WEBVTT
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♪ theme music ♪
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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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I'm glad you joined us
we're in the middle
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of a series on "The gospel in Galatians."
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Actually, we just started,
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but we're already learning amazing lessons
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for our lives today,
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The precious Good News,
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and how when we try to share it,
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sometimes people resist the truth
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as it is in Jesus.
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Our topic today: Paul's Authority
and Gospel,
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and there are amazing lessons for us.
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So we're glad you joined us
for Hope Sabbath School.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And hello to the team;
we're back again.
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The Gospel in Galatians,
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what did we learn
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from the first part of our series
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about Paul being transformed?
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What was the most important
takeaway lesson for you?
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Well, we'll share that as we study today.
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I hope you were with us.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If you missed the first part
of this series,
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you can go to our website:
hopetv.org/hopess.
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You can watch part one
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of "The Gospel in Galatians."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And we're always happy to hear from you.
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You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org.
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Here are just a few emails.
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You know, we know of 150 countries.
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You say, "Derek, how do you know?"
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Well, we have one Android app
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that's being used in 150 countries,
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so there's a lot of people joining us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for Hope Sabbath School.
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And we've got an Apple app.
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By the way, for those of you
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who have an iPhone or an iPad,
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you can download Hope Sabbath School.
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It's free, and you can access the program.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Got an email just a few weeks ago
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from someone who in China watched
one program,
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went back and watched 100 hours
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of interactive Bible studies
in our archives.
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So it's there for you.
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Here are a few notes.
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One from Albert in Namibia,
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that's former German West Africa,
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you know, just north of South Africa,
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and Albert writes, "It's so edifying
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to watch and listen
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to you explain the Bible so clearly.
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My wife and I enjoy
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your Bible study every Friday evening
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in preparation for the Sabbath.
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I am a teacher, and I gain
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a lot of knowledge from your classes,
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which I apply during my class," good?
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That's what we want, download the outline.
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"What I want to know is
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whether your class is consisting
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of all student pastors
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because you all seem to know the Bible."
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I guess you could tell, Albert, by the way
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that everybody laughed
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that they're not all student pastors.
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"May the Good Lord continue blessing
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and giving you spiritual wisdom
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as you share the Good News
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with the whole world," amen?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) So what's the takeaway there?
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And the answer is,
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we can all do something for Jesus, right?
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Whether we're teachers or counselors
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or physicians or homemakers
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or construction workers or pastors, right?
Bible teachers.
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We can all do something for Jesus.
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Thanks for writing to us, Albert.
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Here's a note from Kwasi in Ghana.
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Anyone with Ghanaian roots?
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Oh, Joshua! Ghanaian roots, all right.
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Have a little wave here for Kwasi. Okay.
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"I live in Accra," he writes.
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"Your Sabbath School discussion
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has made me an extraordinary Christian
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and has blessed me.
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It's built my personal relationship
with Jesus."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) "It's made me a Bible student!"
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This is all good, isn't it?
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"It's helped me organize
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some children in my community
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to share the Word of God with them."
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It gets better and better,
doesn't it, Mario?
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"Every Sunday morning we do exercise
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with the children also
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to strengthen our physical bodies."
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It sounds like a pretty holistic approach,
right?
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Teach the Word of God,
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help them to be healthy.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"It's my desire that the Hope
Sabbath School discussion
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will be translated
into different languages
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around the world; the program is amazing."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, I want to tell you
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that it's already happening
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in different part of the world,
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that Hope Sabbath School
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is being broadcast in other languages,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
also with closed captioning,
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but you pray for us, Kwasi,
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because we're praying it could go
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to every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people.
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Thanks for being part of the miracle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Here's a note from Ludwig in Peru.
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He's written to us before.
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Ludwig says, "I'm always instructed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by your Friday evening Bible study.
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I thank God for all of you.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This program is so didactic
and instructive."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I think he looked up a few words there
for us.
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"Big hug to all of you,
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and God bless you all," amen?
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(Team) Amen.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Thanks for writing.
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I know, Ludwig, you said
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you've been learning
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a lot of English, too,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
while you've been watching the broadcast.
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Here's a note from Tammy in New Jersey
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in the United States of America.
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She says, "Thank you so much
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for what you do; it's an encouragement.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I love Hope Sabbath School.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I watched the first episode
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of Hope Sabbath School in December 2016
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during a Sabbath school breakfast
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I'd planned for our church.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'd heard of Hope Channel,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but not having a television,
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I'd never seen it before
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and never seen Hope Sabbath School.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, I loved it, and I was thrilled
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when I found out you could get it online."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's easy; you can get the app,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or you can watch it online,
hopetv.org/hopess.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And she concludes, "May God
continue abundantly
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to bless your ministry.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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I love being a member
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of Hope Sabbath School."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) All right, and by the way,
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she's involved in a children's ministry
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there in New Jersey,
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and so she can do
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
an interactive Bible study with us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as part of Hope Sabbath School.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
One last note, from Trinidad and Tobago.
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That's in the beautiful Caribbean.
