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>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
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I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
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Family Feud, Wheel of
Fortune, Let's Make a Deal,
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The Price Is Right, game shows,
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they got their start on
radio and TV in the late 1930s.
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And today, the
commercial television landscape
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features numerous game shows.
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In 1940 a game show
called Truth or Consequences
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debuted on radio.
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It aired on
television from 1950 to 1988.
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On April the 1st, 1950,
host Ralph Edwards announced
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that the town of
Hot Springs, New Mexico,
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had agreed to change
its name from Hot Springs
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to Truth or Consequences
for the right to host
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a 10th anniversary episode
of the game show in their town.
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It was a publicity
stunt, and it worked.
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We're still talking about
it more than 70 years later,
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decades after the
program went out of production.
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And Hot Springs--I
mean, Truth or Consequences--
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saw tourism numbers
go through the roof.
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Truth or
Consequences isn't the only town
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to have changed its name.
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In August of 2018, Mayo,
Florida, temporarily changed
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its name to Miracle
Whip in an advertising stunt.
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Get that? From
mayo to Miracle Whip.
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But other name
changes have been permanent.
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New Amsterdam
became New York City.
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Saigon became Ho Chi Minh City,
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and Constantinople,
Turkey, became Istanbul.
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People change their names.
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Marilyn Monroe was
born Norma Jeane Mortenson.
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Musician Elton John
was born Reginald Dwight.
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And actor John Wayne's
given name was Marion Morrison.
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Boxer Cassius Clay changed
his name to Muhammad Ali,
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and basketballer "Lew" Alcindor
became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
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both men changing their names
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following their
conversion to Islam.
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And there's an
interesting point.
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Some towns change
their name on a whim.
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Hot Springs, New
Mexico, won a competition
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for the purpose of publicity.
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Some people change
their name because, well,
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because Judy Garland
sounds a lot more Hollywood
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than Frances Gumm,
Garland's real name.
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But notice with Kareem and
Ali, they changed their names
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because of a fundamental shift
in their thinking to reflect
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their new belief systems.
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Which leads us to some of
the most famous name changers
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in history.
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In the book of Genesis,
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several people have
their names changed...by God.
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One of them was Abraham,
who started life as Abram.
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And this is important
because, according to the Bible,
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one day you are going to be
given a new name by God Himself.
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Why is God going to
give people a new name?
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Let's look at a few
case studies and find out.
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In Genesis 17,
Abram is 99 years old.
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The background: Abram and Sarai
were unable to have children.
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Abram tried to help God
out of what was undoubtedly
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a tough place, humanly speaking.
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Sarai suggested
Abram take Hagar, her maid,
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and father a
child, which happened.
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But that child would
never be the child of promise,
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and the situation
became incredibly complex.
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You would hope that
Abram would learn his lesson,
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and evidently he did.
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God renewed His
covenant with Abram, saying,
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"I will make my
covenant between me and you,
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and will
multiply you exceedingly."
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God then went on to say,
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"No longer shall
your name be called Abram,
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"but your name shall be Abraham;
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for I have made you a
father of many nations."
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His name was changed
from Abram to Abraham.
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Abram likely means something
very much like "Exalted Father,"
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and while it's not easy to know
the precise meaning of Abraham,
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it's most likely something close
to "Father of a Great Number."
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So you see what happened there.
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Abraham's experience changed,
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and God signified
that by changing his name.
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There was a change in direction,
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which followed
a change of heart,
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and then God changed his name.
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So let's look at another
case where this happened.
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There are several in the Bible.
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Abraham's son was Isaac.
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Isaac's wife
Rebekah was infertile,
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but in answer to
prayer Rebekah became pregnant
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with twins, Jacob and Esau.
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Esau was born
first, Jacob second,
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with Jacob holding
Esau's heel when he was born.
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The story is well known.
