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00:34 Hello, friends, we like to welcome you once again
00:37 to Sabbath School Study Hour, 00:38 coming to you from Granite Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:41 in Sacramento, California. 00:43 Very warm welcome to our online members, 00:45 and those who are joining us online, 00:47 and also on the various television networks 00:49 around the world. 00:50 And also warm welcome to our regular members 00:53 and our visitors right here at Granite Bay. 00:55 It's good to be able to gather together 00:56 on a Sabbath morning and study the lesson together. 00:59 We've got a brand new lesson quarterly. 01:01 Actually this is the second lesson 01:03 in our new quarterly dealing with the Book of Acts. 01:06 It's simply entitled the Book of Acts, 01:08 and today we're looking at lesson number two 01:10 that's talking about Pentecost, 01:12 so a very important and exciting study 01:15 that we'll be getting to hear in just a few moments. 01:17 But before we get to our lesson, 01:19 I'd like to let our friends know about a free offer 01:21 that we'd like to make available to you. 01:23 If you would like to receive a DVD 01:27 that will tell you more about Pentecost, 01:30 we'd ask you to call our resource phone line 01:32 and that number is 866-788-3966, 01:37 and you can ask for offer number 824. 01:40 We'll be happy to send that DVD to anybody who calls and asks, 01:44 or you're able to get that DVD downloaded in a digital format 01:48 simply by texting the code "SH085" 01:52 to the number 40544. 01:56 You'll then receive a link, and you click on the link, 01:59 and you'll be able to download 02:00 that special DVD free offer for today. 02:03 But before we get to our study as we always do, 02:06 we'd like to begin by lifting our voices in song. 02:08 I'd like to invite the song leaders to come forward 02:10 and they'll lead us together this morning. 04:26 Dear Father in heaven, 04:27 once again we are grateful for the opportunity 04:29 to gather together and open up Your Word 04:31 and study this important message 04:33 found in the Book of Acts, 04:34 this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit 04:36 that helped to begin the Christian era. 04:39 And, Lord, we look forward 04:40 to a special outpouring of Your Spirit in our time 04:42 that will help finish the proclamation of the gospel 04:44 that has to go to the world. 04:45 Thank you so much for singing. 04:46 So blessed our time together this morning, 04:48 for we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 04:52 Our lesson today is going to be brought to us 04:53 by Dr. David DeRose. 04:56 Thank you. 04:58 Well, it's good to continue on the journey together. 05:01 We're just off on this excursion 05:04 if you will through the Book of Acts. 05:07 The Book of Acts, we're on lesson two 05:10 as Pastors John already mentioned 05:12 and the topic is on Pentecost. 05:19 Perhaps, you've been there before. 05:23 You've been in a position 05:24 where you were given a job or a task to do 05:29 and you felt totally unequipped to do it. 05:34 Can you relate to that? 05:36 I don't know, it seems in my experience 05:38 that God has this amazing ability 05:41 of putting me in places where I don't feel 05:44 I'm able to surround the task at hand. 05:47 Can you relate to that? 05:49 Put yourself in the position of the early church. 05:52 Last week as we study together, we were looking at Acts 1, 05:57 and I invite you to turn back there 06:00 for a commissioning that Jesus gave. 06:04 Luke gives it in short order in the Book of Acts. 06:08 Of course, Luke is the author of Acts 06:11 as well as the author of the gospel 06:13 that bears his name. 06:14 And as we turn there to Acts 1, 06:17 we're going to catch a commission 06:20 that I think the disciples had to feel 06:22 totally unequipped to fulfill. 06:27 Acts 1, these actually are the words of Jesus. 06:33 And let's look at beginning with verse 7, 06:37 so Acts 1:7. 06:41 Jesus says to them, "It's not for you to know 06:43 the times or the seasons 06:46 which the Father has put in His own authority. 06:49 But you shall receive power 06:51 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, 06:53 and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, 06:57 and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 07:07 How do you decide whether you're equipped 07:10 to take on a certain role? 07:14 If I were to walk up to you 07:16 after the Sabbath School lesson, 07:17 I say, "Would you be so kind as to..." 07:22 Fill in the blank. 07:23 You know, "Fix my car this weekend for me." 07:26 What would you use to judge 07:29 whether you were able to fulfill that request? 07:34 Yes, past experience, right? 07:36 Isn't that how we typically work as humans? 07:38 "Oh, yeah, I can do that. 07:39 I fix cars many times, 07:40 would be happy to come over tomorrow 07:42 and fix your vehicle." 07:46 Based on past experience, how well equipped 07:50 were the disciples to be the witnesses of Jesus? 07:54 First of all, just in Jerusalem, 07:57 how they had done to this point? 08:01 They hadn't done too well, had they? 08:04 I mean at the cross who was there 08:06 giving that grand sermon 08:08 pointing to the significance of Jesus' death 08:11 and the fulfillment of the sanctuary, 08:13 who was there preaching at the cross? 08:16 Nobody, they were all hiding, right? 08:17 Well, John, you say was still there, 08:19 Peter tarried around long enough to deny his Lord, 08:23 but just looking at externals, you would say, 08:26 here was a commission they were not equipped to fulfill. 08:30 And in fact, the very request of Jesus 08:33 implies that if they looked at themselves, 08:36 they would say there's no way we could do it. 08:38 Look at the verse. 08:40 In verse 7 and 8, 08:42 Jesus actually implies that looking at themselves 08:45 they would say, we are not equipped to do this, 08:48 we don't have the power. 08:49 What is there in the verse that tells us 08:52 that Jesus understood how they felt? 08:59 You pick it up there in verse 8 of Acts 1. 09:03 You see it, don't you? 09:05 "He's assuring them that you'll receive power." 09:11 If I assure you that you'll receive power, 09:13 what does that imply? 09:15 Yeah, that you don't have power right now. 09:19 We're in a fairly rural location, 09:22 and every now and then we might flip on the light switch 09:26 and there's no power. 09:27 And if we call the power company, what do they do? 09:31 There's often an automated message 09:33 that they're working on restoring power to our area. 09:37 And in so many words they're saying, 09:38 "You shall receive power." 