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Just a short note, Leslie Ann writes
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and says, "I'm from the island
of Trinidad and Tobago."
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I guess that's considered one country,
isn't it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I enjoy watching and doing the lesson.
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I also enjoy watching Jason
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
sing the Scripture songs."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, Jason, why don't you wave
to Leslie Ann,
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and we're going to sing
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Scripture song right now, actually.
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We've got a brand new song for this series
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from the gospel in Galatians.
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It's taken from Galatians, chapter 2,
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which says, "I have been crucified
with Christ,
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and I no longer live,
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but Christ lives in me," it's a miracle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If you haven't learned the song,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
go to our website, download the song,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the sheet music, so you can sing along.
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We're going to sing it right now.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) There's so much included
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in that one verse in Galatians 2:20,21.
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The Son of God loves you
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and gave Himself for you;
isn't that awesome?!
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I just want to pray
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that Jesus would be lifted up today
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as we study the gospel in Galatians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Father in Heaven, thank You.
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Thank You that God so loved the world
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that You sent Your one and only Son
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that whoever believes in Him
should not perish
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but have everlasting life.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We see sickness and death all around us.
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We know that sin
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brings death and destruction,
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but I thank You
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that You've given us hope in Your Word
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even today, hope in Jesus.
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And I pray as we study
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Gospel in Galatians,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as we study Paul's authority and gospel,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that You would work in supernatural ways
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in each of our hearts,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Hope Sabbath School members
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
all around the world.
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May lives be blessed today
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to bring honor to Your name.
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I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Now before we go
into Paul authority,
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I want to go back
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to our previous study, Nicole.
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How could it be
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that God could take a rebel
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who was forcing people
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to blaspheme and wreaking havoc
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(you remember that word?)
in the church
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and call him "My chosen servant"
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to be an ambassador
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for the Gospel message?
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How can that happen?
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(Nicole) Because God loves each and every
one of us and wants us all to be saved.
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And so He uses us wherever we are to
spread His Word to those He wants to save.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In terms of this case, He knew he was
a Zealot, even if it was a Zealot
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in the time before he was transformed,
and he was doing evil things.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
God knew that he was a Zealot
and when he was actually changed,
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he'd be a Zealot for Him.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And so God was like, "I know the end
from the beginning, and so, therefore,
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this person's going to be the person
I need at this time to bring my Word
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to those who need it."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Is that encouraging?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That God sees the potential
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even in the midst of all our stumblings?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We're going to talk about Paul
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as he writes now.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Many think this was
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
one of the earliest documents
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that we have in what we call
the New Testament,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about 49-50 A.D.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And it's written because of a problem
in the church,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but by then, even at that time,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we're going to see
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that the Christian church recognized
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Holy Spirit working in this man,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
name changed from Saul of Tarsus to...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Paul the Apostle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So let's start in 2 Peter, chapter 3.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We're going to come back
to Galatians here,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but Jonathan, would you read for us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
2 Peter 3, verses 15 and 16.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I want you to listen carefully as Peter,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in some ways a little humorous,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he says, "Paul is not always easy
to understand,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but there's a testimony
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about the authority of his work.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jonathan) I'm reading
from the New International Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So, I've always read that
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and though, "Oh, it's not always easy
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to understand Paul," which is true.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Sometimes I read a text, and I go,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"What does that mean?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Maybe I need to come
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to Hope Sabbath School
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and get a little help
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from sisters and brothers.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But there were a couple
of little phrases there
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that showed that Peter,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
one of the church leaders and apostle,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
recognized the work of the Apostle Paul
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as being from God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What did you hear?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Laurel, did you hear something
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that caught your attention?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Laurel) It just was amazing that Peter,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who was part of the original 12
with Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
recognized that Paul was also called,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even though he wasn't with Christ
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when He was physically on Earth.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's right; He wasn't
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
one of the twelve, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So he has seen something in his ministry.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Didn't Jesus say, "By their fruit..."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) "...you shall know them."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So he had seen something
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from the fruit of his ministry
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that said, "He's an apostle."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What does apostle mean, by the way?
