Good evening and welcome
to the second presentation
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on The
Revelation of Jesus Christ
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which is a chapter by chapter
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study of the book of Revelation.
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So we're very happy to welcome
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all of you that
are here tonight,
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those of you that are
joining us by television
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or on the radio
or by the Internet.
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We're very happy to
welcome you again this evening.
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If you're joining us
tonight for the first time,
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this is a study of
the book of Revelation
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and therefore we would like
to invite you to get your Bible.
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If you don't have your Bible
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and you're home, go get it.
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Come back, sit
down, bring a highlighter
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and a note pad so
you can take some notes
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as we go through and
study the book of Revelation.
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Tonight we are studying
the first church of the seven.
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This particular section
that we're going to be studying
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is on the seven
churches of Revelation.
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Seven churches in Asia Minor,
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and we're looking at the
very first one called Ephesus.
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And so we hope
that as we go through it
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it will give you a little
insight into what took place
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then - the church - and what
the Lord had to say about it.
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These are extremely important.
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The reason they're
important is these are personal
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letters from Jesus Christ.
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That's what they are...
they're personal letters
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from Jesus Christ.
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And so they're very
important as we study
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and take a look at them.
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And we hope it will
help you in your study of it.
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Now our next
presentation tomorrow...
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Our next presentation will
be on the church of Smyrna.
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This was the
second one in the list.
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This is a church
that there is no rebuke
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in this church.
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You don't find one thing God
says that was wrong with them.
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So it's a very, very
important one to look at.
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We're going to be looking
at that one tomorrow night
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on the church of Smyrna.
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But tonight we're
looking at Ephesus.
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I think you'll find
it to be encouraging.
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Helps us understand
what God wants us to do.
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This is - as far
as I'm concerned -
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of the seven
churches, this was the best one
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of all the seven
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was the church of Ephesus.
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So follow carefully
as we look at God's Word.
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We'll be doing this each evening
at 7 o'clock central time,
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and so be sure and
join us wherever you are.
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Uh, check the time. Join us as
we study the book of Revelation.
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And we thank you for
tuning in and being with us.
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During this section
we have the privilege
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of having Joe Pearles with us.
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Joe is a very,
very close friend.
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Been a great, great
blessing to us singing for us
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in our different meetings
and we always enjoy Joe.
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He's going to sing
for you a song that
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is very popular -
many, many people enjoy -
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entitled Son, Go
Bring My Children Home.
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But each night
before we have the music
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we're going to read
to you all the verses
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that we're going to
be looking at tonight.
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So each night Chuck Allgaier
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will come and read
those verses to you.
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And so you can
follow in your Bibles or
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you can watch it on the
screen. It will be both places
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and we hope you'll be blessed.
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So Chuck, read to us what
the Word of God has to say
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about the church of Ephesus.
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Ephesus... the
church of Ephesus.
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What is the message of
God to the church of Ephesus?
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Turn to Revelation chapter 2.
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Revelation chapter
2 verses 1 through 7.
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And we read:
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May God bless the message to
the church of Ephesus tonight.
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I have heard
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a distant cry,
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shouting out
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"the time is nigh. "
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As the Father
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tells His Son,
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"work on earth
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this day is done. "
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"Son, go bring
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My children home
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for I want them gathered
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round My throne.
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It's time to reap the harvest
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You have sown.
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Son, go bring
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My children home. "
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What a joy
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to see His face,
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and in His arms
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we will embrace.
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Nevermore
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we'll have to roam
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for we finally
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make it home.
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"Son, go bring
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My children home
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for I want them gathered
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round My throne.
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It's time to reap the harvest
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You have sown.
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Son, go bring
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My children home. "
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"It's time to reap
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the harvest You have sown.
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Son, go bring
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My children home. "
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"Son, go bring
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My children home. "
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Father in Heaven,
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tonight as we look
at this first letter
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that You personally
wrote to the church of Ephesus,
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we pray that the Holy Spirit
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may be present. That it
will give us understanding
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that we might see,
that we might understand
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Your leading and Your guiding
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and how they walked with You...
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and how we should walk with You.
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Bless us tonight.
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May our eyes be
open and our ears open
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that we may see
and hear Your Spirit.
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For this we pray in
Christ's name, Amen.
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Well, to come
out and kneel here...
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This is the altar of incense
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that was in the sanctuary.
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And this is a replica of it
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as far as size
and all is concerned.
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But I knelt on the right side.
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Do you know why?
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Because that was
the side of favor.
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I knelt on the right side
of it because that is a place
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of favor with God and all.
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So you find that
there's a lot of symbolism
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that we're
going to be looking at
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as we go through these churches.
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That it mentions different ones,
and we hope it will help you
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in your
understanding of God's Word.
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This is the church of Ephesus.
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Christ is walking
among the seven candlesticks,
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and the church of
Ephesus is the first letter
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that He has
written to that church.
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Now since this is
Christ writing to the churches
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you expect Him to be
- How should I put it?
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I do, at least -
you expect Him to be
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organized. You expect
Him to do it in a special way
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because He is God...
and therefore you'll find
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that everything
takes place in order.
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And so when it comes to
writing to these churches
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everything IS in order.
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And He writes the same
format, the same order,
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to all seven churches.
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There are seven parts of it.
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The church of
Ephesus meant desirable.
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And as we talk about the
city and all this evening,
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you'll see it was a
very desirable place to live.
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The climate was very, very nice.
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The city was actually
one of the nicest around.
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It had many, many
beautiful things about it.
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And the word Ephesus
just meant desirable.
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It was a place to be.
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And as far as
spiritually is concerned,
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there was much about the
church that was desirable.
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Here is the epistle -
letter, if you please -
00:13:00.36\00:13:05.21
from Christ to
the seven churches
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and it is broken up
into exactly seven parts.
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Why seven parts?
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Because seven is a
number that represents
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perfection... perfect.
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So in that epistle and in
every one of those epistles
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it will follow
this very same order.
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There will be the
greeting. And after the greeting
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then you're going to
find that Christ will be
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identifying Himself.
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And He identifies Himself
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in relationship to
the need of that church.
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That's how He identifies Himself
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and we'll look at
that. After identification,
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He's going to
tell the condition.
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What is the
condition of the church?
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What is happening
there? What's their condition?
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And then after that, He
talks about their problem.
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What is their problem?
What are they faced with?
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What do they need to look at?
00:14:07.66\00:14:08.86
And then He
gives a counsel to them
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or if you please the
solution to their problem.
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He tells them "this
is what you need to do
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to solve your problem and all. "
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And then after
that He gives a promise
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and then the closing.
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Sometimes you'll find that
the closing and the promise
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are turned around and
He gives the closing first
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and then the promise.
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Tonight is one of those cases
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where He gives the closing
first and then the promise after
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because I guess they needed
to be encouraged specially.
00:14:40.23\00:14:43.97
But that format it will
follow all the way through
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as we look at these
seven different epistles
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that Christ
wrote to the churches.
