,
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and suddenly a light
from heaven shone about him.
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And falling to the
ground he heard a voice saying,
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'Saul, Saul, why are
you persecuting me?"'
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Wow. I wonder what must
have went through his head.
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He's like, "what? I'm helping
you, Lord, not persecuting."
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Well, and he said
"who are you Lord?"
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What a great
question. Who are you Lord?
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And He said, "I am Jesus
whom you are persecuting."
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Wow. Can you imagine
what he must have felt like?
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Oh, Paul must have been
crushed devastated to the core
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because, listen, Paul
did what he did because--
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Yeah, he was sincere.
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He was sincere, he was a zealot.
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And isn't that the way it is,
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that God can take
those who even though
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in the beginning their
intentions may be wrong,
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but they're passionate.
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And God can change that
passion for the right thing
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and that's what he does to Paul.
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He lights Paul on fire, right.
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Well, at this point
I'd like to bring out
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our resident scholar, Sasha.
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Sasha, come join us.
Good to see you, Rachel.
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Good to see you,
Alex. Salom, Sasha.
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How are you, my
brother? Pretty good today.
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Good. Good to have you with us.
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So, Sasha, our topic
today is the Rabbi Paul.
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Yes, yes. Yes, the Rabbi Paul.
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And we've already
talked about how Paul
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through his Damascus
road experience meets Jesus.
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Now, friends, you
need to spend some time
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and go back and
read Acts Chapter 9
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because there's a
lot more to the story
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what God ends up doing to him,
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blinding him and
many things happen for him
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to come to that
place to be able to accept,
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yes, in fact, this is Jesus.
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But we're gonna
jump into his life now
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as someone who began to share
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the good news,
the gospel message.
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Particularly Acts
Chapter 13, Sasha,
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describes Paul going
down to the synagogue,
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people going there.
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Why don't you tell us
a little bit about that
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and exactly what's happening?
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You think maybe I
should read that passage?
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Yeah, let me read
a little bit of it
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because it says,
"that on the Sabbath day
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they went into the
synagogue and they sat down.
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After the reading from the law
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and the prophets the
rulers of the synagogue
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sent a message to them
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saying, 'Brothers,
if you have any word
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of encouragement for
the people, say it."'
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What exactly is
going on here, Sasha?
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Okay, first of all I
want to take note that
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before the sentence you read
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there is that they came to
the city of Antioch of Pisidia
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which is a little different.
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It's in the coast of Asia Minor
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which is kind of
Northern Mediterranean
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where Turkey is.
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And so it's the
area where Paul was from.
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He was from Tarsus which
is somewhere around there,
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one of these coastal cities
of today's southern Turkey
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which where many Jews live,
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many diasporas
and different places.
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And so they go there,
they walk into the synagogue,
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they sit down and then it says
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"after the reading of
the law and the prophets."
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That's a very
important statement
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because this is the purpose
what the synagogue is all about,
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unlike the
temple which is designed
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to have rituals and sacrifices,
synagogue is the place
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for public study and
reading of scripture.
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So this is what they do.
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They break the
Torah, five books of Moses
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into weekly portions
and they read it to people.
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Which, by the way,
even today that exists,
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that if you go to synagogues
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almost anywhere in the
world on any given Sabbath,
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you're gonna hear
essentially the same things
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being read wherever you are.
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Really? I
didn't know that. Yeah.
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So then they would
have a matching portion
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from the books of the prophets
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to go with the
portion of the Torah.
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It's known as Haftarah,
meaning the conclusion.
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And that's what New Testament
refers by the prophets.
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So this is the essential,
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this is the bulk part
of the synagogue service
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to actually have the
scripture read to people.
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And so after that
there is a time for,
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what is known in
Christianity today as sermons
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and here it's called
the words of encouragement.
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In Hebrew, it's nihemta
you know, how do you lift us,
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lift our spirit after
we've read the scripture
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and usually that's
the task of the Rabbi.
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So let me ask you
then, is this, Sasha,
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them doing commentary on it
or is it or are they free to,
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you know,
whatever is on their heart
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to speak to them about?
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Is it necessarily
tied to what they had read?
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It is and it isn't.
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The Torah, the legal
commentary on the Torah
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is done right away
when the Torah is read.