09:40 They may even give us a time, 09:42 "Power is expected to be restored 09:44 between midnight and two in the morning." 09:47 Have you got messages like that? 09:49 But it would do no good if we already had power. 09:54 "You shall receive power." 09:55 Well, that's the background, 09:57 that was our lesson study last week, 09:59 but now here we are in Acts 2. 10:02 It is some 50 days 10:05 after those terrible events, 10:10 terrible at least in the experience 10:12 of the disciples on Golgotha. 10:15 Jesus, the one who they looked to as being the Savior 10:17 they thought, it was all over. 10:21 You remember those disciples on the Emmaus road. 10:24 They said, we thought it was Him 10:26 that was going to deliver Israel, right? 10:29 Now here we are just some seven weeks later, 10:34 go with me there to Acts 2, 10:36 that's where our lesson picks up. 10:38 Disciples feeling powerless, 10:42 now assured after the resurrection 10:44 that they are serving a risen Savior, 10:47 that their hopes were not misplaced, 10:50 Jesus has shown them over the course of a short time 10:55 on this planet after His resurrection, 10:57 physically present that the gospel was true, 11:02 that their faith was not unfounded, 11:04 and now they've been holding out in Jerusalem 11:07 waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. 11:11 Here we are now in Acts 2:1, it says, 11:15 "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, 11:18 they were all with one accord in one place." 11:24 Now I don't know if you've noticed this 11:25 about the scriptures, 11:26 but many times if there's a key thought 11:29 or a very important concept, 11:30 it's not mentioned only once. 11:34 So if you look at Acts 1 and 2, 11:36 do you see this succinct description of the disciples 11:41 and how they were together, 11:43 do you see it mentioned anywhere else? 11:45 Help me out. 11:46 In Acts 1 and 2, do you see anywhere else where Acts 2:1, 11:51 the same concept is communicated? 11:58 Good. I see many of you cogitating. 12:00 This is a good sign. 12:03 Okay, someone says, "Acts 1:14." 12:07 That's exactly what I was thinking of. 12:09 There might be some other places 12:10 where you get this sense. 12:11 But in Acts 1:14, let's look there, 12:14 is speaking and it actually, it goes so far, 12:17 Luke does as he's writing the account, 12:18 he names the 11 remaining disciples. 12:21 Of course, Judas is not among them, 12:23 having hung himself. 12:25 And after naming these 11 disciples, 12:29 it says in verse 14, 12:30 "These all continued with one accord in prayer, 12:34 and supplication with the women, 12:37 and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." 12:43 I mean, catch the significance of what's being communicated 12:46 in Acts 1:14, and then again in Acts 2:1. 12:51 If we were to talk about the disciples before the cross, 12:56 what setting are the disciples usually described in? 13:01 What is their emotional state? 13:05 Yeah, they're jostling for position, right? 13:08 You know, who's going to be the greatest. 13:10 Jesus is trying to prepare them for the cross 13:12 and what's going on? 13:14 You know, who's going to be number one? 13:17 By the way, can this happen in Christian churches today? 13:23 Can people be concerned about their position in the church 13:27 or their position in a Christian organization? 13:30 Now what's amazing to me, this is human nature, 13:34 but God is transcending human nature 13:36 even before the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 13:40 So the Holy Spirit is already at work, 13:43 there's no question. 13:47 The disciples now instead of arguing about 13:49 who is the greatest, 13:51 they're all with one accord in one place. 13:55 Who else is there according to Acts 1:14? 14:02 Who else is there? 14:04 The mother of Jesus, the women, and in that society, 14:08 you know, women didn't have much position. 14:11 Here they are women 14:12 in the intimate circle of believers, 14:14 it's the whole church, it's the world church, 14:16 it's there, it's just a smaller group at that time. 14:19 And who else you catch, who else is there? 14:21 Jesus' brothers, the half brothers of Jesus, 14:25 some of them later went on to write books of the Bible, 14:28 do you realize that? 14:30 Jude wrote a book. 14:32 Who was Jude? 14:34 He's the brother of Jesus. 14:35 Was there another half brother of Jesus 14:38 that wrote a Bible book? 14:39 James, that's right. 14:40 The James who wrote the Book of James 14:43 was not the Apostle James. 14:44 James was the first martyr. 14:46 The James of the 12 14:48 was the first martyr among the 12. 14:50 But James who wrote the Bible book 14:52 was the half brother of Jesus. 14:53 They gave Jesus a terrible time 14:55 and we picked that up through the gospels. 14:57 Now, after the resurrection of Jesus, 15:00 they're all together, 15:01 and that's the picture in Acts 2 as it opens up. 15:04 We've got a group of people that were disunified, 15:08 they've come together. 15:09 And I ask the question, 15:11 as often we talk about the importance 15:13 of revival and reformation, 15:15 we talk about praying for the Holy Spirit. 15:17 Are we picking up on an implicit 15:20 perhaps condition of the outpouring 15:23 of the Holy Spirit? 15:26 Is there in the text, the suggestion 15:28 that if we're looking for a full measure 15:30 of the Holy Spirit to be poured out, 15:33 that there is something that we may need to do? 15:36 And what is it? 15:39 Empty ourselves to self, come close to one another, 15:44 be of one mind, be of one accord. 15:46 How easy is that to do? 15:49 I would suggest that it's impossible. 15:52 Humanly speaking, it is impossible, 15:55 but through the power of the Holy Spirit 15:57 as we'll see God wants to give us 16:00 that power to be His witnesses. 16:04 Well, here we are, Acts 2:1. 16:10 All these folks are together, it is the day of Pentecost. 16:13 So let's pick up the story in our lesson here. 16:17 I'm actually going to Sunday's lesson 16:22 where it speaks about the coming of the Holy Spirit, 16:24 and it might be wise 16:25 if you're not following along in the quarterly, 16:27 you can pick this up. 16:29 If you're attending here, 16:30 you can pick it up right out in the foyer. 16:33 But if you're not attending, you can actually go 16:36 to the Amazing Facts website, 16:38 and you can actually download the lesson 16:40 or pick up a link so that you can study along. 16:43 But Sabbath is speaking about this concept 16:45 that we've been alluding to 16:46 and maybe we should just dwell on this a little bit longer. 