00:00 Welcome and Weekend Recap

01:04 Shoutout to Marc Cogan and Transformed Conference Team

02:00 Publishing Conference Content

02:47 Introduction to Acts Chapter 7

03:20 Stephen's Speech and Boldness

06:23 Stephen's Vision and Martyrdom

10:14 Saul's Persecution of the Church

11:50 The Significance of Burial in Christianity

12:20 Addressing the Cost of Burial vs. Cremation

12:47 Affordable Burial Options for Christians

13:46 Philip the Evangelist and His Miracles

14:44 Simon the Magician's False Profession

18:32 The Ethiopian Eunuch's Conversion

19:41 The Importance of Understanding Baptism

22:40 Concluding Prayer and Reflections

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another edition of the

daily Bible podcast and happy Monday.

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It's Sunday.

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No.

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Sunday was yesterday.

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Nope.

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Yes.

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Yep.

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That's true.

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It's Monday.

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It's not Sunday.

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Welcome to Monday.

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We're all glad to have you recording days

that are, we're all glad that you're here.

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Welcome.

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Water's fine.

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For a minute.

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I thought yesterday was Monday the whole

time or Sunday, the whole Saturday.

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I thought yesterday was Saturday.

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I thought today was Sunday.

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But it's actually, none of those

it's actually Friday, but it's

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Monday as you're listening to this.

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I don't confuse the people.

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That's not helpful for them.

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Not helpful.

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Yeah.

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Today's Monday.

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Uh, nothing, nothing crazy on my agenda.

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What are you doing after a

long transformed weekend?

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Um, I don't know what I'm doing today.

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Now are you in a man

to get your nails down?

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No.

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Never never had that happen.

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Never want to have that happen.

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Someone told me they're getting

that for you for Christmas, or they.

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It really is that with,

with the skydiving, like.

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I'm going to do my nails as your sky done.

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It's much harder to do it takes a

certain kind of professional to pull

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that off, but they are committed.

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Well, I, you know what I'm okay.

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I'm okay.

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I'd rather you give that

money to the church.

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Um, Yeah, man, it's going to be good to,

to relax a little bit, uh, just in the

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sense of this is a big thing, and by the

way, let's give a shout out to mark Cogan

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on, uh, publicly on the podcast here.

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He did.

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Great job.

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Uh, with this whole conference,

it was a it's his brain child.

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He's brainchild.

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Um, and he, and he had a great team.

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And by the way, if you're on

that team, Well done well done.

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We know that there were, uh,

almost faithful servants.

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20 people that were leading even sub-teams

that were part of this conference.

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So you did.

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An excellent job.

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Um, Um, it was something that we felt

good about going into it going, Hey

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man, I know that Christ is going to be

honored and exalted and our church is

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going to be well-represented through this.

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So well done everybody.

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Uh, mark Cogan.

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Great job.

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Just wanted to let you know that we are

grateful for you and your efforts in this.

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And, uh, look forward to doing

the next one next year, that

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mark has already planning for.

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He said, Sam do the whole thing is.

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All by himself, no teams this time.

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Cause he's got it nailed down.

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Uh, so people are asking about what

we'll be able to watch the, uh,

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the, the sermons, the lessons after.

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After it's all said and done.

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And of course it's Monday now.

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So are we planning on publishing

them at some point and

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making them freely available?

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That's that's the plan.

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Yes.

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The plan is to get it out there and get

them published and available for people.

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Uh, we believe in the content otherwise.

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Uh, we wouldn't be doing this.

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And so we understand that some

people weren't able to make it

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for whatever reason, and we still

want you to, to benefit from this.

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So subscribe to the podcast, if you

haven't done so already, uh, not this

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one, this one is the Bible podcast,

but subscribed to our main podcast

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is that we're going to place it.

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Yeah, I imagine it'll be there.

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We might still have a link under our

media, on our website to get to the,

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maybe we'll host them still on a

transformed conference page where you

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can go through the videos and everything.

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Okay.

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Cool.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So, uh, there we go.

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It's Monday.

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Yeah.

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Uh, Hey, let's jump in acts

chapter seven and chapter eight.

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Let's do it chapter seven.

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It's a doozy man.

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There it's it's a lot.

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And if you need to brush up

on old Testament history acts

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chapter seven is for you.