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Now would they--
another question.
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Would they do an
interpretation at the same time
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because if
they're in the Diaspora--
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Oh, absolutely.
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Outside of Judea, that
means they could be Greek or,
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you know, whatever language is.
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So they would read it in Hebrew
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and then someone
would interpret it
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into the existing language
whatever that synagogue--
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And that
interpreter known as meturgeman,
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he would supply a
little commentary here
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and there explaining--
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As they're reading
that particular portion.
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As they're
reading and he translates.
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Right, so then when they say,
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"Brothers, if you have
a word of encouragement,"
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that could be connected to
the portion that they had read
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but it also
could be just something
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that particular
speaker had in heart.
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It's actually more towards
the portion of the prophets,
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and then it's
tithing and it's like
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what speaker
could have to speak.
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You know, I'm only asking this
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because it comes
to mind, you know,
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how so often in
Christian worship services
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you're gonna have
a scripture reading.
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And then someone's gonna
come along and preaching,
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usually the
preaching is drawn from
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whatever that
scripture reading is from.
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That's about the same.
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And it's probably it
could have its origin
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in carrying those traditions
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and those
customs from that time.
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Absolutely. Interesting.
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So that's the fact that these--
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that Paul and his friends
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in that city of
Antioch of Pisidia right away
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were invited to speak
the words of encouragement
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by the leaders of the synagogue
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meant that Paul was
indeed revealed as a teacher.
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Right, because they
wouldn't just ask anyone to,
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"hey, you got something to say?
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Come on." Yeah, of
course, they came--
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you have to remember
next what is described,
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you know, after
the big speech of Paul,
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there is a little description
of how the ancient synagogue
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was actually composed.
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It was composed
of three sections.
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You got the first
rules for the Jews,
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those were born
Jews or became Jews
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after they have
received their circumcision
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and went on
pilgrimage to Jerusalem
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to eat the Passover lamb.
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Then they're fully Jewish.
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Then on the second section,
which is a little bit behind,
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that's where you
sit your Gentiles
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who are
preparing for conversions.
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Now would those be
known as the God-fearers?
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Proselytes. Proselytes.
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Many of them are
already circumcised
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but according to Exodus
12, you become Israelite
00:10:50.28\00:10:54.90
only after you have
eaten the Passover lamb.
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So it may take a couple of years
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before this individual
could raise enough money
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and possibility to actually
take the trip to Jerusalem
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to participate in
sacrificial ceremony.
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Then he's fully Jewish.
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I want to clarify something
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because remember,
that we are talking about
00:11:15.23\00:11:18.40
Paul is going to synagogues.
These are not Christians.
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This is in the
full Jewish economy
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because I don't want
people to get confused,
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you know, that we have
people here that are okay,
00:11:28.78\00:11:31.05
that we're talking
about that "church" Christians
00:11:31.08\00:11:34.11
that are making this attempt
to go ahead and become Jewish.
00:11:34.14\00:11:38.82
No, no, this is--
this is Jewish synagogue.
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If we-- and then, of course,
00:11:42.17\00:11:43.92
there is a third row
where you have guests,
00:11:43.95\00:11:47.29
the first comers, the righteous,
00:11:47.32\00:11:50.32
you know, that's one you're
talking about God fearers.
00:11:50.35\00:11:54.26
These are Gentiles
who decided for them self,
00:11:54.29\00:11:57.72
"Hey, we're sick and
tired of this pagan worship.
00:11:57.75\00:12:00.82
Let us explore what
the synagogue have to say."
00:12:00.85\00:12:03.95
So Paul is
there in the synagogue
00:12:03.98\00:12:05.77
preaching to
this varied audience.
00:12:05.80\00:12:08.14
And, of course, he is sitting
on the prestigious place,
00:12:08.17\00:12:11.98
front row because they're
Jewish, so they're there.
00:12:12.01\00:12:14.66
Right, but do you think
that this would have been a case
00:12:14.69\00:12:17.79
that the leaders
of the synagogues
00:12:17.82\00:12:20.58
would have known who he was
00:12:20.61\00:12:22.36
or would it be that
someone has talked to them
00:12:22.39\00:12:24.59
before and said,
"hey, we have this Rabbi
00:12:24.62\00:12:27.95
who has come from Jerusalem."