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Esau, as the oldest, was
entitled to the birthright,
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certain
responsibilities and privileges,
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including a financial advantage,
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along with the spiritual
leadership in the family.
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Jacob took advantage of
Esau's extreme hunger one day
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when Esau sold him the
birthright for a plate of food.
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Esau basically said,
"I'm about to die of hunger,
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so the birthright
would be no use to me."
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That was an expensive meal,
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and it was a dirty
trick on the part of Jacob.
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And on top of that it
demonstrated an utter lack
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of faith in God.
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Jacob already
knew the birthright
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and all that came
with it would be his.
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God had told his mother Rebekah,
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"The elder shall
serve the younger."
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There was no need for
Jacob to wrong his brother,
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but he did it anyway.
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And on top of that, Jacob
and his mother Rebekah concocted
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an elaborate plot to
deceive the boy's father Isaac.
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He was an elderly man in failing
health with poor eyesight,
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and they tricked
him into blessing Jacob
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when Isaac thought
he was blessing Esau.
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Isaac was
disappointed he'd been deceived.
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Esau was angry.
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So angry the Bible says
he hated his brother Jacob.
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Rebekah advised Jacob to
flee for his life, so he did,
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traveling hundreds of
miles to his uncle Laban's home.
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Abraham occupied a very
special place in the world.
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He was called to be not
only the father of many nations,
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but the
progenitor of the Messiah.
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The Messiah would
be his descendant.
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Jesus would be his descendant.
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Abram needed a change of
heart, and he experienced it,
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and God signaled that heart
change by giving him a new name.
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Now, here's his
grandson, a complete scoundrel,
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cheating his twin brother,
cheating his own ailing father.
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And yet God didn't give
up on him. He gave Jacob
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the beautiful vision of a ladder
connecting earth with heaven.
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God prospered Jacob when
Laban tried to rip him off.
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Then when Jacob later
learned that his brother Esau
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was heading in his
direction, he cried out to God.
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He believed he
was in a tough place.
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And then something
interesting happened.
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The Bible says, "There
wrestled a Man with him
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until the breaking of the day."
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This was the pre-incarnate
Christ wrestling with Jacob.
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Hosea wrote that "he wept,
and made supplication unto Him."
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Jacob wrestled with the
Angel all though the night.
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The Angel said, "'Let
me go, for the day breaks.'
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"But he said, 'I will not let
You go unless You bless me!'"
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And then this: "So He said
to him, 'What is your name?'
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"He said, 'Jacob.' And He
said, 'Your name shall no longer
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"'be called Jacob, but Israel;
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"'for you have
struggled with God and with men,
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"and have prevailed.'
Then Jacob asked, saying,
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"'Tell me Your name, I
pray.' And He said, 'Why is it
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"that you ask about my
name?' And He blessed him there.
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"So Jacob called the
name of the place Peniel:
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"'For I have
seen God face to face,
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and my life is preserved.'"
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That's Genesis 32,
verses 27 through 30.
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God changed
Jacob's name that night.
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Now, why would He do that?
And how is that relevant to you?
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I'll tell you in just a moment.
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¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
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>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:09:51.65\00:09:54.46
Michael King's name was changed
to Martin Luther King Jr.
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Samuel Langhorne
Clemens? That's Mark Twain.
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Former president Gerald Ford
was born Leslie Lynch King Jr.
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And Jacob, the son of
Isaac in the Old Testament,
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had his name
changed, except in his case,
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his name was changed
by God. And here's why.
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The name Jacob means
"supplanter, deceiver."
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A supplanter is one who takes
or usurps the place of another.
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Israel means "He
Fights" or "God Fights"
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or "One Who Struggles With God."
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s name
was changed from Michael King
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after his father
traveled to Germany
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and learned about Martin Luther.
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Former president Ford
was adopted as a child,
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and his name changed then.
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Samuel Clemens wrote under
the non de plume Mark Twain
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because--well, I don't know.