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Uh, here comes Stephen.

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Remember we talked about

yesterday, Stephen, the deacon.

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Yesterday was Sunday, by the way.

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Um, So we talked about that and

how he was, was going toe to

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toe with this, uh, this group.

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And then he was brought before the, this.

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The Sanhedrin and he's

being investigated by them.

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Well, he's given an opportunity to speak.

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And so the high priest looks at him

and chapter chapter seven, verse

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one, he says, are these things.

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So, and Steven is like, okay,

I'm going to not answer the

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question that you're asking me.

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I'm going to answer the

question I want to answer.

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And so Steven, he would have

been a great politician.

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He would have been excellent.

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Stephen goes off and he goes through

the history of Israel and basically.

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Th, I mean, there's so much here,

but here's what Stephen is doing.

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He's saying, look, Israel, you haven't

listened from the very beginning.

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You haven't paid attention

from the very beginning.

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You hadn't followed any of the leaders.

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Got it.

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Given you.

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By the way, none of those leaders

were the one that you were,

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should have been looking for.

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And now in, and we shouldn't be

surprised is the implication here.

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Now you've even rejected the one

that the prophets in all these

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old Testament people, all of these

people that you hold high, right.

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That you've rejected.

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That one.

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The righteous one as he

calls them in acts 7 53.

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And so Steven's an example of.

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Uh, an excellent job of, of doing.

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Contextual.

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Uh, apologetics or contextual evangelism.

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If Steven was talking to a group of

Gentiles, he wouldn't approach things.

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The same way that he does here is Steven

was talking to a group of Hellenistic.

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Um, you know, People that in.

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In Mars hill, like Paul

is going to later on.

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He's not going to take this approach.

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He's not going to say, Hey, let's

talk about the old Testament.

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Because they're not going to

have any background in that.

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And so what Steven does here

is Steven knows his context.

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He knows his audience.

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And he goes for the guttural the

best and most effective way he can.

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So he goes to the old Testament, talking

to the Sanhedrin, talking to the high

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priest and everybody else there says,

you guys know these things really well.

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Uh, but you've missed the point and

you still are missing the point.

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And by the way, you killed the one

that the profits were talking about.

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So Steven is a, an excellent example of

boldness and of just knowing your audience

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and how to go about sharing the gospel.

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We have to be careful with that

because we want to be effective in

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the way that we share the gospel.

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Amen to that.

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And I would also add that.

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One of the things that you see about

Steven is that he's not a pastor.

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He's not an apostle.

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And yet his grasp of

scripture is masterful.

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This is, uh, this is evident

just by the way that he talks.

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He's not citing scripture directly.

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In most cases, he's alluding to it.

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Skillfully.

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Sometimes he cites it directly.

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He's got Amos chapter five.

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So I'm 11.

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Uh, Isaiah 66 rather.

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So there are places where he

deliberately quotes, but all throughout.

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It's biblical, you cut the guy,

he's going to bleed the Bible.

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And that goes to show the kind of

standard that church had for her leader.

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She was not just looking for anybody who

claimed some kind of allegiance to Christ.

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She was looking for people to lead the

church who knew their Bibles really

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well and could use them appropriately,

which goes back to acts chapter six.

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Stephen was a man full of the

spirit and full of wisdom.

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And here it is on display.

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This is the kind of person

you should seek to become.

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Now whether you're Stephen or

Steffana Stephanie, I guess.

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Oh, whoever you are, this is the kind

of leadership you should want for your

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church and the kind of leadership really.

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You should demand.

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You don't want someone in the pulpit.

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Who's really good at entertaining,

but not good at preaching

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and teaching the word of God.

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That's what Steven was here.

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And again, he's not a pastor.

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This guy's a deacon.

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He's just cutting the donuts.

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And yet God uses people

like this to skillfully.

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And scripturally make a strong

defense for his namesake.

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What a cool thing.

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This is.

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It is very much so, uh, Th

the response is not cool.

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Uh, from the Sanhedrin there, they, they,

it says in verse 54 were so enraged.

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They grind their teeth, Adam,

which means he hit the target.

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He hit the mark.

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They, they understood.

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Uh, what he was saying there,

and that's why they're so angry.

