1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Thank you. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:30,800 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Thank you. 4 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:48,020 Good morning. 5 00:06:48,020 --> 00:06:59,020 Today we're going to be reading out of Psalms today during our Scripture reading together, 6 00:06:59,020 --> 00:07:06,620 But I wanted to share out of Paul David Tripp's devotional, New Morning Mercies, what he has written for today. 7 00:07:06,620 --> 00:07:10,820 Because I think it applies to where we're going to be at in Acts today. 8 00:07:10,820 --> 00:07:16,520 So it says, it's natural. We all do it. We all wonder about what's to come. 9 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,740 Some of us think about the future and hope our dreams will come true. 10 00:07:20,740 --> 00:07:25,160 Some of us dread the future and pray that we will not have to face the things that we fear. 11 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,900 For some of us, the future seems foggy and unknowable. 12 00:07:29,020 --> 00:07:34,360 For all of us, it's hard to look into the future and be secure because the future is simply out of our hands. 13 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:41,060 With all of our consideration, meditation, and planning for what is to come, things never turn out the way we envision. 14 00:07:41,060 --> 00:07:43,820 There are always unexpected turns in the road. 15 00:07:43,820 --> 00:07:46,380 There are potholes and ditches we did not anticipate. 16 00:07:46,380 --> 00:07:49,480 There are mountains and valleys we just did not foresee. 17 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:54,760 We find ourselves walking through moments of darkness when we thought we'd be living and walking in the light. 18 00:07:55,140 --> 00:08:02,520 It doesn't take long for us to begin to acquiesce to the fact that we don't ever quite know what is around the next corner. 19 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:06,520 But we don't have to live plagued by the anxiety of the unknown. 20 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:12,080 We don't have to sleep wondering what the next day will bring or wake up working our way through the what-ifs we can think of. 21 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:18,320 We don't have to seek some means to figure out what we will never be able to figure out. 22 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,060 No, we can have rest when we are confused. 23 00:08:21,540 --> 00:08:24,420 We can experience peace in the face of the unknown. 24 00:08:24,420 --> 00:08:28,600 We can feel an inner well-being while living in the middle of mystery. 25 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,880 Why? Because our peace of heart does not rest on how much we know, 26 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:36,860 how much we've figured out, or how accurately we have been able to predict the future. 27 00:08:36,860 --> 00:08:42,740 No, our rest is in the person who holds our individual futures in his wise and gracious hands. 28 00:08:42,740 --> 00:08:49,740 We have peace because we know that he will complete the good things that he in grace has initiated in our lives. 29 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,900 He is faithful, so he never leaves the work of his hands. 30 00:08:52,900 --> 00:08:56,720 He is gracious, so he gives us what we need, not what we deserve. 31 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,980 He is wise, so what he does is always best. 32 00:08:59,980 --> 00:09:04,760 He is sovereign, so he rules all the situations and locations where we live. 33 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,980 He is powerful, so he can do what he pleases and when he pleases. 34 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:12,520 Paul says it well in Philippians 1.6, 35 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:18,460 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 36 00:09:19,140 --> 00:09:23,120 Are you experiencing anxiety because you've forgotten who you are and what you've been given? 37 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:27,560 Are you experiencing the fear that results from trying to know what you'll never know? 38 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:31,600 He knows, he cares, and he will complete the job he's done. 39 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:38,720 And so we move into Acts today where we see how God provides for us. 40 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:44,860 I think those were just good words to listen to there by Paul David Tripp. 41 00:09:44,860 --> 00:09:46,020 That's a very good devotional. 42 00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:46,600 I found it. 43 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:51,080 We've had it for three years now, and it's been super helpful for us every morning. 44 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:56,080 But we're going to move on from that, and we're going to be reading out of Psalm 30 45 00:09:56,080 --> 00:10:02,900 and just a psalm of what the Lord has done for us throughout our days. 46 00:10:02,900 --> 00:10:10,120 So let's go ahead and stand, and we'll be reading Psalm 30, 1 through 5. 47 00:10:12,260 --> 00:10:21,880 And it begins, I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 48 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:27,960 O Lord, my God, I cry to you for help, and you have healed me. 49 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:32,440 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. 50 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:38,200 You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 51 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:45,280 Sing praises to the Lord, O you, his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 52 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:51,400 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. 53 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:56,720 Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 54 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,280 This is the word of the Lord. 55 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,180 Let's pray. 56 00:11:00,180 --> 00:11:05,400 God, we thank you for the opportunity to gather together today. 57 00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:10,820 we thank you for those that are watching online and for those that are not with us today we just 58 00:11:10,820 --> 00:11:16,660 ask that we can be an encouragement to them and to each other while we're here we thank you for 59 00:11:16,660 --> 00:11:21,980 your mercies that are new every morning and for the joy that you bring us even in the midst of 60 00:11:21,980 --> 00:11:27,720 anxieties and worries and fears and doubts you're always close to us and you're near to us and just 61 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:33,620 remind us of that and remind us that in your word that that you remind us daily and every minute 62 00:11:33,620 --> 00:11:35,260 that you are close to us. 63 00:11:35,260 --> 00:11:36,500 Be with our service today 64 00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:37,920 and allow it to glorify you. 65 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:39,100 In Jesus' name, amen. 66 00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:43,080 We're going to begin our worship time 67 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:44,660 with the holy, holy, holy. 68 00:12:03,620 --> 00:12:09,720 Holy, holy, holy 69 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:14,300 Lord God Almighty 70 00:12:14,300 --> 00:12:19,020 Early in the morning 71 00:12:19,020 --> 00:12:23,900 A song shall rise to Thee 72 00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:28,720 Holy, holy, holy 73 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:33,640 Merciful and mighty 74 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:39,000 God in three Persons 75 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,620 Blessed Trinity 76 00:12:41,620 --> 00:12:54,720 Holy, holy, holy 77 00:12:54,720 --> 00:13:00,200 All the saints adore thee 78 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,140 Casting down their golden crowns 79 00:13:05,140 --> 00:13:09,040 Around the glossy sea 80 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:14,520 Cherubim and seraphim 81 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:19,020 Falling down before thee 82 00:13:19,020 --> 00:13:22,920 Who was that lot 83 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:27,800 And evermore shall be 84 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:40,080 Holy, holy, holy 85 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:45,320 Though the darkness hide thee 86 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,860 Though the eye of sinful man 87 00:13:49,860 --> 00:13:53,860 Thy glory may not see. 88 00:13:53,860 --> 00:13:59,000 Only Thou art holy. 89 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:04,500 There is none beside Thee. 90 00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:11,980 Perfect in power, in love and purity. 