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Sam Clemens sounds to me like
a pretty good author's name,
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surely. Maybe he thought it
wasn't as catchy as Mark Twain.
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But Jacob's name
was changed to Israel
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for very different reasons.
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After all of the missteps and
misjudgments and misdemeanors
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Jacob had been responsible for,
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he came to a point in his life
where he was truly repentant.
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And as evidence
that he'd been forgiven,
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his name was changed from one
that was a reminder of his sin
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to one that
commemorated his victory.
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Jacob was a new
man. He was God's man.
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He'd been through his time of
trial and, to a certain degree,
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purification, and
God acknowledged that
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by changing his name to Israel.
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The children of Israel were very
literally the children of Jacob,
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the descendants of Jacob.
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Jacob had a heart change
so remarkable, so impactful
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that God changed his
name to recognize that the man
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with the new name was
also a man with a new heart.
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We're going to see in
the book of Revelation
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that God wants to
give you a new name.
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That's significant: a new name.
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Abraham's wife Sarah
was also given a new name.
00:12:12.76\00:12:15.96
Well, more accurately,
Sarai was given a new name,
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and that name was Sarah.
00:12:19.77\00:12:22.00
This name change was
a sign of the covenant
00:12:22.04\00:12:24.54
God had established,
a sign that the promise
00:12:24.57\00:12:28.98
would come through Sarah.
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"God said to Abraham,
'As for Sarai your wife,
00:12:31.55\00:12:35.08
"'you shall not
call her name Sarai,
00:12:35.12\00:12:37.69
"'but Sarah shall be her name.
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"'And I will bless her and
also give you a son by her;
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"'then I will bless her, and she
shall be a mother of nations;
00:12:43.69\00:12:47.96
kings of peoples
shall be from her.'"
00:12:48.00\00:12:51.03
Genesis 17:15 and 16.
00:12:51.07\00:12:53.60
God's way has been that
there are times when a person
00:12:53.64\00:12:56.60
enters a new phase
of their experience,
00:12:56.64\00:12:59.41
and that person's conversion
or refinement or remaking
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has been acknowledged by
the bestowal of a new name.
00:13:02.14\00:13:05.85
Evidently, the devil
works on that same plan.
00:13:06.85\00:13:11.62
About 600 years
before the birth of Jesus,
00:13:11.65\00:13:14.19
the Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel
00:13:14.22\00:13:17.89
and took the city of Jerusalem.
00:13:17.93\00:13:19.93
He took the king,
Jehoiakim. He took valuables.
00:13:19.96\00:13:24.27
And he took "some of
the children of Israel
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"and some of the
king's descendants and some
00:13:26.70\00:13:28.60
"of the nobles, young men
in whom there was no blemish,
00:13:28.64\00:13:31.97
"but good-looking, gifted in
all wisdom, possessing knowledge
00:13:32.01\00:13:35.98
"and quick to understand,
who had ability to serve
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"in the king's palace,
and whom they might teach
00:13:39.45\00:13:42.92
the language and
literature of the Chaldeans."
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You see that in Daniel,
chapter 1, verses 3 and 4.
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So they would be
educated, or re-educated,
00:13:49.52\00:13:53.76
for the purpose of advancing
Babylon, and they were renamed.
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Daniel was named Belteshazzar.
00:14:00.14\00:14:02.60
His friend
Hananiah became Shadrach.
00:14:02.64\00:14:05.71
Mishael was christened Meshach,
00:14:05.74\00:14:08.54
and Azariah was
given the name Abed-Nego.
00:14:08.58\00:14:12.28
The name Daniel
means "God Is My Judge."
00:14:12.31\00:14:14.98
Hananiah means
"Jehovah Is Gracious."
00:14:15.02\00:14:17.62
Mishael means something
like "Who Belongs to God?"
00:14:17.65\00:14:20.59
While Azariah
means "Jehovah Helps."