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They understood there that he

was saying, look you who claim to

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be experts in the old Testament?

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You missed the whole point.

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And so they are angry at him, but

notice the contrast he full of the

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holy spirit, gazed into heaven,

saw the glory of God and Jesus

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standing at the right hand of God.

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So you have their anger and their vitriol.

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And his peace and his

confidence that he has here.

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And he says there in verse 56, I

see the heavens open the side of

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man standing at the right hand

of God, which is super cool.

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Um, cause we haven't seen

Jesus since the Ascension.

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Well, Steven is the next one to

see him and he sees him here.

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In this vision that he receives in

acts seven and the, the people that

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they cry out, that that's a, that's

a, they can't take it anymore.

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They rush out them.

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They take them outside the city

and they stone him to death there.

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And then we get that note in verse 58,

the witnesses laid down their garments

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at the feet of a young man named Saul.

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And Saul is going to take

center stage in chapter nine.

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After we deal with some of

the things in chapter eight.

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How does Stephen see Jesus

standing next to God?

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Uh, I think he, he, it's a vision.

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I think it's a vision similar to

two visions that we see in the old

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Testament of the appearance of,

you know, when Daniel has visions

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of, of the Godhead, when Isaiah.

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The vision of God on the throne.

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It's I think that's what

we're, we're dealing with here.

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I don't think everybody else around

him looked up and saw the same thing.

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I think Steven, this is unique for him.

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So do you think that, so if it's, if

it's a vision, what's the, what's the

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vision of what would someone expect?

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So this is a Mormon gotcha.

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Verse.

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Um, they'll use this one to say, look,

this the father and the son are separate.

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And here's an example.

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When Stephen looks into heaven, he

sees Jesus standing next to somebody.

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Um, so even if it is a vision,

what is, what is Steven seeing such

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that a Mormon would say, this is

Jesus standing next to the father.

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Well, I think he's seen the glory of God

and the son next to the glory of God.

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I think he's understanding.

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Conceptually, um, the, the, the

presence of God is, is there

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a, is it a physical being note?

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Why don't we know that because

John four says, God is spirit.

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And so we have to let

scripture govern scripture.

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So we can't look at this and say,

well, this is a gotcha verse because

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he's seen two physical entities.

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We can say, no, that's not,

that's not actually what the

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rest of scripture teaches.

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We can go to John four and say,

look, John four is clearly says.

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I got a spirit.

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So he, I think he seemed

the incarnate Christ.

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I think that is clear.

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I think he's seen Jesus

in his glorified state.

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Standing at the right hand of the throne.

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Now, what does he see on the throne?

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We'll go back to Zeke.

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You'll read the visions of

the glory of God and Ezekiel

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and begin to understand man.

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He saw something of brilliance,

something of overwhelming grand jury

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that communicated to him in the moment.

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That's who that's.

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That's the father.

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That's God.

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So in the, in that sense that the Mormons

are correct and that they are separate.

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But they are separate in

persons, not separate in essence.

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Uh, and so this is not a physical

being in the sense of this is God, the

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father, as a human being appearing,

sitting on the throne in the God, the

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son standing next to him, but this

is the presence of God that he sees.

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Helpful.

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Uh, illustration joining us

back to And just notice here.

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Uh, when, when someone's at

the right hand of somebody.

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Um, that doesn't necessarily mean the

literal right hand, right hand means

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a position of privilege and power.

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Position the highest position.

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I remember James and John were like,

Jesus, can we, one of us sit at your right

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hand and the other at the left, these were

the highest and most privileged positions.

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And so he's making a comment.

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Theologically.

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Jesus is at the right hand of God.

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That's this place of privilege

and power is where Jesus is.

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And I agree with you.

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He must've been seeing some.

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Effulgent glory.

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The the, the illumination of God's.

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Essence.

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Uh, somehow being communicated to

him, but did not see two percentages.

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There were not too.

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Uh, they were not to a human, like

figures standing next to each other

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one was Jesus, the man, but the two.

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To the left of Jesus, I guess would have

been some communication with God's glory.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Actually after eight, I mentioned salt

solves there at the very beginning of

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acts chapter eight, and then he's going

to go away until we get to chapter

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nine, but he's, he's doing damage.

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He's ravaging the church.

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He's launching this,

persecution, this all out.