00:12:27.98\00:12:30.33
Oh, the fact-- Did he have to?
00:12:30.36\00:12:32.92
I guess what I'm saying, Sasha,
00:12:32.95\00:12:34.32
is that did he have to present
some kind of credentials,
00:12:34.35\00:12:38.76
you know, to be able to prove
00:12:38.79\00:12:40.83
so that he would even be invited
00:12:40.86\00:12:42.58
to speak in front
of the congregation?
00:12:42.61\00:12:43.96
Unlike-- we talked about Jesus,
00:12:43.99\00:12:45.89
unlike Jesus who
didn't have credential
00:12:45.92\00:12:49.75
and that's why
Pharisees didn't like Him
00:12:49.78\00:12:52.61
because He kind
of proclaimed himself
00:12:52.64\00:12:55.41
or the voice of
heaven proclaimed
00:12:55.44\00:12:57.48
and Pharisees didn't
care for the voice of heaven,
00:12:57.51\00:13:00.20
Paul had credential.
00:13:00.23\00:13:02.55
He was one of the
best disciples of Gamaliel.
00:13:02.58\00:13:06.01
So he had the
full rights to come
00:13:06.04\00:13:08.07
to the synagogue and teach.
00:13:08.10\00:13:09.73
Right, right, so
Paul then we find him
00:13:09.76\00:13:16.15
teaching in the
synagogues wherever he goes.
00:13:16.18\00:13:18.02
He goes, that's the first place
00:13:18.05\00:13:19.49
that he goes is
to the synagogues
00:13:19.52\00:13:21.56
and whatever city it is,
and he is teaching about Yeshua,
00:13:21.59\00:13:26.58
however he is doing and
however he is approaching,
00:13:26.61\00:13:28.98
he's talking about
Messiah has come and so on,
00:13:29.01\00:13:33.32
but we do get the
sense from the scripture
00:13:33.35\00:13:36.21
that there is a problem with
whether it's how Paul speaks,
00:13:36.24\00:13:41.79
how he presents his
message, what he does,
00:13:41.82\00:13:44.76
that there's some
confusion about what Paul
00:13:44.79\00:13:47.96
is teaching that's
beginning to arise.
00:13:47.99\00:13:50.42
Because in 2 Peter, we
have these words addressed.
00:13:50.45\00:13:55.99
And it says this,
this is 2 Peter 3:16,
00:13:56.02\00:13:59.39
"as he does in all his letters,"
Peter's speaking of Paul,
00:13:59.42\00:14:03.09
"when he speaks in
them of these matters."
00:14:03.12\00:14:05.61
And I wonder what
"these matters" are.
00:14:05.64\00:14:07.53
Maybe things of Torah,
the things of religious--
00:14:07.56\00:14:11.12
you know, something, right?
00:14:11.15\00:14:12.73
We'll explore that maybe.
00:14:12.76\00:14:14.28
"There are some things in
them that are hard to understand
00:14:14.31\00:14:18.86
which the
ignorant and the unstable,"
00:14:18.89\00:14:21.86
now I'm
wondering what that means,
00:14:21.89\00:14:24.26
"twist to their own destruction
00:14:24.29\00:14:26.67
as they do the
other scriptures."
00:14:26.70\00:14:30.81
You pointed right exactly, Alex,
00:14:30.84\00:14:34.25
when you have--
there are two issues.
00:14:34.28\00:14:36.27
What are "these matters"?
00:14:36.30\00:14:38.32
And something confusing.
00:14:38.35\00:14:40.22
So let's talk
about "these matters."
00:14:40.25\00:14:43.25
One of the important matter
which is not understood today
00:14:43.28\00:14:47.87
is the fact that
Paul is first of all,
00:14:47.90\00:14:53.35
a disciple to Jewish Diaspora.
00:14:53.38\00:14:56.58
And Diaspora functions
totally different from Judea.
00:14:56.61\00:15:02.32
So remember, you know,
just so everyone understands,
00:15:02.35\00:15:05.40
we use that term Diaspora,
as we said in other programs,
00:15:05.43\00:15:09.06
this is referring to those Jews
00:15:09.09\00:15:11.88
that were no longer
living in Jerusalem or Judea
00:15:11.91\00:15:15.23
and were living in other parts
of that Mediterranean world.
