Acts Chapter 13

Of Samaritan, he went and joined himself to the eunuch as he was led by the Spirit.

And so God didn't exclude anyone in an order.

It was the Jews, and then, of course, it was the people who was practicing Judaism, which was people who was displaced of the different nations and were put in the land of Israel, the northern portion, and they call them Samaritan.

It was not Jewish people, it was not even half Jews.

It was Gentiles who was practicing Judaism in an apostate way.

And then, of course, you see even the proselyte, the eunuch in the eighth chapter.

And then you watch how the Bible is beginning to pivot.

And so you have the Jews, both in Jerusalem, Judea.

You have the people who was practicing Judaism, which is a Samaritan.

You have the proselyte, again in the eighth chapter, and then you begin to see things heat up in the ninth chapter.

And so we get to the tenth chapter.

Now Peter goes down to a Gentile's house, which he would have never done, but he was compelled to by God speaking to him in a trance, uh trance or vision, and it was confirmed.

So he went.

And then, of course, as he was speaking, the words of life, the Holy Ghost fell on everyone who heard the word.

And that was a reception because they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave utterance.

If you notice in the Bible, every time someone received the baptism of the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God, there was a physical manifestation.

It wasn't some inner feelings or some tingling, or the eyes didn't twitch.

No, they spoke in other tongues.

Each and every case, it was a manifestation of the Spirit of God.

That's the sound of life.

When a baby is born, the first thing a physician does is cause that baby to give out a cry of life.

That's a breath.

And he begins to validate the fact that this baby is breathing, oxygen.

It's living not on his mother any longer.

It's living by the means whereby God has instituted life.

Every mammal breathes.

And so now then you get to the 11th chapter, real interesting.

Peter showing his consideration for his brothers.

When his brothers didn't understand why he went to a Gentile's house, Peter began to expound.

I think the Bible used the term rehearsed the matter from the beginning.

He left out no details because it was very important that they understood this was not Peter doing his own thing.

This was God directing him, and the Holy Ghost fell upon them, uh, as it did upon Peter, James, John, and 120 on the day of Pentecost.

So Peter said, Who was I that I could I could forbid water?

How could I resist God?

Seeing these have received the Holy Ghost as well as we.

How did he know it?

Because he spoke in tongues.

And so they were baptized.

And then, of course, uh this is going to get real interesting.

And then the uh 12th chapter, which was, I appreciate that.

But when you get to the 13th chapter, this is what I want to.

I've been thinking about chops to get to this.

Really, because now you're going to see a great pivoting.

You're going to see no longer God reaching out to the Jews, no longer reaching out to people who was practicing Judaism.

No longer is He reaching out to uh proselytes.

Now He's reaching out from the 10th chapter on to whosoever will.

It becomes very pronounced when you get to the 13th chapter.

If you're not a natural Israel, for which we don't know of any, this is occasion for you and I to rejoice because you can see God is doing something new.

He's not just including other nations, but he's establishing the other nations as the preeminence in the body of Christ.

This is no longer uh Jews.

This is no longer people practicing Judaism.

This is for whosoever will now let them come.

Even though Paul, who was a Jew, his name was Saul, every time he goes to a city, he goes to the Jewish synagogue first, giving them a chance, because this is the gospel, is to the Jew first, and then to the Gentiles.

So he gives them a chance, even though it's obvious God had cut them off.

He loved his own nation.

As a matter of fact, he makes the declaration.

I bear them witness they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

He said, I myself could wish that I was cut off, that is from my own kindred for Christ's sake, uh, because he loved them, but their time was past.

Let's get into it.

And two interesting things before we go anywhere near the thrust of it.

The very approach to this 13th chapter, we have to, if I can, settle down and squeeze these wonderful olive berries.

Uh, there's just golden, golden nuggets from the very beginning.

Let me start, and you can stop me, weigh in, put in, please.

Before you can even approach the 13th chapter, we have to refresh yourself because the event of Peter in the 12th chapter, it's the end of Peter.

The next time you see Peter in the book of Acts, he just gave a witness to how God had used him to in the 10th chapter to open the doors to the Gentile.

But you don't see no one writing about Peter.

Now, from this chapter, chapter 13, all the way to chapter 28, Paul is going to be the central focus.

I'm gonna tell you why.

Because Peter was given the gospel for the Jewish people, but Saul was given the gospel, he's called the apostle to the Gentiles, and because now God focus is no longer on Israel, it's focused on whosoever will let them come.

And so this is the great pivot.

And to get it correctly, before we even dive too far into it, um go back a little bit.

Um see where we should pick this up.

I I could maybe I should just walk us through it and not do all this reading.

But I'd like to read because if you don't read, you're not gonna believe me.

Uh go back to the 11th chapter.

After Peter rehearsed what happened in Canadian's house, after he gave an account of that, it goes back to the original setting.

When you look at the 11th chapter in your mind or even in your Bible, put the uh 10th chapter and the 11th chapter all the way down to verse 18.

Put that in parenthesis.

What do you mean, parenthesis?

This is kind of like a side note.

The 10th chapter and even 11, because the context you were reading, if you go back to it, uh back in the 9th chapter, before we even get to this, there was something transpiring.

And that which was transpiring was making reference to Paul and the ninth chapters where he was converted.

Um, and there's a persecution that was going on against the church, is how he even gets introduced because of the persecution.

It started actually at the stoning of Stephen, and the persecution never stopped.

And so, to read the ninth chapter in the first verse, while this persecution was going on, Saul went to Galatia.

I'm sorry, yeah, uh to uh uh what's wrong with my mind?

Uh not Galatia, he was going up to uh huh.

What's wrong with my mind?

Let me read it though.

Some masses.

I couldn't say it.

Anyway, he was going to the Mass to take these Christians and bring them back because all of this is persecution, and the persecution never stopped.

And so uh while this persecution was going on, this is what you're reading in the ninth chapter.

Is this Paul persecuting the church as he was on his way?

Remember the context, because of that persecution that's transpiring against the church.

And then he shows, even in the midst of this persecution, he he brings the Gentiles in.

And it never stopped.

The persecution against the Christian never stopped.

And so this just shifts focus to bring in the Gentiles, and it gets back to the issues.

Uh and then the 11th chapter, I just want to touch this.

11 and 1.

And when the apostles had heard, I'm sorry, the apostles and brother that was in Judea heard that the Gentiles, that's in the 10th chapter, had received the word of God.

Wow.

Uh, that's the key.

And so everybody heard that the Gentiles is also brought in.

Now go to the 19th verse.

This is where you actually get to this church in Antioch.

Now, they which were scattered, if you can remember, there was a great persecution that took in the eighth chapter of the book of Acts that came against the Christians, what Paul was doing, I saw.

And now listen, and they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, when they stoned Stephen, traveled as far as Thenis, Cyprus, Antioch, preaching the word, that's the word of God, but to none but the Jews only.

And this is the key, these next two verses.

And some of them, that's these men who were scattered, the apostles stayed.

Some of them was men of Cyprus and Cyrene, and which, and by the way, Cyrene is that's okay, I won't get into that.

Which, when they was come to Antioch, they spake to the Grecians.

Now, these Grecians are not Greek-speaking Jews, but these are Gentiles.

How do you know it?

Verse 11, verse 9.

They were speaking a word to none but the Jews only.

And the 11th verse, I'm sorry, the 20th verse, he said he spoke to the Grecians.

These Grecians mean these are Greek people, not Greek-speaking people, but Gentiles, preaching the Lord Jesus.

And the hand of the Lord was with them.

What them?

Those who was preaching in Antioch.

And a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Wow.

Let me just read a couple verses for context.

And uh, when the tide, and that word means news of these things, will come to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem.

Who was there?

The apostles.

They sent forth Bonabas that he should go forth as Antioch, go as far as Antioch.

And this is what the context was for.

He squares in the 12th chapter, but what was talking about was the persecution.

Our people went as far as to Antioch.

And God was with them.

He blessed them.

And of course, verse 26.

And when they that's Bonabus, when he had found Saul, he brought him to Antioch.

And it came to pass a whole year.

I want you to get this key.