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He hates the church and here's the thing.

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Uh, later on, Paul is going to say

I had to deal, but not according to

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knowledge, he's, he's talking about

his brother's the chews, but he's

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kind of lumping himself in that too.

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He thought he was doing a good

thing here in Philippians chapter

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three, when he boasts and says, look

at all of the things that I did.

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He says, that's the zeal.

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I was a persecutor of the church.

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So Saul is not doing this thinking

that he's hurting God here.

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He's thinking he serving God by

persecuting the church, because he's still

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blind to the reality that this is as it's

called in the book of acts here at this

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point, the way he, he doesn't understand

that this is legitimate, this is viable.

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He.

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He will, but he doesn't yet.

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He thinks that he's doing God.

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A favor or serving God by persecuting.

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This sect that is claiming, uh, things

that, that for Paul or Saul at this point

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were, were blasphemous at that point.

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So, uh, they're solved verses one through

three he's persecuting the church.

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God's going to use that because

the church is going to spread.

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They're going to have to scatter.

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They're gonna have to get out of town.

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Uh, because of salt persecution.

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And so God is using that and using

salt even to spread the church before

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he uses salt to plant that church.

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Um, and, and that's because they're

having to spread and that's how God's

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going to begin to reach the nations.

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So to make a quick point here

in verse two, notice that the

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development buried Stephen.

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Um, Sometimes cremation is, is on

the table for what to do with the

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body after the soul is departed.

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I think here you have just a subtle.

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Uh, a subtle endorsement

for Christian burial.

325

Uh, burial is something that has

significance to us in that it

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demonstrates an anticipation of

the resurrection cremation by

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and large began with pagan roots.

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This is what you did with the dead body.

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It was a way for them to.

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Uh, usher the old and kind of issue

the new for Christians though.

331

Burial was anti, um, and it was

against the grain of what the, the

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culture expected we bury because we

have the anticipation of resurrection.

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So.

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If at all possible when it

comes time for you to die or

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someone that you love is dying.

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Uh, let us encourage you to strongly

consider burial burial communicates

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hope in the future of our resurrection

because Jesus himself has resurrected.

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So verse two, just

wanted to point that out.

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Yeah.

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Pastor.

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I know a lot of people say, okay,

fair, but, but cremation is cheaper.

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And so that's why we're going

to do that because I don't want

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to saddle my, my family with

the expense of a formal burial.

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How should you respond to that?

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Amen of that.

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And I hope to, uh, in the next few

years, I mean, I'm turning older soon.

347

I'm thinking about already

buying my own plot.

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And buying my own, my own.

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Uh, my own, what do you call that?

350

Uh, the wooden box.

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And you're gonna put me in a basket.

352

I'm going to get, I'm going

to get a cardboard box.

353

Yes.

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Cardboard casket.

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Uh, I, you know, yeah, it

doesn't need to be fancy.

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Right.

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And you can do this on the

cheap you can get, you can get

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these boxes for 300, 500 bucks.

359

You can get a plot of a plot

to bury yourself for not much

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more, especially if you go.

361

Uh, with the government supported plots.

362

If you go for a private place.

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Uh, it's going to cost you a lot more,

but if you're a veteran, of course you

364

have the, you have the, those sections

specifically, uh, set off for you.

365

So there's a privilege to that

if you've served our country.

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Thank you for that, by the way.

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So there's a, there's an

affordable way to do this.

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And as a, as a faithful Christian, I would

encourage you if you're thinking about

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your kids or thinking about your spouse.

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And do them the favor of taking this

off their plate by spending money today.

371

For you, where are you

going to be buried tomorrow?

372

Because it's going to happen unless

Jesus comes back and praise God, if

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he does, I'm not going to count that

a loss on my account, that all gain.

374

And if it's expensive, talk to your

church, I think your pastors, if they,

375

uh, if they agree with me on this.

376

I would care enough to say,

let us help you make this work.

377

We want to see this happen because

again, it's such a testimony.

378

Uh, having your convictions on

display will cost you money.

379

It'll cost your friendships

that'll cost you work sometimes.

380

Uh, and it's worth it because of what

it communicates to a watching world.

381

Yeah.

382

Yeah.

383

Helpful.

384

Uh, ammunition's there, uh, Verses four

through eight, then we shipped a Phillip.

