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today's episode of a new beginning

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even

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if they seem that way, some people

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are convinced, they'll never beaten pastor,

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greg laurie as good counsel i would

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see the think of someone that is a very

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his existence lox

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ah would see the start phrase for them

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by name that god get

0:40

a hold of them and bring them is as them sees

0:42

as boy because no one is beyond

0:44

the reach of

1:08

there are several groups of small who used

1:10

to say that never become religious

1:12

never dark and the door of a church building

1:15

never be caught carrying a bible today

1:18

, have one of those groups believers

1:21

believers those groups those

1:24

another , evangelists and

1:27

you know pastor drag mari is a member

1:29

of all a are offs and

1:31

today on a new beginning he brings his could encourage

1:33

sharing the good news years

1:46

they are bibles and served as a book of as

1:48

chapter eight renner

1:50

series in the book of acts

1:52

as you all know in the title of

1:54

my messages no one is

1:57

beyond the reach of got

1:59

right no one is beyond

2:01

the reach a got so i would see

2:03

the think for a moment of

2:05

someone that you know that

2:08

is not a christian we all know lots of

2:10

non christians but i would see

2:12

to think of someone that is a very

2:15

antagonistic non christian

2:18

maybe it's a neighbor maybe

2:21

it's a spouse maybe

2:23

it's a parents maybe

2:25

it's a co worker maybe

2:27

add someone else but there's someone you know

2:30

not only are they not a person but

2:32

they actually gives you a hard

2:34

time they even attacks you verbally

2:37

for your face now i wanted

2:40

to start frame for them by name

2:43

god we get hold of them and bring

2:45

them into the king the boy because no

2:47

one is beyond the reach of

2:49

god that's something that we need

2:52

to all remember no one is

2:54

beyond the reach of god's no

2:56

one is unstable even

2:58

if they seem that way either

3:01

we know people who have gone out me the mess out

3:03

of their lives they've made a lot of bad decisions

3:06

as a brief the consequences of it

3:08

and we see that person will never change said

3:11

drug addicts will never get off drugs

3:13

that of all it's will never stop drinking

3:15

submersible never stop living

3:17

that way so why would you say that with

3:20

god all things are possible

3:22

he concedes people he

3:24

, concedes

3:27

or resolve funny thing half of the migrants

3:29

and christopher are not long ago

3:31

he was out with a friend and the olsen and

3:34

they were plane and mom says it's time to

3:36

go and so the big z

3:38

back in and jonathan notice at

3:40

his son had all these little red

3:42

marks on his face he said someone

3:45

up and the your face christopher said

3:47

when we were playing with a jellyfish

3:51

and mom said it was time to go so

3:53

we said goodbye so

3:56

i thought this suburb of as i said uses

4:00

the only does it bother you said yes

4:02

i we thought we were to seen the top

4:04

of the jolly verse what's i don't even

4:06

know thats a good idea but i

4:08

do we were just seems the bottom of

4:10

the jolly verse and so

4:13

he of these little red marks and does so the

4:15

moral of the story is never kissed

4:17

a jellyfish get that right oh yes

4:20

oh god gives us absolutes in the bible

4:23

he tells the things that are right wrong

4:25

to avoid sort of like when you you go to

4:27

disneyland, you know that ride octopia,

4:30

you know, it has like those concrete

4:33

barriers that keep you in so, even if

4:35

you're driving crazy, you're not going to to

4:37

go off the road that there to

4:39

keep you in place god gives

4:41

us parameters, he gives us

4:43

certain absolutes and when we leave those

4:45

parameters that we're going to the

4:48

consequences that we've seen people

4:50

do that having said that,

4:52

no one is beyond the reach of

4:54

god and i want to look two

4:57

men in the bible that are placed

4:59

side-by-side saul of tarsus and

5:02

simon the magician had

5:05

a a real conversion the other

5:08

did not and this is a reminder

5:10

that time will tell if a person

5:12

is really a believer as

5:14

i said before there will be three surprises

5:17

when we get the of it some of the people

5:19

we thought would be there will not be there some

5:22

of the people we never thought would be there

5:24

will be there third surprised will be

5:26

there hi moselle

5:29

time will tell who the real

5:31

believers ours because there are some

5:33

that have that great big profession

5:36

big profession is very public is very

5:38

loud and then they just

5:41

fall away with talked about them and

5:43