16:49 In fact maybe to make it even more practical, 16:53 we could look at another example of a calling 16:57 that may seem difficult if not impossible. 17:01 One of our readers there, 17:03 he has a passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 17:06 that we'll read in just a moment, 17:08 so we'll be reading from 1 Thessalonians 5. 17:10 But I want to catch this vision 17:12 just before we go a little bit more into the narrative. 17:15 And the idea is that if we're looking at ourselves 17:20 as to whether we're able to fulfill God's calling, 17:24 we're looking in the wrong place, okay. 17:27 The whole emphasis in the Pentecost story, 17:29 the whole emphasis in Acts 1 and 2 17:31 is that we are unable to accomplish 17:34 what God has called us to do, 17:36 but He has promised us power from heaven. 17:39 And so instead of... 17:42 I'll be honest with you, okay? 17:44 I have done those spiritual gifts inventories. 17:47 I've served as a pastor. 17:49 I work with church members, and you know what happens. 17:52 Many times we speak about spiritual gifts, 17:54 I'll just lay it right out for you or maybe you say, 17:57 "You've been in some bad places, Dr. DeRose." 18:00 But what I find happens 18:01 when we talk about spiritual gifts 18:03 is the first thing I hear from people is 18:06 well, you know, I don't have that gift. 18:09 That's not my gift. 18:10 Have you heard that before? 18:12 Maybe you've even said it. 18:15 Someone's asked you to be involved in some way, 18:17 "Well, that's not my gift. 18:18 I don't have that gift." 18:21 The emphasis on spiritual gifts 18:23 is not on what you naturally possess. 18:29 The emphasis is on what God wants to do for you, okay. 18:33 Not what gifts you have intrinsically, 18:36 but what the Holy Spirit wants to do through you. 18:38 And if you catch that, 18:39 that is where Acts 1 and 2 starts. 18:42 And if you didn't pick up on it last week, 18:44 look again at Acts 1, over and over again you see 18:47 the Holy Spirit did this, the Holy Spirit did this, 18:49 Jesus did this through the Holy Spirit. 18:51 And in fact many commentators, 18:53 when they look at the Book of Acts, 18:54 they say, "Well, you know, maybe it shouldn't be called 18:57 the Acts of the Apostles," 18:58 it should be called what? 19:00 "The Acts of the Holy Spirit." 19:02 Okay, let's go to 1 Thessalonians 5, 19:06 it's a short passage. 19:07 In fact, 1 Thessalonians 5 19:09 has some of the most powerful succinct scriptures 19:14 that call us to action. 19:16 But listen to what we have there 19:18 in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. 19:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you completely 19:26 and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body 19:30 be preserved blameless 19:31 unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 19:34 Faithful is he that calleth you, 19:36 who also will do it." 19:38 Okay, thank you. 19:40 It's a passage where Paul is speaking 19:41 about sanctification, holiness, 19:45 but did you catch how that passage closed. 19:47 Did you catch 1 Thessalonians 5:24? 19:52 "Faithful is he who calls you..." 19:54 Who will what? 19:56 "Who will do it." 19:57 Who will do it. 19:58 Wouldn't that be wonderful if in every church, 20:01 in every Christian organization, 20:03 in every home if you were asked to do something you would say, 20:06 "Really, you asked me to do that? 20:09 I didn't think I could do that. 20:11 But if you're asking me to do it, 20:12 I know it's going to happen." 20:15 Wouldn't that be amazing? 20:16 'Cause that's what God does. 20:18 So if God's asking you to do something, 20:21 He's going to fully equip you to do it, 20:23 and that's what the essence of Acts 1 and 2 is all about. 20:26 This is encouraging news for me. 20:29 'Cause many times it looks like God puts me in positions 20:32 and I just, I mean I wonder why the Lord has me there. 20:35 Have you been there? 20:37 Yeah, you can relate. 20:38 You can relate. 20:40 Well, so we're now in Acts 2 20:43 and the title of this description 20:47 in our lesson quarterly is the coming of the Spirit. 20:52 So you've got the picture. 20:53 This is one of the great feasts of the Old Testament Church 20:58 and here we are in Acts 2, 21:00 they are gathered together in the upper room, 21:02 all the disciples, all the believers. 21:04 In fact, we saw a more complete description in Acts 1:14, 21:08 but when we come to chapter 2, it just simply says, 21:10 "They were all with one accord in one place." 21:12 Referring to the whole visible church, 21:15 and it says in verse 2, 21:17 "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven 21:19 as of a rushing mighty wind 21:23 and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 21:28 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, 21:31 as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 21:35 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 21:37 and began to speak with other tongues, 21:40 as the Spirit gave them utterance." 21:44 Now it didn't happen to me this week, 21:47 but I spent a lot of time 21:50 in the medical clinic this week. 21:52 And if a patient had come in to me 21:54 complaining of problems in their mouth, 21:58 and when I took down that, 22:00 I usually use a otoscope to look in their mouth, 22:03 that's usually used to look in the ear, 22:05 but it's the best light source that's usually available. 22:07 I grab that down off the wall and I get one of those... 22:12 I sometimes describe them to the patients 22:14 as delicious tongue depressors, 22:17 you know, those wooden tongue depressors, 22:19 and so I look in the mouth 22:21 and I see their tongue is all swollen up. 22:25 Tongue is all swollen. 22:28 If I were to describe that, 22:31 I would, I would describe it in their medical record, 22:34 type into that electronic record, 22:36 what term would I use, 22:39 what medical term would I use to describe 22:41 their swollen tongue? 22:43 Do you know? 22:46 We'd actually use the term glossitis. 22:50 Glossitis. 22:53 You say, "Okay, well, that's interesting." 22:56 I didn't know we'd get a medical terminology 22:59 lecture here in Sabbath School. 23:01 What does glossitis have to do with what we're reading about? 23:04 Well, some people say, 23:06 well, you know, medicine, I mean that's Latin. 23:07 It's all from Latin. 23:08 No, many of the medical roots are from Greek, 23:11 and so the New Testament was written in what language? 23:14 Greek. 23:15 That word glossa which refers to tongue 23:17 is the very Greek word 23:20 that we've been reading about the English translation 23:22 in both verses 3 and 4. 