385

So we had the Saul, the persecutor.

386

Now we have Philip the

evangelist and note here.

387

Uh, the film goes in proclaiming to

them, the Christ, but notice verse

388

six, it says, and the crowds with

one accord paid attention to what was

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being said by Philip, when they heard.

390

Him.

391

And saw the signs that he did.

392

So this is kind of what we're

talking about here, that the signs

393

are validating the message and.

394

And we see this here in Luke eight, or

in acts eight, six from Luke as he's

395

recording this, it says the crowds,

they paid attention for two reasons.

396

Number one, they heard him.

397

Yes, but they also saw

the signs that he did.

398

And then it goes on, it says that

he was casting out demons, unclean

399

spirits, crying out with a loud voice.

400

Uh, he was healing.

401

Those that were paralyzed and

those were, that were lame.

402

And so these things are supporting,

they're validating the message

403

that he's going out to proclaim

causing the people to listen to him.

404

So acts eight, six helps us see

that the miracles were there in,

405

in, in essence to say, Hey, pay

attention to what this guy is saying.

406

One of the people that here's Phillip

is this man, Simon, the magician.

407

And so Saul, the persecutor,

Phillip evangelists.

408

Now Simon, the magician in

acts chapter eight, we're being

409

introduced to all kinds of people.

410

We're got one more guy to come

in, acts chapter eight as well.

411

But in verses nine through 25,

you've got Simon who comes up

412

in initially it looks like.

413

Uh, he's he's this is good.

414

It looks like he's going to follow and he.

415

Expresses at least a professed faith.

416

It seems.

417

And it says there in verse 13, even

Simon himself believed why even

418

Simon, because Simon was a magician.

419

That assignment was.

420

Phillip was kind of stealing

Simon's thunder and stealing

421

his crowds away from him.

422

So, but even Simon here's Philip and

sees the signs of miracles and he's

423

amazed and he believes, and then.

424

At that point, he continues to follow

an in Phillip comes down to Samaria

425

and he, uh, encounters a group of

believers that, and this is unique.

426

They didn't have the spirit yet.

427

So what do we do with that?

428

Well, I think here's what's going on.

429

Uh, these were Samaritans and so

they didn't have the spirit yet.

430

By Philip going and laying his hands

on them to receive the spirit, which

431

is not normative by the way, we get

the spirit at the moment of conversion.

432

They hadn't, because this was a

confirmation of the faith of the

433

Samaritans, the Samaritans for.

434

Forever outside the bounds in the

family of God, they were outside

435

the bounds in Jewish relations.

436

And so here you have Samaritans

believing and Phillip goes in as a

437

sign of God's acceptance to them.

438

He lays his hands on them

to receive the spirit.

439

That's a unique moment here.

440

We're going to see something similar

later on with the Gentiles as well.

441

To just validate who they are in the fact

that God is is, is doing a work there.

442

But anyway, Simon sees this and he wants

that ability to, so he offers money.

443

He says, Hey, give me, give

me the ability to do this.

444

I'll pay you.

445

And man, does Peter go

off on him at this point?

446

He says, may your silver perish with you?

447

Because you thought you could

obtain the gift of God with money.

448

You have neither part nor

lot in this matter for your

449

heart is not right before God.

450

So here we see this as a false profession.

451

Uh, from assignment.

452

His heart is not right before God.

453

It here.

454

And, uh, and so he's called to repent of

his wickedness and pray for forgiveness.

455

He's basically Peter saying, Hey,

you need to get right with God

456

because you're not there because

you had ill motives in all of this.

457

I have a suspicion that

what's behind this.

458

Cause I, I used to think

that Simon was a believer.

459

Uh, I mean, I always get to this part.

460

I think really he wasn't a believer

this whole time and something I noticed

461

this time around as it read is that.

462

Uh, one of the things that happened when

Phillips started preaching in this area.

463

Is in verse six, the crowds.

464

With one accord paid attention

to what was being said by Philip.

465

So they were giving him their attention.

466

You brought this out.

467

Uh, but notice that this was also

something that Simon had previously, they

468

all verse 10 paid attention to him from

the least of the greatest saying, well,

469

actually that's a, here we go fill up.

470

Uh, they used to pay attention to Simon.