Do you know?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
One who's sent out, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"He's an apostle of Jesus Christ," okay?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What else, even in the wording
of the passage,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
did you see something?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Christine and then Marcus.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Christine) It says here in verse 15
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that God gave Paul the wisdom
and the knowledge...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Aha, wisdom, I think the way
Jonathan read it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
wisdom comes from God, all right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Anywhere else, a little clue, Jason?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jason) In verse 16, he talks about those
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who twist and distort the meaning,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and he's saying they do it
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to their own destruction.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And so, you can deduce from that,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if you understand it correctly,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that's the way to salvation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He's preaching the message of God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's an interesting thought,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and actually there's another phrase
attached to there
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
which is important, too.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Did you notice it, Peter?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) It says, "as the rest
of the Scripture."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay, so he's including
Paul's testimonies,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
not only as a wisdom from God
like Christine said
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but as part of Scripture, God breathed.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's Peter who says all Scripture
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is God breathed, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
No private interpretation,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
All right, but that's interesting.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Also, implicitly he's saying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"If you listen, it's for your salvation,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that gives it authority.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"If you twist it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it's for your destruction."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
All right, so Paul is recognized
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by at least Peter, but I think
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we could say by the Christian community.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
God's at work in him,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and God is speaking through him.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We're going to look at one of his letters
in this series,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the gospel to the Galatians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The standard format of a letter...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
did you find this from your study?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What's the standard format of a letter
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
back in those times, Tricia Lee?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) I don't know about back then,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but I do know like when you're
in grammar school,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you're taught that you start
with a greeting...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) ...or some type
of salutation,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then you have who it's to
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then the subject of the message,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and you kind of end off with some type of,
you know...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Farewell or closing remark or?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Is that pretty much, Jason,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the way it looked in these letters
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
during the New Testament era?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jason) Largely yes, and you generally
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
start with the positive, too.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So you'll say, "Oh, you guys,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this is a nice thing about you,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
whether you're writing a letter now
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or these letters of Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They're always saying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"This is a good thing that you have,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"This is what I like about you."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That would probably
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
still work today, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If you've got a problem with someone,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you can say, "Here's some things
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I really appreciate about you, but,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and talk about a problem.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And that's pretty much standard format,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
greeting, some word of thanksgiving,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
body of the letter,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then some closing remark,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and typically with Paul
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it would include, "the grace of the Lord
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
be with you," right, something like that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's see how he begins
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the letter to the Galatians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 and 2,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and, Alyssa, if you'd read that for us,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then we'll compare that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If someone could find
Ephesians 1, verse 1,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and Colossians 1, verse 1,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
let's see if they're similar
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or if there are some differences.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
By the way, all of those letters
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
were written by the Apostle Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alyssa) In the New International Version
it says:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay, that's his greeting there.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Keep that in mind.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Does someone have Ephesians?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Joshua, chapter 1 and verse 1.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) I'll be reading from the New
King James Version.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The Bible says:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) All right, so that's to the church
in Ephesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
then he writes to the church in Colossae,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we call that Colossians, Marcus, verse 1.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Marcus) I'll be reading from the King
James Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So what did they have in common,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
those three opening salutations?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What did they have in common?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team Member) He's an apostle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay so, Paul, an apostle,
gives his name
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
like we do even today, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Gives the name and says
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he's an apostle of Jesus.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What was different, Mario?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What did you see different
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the Galatian intro?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Mario) He expounds on that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He says not by the will of man
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but of God, you know.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So you can tell
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that he needs to clarify something.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Why would he have to do that,
anybody?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He didn't do it to Ephesus or to Colossae.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Why would he have to do that for Galatia,
Alyssa?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alyssa) This is still early.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Remember, he had to go to all those places
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and represent himself anew
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to each new church,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so maybe he was still kind of having
to defend
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that God did call him.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Possibly, of course we haven't
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
read the letter yet, have we?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That is a possibility, though.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He's like, "You may not know me,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but actually there's something else
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
going on here. Nicole?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) His letter talks
about false teachings,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so in this case he's saying, "Listen,
I'm from God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm an apostle of God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm bringing you the truth and the Word
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that you need to hear,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I want you all to be careful
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of what else is going on around you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that may draw you away from Christ."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) And implied (stay with me now),
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
implied is that these people
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who are giving these false teachings
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are saying what about Paul?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) That he's not from God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) He's not a true apostle, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Or he's sent by man and not sent by God.
Jonathan?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jonathan) It seems like multiple times
throughout this that he's
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
emphasizing this, that, "My authority
doesn't come
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
based on other people; it's God."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's the truth that matters
and not the people.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Well let's take a look
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as we read on in Galatians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Jason, if you could read
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the first six verses,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it will include the initial salutation
that we read,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
verses 1 through 6.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He's going to go pass
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
saying thank you about anything,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and he's going to come right to the issue
at hand.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's take a look, Galatians 1:1-6.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jason) I'll be reading
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from the New King James Version,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Galatians, chapter 1, verses 1 through 6:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Whoa! So something's up here.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We're going to get right to it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but he has kind of given us
the gospel message
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
right in those first few verses.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How would you summarize
the gospel message
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from those verses? Peter.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) The salutation
that he gives there, grace and peace,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is very interesting to me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and is actually used
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
almost in every letter,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and Peter uses it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Grace and peace to you."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
""Grace and peace to you."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And it's almost like, the heart of God,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
full of grace, brings something
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to our hearts, peace,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and He does that through forgiveness,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and this is given to all men.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So even in the greeting
you're seeing a message.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Many Bible scholars would say
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
grace would be a more typical
New Testament,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and shalom, or peace,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
would be more from the Hebrew heritage,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but we're bringing both
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in Christ Jesus, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What's the message?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What did you hear
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the first six verses, anybody?
Yes, Alyssa?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alyssa) Christ died for us,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but in accordance that God
the whole Trinity is working together.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Also he mentions that when we've been
transformed by that message,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we give glory back to Him.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Yeah, "He gave Himself
for our sins,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is the way my Bible translates it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"that he might deliver us from..."?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Evil.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) "...this present evil age,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
according to the will of our God
and Father,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to whom be glory,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then he, like, "God is awesome."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You know, he kind of ends
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
his little statement there.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But he up front says,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"This is God's plan of salvation,
through Jesus," right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"...to deliver us
from the present evil age.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What is wrong with you?!"
