The Unknown God
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Good morning. This is Insights with
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Pastor John and today we're going to be
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talking about the unknown God.
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Um, let's pray. Lord, we just thank you
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and praise you for all the things you
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do. God, we ask that you focus our minds
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and our hearts on your word and that you
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open us to the anointing, Lord, that we
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need to understand your word. In Jesus
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name we pray. Amen.
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So, the unknown god.
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This is
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probably one of the most amazing stories
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in the book of Acts. It's in chapter 17.
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But before we get jump into it, we need
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to lay a little background information
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here. This is after Paul and Silas were
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uh beaten and jailed in the city of
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Philippi.
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um they had come to the city. They were
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in uh Macedonia.
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they were preaching the gospel and the
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Jews got offended at their word and they
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created a
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uh almost a riot uh kind of like what
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we're seeing going on with uh like a
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couple nights ago when Turning Point was
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at Berkeley uh UC Berkeley in California
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and there was a riot outside because
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people didn't didn't want them there
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and uh so what's going on is They they
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left Philippi. They were in
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Thessalonica.
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Um they had to smuggle Paul out of out
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of Berea because of of people who were
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they were against what he had to say.
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And uh they they snuck him out of Berea
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and he goes into Athens where he's
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waiting on Silas and Timothy to arrive.
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And the spirit stirs him up. And this
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that's in verse 16 to 21. He goes
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walking through the town and looking at
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everything and then Paul comes to a
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place called the aerial goas. It's a
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place of debate. It's where philosophers
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went to present their philosophy. And
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we're going to pick up in verse 22.
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And uh
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Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and
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said, "You men of Athens, I perceive
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that in all things you are too
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superstitious.
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For as I passed by and beheld your
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devotions, I found an altar with this
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inscription to the unknown God. Whom
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therefore you ignorantly worship him
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declare I unto you.
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God, God that made the world and all
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things therein, seeing that he is Lord
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of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in
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temples made with hands, neither is
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worshiped with men's hands, as though he
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needed anything, seeing he giveth life
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to uh giveth to all life and breath, and
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all things, and hath made of one blood
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all nations of men, for to dwell on all
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the face of the earth, and hath
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determined the times before appointed,
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and the bounds of their habitation.
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that they should seek the Lord if if
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happily they might feel after him and
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find him, though he be not far from
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every one of us. For in him we live and
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move and have our being. As certain also
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of your own poets have said, for we are
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also his offspring.
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For as much then as we are the offspring
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of God, we ought not to think that the
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Godhead is like unto gold or silver or
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stone, graven by art and man's device.
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And the times of this ignorance God
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winked at, but now commandeth all men
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everywhere to repent,
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because he hath appointed a day in into
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which he will judge the world in
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righteousness by that man whom he hath
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ordained, whereof he hath given
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assurance unto all men, in that he hath
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raised him from the dead. And when they
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heard of the resurrection of the dead,
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some mocked, and others said, "We will
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hear thee again of this matter." So Paul
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departed from among them. How be it,
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certain men clave unto him, and
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believed, among which was Dionasus and
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Ariopagga, and a woman named Dearis, and
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others with him. And we're looking at
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this because if you look at this with an
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open mind and open heart, you can see
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how this parallels the very world we
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live in
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right now. The generation that we're
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reaching in in uh
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in the world and on the campuses of our
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colleges and places of great debate, so
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to speak.
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People from the ages of 18 to 40 are
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starting to have a spiritual reawakening
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and they're seeking truth, but they
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don't know where to look.
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And so the the what we need to
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understand is people are ignorant, not
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stupid, ignorant of God. And it's your
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my responsibility to share with them who
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God truly is. Now, have you ever met
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someone who seemed familiar,
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but you couldn't quite remember their
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name? You recognize the face, but not
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the relationship. Um,
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many people today treat God that way.
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They sense there's a divine presence.
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That's a spiritual search that these
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people are. They even talk about him,
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but they don't really know him.
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uh we can know
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who who Jesus is without knowing Jesus.
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And that's what this is about is that
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deeper relationship of actually knowing
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Jesus. In the city of Athens, Paul found
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a similar situation. The people had
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temples for every god imaginable. Yet
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one
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altar stood out to the unknown god. They
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admitted that in all their knowledge and
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religion, there was still something
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missing. Paul used that moment to
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introduce them to the one they were
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missing, the living, personal, and
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rebuilded God through Jesus Christ.
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Athens was the heart of Greek culture.
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It was filled with art and idols and
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intellectual pride. The Athenians
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worshiped many gods, each representing
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different aspects of life, war, wisdom,
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love, harvest, and more. But they feared
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missing one. So they built an altar to
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the unknown god. It was a symbol of both
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spiritual hunger and human uncertainty.