471

I can't find that verse right now, but

they used to pay attention assignment.

472

Simon was used to getting the

attention from these people

473

because of his signs, his wonders.

474

Uh, granted they were fake.

475

They were not, they were not done by the

power of the spirit they were done by,

476

uh, if anything, if they were legit signs,

they were done by the power of the enemy.

477

Uh, but they weren't paying

attention to him anymore.

478

They were paying attention to Philip

and the power of God through the gospel.

479

And so now I think what's happening

here, Simon saying, I need access to that

480

too, because this is a superior power.

481

I want access to do this.

482

I want to be able to do this as well.

483

So let me get in with these

guys so I can get that gift.

484

And then Peter identifies that

and says, you're wrong, buddy.

485

This is.

486

You did this for all the wrong reasons.

487

Your heart is not right.

488

You better repent else.

489

Worst things may happen to you.

490

Yeah.

491

Yeah.

492

Uh, verse nine is what

you're referring to.

493

There's a man named Simon who had

previously practiced magic, amazed

494

the people of Samira saying that

he himself was somebody great.

495

Yes.

496

So they, that was right.

497

Verse 10.

498

So they paid attention to

him saying that he was.

499

The power of God is at work in him.

500

Yep.

501

But then it was really being

done at work and Phillip.

502

Yeah.

503

Yeah.

504

I think jealousy, I think that does.

505

Yeah.

506

I think you're dead on, on the bitterness.

507

'cause he said bitterness.

508

I'm like, where's that coming from?

509

Bitterness and IRAs.

510

Oh, I see.

511

He was stealing some of the

attention he had, he felt threatened.

512

Right, right.

513

Right.

514

Well, one more character.

515

And that is the Ethiopian UNIC.

516

So Saul, the persecutor, Philip,

the evangelist, Simon, the magician,

517

and then the Ethiopian UNIC.

518

Um, he was a servant in the

court of the Ethiopian royalty

519

there and he's journeying.

520

And Phillip happens upon him.

521

Uh, by God's or ordination here,

and he finds that he's reading.

522

Some of the Bible and he says, Hey,

do you understand what you're reading?

523

And it says, the guy says, how can I

understand if nobody explains it to me?

524

And, and so Phillip is, is

there with him in the chair.

525

He's been invited into the chair and

it happened that God had him there.

526

And Isaiah 53.

527

And so Phillip is able to explain how

Isaiah 53 pointed to Jesus and this

528

Ethiopian eunuch says me and I'm there.

529

I get it.

530

I believe.

531

And then there's this moment where

they, he commands the chariot to stop.

532

And he says, look, here's some water.

533

What prevents me from being baptized?

534

And so Phillips says, well,

let's go, let's do this.

535

And so they go down, they baptize

him, he comes up out of the water.

536

He goes on his way, rejoicing.

537

And then all of a sudden, Phillip

is transported to a totally

538

different area called a Zoetis.

539

And he passes through and

preaches the gospel all the

540

way until it comes to Cesarea.

541

So this is a unique interchange here

between Philip and the Ethiopian.

542

Uh, pastor Ron.

543

We would today.

544

In, in most cases, maybe not every

case, but in most cases, someone comes

545

to us and says, Hey, I just got saved.

546

I want to be baptized.

547

Our first response is going

to be like, man, awesome.

548

Praise God for your professional faith.

549

We love that.

550

We love that.

551

You're, you're responding to the

gospel and we're going to trust that

552

God's going to bear fruit in your

life in that let's, let's, let's hold

553

off right away on, on baptism here.

554

We want to make sure that your

trust is in the right place.

555

We want to make sure that you're not

putting your competence in a work.

556

So let's, let's hold off and

specifically we think the younger.

557

Ones that make that proficient somebody

in junior higher, or maybe even

558

elementary school, but even adults too.

559

We're going to say, Hey.

560

Maybe not this round, maybe

next round of baptism.

561

Let's check in on that.

562

So what's the difference between

when Phillips says or when

563

the Ethiopian says let's get

baptized right now and Filipinos?

564

Yes.

565

Versus why we take the approach.

566

We take.

567

There was a clarity about what

it meant to be a disciple of

568

Christ in that point in time.

569

You are making a break with

cultural expectations in

570

joining something brand new.