(Thank you, Nicole.)
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Where did you get some other gospel?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Some other...what does
the word gospel mean, do you know?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Good News.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) "Where do you find some other news
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that isn't good news at all?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So he obviously is dealing immediately
with a challenge.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Now before we go into that,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a revelation about the Good News
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
was not only given to him, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's go back; in our first study
in this series,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we looked at that amazing
concise statement by Peter.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Do you remember that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Guided by the Holy Spirit.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In Acts 10, verses 34 to 43.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I want to hear that again.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm always amazed, Nicole,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if you could it for us...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm always amazed at the brilliance
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of this concise statement
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about the Gospel message.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And we know it's not because Peter says,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Well, I'm a great scholar."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
No, no, he was a fisherman
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who wholly surrendered his life to God,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and by the Spirit he's speaking.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So let's hear his testimony.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) I'm reading Acts 10,
verses 34 through 43,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I'm reading from the New
International Version, and it says:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I love that;
it's so powerful, isn't it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And by the way, when he says,
"as all the prophets,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he kind of says that it's the testimony
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the whole Scripture.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It reminds me of a Bible study
that Jesus gave.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Do you remember when that was,
Tricia Lee?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) When they were
walking to Emmaus.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Right, first to Cleopas
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the other disciple
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
on the road to Emmaus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but then with the disciples
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the Upper Room.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And He said all of these prophecies,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
all of the Scriptures, what?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) "Testify about Me."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Yeah, they "testify about Me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and not only about Me
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but that I had to suffer." Why?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He suffered for our sins, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He bore our sins that He might...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What was that wonderful word?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team Member) Deliver us.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Deliver us
from this present evil age.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Wonderful news, but all of that...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You say, "That's a great summary;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm going to write it down, Acts 10:34-43.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If anybody non-Christian come and says,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
'Could you give it to me
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in like just a couple of minutes?'"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You say, "Well, let me read to you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what the Holy Spirit said through Peter."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But we could get even more concise
than that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Someone have John 3:16,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
would read it for us?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Anybody have John 3:16?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You say, "I'd like to repeat it."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
John 3:16, got a volunteer?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Jason, read it for us, please.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jason) I'll be reading from the New
King James Version, John 3:16:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Well that challenges
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the whole idea that it's
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just for the Jews, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It says "whoever."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
God so loved the...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) World.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I mean it's right there
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in that very simple statement.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, I have a question for you, Mario.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Why do people make the Gospel message,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Good News about what God has done
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for us in Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
why do people make it so complicated?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Mario) Oh, wow, we have something
inside of us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that wants to give out steps or processes
to accomplish things.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I mean, in our jobs and in school,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
there's this system that tells us,
you know,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you have to do this and this and this,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then you can get what you want.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So it's hard for us to conceive
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that a God can love us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and give something to us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
without us having to do something
to earn it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but that it is a gift
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if we would just submit to His will...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Now the New Testament
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and especially the writings of Paul
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are all about a new creation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They're all about deliverance
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from the present evil age,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but that is the fruit
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of accepting the Gospel message.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Somehow we try to make it
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
more complicated than "whoever believes
in Him."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We've got several hands.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's take a moment to reflect on this.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) One way, and we have
seen this, actually,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
throughout the New Testament,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what we studied last time, traditions.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
At times we fall into a routine,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as Tricia Lee mentioned
in a previous study,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that at times we are so ingrained...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we get so comfortable that we believe
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that that's the way to go to be saved.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's maybe even
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what the Bible teaches, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Because we've done it for so long,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or what our religious teacher told us.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) Yes, and Jesus even rebuked
the Pharisees
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because, "You come to Me,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you know, with your mouth;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you're worshiping with your mouth
and everything.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But yet you come to Me
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by the commandments of men."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And this is found in Matthew,
chapter 15.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Right, so that could happen
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for us, too, right? Tricia Lee?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) He's reminding us
that we're in an evil age.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The devil is out there
trying to deceive us.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
From the garden he said,
"Did God really say?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And when we have simple truths
about salvation, that doubt comes
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
into our minds like, is it really
that easy to be saved through Christ?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You can hang your doubts on anything,
but it's just like, we have to believe
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the true Word that God says
and not question this simple path
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that God already laid out.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I guess there's two approaches
that the devil could bring.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
One would be to say
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it's not that simple, right?
It's more complicated,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or it's not even true.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is not true,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but it's not that simple, you know?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) Is He really
going to forgive you if you ask Him?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Or maybe it's for someone else,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but would it really be for you?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Anybody else, why do we make it
so complicated, Jonathan?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jonathan) I think sometimes we really
want it to be...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's an issue of pride.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I mean like, if I can make all these
so wonderful thoughts and ideas,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
then it becomes about me and about what
I'm doing or what I'm thinking
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or having the right knowledge, but this is
so simple, like a child can understand.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Didn't Jesus say something
about we need to become as little children
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if we would enter the Kingdom?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jonathan) That's humbling.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) It requires humility?