00:15:15.26\00:15:19.33
And by the way, there
is some similarity today.
00:15:19.36\00:15:22.94
If you went to Israel
00:15:22.97\00:15:24.41
and you've been to
the synagogues in America,
00:15:24.44\00:15:26.68
the synagogues in
America are totally different
00:15:26.71\00:15:29.07
from the synagogues in Israel.
00:15:29.10\00:15:31.16
And I'm not gonna get
into the reasons but in the--
00:15:31.19\00:15:34.57
So let's get back to Paul.
00:15:34.60\00:15:36.01
Yeah, and the Diaspora,
00:15:36.04\00:15:38.02
the problem is you
have these synagogues
00:15:38.05\00:15:41.31
are always drawing Gentiles in.
00:15:41.34\00:15:44.89
But what we have in
actually Acts 13 and Acts 14
00:15:44.92\00:15:49.53
and it culminates in Acts 15,
00:15:49.56\00:15:51.90
we have this
thing that Paul does.
00:15:51.93\00:15:55.35
He starts
accepting Gentiles right away
00:15:55.38\00:15:59.18
and it causes a
huge fear because
00:15:59.21\00:16:02.87
literally a
conversion-- even today
00:16:02.90\00:16:06.20
you convert to Judaism,
it takes you 5 to 7 years.
00:16:06.23\00:16:09.89
Really?
00:16:09.92\00:16:11.19
Conversion to
Judaism with all the rules
00:16:11.22\00:16:14.15
and regulation,
it takes that long.
00:16:14.18\00:16:17.52
And before that you
can't sit on one table
00:16:17.55\00:16:22.99
with non-Jew until
he is fully converted.
00:16:23.02\00:16:27.41
And by this I
don't mean this table
00:16:27.44\00:16:30.80
like we're sitting in a meeting.
00:16:30.83\00:16:32.21
You mean like a
teaching. No, I mean community.
00:16:32.24\00:16:36.23
You go into this
Diaspora, you see the houses.
00:16:36.26\00:16:41.14
Here is Jewish houses,
Jewish houses, Jewish houses.
00:16:41.17\00:16:44.41
And these Jewish
houses are connected.
00:16:44.44\00:16:47.82
They create like a
special, like a enclave,
00:16:47.85\00:16:51.92
because that's where
they cook their food.
00:16:51.95\00:16:54.69
That's where they
eat together, you know,
00:16:54.72\00:16:57.71
and so they are very
protective of someone else
00:16:57.74\00:17:01.88
coming in until he
is fully converted.
00:17:01.91\00:17:05.00
And so Paul brings the Gentiles
in and then they're just,
00:17:05.03\00:17:08.21
"wow, what are you doing?
00:17:08.24\00:17:09.73
You can't go so fast."
00:17:09.76\00:17:11.82
So let's back to
the scripture, Sasha.
00:17:11.85\00:17:14.46
These matters that
he's talking about--
00:17:16.60\00:17:18.59
That's often are these matters.
00:17:18.62\00:17:21.91
The major issue is how do you
become the follower of Jesus.
00:17:21.94\00:17:26.20
Do you become
the follower of Jesus
00:17:26.23\00:17:28.29
through the same procedure
00:17:28.32\00:17:30.44
as someone would
become a Jew in that world?
00:17:30.47\00:17:34.55
Or do you become the follower
of Jesus a little bit faster?
00:17:34.58\00:17:39.16
When are you accepted?
00:17:39.19\00:17:40.81
That's the major issue that
Paul discusses in his epistles.
00:17:40.84\00:17:44.50
So why does Peter
say that he thinks that
00:17:44.53\00:17:48.13
it's hard to understand?
00:17:48.16\00:17:49.51
Is it the way that
Paul is presenting it?
00:17:49.54\00:17:52.48
Or is it the preconceived
notations that people had
00:17:52.51\00:17:56.61
about what was right
and what was expected
00:17:56.64\00:17:58.83
and he's coming with
something that seems so foreign?