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So, it says as a greeting:
00:14:54.52\00:14:57.75
That's what He says:
"To the angel of the church
00:15:01.88\00:15:03.93
of Ephesus, " this is
what He is going to say.
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He's greeting the
church at Ephesus.
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Then goes on and says
that this is a special place.
00:15:10.44\00:15:13.96
This is Ephesus, folks.
00:15:14.27\00:15:16.20
Ephesus was right on the...
00:15:16.50\00:15:19.33
basically on the Aegean Sea.
00:15:19.53\00:15:22.25
As you can see - if you
can see it, I think you can -
00:15:22.55\00:15:25.80
there was a river
that came right by it,
00:15:26.10\00:15:28.25
and that's the Caster River.
00:15:28.55\00:15:31.01
And this is where the city sat.
00:15:31.31\00:15:36.35
They had probably one of
the best known and the nicest
00:15:36.65\00:15:41.24
ports of any
place in Asia Minor.
00:15:41.44\00:15:45.66
It was beautifully...
00:15:45.96\00:15:47.60
Ships came in there
from all over the world.
00:15:47.90\00:15:50.87
This is where they came,
all of the then-known world.
00:15:51.18\00:15:54.66
And they came to Ephesus
and they came to this port.
00:15:54.96\00:15:58.19
In fact, this was so
nice... by imperial decree
00:15:58.59\00:16:04.53
it was decreed that if somebody,
particularly a dignitary
00:16:04.83\00:16:08.79
or somebody from another
nation that was visiting,
00:16:08.99\00:16:12.44
they were required to bring
them to the port at Ephesus
00:16:12.74\00:16:16.06
to enter Asia. That was required
00:16:16.27\00:16:18.51
because it was such a beautiful
place and beautiful port.
00:16:18.72\00:16:22.76
And so many, many
ships came there and all.
00:16:22.96\00:16:26.25
The area was very, very lovely.
00:16:26.55\00:16:29.62
The city was lovely;
the climate was nice.
00:16:29.92\00:16:32.25
The soil was fertile; it
was a wonderful place to live
00:16:32.45\00:16:36.41
was at Ephesus.
00:16:36.61\00:16:38.69
You remember that
in the city of Ephesus
00:16:39.00\00:16:42.76
they worshiped a
goddess by the name of Diana.
00:16:43.06\00:16:48.90
Yeah, Diana.
00:16:49.20\00:16:50.89
Diana of the
Ephesians... a great goddess.
00:16:51.39\00:16:55.84
And you remember this is
where Paul and the silversmith
00:16:56.14\00:17:00.56
got into a problem
because through Paul's preaching
00:17:00.86\00:17:04.65
and the others'
preaching, the trade for idols
00:17:04.85\00:17:08.74
of Diana was falling
off and they were unhappy
00:17:09.04\00:17:11.95
about their trade
dropping off in sales
00:17:12.15\00:17:14.74
and a great conflict
developed between them.
00:17:14.94\00:17:17.73
Let me tell you a little
bit about Diana... this goddess.
00:17:18.03\00:17:23.17
They believed that
she came from heaven.
00:17:23.47\00:17:26.00
They worshiped her as
a goddess of fertility.
00:17:26.30\00:17:32.14
And as you can
see from the picture,
00:17:32.54\00:17:35.54
she was a many-breast goddess,
00:17:35.74\00:17:39.71
and this all had to
do with her fertility
00:17:40.01\00:17:43.89
that they
particularly worshiped.
00:17:44.09\00:17:46.12
And kind of a cult
went along with that
00:17:46.42\00:17:49.48
which was very, very immoral...
00:17:49.78\00:17:52.25
which was not too
uncommon among paganism
00:17:52.56\00:17:56.64
for that to happen...
and they worshiped her.
00:17:56.84\00:18:00.40
They built a temple to Diana
00:18:00.70\00:18:03.55
and they worshiped
her in that temple.
00:18:03.85\00:18:06.45
In fact, there
were two temples built.
00:18:06.75\00:18:08.72
The first temple was destroyed.
In 356 AD it burned...
00:18:09.02\00:18:14.96
burned to the ground.
00:18:15.16\00:18:16.63
It burned to the
ground on the very day
00:18:16.83\00:18:19.97
that Alexander
the Great was born.
00:18:20.27\00:18:23.00
And later, when he
came to age and power,
00:18:23.30\00:18:27.56
he offered to rebuild
the temple of Diana...
00:18:27.86\00:18:30.76
but they turned him
down; they refused him.
00:18:31.07\00:18:33.79
Said: "No, they would
build it themselves. "
00:18:34.09\00:18:36.71
And they rebuilt
the temple of Diana.
00:18:37.01\00:18:39.81
This temple, folks, was huge.
00:18:40.02\00:18:42.26
I mean, not a little place.
00:18:42.56\00:18:43.75
It was 442 ft. long.
00:18:43.95\00:18:48.02
225 ft. wide.
00:18:48.32\00:18:51.74
It had 171 pillars in it...
00:18:52.05\00:18:56.22
66 ft. high and
7 ft. in diameter
00:18:56.52\00:19:02.45
was the size of those pillars.
00:19:02.75\00:19:04.16
It was a marvelous
temple made out of marble
00:19:04.47\00:19:08.90
that was yellow,
red, blue, and white.
00:19:09.20\00:19:13.43
And some historians say
that the mortar they used
00:19:13.73\00:19:17.36
was gold to put it together.
00:19:17.57\00:19:20.69
So this temple when they
said "Great is the goddess Diana
00:19:20.93\00:19:24.20
of the Ephesians"
and they worshiped her,
00:19:24.40\00:19:25.82
there was lots of worship there.
00:19:26.02\00:19:28.75
They believed that
she was the mother of God
00:19:29.06\00:19:34.76
and they worshiped
her as the mother of God.
00:19:35.07\00:19:37.99
And as Christianity
00:19:38.49\00:19:42.04
became infiltrated by paganism,
00:19:42.24\00:19:46.47
in 451 AD at the
Council of Ephesus
00:19:46.78\00:19:52.16
they declared the virgin
Mary to be the mother of God
00:19:52.56\00:19:58.49
hoping there would be
some relationship there
00:19:58.79\00:20:03.96
to draw paganism into it.
00:20:04.16\00:20:06.87
And that is where we
get the Madonna today...
00:20:07.17\00:20:11.76
comes from that background.
00:20:12.26\00:20:15.12
But this was Diana, and
they worshiped her there.
00:20:15.42\00:20:18.73
The temple of Diana
was destroyed in 265 AD
00:20:19.03\00:20:24.00
by the Goths and
has never been rebuilt.