Yes, Peter?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) I was thinking, too,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that sometimes maybe...
can God be that good?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Can it be that good?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) You mean a distorted picture
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the character of God
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
could hold me back
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
from believing that God could be
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that good to me.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) Right, right.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Part of the reason
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we study the Bible
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is to find out the truth about God, right?
Joshua?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) I believe it was along the lines
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of what Jonathan said.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He mentioned that, you know,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Gospel is even for little children,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as easy that they can understand it.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I remember as a child
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I always saw the Gospel
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as something that was easy to digest,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
like Jesus loves me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He wants to save us from our sins,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we're going to Heaven one day,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and it was that simple.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But then as I got older,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
things started to become more and more
and more complicated.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
People are like, "Oh! This prophecy,
that prophecy."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"We have to be saved through this."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"If you do this,
this is going to happen to you."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And your mind just has
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this, for some people,
a spiritual breakdown.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Like, "Whoa, it takes all of that now?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Every move that I make now,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I have to be worried if God is
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
going to like me or not like me?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Is He going to strike me from Heaven?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I think that we lose touch
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of that real essence of who Christ is,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
making things complicated,
as we've been discussing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) "Whoever believes in Him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
should not perish."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But of course we need Scripture
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to know how He is.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Otherwise we could
make up some Jesus, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The Bible is crucial,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and Jesus, when He said, "Baptize
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the name of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He did say, "Teach them
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to observe all things I've commanded you."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But all of that is an outgrowth
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of my relationship with Him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as my Savior, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well let's go back
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to the letter of Galatians,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and, Laurel, could you read
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Galatians 1, verses 6 through 9?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Like we noticed in the first part
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(we read verse 6 already,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but read it again),
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he skips over, "I'm really thankful
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for so much about you,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and comes in - boom!
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"We've got a problem here."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's read verses 6 through 9
of Galatians 1.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alyssa) I'll be reading from the New
King James Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Now that word accursed,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I've got in my margin there
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
is the word anathema.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I mean, it's not like,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"That's not a good thing to do."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's like really strong language.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Why is Paul...and someone could say,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Well, that's your perspective;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this is my perspective"...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
why is he so intense about people...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"You cannot preach some other gospel
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
other than what was manifested
through Jesus," Marcus?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Marcus) Because that would portray
a false Christ.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Just like you said earlier as well,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you said that it's not the same Christ
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if you pervert the gospel,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and this is the early church.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, what comes out of this
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
may affect future churches
in the next generation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So it's not so much
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that, "You don't like my teaching,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as "You're saying something about God
that isn't true!"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Yes.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) And...? And what?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What's the implication of that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Destruction for people!
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is life and death!
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's not just, "Do you like your sermon
or your sermon?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is life and death;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we're talking about how people can be
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
set right with God, right?
Yes, Mario.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Mario) I just feel like
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I need to highlight
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the same applies to us today.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This is about the character of Christ
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as perceived in someone else's eyes
through our testimony,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and we get hung up on our doctrine
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as a means to salvation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And there are so many things that we try
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to hang the hat of salvation on,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but we've got to preach Christ
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and Him crucified, as Paul said, you know,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and we have to be careful about that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Now some people might get
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a little offended with Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They'd say, "Paul, that's a little,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(we have an expression in English),
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"over the top. Please."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But let's look at a couple of places
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
where Jesus was fairly (what could I say)
direct
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when He felt the same issue,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"You're getting in the way
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of people learning the truth about God."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Mark, chapter 9, verse 42,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Harold, do you have that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Again I do believe that Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He spoke with love in His heart.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I don't like if He's portrayed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as some kind of angry Savior,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but He spoke strongly here, didn't He?
Mark 5:42?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) I'll be reading from the New
King James Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Now, Bible students have discussed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
whether the little ones He's talking about
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are children or new believers.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What do you think?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Both.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Multiple choice, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"All of the above," right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
If you cause a child to stumble
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that they can't, as children do,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just say, "Jesus, I trust You,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I want You to save me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I want to be with You forever,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and the Savior says, "Amen," right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But also the new believer?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Yes.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So, we want the new believers
to learn everything
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that Jesus taught, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, how do we do that
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
without making a stumbling block for them?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What is crucially important
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when we're teaching them all those things?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Are you stretching your fingers, Nicole?