the parable of the so are the see

5:45

that was sewn on the grounds that shot of

5:47

quickly but it withered

5:50

in the seeds of the sub

5:52

because it never got roots

5:54

so we've seen people like that then

5:56

there are some the make up for a person of faith they

5:58

fall together again they fall

6:01

together begin they fall and this

6:03

just goes on and on and on and then in

6:05

the end the like really rally let

6:07

me come through with flying colors

6:10

then there are others that looked like they will never

6:13

ever come to christ

6:16

and as i mentioned that's a kind of person that might

6:18

mark criticize or embarrass

6:20

you but here's something to think about

6:23

the person that is giving you the hardest

6:25

time the actually be closer

6:27

to the kingdom of god then the person

6:30

who has you might talk

6:32

to someone about your face talked about how jesus

6:34

as seems to talk about how much

6:36

you love to go to church and read the bible

6:39

and then you see the them would you like to come to thursdays

6:41

and sundays it's i'd love to about

6:44

this sunday and busy our

6:46

the following city still busy about

6:49

this and the up to that i'm busy but

6:51

i'm so glad they safe the to

6:53

found religion you seem

6:55

like a happier person than

6:57

you're used to be ads and i think this is great

7:00

so they seem all that but they're very

7:02

warm and they're never i am

7:04

salty many go to someone else and they

7:06

scream at zoo and and throw you

7:09

know the staple are are two or something of this

7:11

person is crazy as could

7:13

be there are acting that way because are

7:15

under the conviction of the

7:17

holy spirit that is exactly

7:19

what we see here in the story

7:21

of the conversion of saul

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of tarsus it's been said when

7:26

you throw a rock into a pack of dogs

7:28

the one that barks allowed us is the

7:30

one that got shit this

7:33

man was freaking out against

7:35

the surge of course we already saw how

7:38

he presided over the us deaths of

7:40

the first murder of the church the

7:42

courageous young stephen

7:45

the set of satisfying him

7:47

this only seen those throw more fuel

7:50

on the fire and then song

7:52

med caesar's on the road to damascus

7:55

and he changed overnight it was the most

7:57

radical and unexpected conversion

8:00

the church history so

8:02

unexpected that when the believers were

8:04

told solid become a good send their

8:06

responses there's no way that

8:08

could not even possibly have happened

8:11

but it actually did happen and

8:13

know this man who had previously

8:15

been dedicated to the destruction

8:18

of the surge was now dedicated

8:20

to the spread of the church

8:23

he would be consoled by he

8:26

was now motivated by

8:28

love his conversion

8:30

was so notable and significance

8:33

at the bible men since it no less than three

8:35

times it was such an unlikely

8:38

event that mls sensory

8:40

there was there was who thought it should not be that

8:42

hard to disprove and

8:44

in doing so he felt he could

8:46

also disprove the rest of the new testaments

8:49

his name was george little tense

8:51

and he wrote a book titled observations

8:54

on the conversion and apostle

8:56

sip of st paul and his

8:58

little thin thought to disprove

9:00

the story he became more and

9:02

more convinced that the story was

9:04

true and in the yen little

9:06

thin am self seem to believe in jesus

9:09

christ and as conclusion was

9:11

quotes paused and version and apostle

9:13

zip alone duly considered or

9:15

a demonstration sufficient approved

9:18

christianity's to be a divine

9:20

revelation and twelve and

9:22

after his encounter with jesus

9:25

all later to become the apostle

9:27

paul blink is that frail levy

9:29

behind searches and converts

9:32

he preached to philosophers and ferriss

9:34

and rulers and soldiers and

9:36

sorcerers had sailors

9:39

as slaves the most likely

9:41

to caesar himself this

9:43

single man scenes the

9:46

world greg

9:49

worry i'll have the second half of his message

9:52

and just a moment so

9:54

many listeners have commented on the help

9:56

they received from resources we make

9:58

available at a newbie

9:59

like this listener

10:02

to crack i was sitting

10:04

at my grandmother's funeral this weekend

10:06

talking to my cousin about the recent loss

10:08

of his father during the conversation

10:11

i found out that my uncle was given a copy

10:13

if you're new believe responsible the

10:15

last day of his life just before

10:17

she died from a brain tumor he

10:19

understood the simple faith that you still

10:22

cars and he knew where he was going

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after this place thank god

10:26

for the hope of the gospel and his power

10:29

things you for being bold inducing

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so many avenues to get out because

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if you'd like information about pastor

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greg's new believers bible just