00:20:24.20\00:20:27.67
So this was a little bit
of the goddess... of Diana
00:20:27.97\00:20:31.69
that they
worshiped. And you remember
00:20:31.82\00:20:33.51
because of this they
became upset - Demetrius did -
00:20:33.81\00:20:36.84
and it says:
00:20:37.04\00:20:38.07
And so they
worshiped her as a goddess
00:20:46.74\00:20:52.43
in a special way. You're
looking... you're looking at a
00:20:52.63\00:20:56.06
theatre... this was
the theatre in Ephesus.
00:20:56.26\00:20:59.44
This theatre was capable
of seating 25,000 people.
00:20:59.74\00:21:04.74
And as you can see,
the road going down to it
00:21:05.04\00:21:08.56
was wide. And these
things, folks, in that day
00:21:08.76\00:21:13.84
and age when they
existed... were gorgeous.
00:21:14.14\00:21:17.14
They were beautiful, and
we only get a faint idea.
00:21:17.44\00:21:22.04
This was the Celsus Library
in Ephesus... the ruins of it.
00:21:22.14\00:21:26.51
Give you an idea of
what it looked like.
00:21:26.82\00:21:29.46
Also, this was the
temple of Hadrian in Ephesus.
00:21:29.76\00:21:35.73
So it gives you a little
idea of some of the ruins there
00:21:36.03\00:21:40.74
that exist today.
00:21:40.94\00:21:42.53
Today folks, as we study
through you're going to notice
00:21:42.83\00:21:46.68
it'll say that "if you
don't change, I'll move your
00:21:46.88\00:21:49.42
candlestick out of its place. "
00:21:49.62\00:21:51.07
There's no port there today.
00:21:51.37\00:21:53.90
That... it is
completely all filled in.
00:21:54.21\00:21:58.02
The whole city is about 6
miles away from where it was.
00:21:58.33\00:22:02.78
He certainly moved their
candlestick out of its place
00:22:03.08\00:22:06.72
as God said that He would.
00:22:07.03\00:22:09.16
All right, this gives a
little idea of what it was like.
00:22:09.46\00:22:12.76
Actually, the work
in Ephesus, folks, was
00:22:13.26\00:22:18.15
attended by wonderful people.
00:22:18.35\00:22:20.89
And if you go back
and study in your Bible
00:22:21.09\00:22:22.95
you'll find that Priscilla
and Aquila were two of the
00:22:23.16\00:22:27.55
first ones to work in Ephesus.
00:22:27.75\00:22:29.76
And you remember
while they were there
00:22:30.07\00:22:32.32
they met another man
there that they worked with.
00:22:32.52\00:22:35.66
Do you remember
what his name was?
00:22:35.86\00:22:37.41
Apollos... and they
worked with him. Actually,
00:22:37.71\00:22:42.00
taught him
things of the scripture.
00:22:42.30\00:22:44.31
And while Apollos was
there they taught him.
00:22:44.61\00:22:47.24
And it says that Paul,
later, coming there through
00:22:47.44\00:22:51.87
the coast and
all, came to Ephesus
00:22:52.07\00:22:54.65
"and found certain
disciples" is what it says.
00:22:54.86\00:22:59.43
And you remember he
talked to them and said:
00:22:59.67\00:23:01.89
"Have you received the Holy
Spirit since you believed? "
00:23:02.19\00:23:04.24
And they said: "Well, we
don't even know what you're
00:23:04.54\00:23:07.39
talking about. " And he talked
to them about the Holy Spirit.
00:23:07.59\00:23:11.08
You remember Paul
prayed for them...
00:23:11.28\00:23:12.91
they received the Holy Spirit.
00:23:13.01\00:23:14.47
This is the beginning
of the church in Ephesus
00:23:14.68\00:23:19.34
'cause from that Paul stayed
there and worked in Ephesus
00:23:19.65\00:23:24.16
for how long?
00:23:24.36\00:23:25.97
Do you have any idea?
00:23:26.27\00:23:27.97
For three years
00:23:28.07\00:23:30.70
stayed and worked in
Ephesus. And under him
00:23:31.00\00:23:34.11
it grew tremendously as
he preached and worked there
00:23:34.31\00:23:40.26
in Ephesus.
00:23:40.36\00:23:41.59
Uh, when Paul left,
another time you'll find
00:23:41.79\00:23:45.66
that Timothy came back
and pastored the church
00:23:45.86\00:23:49.26
in Ephesus... cared for it.
00:23:49.46\00:23:51.75
He pastored it.
And in his old age
00:23:51.95\00:23:56.04
John took care of
the church in Ephesus.
00:23:56.24\00:24:00.48
He pastored. So
very illustrious people
00:24:00.78\00:24:03.80
were pastors
here... worked here.
00:24:04.00\00:24:06.82
And you remember
Jesus did something.
00:24:07.12\00:24:09.47
He committed His mother
to John, and so we find that
00:24:09.68\00:24:14.70
Mary lived in Ephesus.
00:24:14.90\00:24:17.19
And so these are some
of the people that are all
00:24:17.49\00:24:19.78
connected with
this church in Ephesus
00:24:19.98\00:24:22.21
and the work
that they did there.
00:24:22.41\00:24:24.04
And the church grew
in a very strong way.
00:24:24.34\00:24:28.04
Folks, history tells us...
00:24:40.69\00:24:45.09
other books... that
the church in Ephesus
00:24:45.39\00:24:49.40
by the end of that first century
00:24:49.70\00:24:53.15
was 50,000 believers.
00:24:53.35\00:24:57.02
Just in Ephesus.
00:24:57.32\00:24:59.80
By the end of the
century it says here
00:25:00.10\00:25:03.50
"so that all who
dwell in Asia heard, "
00:25:03.71\00:25:06.32
by the end of that
first century 7,000,000 people
00:25:06.52\00:25:10.90
had accepted Jesus
Christ and were Christians.
00:25:11.10\00:25:13.74
So this is a
time when the gospel
00:25:14.04\00:25:16.66
moved and went
unbelievable across the country
00:25:16.86\00:25:21.03
and hundreds and
hundreds and thousands of people
00:25:21.23\00:25:24.07
reached out and
accepted Jesus Christ
00:25:24.27\00:25:26.75
as their personal Savior.
00:25:27.05\00:25:28.90
OK, what does this message -
this epistle that Christ wrote
00:25:29.20\00:25:34.37
to the church in
Ephesus - what's involved in it?
00:25:34.57\00:25:37.34
1. It's an epistle
to the local church.
00:25:37.64\00:25:40.38
That's who's addressed here.
00:25:40.68\00:25:43.01
It's written to
them... the local church.
00:25:43.21\00:25:45.43
And so it was to be read
to the church there in Ephesus
00:25:45.66\00:25:48.72
and from that they
were to take encouragement
00:25:48.92\00:25:51.49
and to follow what it said.
00:25:51.69\00:25:53.22
But secondly it was a
message to you and to me.
00:25:53.32\00:25:57.64
Now I've read some
things where some theologians
00:25:59.14\00:26:02.67
want to disagree with that.