91 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:30,020 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty 92 00:14:30,020 --> 00:14:39,040 All my works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea 93 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:49,200 Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty 94 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,160 God in three persons 95 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,640 Blessed Trinity 96 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:08,160 Alright, you can remain standing if you'd like 97 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:09,560 or if you want to, you can sit 98 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,780 We're going to be moving into our prayer and share time 99 00:15:12,780 --> 00:15:17,480 If you're watching online, there'll be a slide up on the screen 100 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:19,500 for you to text, with a phone number for you to text 101 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:21,520 if you have any requests you'd like to send to us 102 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,080 please do that and we will 103 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:24,620 share those here together 104 00:15:24,620 --> 00:15:27,480 and we're going to be muted here during that time 105 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:29,480 so once we 106 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,560 are done with that together we'll be back after 107 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:33,500 that and we'll move into our time of communion 108 00:15:33,500 --> 00:15:35,480 and we're going to be singing now 109 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:36,920 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing 110 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:58,440 Come now, fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace. 111 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:08,580 Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. 112 00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:18,700 Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. 113 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:28,320 Praise thy mountain, fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love. 114 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:37,900 Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come. 115 00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:47,760 And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. 116 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:58,060 Jesus taught me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. 117 00:16:58,060 --> 00:17:07,500 He to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood. 118 00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:23,120 Oh, to praise our greater debtor 119 00:17:23,120 --> 00:17:27,820 Daily I'm constrained to be 120 00:17:27,820 --> 00:17:32,940 Let thy grace, Lord, like a fetter 121 00:17:32,940 --> 00:17:37,320 Bind my wandering heart to thee 122 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:47,720 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love 123 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:57,240 Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it Seal it for thy courts above 124 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:37,300 Thank you. 125 00:18:37,320 --> 00:19:07,300 Thank you. 126 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:37,300 Thank you. 127 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:48,140 God, you are faithful, you are faithful, God, you are faithful. 128 00:27:48,140 --> 00:27:57,180 Skies and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can't save. 129 00:27:57,180 --> 00:28:03,540 Never once did we ever walk alone. 130 00:28:04,380 --> 00:28:10,560 Terrify your thoughts to peace, held within your perfect peace. 131 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:17,560 Never once, no, we never walked alone. 132 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:27,120 Never once did we ever walk alone. 133 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:33,520 Never once did we leave us on our own. 134 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:40,640 You are faithful, God, you are faithful 135 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:47,240 Every step we are breathing in your grace 136 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:53,920 Nevermore we'll be breathing in your grace 137 00:28:53,920 --> 00:29:01,160 You are faithful, God, you are faithful 138 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:21,160 God, you are faithful. 139 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:58,160 I think sometimes as we consider our Christian life, 140 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:05,820 we have this view of the gospel that says to us, God has saved you, now it's up to you. 141 00:30:05,820 --> 00:30:11,800 He's got you cleaned up, now it's up to you to do something with what God has done. 142 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:16,560 And as we move through the New Testament, and as Paul writes to young Christians and 143 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:21,080 new Christians and struggling Christians, we find that the good news of the gospel is 144 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:27,100 not just for becoming a Christian, but it's for equipping us and strengthening us and 145 00:30:27,100 --> 00:30:29,640 encouraging us throughout our Christian life. 146 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:31,540 For example, Paul will say to the Ephesians 147 00:30:31,540 --> 00:30:33,720 that the way we're able to love one another in church 148 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:37,300 is when we look at the gospel and see how Jesus has loved us. 149 00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:40,340 The way we're able to forgive one another when we are wrong 150 00:30:40,340 --> 00:30:44,240 is because when we look at the gospel and see how Jesus has loved us, 151 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,500 the way we're able to be generous and to be strengthened 152 00:30:47,500 --> 00:30:50,760 is by seeing what Jesus has done for us. 153 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,880 And so as we gather around the table this morning, 154 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,980 we want to be reminded that we are not just celebrating the fact that Jesus came and saved us. 155 00:30:58,980 --> 00:31:01,940 It's wonderful, and it's big, and it's earth-shattering. 156 00:31:01,940 --> 00:31:06,300 But we're also reminded of the fact that He doesn't leave us. 157 00:31:06,300 --> 00:31:07,680 He doesn't forsake us. 158 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,540 Paul will write to the Philippian church, one of the churches that he loved, 159 00:31:11,540 --> 00:31:15,060 very deeply, and he will say this in Philippians 1. 160 00:31:15,060 --> 00:31:16,840 I am sure of this. 161 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:23,240 He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 162 00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:27,300 And he says to this church, God didn't just start you when he saved you, 163 00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:28,860 but he's going to finish it. 164 00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:32,740 In the book of Hebrews, the Hebrew church, the Hebrew Christians, 165 00:31:32,740 --> 00:31:33,940 they are struggling. 166 00:31:33,940 --> 00:31:35,880 They're struggling with a lot of things. 167 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:37,620 They're struggling to not give up. 168 00:31:37,620 --> 00:31:40,140 And as they get to the end of the letter, 169 00:31:40,140 --> 00:31:43,380 the writer of Hebrews will encourage them to walk in righteousness. 170 00:31:43,380 --> 00:31:47,260 He'll encourage them to be content with what they have. 171 00:31:47,260 --> 00:31:49,160 And you say, well, why should I walk in righteousness? 172 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:50,360 Why should I be content? 173 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:52,440 And he gives them this promise. 174 00:31:53,340 --> 00:31:57,220 He says this, I will never leave you nor forsake you, speaking of God. 175 00:31:57,220 --> 00:32:02,280 And then the writer of Hebrews will say, so we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper. 176 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,380 I will not fear. What can man do to me? 177 00:32:06,380 --> 00:32:10,160 And so as we break this bread and drink this cup this morning, 178 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:14,020 we're reminded of how we're saved by Jesus' death on the cross. 179 00:32:14,020 --> 00:32:18,700 And we're reminded how he has not left us, but he walks with us, 180 00:32:18,700 --> 00:32:22,340 strengthening, encouraging, helping, and equipping us. 181 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:24,800 Let's pray, and then we'll partake together. 182 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,420 Father in heaven, I ask that you help our weary souls, 183 00:32:29,420 --> 00:32:33,160 that you help our tired souls, our fearful souls, 184 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:35,480 our struggling souls this morning 185 00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:37,140 with the reminder that we are not alone, 186 00:32:37,140 --> 00:32:40,960 but that you are near us, that you love us, 187 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:42,460 that you have saved us, 188 00:32:42,460 --> 00:32:45,540 and that you are continuing your work in our lives. 