They was assembled, they assembled themselves with the church and taught the people, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

I pointed it out.

This is where the first time they was called Christian, and it wasn't an identification, it was scorning them.

Because he's saying you believe in a Christ.

And so they were scorning them.

But nevertheless, verse 27, just for context.

And in those days there came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

Okay, so Monabus there, as well as Saul, was teacher.

They weren't apostles there, they were teachers.

And so in these days came prophets from Jerusalem.

That's from the church back in Jerusalem to Antioch.

And there stood up one of them named Agabus.

This is important.

He signified by the Spirit that that's going to be a great drop throughout the world.

That's the world that means that Mediterranean area, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesars.

Now listen to this.

This is going to get important.

Then the disciples, this is what they was called.

They was disciples.

They called them Christians, was scorning them.

But the Bible term is called disciples of Christ.

That's the biblical term.

Every man, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren which is at Judea.

Help those people out, the saints.

Which they did, and this is the key.

They sent it to the elders.

This is how they helped the people.

You didn't help them individually, you committed everything to the ministry, and distribution would be made as every man had need.

They sent it to the elders by the hands.

I want you to get this of Barnabas and Saul.

These are men who is in reputation.

And so they sent relief.

Now, the 12th chapter, as it introduced Peter in his uh plight, is kind of a side note.

It's a side note.

Go down to the 12th chapter and uh verse 25 for the sake of time.

And Bonhommes and Saul, they returned from Jerusalem.

They went to Jerusalem to bring an offering.

They helped the saints.

And now they're returning from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they took with them John, whose surname is Mark.

We call him John Mark.

By the way, that's the person who wrote the book of Mark.

His name was John Mark.

He was not an apostle, he wasn't even one of the originals.

But what he was, he was a student of Peter, very close.

And not only that, he was the nephew of Bonabas.

All that's going to come into play a little bit later because it's going to be a division between Bonabas and Paul, who went out together, because of this young lad.

It was his house that the saints gathered in.

That's his mother's house.

I'm saying his house, that's where he lived.

So he was a goodly young man, but he was youthful.

He was immature, he was undeveloped.

And because he was Barnabas' nephew, that was Barnabas' sister, whose house they gathered in.

And so he brought him along, but he wasn't really ready.

But Paul didn't contest that he brought him along.

And so now here we go.

I'm giving that because this is going to come into play very soon.

Now, there was in the church that was at Antioch.

So you got two main churches.

You got Jerusalem and you have Antioch.

And you're going to see Jerusalem time was coming to an end.

Antioch will become the prominent church of the Christian era and Mediterranean world.

It's the second largest city of all of Rome's domain.

It was a very huge place.

Now there was in the church that was at Antioch, I want you to watch this.

You don't see an apostle.

Certain prophets and teachers, as Bonabas, and Simon that is called Niger, and Lucas of Cyrene, and Manian, which have been brought up, I want to emphasize this, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch.

The word Tetrarch means a quarter.

And so King Herod the Great had three sons, and they divided his kingdom up among them.

And so he was one who was one of those who was given a certain reign.

The reason I'm bringing up this as Herod.

This is a Herod that cut John the Baptist's head off.

It wasn't Herod the Great.

Herod the Great was his father, who Christ persecuted fled from.

It's the one that commanded that all the children, two years and younger, be put to death.

This is his son.

The reason I'm emphasizing him because of the man Mani was brought up with him.

That means this man wasn't poor.

Brought up with him would mean that he was educated with him, or he was tutored with him, which means he had to be a man of some great renown because you don't come up with the king's kid unless you're someone of renown.

The reason I'm pointing that out, yet he got his eyes open to the gospel.

The concept is these people is all poor.

Oliver was not poor.

The Bible says about Barnabas, he was wealthy.

It points that out.

So everybody wasn't poor.

This is not a poor man's religion.

This is a whosoever will, rich and poor, black or white.

Whosoever will, let him come.

I just wanted to touch that a little bit.

That's not the subject.

Sidebar, which was brought up with Herod the Tetrar and Saul.

In other words, when you say in Saul, Saul is the rest of these prophets and teachers.

He says in Saul.

He wasn't brought up with Herod the Tetrar, but he's one, he's naming these different teachers.

None of them are called apostles because the gospel got there by people who was persecuted in Jerusalem.

And they preached the word.

You just read that a few moments ago.

Now, as they ministered to the Lord, the word minister means serve.

And so, how do you serve the Lord?

You're serving his people.

You're discussing the things of God.

You're ministering to the Lord by ministering to his people.

And fasteth.

The Holy Ghost said, How did he say it?

Did he speak out of the wind?

No.

He spoke through the prophets.

He spoke through the teachers.

When those men began to utter, that was the voice of God.

He uses human instrumentality, but that was the Lord speaking.

And so one of these men, or some of these men, said, separate, speaking on behalf of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, separate mean Bonabas and Saul.

Don't you take note of that?

The Bible doesn't give men names and an order randomly.

It's saying Bonabas because he was the more established brother.

Saul was more new.

But you're going to see a switch.

You're going to see it starts off Bonabus and Saul.

But before long, because Saul, this name would change to Paul in this chapter, he was the chief speaker.

He was more learned than even Bonabas.

And so you'll see a switch going to be called Paul and Bonabas for long.

But it didn't start out that way.

And so this is a to me, it's a big issue.

The issue is you don't get this by longevity.

It's not of him that willeth, not of him that run it, but God that showeth mercy.

So God raised up whom he will in the kingdom.

Because you've been around longer does not mean that you're necessarily a senior.

Just been around longer.

And uh that's just an important note for me, mentally speaking.

So he says, for the work where until I have called them.

And when they, now this is the teachers, the prophets, and the teachers in verse 1.

When they had fasted, these people fast quite a bit, doesn't it?

And when they had fasted and prayed, I want you to watch.

And listen, this is for you and I.

Let's not ever do anything that we don't dip in prayer.

Everything we do should be dipped, whether it's corporate prayer or individual prayer.

These are praying people and they fast.

They laid their hands on them, which is another important point.

Remember, I told you that you'll see all the doctrines in the book of Acts?

You're seeing laying on of hands.

The laying on of hands here is not to heal the sick.

And so the laying on of hands is showing the person or the people who's permitting hands to be laid on them is showing their submission to the order of God.

It's the order of God.

They didn't just go out, they needed to be consecrated and dedicated by those whom God was dealing with.

So they laid their hands on them and sent them away.

The word apostle is going to be introduced.

And it wasn't just Bonabas, I mean uh Saul.

He calls both of them apostles.

The word apostle means sent.

It means one who sent.

Don't mean one who went.

It's one who sent for a specific task to a particular place.

And so let's keep reading.

Now, so they, that's Bonabas and Saul, they were sent forth by the Holy Ghost.

Even though men told them to go, men ordained them, it was the Lord.

They were sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed to uh Seleuza.

And from hence they sailed to Cyprus.

And when they was at Salamis, they preached the word of God.

Look where they go first.

In the synagogue of the Jews.

Why?

I'll tell you why.

Because they both were Jewish and they wanted to see their people saved.

And the Lord has to thunder to them, let them know that they've been cut off.

But he still will try hope against hope to try to see his own saved.

Let's be honest.

When your eyes get over who the first person you want to see saved?

Your family.

That's just natural.

And there's another key here.

And they also, and they had also John.

That's John Mark, the same one you read about in chapter 12 of the 25th verse.

This is John Mark.

And they had John Mark to their ministry.

He was one of uh to their minister.

He was one of their servants.

He was with them.

He wasn't ready.

But he went.

And uh, when they went through the Isle of Patpose and uh found a certain look what the Bible calls this man, a sorcerer.

Uh, you might want to underline that.

He uses that word on my preachers.

This is not somebody who's uh uh uh doing and his witchcraft.

The Bible calls preaching witchcraft.

It is because what you're doing, you're seducing people, you're bewitching.

That's what he calls it in the eighth chapter of the book of Acts, uh, Simon the Sorcerer.

He bewitched the people.

How do you bewitch people?

Giving out yourself as some great one.

