Hello, I'm Eric Garloff, your
host for Walking With Jesus.
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History often remembers people
for what they have accomplished
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in their lives.
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To gain a greater insight
into the life of an individual
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we often study what they stood
for, what kind of character
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they possessed, what
impact they had on society,
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and in the world, etc.
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So it is with God also.
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Today, in episode number 10
we're going to be talking about
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gaining a knowledge of God.
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In past programs we
have mentioned that God's
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fingerprints, so to
speak, can be seen in the things
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He has created.
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Studying His creation then
becomes one of the ways we can
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gain a deeper
knowledge of God Himself.
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As we do this we learn of
His infinite wisdom and power.
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We experience something of
His endless love for humanity
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as He prepared a world of
infinite marvels and beauty
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for us to enjoy.
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The unsearchable secrets of
the universe lie with Him as He
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has created and ordained all
things that are, and all things
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that will ever be.
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All nature, whether
found on land, or in the sea,
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or in the heavens above testify
and proclaim something about
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the God of Creation.
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This is just one of the many
avenues in which a person can
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experience God and
gain a knowledge of Him.
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Before I continue, however,
I'd like to point out one thing.
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Every man, woman, and child
would do well to keep an open
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mind about the existence of God.
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You see many have already
made up their minds and claim
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that there is no God, but this
is a reckless and irresponsible
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path to follow.
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Here's what I mean by that.
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If a person assumes there
is no God, and he or she lives
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their life according to
that belief, and then finds out
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at the end of time
that God really does exist,
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then that person has forfeited
their eternal life because they
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rejected the only One who could
save them from eternal death.
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On the other hand, what could
you possibly lose by believing
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in Jesus as the Savior of
the world, and by following Him
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in doing good for others?
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Friends, there's absolutely
nothing to lose, but I tell you
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today, there's
everything to gain.
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A second avenue that you
can examine to gain a knowledge
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of God is to study the miracles
found in the historical writings
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of the Bible.
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For example, just recently
I saw a story floating around
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on the internet where the
scientists claimed that they can
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explain the
parting of the Red Sea.
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Now they said that a constant
wind blowing at 65-67 mph
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would be enough to hold back
the water at a certain location
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of the Red Sea.
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This would then permit the
children of Israel to walk over
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to the other side.
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Now the people who were saying
this did not believe in the
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miracle which God had
performed at the Red Sea.
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They were trying to
find a scientific explanation
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to eliminate God
from the equation.
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However, when you
study the Biblical account,
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you will notice things
which cannot be answered by the
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scientific
explanation that was proposed.
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One such detail, which
the scientists admitted
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in this article themselves, is
the fact that the Bible account
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states the children of Israel
walked through the parted Sea,
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which had a wall of water
on both sides, on their left
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and on their right.
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You see, my friend, when
God works a miracle there is no
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human explanation for it.
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In the case the scientists
proposed the water would have
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only formed a wall of
water upstream from them.
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The down stream water
would have all flowed away,
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and the rest of the
seabed downstream from them
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would have been emptied, as
the water would have continued
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to flow away.
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The scientist's explanation
would have had some really
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unbelievable timing attached
to it as well as the Biblical
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account said that God parted
the sea to provide the children
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of Israel an escape route
from the pursuing Egyptian army.
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Not only that, but the sea
only remained parted long enough
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for the Israelites to
safely pass through after which
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the sea closed up again just
in time to swallow up the whole
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Egyptian army that had
entered the sea in pursuit
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of the Israelites.
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Yes, my friend, there is
just too much coincidence here,
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don't you think?
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Too many orchestrated events
of timing to actually think
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this was a freak of
nature, a thing of chance,
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something which just
happened at the right time,
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and for the exact length of
time needed to accomplish their
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escape, and the destruction
of the Egyptian army.
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There are at least three other
avenues which can be explored
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and which will lead you
into a deeper knowledge of God.
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I would suggest that
all five of these avenues
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that I'm sharing with you
here today should be traveled
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in your search of
a knowledge of God.
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Just to recap, we have already
spoken of finding God in nature,
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and also in the historical
accounts of the Bible.
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The next place you can find
God is in the prophetic events
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of the Bible.
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Now, the fulfillment of these
prophetic events can also be
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tied to history, but what makes
the prophetic events different,
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and a separate avenue of
research is the fact that
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prophecy is something
which is told before it happens.
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Many of these things just simply
could not be known by man.