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contact us at harvest

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dot org that's harvest

10:44

dot o r g

10:46

today pastor greg is comparing

10:48

and contrasting the lives of two men

10:50

in the bible in a moment will

10:52

talk about simon the sorcerer but

10:55

right now he's considering saul

10:57

of tarsus good

10:59

little background on him before we

11:01

read historic we call him saul of

11:04

tarsus that's because that's

11:06

where he came from woods parses was

11:08

a very important city and the roman world

11:11

famous for it's university which

11:13

ranked among the greatest there

11:16

in the roman world and

11:18

he was roman and citizenship which

11:20

was not a small deal that would

11:22

later worked in his favor

11:24

he also was educated

11:27

in greek philosophy and

11:29

he learned roman law as well

11:31

and he was very religious he

11:34

was schooled under the legendary

11:36

come mainly yo who was known was the teachers

11:39

the teachers this zealous

11:41

young ferriss became a member

11:44

of the jurors sanhedrin that

11:46

was sort of like the supreme court

11:48

of the day the difference between

11:50

their version of the supreme court

11:52

was they ruled over spirits all and

11:55

civic tissues and so

11:57

foresaw been so young

12:00

the be a member of the court was a very procedures

12:03

position and he was a very powerful

12:05

young man a very religious

12:08

young man of same as young

12:10

man of this very religion

12:13

turned him from god and

12:15

it brings up a really important point because we will

12:17

see you know it since i need a little religious

12:19

no actually you know you

12:21

need a lot of jesus because

12:24

religion can literally keep

12:26

you from god i know technically

12:29

speaking christianity is what

12:31

would be described as a religious

12:34

but having said that if you really

12:36

get sound of the biblical definition

12:38

of it christianity is a relationship

12:41

with god through jesus

12:43

christ i'm amazed

12:46

at how religion can blind people

12:49

have sometimes people who claims to be

12:51

believers to be filled with

12:53

seats sometimes these

12:55

haters are among us

12:57

and they spend their time attack seen

13:00

any one said is not exactly

13:02

like them and they spend a little

13:05

to no time frame know reads a

13:07

lost world and said they settle

13:09

their energies and tearing each

13:12

other down the great

13:14

theologian taylor swift notice

13:16

haters gonna hate hate hate price

13:20

we've met people like this a

13:22

problem with a better person is

13:25

there never censored to keep their

13:27

bitterness to themselves they want

13:29

to spread it around the

13:31

only exercise i get is jumping

13:34

to conclusions and running

13:36

others down right answer

13:38

and this makes the holy

13:40

spirit sat spirit actually

13:43

reads the holy spirit paul

13:45

wrote in a or pieces for thirty one

13:47

from the village since village sense that the

13:49

be no more resentment no more

13:51

anger more temper no more violence

13:54

solves assertiveness no more

13:56

slander no formal lists his remarks

13:59

speak i knew each other we

14:01

understand these be ready

14:03

to forgive others for god for

14:05

christ's sake is forgiven you listen

14:07

to whatever your cause is

14:10

be a doctrinal beard something

14:13

else if it makes you a

14:15

mean argumentative melissa's

14:18

first since you've missed the point

14:21

our primary mission is

14:23

christ and the gospels

14:25

that is where our energies to be primarily

14:28

salads and the calls her scissors

14:34

might disagree with that oh

14:41

neither have not

14:44

for me that

14:47

i think you might hurt me

14:50

don't be surprised to find that the person

14:52

who winds and complains the most

14:55

that is critical of the most my

14:57

new things and the lives of

14:59

others as often guilty

15:02

something far worse when

15:04

i see a person constantly last see

15:06

now whatever their classes i

15:09

think there's something wrong with that first

15:11

and spiritually and they need to

15:13

get reconnected to

15:15

the lord of the need to get their priorities

15:18

in order and they need to return

15:20

to their first

15:26

let's begin our bibles accuracy verse

15:29

one the for

15:32

the crop of the story now new living sensation

15:34

is what i'm reading from saw was one

15:36

of the witnesses this of course

15:39

as a witness to the that's

15:41

steve any agree completely

15:43

with the killing of see been a great

15:45

wave of for six years he began that a

15:47

sweeping over the church and jerusalem

15:50

and all the believers except the apostles

15:52

are scattered to the reasons of judea

15:55

and samaria some development

15:57

team and buried stephen with great morning but

15:59

the always going everywhere to destroy

16:02

the church he went from house to house

16:04

dragon are both men and women to throw

16:07

them into prison but the believers

16:09

who were scattered breeds the good news about

16:11