189 00:32:45,540 --> 00:32:48,560 So be with us as we break this bread and drink this cup. 190 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,380 May you remind us of your love and your grace, your mercy. 191 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:54,100 May we see the sacrifice of Jesus. 192 00:32:54,100 --> 00:32:57,500 May we see how our sins have been taken away. 193 00:32:57,500 --> 00:33:00,660 I ask that you bless this bread and bless this cup. 194 00:33:00,660 --> 00:33:02,940 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 195 00:33:02,940 --> 00:33:10,240 Paul writes as he reminds the believers about how this meal was instituted. 196 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,360 He pictures the Passover night with Jesus who takes bread, 197 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,120 gives thanks and breaks it, and he will say, 198 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:19,480 this is my body, which is for you. 199 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,440 Do this in remembrance of me. 200 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:25,080 and then he'll take 201 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:25,800 the cup 202 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,820 the cup that reminds us that God has 203 00:33:28,820 --> 00:33:30,760 redeemed us with strength and with 204 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:32,780 power and he will say 205 00:33:32,780 --> 00:33:35,080 this, this cup is the new covenant in my blood 206 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:36,820 do this as often as you 207 00:33:36,820 --> 00:33:38,420 drink it in remembrance of me 208 00:33:38,420 --> 00:33:42,740 for as often as you eat this 209 00:33:42,740 --> 00:33:44,200 bread and drink this cup 210 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,400 you proclaim the Lord's death 211 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:47,820 until he comes 212 00:33:47,820 --> 00:34:17,400 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 213 00:34:17,820 --> 00:34:33,440 And Paul found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontius, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. 214 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:46,140 And Paul went to see them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 215 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:55,700 And Paul reasoned in the synagogues every Sabbath and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 216 00:34:55,700 --> 00:35:03,920 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, 217 00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:09,400 testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 218 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:16,580 And when they opposed and reviled him, Paul shook out his garments and said to them, 219 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,860 Your blood be on your own heads. 220 00:35:20,860 --> 00:35:23,340 I am innocent. 221 00:35:23,340 --> 00:35:27,080 From now on, I will go to the Gentiles. 222 00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:36,220 And Paul left them and went to the house of a man named Titus, Justice, a worshiper of God. 223 00:35:36,220 --> 00:35:39,160 His house was next door to the synagogue. 224 00:35:40,060 --> 00:35:47,140 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. 225 00:35:47,140 --> 00:35:53,720 And many of the Corinthians, hearing Paul, believed and were baptized. 226 00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:58,000 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, 227 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:06,620 Do not be afraid, and go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you, 228 00:36:06,980 --> 00:36:14,660 and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. 229 00:36:14,660 --> 00:36:20,940 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 230 00:36:20,940 --> 00:36:30,740 But when Gallius was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul 231 00:36:30,740 --> 00:36:34,200 and brought Paul before the tribune, saying, 232 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:40,140 This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law. 233 00:36:40,140 --> 00:36:44,120 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, 234 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:46,400 Gallius said to the Jews, 235 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:51,560 If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, 236 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:57,320 O Jews, I would have reason to act and accept your complaint. 237 00:36:58,220 --> 00:37:07,000 But since it was a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it 238 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:12,020 yourselves, I refuse to be a judge of these things. 239 00:37:12,020 --> 00:37:20,080 And he drove them from the tribune, and they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, 240 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:22,900 and beat him in front of the tribune. 241 00:37:22,900 --> 00:37:26,800 But Gallius paid no attention to any of this. 242 00:37:27,340 --> 00:37:29,100 This is the word of the Lord. 243 00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:47,160 All right, I'm excited to be in Acts, the 18th chapter, Paul in Corinth. 244 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:50,940 You know, if you have read through the book of Corinthians, 245 00:37:50,940 --> 00:37:56,680 this is a church that Paul has to continue to work on. 246 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,500 They struggle in a lot of different ways, but this morning we'll see the beginning of 247 00:38:00,500 --> 00:38:06,440 the church, and I think most importantly, we see how God's hand is moving through. 248 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:11,140 Maybe what seems like coincidences to us, but they are part of his plan. 249 00:38:11,140 --> 00:38:14,280 So let's go ahead and pray, and then we'll dive right into it. 250 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:18,980 Father in heaven, we thank you for your word, we thank you for your church, we thank you 251 00:38:18,980 --> 00:38:26,780 for your people, we thank you for the work of your spirit in our lives, and I thank you 252 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:32,640 to see it as a historical record, or a group of facts, or some interesting events all grouped 253 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:38,540 together, but help us to see your life-changing, equipping power in the life of your church. 254 00:38:38,540 --> 00:38:47,880 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So, my sister has three kids. We have three kids. Occasionally, 255 00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:54,680 she'll drop her kids off at our house, so we'll have two eight-year-olds, a couple of six-year-olds, 256 00:38:54,680 --> 00:39:01,840 a couple of three-year-olds, a two-year-old, and then usually Ezra shows up, and it becomes chaos. 257 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:08,360 And so I think it was about a week and a half ago, my sister's kids were there, our kids were there. 258 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:13,560 There was just a lot of chaos happening, not in a bad way, just a lot of noise. 259 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:17,860 I think there was only one fistfight over whether Buzz Lightyear was real or not. 260 00:39:18,380 --> 00:39:25,900 and the kids were running around, and they were playing, and it was also early dismissal at school 261 00:39:25,900 --> 00:39:32,260 because there was snow coming, so my parents showed up. It was also haircut day for like 262 00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:38,200 six or seven of us, so our friend who comes over and cuts our hair showed up, and she brought three 263 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:43,980 of her kids, and so there was a lot of things happening. I was getting my hair cut. Little boys 264 00:39:43,980 --> 00:39:48,360 were getting a haircut to keep them from fussing while they're doing it. I think we fed them 265 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:55,120 like two and a half pounds of Twizzlers in the space of like 15 minutes. Anyway, it was chaos. 266 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:59,360 There was a lot happening. Kids were running, people were shouting, and in a good way, there 267 00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:06,040 was just a lot going on. When you come to the city of Corinth, what you find is it's a city that's 268 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:13,000 chaotic, and it means that there's a lot going on. It's a new city. The Corinthian city 269 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:20,740 is originally destroyed about 150 years or so before Jesus is born. 270 00:40:20,740 --> 00:40:24,560 Julius Caesar will come back and he'll rebel 271 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:28,160 after about 100 years of it being in ruins and uninhabited. 