00:26:02.87\00:26:04.12
They say "Well that was
just for the church at Ephesus.
00:26:04.42\00:26:07.02
Doesn't have any
reference to us. "
00:26:07.22\00:26:08.53
I don't understand that.
00:26:08.83\00:26:10.31
The reason I don't understand it
00:26:10.61\00:26:12.48
is Paul... Paul
wrote thirteen epistles.
00:26:12.68\00:26:16.39
Thirteen letters.
00:26:16.69\00:26:18.59
Of those 13
epistles that Paul wrote
00:26:19.09\00:26:21.87
four of them are to individuals.
00:26:22.07\00:26:25.48
Nine of them are to churches.
00:26:25.78\00:26:29.42
And you and I read
the epistles of Paul
00:26:29.72\00:26:33.86
to find guidance and
direction in our lives.
00:26:34.06\00:26:37.00
If I'm going to
read the epistle of Paul,
00:26:37.30\00:26:38.72
why shouldn't I read
the epistle of Christ
00:26:38.92\00:26:41.04
for guidance and
direction in my life?
00:26:41.34\00:26:43.78
And so I'm saying:
"Yes, those letters
00:26:44.08\00:26:47.04
in Revelation apply to
you and to me just the same
00:26:47.24\00:26:51.67
as they did back then. "
00:26:51.87\00:26:53.43
And then thirdly it
applies to a particular age
00:26:53.73\00:26:58.74
in the church.
What I mean by that...
00:26:58.94\00:27:01.13
a particular time - a
period of time - in the church.
00:27:01.33\00:27:05.77
You'll find as we go through it
00:27:06.08\00:27:07.53
it applies to it
in a very special way.
00:27:07.74\00:27:09.59
The Early Church Age
covers the period of time
00:27:09.89\00:27:13.38
from about 31 AD to 100 AD
00:27:13.58\00:27:18.61
is this period of time that
the church of Ephesus covers.
00:27:18.91\00:27:22.61
Now I'm giving you some
dates... 31 AD to 100 AD...
00:27:22.91\00:27:26.41
Don't tie those
down to the point.
00:27:26.71\00:27:31.40
It's just when you
talk about a church age
00:27:31.60\00:27:34.46
it represents that period
of time. But 100 AD may not be
00:27:34.66\00:27:38.85
the exact turn off
for it. I don't know...
00:27:39.05\00:27:42.44
but it does
apply to a church age.
00:27:42.74\00:27:45.42
Get your Bible
out as we start here.
00:27:50.88\00:27:53.59
Take a look at His message
to the church at Ephesus.
00:27:53.89\00:27:57.61
Identification. He's
going to identify Himself.
00:27:57.91\00:28:00.91
And He says:
00:28:01.21\00:28:02.55
Well we found out
in our study last night
00:28:09.91\00:28:13.45
when it says that Jesus walks
among the 7 golden candlesticks
00:28:13.48\00:28:18.21
He made clear who
He's talking about
00:28:18.41\00:28:21.25
because He said:
00:28:21.35\00:28:22.45
So we find that these
seven lampstands that were there
00:28:38.83\00:28:42.92
those represent the
churches. And the stars
00:28:43.22\00:28:45.77
represent His messengers - or,
if you please - His ministers.
00:28:45.97\00:28:50.80
That's who's represented there.
00:28:51.10\00:28:53.17
And they carry a very
special work with Christ.
00:28:53.47\00:28:58.23
I should
mention that Christ here
00:28:58.53\00:29:03.63
is dressed
different than the priest.
00:29:03.93\00:29:08.85
He has a golden band
around His chest here
00:29:09.16\00:29:14.35
which also represented
that He was not only a priest
00:29:14.55\00:29:18.53
but He was a king.
00:29:18.73\00:29:20.82
You see, Christ is not
after the Levitical priesthood.
00:29:21.12\00:29:25.94
Christ is after the
priesthood of Melchizedek
00:29:27.22\00:29:30.29
which was a priest king.
That's what His order is after
00:29:30.59\00:29:35.48
and that's why
He's dressed as He is...
00:29:35.78\00:29:38.01
because it's
represented as a priest king.
00:29:38.21\00:29:40.79
The church here - the
candlesticks - I mentioned
00:29:41.09\00:29:43.81
to you last night -
and as I just read to you
00:29:44.01\00:29:46.89
represents the church.
00:29:46.92\00:29:48.80
But these are candlesticks...
00:29:50.10\00:29:53.19
they are not candles.
00:29:53.39\00:29:55.61
Therefore, they do not
have light of their own.
00:29:56.01\00:30:01.43
So the church does not
have light of its own self.
00:30:02.93\00:30:07.78
You and I are to be lights.
00:30:08.76\00:30:12.05
That's what God calls us to
be... we are to be the lights.
00:30:12.95\00:30:16.51
And God is waiting, willing,
00:30:16.81\00:30:20.58
to pour the oil of the
Holy Spirit into our lives
00:30:20.88\00:30:24.26
that we might light
the people around us
00:30:24.56\00:30:28.43
concerning Jesus Christ.
00:30:28.73\00:30:30.56
That's what He
has called us to do.
00:30:30.86\00:30:33.24
OK, let's take a
look at the condition...
00:30:33.74\00:30:37.68
the condition of
the church of Ephesus.
00:30:37.98\00:30:41.39
I mean there is
nothing wrong here.
00:30:58.26\00:31:00.44
He said: "I know your works. "
00:31:00.64\00:31:02.08
And by the way, folks, in
every one of the seven churches
00:31:02.38\00:31:07.50
He says: "I know your works. "
00:31:07.80\00:31:11.67
Every last one of
them He says that to them:
00:31:11.97\00:31:14.00
"I know your works. " Not
all of them have good works,
00:31:14.30\00:31:17.85
but, of course,
this church does.
00:31:18.15\00:31:20.33
"I know your works,
your labor, your patience,
00:31:20.63\00:31:24.26
that you cannot bear
those who are evil. "
00:31:24.46\00:31:26.90
It meant that they
labored for the Lord.
00:31:27.20\00:31:30.92
They worked at it.
00:31:31.22\00:31:32.47
I wish today that
people labored for the Lord.
00:31:33.96\00:31:39.73
I wish people today
00:31:41.75\00:31:44.36
would schedule
00:31:45.43\00:31:48.70
time when they would
say "this is the time
00:31:49.20\00:31:54.16
I'm going to give to
the Lord to work for Him. "
00:31:54.47\00:31:58.22
But we work at our
job, we do all this...
00:31:59.31\00:32:01.49
but we don't set a time and say
00:32:01.79\00:32:03.97
"this is time I'm
going to work for the Lord.
00:32:04.17\00:32:06.36
I'm going to go out here
every week and take this time,
00:32:06.67\00:32:10.56
these hours, and do
nothing but work for the Lord. "
00:32:10.76\00:32:13.90
And pray and ask the
Lord to guide and direct you
00:32:14.20\00:32:17.60
as to what He wants you to do.