23:25 So it says literally, 23:26 when it says there were tongues of fire on their heads, 23:30 this is from that word, the Greek word glossa. 23:33 There were literally tongues of fire on their head 23:38 and then they began to speak in what? 23:42 Again, from glossa, they began to speak in other tongues. 23:46 So the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, 23:49 this physical manifestation 23:51 is actually preparing those who are there to realize that 23:54 what is happening is a gift of the Holy Spirit, 23:57 it's a supernatural occurrence. 24:00 And the very word glossa that refers to tongue 24:03 is used for both what rests on the heads of the believers, 24:07 as well as what comes forth from their mouth, 24:11 these tongues, these languages. 24:14 Now it's interesting, 24:15 many people as they casually read through Acts 2 24:19 were introduced in verse 5 to the devout believers 24:23 that were there from all over the then known world. 24:25 They had come from throughout 24:27 that whole Mediterranean region. 24:30 They're there. 24:33 And it says, it says just amazing in verse 11 24:39 after reciting all the different languages 24:42 that were there, it's mentioned at first in verse 8, 24:46 "How is it that we hear each in our own language." 24:51 Again in verse 11, 24:52 "We hear them speaking in our own tongues, 24:56 the wonderful works of God." 25:06 They were nowhere to be found at the cross except for John. 25:12 The disciples had scattered, they were hiding. 25:16 The priests and the rulers 25:17 thwart by this single manifestation of the power 25:22 of the religious organization, 25:24 joined to the power of Rome 25:26 that the believers would be driven into hiding. 25:29 It would be the end, they would quelch this sect, 25:33 this uprising would be over, 25:36 and instead with the death of Jesus, 25:40 the stage is set for this manifestation of God's power 25:43 for the resurrection, 25:45 and for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 25:47 And now can you imagine 25:50 the attitude of the religious leaders 25:52 who thought they were suppressing this sect, 25:57 now they see it exploding, preaching throughout Jerusalem, 26:02 they're in the temple setting, 26:05 the risen Christ, the risen Christ. 26:08 It's an amazing, amazing account. 26:13 You know, as we look at what happened, 26:15 like I said many casual readers as they read this, 26:18 they say, "Well, it sounds like the gift of hearing." 26:21 Because they say everyone 26:23 is hearing in their own language, 26:26 but it's clear contextually 26:28 that the gift was not a gift of hearing, 26:31 it was a gift of speaking. 26:35 Now there are some New Testament believers, 26:37 in fact many who say 26:39 that this is the singular manifestation 26:42 of the Holy Spirit. 26:43 If you're going to be baptized, 26:44 if you're going to be filled with the Holy Spirit, 26:46 you will start to speak in other languages, 26:48 if you heard that before. 26:50 Is it true biblically, 26:52 can we defend that position biblically? 26:55 Well, we don't have to go really very far at all 26:59 because as we read through Acts 2, 27:04 we will jump there or maybe we'll come back here, 27:06 but come with me, we're going to look by God's grace 27:09 at Peter's great sermon on the day of Pentecost, 27:13 but as Peter is closing his message, 27:15 he makes an appeal. 27:19 And as he makes that appeal, I'm in Acts 2:38. 27:28 As he makes that appeal, 27:30 we catch a promise there as well, 27:34 a very powerful promise. 27:36 In fact, you know, this is so important, 27:38 you know, sometimes it helps 27:39 to hear things in a different voice. 27:41 I think we've got one of our readers here 27:44 who's willing to read Acts 2:38. 27:48 Before we read that, I just want you to pick up the stream, 27:52 I know we're jumping a little bit ahead, 27:53 but sometimes to catch the big picture 27:56 we have to look at how things begin 27:58 and how things end, 27:59 because many times people twist the scriptures. 28:04 You remember, Peter was writing about it. 28:07 He was speaking about how actually people 28:10 even in his day twisted the scriptures of Paul 28:15 to their own destruction. 28:17 You remember Peter writing about that? 28:19 And so even today we can read the scripture 28:21 and we can twist it, 28:22 especially if we don't look at scripture 28:24 in its whole context. 28:26 So we're going to hear some reading now 28:28 from toward the close of Peter's sermon, 28:33 it's verses 38 and, Han, please read there for us. 28:37 Acts 2:38-39, "Then Peter said to them, 28:41 'Repent and let every one of you 28:43 be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ 28:46 for the remission of sins, 28:49 and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 28:52 For the promise is to you, and to your children, 28:55 and to all who are afar of 28:58 as many as the Lord our God will call.'" 29:02 Okay, so what's the promise now that Peter gives? 29:07 Be baptized and what will happen? 29:11 Yeah, so repent, be baptized, 29:13 and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 29:16 And as you read through what happens there in verse 40, 29:19 many are baptized, right? 29:22 How many? 29:26 Verse 41, how many in Acts 2? 29:29 Three thousand are baptized and what happens in verse 42? 29:36 By the way what doesn't happen? 29:38 What is not recorded as happening 29:40 after Peter has assured them 29:42 that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? 29:45 They've just received 29:46 the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 29:48 They have spoken in tongues, 29:50 in other languages to communicate the gospel 29:53 to foreign language speakers 29:56 who are all gathered in Jerusalem. 29:58 What happens now as Acts 2 is concluding 30:01 and others are filled with the Holy Spirit. 30:04 They receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, 30:06 what happens? 30:08 There's no description of them speaking in other languages, 30:12 but what happens immediately after in verse 42? 30:18 They're all fellowshipping together. 30:21 They're all with one accord if you will. 30:25 Interesting, isn't it? 30:28 In the lesson, if you go to Monday's lesson, 30:31 it highlights some of these other manifestations 30:35 of the Holy Spirit. 30:37 Now, by the way we looked at a commission 30:39 at the very beginning in Acts 1, 30:41 Jesus had given them a commission, 30:43 and that commission we said was one that humanly speaking, 30:47 the disciples were ill-equipped or unequipped 30:50 completely to fulfill. 30:51 What was the commission? 30:55 This is actually a review. 