And so the people you guys love and look at on television, those are sorcerers.

Uh Joel Losting isn't God God.

And you're just getting bewitched.

Oh, I love him.

You'll never see him preach about righteousness and holiness.

That's just sorcery.

Uh, are you like the motivational speakers?

Uh that's not messengers from God.

Those are people who give into people what they want.

I have an inch and ears.

God gives you what you desire.

But let's go on.

Yes.

I'll repeat them.

Go give it to them.

Uh, anyone, you can stop me at any time.

Uh, I want you to.

I just want to.

You probably never knew that preachers are called sorcerers.

You'll see it again in Revelation.

He's talking about preachers.

He calls them hard names, he calls them dogs, he calls them sorcerers, he calls them liars.

He's not talking about someone who said, uh, I didn't steal the cookie.

He means someone who's perpetuating lies in the kingdom of heaven.

He's talking about preachers.

And you'll see that even here in just a moment.

Yes, brother Elton.

Yeah, and no, he has it as magicians.

He's as magician.

Magician?

Same thing.

How can that be?

Because there's no such thing as magic.

Right.

That's deception.

And so that's what preachers are good at.

It's deceiving you.

And they'll put on just like a magician, they'll put their capes on.

They'll put their robes on.

Or they'll flip their collars around backwards.

That's called bewitching you.

And when you see the word sorcerers in the New Testament, it's preachers.

Let you read so you don't think I make this up.

They found a certain sorcerer.

Look what he calls him.

A what?

Thank you.

He's telling you what he's calling the sorcerer.

It's a false prophet, a false preacher, a false teacher.

He was a Jew whose name was Bar Jesus.

The word Bar D-A-R means son of.

And so his father was Jesus was a common name.

And this man's father was named Jesus as well.

Not Jesus the Christ, but and so he says Bar Jesus.

But look what he did.

Which, that is this sorcerer, this false prophet.

He was with the deputy of the countries, Cerus Pogus, a prudent man who called for Bonabus.

You see these names in order?

He called for Bonabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God.

So somehow he must have heard about these men's message.

But Elamus, the sorcerer, for so is his name by interpretation, he's a sorcerer, he's a false prophet, withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy that is of this region from the faith.

The word withstood, withstood, oppose, resist, blasphemy is all the same thing.

The word withstand, oppose, to resist is a so is uh that's blaspheming.

Whatever God is doing through his ministry, and you withstanding that, you're blaspheming.

Uh whatever God is doing through the word of God, and you speaking even, you're blaspheming.

Uh that's what the Bible calls it.

That's not the subject, but I want to identify.

We go on, you'll see it used quite a bit.

Withstood, oppose, withstand.

And so uh he was blaspheming.

That is Paul and Bonimus, as well as the Holy Ghost, seeking to turn the deputy away from the faith.

He didn't want this man to become one of these disciples because he was giving out himself to be some great one.

Paul, I'm going to shoot Saul, I'm sorry, who is also called Paul.

Saul is the Jewish name, Paul is the Gentile renderer.

It gets interesting because Paul, this is a remember, this is the same man he had to send away from Jerusalem, they could have peace.

He was so zealous.

And so, even on his first journey, his zeal was not to be played with.

He didn't know how to just give it time and be charitable.

All he knows you were standing us, and what got what we're doing is what God sent us to do.

He did what an overzealous man would do.

Look what he did.

He's full of the Holy Ghost.

Then Paul, who is who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.

Uh-oh.

And look what he says.

He said, Oh, full of all subtlety.

He's talking to this false prophet and all mischief.

Look what he calls him, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all enemy of all righteousness.

Will thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

You speaking evil, you trying to turn away.

He said, Look what he did.

He got he got stirred.

He said, Now behold, the first thing he did was curse the guy.

And he cursed them with a grievous curse.

And now and behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee.

He means the judgment of God.

Because I'm gonna pronounce it on you, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.

I'm glad he said for a season.

Give the man some redemption, not seeing the sun for a season.

And immediately there felt on him a midst and a darkness, and he went about, showing you how blind he was, to seeking some to lead him by the hand.

Wow.

And when the deputy, when he saw what was done, he blew.

I guess he did.

He blew, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

If you got this kind of power behind your words, and it takes you back to Mark 16 and 16, these signs shall follow, them that believe.

He said the Lord was working with him, confirming his word with signs and wonders.

And so you won't see Paul do that again, nowhere in the Bible.

But when he first went out, he wasn't a guy.

I think later on he called himself Paul the Age.

I'm gonna tour it out.

But in his zeal, uh he was not to be played with at all.

Now, verse 15.

Now, when Paul and his company, see how he's beginning to shift?

Didn't say Bonabas.

The first one's mouth is open, it's gonna always be Paul.

That's just who he was.

He was very zealous, very passionate.

And so now he calls him out because he's leading.

And when Paul and his company, that means Bonabas and John Mark and the other ones who accompany him, they lose from Patmos and they came to Pergam and Palphylia.

And John, that's John Mark.

I want you to underline this, departing from them, returned.

He didn't go back to Antioch, went back to his mama's house.

He went back to Jerusalem.

Uh, this is too much excitement for him.

I mean, men getting smitten with blindness, you're getting going from coast to coast, from city to city.

I didn't sign up for this.

So he went all the way back to his mama's house.

Went back to Jerusalem.

Not to Antioch, but back to Jerusalem.

Um that's not speaking ill, he will mature, mature at the close of Paul's life.

He sent for John Martin.

He said, For he's profitable to me.

He've meled.

Now, this is 26 years later, of course.

And so he've got more mature.

But the reason I'm pointing this out, this is gonna be a key point in a little bit later.

And when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch.

This is a second Antioch and Phylissa.

And he went in here go again.

I want you to watch this pattern.

He's trying to see the Jews saved.

He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, that's a Saraton, and sat down.

Good order, good mannerism, but he really didn't just go there to be talked to.

He went there looking for an open door.

So he went in using wisdom.

He sat down, and uh, and after the reading of the law and the prophets, that's the law of Moses and the prophet, the Old Testament, the ruler of the synagogue sent unto them, so these men must look a little bit distinguished and sober, saying, You men and brethren, talking to Paul, Barnabas, and his company, you men and brethren, if you have any words of exaltation for the people, then say on.

You shouldn't have done it.

He shouldn't have done it.

Worst mistake.

Really?

He knew who they were, he wouldn't let them in the synagogue.

Because he's not gonna get up and preach the law of Moses.

He's gonna get up and preach Christ Jesus and Him crucified.

And uh, watch this.

Again, you don't see monobus.

Who's the first one up?

Paul stood up, beckoning with his hands.

So, you know, you use the word beckoning with your hands.

You're you're you're you're what's the right term?

Uh uh, not just passionate, but you're expressive.

Uh so he's beckoning with his hands, so no doubt he's he's he's uh uh poured into what he's saying and trying to get people to listen and to consider it.

He he he's he's uh what it's a term for that, uh not demonstrous, but expressive.

I'll just you stop with that.

Listen, with his hand said, men of Israel, and not just that, any proselytes in here, ye that fear God, give audience, pay attention.

Watch how he starts off real, just like Stephen.

By the way, he was there when Stephen did it.

Stephen started off real gentle and he built it up, and so he was there.

Matter of fact, if you read Paul's message, you will in a few seconds, it's almost identical to what Stephen did.

And you held the people's coat when they stoned Stephen for the message he gave.

He almost used the same method, the same message.

What they preach him was the resurrection of the dead, and not just the resurrection of the dead, but Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead, and that's what opened the doors to resurrection.

But he's gonna make this so palpable at first, no doubt they were saying, Amen, amen, until they listened a little bit too long.

You listen, I'll say it again.

Ye that fear God, give you men of Israel, first of all, and he said, Ye that fear God, these are proselyte, Gentile people who was practicing Judaism.

Give audience, pay attention.

The God of this people, Israel, chose our fathers and exalted the people.

When he says the people talking about the people of Israel, when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with a high arm brought he them out of it, out of Egypt.

And about this time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

By the way, there was bad manners, murmurs and complaining, but God tolerated that for a season.