00:32:17.80\00:32:19.27
Man, what a
difference it would make
00:32:19.38\00:32:21.66
if we would just
set aside. These people
00:32:21.86\00:32:25.16
no question about it He
said: "I know your works.
00:32:25.46\00:32:28.11
I know what you do; I know
your labor... your patience. "
00:32:28.41\00:32:33.38
And by the way, if you're
going to work for the Lord,
00:32:34.52\00:32:38.19
you might as well understand
that it takes patience
00:32:38.49\00:32:41.59
because God's timing
isn't always our timing.
00:32:41.89\00:32:47.09
He does things on His
schedule, not on yours or mine.
00:32:47.39\00:32:51.64
And we just have to
learn to wait on the Lord.
00:32:51.94\00:32:55.63
Evidently there were
people - which there is today -
00:32:55.93\00:33:00.28
claiming to be
followers of the Lord...
00:33:00.58\00:33:03.78
apostles, if you please...
00:33:04.08\00:33:05.76
that are not.
00:33:06.06\00:33:08.74
What do you do?
00:33:10.14\00:33:11.91
If you have someone who
is claiming to be an apostle,
00:33:12.21\00:33:16.98
claiming to be a
follower of the Lord,
00:33:17.28\00:33:19.07
how do you know if
they are or they're not?
00:33:19.37\00:33:21.56
How do you know that I'm not?
00:33:24.81\00:33:27.36
How do you know that?
00:33:27.67\00:33:29.65
Well, there's only a
couple ways you can know, folks.
00:33:32.18\00:33:35.20
You know, one way is
you've got to make sure
00:33:35.50\00:33:38.49
it's in
agreement with God's Word.
00:33:38.69\00:33:40.09
You see, if you don't
spend time in the Word
00:33:40.40\00:33:45.03
and you know whether
this is what God's Word says,
00:33:45.33\00:33:48.93
then you're open for deception.
00:33:49.23\00:33:51.36
These people... they understood
God's Word well enough
00:33:52.34\00:33:55.89
that when these people
said they were apostles
00:33:56.19\00:33:58.46
they knew whether they
were or whether they weren't
00:33:58.76\00:34:01.42
because they knew
what God's Word said.
00:34:01.72\00:34:05.40
And I must check it.
00:34:05.70\00:34:06.89
I abide the Word of
God and know what it says.
00:34:07.19\00:34:09.81
And then the other way
that you and I can know
00:34:10.11\00:34:12.12
whether they are of
God - an apostle or not -
00:34:12.32\00:34:15.77
is by their fruits.
00:34:16.07\00:34:17.61
"By their fruits
ye shall know them. "
00:34:17.91\00:34:20.52
That's simply
the way you find out.
00:34:20.62\00:34:23.40
And so we need to take
God's Word... make sure...
00:34:23.70\00:34:26.09
It goes on and says:
00:34:26.29\00:34:27.42
Very, very
important that you and I
00:34:35.82\00:34:39.28
labor for the Lord. Oh, yes,
00:34:40.91\00:34:44.52
there'll be times
when you'll get tired.
00:34:44.82\00:34:47.39
There'll be times, dear friend,
00:34:48.71\00:34:51.11
when you don't feel like you can
00:34:51.41\00:34:52.66
get one foot in
front of the other.
00:34:52.86\00:34:54.74
But God says
00:34:56.15\00:34:58.28
"I know your labor. "
00:34:58.58\00:34:59.71
Said: "Don't get weary
00:35:00.71\00:35:03.66
of serving the Lord. "
00:35:03.87\00:35:05.57
Serve Him, walk
with Him, follow Him.
00:35:05.87\00:35:09.38
What a difference it will make.
00:35:09.68\00:35:10.97
He said: "I know
all this about you. "
00:35:11.17\00:35:12.96
This is the condition
of the church in Ephesus.
00:35:13.26\00:35:17.52
Paul - who had spent
three years there working,
00:35:18.02\00:35:22.54
establishing that church
- understood that something
00:35:22.84\00:35:26.13
was going to happen.
And so as he was talking
00:35:26.33\00:35:29.87
to the church of
Ephesus... and here in Acts 20
00:35:30.07\00:35:33.06
that's exactly
who he's talking to...
00:35:33.36\00:35:35.56
He said:
00:35:35.86\00:35:36.89
He said: "After I'm gone
00:35:44.29\00:35:46.98
savage wolves are
going to come in among you.
00:35:47.28\00:35:50.70
They won't spare the flock. "
00:35:51.00\00:35:52.66
Paul understood
that when he was gone
00:36:17.18\00:36:19.77
there would be
people that would come
00:36:21.24\00:36:23.53
that would try to
lead the church away.
00:36:23.83\00:36:28.32
Said: "That's going to happen. "
00:36:28.62\00:36:30.45
I want you to remember this
00:36:30.65\00:36:31.82
because I'm going to come
back to it in just a moment
00:36:32.12\00:36:33.99
because it's extremely
important what happens here
00:36:34.19\00:36:37.78
and what takes
place. Because this happens
00:36:37.98\00:36:39.73
over and over and over in
churches throughout the world.
00:36:39.93\00:36:45.47
And then He says:
"Here's your problem. "
00:36:47.37\00:36:52.33
"That's your condition...
here's your problem. "
00:36:52.63\00:36:56.47
"Worse than all this is
you've left your first love. "
00:37:06.09\00:37:10.79
Folks, I have seen this happen
00:37:12.19\00:37:15.12
time, time, and time again.
00:37:15.42\00:37:19.57
I've seen
churches... churches that
00:37:20.77\00:37:26.27
set out to do
something for the Lord
00:37:26.57\00:37:28.64
and caught on fire. And I mean
went out and worked for the Lord
00:37:28.94\00:37:33.64
and people came in.
They had baptisms and
00:37:33.84\00:37:37.39
people coming in
and joining the church
00:37:37.59\00:37:39.47
and the church was growing.
00:37:39.67\00:37:41.57
And then the devil...
every time I'll assure you
00:37:41.97\00:37:47.06
it does not fail...
the devil will come in
00:37:47.26\00:37:50.26
and cause something to happen
00:37:50.46\00:37:53.25
and will turn their attention
away from what they are doing
00:37:53.55\00:37:58.25
and they'll start
doing something else.
00:37:58.55\00:38:00.86
And then along comes
somebody in the church
00:38:01.07\00:38:04.50
or even the
minister and they'll say:
00:38:04.70\00:38:06.82
"Ah, evangelism
doesn't do any good.
00:38:07.02\00:38:09.90
They go out the back door
00:38:10.20\00:38:11.75
as fast as they
come in the front door.
00:38:11.96\00:38:13.86
We don't believe in
doing evangelism any more. "
00:38:14.16\00:38:16.85
Let me tell you something...