30:58 So I know that many of you are not speaking up 30:59 because you don't want to all speak at the same time, right? 31:04 Acts 1:8, 31:07 "You shall be witnesses to Me" where? 31:11 "In Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, 31:17 and to the end of the earth." 31:19 In fact many commentators as they look at Acts 1:8, 31:23 they say this is an outline of the Book of Acts. 31:26 It's an outline 31:27 because first, the Holy Spirit is poured out 31:29 and the ministry is focused where? 31:32 In Jerusalem, after the stoning of Stephen, 31:36 that starts to expand 31:37 and as we read through Acts 8, and 9, and 10, 11, 31:41 where does the gospel first expand to? 31:45 Judea and Samaria. 31:48 So where Cornelius was in Acts 10, 31:50 that would be included in that region of Samaria. 31:55 And then, after that as Paul goes out 31:58 on his missionary journeys, 31:59 where does it go, the gospel? 32:02 To the ends of the earth. 32:05 Go with me to Acts 10. 32:06 So we've just been looking at the outpouring 32:07 of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. 32:09 When the Spirit is first poured out, 32:11 it equips people who are unequipped. 32:14 By the way it says, they all spoke in tongues, 32:17 not just the 12. 32:19 So it seems that even the women, 32:21 I say even the women not to depreciate the women 32:24 in our church today, 32:26 but you have to realize in the early church women... 32:29 In the early centuries, women did not, 32:33 women were basically property in that culture. 32:36 And God from the very beginning, 32:38 Jesus, even as He traveled, women traveled with Jesus, 32:43 this was not typical in early biblical times. 32:48 Jesus was elevating the role of women 32:50 from the very beginning, 32:51 and women are being shown 32:52 that they have a powerful place 32:53 in the ministry of the early church 32:56 as they do today. 32:58 And so here, the women, the brothers of Jesus, 33:01 the disciples, this gift is poured out in Jerusalem. 33:07 Now we're hastening over to Acts 10. 33:08 If you're following along in Monday's lesson, 33:11 it mentions a number of these manifestations of the Spirit 33:14 and it points us to Acts 10:45-46. 33:19 Peter has come to the house of Cornelius 33:22 and this lesson wants us to focus on verses 45 and 46, 33:28 so let's look at that. 33:30 Actually 44 is probably a better place to start, 33:32 I'm in Acts 10 beginning with verse 44. 33:35 It says, "While Peter was still speaking these words, 33:39 the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word." 33:42 Now these are all gentiles. 33:46 It says, "And those of the circumcision who believed 33:50 were astonished as many as came with Peter, 33:56 because the gift of the Holy Spirit 33:59 had been poured out on the gentiles also, 34:01 for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." 34:07 Now what I want you to notice, is the first time we hear about 34:11 the giving of this supernatural gift of tongues, 34:14 the ability to communicate, 34:15 especially the gospel in a foreign language. 34:18 We see it in Acts 2 in Jerusalem, 34:20 it's poured out on the then known believers. 34:23 Now in Acts 10, we see the same gift poured out. 34:28 God through the Holy Spirit is connecting the dots, okay? 34:32 Not only is the commission to be witnesses, 34:36 a commission that has a bearing on the disciples of that time, 34:40 it has a bearing on every believer 34:43 because we see in Acts 10, 34:44 these people are not even identified as believers yet, 34:47 but they believe, they repent, 34:49 they hear the preaching of Peter 34:52 just as we'll see it again in Acts 2 shortly. 34:56 And what did they do? 34:57 They believe, they repent and on them falls 34:59 this physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit. 35:03 Now, just because we've mentioned 35:06 our Pentecostal friends, 35:08 go back to Acts 4 35:10 because we skipped over something. 35:13 In Acts 4, 35:14 there is another description of the Holy Spirit 35:16 being poured out. 35:17 We've looked at a number of them 35:18 being filled with the Holy Spirit, 35:20 the Holy Spirit being given, 35:21 the Holy Spirit being poured out, 35:22 these different descriptions 35:24 for a more full bestowal of the Holy Spirit. 35:29 I'm in Acts 4, we'll study through this later 35:33 in more detail as we will Acts 10, 35:36 but again, we're trying to get this picture as Acts begins, 35:39 it's the work of the Holy Spirit 35:41 that's equipping the church for ministry. 35:43 It's the promise that you and I have as believers today 35:46 that the same Holy Spirit wants to work through us. 35:49 Now look here in Acts 4. 35:52 Peter and John have gotten themselves into trouble. 35:55 They've been bold for Jesus. 35:58 And it's interesting, they're... 36:04 Wow, they're put into a difficult position. 36:06 The chief priest and elders are giving them a hard time, 36:09 and they come back now to be with the believers 36:11 in Acts 4:23-24 as the setting. 36:16 And they come and they start praying together, 36:19 they start speaking of God as the creator in verse 24, 36:23 "Lord, you are God. 36:25 You made heaven, and earth, and the sea, 36:27 and all that in them is." 36:29 Where are they quoting from by the way? 36:32 They're quoting from basically Genesis and Exodus. 36:36 They're quoting from the Sabbath commandment, okay. 36:38 This is part of their Christian heritage. 36:42 They weekly were keeping the Sabbath, 36:44 they were focusing on the Creator God. 36:46 They realized God as the all powerful one, 36:49 the Creator, they call out to Him. 36:51 They quote scripture, 36:54 and then look what it says in verse 29, 36:57 they've been forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus. 37:00 Verse 29, "Now, Lord, look on their threats..." 37:04 And what did they pray for? 37:07 "Grant to your servants that with all boldness 37:13 they may speak your word 37:14 by stretching out Your hand to heal, 37:16 and that signs and wonders may be done 37:18 through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." 37:20 It says in verse 31, after they pray what happens? 37:25 It says, "They're all filled with the Holy Spirit." 37:29 By the way, the church is much bigger now, 37:31 even just a couple chapters, 37:32 we just saw 3,000 have been added, 37:35 the church praying together, 37:36 I don't know that every single one was in the setting, 37:38 but the Holy Spirit is poured out and what happens? 37:41 Do we read about gifts of tongues? 37:45 No, there is no mention of the gift of tongues 37:48 being poured out, 37:49 but it says they were filled with the Holy Spirit, 37:51 verse 31 of Acts 4, and they did what? 37:55 They spoke the Word of God with boldness. 