00:14:20.62\00:14:24.56
Those are names given
to remind an individual
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of his or her
purpose, of their blessings,
00:14:26.96\00:14:30.57
of their relationship to
God, their dependence on God.
00:14:30.60\00:14:35.37
But their names were
changed--and for a purpose.
00:14:35.40\00:14:39.94
While it's not 100 percent clear
00:14:39.97\00:14:41.48
what each of the four new names
mean, Nebuchadnezzar said later
00:14:41.51\00:14:45.88
that Daniel's new name of
Belteshazzar had been given
00:14:45.91\00:14:49.72
"according to
the name of my god."
00:14:49.75\00:14:53.02
Abed-Nego is clearly a
name that honors pagan deities.
00:14:53.05\00:14:58.63
They were wanting to make
these young men Babylonian,
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so they gave them new names
00:15:02.13\00:15:03.83
signifying that they were
in the service of a new master
00:15:03.87\00:15:08.00
and should
therefore honor new gods.
00:15:08.04\00:15:11.77
When Joseph was taken to Egypt,
Pharaoh gave him a new name:
00:15:11.81\00:15:16.08
Zaphnath-Paaneah.
00:15:16.11\00:15:17.65
The kings were saying,
"You're on a new team now.
00:15:17.68\00:15:21.68
You're serving a new god now."
00:15:21.72\00:15:24.25
And they changed
their names to signify that.
00:15:24.29\00:15:28.39
The new name was to
lead a change in the heart.
00:15:28.42\00:15:32.06
Only in the cases of Joseph
and Daniel and his friends,
00:15:32.09\00:15:35.66
that change of
heart never happened
00:15:35.70\00:15:38.17
because they
were faithful to God.
00:15:38.20\00:15:41.17
Now, we see in Revelation
something really significant.
00:15:41.84\00:15:45.27
In the letters to
the seven churches,
00:15:45.31\00:15:47.08
Jesus addresses
Pergamos and says this:
00:15:47.11\00:15:50.68
"He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says
00:15:50.71\00:15:53.52
"to the churches.
To him who overcomes
00:15:53.55\00:15:56.82
"I will give some of
the hidden manna to eat.
00:15:56.85\00:16:00.52
"And I will give
him a white stone,
00:16:00.56\00:16:02.79
"and on the stone a new
name written which no one knows
00:16:02.82\00:16:08.80
except him who receives it."
00:16:08.83\00:16:11.13
Revelation 2:17.
00:16:11.17\00:16:13.54
Isn't that interesting?
00:16:13.57\00:16:15.50
God intends to
give you a new name.
00:16:15.54\00:16:20.08
So how does a person
receive a new name from God?
00:16:20.11\00:16:23.91
And why? And what might it be?
00:16:23.95\00:16:28.28
We'll look at
that in just a moment.
00:16:28.32\00:16:30.69
¤[music swells and ends]¤¤
00:16:30.72\00:16:37.73
>>Announcer: Today's free
offer is a brand new resource:
00:16:39.83\00:16:42.06
"Victorious: Living
a New Life in Jesus."
00:16:42.10\00:16:44.40
You'll learn how to move
beyond the mistakes of yesterday
00:16:44.43\00:16:46.87
to experience victory today.
00:16:46.90\00:16:48.57
To receive "Victorious:
Living a New Life in Jesus,"
00:16:48.60\00:16:51.24
call 800-253-3000 right now.
00:16:51.27\00:16:54.48
That's 800-253-3000.
00:16:54.51\00:16:56.98
Or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:16:57.01\00:17:00.25
Get this new free resource now
00:17:00.28\00:17:02.35
and enter into the life
of victory God wants for you.
00:17:02.38\00:17:05.12
800-253-3000
00:17:05.15\00:17:07.29
or iiwoffer.com.
00:17:07.32\00:17:09.49
>>John Bradshaw: The
clock ticks persistently.