Yes, tell me.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) I think that it starts with us
praying and asking for the Spirit
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to fill us with what we need in order
to reach those that we're dealing with.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And so we don't become a stumbling block
ourselves, we have to have
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that connection with Christ to lead us
the right way.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay, but we want to teach them
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to observe all things.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So how do we do that without
(what's the word)
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
damaging the gospel or mutating the gospel
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or proclaiming some other gospel?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How do we do that, Alyssa?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Alyssa) Well, first, everything
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
has to come from Scripture.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Don't try to show them anything
that isn't here.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And also, if they're not secure yet
in their salvation,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
first things have to come first.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So I believe in Bible prophecy,
it's wonderful.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
By the way, I met many people who believe
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the authenticity of the Bible
by Bible prophecy,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but you're saying, "I'm going
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to tell them about Jesus
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and how to have
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a living connection with Him,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then we talk about how do we live
as a Christian
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
rather than, "Here's the list of things
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that can maybe earn God's love and favor
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or maybe earn your way to Heaven."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) It's a great question,
and I think that churches struggle
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
with how to disciple and how to teach
our new believers.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We should never be afraid of teaching
what the Bible says or what Jesus says,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but there's a big difference between
teaching what Jesus taught and lived
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then now trying to force people
to make those changes and believing
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that we somehow now take on the role
of the Holy Spirit in converting people.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I can teach you and show you, and I should
never hide what the Bible says,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but I have to understand my role is
to teach; my role is not to convert.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I cannot force someone to make a change
that it might have taken me many years
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to come to myself.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So we have to have patience and humility
and realize that we are only
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
pointing people to the Bible teachings
and allowing the Holy Spirit to work
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that miracle in their life just like
He worked in our lives.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But we shouldn't be afraid to show
somebody what the Bible says
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just because it might be too much; maybe
we should hide it from them now - no.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The Bible teaches all these things;
it's okay to teach it, but we should never
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
feel like we have to force someone to make
the same change just like we have.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) And would it be okay to say
we always need to remind them
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what the foundation of our faith...
where it is?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's in Jesus, right?
Our Savior
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Saved by His grace through faith?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's talk about healthful living,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or let's talk about...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you could name something else...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
how Jesus is coming back,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but first I have to talk
about the gospel message, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And the assurance of salvation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Several hands raised, Peter?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) I was just going to say
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when we talk about like we're saying
doctrine or anything, living,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Jesus sits for His portrait
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and how we present the teachings
of the Bible.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And what portrait of Jesus
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are you painting in your doctrine,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in your lifestyle that you're coaching,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
whatever it is, X, Y, Z - fill it in -
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what portrait of Jesus are you painting?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) First I have to know
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the truth about Jesus and who He was.
Jonathan.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jonathan) I was thinking how,
in a musical, you can have the same notes,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even in the same order, but if you change,
like maybe if you start
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
with a different emphasis, or if you put
it in a different bass note or something,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the music totally changes.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You can be saying the same things,
but if you're emphasizing
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
without that foundation of who God is,
His love for us, as in salvation,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
then you're communicating
a different song, a different tone.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) One other text
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
where Jesus spoke rather strongly,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in Matthew 23:13,14, He was saying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Don't get in the way of people
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
knowing the truth about Me."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Christine, do you have Matthew 23,
verses 13 and 14?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Christine) I'll be reading from the New
King James Version,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Matthew, chapter 23, verses 13 and 14;
it says:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) And what does it say at the end?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"You will receive" what?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) A greater condemnation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You know, you will be held accountable.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Isn't that what it's saying?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
For getting in the way
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of people knowing the truth.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Now I don't know about you,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but we're here, and this is
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
an in-depth, interactive study;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we've got a lot of people watching this.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That would cause me to be praying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Oh, Lord, help us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to tell the truth about You," right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"To tell the truth about Your gospel,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to tell the truth about the Christian life
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in response to the grace
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that's been shown to us," and all of that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We want to go now
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and look at where Paul gets his message
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because, as someone pointed out
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Laurel, I think you mentioned earlier),
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he wasn't one of the 12 Disciples.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So where does he get his message?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well let's take a look
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
at his own testimony,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and we're looking in Galatians,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
chapter 1, verses 11 through 17,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then we'll read on in the chapter
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and also testimony from his letter
to the Corinthians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But first, Galatians, chapter 1,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and, Peter, if you could read that for us,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
verses 11 through 17.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Peter) I'm reading Galatians, chapter 1,
verses 11 to 17,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the New King James Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) What's he saying?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) He was called
through God's grace.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) He was called
through God's grace,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but more than that, what's he saying?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This revelation...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) Is not from man.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) "...is not from man.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I didn't learn it from anyone
except Jesus!"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In that sense he's saying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I may not have walked with Him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when He was here on Earth,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but I've walked with Him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
since He ascended to Heaven."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's a startling claim, isn't it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But that's what he's saying,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"The way I received the message."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's keep reading; Mario,
if you could read,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as he continues now,
in verses 18 through 24.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Again, they're saying, "You're not
a real apostle."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"You weren't one of the twelve," right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"You weren't there; in fact, your history
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
shows you've been fighting against
the truth."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Because, by the way, these Judaizers
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
are believers in Jesus.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So they're not just like those
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who are opposed to Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but they're saying, "But there's more,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and you're not telling the whole story."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Paul says, "I got it from Jesus."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Reading on, verses 18, is it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Mario) Through 24, reading Galatians,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
chapter 1, 18 through 24,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the New King James Version:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's his testimony,
"I've been changed."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Now let's look at one example
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of a revelation given to him,
1 Corinthians 11.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He's talking here about the beginning
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of what we call the Lord's Supper