38:01 They spoke the Word of God with boldness. 38:05 You'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, 38:09 in all Judea and Samaria, and where else? 38:13 To the uttermost ends of the earth. 38:16 In Monday's lesson, 38:17 it points us to that section of Acts 38:20 that looks at the uttermost ends of the earth. 38:22 Go with me to Acts 19. 38:24 Acts 19. 38:29 Now we are in Ephesus, there are believers there, 38:34 they've really not even heard of the Holy Spirit. 38:39 They really don't know of the full ministry of Jesus, 38:43 but they have been baptized into John's baptism, 38:46 that's the context of Acts 19. 38:51 Go with me to Acts 19:4, Paul now speaking says, 38:56 "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance 39:00 saying to the people that they should believe on Him 39:02 who should come after him, that is Christ Jesus. 39:06 When they heard this, 39:08 they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 39:11 and when Paul laid his hands on them, 39:13 the Holy Spirit came upon them, 39:15 and they spoke with tongues and prophesied." 39:20 Now the men were about 12 in all. 39:23 I find this highly significant. 39:25 There are only three mentions of the gift of tongues 39:28 being poured out, 39:29 multiple mentions of the Holy Spirit being poured out. 39:33 Not every time the Holy Spirit is poured out 39:35 or given in a special manifestation 39:37 does the gift of tongues come along with it? 39:40 But there are three places in Acts 39:43 where the gift of tongues is given. 39:45 It's first in Acts 2, then it's in Acts 10, 39:51 now it's in Acts 19. 39:55 And what's interesting to me, 39:56 it's actually kind of following this outline if you will, 40:01 as the gospel is to go everywhere, 40:03 as believers are to be witnesses, 40:05 God is showing us through the gift, 40:07 this physical manifestation, 40:09 this gift of tongues that He is committed 40:12 to preaching the gospel everywhere 40:15 and using not only the existing church, 40:18 but anyone who joins him or herself to Jesus. 40:23 God is willing to equip us 40:25 with the gift of the Holy Spirit. 40:27 So far from the gift of tongues 40:29 being something that is the penultimate gift, 40:31 this great gift that every believer has. 40:34 If you want to be a card carrying Christian, 40:38 you have to be able to have spoken in tongues, 40:41 there is no sense of that. 40:43 In fact, if you look at 1 Corinthians, 40:46 maybe we should just hasten there 40:48 because I'm not sure that we'll be speaking 40:49 much more about the gift of tongues during this quarter, 40:52 but go there with me to 1 Corinthians, 40:54 really chapters 12-14 40:58 are focused on spiritual gifts in the church. 41:02 And far from tongues being elevated 41:05 to the highest of gifts, 41:07 the gift of tongues is actually put 41:09 in a much more humble position. 41:12 And just to make it as simple as we can, 41:16 in Acts 2 we've seen this example 41:20 and then in 10 and in 19, 41:22 we've seen where these actual language gifts are given, 41:24 the gospel is communicated. 41:27 Some people as they read 1 Corinthians 14, 41:29 they speak, they think we're speaking 41:31 of some ecstatic spiritual language 41:34 that is used in prayer. 41:36 I don't see the New Testament context supporting that. 41:38 I don't see one single example 41:42 of that playing out in the early church. 41:43 So be very careful 41:45 if you're reading a description of a gift 41:47 and it doesn't seem to correspond 41:50 with the case histories of the gift. 41:52 Now I know, I'm using 41:53 a little bit of medical terminology here, 41:56 but this is what we do 41:57 as physicians and as researchers. 42:00 You might have a concept, 42:02 you might think some dots connect 42:04 in the medical community, 42:06 but if you look at your patients, 42:08 if you look at the case histories of people, 42:10 if you look at how a situation plays out, 42:12 if that never occurs, you're gonna say, 42:14 "This doesn't look like it is..." 42:17 Sometimes we use the term biologically plausible. 42:20 It doesn't look real. 42:22 It may seem like some things are connected, 42:25 but they're really not. 42:26 So be very careful if you use the example of 1 Corinthians 14 42:29 to say, "Oh, well, this is speaking about 42:31 some ecstatic prayer language." 42:32 Just be very careful 42:33 because the examples of tongues in the New Testament 42:36 are to communicate the gospel. 42:38 And maybe I'm a little bit biased, 42:40 I probably should. 42:41 It's really interesting, 42:42 there's some really interesting dialogues 42:44 in the medical community now. 42:47 I know there's a number of health professionals, 42:48 so I was reading an editorial 42:50 a while ago where someone was saying, 42:51 "Well, you know, these doctors that are vegetarians, 42:55 maybe they should have to put a disclaimer in their studies 42:59 saying it's a conflict of interest 43:01 that they're going to probably be more likely to show 43:04 that studies help vegetarians." 43:06 But it's interesting the guy 43:07 didn't say anything about the mediators 43:09 or the alcohol drinkers that they should, 43:11 you know, put something at the bottom of their study 43:13 saying there is a conflict of interest, okay. 43:16 Now why I'm telling you this is, it is true, 43:18 we realize that our own experience biases us, 43:21 and I'll tell you my background. 43:22 Some of you if you don't know, 43:23 I was raised in a Catholic home, 43:26 and in the late '60s, early '70s 43:30 I became exposed in the Catholic Church 43:34 to the charismatic movement. 43:36 Now I was not... 43:39 Well, I won't go too much into my background, 43:41 but I was in a setting... 43:43 By the time my high school years were completed, 43:45 I was an agnostic, 43:46 I didn't even know if God existed, 43:48 and I found myself in a setting 43:50 where it was at a Catholic retreat, 43:53 and this is no slight on Catholics, 43:55 there are many wonderful Catholics, 43:56 many wonderful charismatics. 43:58 I'm just sharing with you my experience 43:59 and my reaction to my first exposure 44:02 to the "Gift of Tongues" 44:03 as it's commonly called in some circles today. 44:06 I'm in this Catholic retreat, 44:09 and all of a sudden these people start speaking 44:11 in gibberish there, 44:12 and we're told that this is the gift of tongues. 