00:17:58.86\00:18:01.90
No, what Paul is
working and dealing with
00:18:01.93\00:18:06.10
in writing it's in a
special Jewish style.
00:18:06.13\00:18:09.35
It's like he goes in circles.
00:18:09.38\00:18:12.81
He goes in circles and
he would kind of debate
00:18:12.84\00:18:17.19
within the text of his epistle,
00:18:17.22\00:18:21.11
asking the question,
raising the-- you know,
00:18:21.14\00:18:26.43
raising the difficulties,
resolving the difficulties.
00:18:26.46\00:18:30.33
And it goes back and forth,
00:18:30.36\00:18:31.88
back and forth, back and forth.
00:18:31.91\00:18:33.42
That's why one needs to
really look at the whole epistle
00:18:33.45\00:18:37.63
and the problem is often
people just take one verse
00:18:37.66\00:18:41.52
and they make whole conclusion.
00:18:41.55\00:18:43.70
And this verse
maybe Paul is addressing
00:18:43.73\00:18:47.00
somebody's misconception.
00:18:47.03\00:18:49.25
So I've always been intrigued
by Peter's use of ignorant
00:18:49.28\00:18:55.12
and unstable twist to
their own destruction.
00:18:55.15\00:18:58.80
Do you have any
thoughts of why he might have
00:18:58.83\00:19:01.68
phrased it that way
because to me it seems like
00:19:01.71\00:19:05.26
this was something that
any person might misunderstand.
00:19:05.29\00:19:10.75
You know, exactly how it is--
00:19:10.78\00:19:12.96
what does he mean by ignorant?
00:19:12.99\00:19:14.90
Is he talking about people
that don't really understand
00:19:14.93\00:19:18.53
those rabbinic teaching styles?
00:19:18.56\00:19:20.40
And if that's the case,
00:19:20.43\00:19:22.46
why would he
consider that unstable?
00:19:22.49\00:19:24.79
What do you think?
Interesting question.
00:19:24.82\00:19:26.49
I believe, I believe
that people referred--
00:19:26.52\00:19:30.49
Peter refers to ignorant,
00:19:30.52\00:19:32.23
if these are the
people who are ignorant
00:19:32.26\00:19:35.08
about the
environment and the culture
00:19:35.11\00:19:39.90
in which Paul is addressing,
00:19:39.93\00:19:42.96
so the ignorance I believe
is the main component here, so.
00:19:42.99\00:19:48.56
And why unstable?
00:19:48.59\00:19:51.53
Because, you know,
00:19:51.56\00:19:53.07
there are two
ways ignorant can work,
00:19:53.10\00:19:55.29
ignorant can decide
to learn and understand.
00:19:55.32\00:19:58.82
And people who
don't want to learn
00:19:58.85\00:20:01.37
and they want to abuse,
00:20:01.40\00:20:03.79
I believe those
people are unstable because
00:20:03.82\00:20:07.26
they're not willing to
learn and to understand
00:20:07.29\00:20:11.66
the intricacies of
issues Paul was dealing
00:20:11.69\00:20:16.66
and they're quick in
judgment and try to--
00:20:16.69\00:20:21.17
and that's what they are
twisting and that's what--
00:20:21.20\00:20:23.88
So it's the matter of the will.
00:20:23.91\00:20:25.76
Yeah, it's the matter of
the will to learn, I believe.
00:20:25.79\00:20:29.34
So when he says they twisted
to their own destruction,
00:20:29.37\00:20:33.00
he says, as they do
the other scriptures.
00:20:33.03\00:20:35.80
So this, I mean we could
bring this really into today
00:20:35.83\00:20:39.64
because we see this on time.
00:20:39.67\00:20:41.87
That people take
teachings, not just of Paul,
00:20:41.90\00:20:45.76
but of Jesus of
the Bible as a whole,
00:20:45.79\00:20:49.79
without really spending time
to study and understand context,
00:20:49.82\00:20:56.37
the time in which it was spoken,
00:20:56.40\00:20:57.83
what did it mean to
the original hearers then.
00:20:57.86\00:21:01.14
They quickly make assumptions
and try to apply it their life
00:21:01.17\00:21:05.03
and wrongly apply the scripture.