00:38:17.35\00:38:20.01
the moment that happens
00:38:20.31\00:38:22.98
that church has
lost its first love.
00:38:23.28\00:38:27.03
"After I'm gone, " Paul said,
00:38:28.38\00:38:31.64
grievous wolves
are going to come in. "
00:38:31.94\00:38:34.21
And that's exactly what they do.
00:38:34.51\00:38:36.73
They come in and
they do that type of thing
00:38:37.03\00:38:39.10
over and over and over again
00:38:39.30\00:38:41.83
and the church loses all the
things that she was trying to do
00:38:42.14\00:38:46.22
and forgets
what she's there for.
00:38:46.52\00:38:48.72
Nothing can be worse
than losing the first love.
00:38:49.02\00:38:54.37
Do you understand
00:38:55.66\00:38:57.24
when He says: "You've
lost your first love? "
00:38:57.54\00:38:59.72
The church, folks, is the bride.
00:39:00.02\00:39:03.25
Are you putting it together?
00:39:04.81\00:39:07.15
The church is the bride.
00:39:07.35\00:39:09.56
I can tell you
right now, if the bride
00:39:09.86\00:39:12.51
has lost her love
00:39:12.71\00:39:15.96
there's nothing
left in the church.
00:39:16.06\00:39:18.01
There's nothing
left of the marriage.
00:39:18.21\00:39:19.93
She can say all she wants to
00:39:20.23\00:39:23.31
about their relationship,
but if she's lost her love
00:39:23.61\00:39:28.84
for her husband, it's over!
00:39:29.05\00:39:31.76
It's ruined. And
that's what it's saying here.
00:39:32.06\00:39:35.98
"You've lost your first love. "
00:39:36.18\00:39:37.65
The bride's lost her love.
00:39:37.85\00:39:39.58
It's a terrible condition.
00:39:39.89\00:39:42.20
So He's telling them:
"This is your problem:
00:39:42.50\00:39:45.44
you've lost your love. "
00:39:45.74\00:39:47.47
Said: "Do the first
works. Unless you do that...
00:40:01.47\00:40:05.66
You've got to repent
from where you've fallen. "
00:40:05.96\00:40:09.91
God isn't asking here, folks,
00:40:11.37\00:40:14.51
How should I put it?
00:40:14.81\00:40:17.15
He's not asking for you
to have that first love.
00:40:17.45\00:40:22.98
Very, very hard to
get that first love back
00:40:24.79\00:40:29.32
if you've lost it and
it's been 30 or 40 years.
00:40:29.62\00:40:35.34
What He's saying to you is
"If you want to get love back
00:40:37.41\00:40:41.46
then do the first works. "
00:40:41.66\00:40:44.88
That's the way you get it
back is doing the first works.
00:40:45.18\00:40:49.93
"And unless you're
willing to do that, " He said:
00:40:50.23\00:40:52.28
"I'm going to move your
candlestick out of its place. "
00:40:52.48\00:40:55.08
Said: "You must
repent; you must come back
00:40:56.80\00:40:59.62
and do what I have
called you to do. "
00:40:59.92\00:41:03.13
Do you remember?
00:41:03.43\00:41:05.45
Do you remember when you
gave your heart to the Lord?
00:41:06.75\00:41:09.79
Do you remember that experience?
00:41:10.09\00:41:12.03
Oh, it may have been
beside your mother's knee.
00:41:12.43\00:41:15.81
Or it may have been in church.
00:41:16.42\00:41:19.45
Or it may have been
somebody who was talking to you
00:41:20.38\00:41:24.08
about giving your
heart to the Lord.
00:41:24.28\00:41:26.23
Or it may have been at
an evangelistic meeting
00:41:26.53\00:41:29.95
where you responded and
gave your heart to Jesus Christ.
00:41:30.25\00:41:34.64
Do you remember the joy
that came into your life
00:41:34.94\00:41:36.84
when you knew your sins
were forgiven and, you know,
00:41:37.04\00:41:40.12
that everything was
right between you and the Lord?
00:41:40.32\00:41:43.25
And the love that filled
your heart and your soul?
00:41:43.55\00:41:46.71
This is... this
is the first works.
00:41:47.01\00:41:50.31
This is what He's
asking you and I to do.
00:41:50.51\00:41:53.61
Do you remember
when you were baptized?
00:41:53.91\00:41:56.37
You remember when you
came up out of the water
00:41:57.28\00:42:00.58
and oh the joy that was there
00:42:00.88\00:42:04.49
as you were baptized and
you knew that all your sins
00:42:04.79\00:42:08.70
had been washed away?
00:42:08.91\00:42:10.47
That you were
clean in Jesus Christ.
00:42:10.77\00:42:13.12
The joy that filled your life...
this is what He's talking about.
00:42:13.42\00:42:18.65
That you and I must
come back to that experience
00:42:18.95\00:42:21.78
and do the first works
to understand the joy that
00:42:21.98\00:42:26.63
Christ brings into our
hearts and into our lives.
00:42:26.83\00:42:29.91
Do you remember how that it
just simply filled your soul?
00:42:30.31\00:42:36.27
And how you
shared it with everybody
00:42:37.82\00:42:39.54
you came into contact with.
00:42:39.74\00:42:41.31
You talked to
them about the message.
00:42:41.61\00:42:43.33
You told them how Jesus...
what Jesus had done for you.
00:42:43.53\00:42:46.71
You told them about the
message that you learned.
00:42:47.01\00:42:49.06
You witnessed to everybody
around you about Jesus Christ.
00:42:49.36\00:42:52.83
Do you remember that?
00:42:53.13\00:42:54.53
Because it was the first love!
00:42:54.77\00:42:57.57
Something that filled
your life and you wanted to do
00:42:57.87\00:43:00.86
and you couldn't keep quiet.
00:43:01.16\00:43:02.66
That is what brings about
00:43:06.26\00:43:10.01
the love in your heart.
00:43:10.31\00:43:13.07
Oh, I can
remember... I can remember
00:43:13.37\00:43:16.70
talking to everybody about it.
00:43:17.00\00:43:19.35
I can also remember
being in evangelistic meetings
00:43:19.65\00:43:23.73
and how I longed
to just get by myself
00:43:24.04\00:43:27.27
and talk to the Lord.
00:43:27.57\00:43:29.70
How... what it did for me.
00:43:30.00\00:43:32.78
Do you remember
how... how you couldn't...
00:43:33.08\00:43:35.06
you couldn't get
enough of the Word of God?
00:43:35.26\00:43:37.61
Do you remember that?
00:43:37.91\00:43:39.27
You remember when you got...
You know, you just couldn't
00:43:39.57\00:43:41.68
hardly wait to get into
the scripture and see what it
00:43:41.89\00:43:44.49
had to say. And as you
read it you saw new things
00:43:44.59\00:43:47.63
and it filled your
heart and your soul
00:43:47.83\00:43:49.45
and you learned things. You said
"I never knew that before! "
00:43:49.65\00:43:52.54
Marvelous! I can
remember how it just brought
00:43:52.85\00:43:57.36
so much joy to my life
00:43:57.56\00:43:59.86
as I learned the things that
God had to say in the scripture.