And so he uses the term here, he suffered their manners.

You can put bad in your mind, it was bad manners in the wilderness.

The never was thankful, never was thankful.

And so he said, when he had destroyed seven nations, Hittites, Amakites, Perserites, Jebusites, Canaanites, um, thank you, all those seven knights in the land of Canaan, he divided their land to them by lots.

And after he gave them, gave unto them judges by the space of 450 years unto Solomon, unto Samuel.

I want you to underline this, the prophet.

The reason he said Samuel the prophet, Samuel, the Bible called Moses a prophet.

But Moses didn't have the office of a prophet, he was the head of Israel.

A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God, not part-time, because judges did that.

This is who Samuel was.

He was the first prophet, even though Abraham is called a prophet.

Moses called a prophet.

But this is the man who had the office of a prophet.

This is the beginning of the prophets.

Be prior to that, he ruled by judges.

Prior to that, he ruled by individuals who he would raise up.

But this is the first prophet.

The Bible said, now the word of his mouth fell to the ground.

Everything he came out of his mouth, he never missed it.

And everyone, when he was a little boy, from Dan to Bathsheba, that's north Israel to the southern Israel, knew that he was ordained to be a prophet.

As a little young lad.

So there's hope for you, brother Levi.

And so until Samuel the prophet, a new date.

And that was they, that's the nation of Israel, desired a king.

Samuel was the last judge.

Matter of fact, he's the only man in the Bible who held three offices.

He was a prophet full time.

He was a judge.

What was the third one?

He wasn't king.

He was a prophet.

Yeah, thank you.

Officiated as a priest, a prophet, and a judge.

Thank you, sir.

Okay, so here we go.

Huh.

And uh afterwards they desired a king.

And God gave unto them Saul, uh, the son of Kisp, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

And when he had removed him, that is, he had him killed, he did, it was God who killed him.

He said he gave him a king in his anger and took him away in his wrath.

Uh, God had him killed, he did, because he was an obstinate man.

He removed him, and when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David.

This is a key.

So the first king was Saul, the second king was David.

They both ruled, and of course, David's son Sodom, each one ruled for 40 years.

He gave unto them David to be their king, to whom also he gave testimony, which said, I have found David, a son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, and he shall fulfill all my will.

And so he did.

Of this man's seed, that is his offspring, have God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Savior.

Then he identified Jesus.

Not as many people named Jesus, but he's going to clarify.

When John had first preached before his coming, before Christ, the baptism of repentance, you're going to see all the doctrine, the baptism of repentance, that's water baptism, to all the people of Israel.

So they know what Jesus is talking about.

As John fulfilled his course, his course was only six months.

John the Baptist only preached six months.

It was a six-month ministry with one single message he preached every day.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

He was a forerunner before Christ.

Six-month ministry.

Then he was beheaded.

The reason God suffered John to be beheaded is to show you God was not going to ever recognize another Old Testament prophet.

Never.

And so he was beheaded.

That was the end of the Old Testament prophets.

He'll recognize not another one.

And Jesus said himself, man born of woman, there is not a greater prophet than John.

And yet he did no miracles.

But his message is what made him great.

He said, Nevertheless, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John, because none of these people had the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

And in the kingdom of heaven, if you were in the kingdom, you have the baptism of the Holy Ghost, so you're greater than John.

Let's keep reading.

And verse 25, as John fulfilled his course, that is his ministry, he said, Who do you think I am?

I'm not he.

But behold, there cometh one after me six months later, whose shoes of his feet I'm not worthy to lose.

Men and brethren, this is back to Paul, men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and he always get the proselyte as well.

Whosoever among you feared God, these are Gentiles practicing Judaism, to you is the word of this salvation sent.

For they that dwell at Jerusalem, back at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, they couldn't, their eyes was not open, because they knew him not.

They didn't know the word of God.

They knew what he said, but they didn't know what he meant.

Nor the voices of the prophets, which they read are read every Sabbath day, but they don't understand.

And they have fulfilled them, that is the scriptures, in condemning him.

Wow.

They took him down from the tree.

And by the way, that's what the cross that you call a cross, it was a tree.

It was a piece of wood, a torture stake.

That's Italy that got you thinking what you're thinking.

It was not what it was.

Italy of talking about the church of Rome.

Anyway, let's keep reading here.

And they laid him in a sepulchre.

This gets deep.

But God, here it is.

This is where it starts.

But God raised him.

Do you see that message?

God raised him from the dead.

Wow.

And the proof of that, he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.

Wow.

So it wasn't just the twelve.

I think Paul says in 1 Corinthians, seen the five hundred brothers at one time.

Some have fallen asleep, he said, but some remain to that day.

So it wasn't just a few.

It wasn't not just the seven and the twelve.

Five hundred brethren.

So he manifested himself, uh, who are witness unto the people.

And we declare unto you glad tidings.

That means good news.

Another translation is called the gospel.

The word gospel means good news or glad tiding.

How that the promise which was made to the fathers, that's Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, their fathers, naturally.

God has fulfilled the same unto us, their children, in that he has raised, now do you see the shift?

Here's the gospel.

That he has raised up Jesus.

I'm gonna use this word again.

That is from the dead.

He raised him up again.

As here it is, as it is also written in the second Psalms.

And in that Psalms, this is a statement.

Thou art my son.

This day have I begotten thee.

So when Jesus Christ was born, was he begotten?

Naturally.

When Jesus Christ went to the grave, is when he resurrected from the dead.

That's when he was begotten of God.

When you are conceived, you may be born from above, but you're being born, you were born, I'll let you read it.

You're being born, and when you are fully born, is when you have resurrected from the dead.

So we're still in the incubation.

We're still forming in the womb.

We hadn't come forth as a full man, child.

We are being born.

This is what Peter says: a being born again, being born again.

We have been born and we're being born.

And when you're born, you cannot sin.

Whoever is begotten of God cannot sin.

When you resurrect from the dead, you cannot.

Not that you won't, you cannot sin.

So we're still being resurrected.

There is a resurrection taking place in this prophetic hour.

That prophetic hour started with Christ, officially on the day of Pentecost, and it continues on until the last grain of wheat has become an overcomer.

Let's keep reading.

Any questions or anything I've said?

Even those of you on Zoom that I lose anybody.

Hey, Sister Kim, how you doing?

Uh, good to see you.

Good to see you, Brother Daniel.

Are you still married?

Where's your wife, sir?

She's putting the baby to sleep.

Okay.

All right.

Which one, sir?

Yeah, let's start first with Jesus Christ saying, except you're born again, you cannot enter the kingdom.

Uh, that's John chapter 3, uh somewhere around the 17th, 18th verse.

John 3 · chapter mention

Someone get that from me.

That's the beginning.

John 3 and 5.

John 3 and 5, thank you.

I'm sorry.

Give him a mic.

Go ahead and read it for me, sir.

John chapter 3, verse 5.

John 3:5

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom.

I need you to get that verse for me.

Let me get it.

So when you say seat, this is a spiritual kingdom, and you can't see it, verse 3.

You can't see this with your natural eyes.

The Lord has to ask.

To give you eyes of understanding that you can see his order, you can see his kingdom.

And this kingdom is actually in the very midst of a kingdom.

On the earth, you're in the kingdom of men.

When you're born from above, are born again, you can see God's kingdom.

It's his order, it's his government, it's his officials, it's his laws, it's his precepts, it's his concepts.

And the kingdom of God is higher than the kingdom of men.

If you submit to God's kingdom and his laws, you're not going to break the laws of men.

We don't steal, kill, rob, we don't rape, we're not pedophilious, and so on and so forth.

But go ahead.

Yes, sir.

Oh, that's John 3 and 3.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

You can't see it.

And that born there is when you first receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

That's what he says in verse 5.

Except a man is born of the water, and that water that's not H2O as people think.

That's called the Bible, Paul calls it the wash of the water by the word.

That's being born of the word or conceived of the word of God.

And then he says, and of the Spirit in verse 5.

That's the Holy Ghost.

There's a seed, and then that's blood.

That's life.

And that brings forth the spiritual being.

I don't want to belabor because I get off the subject.