00:21:05.06\00:21:08.88
And like Peter says,
it's to their own destruction,
00:21:08.91\00:21:12.73
because they, you
know, they follow a God
00:21:12.76\00:21:15.03
that isn't and maybe
it's one of the reasons,
00:21:15.06\00:21:17.82
not the only one,
we talked about this
00:21:17.85\00:21:19.43
when we talked about
the sermon on the Mount
00:21:19.46\00:21:22.73
when Jesus is saying,
you know, many will say,
00:21:22.76\00:21:25.22
"didn't we cast out demons,
00:21:25.25\00:21:26.56
didn't we do all
these things for you?"
00:21:26.59\00:21:28.56
And Jesus says, "depart
from me, I never knew you."
00:21:28.59\00:21:31.38
And that could
be a similar affect
00:21:31.41\00:21:34.73
that these people,
yeah, they never knew Jesus
00:21:34.76\00:21:37.05
because they never took
the time to know who he was,
00:21:37.08\00:21:39.61
to understand
what he taught really.
00:21:39.64\00:21:41.94
It was all these
preconceived notions and so on.
00:21:41.97\00:21:44.89
And that reminds me of the
verse in John where Jesus says,
00:21:44.92\00:21:47.61
"those who are willing
will understand the doctrine."
00:21:47.64\00:21:50.01
Right.
00:21:50.04\00:21:51.33
And it's important to see that,
00:21:51.36\00:21:54.45
you know, you
can't know about Jesus,
00:21:54.48\00:21:56.97
you can't know about
God, you can't know God
00:21:57.00\00:22:00.99
without studying his revelation.
00:22:01.02\00:22:03.61
And that's a continuous
process, when we grow,
00:22:03.64\00:22:07.03
but if we are
kind of self satisfied
00:22:07.06\00:22:11.86
and we are-- we
think we can get by
00:22:11.89\00:22:16.21
and be with God
without understanding
00:22:16.24\00:22:18.56
the scripture,
that's a big error.
00:22:18.59\00:22:19.94
Or we're not open to understand
00:22:19.97\00:22:22.57
that our knowledge, our
growth in walking with Jesus
00:22:22.60\00:22:27.44
is something that
continues to move forward.
00:22:27.47\00:22:31.03
Just because you think
you went to Bible school
00:22:31.06\00:22:33.53
or you went to Sabbath school--
00:22:33.56\00:22:34.95
Or you accepted
Jesus 10 years ago.
00:22:34.98\00:22:36.28
When you were a kid and
you learned all these lessons.
00:22:36.31\00:22:38.27
Well, I learned all of that.
00:22:38.30\00:22:40.10
But the problem with that is
that as we grow and as we move,
00:22:40.13\00:22:43.01
the things that we
learn get challenged
00:22:43.04\00:22:45.21
and either we allow
those challenges to affect us
00:22:45.24\00:22:47.91
and to change us and to move us.
00:22:47.94\00:22:49.92
I want to, before
time gets completely
00:22:49.95\00:22:52.09
away from us today, Sasha,
00:22:52.12\00:22:54.59
I've always been a
strong believer that
00:22:54.62\00:22:56.93
one of the real problems
with the misunderstanding
00:22:56.96\00:22:59.93
of Paul is that people,
00:22:59.96\00:23:02.07
I would say, they start
with a distorted filter.
00:23:02.10\00:23:04.47
And what do I mean?
00:23:04.50\00:23:05.53
It's like putting a
colored filter on your glasses
00:23:05.56\00:23:08.42
and looking at something
and go, "wow, that's purple."
00:23:08.45\00:23:11.41
Because you
have a purple filter,
00:23:11.44\00:23:13.10
everything looks purple.
00:23:13.13\00:23:14.81
Now what do I
mean when I say that
00:23:14.84\00:23:16.82
people look at Paul
with a distorted filer?
00:23:16.85\00:23:19.28
First of all they
don't understand his history,
00:23:19.31\00:23:21.10
they don't understand who he is,
00:23:21.13\00:23:22.43
they don't
understand where he came from.
00:23:22.46\00:23:24.16
And to whom he
writes. And to whom he writes.