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When Paul arrived, he wasn't impressed
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by their wisdom. He was burdened by
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their lostness. And the Bible says his
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spirit was stirred in him when he saw
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the city holy given to idolatry. That's
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Acts 17:16. Yet Paul didn't respond with
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anger. He responded with compassion and
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clarity. He didn't condemn them. He
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connected with them. Standing in the
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aerial pagus, a public place of debate,
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he reasoned with philosophers and
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thinkers using their own altar as a
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doorway to the gospel. Sounds kind of
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like what Charlie Kirk was doing uh when
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he got shot. Paul's message reveals a
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timeless truth. People can have
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religion, but not a relationship. They
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may know about God, but they but not
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know him personally. And today, millions
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around the world acknowledge a higher
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power,
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but live without peace, forgiveness, or
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eternal assurance. Like the Athenians,
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they worship what they do not know.
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Every human heart has a built-in longing
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for the divine, a spiritual emptiness
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that can't be filled by success,
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pleasure, or possessions.
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Augustine once said, "Our hearts are
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restless until they rest in thee. We see
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this restlessness in modern so modern
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society. People searching for identity,
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chasing meaning and yet feeling empty.
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Look at all the loonies out there that
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you know they men who think they're
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women and women who think they're men
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and uh people who dress up like animals
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and call themselves furies. um they
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can't identify whether they're male or
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female, so they say they're androgynous.
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When in the beginning, God created male
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and female. That's what he created.
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That's all he created. Everything else
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is just a a man man's invention trying
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to find an and fill an empty hole that
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only Jesus can fill. So the altar in
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Athens still stands in modern form. It's
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the career altar, the pleasure altar,
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the self altar. People worship what they
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think will bring them peace. But peace
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never comes because only the true God
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can satisfy the soul he created. Paul's
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message in Acts 17 gives us four
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revelations about this unknown God. And
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each one brings us closer to
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understanding who he truly is and why
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knowing him personally changes
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everything.
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Paul said, "The unknown God is the
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creator of all things." Paul begins with
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creation. God that made the world and
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all things therein, seeing that he is
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Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not
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in temples made with hands.
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He declares that God is not one among
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many. He is the creator of all. The
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Athenians built gods out of gold,
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silver, and stone. But Paul rebuilds a
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God who made gold, silver, and stone
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themselves. The creator doesn't need our
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temples. We need him for life and
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breath. Acts 17:28 says, "Forin in him
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we live and move and have our being."
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Think of a painter in his painting.
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The canvas depends on the artist, but
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the artist doesn't depend on the c
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canvas. If the painting is damaged, the
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artist can resort. Likewise, creation
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depends on its creator who can renew
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what is broken. If God created you, then
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your purpose is found in him alone. Life
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apart from the creator is life without
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direction. True life begins when we
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acknowledge God not as an idea but as
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the author of our existence.
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The unknown God is the sustainer and
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rooter of life.
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Paul continues, "Neither is worshiped
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with men's hands as though he needed
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anything, seeing he giveth to to all
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life and breath and all things." God
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doesn't need our help. We need his. We
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need his grace. We need his
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self-sufficiency.
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But we are completely dependent on him.
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Every breath we take is a gift. Paul
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also says, "God hath made of one blood
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all nations of men, showing that all
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humanity is equal before him."
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Acts 17:25, "He giveth to all life and
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breath and all things."
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When you unplug a lamp from its socket,
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it goes dark. Not because the bulb
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failed, but because it's lost its
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source. In the same way, when we dis
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disconnect from God, our spiritual light
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fades.
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You may think you're strong or
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self-made, but every heartbeat is
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borrowed grace. God sustains your life
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because he has a purpose for it.
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Dependence on God is not weakness, it's
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wisdom.
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The unknown God is near and knowable.
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Paul proclaims that they should seek the
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Lord if happily they might feel after
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him and find him, though he be not far
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from every one of us. Acts 17:27.
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This is revolutionary.
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The God who created the universe is not
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distant. He's close. The Athenians
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thought of gods as far away, but Paul
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says he is near. James 4:8 says, "Draw
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nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
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you." A blindfolded child in a room may
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cry out for her father. And though she
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cannot see him, the father takes her
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hand and whispers, "I'm here." That's
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how God reaches out to us through his
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spirit. Not distance, but near enough to
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touch our hearts. You may feel
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forgotten, but God is closer than your
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next breath. He wait for your
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perfection. He waits for you to
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surrender.