00:44:00.16\00:44:04.41
This was part of what happened
00:44:05.88\00:44:08.32
because there was
a first love there.
00:44:08.52\00:44:10.61
Do you remember
spending time in prayer?
00:44:12.15\00:44:15.88
Hmm? Talking to the
Lord... praying to Him?
00:44:16.18\00:44:20.22
Actually, time just seemed
00:44:23.12\00:44:27.98
to not be a factor.
00:44:29.21\00:44:31.40
Have you ever, you know,
back then when the first love
00:44:31.50\00:44:34.68
was in your life found
yourself talking to the Lord
00:44:34.88\00:44:37.60
and first thing you know you'd
been talking to Him for an hour?
00:44:37.81\00:44:41.22
Just, you know, it's just
there; burned within your heart,
00:44:41.52\00:44:45.75
within your soul.
00:44:45.95\00:44:47.33
This is what God
is talking about.
00:44:47.63\00:44:49.95
Fervor that fills your life:
00:44:52.47\00:44:57.08
this is the first love.
00:44:57.38\00:45:00.82
He says: "Do the first works. "
00:45:01.12\00:45:04.37
Now folks, it doesn't come
00:45:05.43\00:45:09.28
by feeling.
00:45:09.58\00:45:12.56
That isn't the way it comes.
00:45:12.86\00:45:15.16
It comes by getting
back into the Word of God.
00:45:15.70\00:45:19.90
It comes by spending
time in prayer with Him.
00:45:20.14\00:45:23.04
It comes by
spending time with the Lord.
00:45:23.44\00:45:27.14
And as you begin to
do those first works
00:45:27.44\00:45:30.70
then the love will come back
and with that will come feeling.
00:45:31.00\00:45:35.67
Don't try to look
for it another way.
00:45:35.98\00:45:39.35
It comes in that order.
00:45:39.65\00:45:41.98
You spend time with Him.
What a difference it will make
00:45:42.28\00:45:45.68
in your life and in
mine when you come back
00:45:45.88\00:45:49.31
to that first love.
00:45:49.51\00:45:51.01
Well, what
counsel does He give us?
00:45:51.31\00:45:54.87
What does He tell us to do?
00:45:55.17\00:45:57.86
That's what He's saying:
"remember where you've fallen. "
00:46:07.54\00:46:10.73
I think one of the things
the church... or I should say
00:46:12.59\00:46:17.44
the people in the
church - Christians today -
00:46:17.64\00:46:20.06
need to do, particularly
here in the United States,
00:46:20.26\00:46:23.34
is they need to
take a good, hard look
00:46:23.64\00:46:28.26
at themselves and understand
where they have fallen.
00:46:28.56\00:46:32.76
They really do...
00:46:33.06\00:46:35.26
because there is
so much commercialism,
00:46:35.56\00:46:38.83
there is so much of
the things of this life
00:46:39.13\00:46:41.40
and cares of this life
that most Christians today
00:46:41.60\00:46:44.57
don't have the slightest
idea of what their condition is.
00:46:44.77\00:46:47.65
And they
can't... they can't change
00:46:49.26\00:46:52.16
and they can't turn around and
they can't do the first works
00:46:52.47\00:46:56.20
until they wake up to
what their condition is.
00:46:56.30\00:47:00.11
Need to understand
"from where you have fallen. "
00:47:00.41\00:47:05.56
Come before the Lord, repent,
00:47:05.86\00:47:10.03
and THEN do the first works.
00:47:10.33\00:47:13.44
Talk to the Lord about it,
00:47:13.74\00:47:15.24
and He will change your
life and make you different.
00:47:15.54\00:47:19.51
This is what He does and
this is what that church needed.
00:47:19.81\00:47:23.04
And dear friend, I'm
sorry to say that today
00:47:23.34\00:47:27.22
we need is desperately
00:47:27.52\00:47:30.56
because most of us... sorry...
00:47:30.86\00:47:35.95
are lukewarm.
00:47:36.25\00:47:38.02
Lukewarm.
00:47:39.57\00:47:41.22
Certainly not on fire.
00:47:41.53\00:47:44.02
So we need to realize
from where we have fallen...
00:47:44.32\00:47:48.31
what takes place.
00:47:48.61\00:47:49.98
Nicolatians... who were they?
00:47:59.11\00:48:02.94
These were the
followers of the deacon Nicolas.
00:48:03.24\00:48:08.53
Nicolas was one of the
first deacons that was ordained.
00:48:08.83\00:48:13.53
Nicolas came to the
place that he believed...
00:48:15.05\00:48:18.19
he believed that your spiritual
condition had nothing to do
00:48:18.69\00:48:24.63
with your physical.
00:48:24.84\00:48:26.53
Therefore he believed that you
could do anything you wanted to
00:48:28.04\00:48:33.13
physically... that
it had no relationship
00:48:33.33\00:48:37.94
to your spiritual condition...
00:48:38.14\00:48:40.11
and that fornication, adultery,
00:48:40.41\00:48:45.07
and all that had nothing to do
with your spiritual condition.
00:48:45.27\00:48:48.43
Also this went along very
much with what was coming out of
00:48:48.73\00:48:54.27
places like Alexandria and Rome
00:48:54.47\00:48:59.08
in which they were
teaching Gnosticism.
00:48:59.38\00:49:02.99
Gnosticism simply did the
same thing... that it took
00:49:03.29\00:49:07.72
the Word of God, lessened
it, and applied it to it.
00:49:07.92\00:49:12.53
It took... it took
the teachings of Paul
00:49:12.66\00:49:16.16
that taught Christian liberty
00:49:16.56\00:49:20.21
and they took his teachings
and turned it into a license
00:49:20.31\00:49:25.06
to live contrary to God's law.
00:49:25.26\00:49:28.02
This is what
basically was happening here.
00:49:28.32\00:49:31.59
And these were these
people that followed Nicolas
00:49:31.79\00:49:34.22
or the Nicolatians.
00:49:34.42\00:49:35.63
Uh, do we face that today? Yes!
00:49:35.93\00:49:38.43
This is a belief that you find
out there called antinomianism.
00:49:39.81\00:49:43.77
Antinomianism
teaches that you can
00:49:44.07\00:49:49.21
accept Christ and
it has nothing to do
00:49:49.52\00:49:54.72
with how you live after that.
00:49:55.03\00:49:57.79
You can accept Christ
and live like the devil
00:49:58.09\00:50:01.04
and still be saved.
00:50:01.34\00:50:02.90
That's basically
what it's teaching.
00:50:03.20\00:50:05.15
God's Word does not teach that.