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or the Communion service.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Now again, obvious question,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but was he there in the Upper Room?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) No.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So, how is he
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
going to tell the believers about that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well, let's see what he says.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Joshua.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) The Bible says:
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's very specific, isn't it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's not like, "Well, and there was
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this little service in the Upper Room
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
before Jesus was crucified."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's actually quoting Jesus, what He said,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and explaining what it meant.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So I have a question for you.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He says, "I received it from the Lord."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How did Jesus reveal that to him?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Did He appear to him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
like on the Damascus road?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Did He give him a vision?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You know, a vision, he's still awake,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but he receives a message from Heaven.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Or a dream, we think of like,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
dreams were given to prophets, too?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How did Jesus reveal that to him,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
what happened in the Upper Room?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The answer is?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) We don't know.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Could it have been
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
any one of those?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Yes.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Could the Lord Himself have come
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
like He did on the Damascus road?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Or have given him a vision?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But what is Paul
absolutely convinced about?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) That it's from Christ.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That it's a revelation
from Jesus, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, both that little piece
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of what happened in the Upper Room,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but actually the entire message
he's proclaiming,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he said, "This doesn't come from me;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it comes from God."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So why is that so important
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as he's about to speak to the Galatians
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who were listening to false teaching?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Why is it important that he asserts
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the source of his message?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Wouldn't it be enough to say,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I learned it from the apostles"?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Jason, what do you think?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Jason) Because he's being attacked
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as not being connected with Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as not being part of that origin.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They're saying, "You came in
after the fact,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and you're trying to proclaim to us
this stuff
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even though you haven't experienced it
yourself.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In fact, you were even one
of our persecutors,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so how do we know
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that you're actually genuine?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And they're basically challenging him
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
by bringing this other gospel in.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And he's saying, "Look, this is
from Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and here's the evidence for it."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) We're going to study
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about the whole Conflict and the message
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the gospel to the Galatians,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but I just want to pause and ask,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
does it startle you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that Jesus would call someone
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
who'd been such a fierce opponent?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Would it be fair to say to almost become
a primary witness?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I mean, how many books
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the New Testament
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
did - let's choose some of the Apostles -
Peter.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How many books of the New Testament
did Peter write?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Well we've got 1 and 2 Peter, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That's the clue, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Give me another Apostle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) John.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay, how many books
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the New Testament
did John write?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Five? Okay, you've got
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Gospel of John,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Revelation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) He says, the Revelation
of Jesus Christ
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
through His servant John."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Okay, so you've got five there.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Give me another Apostle
besides Peter and John.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Not Timothy, he was not an Apostle, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But Matthew was...Matthew, how many
did he write?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) One.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) One that bears his name,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
an important Gospel, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Give me another Apostle.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Philip? How many did he write?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek, Team) None.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Give me another one.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
James, the brother of John,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that's not the one who wrote
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the book of James, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, many of the Apostles
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
didn't write any books
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of the New Testament, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And how many did you say again
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Thirteen.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Doesn't it startle you?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What does that tell you about God?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Not just about Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You say, "He was obviously a changed man."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What does that tell you about God?
Christine.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Christine) That God can use anyone
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to get them to proclaim the message.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) He can use anyone.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Can we complete that sentence, Tricia Lee?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) Even me.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Okay, yeah.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
God can use anyone, even me.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I still need a little qualifier
in there, Nicole?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) God can use anyone, even me...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) If you're willing...
if you're willing to be used.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) If I'm willing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And how is that willingness revealed?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How is that willingness revealed?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
How is it apparent that I am willing
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to be used by God, even me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to proclaim the Good News about Jesus?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) By doing the work.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I think before I do the work, no?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) It's choosing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Tricia Lee) Believing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Choosing, believing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team Member) Responding to the call.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) How do I respond to the call?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I listen?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team Member) Repent first.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I repent. I...?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) Pray?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Pray. I surrender.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I humble myself before God.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
This message is not about me;
it's about Jesus.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"And God, You're going to have to work
supernaturally
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because I don't want to mess that up."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I certainly don't want to proclaim
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a false gospel, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I humble myself...So, I'm willing,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
surrender? Even me?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That Paul could do that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And God could use him in such
an amazing way? Joshua?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) This is helping me to think
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because if you think about the most
well-known pastors and evangelists
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that you hear about
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
throughout the Christian church,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
many of them were not raised
as Christians.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Yeah.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) Many of them actually converted
to Christianity,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and through the experience
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that they had with Jesus,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
they just went full force,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and that goes across the board.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I think it just goes to show
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that when we have that true conversion,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
our past is no longer a priority.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Our past is just a shadow of who we were,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and we are now new in Christ.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Doesn't Paul say somewhere,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I consider all of that..."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
What was the word he used?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I think a literal translation
is "cow dung,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but "rubbish" would be a little more...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's garbage compared to the excellency