00:17:10.03\00:17:12.76
Every 60 seconds
another minute passes,
00:17:12.79\00:17:15.80
every 24 hours another day.
00:17:15.83\00:17:18.13
Every 365 days another
year is consigned to history.
00:17:18.17\00:17:23.44
Life is governed by time.
00:17:23.47\00:17:25.91
From the alarm clock
that wakes you in the morning
00:17:25.94\00:17:28.08
to the bell that rings to
announce the end of class,
00:17:28.11\00:17:31.11
there's no escaping the
relentless march of time.
00:17:31.15\00:17:35.12
Given that our time
on this earth is limited,
00:17:35.15\00:17:37.69
how can we best use our time?
00:17:37.72\00:17:40.22
How can we spend our
time in a way that encourages
00:17:40.26\00:17:42.69
spiritual growth and draws
us closer to the heart of God?
00:17:42.72\00:17:46.86
Don't miss "Time Well Spent."
00:17:46.90\00:17:49.60
Learn how God
intends time to work for you,
00:17:49.63\00:17:53.54
to be your ally as
you prepare for eternity.
00:17:53.57\00:17:57.17
How do you find
time for the things
00:17:57.21\00:17:58.64
that you really want to do?
00:17:58.67\00:18:00.71
And how do you
find time for God?
00:18:00.74\00:18:03.88
"Time Well Spent,"
00:18:03.91\00:18:05.68
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:18:05.71\00:18:08.85
>>John Bradshaw:
Thomas Mapother IV,
00:18:10.69\00:18:13.25
that's the given name
of the actor Tom Cruise.
00:18:13.29\00:18:16.73
Nobel
Prize-winning musician Bob Dylan
00:18:16.76\00:18:19.43
was born Robert Zimmerman.
00:18:19.46\00:18:21.76
And Peter, the brother of
Andrew in the New Testament,
00:18:21.80\00:18:24.73
the man who walked
on water, denied Jesus,
00:18:24.77\00:18:27.77
and once caught a fish
with a gold coin in its mouth,
00:18:27.80\00:18:31.67
was Simon until
Jesus named him Peter.
00:18:31.71\00:18:35.74
Peter means "a stone."
You might say "a rock,"
00:18:35.78\00:18:38.91
except that Jesus made
the distinction between Peter
00:18:38.95\00:18:41.52
and Himself by saying,
"You are Peter"--a stone--
00:18:41.55\00:18:46.22
"and upon this rock"--meaning
Jesus, the Rock of the Bible--
00:18:46.25\00:18:51.79
"I will build my church."
00:18:51.83\00:18:53.80
Jesus the immovable
rock. Peter the rolling stone.
00:18:53.83\00:18:59.70
Jesus gave Simon
his new name of Peter
00:18:59.73\00:19:01.77
to say something about
what Peter's character would be.
00:19:01.80\00:19:04.57
He'd be firm, but
not the finished article,
00:19:04.61\00:19:07.78
not the mountain out of
which his stone was taken--
00:19:07.81\00:19:10.58
that's Jesus.
00:19:10.61\00:19:12.28
It's as though Jesus was saying,
"Simon, you're going to be
00:19:12.31\00:19:15.35
"important,
foundational to the church.
00:19:15.38\00:19:17.95
"You'll have qualities,
but remember that you're small,
00:19:17.99\00:19:21.02
"a stone. Remember
you are not the boulder.
00:19:21.06\00:19:25.23
You're not the
rock of Gibraltar."
00:19:25.26\00:19:27.93
And it's when Peter forgot
that he was small and not big,
00:19:27.96\00:19:32.17
that he fell.
00:19:32.20\00:19:33.30
"I'll never deny
You," he told Jesus.
00:19:33.34\00:19:36.00
And then he
denied Jesus three times
00:19:36.04\00:19:38.64
on the night before
Jesus was crucified.