00:50:05.46\00:50:07.98
And this was the
problem. He said "I hate this. "
00:50:08.48\00:50:11.49
Christ said: "I hate this
doctrine of Nicolatians. "
00:50:11.79\00:50:15.07
God gave us His law.
00:50:15.37\00:50:21.00
Those laws are
ten eternal principles
00:50:21.30\00:50:23.99
that are to guide
and direct our lives.
00:50:24.29\00:50:27.42
And by my... by my surrender
00:50:28.69\00:50:34.19
to the working of the
Holy Spirit in my life
00:50:34.49\00:50:37.52
I am to live in
accordance with God's law.
00:50:37.82\00:50:42.26
He says here:
00:50:42.76\00:50:45.23
Jesus said: "I didn't
come to do away with the law.
00:50:52.18\00:50:55.09
I came to live a perfect
life in accordance to the law. "
00:50:55.39\00:50:59.96
That's what fulfill means.
00:51:00.26\00:51:01.89
He means I fulfilled
every aspect of the law.
00:51:02.09\00:51:06.21
"I didn't do away
with it; I fulfilled it. "
00:51:06.41\00:51:09.45
So He said the law is eternal.
00:51:20.59\00:51:22.62
It's not going to change,
00:51:22.92\00:51:24.77
and you and I must simply
00:51:24.97\00:51:30.01
put our lives in the
hands of the Lord and trust Him
00:51:30.31\00:51:33.48
that He will live in
us... help us to walk
00:51:33.78\00:51:38.95
according to Him.
00:51:39.15\00:51:40.31
And then He comes to the closing
00:51:40.61\00:51:42.51
and He says this:
00:51:42.61\00:51:44.47
He said: "Open up your ears.
00:51:49.14\00:51:51.48
Listen to what I'm telling
you because it's very important
00:51:51.78\00:51:55.45
that you understand
what I have to say. "
00:51:55.75\00:51:58.34
And in this case,
He gives this closing
00:51:58.64\00:52:01.87
before He gives the promise.
00:52:02.17\00:52:04.14
And now He gives the promise.
00:52:04.45\00:52:06.32
The promise is simply this:
00:52:06.62\00:52:09.74
Every one of the
seven epistles of Christ
00:52:18.26\00:52:22.10
He says: "I know your works. "
00:52:23.65\00:52:26.80
But every one of those
seven epistles He also says
00:52:27.10\00:52:31.36
"to him who overcomes. "
00:52:31.66\00:52:34.83
Every one of them says that.
00:52:35.13\00:52:36.62
I must bring my life
into conformity to God's will
00:52:36.92\00:52:41.72
through the working of
the Holy Spirit in my life.
00:52:42.03\00:52:44.84
Have to day by day grow in grace
00:52:46.31\00:52:50.22
and the knowledge
of the Son of God.
00:52:50.52\00:52:52.51
And He says: "to that
person who does overcome, "
00:52:52.71\00:52:55.33
He said, "then I will let
him eat of the Tree of Life. "
00:52:55.83\00:53:01.79
You and I have the
privilege - follow me -
00:53:05.19\00:53:09.07
you have the privilege of eating
of the Tree of Life today.
00:53:09.27\00:53:14.00
Did you know that?
00:53:15.54\00:53:17.22
Yeah, you have that privilege.
00:53:17.52\00:53:19.45
This... this...
00:53:27.61\00:53:33.22
is the Word of Life.
This is the Tree of Life
00:53:33.52\00:53:35.83
to you and I today.
00:53:35.93\00:53:37.16
The same energy
that created this world
00:53:37.46\00:53:41.94
is the same energy
that's contained in this book.
00:53:42.24\00:53:45.26
And if you and I
will spend time in it,
00:53:46.51\00:53:48.78
it can be the Tree of
Life to you and to me.
00:53:49.08\00:53:53.73
This is what God wants to do.
00:54:06.73\00:54:09.05
All God's people
are going to come.
00:54:17.65\00:54:19.34
They are going to gather there.
00:54:19.55\00:54:20.71
They are going to
eat of the Tree of Life.
00:54:20.91\00:54:22.68
This was the message of
God to the church of Ephesus.
00:54:33.30\00:54:38.79
Our next
presentation will be His message
00:54:39.09\00:54:42.65
to the church of Smyrna.
00:54:42.95\00:54:45.51
Let's pray.
00:54:45.71\00:54:46.83
Father in Heaven,
00:54:47.13\00:54:49.04
we thank you for your counsel.
00:54:49.34\00:54:51.02
We pray that we might take
these words into our lives,
00:54:52.20\00:54:55.66
into our heart, that we each
00:54:55.86\00:54:58.48
might follow Thee
and walk with Thee
00:54:58.78\00:55:01.51
and that the first love
would burn in our lives.
00:55:01.81\00:55:04.53
We pray in Christ's name, Amen.
00:55:04.73\00:55:07.26
May God bless you.
Have a great evening.
00:55:07.76\00:55:10.42
We'll look forward to seeing
you on our next presentation.
00:55:10.72\00:55:13.88
Hello, folks.
00:55:15.37\00:55:16.48
One of my favorite
things to do in the springtime
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is to take a walk and
look at all the new growth.
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The earth seems so fresh,
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and each tree bursts
forth with buds and flowers.
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That reminds me of a parable
that Jesus told His followers
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in Luke 21.
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You see, He had just described
the events which will happen
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immediately
before His second coming.
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But in verse 29
Jesus turns their attention
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to the fig tree.
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And ever since then, budding
trees have served as a permanent
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reminder that our
time here is very short
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and the second
coming is very near.
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Folks, many of these
signs are already upon us.
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The earth groans from
the greed of those who have
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exploited her
resources, ravaged her land
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and destroyed plants and
animals and atmosphere alike
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in a selfish pursuit of wealth.
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Have you seen the signs?
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Have you seen men's
hearts failing with fear?
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If you haven't, then I'm
afraid you're not watching
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very closely. However, the
Holy Spirit is hard at work
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and so are many Christians
who long for an end to sin
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and look forward to
their soon-coming Savior.
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That's why we
continue to preach the gospel
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to as many as we can
through any means that we can
00:57:02.11\00:57:06.15
as often as we can.
00:57:06.35\00:57:08.32
Our ministry team
is supported solely
00:57:08.62\00:57:10.73
by your contributions...
and we thank you for your
00:57:10.93\00:57:14.23
faithful prayers
and financial support.
00:57:14.43\00:57:17.78
May God richly bless you.
00:57:17.98\00:57:20.31
Please consider what you can do
for those who still don't know
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about Jesus. As the
Holy Spirit impresses,
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please send your
tax-deductible gifts to:
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Thank you for helping us
spread the light of God's Word
00:57:40.80\00:57:43.32
through television and radio.
00:57:43.52\00:57:45.16
Your gifts help bring
the blessed hope of salvation
00:57:45.46\00:57:47.54
to millions around the world.
00:57:47.74\00:57:49.91