And then you see over in 1 Peter's chapter 1, is that around verse 17?

Verse 23.

23, thank you.

1 Peter chapter 1, verse 23.

1 Peter 1:23

Being born again.

Being born again, not of the corruptible seed, which is a seed of man, but the incorruptible.

Incorruptible.

So this is a spiritual birth.

When I was born of my father's father's seed, but that's a natural seed, that's corruptible.

But when you're born from above, it's an incorruptible.

That's the word of God made him with you.

And so he used the term being born.

And so that word of God is in and abiding in us, but we're still coming forth.

We're not yet uh totally resurrected.

We have not yet come forth.

And even though Jesus Christ was the Son of God, he was formed in the womb.

When he came out of the grave, he came forth.

That's a big difference.

And so that's when he was born of God, is when he came out of the grave.

And this is what Paul's explaining.

Uh then if you go over to 1 John chapter 5, chapter 3.

1 John 5 · chapter mention

Chapter uh two or three times.

Yes, sir.

He says, uh he that is born of God, are you born again?

You cannot sin.

Uh is that the fifth chapter?

I think that one's in uh I'm talking a lot.

Let me slow down.

Anyone have any questions?

Three and nine.

Yeah, I'm not trying to take you off subject, but I'm just putting the emphasis on Christ being begotten of his father.

That was the completion of it.

Yes, sir.

He's the first fruit of those that slept.

He was begotten from the dead.

And that's what he says uh, begotten of God.

This when he says, Jesus was spoken to by his father, this day have I begotten thee.

It's when he resurrected.

Of course, this verse, uh Paul interprets Psalms 2 and gives you the meaning.

And now you have to get this.

I read it again, verse 33.

God has fulfilled the same.

That's the promise made to the Father unto us, their children, and that he has raised, you can't miss it if we just accept the scripture, and that he raised, hath raised up Jesus again.

Wow.

As also, as it is also written in the second Psalm, thou art my son.

This day have I begotten thee.

This is talking about, I won't, I can quote it for you.

Go back and read Psalms 2.

He says, uh why did the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?

The heathen is talking about the Roman governor, and the people is talking about the Jews.

Uh and the and the kings of the earth set themselves.

That's Pontus Pilate and Pilate.

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers, that's the rulers of Israel, take counsel together against the Lord, that's God the Father, and his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands from us and cast their calls away from us.

But he that set in heavens, he's gonna laugh.

He's gonna have them in derision in 70 AD.

And uh he goes on to say how they're going to smite.

Let's read.

Now I don't want to read, I take us off the subject.

And so he makes a declaration about three verses down.

He's after they crucifies him, he says, This day have I begotten thee.

He means from the grave.

That's when he was born.

And so, as long as I have the potentials to die, long as there's a potential for me to sin, I'm still being begotten.

But when I have been begotten, when I resurrect, I cannot sin.

Deceive remained in me.

That's not the subject, but give me the verse, let him read it, I'll write it down and let's keep moving.

1 John 3 first.

Get that.

Um I just want to slide this in.

Uh provoke your minds.

Maybe you have a question about it.

I want you to.

Uh, what does being born again mean?

Um, what does it really mean?

What are the sages?

Why could I be born again?

You were born again and being born again and yet to be.

Well, it's just like salvation.

You're saved from sins that are past, those are forgiven, and you're being saved.

Uh, that's what Paul calls it.

Um you're being saved, and then yet you're yet to be saved.

Saved from what?

Saved from this old body of death.

Uh that's what Paul calls it.

Romans chapter 7.

Romans 7 · chapter mention

Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me?

That's my soul from this body of death.

And so this that's for that.

Go ahead, sir.

First John.

I'm trying to keep a knife in my throat.

Why y'all not telling me, hey, Brother Brown, you're going too fast, you're going over too much.

Slow down.

Yes, it's in it's in there a couple times.

Uh yeah, uh let me do mine first, and I'll do yours.

Go to go to 1 John 5.

This is the one I keep thinking on.

Verse 18.

We know that whosoever is born of God sendeth not.

That is, when you're totally resurrected.

But he that is begotten of God, that's the same thing is born of God.

He that is begotten of God, like Jesus was, keep it himself, and that wicked one touches him not.

That is, when you have been begotten, complete of God.

Now go to chapter 3.

Your carnal nature.

And your nature is manifested by your mind.

You think that's talking about some kind of ghost floating around in the air?

If it is, he ain't bothering me.

All my problems come from here.

The Bible said, let no man say when he's tempted, he's tempted of God.

Uh but God tempted not it, God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt him what?

Any man.

For every man is tempted when he's drawn away of his own lusts.

And that's a hard lesson for people to learn.

Everybody thinks it's something floating around in the air.

That's what religion taught you.

Where do you get that from?

They got it from the Roman Catholic Church.

That's another subject.

You ought to ask, who is the devil?

Who is the wicked one?

Hey, well, that's one, that's a manifestation of the Son of Man.

But yeah, if you really want to who the devil is, just get you a mirror and look at that fellow.

You see who he is.

He's your devil.

That's that's a stop.

I'm I'm yelling.

Go to chapter three.

I'm waiting for them to bring that up in Austin, uh, in Hutto.

Who really is the devil?

Sister Kim, don't you really want to know?

Yeah, that's the that's the guy whose teeth you brush, whose face you wash, the one that you make all nice and putty.

You you petting the devil, man.

Well, go ahead and pat him.

We don't want bad breath.

Go ahead and pet him up.

But just know it's your adversary.

Uh, we'll get into that one day.

Not just words, but from a biblical perspective that no one can convince you of a lie.

Oh, go ahead.

I'm sorry.

Chapter 3, verse what verse am I looking for?

First John?

Verse 9.

Verse 9.

Do you have that?

1 John 3 and 9.

This I'm gonna stop with this verse.

I'm not through, but I'm uh I'll read this and stop.

Whosoever's born of God, not being born, is born of God, do not commit sin.

For his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin.

Why?

Because he is born, he's complete of God.

And this is the church of God are manifest in the churren of the devil.

The word devil here just simply means Adam.

The Bible calls Adam a devil.

Do you know what Jesus said in the eighth chapter to John, the 44th verse?

He told the Jews, you are of your father, the devil, Adam.

And the deeds of your father you would do.

He talks about people, don't talk about people's daddy, talking about their mama.

But Jesus talked about their daddy.

He said he was a murderer in the beginning, a lie is in the father of them.

Where I come from, it was you gotta start swinging just out of self-respect.

You're talking about my parents.

But he called them out what they were, talking about their daddy.

That's what we do here.

We talk about our daddy.

He was a devil.

You know what a devil produces?

More devils.

That makes sense to you, sister Ross.

I have a question.

Yes, ask your question.

We'll repeat it.

So, someone who lives their life and decides at the moment of death that they're going to accept God.

What happened?

They accepted God.

And that's it.

What does you want to happen?

They didn't overcome nothing.

They didn't overcome nothing.

No, I'm sorry.

She asked a question at a moment of death.

If a person says, I accept God.

She asked, What happens?

That's what happened.

They accept God.

Did he forgive them for past sins?

That's the sovereignty of God.

Nobody knows.

I would be speculating.

They say, Well, the thief on the cross, he repented and he went to hell and he did not go to heaven.

See, the Bible said it, no, it didn't.

Jesus said, Today, I say to you, today's where you put the comma.

I'm talking to you now that you would be with me in paradise.

Paradise wasn't third heaven.

Jesus went to the grave.

So that man went to the grave.

When Jesus resurrected, he let this man resurrect and go into paradise, which was the New Testament church.

That's enough.

Let's get back to the book of Acts.

I'm tempted, but I'm going to stay focused.

Back to, and this is a powerful pass of scriptures.

And I want to emphasize it.

Verse 35.

Now look at verse 36.

I want to under you don't put an underline and a star.

I'm sorry, I skip.

In verse 33.

Now, in verse 34, Jesus, I mean, Paul's going to explain what that means, begotten thee.

Verse 34.

As concerning that he raised him up.

Look at these words.

He keeps saying, this is the fourth time.