00:23:24.19\00:23:27.37
Another interesting thing
that I've often thought is
00:23:27.40\00:23:30.15
so much of Paul's letters
00:23:30.18\00:23:31.91
it's like listening to a
one-way phone conversion.
00:23:31.94\00:23:35.62
You only hear one side.
00:23:35.65\00:23:37.12
A lot of times we don't
know what the questions were.
00:23:37.15\00:23:39.19
He's just
answering those questions.
00:23:39.22\00:23:41.60
So we have to be really careful
00:23:41.63\00:23:45.04
that when we seek to
understand Paul that,
00:23:45.07\00:23:49.19
like you said, we are wanting
to understand his audience
00:23:49.22\00:23:52.64
and that, more importantly,
we are wanting to understand
00:23:52.67\00:23:55.62
who he was as he
brings his teachings
00:23:55.65\00:23:58.68
and his truth to us, Amen.
00:23:58.71\00:24:01.96
And it's
important also, you know,
00:24:01.99\00:24:03.99
some people may say,
"oh, it's so difficult,"
00:24:04.02\00:24:07.07
but if you read the
entire letter of Paul,
00:24:07.10\00:24:10.60
if you read the
entire-- if you don't focus
00:24:10.63\00:24:13.08
and pull one verse,
it will be possible.
00:24:13.11\00:24:16.78
So I hate to cut it
short but I have a song
00:24:16.81\00:24:19.52
that I'd love to do for us.
00:24:19.55\00:24:21.43
So, Sasha, if you
would describe that song.
00:24:21.46\00:24:24.09
Psalm 113:2,
00:24:24.12\00:24:26.87
"Mi-mizrah, from
the setting of the sun."
00:24:26.90\00:24:29.68
Blessed be the name of the Lord
00:25:09.81\00:25:14.72
Blessed be the name of the Lord
00:25:20.37\00:25:24.47
Oh, from the rising of the sun
00:25:24.50\00:25:28.37
To its going
down Rising of the sun
00:25:28.40\00:25:33.69
To its going down
00:25:33.72\00:25:35.23
The name of the
Lord is to be praised
00:25:35.26\00:25:40.38
The name of the
Lord is to be praised
00:25:40.41\00:25:44.93
From the rising of the sun
00:25:44.96\00:25:48.38
To its going down
00:25:48.41\00:25:50.50
The name of the
Lord to be praised
00:25:50.53\00:25:55.70
Blessed be the name of the Lord
00:26:01.03\00:26:06.27
Oh, blessed be
the name of the Lord
00:26:11.55\00:26:17.12
From the rising of
sun To its going down
00:26:37.19\00:26:42.74
The name of the
Lord is to be praised
00:26:42.77\00:26:47.87
The name of the
Lord is to be praised
00:26:47.90\00:26:53.90
Amen. From the rising of
the sun until the going down,
00:27:06.75\00:27:12.66
the name of the
Lord is to be praised.
00:27:12.69\00:27:14.82
You know, Rachel,
I think that Paul,
00:27:14.85\00:27:18.29
one of the things that
drove him more than anything
00:27:18.32\00:27:20.43
was to proclaim
the name of Jesus
00:27:20.46\00:27:22.55
once he had met Him,
that nothing would stop him,
00:27:22.58\00:27:25.39
from the rising of the
sun until the setting down.
00:27:25.42\00:27:27.50
That's what Paul did.
00:27:27.53\00:27:28.79
From synagogue to synagogue,
00:27:28.82\00:27:30.06
wherever he was, he
proclaimed the name,
00:27:30.09\00:27:34.71
the name above all names.
00:27:34.74\00:27:36.80
As God moves through you
may you have opportunities
00:27:36.83\00:27:41.76
to proclaim His
name wherever you are.
00:27:41.79\00:27:44.68
And may the Lord bless
you and may He keep you.
00:27:44.71\00:27:47.31
And may the Lord make
His face to shine upon you
00:27:47.34\00:27:49.83
and be gracious to you.
00:27:49.86\00:27:51.52
May the Lord lift
His countenance upon you
00:27:51.55\00:27:54.01
and bring you His peace.
00:27:54.04\00:27:55.90
Blessings.
00:27:55.93\00:27:56.96
And we'll see you
again on "Back to Our Roots."
00:27:56.99\00:28:00.17