272 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:33,300 And so by the time he's over 100 years old, it's like a brand new city. 273 00:40:33,300 --> 00:40:37,520 And Julius Caesar, when he starts this city, rebelled this city, 274 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:41,660 he populates it with a whole bunch of retired military guys. 275 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,900 And they began to grow this city. 276 00:40:44,900 --> 00:40:48,180 It's a big city by ancient standards. 277 00:40:48,180 --> 00:40:50,520 It has at least 100,000 people. 278 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:52,620 Some people think as high as 300,000. 279 00:40:52,620 --> 00:40:54,720 Most everybody just kind of meets in the middle 280 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:58,880 and says it has a population of somewhere around 200,000 people. 281 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:01,720 Now, in our day, that doesn't seem like it's very big 282 00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:03,680 because we have cities of millions. 283 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:07,680 But remember, in a time when there's not nearly the same infrastructure, 284 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:09,940 you don't have running water, you don't have electricity, 285 00:41:10,660 --> 00:41:14,940 a city of 200,000 people for that day and age. 286 00:41:14,940 --> 00:41:18,880 This is a massive, massive city. 287 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:22,520 It's also a thriving commercial center. 288 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,520 The way Corinth is situated geographically, 289 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:28,740 you've got an ocean on one side, ocean on the other side, 290 00:41:28,740 --> 00:41:34,140 and in between those two oceans is a three-and-a-half-mile stretch of land, 291 00:41:34,140 --> 00:41:35,920 and Corinth sits right there. 292 00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:39,820 And so they have a port on the east, they have a port on the west, 293 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:44,080 And so rather than the ships going all the way down the bottom of Greece, 294 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:47,700 adding a couple hundred miles and lots of danger to their trip, 295 00:41:47,700 --> 00:41:51,900 they'll dock at the eastern, the western dock in Corinth. 296 00:41:51,900 --> 00:41:53,080 They'll unpack their ship. 297 00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:55,300 They'll put it on carts, and there's a row. 298 00:41:55,300 --> 00:41:58,200 They'll take it over to the other port, load it back onto ships. 299 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:01,220 And in some cases, if the ships are small enough, 300 00:42:01,220 --> 00:42:04,940 they'll just pick the ship up, carry it the three and a half miles, 301 00:42:04,940 --> 00:42:06,420 and drop it back into the ocean. 302 00:42:06,540 --> 00:42:11,980 So not only do you have this major city, it's on the part of a major trade route. 303 00:42:11,980 --> 00:42:16,660 All of these goods that go by ocean are passing through the city of Corinth, 304 00:42:16,660 --> 00:42:22,520 and that includes all of the sailors and everybody associated with that trade. 305 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:29,000 And so you have a new city, a big city, you have a commercially thriving city, 306 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,780 and it's a city that's also in spiritual and moral chaos, 307 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:34,920 The major temple that sat right 308 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:37,040 outside the city on a big hill overlooking 309 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:38,980 the city was the temple 310 00:42:38,980 --> 00:42:40,960 of Aphrodite, a temple 311 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:42,840 to the Greek God of 312 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,060 love. And then inside 313 00:42:45,060 --> 00:42:46,880 the city you have a temple to 314 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:49,020 Apollos, the God of 315 00:42:49,020 --> 00:42:51,120 the sun. You have a temple 316 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,000 to Asclepius, who is 317 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:54,760 the God of healing. And in fact, they 318 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:56,400 institute in Corinth this 319 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:58,920 passageway of aqueducts and water 320 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,080 that runs into the temple of 321 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:02,960 the God of healing so people can go in and 322 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:04,880 and take baths that were supposed to heal them. 323 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:08,040 They could make offerings to heal their problems. 324 00:43:08,040 --> 00:43:10,940 And so there's all of this false worship, 325 00:43:10,940 --> 00:43:12,720 but going along with that false worship, 326 00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:18,360 many of the practices in these ancient temples centered around immorality. 327 00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:22,440 And so in many ways, I think Corinth, if you were to look at this city, 328 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:25,960 it'd be like one of those frontier towns during the gold rush, right? 329 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,920 Where you have saloons outnumbering people, right? 330 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,920 It's kind of a rough place morally. 331 00:43:31,920 --> 00:43:34,180 and it's a rough place spiritually. 332 00:43:34,180 --> 00:43:35,300 It's busy. 333 00:43:35,300 --> 00:43:36,980 There's so many people 334 00:43:36,980 --> 00:43:39,140 and everybody's doing something different 335 00:43:39,140 --> 00:43:40,320 and it's chaos. 336 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:41,820 And in some ways that's good 337 00:43:41,820 --> 00:43:43,540 because you have all of these people 338 00:43:43,540 --> 00:43:45,100 coming through who can hear the gospel 339 00:43:45,100 --> 00:43:47,100 and go out to the other ends of the empire 340 00:43:47,100 --> 00:43:48,080 and share the good news, 341 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:51,740 but also it's a deep abiding spiritual battleground 342 00:43:51,740 --> 00:43:53,440 and it's a struggle. 343 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,120 And when we find Paul Corinth, 344 00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:57,460 he doesn't look at this city 345 00:43:57,460 --> 00:43:59,880 and he's not excited by the opportunity 346 00:43:59,880 --> 00:44:01,300 for the gospel. 347 00:44:01,620 --> 00:44:02,900 He doesn't look at this city and say, 348 00:44:02,900 --> 00:44:05,680 man, there's so many people here who need Jesus, 349 00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:07,700 and I can't wait to tell them about Jesus, 350 00:44:07,700 --> 00:44:09,400 and we can tell all these traitors, 351 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,460 and they can share the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. 352 00:44:11,460 --> 00:44:14,180 He is the opposite of excited. 353 00:44:14,180 --> 00:44:16,340 He's discouraged, he's struggling, he's hurting. 354 00:44:16,340 --> 00:44:19,740 You see, Paul, when he comes to Corinth, is tired. 355 00:44:19,740 --> 00:44:22,640 So far, as he's been through Greece, 356 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:25,860 he's been to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens, 357 00:44:25,860 --> 00:44:28,100 and in between all of those cities, he's had to walk. 358 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:34,180 most of those cities he's left after being chased out by a mob. Philippi, he is beaten. Some scholars 359 00:44:34,180 --> 00:44:39,720 think that as he comes to Corinth, one of the reasons he's so discouraged is because he has been 360 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:46,760 still recovering from the beating that he received in Philippi. And so he's been rushing ahead of the 361 00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:55,160 angry mob as he goes down the length of Greece on foot. And he's facing the chaos and the struggle 362 00:44:55,160 --> 00:45:02,180 of Corinth alone. In Acts 16, we find that Luke stays behind in Philippi. Silas and Timothy stay 363 00:45:02,180 --> 00:45:08,080 behind in Berea. And so Paul is all by himself. And from his own admission, he says, I'm weak 364 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:12,140 and I'm afraid. As he writes to the Corinthians, he says this about his arrival in Corinth. 365 00:45:12,140 --> 00:45:20,680 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. Paul says, when I came to Corinth, 366 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:25,680 I wasn't bold, I wasn't brave, I wasn't excited, but I was weak and I was afraid. 367 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:29,600 And I was not just like afraid on the inside, but I'm trembling. 