00:19:38.67\00:19:41.81
Now, more often than
not, in the Western world
00:19:41.84\00:19:44.78
we don't name children based
on the meaning of their name.
00:19:44.81\00:19:48.58
For example, I'm John,
not because my name means
00:19:48.62\00:19:52.42
"God Is Gracious," but because
my father's name was John,
00:19:52.45\00:19:56.29
and his grandfather's
middle name was John.
00:19:56.32\00:19:59.26
I'm thinking that few of
the little Liams running around
00:19:59.29\00:20:02.16
at the moment were named
Liam because of the meaning
00:20:02.20\00:20:04.60
of the name,
"With Gilded Helmet."
00:20:04.63\00:20:07.90
Something to
keep in mind is this:
00:20:07.94\00:20:09.77
What a name means
often depends entirely
00:20:09.80\00:20:12.71
on which baby name book
you read the definition in.
00:20:12.74\00:20:16.81
But in the last book of the
Bible we see Jesus say this:
00:20:16.85\00:20:21.32
"He who overcomes, I
will make him a pillar
00:20:21.35\00:20:25.09
"in the temple of my God,
and he shall go out no more.
00:20:25.12\00:20:29.49
"I will write on him the name of
my God and the name of the city
00:20:29.52\00:20:34.73
"of my God, the New Jerusalem,
which comes down out of heaven
00:20:34.76\00:20:39.27
from my God. And I will
write on him my new name."
00:20:39.30\00:20:45.17
Revelation 3, verse 12.
00:20:45.21\00:20:46.98
This is a repeat of the
thought expressed in Isaiah,
00:20:47.01\00:20:49.54
where God says, "The Gentiles
shall see your righteousness,
00:20:49.58\00:20:54.42
"and all kings your glory. You
shall be called by a new name,
00:20:54.45\00:21:00.92
which the mouth of
the Lord will name."
00:21:00.96\00:21:03.39
Isaiah 62:2.
00:21:03.43\00:21:05.66
God was promising His
people a new experience.
00:21:05.69\00:21:10.37
"For Zion's sake I
will not hold my peace,
00:21:10.40\00:21:13.03
"and for Jerusalem's
sake I will not rest,
00:21:13.07\00:21:15.14
"until her righteousness
goes forth as brightness,
00:21:15.17\00:21:18.31
and her salvation
as a lamp that burns."
00:21:18.34\00:21:21.81
That's still to be
fulfilled in God's people.
00:21:21.84\00:21:25.05
And God says that's
the salvation experience
00:21:25.08\00:21:28.82
when His people will be
"a crown of glory in the hand
00:21:28.85\00:21:32.72
of the Lord, and a royal
diadem in the hand of your God."
00:21:32.75\00:21:38.93
A new experience and a new
name signifying that experience.
00:21:38.96\00:21:44.80
In this context, a
name represents or indicates
00:21:44.83\00:21:48.24
character, and what
Jesus says to us here
00:21:48.27\00:21:51.11
is that when you surrender
to Him, He'll develop in you
00:21:51.14\00:21:56.41
a character like His own.
00:21:56.44\00:21:59.45
You can manifest
the character of Christ.
00:21:59.48\00:22:04.12
It's worth thinking this
through. This is a high calling.
00:22:05.12\00:22:09.52
And God's not talking
about something half hearted.
00:22:09.56\00:22:12.16
He isn't talking
about cultural Christianity,
00:22:12.19\00:22:14.66
make-believe Christianity,
00:22:14.73\00:22:16.63
but real, deep,
abiding faith in Him.
00:22:16.67\00:22:20.70
This isn't acting a
part, but fully surrendering
00:22:20.74\00:22:24.44
your life to God so
that your experience is new
00:22:24.47\00:22:28.24
and Jesus is
living His life in you.
00:22:28.28\00:22:31.71
And that's the
promise of Scripture.