of knowing Christ.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Not just knowing about Him, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But knowing Him.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It's like he can't keep quiet.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And if we're willing...even me? Even me.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So in the last few minutes we've got,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I want you to give a testimony
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
of how you have been blessed,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
not only to know Jesus
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and have that relationship,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
but you've been blessed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that God would use you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to share the truth about Jesus
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
with someone else, okay?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And you may share a specific instance.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
You may share something
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that's happening to you right now.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So let's talk about that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We can't share what we don't know, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
So, coming to know Him and sharing.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Who can share a testimony of being blessed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
as a result of that?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We'll start with you, Harold.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) One day I was going
to Radio Shack
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(that's like an electronics store),
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and they were closing down.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
The thought came, "Well, since it's
closing down,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
there's some people who are there,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I'm a type that I like
to talk one-on-one.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And usually the store's kind of empty.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
There was this lady,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I had this material,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I started talking to her,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
like saying, "Hey, I have this material
for you,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
if you're interested."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) So this was something
about the Bible?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) Yeah, all about the Bible.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Actually that lasted like an hour or more,
the conversation.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) It must have been a quiet day
at the store.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Harold) No, it was interesting.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
There were more customers coming in.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It was so inspiring
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that I started even asking,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Hey, customers, would you be interested?"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I was not afraid; I was really so blessed
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because the lady was asking
so many questions,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even asked for material
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that I had at home; this was interesting.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I purchased the material
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
thinking that I would read it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and then she mentioned to me,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I remember reading this book
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
back in the day by this person."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I'm like, "Wow, interesting!"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I have this book at home,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I just bought one,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
thinking that I would use it,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I brought it for her.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
She was so blessed and was acknowledging
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
all the truth that was being shared
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that I felt blessed.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
It was like, wow, somebody received
God's truth today,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even the people who were
around us listening
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or even receiving the material.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That made my day,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I thank God for that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) For those of you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in the second row,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
you couldn't see he was smiling.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He was blessed to be used
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to bless someone else,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and it sounds like God was at work
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even in him getting that book
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that they wanted to read,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and it was already there.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In some ways you might think,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Well, that's not as dramatic as
the Damascus road."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But it was dramatic for you, wasn't it?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Anybody else, being blessed? Joshua.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) Years ago I was
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
in Antigua visiting family,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I was sitting in my Aunt Nola's house,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I saw Hope Sabbath School
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for the first time.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
As I watched the people...
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Was that before you ever became
a participant?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Joshua) Oh, yeah, this was before that.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I was watching the show, and I said,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"I can't really relate to these people;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
they look too holy."
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And I said, "You know what?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
They're going into all these deep things
about the Bible,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so I just kept watching it.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I had no idea that God was ever
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
going to put me on this show
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to do this same exact work.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And now I know that we're not all perfect
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and that through media God can reach
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so many people across the world.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I'm very thankful to be here,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and I met my wife on this show.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Oh, you did,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and she's not here,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
just in case the viewers are trying
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to guess which one it is.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
But back to what you said, Tricia Lee,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"Even me," "Even me."
Isn't that amazing?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Surrendered to God, you're watching
the show,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and, you know, our producer Elroy,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
when he was in grad school,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he said, "I wish I could...,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He was watching Hope Sabbath School,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and he was really blessed.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
He was saying, "I wish I could
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
produce a program like that,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and today he's our producer.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Isn't that awesome!
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Yes.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) That's the kind of people
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
we want to be a part of the team, right?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
That we believe God is working
in miraculous ways.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
One last testimony, yes, Nicole.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Nicole) I would continue what Joshua said
in saying I'm blessed to be
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
on this program also, and it's funny
because I met you
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
at a church here locally, and I hadn't
really heard of Hope Sabbath School,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and you actually talked about it
in church.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I was like, "Let me see what he's
talking about," and I watched
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
this program a couple of times.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I just think that the Lord really led me
to that church,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
led me to meet with you that day, and put
me in this program, and it's just been
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
a blessing because I'm meeting people
who have seen the programs, and they're
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
very blessed by the program.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And so it's this great blessing to me
that I can be a part of this ministry.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) I think that's why the Apostle
Paul was so passionate, because he's like,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
"It's not just about me being saved;
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
it's about sharing that blessing,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the grace of God I've come to know
and experience.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I want to share that with everybody,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
even if they try to kill me,"
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
which, by the way, happened
quite frequently
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for the Apostle Paul.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
And when people tried to distort
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the truth of the Gospel,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
he got really upset
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
because he wanted people to know
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
the true character of God and God's plan.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
I want to share the truth
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
about Jesus, too, don't you?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Let's pray that he'll work in us
in wonderful ways.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Father in Heaven, thank You
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for the beautiful truth of the Gospel.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Forgive us if we've made it complicated
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
or a stumbling block put in the way
of someone
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
so they don't hear the truth.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Help us to continue to study Your Word,
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to learn the truth of the Gospel
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
to be able to share it in a way
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
that will bless many lives,
including ours.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Team) Amen.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
(Derek) Well, thanks for joining us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
for Hope Sabbath School.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
We have so much to learn, but you know?
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
God loves us, and He will be withe us
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
each step of the journey.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
Take what you're learning
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
and be a blessing to those around you.
99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999
♪ theme music ♪