368 00:45:29,600 --> 00:45:33,280 I'm shaking over what lays ahead of me. 369 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:40,300 In fact, he is so afraid that God has to specifically come to him in verses 8 through 9 and 10 of the text. 370 00:45:40,300 --> 00:45:43,440 The Lord will come to Paul one night in a vision and say, 371 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:47,700 Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you. 372 00:45:47,700 --> 00:45:52,540 And no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people. 373 00:45:52,540 --> 00:45:55,300 Even in this city, there's still a threat of violence. 374 00:45:55,300 --> 00:45:58,400 Paul's still likely recovering from his wounds in Philippi. 375 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:02,220 He's a little nervous and a little gun-shy about what might happen to him. 376 00:46:02,220 --> 00:46:05,980 And I think he's even considering not speaking about Jesus, 377 00:46:05,980 --> 00:46:08,500 because one of the things God specifically says to him, 378 00:46:08,500 --> 00:46:11,140 go on speaking, do not be silent. 379 00:46:11,140 --> 00:46:15,080 That in Paul's tiredness and discouragement and aloneness, 380 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:18,820 he is thinking, I don't know if I can do this. 381 00:46:18,820 --> 00:46:22,320 And to add to all of these things, Paul is out of money. 382 00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:25,220 He has gone through and he's preached the gospel, 383 00:46:25,220 --> 00:46:26,960 and now he shows up here, 384 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:29,420 and the first thing he does in town is to get a job. 385 00:46:29,420 --> 00:46:31,980 And he's not necessarily doing that as a ministry, 386 00:46:31,980 --> 00:46:33,440 he's doing that to support himself, 387 00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:37,240 because the money that he started this trip with has run out. 388 00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:40,500 And in verse 3, because he was of the same trade, 389 00:46:40,500 --> 00:46:42,200 he stayed with them and worked, 390 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:44,380 for they were tent makers by trade. 391 00:46:44,380 --> 00:46:47,900 And in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, he'll say of his time in the city. 392 00:46:47,900 --> 00:46:51,960 When I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone. 393 00:46:51,960 --> 00:46:54,880 For the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs, 394 00:46:54,880 --> 00:46:58,260 so I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 395 00:46:58,260 --> 00:47:00,440 And so what Paul says, when I showed up, I didn't have any money. 396 00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:01,120 I needed money. 397 00:47:01,120 --> 00:47:05,080 And instead of asking you in the church for money, what I did is you went and got a job. 398 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,320 And so do you see Paul's situation? 399 00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:11,560 He has this task of the city in chaos, spiritually, physically. 400 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:13,200 He's all by himself. 401 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:14,960 He's tired from ministry. 402 00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:17,080 He's been beaten up. 403 00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:17,880 He's afraid. 404 00:47:17,880 --> 00:47:19,560 He's weary. 405 00:47:19,560 --> 00:47:20,900 And he has no money. 406 00:47:20,900 --> 00:47:22,580 And he shows up in Corinth. 407 00:47:22,580 --> 00:47:27,140 And what's remarkable about these verses in Acts, the 18th chapter, 408 00:47:27,140 --> 00:47:31,020 is we see how God works in the life of this weary saint. 409 00:47:31,020 --> 00:47:35,460 The first thing that God does to Paul is he directs him to the fellow workers. 410 00:47:35,460 --> 00:47:36,580 Let's pick up in verse 1. 411 00:47:36,580 --> 00:47:39,240 Paul left Athens, went to Corinth. 412 00:47:39,240 --> 00:47:42,260 He found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, 413 00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:44,840 who had come from Italy with his wife Priscilla 414 00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:47,620 because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. 415 00:47:47,620 --> 00:47:50,740 And he went to see them, and because he was in the same trade, 416 00:47:50,740 --> 00:47:53,880 he stayed with them and worked, for they were tent makers by trade. 417 00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:55,700 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath 418 00:47:55,700 --> 00:47:57,380 and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 419 00:47:57,380 --> 00:48:01,160 And so this husband and wife team, Priscilla and Aquila, 420 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:03,100 in fact, most of the places in the New Testament, 421 00:48:03,100 --> 00:48:06,980 it's listed not as Aquila and Priscilla, but Priscilla and Aquila. 422 00:48:06,980 --> 00:48:11,260 Her name comes first in most of these references. 423 00:48:12,300 --> 00:48:15,380 They become beloved fellow workers with Paul. 424 00:48:15,380 --> 00:48:18,280 And they work together in a trade for the church. 425 00:48:18,280 --> 00:48:22,560 And one of the ways we know that they're beloved by Paul is he calls her Priscilla. 426 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:24,680 And in Greek, it's a diminutive. 427 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:26,040 And what that means is it's like a nickname. 428 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:29,860 So like we call Luke, he's little, we call him Lukey. 429 00:48:29,860 --> 00:48:33,080 Or we call Ezra, those names we shorten. 430 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:37,380 And we call, you know, William, Bill, or, you know, things like that. 431 00:48:37,380 --> 00:48:39,560 We give people sort of shortened nicknames. 432 00:48:40,640 --> 00:48:43,160 And her name, you'll find as you read through the rest of the New Testament, 433 00:48:43,160 --> 00:48:44,900 sometimes she'll be referred to as Prisca. 434 00:48:44,900 --> 00:48:46,420 That's her proper name. 435 00:48:46,420 --> 00:48:50,860 And so when you hear Aquila and Priscilla, what Luke is doing as he writes them, 436 00:48:50,860 --> 00:48:53,800 he's writing with sort of a nickname for her, 437 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:56,840 showing that these people, they're not just people you kind of know and acquaintance, 438 00:48:56,840 --> 00:49:00,080 these are people you have a relationship with, right? 439 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:02,800 You can use their nickname, and it's okay. 440 00:49:02,800 --> 00:49:07,120 And I love what happens with Paul. 441 00:49:07,120 --> 00:49:08,780 These people become beloved workers. 442 00:49:09,020 --> 00:49:11,980 So in 1 Corinthians and 2 Timothy and Romans, 443 00:49:11,980 --> 00:49:13,900 as Paul writes to these churches, 444 00:49:13,900 --> 00:49:15,920 what he does is he will say, 445 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:18,080 make sure you tell my friends hi. 446 00:49:18,080 --> 00:49:20,540 Tell Aquila and Priscilla hi. 447 00:49:20,540 --> 00:49:22,620 I'm thinking about them and I'm thankful for them 448 00:49:22,620 --> 00:49:24,140 as fellow workers in the gospel. 449 00:49:24,140 --> 00:49:27,040 And what I love is when Paul feels the most alone, 450 00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:29,280 God sends him some help 451 00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:31,500 in the form of Priscilla and Aquila. 452 00:49:31,500 --> 00:49:34,800 The second thing God does is he provides for Paul financially. 453 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:38,740 It's interesting that first Paul is provided for 454 00:49:38,740 --> 00:49:40,720 through a job, right? 455 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:41,520 He's a tent maker. 456 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:43,640 He shows up and I don't know how he finds 457 00:49:43,640 --> 00:49:46,080 these two Christians who have been exiled from Rome, 458 00:49:46,080 --> 00:49:48,220 but somehow he runs across them, meets them. 459 00:49:48,220 --> 00:49:49,980 They're the same background as Paul. 460 00:49:49,980 --> 00:49:53,560 They believe in Jesus and they're making tents 461 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:57,460 and Paul goes, provides him in his providential care a job. 462 00:49:57,460 --> 00:49:59,740 But secondly, as Paul is working 463 00:49:59,740 --> 00:50:02,160 and Paul is preaching on Saturdays, 464 00:50:02,160 --> 00:50:07,020 what happens is a gift of money comes from Philippi. 465 00:50:07,100 --> 00:50:08,500 He'll say this in Philippians 4, 466 00:50:08,500 --> 00:50:12,100 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, 467 00:50:12,100 --> 00:50:16,140 when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me 468 00:50:16,140 --> 00:50:20,100 in giving and receiving except you only. 469 00:50:20,100 --> 00:50:23,060 In Acts chapter 18, it'll say, 470 00:50:23,060 --> 00:50:25,720 Listen, Timothy arrived from Macedonia, so they show up. 471 00:50:25,720 --> 00:50:28,480 Paul was occupied with the word of the word, 472 00:50:28,480 --> 00:50:31,540 testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 473 00:50:31,540 --> 00:50:34,600 And you have this picture of a change happening 474 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:36,420 between verse 1 and verse 5. 