As concerning that he raised him up, because Jews didn't believe this.

This was astonishing.

That he raised him up from the dead.

Now no more to return to corruption.

When you're born of God, you cannot corrupt.

You have a celestial body.

He said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

And so we talked about that a few Sundays ago.

The sure mercies of David is because when God swears, he can swear by no greater.

The sure mercy of God is the irrefutable, the undeniable, unchangeable favor that God makes with you.

It's a covenant he cannot, he will not break.

And so through Christ, you and I can obtain to the sure mercies of David.

In and of itself, he's talking about Christ.

God gave Christ the same promise that he gave to David.

He promised David He'll always have a seat to set on the throne.

Nothing David could do, and nobody else could stop that.

And to Jesus, he made a promise and that he's going to sit on an everlasting throne.

And if it's the meaning to be no end.

And you and I, he spoils the divide to spoil with the strong.

And we're strong enough to overcome this old nature.

He said, He that overcome it would I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I overcame.

Listen that term, even as I overcame and sit with my father in his throne.

That's the sure mercy of David, but I have to do what Christ did.

I have to be, I have to have the same declaration that was made of Christ.

This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

Okay, here we go.

Uh I slit that in.

Let's keep moving.

Now, to let you know, verse 34.

Wherefore he said also in another psalm.

And when Paul watches writing, when he starts quoting scripture, he never quotes one.

Never.

If he quotes one, you're gonna get two or three others.

You know why?

Because out of the mouth of a out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word's gonna be established.

He's gonna always quote at least pairs.

And if you really catch it when he stirred up, he might rattle on five or six in a row.

Uh but gee, he's gonna always give you at least two.

Let's keep reading.

Uh wherefore he said also in another psalm, thou shalt not suffer.

Well, this is a powerful passage.

Thy holy one to seek corruption.

One of the most powerful passages in the Old Testament.

That's Psalm 1616, I think.

No, 1610.

1610.

That's a powerful passage.

Now I'll let you know so there be no misunderstanding.

Though David wrote it, verse 36.

He said, For David, after he had served his own generation, he died at 70.

He ruled for 40 years by the will of God.

He fell on sleep.

That is, he died, and he was laid unto the fathers, that's his ancestors, and saw corruption.

But he, talking about Christ, whom God raised up, this is the fifth time, saw what?

No corruption.

So now he's gotten bold, he's shifting gears.

Listen, be it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man, that is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the one that is preached unto you, the forgiveness of sin.

What?

Yeah, the forgiveness of sin, and by him all that believe it, that is in him, are justified.

This is what the law of Moses couldn't do.

From all things which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Every year you had to go bring a sacrifice.

Because remembrance of your last year's sins and before is still there.

When Christ came, he justifies you from your sin.

They'll never be brought up again.

You can go commit other ones, but the ones that he forgave will never be brought up again.

At first, East is from the west, that's how he separates you from your sin.

Now, our job is not to keep adding on.

When the word saved means delivered you from your past sin.

What do you mean delivered?

He said, Deliver you from the wrath to come.

When you're forgiven, God will never condemn you for your sins before your salvation.

He'll only bring up to you what you've been doing since then, that you're not overcome it.

Okay, that's that's a stop.

Let's keep reading.

Um verse 40.

Look at King C just like almost just like just like Stephen.

He's shifting gear.

Beware, therefore, lest it come upon you that which is spoken in the prophets.

What was spoken in the prophets?

Here it is.

Behold, ye despisers, you wonder and perish.

For I work a work in your days.

That's the from that day that Christ talked about, the New Testament church, that hour.

I work a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man, Paul said, I'm the man, declare it unto you.

When the Jews was going out of the synagogue, no doubt they were scratching their heads.

And the Gentiles, that's those, remember he says, and all ye that fear God?

These are the proselytes and who converted to Judaism.

And the Gentiles, they besought him.

When the Jews were going out of the synagogue, the Gentiles, because they didn't have no legacy with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they were glad that I can be justified in this man.

But the Jews, they kept going back to their pedigree, as if that's going to grant you something special.

And but the Gentiles, they're happy.

And so the Gentile besought the word means beg that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

Come talk to us.

Let us hear it.

Now, when the congregation, that's the synagogue, was broken up, they're dismissed.

Many of the Jews and the religious, let the word go what?

Proselites.

That's those Gentiles.

They followed Paul and Bonabash.

Notice it keeps saying Paul and Bonabas now.

Do you see that?

Because everything you just read was Paul talking.

Who, speaking to them, that's Paul and Bonabas, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Don't go back to the synagogue.

Don't go back to the weak and bigly elements of the law.

The next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

What an impact he had.

My God.

But I want you to underline, circle this.

But when the Jews saw the multitude, they were filled with envy.

Wow.

Jealousy.

And they spake against, that's the same thing as blaspheming.

They spake against, that's withstanding, that's what posing, that's resisting.

They spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting in what?

Blaspheming, opposing it, resisting it, withstanding it, speaking the evil of it.

And Paul, and do you see these terms that were spoken by Paul?

Did Bonabas say anything?

I'm sure he did, but he wasn't the lead speaker.

Watch.

When Paul and Bonabas waxed bold, in other words, we got enough of you.

That's enough of you.

We can't help you.

Said, it was necessary.

That's why we came to the synagogue that the word of God should first have been spoken to you.

But seeing you put it from you and you judge yourself unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the my God.

Wow.

Just like with Stephen.

You go back over to Thessalonians.

He said there.

I'm gonna let you read it.

I can quote it.

I have to keep reading this.

I want you to see the fulfillment of it.

Uh go to uh 1 Thessalonians.

I want you to see this.

I keep pointing this out, and I don't know why people talking about God's gonna restore natural Israel and their God's people.

Won't you try reading the Bible and quit all that?

Just read the Bible.

Let's read this.

Oh, I'm sorry.

First Thessalonians chapter two.

Before you read that, can I ask a question?

Yes, sir.

Go ahead.

I know what you're gonna ask.

I had the same teacher.

Well, go ahead and ask her though.

You're funny.

Uh so uh tell me on 40.

I don't be trying to be funny, I'm serious.

No, I know you are.

And you know I am because we haven't uh uh so in 46 is are we talking about here?

Is this this is speaking about Israel, correct?

That Paul saying low, uh saying that you judge yourselves unworthy of the gospel.

Now we're turning this over to the Gentiles, me and Barnabas.

But he really was talking about that city, but he did the same thing in every city he went.

He went to the Jews first and let the Jews reject it, and then he goes to the Gentiles, even though he knew it wasn't gonna profit.

He tried.

He said, I became all things to all means.

All men, by all means I might save some.

So he's just trying to get a remnant.

He was just trying to get a remnant uh before 70 AD.

He was trying to save as many as he could.

And but you have to read this verse, and you and I, we can stay on after because I might just turn Brother Kenneth Patton loose on you because he he came from the same teacher, and he believed that God somehow is a uh a respecter of a person, his teacher did, that everybody else gets one chance, but the Jews get two.

Yeah, I used to believe that.

I believe that just because of their nationality, uh, eternal judgment is not eternal judgment.

Because we talk about eternal judgment, we tell you of a fact that the world before the flood was eternal to judge.

We'll tell you the Jewish world was eternally judged, Solomon Gomorrah was eternal judged, eternal means forever.

And yet, for some reason, they get another chance because they don't understand Romans chapter 11.

Romans 11 · chapter mention

But let's read this and I'm gonna get back to the subject.

This is free.

I'm gonna slide this.

But but Brother Brown, but if but if God divorced him, which spoke about in Isaiah, yes.

When he said he gave him a written of a divorcement, yes, why would he remarry him?

Uh because in 1896, it was called a Zionist movement.

And they told you, they told the people uh that because we're Jews, because we're Jews, you ought to take these people land and give it to us, exterminate the Palestinians.

And when they couldn't do it, the UN wouldn't listen.

Listen, they got the religious people in the United States of America to do it because they look like them.

That's another subject.

I'll get on it, but let me read this.

I just believe God.

Let's read the scriptures.

Listen, watch verse 14.