jesus wherever they were

16:14

it looked up there let's at the scene so

16:16

stevens been martyred and it's

16:18

you're just spreading out fast

16:21

and in and way saul of tarsus even

16:23

before he was converted was

16:25

helping the work of the kingdom of god

16:27

how by attacking the jersey

16:30

cause i'm the spread of you see the believers

16:32

would have been censored they have a nice little

16:35

holy huddled in jerusalem

16:37

is just hang out together this

16:39

is loved to hang out together that's

16:42

a good thing it so we should but

16:45

jesus did say going to all the world

16:47

of preach the gospel and he did

16:49

sell them that they would receive power of

16:51

though the holy spirit came upon them to

16:53

be witnesses in jerusalem

16:56

jeu de are some areas

16:58

of the other most part severe than phrase

17:00

they phrase they doing that long term saw

17:03

the security men now they're

17:05

joining and god

17:07

so why was also

17:10

angry at first as well as i said he was

17:12

under the conviction of the holy

17:14

spirit and i think he

17:16

was under the condition of the spirits

17:19

after the saw the courageous

17:21

death of steve even

17:24

preached to that sanhedrin and

17:26

then as they begin to stone gm the bible

17:28

says his face signed

17:31

like an angel have you ever

17:33

seen someone space sound like an angel the

17:35

years ago i was with billion ruth graham

17:38

when they were both alive still and

17:40

other allies that would have with of course but

17:43

when they were still alive on earth and their home

17:46

and then as i get xenia was there so

17:49

billie as dennis to play a song and his

17:51

guitar dennis started to play the

17:54

hallelujah chorus from handel's

17:56

messiah and ruth

17:58

was very ill was this point she

18:00

proceeded billie to solve it's very

18:02

ill very frail but

18:04

her face just lit up a literally

18:07

she was blowing i

18:09

don't think i've ever seen anything quite like

18:11

and i just noticed this and i

18:13

looked over a billion he was looking at ruth

18:15

and smiley minutes of it after

18:17

dennis finish the songs billie

18:19

said that's the song they played on our first

18:21

day the so

18:24

apparently billie took ruth to

18:26

go see handel's messiah on their first

18:28

date and up but i saw

18:30

a peace sign like an angel and i think of

18:32

that when i read of stephen just that

18:35

greedy and said that glow are

18:38

coming from inside and then

18:40

he said lord don't hold the said against

18:42

are charged and of course he died

18:44

and went into the lord's present

18:46

so as i pointed out earlier stephen

18:48

did not live a long long that

18:51

he lived a very for what seemed

18:53

did not read thousands but he reads one

18:55

of the one he reads was a whopper

18:58

he was a lot for because

19:00

i think stephen played out direct role

19:02

in the diversion the saul

19:05

of tarsus later to become

19:08

the great apostle paul now think

19:10

about the for a moment how many of you have ever

19:13

heard of mordecai him

19:15

that many

19:16

that looks at me and order in a deli doesn't

19:18

it's all of the motorcycle on

19:21

the cemetery more , i

19:23

yam was an evangelist that went to charlotte

19:25

north carolina and held some meetings

19:28

meetings most of us don't know much about him

19:31

but one of the the young men the walk forward was

19:33

odd dairy farmer young boy named

19:35

billy frank later to become billy graham

19:38

so we don't know mordecai yeah but we do

19:40

know billy graham how many of you have

19:42

ever heard of edward symbol edward

19:45

symbol of her to him either or

19:47

edwards emerald work in a zoo store

19:50

and he had a coworker name's widen edward

19:52

was sharing the gospel with dwight and

19:54

he kept staring with swine finally dwight team

19:56

decries dwight went on to

19:58

become the great evangelist the oh

20:00

moody so we haven't heard

20:02

of edward campbell's we haven't heard of mordecai

20:05

hand but we have heard have billy graham's away

20:07

have heard of dl moody rice

20:09

so here's my question you're

20:11

what everyone should

20:13

at least have a one someone you can point

20:15

to it's a by god's grace i played

20:18

a role and that person tell me that

20:20

christ's every one of us have

20:22

one two three four ten

20:24

twenties however many the lord

20:26

gives you and your lifetime but their cities

20:28

someone you can point to face i

20:31

played a role and that may be it was just

20:33

praying maybe it was so when as seeds

20:35

well stevens one

20:38

ended up being the apostle paul

20:40

look there are times when you're scaring the

20:42

gospel people

20:44

don't seem to be listening but

20:46

i would sit and know that when you close the word

20:49

of god it is alive

20:51

and powerful and obama

20:53

return voice evolve

20:57

that's why i loved it just always

21:00

quote scripture a my messages and

21:02

, if it's individualistic messes

21:05

quoting the bible wife

21:07

because there's power in the

21:09

word of god and sometimes

21:11

that's i got fine bought it detonates