00:22:31.75\00:22:33.42
Second Corinthians 5, verse 17:
00:22:33.45\00:22:35.25
"Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation;
00:22:35.28\00:22:39.49
"old things have passed away;
00:22:39.52\00:22:41.36
behold, all
things have become new."
00:22:41.39\00:22:46.29
In fact, that's the
privilege of Scripture.
00:22:46.33\00:22:49.50
I wonder if a lot of people
aren't selling themselves short
00:22:49.53\00:22:52.23
by not coming up
to the experience
00:22:52.27\00:22:54.64
God wants them to have--
00:22:54.67\00:22:56.91
not in church
when they could be,
00:22:56.94\00:22:58.71
not reading the Bible,
not sharing their faith,
00:22:58.74\00:23:01.74
not experiencing a
meaningful prayer life,
00:23:01.78\00:23:05.18
just not taking
all God wants to give.
00:23:05.21\00:23:08.02
And it's an
experience anyone can have.
00:23:08.05\00:23:11.35
Look how God puts it:
00:23:11.39\00:23:12.89
"I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit within you;
00:23:12.92\00:23:16.52
"I will take the heart of stone
out of your flesh and give you
00:23:16.56\00:23:20.53
"a heart of flesh. I
will put my Spirit within you
00:23:20.56\00:23:23.53
"and cause you to
walk in my statutes,
00:23:23.57\00:23:26.33
and you will keep my
judgments and do them."
00:23:26.37\00:23:28.97
That's found in
Ezekiel, chapter 36.
00:23:29.00\00:23:31.61
This is what God
does in a person's life:
00:23:31.64\00:23:35.54
"I will give you a new heart.
I will put a new spirit in you.
00:23:35.58\00:23:41.32
"I will take away
your heart of stone.
00:23:41.35\00:23:44.55
"I will give you
a heart of flesh.
00:23:44.59\00:23:46.65
I will put my
Spirit within you."
00:23:46.69\00:23:48.86
God wants to work in
your life so fundamentally
00:23:48.89\00:23:52.39
that you have a new character.
00:23:52.43\00:23:54.66
Christianity isn't just learning
to live by a new set of rules.
00:23:55.90\00:24:00.74
It's a heart
change, a mind change.
00:24:00.77\00:24:04.07
It's a character change.
00:24:04.11\00:24:06.37
God doesn't want
you living in this world
00:24:06.41\00:24:07.94
bound to the old
person you used to be.
00:24:07.98\00:24:11.38
He wants you to be
free from that old life,
00:24:11.41\00:24:13.45
free from the old bad habits,
00:24:13.48\00:24:16.15
free from the people
who dragged you down,
00:24:16.18\00:24:18.89
the thought processes
that dragged you down,
00:24:18.92\00:24:21.16
the old ways
that dragged you down.
00:24:21.19\00:24:23.86
God wants you
free from all of that.
00:24:23.89\00:24:27.23
In Paul's day there
were believers who insisted
00:24:27.23\00:24:29.50
everyone had to
follow the Jewish beliefs
00:24:29.53\00:24:32.20
that were made obsolete
when Jesus died on the cross--
00:24:32.23\00:24:35.37
the ceremonial
feast days and so forth.
00:24:35.40\00:24:37.51
But Paul wrote, "For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision
00:24:37.54\00:24:41.71
nor uncircumcision avails
anything, but a new creation."
00:24:41.74\00:24:48.55
Jesus spoke to a man
named Nicodemus and said to him,
00:24:48.58\00:24:51.65
"You must be born again."
00:24:51.69\00:24:53.96
And that's the work
God can do in your life,
00:24:53.99\00:24:57.76
the work He will do in your life
00:24:57.79\00:25:00.30
when you open up
your heart to Him.
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.30
So what would that new name be
that God promises to give you?