It's a little bit offbeat, but I have to slide this in because you can't read this too much.

Because my mind has been acclimated to believe what I've heard all my life.

And so I have to keep pounding my ears with these scriptures so I believe God rather than man.

Because I still hear these voices in my head of what my teachers taught me.

They didn't mean no harm, but they did, huh?

Just like you put this picture in my face all the time and tell me that's Jesus.

Jesus was not an Italian.

I just see it in my head.

When you say Jesus, I got to keep casting this imagination down.

Like he got green eyes and brown hair and a hill over his head.

Um, man, I've been doing this all these years, and I still got to keep wrestling with that.

And so whatever sits in front of you is what your mind gets brainwashed to.

It's a lie.

It looks like every other Middle Eastern.

It that's just people not gonna worship something darker than them.

That's your problem.

I'm sorry.

I'm gonna talk like the youth.

That's a you problem.

That's where the young people talk.

I'm running the dialogue.

But anyway, let's read this.

Uh um, for you, brethren, he's talking to the church in Thessalonica, became followers of the churches of God, which is in Judea, back in Jerusalem, that area, which are in Christ Jesus.

Now listen, for ye, I'm in chapter 2, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 14.

1 Thessalonians 2:14

For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they, that's the Christians, uh the disciples of Christ, have of the Jews.

That's the Jews is a subject here.

Verse 15, who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and have persecuted us, the New Testament ministry.

And this is what you're gonna see in a few minutes.

And they please not God and are contrary to all men.

My God.

If you said that today, they'll say you had testament.

They didn't call Paul that because he was a Jew.

He was just telling the truth.

He said they're contrary to all men, where salvation is concerned.

He'll clear it in the 16th verse.

Forbidding us, that's the ministry, to speak to the what?

Gentiles, that they might be saved.

Wow.

Why do you keep doing it?

Here's why to fill up their sins always, and this is the end of all argument.

For the wrath that is of God, the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

What you gonna do with that?

And so I'm not gonna reject the word of God because of some tradition or what I was taught.

I believe because he taught me that, but he was just wrong, he was just wrong.

Might not have been malicious, but he was wrong.

And some things I'm teaching, as you brothers go on, you'll get more light, and so we have to keep moving on.

Let's go back now.

Uh I can close this out.

This is deep to me, sir.

And ma'am, listen.

Verse 45 again.

When the Jews saw the multitude, that is a people, they was filled with envy because their synagogue never had that many people, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

You want to underline that.

And the next one.

Then Paul and Bonables waxed bold.

The word wax means group.

Bold mean without uh without hesitancy, and said, It is necessary, it was necessary, every time I go to the city, I had to first try to Jew.

It was necessary that the word of God should be first have been spoken to you.

But seeing ye, he's talking to that city, put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life.

Lo, return to the Gentiles.

Now, verse 47.

He said, For so have the Lord commanded us, saying, I've set thee to be a light, that's illumination of the Gentiles, and thou should it be for salvation unto the ends of the earth, all people.

And when the Gentiles, they're happy.

That's right, Paul.

Come to us.

And when the Gentiles heard thus this, they was glad and glorified the word of God.

We're not going to reject it, we want to hear it.

And as many as were ordained to eternal life, they believed.

And the word of God, word of the Lord, was published throughout all that region.

But it's what the Jews did, every single city.

Verse 50.

But when the Jews stirred up devout and honorable women, you know why?

Women have influence.

And you will always see devout and honorable women.

Always.

And if you can sway them, if you can sway them, do you ever wonder why you go to a church and you see most of women?

Just you watch that.

There's a reason for that.

It's two.

First of all, I mean no disrespect to the gender, but women are easier to manipulate.

You can play on their emotions.

And when men get their eyes open and they see you living a different life, and they see you trying to uh manipulate them, they're not gonna stay around.

They're just not.

Women, for some reason, of course, compassion is an emotion, they're more emotional, and they'll move with compassion.

But a man, say stone him, take him out and beat him.

He's a hypocrite, he's a pretense.

Women just look kind of they'll make provisions for that.

But the point is this, let me get to it.

They stirred up the devout.

That word means they were spiritual and honorable women.

And with that, he said, and of cheap men of the city.

Why?

Because if you get the women, they start dripping on their husband, wearing on their husband, you would turn them against Paul.

You turn them against Paul.

This is why people think I'm a little strange, but I'm just trying to do the Bible.

If a and you see me do this, uh maybe I shouldn't say it I'll scare people.

Say it.

If a man can't keep his house in order, if a man cannot be the head and lead his wife, the wife ends up leading you.

And she's gonna lead you down a dead-end path.

Being the head is not being the boss, it's being responsible.

And God deals in order, it deals with the head on down to those that's under.

But if that man won't fulfill his God-given charge because his woman is dripping on me and she's wearing on me, you just like Eve, you forfeit, you forfeit to be the head, and now that woman is gonna put you in your proper place.

You gave her the reins, and she's not giving them back.

Once a woman gets the reins, she's not giving them up.

I'm sorry, I'm talking to women, but it's a fact, it's a fact, it's not right, sister.

You know that, don't you?

Yeah, you know, every every oh, every woman knows it.

You know it.

If you get the reins, you're not gonna let it go.

Oh, absolutely.

I like I like this power.

Let's keep reading it.

And look what they did.

I'm gonna read verse 50.

But the woman, or the Jews, I'm sorry, said the woman, stirred up the vow and honorable women, and got a few with them, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Bonabas.

And did what?

Expel them out of their coast.

Wow.

But they, that is Paul and Bonabas.

See how it's shifted?

It's Paul and Bonabus, Paul and Bonabas.

But listen, they shook the dust off their feet against them, and it went to Iconia.

And the disciples was filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.

So this is a tremendous pivot, isn't it?

It's a tremendous, and then watch the pattern.

This is how the gospel spread it throughout the Mediterranean.

Uh it's astonishing, absolutely astonishing.

So the shift, the uh the focus goes from the Jews to all people.

Don't mean the Jews couldn't be saved, but they could.

But they couldn't be saved keeping the law of Moses, and the transition was hard.

And Jesus warned them about it.

He said, No man drinking old wine, straight, no man drinking old wine straightway desired the new.

He said the old is better.

That's the law of Moses.

But if they'll study the Bible, you know what Jesus did?

He turned the water, which is the weaker things of God, into wine.

That's the teachings.

And so the law of Moses, which was weak, Paul said what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh.

God sent his own son to likeness of sinful flesh and fuss sin, condemned sin in the flesh.

You need something stronger.

The law is do's and don'ts, rules and regulations governing out of man.

We need something to govern our hearts.

The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart.

You need something stronger.

You need something stronger.

So when Jesus turned the water into wine, he's taking you away from the law of Moses and bringing you under the law of grace, which deals with the actual intent and thoughts of the hearts.

With that, I'm gonna stop.

It's an intriguing book.

And the reason I emphasize the book of Acts so much and so strongly, because if you can't get it right in the book of Acts, you're not gonna get it right in your life.

You can't.

It's like Genesis.

If you get it wrong in Genesis, the rest of the Bible is gonna be a fairy tale to you.

You're gonna think there was a physical war in heaven.

God, he's fighting, and then uh the devil he fighting, they tussling and they wrestling, they throwing punches and dukes, and then finally God get the upper hand and cast them down the earth and put them in the garden.

Well, God, listen, if you couldn't handle him up there, why you put them on me?

What kind of father would do that?

I mean, you wrestling with him in the glory world, and I'm just a mortal man, and you're gonna turn them loose on me.

Yes, ma'am.

When they when they use and give him a mic, give him a mic.

You got just a few minutes.

So it in this that just takes a chapter at a time.

Just just stop and think a chapter at a time.

When you get to persecution that first started with Stephen, who put him to death?

So who was the devil?

Thank you.

When you get to the persecution that arose after that, who was causing the persecution?

Oh, it was the devil.

Thank you.

It was the Jews.

When you get when you get to the uh 11th chapter, who put Peter in prison to cut them off?

Actually, it was King Herod.

But you're doing it, the Bible said because it pleased the Jews.

So who was the devil?

Read it, it's corn-minded people.