475 00:50:36,520 --> 00:50:39,140 In verse 1, the first section, Paul has no money. 476 00:50:39,140 --> 00:50:40,340 He's working as a tent maker. 477 00:50:40,340 --> 00:50:42,540 He's going to the synagogue on the Sabbath. 478 00:50:42,540 --> 00:50:46,400 And then in verse 5, all of a sudden, he's devoting all of his time to the gospel. 479 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:48,400 You say, how is he able to do that? 480 00:50:48,400 --> 00:50:53,440 Because when Timothy and Silas show up, they bring an offering from Philippi. 481 00:50:53,440 --> 00:50:58,960 And Paul is now provided for, and he is able to devote all of his time for the gospel. 482 00:50:58,960 --> 00:51:02,500 So God has provided Paul with fellow workers. 483 00:51:02,500 --> 00:51:04,380 He's provided for Paul financially. 484 00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:08,600 And then you have this new fledgling church that's beginning to start. 485 00:51:08,600 --> 00:51:13,140 And they need a place to meet because the Jewish synagogue is getting increasingly hostile. 486 00:51:13,140 --> 00:51:15,880 And so this little church can't go to the synagogue anymore. 487 00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:17,980 And look what God does. 488 00:51:17,980 --> 00:51:18,800 This is wonderful. 489 00:51:18,800 --> 00:51:23,180 In verse 6, the synagogue, they opposed and reviled him. 490 00:51:23,180 --> 00:51:25,040 And he shook out his garments and said to them, 491 00:51:25,040 --> 00:51:26,660 Your blood be on your own head. 492 00:51:26,660 --> 00:51:27,740 I am innocent. 493 00:51:27,740 --> 00:51:29,960 From now on, I will go to the Gentiles. 494 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:32,340 And so they're attacking Paul. 495 00:51:32,340 --> 00:51:33,360 And he says, you know what? 496 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:34,360 I've told you the gospel. 497 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:40,840 it's your choice not to listen i'm done i'm going to the Gentiles and look at what God does 498 00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:47,440 he left there went to the house of man named uh Titus justice a worshiper of God and sky 499 00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:54,600 Titus justice says hey you can have my house so Paul is Christian they go to the church and look 500 00:51:54,600 --> 00:52:00,380 at what it says next his house was next door to the synagogue if you don't think God has a sense 501 00:52:00,380 --> 00:52:04,340 of humor right they're getting kicked out of the synagogue what do they do the little church walks 502 00:52:04,340 --> 00:52:10,340 out of the synagogue next door and keeps having church, right? Isn't that amazing how God has 503 00:52:10,340 --> 00:52:17,540 provided for this little fledgling church in the middle of this chaotic town right next door to 504 00:52:17,540 --> 00:52:23,240 the synagogue? It's not a coincidence. But more than that, one of the things that you need in a 505 00:52:23,240 --> 00:52:27,860 new church with young Christians is you need some older Christians, people who have been Christians 506 00:52:27,860 --> 00:52:33,440 longer with a solid foundation so they can help and they can guide those younger Christians. And 507 00:52:33,440 --> 00:52:40,020 look what happens next in verse 8. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord 508 00:52:40,020 --> 00:52:45,680 together with his entire household. Many of the Corinthians hearing Paul, but they believed and 509 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:50,720 were baptized. And so what does God provide for this fledgling church? First of all, you have 510 00:52:50,720 --> 00:52:56,500 veteran believers, Priscilla and Aquila, who are part of this church. But then, right, you leave the 511 00:52:56,500 --> 00:53:00,660 synagogue, you go next door, and you know who comes with you? The guy who's in charge of the 512 00:53:00,660 --> 00:53:04,980 synagogue, the guy who has been leading the synagogue, the guy who is versed in the Old 513 00:53:04,980 --> 00:53:10,380 Testament Scriptures and has believed in God for his entire life, and he becomes a Christian. And 514 00:53:10,380 --> 00:53:16,580 here's a guy who's had previous experience leading a group of Old Testament believers, and now he 515 00:53:16,580 --> 00:53:23,760 gets this job as leading New Testament believers, right? Everybody knows him. He knows their needs. 516 00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:29,300 He's able to help Paul minister to them. You see how God has provided? He's provided people. He's 517 00:53:29,300 --> 00:53:35,000 provided financially in terms of a job, in terms of an offering. He's provided a location for the 518 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:40,740 church to meet. He's provided experienced believers so all of this doesn't fall on Paul. And then he 519 00:53:40,740 --> 00:53:47,220 provides encouragement to Paul. Do not be afraid. Go on speaking. Do not be silent. I am with you. 520 00:53:47,220 --> 00:53:52,000 No one will attack you or harm you. For I have many in this city who are my people. And what he's 521 00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:56,740 saying is not there's many people right now who believe me, but there are many people who will 522 00:53:56,740 --> 00:54:04,620 believe in this city? And then God does something else and something remarkable and a huge blessing 523 00:54:04,620 --> 00:54:10,420 for this church. God provides legal protection for this church. When Galileo, the procouncil, 524 00:54:10,420 --> 00:54:15,980 the ruler of this entire region, the Jews who have been following Paul, they make an attack on 525 00:54:15,980 --> 00:54:21,640 him. They bring him before the tribunal saying, this man is persuading people to worship God 526 00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:25,560 contrary to the law. So what they're doing is making an accusation that this is not a Roman 527 00:54:25,560 --> 00:54:30,840 unapproved religion. They're trying to get Christianity outlawed. They're trying to get 528 00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:36,400 Paul beaten and thrown in prison and maybe even killed. And so Paul is going to open his mouth. 529 00:54:36,400 --> 00:54:42,120 He's going to defend the gospel. And Paul was about to open his mouth. Galileo said to the Jews, 530 00:54:42,120 --> 00:54:47,480 he's going to look at his accuser. He's going to say this, if this was a wrong matter of wrongdoing 531 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:52,740 or vicious crime, oh Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. But since it's a matter 532 00:54:52,740 --> 00:54:54,820 about words and names and your own law, 533 00:54:54,820 --> 00:54:56,180 see to it yourself. 534 00:54:56,180 --> 00:54:59,820 I refuse to be the judge of these things. 535 00:54:59,820 --> 00:55:02,500 And he drove them from the tribunal. 536 00:55:02,500 --> 00:55:05,660 And so what you find as he's doing here 537 00:55:05,660 --> 00:55:07,640 is he's making a legal judgment about Christianity. 538 00:55:07,640 --> 00:55:12,020 He's saying that Christianity just is legal, right? 539 00:55:12,020 --> 00:55:14,360 Jews, Christians, settle it yourself. 540 00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:15,960 Government's not going to get involved. 541 00:55:15,960 --> 00:55:20,360 And what that does is it gives the church legality in Corinth. 542 00:55:20,980 --> 00:55:24,700 They don't have to worry about being dragged in front of the rulers 543 00:55:24,700 --> 00:55:26,480 for preaching something different, 544 00:55:26,480 --> 00:55:30,020 because this guy who is the ultimate ruler of this region, 545 00:55:30,020 --> 00:55:32,560 he's the proxy for the emperor, 546 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:34,560 has said, it's fine. 547 00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:36,060 I don't want to hear about it. 548 00:55:36,060 --> 00:55:37,360 Go have your church. 549 00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:40,820 And God hasn't just provided a place and blessings and people 550 00:55:40,820 --> 00:55:42,200 and all of these things. 551 00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:47,600 He's provided them a legal church in this town. 552 00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:50,620 He sets a legal precedent not just for Corinth, 553 00:55:50,740 --> 00:55:52,420 but remember Philippi, where they get in trouble? 554 00:55:52,420 --> 00:55:54,780 And Thessalonica, where they get in trouble? 555 00:55:54,780 --> 00:56:00,460 And Berea, he set a legal precedent for the church. 556 00:56:00,460 --> 00:56:03,700 And so these Jewish people, you've heard Brent read it, 557 00:56:03,700 --> 00:56:04,940 they respond not well. 558 00:56:04,940 --> 00:56:07,240 They grab the leader of the synagogue, who's not a Christian, 559 00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:09,380 and they just beat him up right there in court, 560 00:56:09,380 --> 00:56:10,660 and then everybody leaves. 561 00:56:10,660 --> 00:56:15,860 It's an interesting, you sort of see the rage overflowing out of them. 562 00:56:15,860 --> 00:56:17,860 So we've seen Paul and his struggles. 563 00:56:17,860 --> 00:56:20,500 We've seen Corinth and his chaos. 564 00:56:20,620 --> 00:56:22,260 We've seen God and His provision. 565 00:56:22,260 --> 00:56:25,000 Let's talk about us for just a minute. 