44:17 And I think someone maybe even gave an interpretation 44:20 'cause, you know, I was supposed 44:21 to quote interpret the gift of tongues, 44:24 and I don't know it seemed 44:25 as I recall something totally mundane, 44:27 and I have no recollection of what it was. 44:29 I don't think it was something 44:30 like they were going to burn the beans or something, 44:32 but it was, you know, maybe we're supposed 44:33 to love our brothers, right? 44:35 But it just, what I have to tell you 44:38 is I was not overwhelmed 44:39 with this incredible manifestation 44:41 of the Holy Spirit. 44:42 It did not change my spiritual walk at all, 44:44 I was quite skeptical. 44:46 And in fact many people as they have witnessed 44:50 these "outpourings of the Holy Spirit", 44:52 that some people term them 44:54 are not drawn to the Christian faith. 44:56 But I will tell you what happened several years later. 45:00 Several years later I was on a secular college campus, 45:03 and a Seventh-day Adventist minister 45:05 who I believe was praying for the Holy Spirit 45:08 was impressed to be bold on a college campus 45:11 where there is basically 45:12 no Seventh-day Adventist witness. 45:16 And he showed up on that campus, 45:18 he got permission to teach 45:19 a non-credit class on Bible prophecy. 45:24 And I will tell you that 45:26 the first time I heard his presentation, 45:29 saw him open the Bible 45:30 and explain the prophetic significance 45:36 of historical events, 45:38 my mind was captured that here was something supernatural. 45:45 Sometimes we put our emphasis on signs and wonders. 45:48 Go with me to Acts 2 now again because the emphasis in Acts 2 45:52 is not on signs and wonders, there was a sign, 45:54 there were wonders, 45:55 the disciples did pray for those things. 45:58 But the focus of Acts 2 45:59 in addition to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 46:03 is on Peter's sermon. 46:05 Why are they given this gift of tongues? 46:08 It was not so people would be impressed 46:10 that here are people that just speaking a language 46:13 that they couldn't understand, no. 46:15 The gift of tongues is given 46:17 so that the gospel can be preached. 46:19 So let's look there at Acts 2, 46:21 what is the essence of what Peter preached? 46:25 And by the way if you're like me, 46:26 sometimes we'll interchangeably 46:28 as we're jumping through the Book of Acts, 46:30 stick Paul's name in where we're definitely 46:32 talking about Peter and Peter, 46:34 where we're definitely speaking about Paul. 46:35 If I've done that already, you know, 46:37 thanks for not all jumping up at once 46:39 and saying that the Peter speaking 46:41 especially in Jerusalem there and in Judea and Samaria, 46:45 and Paul especially being 46:46 commissioned to bring the gospel to the Gentiles, 46:49 but throughout Acts, 46:51 these are the two probably 46:52 most vocal spokespeople for the gospel. 46:55 But in chapter 2 it is Peter. 46:57 And what does Peter begin to do? 47:00 Peter begins to connect the prophetic word 47:05 with God's present day work. 47:09 And so as he begins to speak in Acts 2, 47:12 he focuses on the prophecy of Joel. 47:16 Now, if you read through the lesson already, 47:19 in Tuesday's lesson, it speaks about 47:21 how Peter is seeing in the gift of tongues 47:24 the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. 47:26 And the lesson makes an interesting point here, 47:29 and if you're reading along, 47:33 it's kind of in the very center of Tuesday's lesson. 47:36 It says there's an important difference 47:37 in the way that he quotes Joel. 47:40 Instead of Joel's introductory afterward, 47:43 referring to Joel 2:28, 47:45 which pointed quite generally to the future, 47:47 Peter said, "In the last days." 47:51 For those of you that are bewildered 47:52 'cause you're not looking at the quarterly, 47:54 go with me to Joel, the Book of Joel. 47:57 So you've got Hosea and Joel, they're early 47:59 and the, what we call the minor prophets. 48:02 So we're jumping over to Joel, 48:04 and the reason I'm doing this with you is many times 48:06 we make the mistake of just reading a quote. 48:11 So we just listen to the sermon on Acts. 48:13 Now you're gonna realize in the Jewish mind 48:16 they knew the Book of Joel 48:18 better than most of us do today. 48:21 And if you just look quickly at the Book of Joel. 48:24 By the way, there is an expression 48:27 that occurs in both the New and the Old Testament, 48:29 the expression is the day of the Lord, 48:32 the day of the Lord. 48:33 What is that especially referred to? 48:36 It especially refers to the second coming, 48:38 but also contains this concept of the final judgment, 48:41 the final consummation of all things. 48:44 Now Joel is a very short book, it's only got what? 48:46 Four chapters or three chapters. 48:51 What book of the Bible do you think most often 48:53 mentions the day of the Lord? 48:57 Anyone want to guess? 49:01 Well, the phrase the day of the Lord 49:03 it occurs most often in the Book of Joel. 49:06 Yeah. 49:07 Some of you guessed the Book of Joel. 49:10 So Joel is all about the end times. 49:13 So even though Peter uses 49:14 a little bit different language, 49:16 he is contextually being very accurate 49:19 with the message of Joel. 49:21 He's not making a leap 49:23 and now applying something 49:24 that doesn't apply to the end times. 49:26 Peter is being through the Holy Spirit 49:29 very accurate in his use 49:30 of the Old Testament scriptures. 49:32 And so it points us to this outpouring, 49:35 we often call it the early reign 49:37 equipping the early church to give the gospel. 49:41 But let's go on now back in Acts 2, 49:43 you can read if you'd like later today 49:46 or later in your study of just 49:49 how focused on the end times the Book of Joel is, 49:52 but I'm going back to Acts 2 49:53 because the central message that Peter gives. 49:56 If we don't mention it, 49:59 we've done injustice to Acts too. 50:02 Because not only does Peter connect this important message 50:09 about the giving of the Spirit, 50:12 but he also points us to another theme. 50:14 In fact we have someone 50:15 who's going to read a scripture for us 50:17 as we look at this last theme that we'll touch on today. 50:20 We have someone who has a scripture reading for us 50:22 from 1 Corinthians. 50:25 We mentioned earlier 1 Corinthians 12-14, 50:29 but right after that description of spiritual gifts, 50:31 we have this powerful chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, 50:35 and we'll read from there right now. 50:38 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 50:43 "Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, 50:49 how say some among you 50:51 that there is no resurrection of the dead? 50:55 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, 50:59 then is Christ not risen? 