Just go throughout the Bible.

And who caused Paul problems in this chapter?

When he said Satan hindered me, I would come with Satan.

What's Satan was he talking about?

The Jewish people.

It's a corn mind, it's not a ghost floating around.

I wish it was.

Because there's only one God, only God can fill heaven and earth.

And so if God is over there giving you a hard time, Sister Tara, he can't be here with me, too.

Otherwise, he's omnipresent.

And somebody lying because somebody told me the devil gave me a hard time riding me today.

Then someone will say, Oh, the devil gave me fist, but what he can't be both places.

Stop and think about it.

He can be in every place at the same time if it's carnal minds.

But we can that's another subject.

Caleb, I know this might be a little bit heavy for your group over there, but we got to have this fight anyway.

Oh, go and ask your question.

But this fight is coming up.

I think I found, I think I found it.

I was just asking in verse 51 where it says shake off the dust of their feet.

That's the same thing in the gospels that said when they go out.

If we go out in the 10th chapter of the book of Luke, 11th chapter of the book of Luke, whatever city you enter into, if they don't receive you, shake the dust off your feet for a testimony against them.

When you're shaking the dust off, mean I'm through with you.

I'm not saying nothing else to you.

You've been given over to yourself.

Go ahead and do what you want.

I'm not trying to save somebody who don't want to be saved.

That's what it means.

And uh, you can't overcome an adversary you can't identify.

You'll never overcome the devil or your carnal nature if you think it's something else that makes you do it.

I'll stop with that.

And Caleb, you can have that fight.

Uh, as for me, I'm going to Jacksonville, uh, North Carolina tomorrow.

They'll be waiting on you when you get back.

Uh that have to be identified.

Is that all right, Sister Kimlin?

Can I ask a question, sir?

Yes, sir.

Is it possible the meaning is in the name Satan?

If one looks up with the word Satan means, can they really discover exactly who he is by just understanding the definition?

Well, Brother Caleb, you would think so, but we're biased for what we've been told.

And even if you saw the definition, you wouldn't believe it.

So you mean to tell me if we Google it, Chad GPT, and we see the the actual what it actually means that we still chat GPT is good for chatting.

That's what it's good for.

But we're not chatting, we divide the word of God.

He can't help you with this, sir.

Yes, sir.

So, anyway, that's a that's a discussion that needs to be had, and that's why I've been dripping and introducing the concept.

I I guess people think I got loose lips.

No, I know what I'm doing.

I'm trying to make people have questions.

And then and so they'll want to be convinced.

Uh so I used one know who the devil is.

Uh and I know the devil there in Beaumont.

No doubt in my mind.

I know the devil's in Beaumont.

I know the devil.

Then again, I know the devil is in Austin.

I know he's in Hutto.

And no doubt in my mind, uh, my God, I know for a fact the devil's in Monroe.

Everybody knows the devil's in Monroe.

And I know he's down in Segin.

Uh brother Daniel, you just ran from Florida, so you know the devil's in Florida.

Come on, how can't he be everywhere at the same time?

There's many devils.

We'll talk about that later.

That's enough.

You're gonna see the devil throughout the book of Acts.

Uh starting with the sorcerer, he was a devil.

He's an adversary to the gospel, an adversary to men's soul.

So we've seen a couple devils tonight, and we'll see more to come.

God bless all of you.

No more questions, any other questions?

I'm making sense to you, so I say, I'm making sense to you, ma'am.

One of the biggest revelations an individual gets is to find out who's an enemy to your soul.

You'll be disappointed when you find out it's you.

You're the enemy to your soul.

And that's an absolute fact.

Uh, Sister Shalisa, I didn't even see you on.

How are you doing, ma'am?

I'm doing well.

How are you?

Oh, I'm doing all right.

I'm fighting the devil tonight.

I think we all are.

I wanted to um just point out if you could briefly expound, I know we were a little over time, but I know uh before I first was previewed to who the devil actually was, the verses says the sons of God saw the daughters of men, and they looked, they lusted upon them, and basically they they had children with them.

A lot of people are what I used to think, what I used to believe, or what I was taught previously, was that there is one Satan and he can't be everywhere every time.

So he has demons, which is the Nephilim, which is the when the sons of God, or where the yeah, the sons of God.

Let me let me help you.

I'm so, I'm so I'm so nauseated every time I hear that perversion of the word of God.

There's two lines of people in the Bible.

There's the sons of God.

The sons of God is the righteous people, there's sons of God, and then there's the sons of men.

That's just a carnal, natural person.

Even Jesus Christ, when he was born of the flesh, he called himself son of man because he was born of a woman.

Uh the sons of God is the righteous people whose heart is toward God.

It started with Enoch, uh Seth, Enoch.

Those were the sons of God.

And they saw the daughters of men.

Daughters of men means that cornal, natural men, and they had daughters.

And so they're going to be just as cornal as their father was.

And when the righteous line, the sons of God, saw the daughters of men, they took them wives of all whom they chose, and their begotten giants.

Look the word up.

The word giant means tyrants, bullies.

And what made them bullies?

It's because they had an advantage.

They're the sons of God knew the word of God, they knew the truth of God, and they took the daughters of men, and they was able to take the things of God and bully them.

Look at the biggest bully you'll find.

They're preachers.

They take all your money, they pimp you, they extort you, and you're scared to say anything to them about it.

You know they're lying, you know they're doing wrong.

They're bullying you, they're tyrants, they're bigger than life.

That's no physical giants.

That's ludicrous.

Uh, and because these things are hidden from the wise and the proof, they have to make up stuff.

They're still tyrants, man.

Uh they're still bullets.

You take a corner-minded person and you give them any understanding at all with the word of God, he's gonna take that to exploit other people.

They're they're they're bullets.

They're I don't like bullets.

I don't.

Uh, brother Daniel, forgive me, I don't want to be ugly.

Uh I had to have a talk with your pastor.

You you heard about it, I'm sure you heard about it.

Brother Daniel, on the phone a few weeks ago.

Your former pastor.

Yeah.

Yeah, because I like the way he treated you.

And one and uh anyway, he made a mistake of calling me.

So I blessed his soul.

Uh yeah, you ain't built nothing, you never done nothing, you exploiting people.

You heard about it.

Yeah.

Yes, sir.

I don't want to be ugly.

I'm not trying to be ugly.

Well, forgive me, Lord.

But look, I don't like bullets.

And then when I was a little boy, I used to tell people, pick on somebody your own size.

And I still feel that way.

Somebody can use the word of God to export some people, but pick on somebody your own size.

Talk to somebody who's not ignorant to the word of God and stop saying, do as I say, not as I do.

No, you just use the word of God and just give them a good spanking.

I don't care who you are.

Uh, but that's your giant sister Shalisa.

I don't like bullets.

These are God's people.

We're not to be lords over God's heritage.

You don't use the things of God to have an advantage over people.

Paul writes about that in the book of Colossians.

Having people uh holding peoples in admiration, you know, like because they admire the fact that you have some understanding of the word of God, you use that to exploit people.

And you ride around on a bicycle and they come around in a bent with your money.

Don't get missed all.

Let me be nice.

God have mercy on me.

I just don't like bullets.

You are servant to the people of God, they're not to serve you.

You serve them, give them knowledge and understanding so they can overcome the nature that's contrary to their soul being eternally salvaged, eternally saved.

Sister Shalisa, but uh it's after nine, I have to stop.

Uh, but they're gonna get into it openly.

And I'd like all of you to write all your scriptures now.

I'm familiar with them.

I ain't write no new scriptures.

So, whatever one you got, we don't already read it.

But bring them anyway.

We'll talk about it again.

Uh brother Caleb.

Uh, you've been nice not long enough, sir.

It's it's it's you've been nice, that's real nice.

And so the recess over.

Let's go to work.

Classroom time.

Uh love you anyway, don't y'all get mad.

Oh, brother Bob, I'm trying to tell me my devil.

No, you still got him, believe me.

God bless all of you.

But you read through the Bible, you'll see it's it's very plain.

You have to reject the word of God to hold to some traditions.

Well, when you read the word of