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They had to be spoken by an
all knowing God; a God who knows
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the end from the beginning,
a God who guides the events
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of time and knows the
course that humanity will trod.
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There are many prophecies
in the Bible which display
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the foreknowledge, and the study
of these will leave you utterly
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amazed at the accuracy
of their exact fulfillment.
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There are prophecies
which predict the rise and fall
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of successive nations, impacting
the landscape of the world
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as we know it today.
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There are prophecies
which predict local events
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in the lives of
individual people.
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There are prophecies which
predicted the exact time the
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Messiah would come, how long
He would minister to humanity
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on this earth, and when He would
give His life as our Savior.
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There are also prophecies
concerning the setting up
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of God's kingdom
here on this earth.
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Now most prophecies have already
taken place with great accuracy.
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And when we see these
having already been fulfilled,
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we are inspired with trust
in God and believe in His word
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that those prophecies yet
to come will also be fulfilled
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exactly as He has predicted.
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The fourth avenue that a person
can follow, to gain a knowledge
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of God, is in finding
other people who themselves
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have already
traveled these same roads.
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A person can gain much
from talking to those who have
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already had this
personal experience with God.
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That's why it's so
important as Christians to share
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one's faith with others.
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It is here where we can fill in
the information that they need
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to find a deeper and more
fulfilling knowledge of God
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in their own lives.
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This sharing of our
faith, however, must also be
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accompanied by a life
which has been transformed
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by the grace of God; a life
which reflects the character
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of God, and proclaims
what God has done for you,
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or for me, for us.
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Perhaps the most important
avenue to gaining a knowledge
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of God is the fifth avenue,
which I'm going to mention
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right now.
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This is the study of the
story of redemption in the life
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of Jesus as found
in the Holy Bible.
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The book, Steps to Christ,
has this to say about the fifth
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avenue, and it's
found on page 61.
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Our faith and love will
grow stronger, and our prayers
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will be more and more acceptable
to God because they will be
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more and more mixed
with faith and love.
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They will be
intelligent and fervent.
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As we just saw in this passage,
the infinite mercy and love
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of Jesus, the sacrifice made
on our behalf, call for the most
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serious and solemn reflection.
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I truly believe it's by
traveling in this avenue
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that a person will discover the
riches of obtaining a knowledge
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of God, and where a person will
find the strength and desire
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to travel the other avenues
leading to an even deeper
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understanding
and knowledge of God.
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So then, my friends, I encourage
every one of you who is
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searching for a knowledge of
God to follow these five avenues
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with an open
heart, and an open mind.
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The promise of God
in Jeremiah 29:13 is:
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Yes, friend, if you search
for God with all of your heart,
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you will find Him.
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He will speak to your conscience
and lead you along the pathway
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of life.
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Just to recap now, these
five avenues, once again,
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are as follows: 1.
The study of nature,
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leading you to see
the fingerprints of God
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in His creation.
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2. The study of Biblical
history, especially focusing
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on the miracles of the
Bible, and leading you into an
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understanding of the
awesome power of God.
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Another is the study of the
prophetic events of the Bible
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proving that no matter how
bad things may look, or get,
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that God is still in
control of the universe.
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A study, so to speak, in the
movement of God in the lives of
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real people as you meet them in
your daily search, learning how
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God has worked in, and
impacted their own life.
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And finally, and most
importantly, a study of the
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redemption story
proving God's great love for you
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was manifested in the sacrifice
of Jesus on the cross of Calvary
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for your sins and for mine.
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A few words of wisdom in regards
to reading the Bible are found
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in Steps to Christ, page 62,
which says, There is but little
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benefit derived from a
hasty reading of the scriptures.
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But there are others whose
meaning does not lie on the
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surface to be seen at a glance.
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Scripture must be
compared with scripture.
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So you see, my friends, it's
vitally important that we come
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to the Bible with the right
intentions asking God in prayer
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to reveal Himself to us
as we study His Holy Word.
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I pray this program has helped
to guide you in your thoughts
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and your plans to gain
a deeper knowledge of God.
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In doing this you will not only
come to know Him personally,
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but you will also continue
to grow in Him day by day.
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May God, according to
His mercy and grace grant you
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that which you need the most as
you continue walking with Jesus.
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Growing your walk with Jesus
is very important, so we ask you
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to read your Bible each
day, and practice what you learn
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on a daily basis.
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Join us for our next
program where we will discuss
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how you can open
your heart to God.
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