51:02 And if Christ be not risen, 51:05 then is He our preaching in vain, 51:09 and your faith is also vain." 51:14 Is the resurrection important? 51:18 The resurrection is central to our hope as Christians. 51:22 Jesus has triumphed over the grave, 51:25 and those of us who have been at the graveside of loved ones 51:30 we have a hope, the Bible calls it what? 51:34 The blessed hope, and we have that hope 51:37 because Jesus has done what? 51:40 He's conquered death. Death. 51:43 In 1 Corinthians 15, death is a defeated enemy. 51:49 Oh, grave, where is your sting, right? 51:53 Jesus has triumphed. 51:54 And so in Acts 2, 51:56 as the Holy Spirit is poured out, 51:58 Jesus is exalted as the one who gives gifts to man. 52:03 The prophetic word is true. 52:06 What the Bible has prophesied is coming to pass. 52:10 And in verse 22 of Acts 2 as Peter brings the focus, 52:14 he says, "Men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, 52:19 a man attested by God 52:22 to you by miracles, wonders, and signs..." 52:24 He goes on and he recites the ministry of Jesus. 52:27 He speaks about the crucifixion of Jesus, 52:30 but he doesn't stop there. 52:31 In verse 24 he says, "God raised up Jesus." 52:37 God loosed the pains of death because it was not possible 52:43 that Jesus should be held by it. 52:46 And then he goes on 52:47 and he quotes this amazing passage, 52:50 many people struggle with it, 52:52 but Peter makes it very clear that David, 52:57 one of the great progenitors of the Christian faith is dead, 53:00 he's still buried. 53:01 Jesus did not resurrect David. 53:05 When He came forth from the grave, 53:07 David is still in the tomb 53:08 like most believers waiting for the second coming. 53:13 But David's prophetic word speaks of a Christ 53:18 who is brought to the right hand of God, 53:21 and today is in the business 53:24 of giving gifts to human beings. 53:28 To giving gifts to men and women 53:30 so that you and I can fulfill 53:32 that impossible commission of being bold, 53:36 of giving the gospel in our own backyard, 53:41 in our own communities, our own states, 53:44 and to the uttermost parts of the world. 53:48 If you want to learn more about Pentecost, 53:49 we have a special offer, a special gift, 53:52 it's free offer 824. 53:55 You can get it simply by calling 866-Study-More, 53:59 866-Study-More, that's 866-788-3966. 54:05 If you'd like to save the postage and the weight, 54:08 you can actually text to the number 40544. 54:12 If you got to use 40544 text to that number, 54:17 the code "SH085", 54:20 you'll get a link to the DVD, the Power of Pentecost. 54:25 We started a exciting study through the Book of Acts. 54:28 By God's grace we'll continue again next week. 54:31 Join us then. 54:44 Friends if you're scared of snakes, 54:46 this may not be for you. 54:48 I'm here at a reptile park 54:50 outside of Durban, South Africa, 54:52 and I'm holding my friend here who is a red tail boa. 54:55 Snakes are found all over the world, 54:58 and they come in all sizes. 54:59 Snakes can be found through the trees, 55:01 they crawl on the ground, they live under the ground, 55:03 and they swim in the water, very interesting creatures. 55:08 Some snakes are venomous, not my friend here, 55:10 but the black mamba, very poisonous. 55:14 Matter of fact, their bite is 55:15 often referred to as the kiss of death. 55:17 They can grow 15 feet long 55:19 and can travel up to 7 miles an hour, 55:21 they don't call them black mamba 55:22 is because of the color of their skin 55:24 but the interior of their mouth is black. 55:27 Snakes also come in all sizes like this boa or python, 55:30 they can grow to great sizes. 55:32 Matter of fact, in South America, 55:34 they found some fossils of a snake 55:36 that they call Titanoboa. 55:38 They believe it was as big as 50 feet long 55:41 and weighed as much as a car. 55:43 Say cheese! 55:45 A lot of people are scared of snakes, 55:47 I used to live in a mountain in a cave 55:48 and I ran into snakes frequently. 55:50 They never bothered me unless I was bothering them. 55:53 In the Bible, the snake is often a symbol of the devil. 55:56 In reality, it's just a symbol, 55:58 they're animals like other animals, 55:59 but it says they were cursed to go upon their belly 56:02 because they were the first medium 56:03 that the devil used to tempt Adam and Eve. 56:06 In the Book of Numbers 21, 56:08 it tells a story of how when the children of Israel 56:10 were going through the wilderness 56:12 they began to complain about God's manner 56:14 and it says the Lord allowed these fiery serpents 56:17 to go among the people and many were bitten 56:19 and the venom was deadly. 56:21 I should probably mention at this point 56:23 that bread they were complaining about 56:24 is a symbol for the Word of God. 56:26 As many of the people were dying 56:28 from this plague of serpents, 56:30 they went unto Moses and they said, 56:31 "What shall we do?" 56:32 God told Moses to make a bronze serpent 56:35 and put it on a pole and lift it up 56:37 that whoever looked upon the serpent, 56:39 they would be healed of their venom. 56:41 This is why it's so important 56:42 because Jesus says in the Gospel of John 3:14 and 15, 56:48 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 56:51 even so the Son of Man must be lifted up 56:53 that whoever believes in Him might not perish 56:56 but have everlasting life." 56:58 They needed to look in to live, 57:01 you see those ancient shepherds 57:02 when they would kill a venomous snake, 57:04 they would carry it off on their staff and bury it. 57:07 So a serpent on a pole represented a defeated snake, 57:11 that's talking about defeating the devil, friend. 57:13 Have you been bitten by the serpent? 57:15 We all have. 57:16 The only cure for the venom of Satan 57:19 is to look in faith at Jesus, 57:21 He then defeated the devil, 57:22 He took the venom of sin in His body 57:25 to provide the antidote in His blood. 57:27 So, friends, I encourage you to look today and live. 57:37 Let's face it, it's not always easy to understand 57:40 everything you read in the Bible. 57:42 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 57:46 the Bible can generate a lot of questions. 57:48 To get biblical straightforward answers, 57:51 call into Bible Answers Live, 57:53 a live nationwide call-in radio program 57:55 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor 57:58 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 58:00 For times and stations in your area 58:02 or to listen to answers online, 58:04 visit bal.amazingfacts.org. |
Revised 2018-07-12