21:13

later right so the

21:16

i'm sure about that i believe that may

21:18

go home and wake up at three in the morning

21:20

on all of all sudden something new set of

21:23

facts that script for comes back

21:25

to them so have confidence in

21:27

the word of god

21:40

good encouragement today about the

21:42

need to share the message of the gospel

21:45

with those around us passer

21:47

gregorius message today here on a new beginning

21:49

called no one is beyond the reach

21:51

of god well that's

21:53

the great we're all called the share the gospel

21:55

you made that point many times it's

21:57

not just the job of the pastor or

21:59

the the angeles mice and if we work

22:01

together we can read so many

22:04

more people thousand and that's why you're

22:06

inviting our listeners to be teammates

22:08

with us aren't you yes i

22:10

would say i would use another analogy i was

22:12

analogy cold builders you know one of my

22:14

favorite stories in the bible is a story of

22:17

maya who was in was position

22:20

of great authority great authority to the king

22:22

he was called the kings cut bear which meant

22:24

that he tried to food before the

22:26

king either drank what was

22:28

served to the king before the king drank

22:30

a buddy he would end up being a counselor

22:33

to the king but one day he heard of of the

22:35

plight of his fellow jews and

22:37

how the walls of jerusalem were line

22:39

and shard rubble so

22:41

he leverage to his opportunity

22:44

and his place of influence to help

22:47

his fellow jews and he went back

22:50

let a building programme to

22:52

put the walls back up again everybody

22:55

participated everybody had

22:57

a part to play and everyone

23:00

built that part of the wall that was near

23:02

their own house so they would be

23:04

extra concerned about it because obviously

23:07

they needed that wall around them everybody

23:09

, and so when we reach

23:12

out to people and see become a harvest partner

23:14

rescue new the build the wall good old

23:16

the the cell d sins of are nice

23:19

and are crumbling this ,

23:21

we have this violence on the street

23:24

this is why we have these shootings

23:27

in schools this is

23:29

why we have all of the problems

23:31

in our culture it's the breakdown of

23:33

the families it's the brig done over

23:35

value systems and ultimately

23:37

it's because we've turned from god it's

23:40

time to build the wall back up

23:42

again in every stone

23:44

matters in every gift

23:47

matters and everything you can do

23:49

to help us here at harvest ministries

23:51

to rebuild the foundation the

23:54

united states matters is

23:57

welp so i'm and ask you to

23:59

join our

23:59

the

24:00

the become a part of our building crew

24:03

the help us

24:05

reach out to our nation was the only

24:07

hope that can scenes the human heart

24:09

it's not a political ads are it's

24:11

a spiritual answer or calling

24:14

people to christ join us

24:16

and you can do your part along

24:18

with others and together we

24:21

can change the world yeah that's right

24:23

it's it's a privilege to impact

24:25

our world and , guess not

24:27

just a privilege but responsibility

24:30

responsibility we hope your partner with us to make an

24:32

impact for good passer greg

24:34

as extending an invitation for thousand

24:36

new harvest partners to help

24:38

with my god is called us to do in the coming

24:40

months now given the size of

24:42

our network that's really just really handful

24:44

of new friends in each area who would step

24:46

forward and say yeah count me in so

24:50

can we count un harvest

24:52

, supporters each month and

24:54

the amount is up to you we have

24:56

some special ways to thank our new harvest

24:58

partners this month we'd like to say

25:00

thanks with a copy of pastor greg's book steve

25:03

mcqueen the salvation of an american

25:05

icon icon contact us today

25:08

just call one eight hundred eight to one

25:10

thirty three thirty call anytime

25:13

one eight hundred eight to one three

25:15

three zero zero or

25:17

go online to harvest dot

25:19

org slash partner we

25:22

hope you'll let us hear from you today

25:24

yeah everybody what are you doing this weekend

25:27

i'd like to hang out with you can harvest

25:29

at home when the service at home it

25:32

is a time of worship and bible

25:34

study exclusively designed

25:36

for people that are doing in from

25:39

all over the place so you can be a part

25:41

of our extended congregation

25:43

at harvest at home join us this

25:46

we get saturday and sunday

25:49

for harvest at home at

25:51

harvest dot org

25:53

well next time pastor gray continues

25:55

his insights from the book of acts in the

25:57

message no one is beyond the reach

25:59

of guy

26:00

the humidity run a new beginning faster

26:03

and bible teachers greg worth

26:13

thanks for listening to a new beginning

26:15

with greg laurie a podcast

26:17

made possible a harvest partners

26:20

helping people everywhere know god

26:22

sign up for daily devotions and learn

26:25

how to become a harvest partner at

26:27

harvest dot org