571

That was, it was, this was

the new guy in the scene.

572

Now, granted it had its roots in Judaism.

573

And indeed it was the fulfillment of

it, but this was new and different.

574

Everybody understood, uh, at least.

575

From what we understand in the

gospels here and do the book of

576

acts that to do this was going

to be something to something.

577

Socially disapproved and by and

large, it wasn't, it was, I mean,

578

obviously you have the religious

leader saying, don't do this.

579

This is not right.

580

Um, but God was doing something

new here and most people that

581

understood what they were doing.

582

Understood the cost associated with it.

583

You were violating the government,

the governing authorities you're

584

violating the cultural expectations.

585

And today that's just not the case.

586

Um, today, the, the

expectation is different.

587

And so we, we want to protect people by.

588

Pumping the brakes for them a

little bit and saying, let's just

589

make sure you understand this.

590

Let's make sure you have a really full and

clear understanding of the gospel so that.

591

Heaven forbid we don't want you

six months down the line and say,

592

oh, I thought I responded properly.

593

And it turns out I didn't.

594

And I didn't understand repentance

or I didn't understand faith.

595

And so what we want to do is slow the

process down for you so that you can.

596

Adequately understand what the

gospel is, and even have a.

597

A decent ability to articulate it.

598

We want people to communicate

what happened to them while

599

in the baptismal tank.

600

Some churches don't do that.

601

We're for that because we want you to

be able to tell people what's happened.

602

And that requires a certain

level of maturity and a

603

certain timeframe for growth.

604

So that's a short answer for why

we do that, but it's definitely

605

because we love people.

606

We don't want anyone

to have to do at once.

607

And then, oh, six months later, they're

doing it again because someone didn't

608

help them understand what they were doing.

609

Yeah.

610

A hundred percent and, and that's why

we don't do spontaneous baptism services

611

where we say, okay, anybody that

wants to be baptized, come down front.

612

Yeah.

613

That's why, when we do a baptism

service, we're going to have you come

614

in and meet with, with one of us.

615

We're going to have you meet with.

616

With a pastor and we're going to say, Hey,

Tell me your testimony because we bear an.

617

Uh, responsibility in that too.

618

The last thing we want is anybody

to walk away and stand before Jesus,

619

someday, and him to say, why should

I let you into heaven and them to

620

say, because pastor, rod baptize

me, your pastor, PJ baptize me.

621

Your faith needs to be

a hundred percent Jesus.

622

And it's our obligation as pastors to

make sure that those that we baptized.

623

That to the best of our ability.

624

Now we can't fully know the heart,

but to the best of our ability,

625

we can say with confidence, yes,

this person is right before God.

626

Right.

627

All right.

628

Well, let's pray.

629

And then we'll be done with another

edition of the daily Bible podcast.

630

Got thanks for a conversion.

631

Thanks for salvation.

632

Thinks that it goes out not just.

633

Um, two.

634

Uh, those that you would expect.

635

But somebody like the Ethiopian UNIC

that you, you would never expect

636

would be one of the earliest converts,

one of the earliest followers.

637

And yet he was part of your

plan to save him and to redeem

638

him and to make them yours.

639

And that's true of all of us.

640

None of us were necessarily.

641

She wins.

642

None of us were, were people

that you would look at and be

643

like, oh yeah, that makes sense.

644

You should save that person.

645

Uh, and that's unmerited grace that

that's, that's the beauty of the gospel.

646

And so we're grateful for that.

647

Lord, we just ask that

you would save more.

648

Uh, bring more, more Philips to

our church who will be out there

649

sharing the gospel with people.

650

Bring more Ethan.

651

Ethiopian Unix across our path.

652

To share the gospel, to see

people come to faith and we want

653

to baptize more and more people.

654

We love nothing more than to sit

here and say, man, we've got to

655

have another baptism service already

because we've got so many people.

656

Uh, that that have professed

faith and that are bearing fruit

657

and they're on fire for Christ.

658

So.

659

We ask that you would do that.

660

We trust that you can.

661

And we pray that you would,

we ask this in Jesus name.

662

Amen.

663

Are you guys keeping your Bibles and

tune in again tomorrow for another

664

edition of the daily Bible pocket.

665

See you soon.

666

Bye.