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And the distance between you and God is
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not measured in miles.
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but in willingness to believe.
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The unknown God is revealed in redeeming
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through Jesus Christ.
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Paul concludes powerfully, "At the times
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of this ignorance, God winked at.
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But now commandeth all men everywhere to
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repent."
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In other words, God once overlooked
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humanity's ignorance, but now he has
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revealed himself fully in Jesus Christ.
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Through the cross and resurrection, the
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unknown god has become the revealed
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savior.
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John 14:9 Jesus says, "He that has seen
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me has seen the father." Imagine living
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in darkness and suddenly someone lights
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a candle and you finally see what was
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always there. Christ is that light.
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Through him, God steps out of mystery
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into relationship.
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You can know God today not as a concept
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but as a father. The way is open through
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Jesus Christ who died for your sins and
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rose again to give you new life. What
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was once unknown has now been made known
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through the son of God?
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So you have to ask yourself questions.
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What altars have I built in my life that
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take God's place? Do I see God as
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distant or near? And why?
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How does understanding God as a creator
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change the way you see yourself?
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What does it mean to truly know God
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through Jesus Christ? And what step of
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faith can I take this week to draw
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closer to him?
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The first step is the most important
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step. It's repent and believe.
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Then you have to identify the idols that
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you built in your life and start working
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to remove them with God's help and God's
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direction. You need to share the message
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that there's hope that God has a better
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way. And you need to to build a time of
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personal worship with God. Not a
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religious routine where you go to church
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once a week and and tell someone how
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sorry you are about the things you've
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done, but actually spend time in
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connection with the God who created you
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to bring you to a place uh where you can
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be set free. The word of God has uh it
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does two things. It convicts you of
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where you're at and it converts you by
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giving you a way out.
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The unknown God is not distant but
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desires to be known personally. Through
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Jesus Christ, God revealed himself as
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creator, sustainer, and redeemer. What
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was once a mystery can now be a living
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relationship with the Savior.
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The word uh agnosttos means unknown or
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unrecognized. It's the same root as as
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the word agnostic. One who claims God
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cannot be known. Paul turns this concept
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upside down proclaiming that God has
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made himself known in Christ Jesus. The
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Old and New Testament parallel these
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things. In Exodus, God in Exodus, God
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reveals himself to Moses as I am, the
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self-existent one. In John 8:58, Jesus
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uses the same phrase, saying, "Before
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Abraham was, I am." And the unknown
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becomes the known through divine
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revelation.
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The unknown God finds his face in Jesus
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Christ, the express image of his person.
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Hebrews 1:3. Through him we move from
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ignorance to intimacy, from idolatry to
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worship, and from lostness to life
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eternal.
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I would I I would encourage you to find
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the altar to to the unknown God. It
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still stands in many hearts today. Look
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at people all around you that are
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they're they're getting crystals.
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They're trying to define their chakras.
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They're doing all these different crazy
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things when what the one thing that they
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need more than anything else is Jesus.
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And they need that relationship with
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Jesus. And they need someone to tell
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them about Jesus and provide the hope
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that Christ brought for all men.
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You can believe in something greater
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than yourself
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and not know the one who gave life, gave
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you life. He created you. today invites
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you to move from curiosity to conviction
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and from religion to relationship.
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Jesus Christ came not to add another
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altar, but to remove the distance
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between you and God. He died for your
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sins. It's a personal thing.
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He rose from the dead and now calls you
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by name. He knows who you are. No matter
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how far away from him you've walked, you
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can know him personally, not as a
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stranger, but as a savior. If you're
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ready and you open your heart and pray,
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the unknown God is waiting to reveal
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himself to you. Now, I want to close
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with this prayer. Thank you for sending
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your son, Lord,
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Jesus Christ, to reveal who you are. I
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confess that I have lived without truly
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knowing you. Today, I repent of my sin
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and believe that Jesus died and rose
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again to give me new life. Reveal
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yourself to me, Lord. fill me with your
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spirit and lead me in your truth in
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Jesus name. Amen. If you prayed that
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prayer with me, welcome to the family of
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God. Don't stop where you're standing.
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Go forward and find true meaning, true
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purpose in your life in Jesus Christ.
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Let him be the author and finisher of
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your faith. and listen to the spirit is
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it gives utterance to you
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so that you can know in a a very
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intimate and personal way just how much
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God loves you and God wants you to know
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him.
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With that, I'm going to see you guys
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next week. Jesus loves you. He has a
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wonderful plan for your life. Take the
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time to get to know him. Open your
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hearts and minds to receive him and
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you'll find how different your life will
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be. We'll see you guys next week.