566 00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:28,780 One of the things that this text makes very clear 567 00:56:28,780 --> 00:56:31,660 is that in the midst of dark and difficult and chaotic events, 568 00:56:31,660 --> 00:56:33,200 God is at work. 569 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:36,700 And one of the ways we see this so clearly, 570 00:56:36,700 --> 00:56:39,840 the plan of God in His providential care 571 00:56:39,840 --> 00:56:42,600 arrayed out in a way that we can see how He's been at work, 572 00:56:42,600 --> 00:56:44,620 is through Aquila and Priscilla. 573 00:56:44,620 --> 00:56:48,160 They become important and beloved friends of Paul. 574 00:56:48,300 --> 00:56:50,780 They work together both physically and spiritually. 575 00:56:50,780 --> 00:56:54,560 They give him a job when he needs labor beside him in the church. 576 00:56:54,560 --> 00:56:57,980 He doesn't have to face the chaos of Corinth alone. 577 00:56:57,980 --> 00:57:00,420 And the question is, how do these people? 578 00:57:00,420 --> 00:57:03,680 Luke has made it clear that, first of all, they're not from Corinth. 579 00:57:03,680 --> 00:57:05,120 They've just left Rome. 580 00:57:05,120 --> 00:57:07,360 How do they end up in Corinth? 581 00:57:07,360 --> 00:57:08,780 Why are they in Corinth? 582 00:57:08,780 --> 00:57:11,040 Verse 2 says this, 583 00:57:11,040 --> 00:57:15,880 because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. 584 00:57:16,500 --> 00:57:18,780 So about a year before Paul arrives in Corinth, 585 00:57:18,780 --> 00:57:20,760 there's a problem in Rome. 586 00:57:20,760 --> 00:57:22,440 The same problem that's arising in Corinth 587 00:57:22,440 --> 00:57:23,800 between the Jews and the Christians. 588 00:57:23,800 --> 00:57:26,460 And there's this controversy breaking out. 589 00:57:26,460 --> 00:57:28,120 So Emperor Claudius, you know what he says? 590 00:57:28,120 --> 00:57:29,180 Just get out. 591 00:57:29,180 --> 00:57:30,940 He says, I don't want to make a ruling about it. 592 00:57:30,940 --> 00:57:32,240 I don't want to hear about it. 593 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:33,380 I don't want to have a hearing about it. 594 00:57:33,380 --> 00:57:35,460 I just want all of you to get out. 595 00:57:35,460 --> 00:57:37,880 And these two Christians, Aquila and Priscilla, 596 00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:41,600 leave Rome and they end up in Corinth. 597 00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:45,920 It's not an accident that when Paul needs friendship, 598 00:57:46,060 --> 00:57:48,100 job and help in the church, he finds 599 00:57:48,100 --> 00:57:50,180 this goal. And you see 600 00:57:50,180 --> 00:57:52,160 what God has done in the years leading up 601 00:57:52,160 --> 00:57:54,080 to Paul's arrival in Corinth, he set the 602 00:57:54,080 --> 00:57:56,360 stage for Aquila and Priscilla 603 00:57:56,360 --> 00:57:58,120 to be there. And they 604 00:57:58,120 --> 00:58:00,160 are there because Claudius has made 605 00:58:00,160 --> 00:58:02,260 this decree that has kicked them out of the room, 606 00:58:02,260 --> 00:58:04,340 out of Rome, and on the run 607 00:58:04,340 --> 00:58:05,880 they end up in Corinth. Before 608 00:58:05,880 --> 00:58:07,780 Paul has even thought about 609 00:58:07,780 --> 00:58:10,000 or considered going to Corinth, God was 610 00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:12,060 already at work setting in 611 00:58:12,060 --> 00:58:14,080 place a support system that would 612 00:58:14,080 --> 00:58:19,520 help him. Part of God's providential care. Claudius thinks he's doing something to shut 613 00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:23,580 down the Jews and the Christians, but what he's really doing is he's helped starting the church 614 00:58:23,580 --> 00:58:27,740 in Corinth. And throughout the rest of the empire, these Christians go out to all these different 615 00:58:27,740 --> 00:58:32,840 cities and share the good news of Jesus. You see how God's in control? Even before Paul thinks 616 00:58:32,840 --> 00:58:38,860 about Corinth, God is preparing a way for him by sending Aquila and Priscilla because of this decree 617 00:58:38,860 --> 00:58:41,060 of emperor, right? 618 00:58:41,060 --> 00:58:42,500 God works in your chaos. 619 00:58:42,500 --> 00:58:45,060 He works in the brokenness of our lives. 620 00:58:45,060 --> 00:58:45,720 We don't see it. 621 00:58:45,720 --> 00:58:51,720 I imagine Aquila and Priscilla were probably heartbroken to have to flee from Rome, and 622 00:58:51,720 --> 00:58:54,440 they're wondering what happens next, but you see what happens? 623 00:58:54,440 --> 00:58:55,240 God's at work. 624 00:58:55,240 --> 00:59:00,440 And many times in the midst of those struggles, we don't have the perspective to see how God 625 00:59:00,440 --> 00:59:00,880 is working. 626 00:59:00,880 --> 00:59:05,660 It's only when we look back after the fact and say, oh, look what God was doing. 627 00:59:05,660 --> 00:59:08,560 He was moving me from here to there for the good of the gospel. 628 00:59:08,860 --> 00:59:10,660 And so I want to remind you this morning 629 00:59:10,660 --> 00:59:14,420 that God is at work in the midst of those struggles in our lives, 630 00:59:14,420 --> 00:59:16,240 that he's maybe equipping us. 631 00:59:16,240 --> 00:59:17,720 Maybe he's preparing us. 632 00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:20,060 Maybe he's moving us to where we need to be. 633 00:59:20,060 --> 00:59:22,200 Maybe he's teaching us something that we need to know. 634 00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:24,980 But God is at work, and we see it here. 635 00:59:24,980 --> 00:59:27,540 The second thing we see in this 636 00:59:27,540 --> 00:59:29,820 is that God has something for his people to do. 637 00:59:29,820 --> 00:59:32,260 Consider all the things that happen in these verses. 638 00:59:32,260 --> 00:59:35,080 Priscilla and Aquila provide help and support. 639 00:59:35,080 --> 00:59:37,660 Titus provides a location for the church to meet. 640 00:59:38,140 --> 00:59:40,380 Crispus provides spiritual maturity. 641 00:59:40,380 --> 00:59:43,580 The Philippian church provides a financial offering. 642 00:59:43,580 --> 00:59:45,740 Timothy and Silas deliver it. 643 00:59:45,740 --> 00:59:50,420 You see, the church is equipped and it grows through the work of faithful Christians. 644 00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:55,100 And notice, these people all worked in areas that they were already good at. 645 00:59:55,100 --> 00:59:57,740 They didn't show up to the church and get a different job. 646 00:59:57,740 --> 01:00:00,860 They were already doing these things and they come into the church and they say, 647 01:00:00,860 --> 01:00:05,100 how can I use the way that God has gifted me in the help of the church? 648 01:00:05,840 --> 01:00:08,160 And so Thomas Christ goes, hey, I've got a house. 649 01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:09,160 Come have church here. 650 01:00:09,160 --> 01:00:12,420 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, says, I know the Scriptures. 651 01:00:12,420 --> 01:00:16,380 Timothy and Silas are saying, hey, we're coming from Philippi. 652 01:00:16,380 --> 01:00:18,600 The Philippian church says, we can't be there to help, 653 01:00:18,600 --> 01:00:22,400 but we can help support the ministry and enable the ministry through our gifts. 654 01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:27,960 What you find is that God has gifted all of us for work and help in the church. 655 01:00:27,960 --> 01:00:31,100 And the question is, what has God asked us to do? 656 01:00:31,100 --> 01:00:35,120 So many times we pray, and it's so important for us to pray. 657 01:00:35,840 --> 01:00:39,420 And sometimes I don't think we think about putting our prayers into action. 658 01:00:39,420 --> 01:00:41,760 One of my favorite pictures of putting prayer into action 659 01:00:41,760 --> 01:00:43,260 is in the book of Ruth. 660 01:00:43,260 --> 01:00:45,860 And it's a wonderful story of hurt and loss 661 01:00:45,860 --> 01:00:47,820 and salvation and redemption 662 01:00:47,820 --> 01:00:49,960 and God turning the world upside down. 663 01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:54,300 But in chapter 2, this Moabite woman, Ruth, 664 01:00:54,300 --> 01:00:56,660 she's out picking grain in the field 665 01:00:56,660 --> 01:00:58,760 so her and her mother-in-law won't starve. 666 01:00:58,760 --> 01:00:59,660 They're both widowed. 667 01:00:59,660 --> 01:01:03,440 Naomi has lost her sons. 668 01:01:03,440 --> 01:01:04,600 There's a lot of grief and hurt. 669 01:01:04,600 --> 01:01:05,440 She's in this field. 670 01:01:05,820 --> 01:01:08,460 And it says, she happened to come to the field belonging to Boaz, 671 01:01:08,460 --> 01:01:10,420 which is the providential work of God. 672 01:01:10,420 --> 01:01:15,360 And Boaz sees her, and he says, come get wheat in my field. 673 01:01:15,360 --> 01:01:19,080 And then he'll say this to her, may God spread his wings over you. 674 01:01:19,080 --> 01:01:24,360 The picture of a mother bird wrapping up in protective care her little chicks. 