00:25:04.47\00:25:09.34
Well, we can't possibly know,
00:25:09.37\00:25:11.41
but no doubt it'll be a
name that you're happy with,
00:25:11.44\00:25:14.01
most likely tailored
to suit your experience
00:25:14.04\00:25:17.15
and your character.
00:25:17.18\00:25:18.78
It's one of those things
we'll have to wait until heaven
00:25:18.81\00:25:20.75
to find out. But this
side of heaven, you can have
00:25:20.78\00:25:24.52
the experience in faith
that God wants you to have.
00:25:24.55\00:25:28.62
You can live with integrity.
00:25:28.66\00:25:30.19
You can live with
your head held high.
00:25:30.23\00:25:32.79
The old life
doesn't have to define you.
00:25:32.83\00:25:36.43
And the person you were can be
just that, the person you were.
00:25:36.46\00:25:42.60
Like when Paul wrote to
the Corinthians and said,
00:25:42.64\00:25:44.84
"And such were some of you."
00:25:44.87\00:25:47.78
Notice that? "Such were some
of you." You were a certain way.
00:25:47.81\00:25:53.11
But you're not now--because
Jesus has entered your heart
00:25:53.15\00:25:56.79
and brought His righteousness
and His peace and His grace.
00:25:56.82\00:26:03.22
Is it time to let God
do that new work in you?
00:26:03.26\00:26:07.40
To take away the old
and bring in the new?
00:26:07.46\00:26:11.43
You can make a decision right
now to receive a new heart,
00:26:11.47\00:26:14.74
a new character,
00:26:14.77\00:26:16.67
and, eventually, a new name.
00:26:16.71\00:26:19.44
We're gonna pray
about that in just a moment.
00:26:19.47\00:26:21.38
>>John: Thank you for
remembering that It Is Written
00:26:22.41\00:26:24.41
exists because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:26:24.45\00:26:27.85
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:26:27.88\00:26:31.09
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:26:31.12\00:26:35.36
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:26:35.39\00:26:36.83
to the address on your screen,
00:26:36.86\00:26:38.26
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:38.29\00:26:42.10
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:26:42.13\00:26:44.97
Our number
again is 800-253-3000,
00:26:45.00\00:26:49.10
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:26:49.14\00:26:52.14
>>John: Let me pray
with you now. Let's pray.
00:26:53.11\00:26:55.48
Father in heaven, I
thank You today for Jesus
00:26:55.51\00:26:58.65
and that He died so that we
could be changed so thoroughly
00:26:58.68\00:27:01.85
that our character is made new,
00:27:01.88\00:27:04.85
that one day
You'll give us a new name,
00:27:04.89\00:27:07.42
recognizing our new experience.
00:27:07.46\00:27:10.46
Friend, do you want that?
00:27:10.49\00:27:11.93
Do you feel like
there's something missing?
00:27:11.96\00:27:13.93
Something lacking?
00:27:13.96\00:27:15.56
You've seen the
cracks in your experience,
00:27:15.60\00:27:18.17
your lack of faith perhaps.
00:27:18.20\00:27:20.87
You're wanting to
be all in with Jesus.
00:27:20.90\00:27:23.20
Father, I'm praying
for that person right now
00:27:23.24\00:27:25.84
who wants a new life, a
new heart, a new experience.
00:27:25.87\00:27:31.25
Connect us with Your
heart so inextricably,
00:27:31.28\00:27:35.62
fill us with Your
Spirit so completely
00:27:35.65\00:27:38.12
that the character of
Jesus and Jesus only is seen.
00:27:38.15\00:27:42.56
This is our prayer
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:27:42.59\00:27:46.76
Thank you so
much for joining me.
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.10
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:48.13\00:27:50.30
Until then, remember:
00:27:50.33\00:27:52.33
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:52.37\00:27:56.27
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:56.30\00:28:01.51
¤[dramatic theme music]¤
00:28:01.54\00:28:05.55
¤[music ends]¤¤
00:28:25.83\00:28:27.84