675 01:01:24,360 --> 01:01:28,200 And he says, may God wrap you up in his protective care. 676 01:01:28,200 --> 01:01:33,500 The very next chapter, Ruth will sneak in to where Boaz is guarding his grain 677 01:01:33,500 --> 01:01:37,680 in the middle of the night, and he wakes up thinking it's a robber. He goes, who is it? And 678 01:01:37,680 --> 01:01:42,680 she goes, it's Ruth. And then she repeats this prayer back to him. She says, spread your wings 679 01:01:42,680 --> 01:01:49,540 over me. So Boaz is praying that God would protect her, and she comes to him and says, yeah, God, 680 01:01:49,540 --> 01:01:54,640 you prayed to God to protect me? God's going to use you to protect me, right? And so when we pray 681 01:01:54,640 --> 01:02:00,500 for the church to grow, and for the church to be helped, and for the gospel to go out, 682 01:02:00,500 --> 01:02:05,880 We pray for that, and I imagine God saying, yes, and I'm going to equip you to do that. 683 01:02:05,880 --> 01:02:13,940 Just like Ruth says to Boaz, you prayed this, you're also the one who can answer this by spreading your wings and protecting and caring for me. 684 01:02:13,940 --> 01:02:16,720 So God has called us to work in the church. 685 01:02:16,720 --> 01:02:23,580 And so I think the church in Corinth encourages us when we see how God is at work providing and caring. 686 01:02:23,580 --> 01:02:30,040 But it should also energize us when we see that he uses people like us to spread the gospel. 687 01:02:30,500 --> 01:02:33,060 when he uses people like us 688 01:02:33,060 --> 01:02:34,980 to encourage the church. 689 01:02:34,980 --> 01:02:37,500 In fact, when Paul writes to the Corinthian church, 690 01:02:37,500 --> 01:02:38,800 one of the big things that he'll say 691 01:02:38,800 --> 01:02:39,820 right there in the middle of the book 692 01:02:39,820 --> 01:02:41,140 is he's going to talk about 693 01:02:41,140 --> 01:02:42,340 how the church is like a body. 694 01:02:42,340 --> 01:02:43,900 And we've got some that are hands 695 01:02:43,900 --> 01:02:44,520 and some that are feet, 696 01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:45,300 some that are fingers, 697 01:02:45,300 --> 01:02:46,180 some that are toes. 698 01:02:46,180 --> 01:02:48,620 And all of us have a place in the church. 699 01:02:48,620 --> 01:02:51,040 All of us have a function in the church. 700 01:02:51,040 --> 01:02:53,920 And all of us have a way to contribute 701 01:02:53,920 --> 01:02:57,020 to the encouragement and the help of the church. 702 01:02:57,020 --> 01:02:59,920 And it's this picture, I think, in Acts 18 703 01:02:59,920 --> 01:03:01,360 that should encourage us 704 01:03:01,360 --> 01:03:02,360 because God is at work, 705 01:03:02,360 --> 01:03:04,120 but it should also energize us 706 01:03:04,120 --> 01:03:06,660 because He has work for us to do. 707 01:03:06,660 --> 01:03:07,240 Let's pray. 708 01:03:07,240 --> 01:03:09,720 Father, thank You for Jesus and grace. 709 01:03:09,720 --> 01:03:11,380 Thank You for how You protect 710 01:03:11,380 --> 01:03:13,220 and provide and care for us. 711 01:03:13,220 --> 01:03:15,680 Thank You for this Corinthian church. 712 01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:17,640 I know that many churches, 713 01:03:17,640 --> 01:03:18,500 like many churches, 714 01:03:18,500 --> 01:03:21,700 they struggle theologically and morally 715 01:03:21,700 --> 01:03:23,780 with the practice of church, 716 01:03:23,780 --> 01:03:24,560 but through it all, 717 01:03:24,560 --> 01:03:26,460 You love them and are patient with them. 718 01:03:26,460 --> 01:03:28,460 And we thank You for their testimony 719 01:03:28,460 --> 01:03:30,720 of your good providential care. 720 01:03:30,720 --> 01:03:33,640 We thank you for their work in the gospel. 721 01:03:33,640 --> 01:03:36,660 Help us to be encouraged and energized by this. 722 01:03:36,660 --> 01:03:38,700 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 723 01:03:38,700 --> 01:03:43,340 So we've talked about how God was at work in the faithfulness, 724 01:03:43,340 --> 01:03:47,480 in the chaos and the tiredness and the struggles of Paul. 725 01:03:47,480 --> 01:03:50,360 We're going to stand and sing about God's faithfulness. 726 01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:51,840 We're going to sing, Great is Thy Faithfulness. 727 01:03:58,460 --> 01:04:14,860 Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father. 728 01:04:14,860 --> 01:04:22,340 There is no shadow of turning with thee. 729 01:04:22,980 --> 01:04:29,160 Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. 730 01:04:29,160 --> 01:04:35,760 As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be. 731 01:04:35,760 --> 01:04:43,120 Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness. 732 01:04:43,120 --> 01:04:49,560 Morning by morning new mercies I see. 733 01:04:50,720 --> 01:04:56,720 All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided. 734 01:04:56,720 --> 01:05:03,940 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. 735 01:05:03,940 --> 01:05:15,720 Pardon for sin and the peace that endureth. 736 01:05:16,720 --> 01:05:23,020 Lie on deep presence to cheer and to guide. 737 01:05:23,020 --> 01:05:29,900 Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. 738 01:05:29,900 --> 01:05:36,120 Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside. 739 01:05:36,120 --> 01:05:44,020 Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness. 740 01:05:45,200 --> 01:06:12,540 I want to thank you all for being here with us this morning. 741 01:06:12,540 --> 01:06:18,760 We are so glad you're joining us, whether you're here in person or online, we are thankful 742 01:06:18,760 --> 01:06:19,160 for you. 743 01:06:19,160 --> 01:06:20,400 We'll be back here Wednesday night. 744 01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:22,800 We are going through the book of Thessalonians. 745 01:06:22,800 --> 01:06:27,360 One of the ways Paul puts his letters together is many times he sort of puts them together 746 01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:28,420 in what we need to know. 747 01:06:28,420 --> 01:06:33,360 So he begins with sort of teaching people what we need to know theologically, and then 748 01:06:33,360 --> 01:06:35,940 he moves into how do we put this into practice. 749 01:06:35,940 --> 01:06:41,540 And so where we are in Thessalonians this week, Paul is going to move into the practical 750 01:06:41,540 --> 01:06:47,400 application of our knowledge section, and he's going to call us to walk in righteousness. 751 01:06:47,400 --> 01:06:53,280 And one of the ways that I've been blessed by Paul's teaching, I like to know why and 752 01:06:53,280 --> 01:06:58,920 how, not just do something, but tell me why and how, and so Paul is going to talk about 753 01:06:58,920 --> 01:07:03,340 that with the Thessalonian church as they walk in righteousness, not just the command 754 01:07:03,340 --> 01:07:08,800 of God, but why do we follow this command, and how are we able to do that. 755 01:07:08,800 --> 01:07:12,660 So we're here Wednesday night, up here, upstairs at 7 p.m. 756 01:07:12,660 --> 01:07:16,660 Also, as we've been going through the Book of Acts, you may know that the Book of Acts 757 01:07:16,660 --> 01:07:20,160 was written to a man by the name of Theophilus. 758 01:07:20,160 --> 01:07:27,260 And so if you haven't had a chance, downstairs in the video room, there is a puppy named 759 01:07:27,260 --> 01:07:34,040 Theophilus, Theo for short, and he's a pretty adorable, I was going to say little guy, but 760 01:07:34,040 --> 01:07:37,060 he is part Newfoundland and part poodle, so he is not a little guy. 761 01:07:37,400 --> 01:07:38,860 and he will only get bigger. 762 01:07:38,860 --> 01:07:40,960 So if you haven't had a chance to say hi 763 01:07:40,960 --> 01:07:43,000 to Cody and Holly's new addition to their family, 764 01:07:43,000 --> 01:07:46,560 Theo, you can do that downstairs. 765 01:07:46,560 --> 01:07:47,700 I'm going to go ahead and pray. 766 01:07:47,700 --> 01:07:51,360 We'll read a little bit of words from Peter 767 01:07:51,360 --> 01:07:53,960 at the end of his letter, 768 01:07:53,960 --> 01:07:55,520 the second letter to the church, 769 01:07:55,520 --> 01:07:58,020 and then we'll sing the doxology. 770 01:07:58,020 --> 01:08:00,180 Father in heaven, thank you for your church and your people. 771 01:08:00,180 --> 01:08:03,280 Thank you for the joy that you bring into our lives 772 01:08:03,280 --> 01:08:04,960 through our brothers and sisters in Christ 773 01:08:04,960 --> 01:08:06,440 and their comfort and encouragement 774 01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:13,620 to us. Thank you for the teaching of your word. Thank you for the reminder of the gospel as we 775 01:08:13,620 --> 01:08:19,760 broke the bread and drank the cup together and were nourished by the power of your love and 776 01:08:19,760 --> 01:08:25,000 grace. We thank you for all the ways in which you have cared for us, provided for us, and you will 777 01:08:25,000 --> 01:08:30,980 provide for us. We just thank you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Paul writes this at the end of 778 01:08:30,980 --> 01:08:32,640 2 Peter, he will say this, 779 01:08:32,640 --> 01:08:34,880 Grow in the grace and knowledge 780 01:08:34,880 --> 01:08:36,800 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 781 01:08:36,800 --> 01:08:39,060 To Him be the glory both now 782 01:08:39,060 --> 01:08:40,380 until the day of eternity. 783 01:08:40,380 --> 01:08:41,140 Amen. 784 01:08:41,140 --> 01:08:52,980 Praise God from whom 785 01:08:52,980 --> 01:08:55,260 blessings flow. 786 01:08:55,260 --> 01:08:57,260 Praise Him 787 01:08:57,260 --> 01:08:59,240 all creatures here 788 01:08:59,240 --> 01:09:00,280 below. 789 01:09:00,980 --> 01:09:06,400 Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts 790 01:09:06,400 --> 01:09:11,860 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 791 01:09:30,980 --> 01:10:00,960 Thank you. 792 01:10:00,980 --> 01:10:30,960 Thank you. 793 01:10:30,980 --> 01:11:00,960 Thank you.