The+First+Missionary+Journey

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=**Barnabas and Saul commissioned (13:1-3)**=

The church at Syrian Antioch commissioned Saul and Barnabas. The presence of the teachers and prophets were noted in the scriptures, so this confirms that the calling takes place during a time of congregational worship.[|[1]] There are two important things about the list of the teachers given in these verses. One is that the list is very diverse and the other is that the role of the Holy Spirit in the commissioning.[|[2]] Luke is making it clear that much like the Holy Spirit was involved in the beginning of the public ministry of both Jesus and the apostles, the church sends Barnabas and Saul out under the direction of the Holy Spirit.[|[3]] The Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to be separated out from the body so that they could be sent on to special work to bring the message of the coming Messiah.[|[4]] This isn’t a calling for a new role, because their role was determined before their calling. Instead it is an identification of the specific work that the Lord has called them too. It does not show in these beginning verses what exact ministry that they will be doing on this first missionary journey.[|[5]] There were three responses from the Antioch believers before sending out Saul and Barnabas, these were that they fasted, prayed, and laid hands on the men as they sent them out.[|[6]]

= = =**Saul and Barnabas in Cyprus. (13:4-12)**=

Saul and Barnabas going to Cyprus begin the first overseas missionary journey. Saul and Barnabas had to travel sixty miles north to reach Cyprus.[|[7]] The reason that they chose to go north is because of Barnabas. Barnabas was from Cyprus and already had connections to the island. In Acts 11:19 it tells that the church has already been planted in Cyprus at the time of their missionary journey.[|[8]] There is no sign that the goal in this journey was to focus on the church. Their goal in Cyprus was to preach the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews and to focus on evangelism. Saul and Barnabas met a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. Bar-Jesus was a magician, a false prophet, and a Jew. Bar-Jesus was in the service of a leading Roman official that was named Sergius Paulus. Sergius Paulus was a proconsul, which means he was the administrator of a senatorial province.[|[9]] It was Sergius Paulus that summoned Barnabas and Saul to himself so that he might hear the message of God. Sergius Paulus was a very wise man. However because of Bar-Jesus things became harder for Saul and Barnabas. Bar-Jesus was not just a magician but he was a false prophet. It was not a mistake that he had attached himself to the Roman proconsul because in the kingdom of darkness and evil there is an eagerness to influence people who are in a ruling position.[|[10]] A lot of the evil in the world is traced to the wicked influence of “spiritual forces of wickedness”. It is significant that Bar-Jesus was part of the service of Sergius Paulus because his wickedness could prevent Barnabas and Saul from being able to share the gospel with Sergius Paulus. Saul and Barnabas had to battle Bar-Jesus for the soul of Sergius Paulus. This internal pressure is part of Satan’s strategy to ruin the mission to the Gentiles. A third man who became involved was a magician named Elymas and he was opposed to the missionary effort of Saul and Barnabas. Paul takes the lead in the challenge against the magician and he confronts him under the guidance of the Spirit. Paul delivered a strong judgment against the magician and the man became temporarily blind.[|[11]] Saul is then renamed to Paul and from this moment Paul is no longer accompanying Barnabas on the missionary journey, but Barnabas is accompanying Paul. The name change is significant because it shows that Paul is now a leader in their group. Paul adopts this new name and no longer uses his Hebrew name. Because he was a Roman citizen, he already had multiple names. Paul is also at a point where he is working with the Gentiles so it makes sense for him to adopt a Gentile name. Paul was empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit and when he cursed Elymas with blindness he showed his apostolic authority.[|[12]]

=**Paul and Barnabas in Pisidian Antioch (13:13-52)**=

The next stop on their missionary journey was in Phrygia Galatica, which was a civil and military center. It was a very long and hard journey to get to Antioch. It would have caused them much pain and been very challenging. Pisidian Antioch had a large Jewish population.[|[13]] As what was his pattern, Paul went to speak to the people in their synagogue service on the Sabbath. Paul was not an inexperienced preacher, he had preached in Damascus immediately after his conversion. He had felt that the Lord had called him to preaching and he could hardly help but preach. Paul had a commitment to preaching the Word of God. Many churches lack biblically sound preaching, but Paul was not one of those preachers. Often the significance of biblical preaching is downplayed but it should play a significant role in the church today.[|[14]] As it was a custom in the synagogue, Paul had to be granted the right to address the synagogue since he was a visiting rabbi. He shared with the audience the common ground of the Old Testament and Paul used that common ground as a point to where he could present the gospel.[|[15]] The text clearly shows how the Holy Spirit sovereignly gave Paul a clear opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the synagogue. Paul gives an evangelistic message that is themed around Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Paul’s purpose was to present Jesus as the much-anticipated Messiah but he knew that he could not come right off the bat and say that. Paul knew he had to gain the attention of his listeners. He gained his listeners attention by beginning with a review of Israel’s history to the Jews and God-fearers who are present in the synagogue.[|[16]] He gave the history God’s care for Israel. He begins with explaining how the God of Israel chose who their fathers were and he made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt. He continues to explain the history with explaining how God did not forget the people in their time of need and he led them out from Egypt. Then Paul mentioned the conquest, which was the period of the judges and the plea for a king. He used a series of interventions by God, of Israel. Paul addressed the sons of Abraham and described those who fear God.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[17]] Paul goes through all of the history of Israel up to when God removed Saul from kingship and raised David to be the king. He used the message of history to point to the message of salvation and to Jesus Christ. Much like the Old Testament history pointing to Christ, so also does the Old Testament prophecy. Paul goes through the Old Testament prophecies to explain how this points to a coming Messiah. Through history and through prophecy, Paul showed that Jesus was the offspring of David and that he was the one who would fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. This was the point in Paul’s message, to point towards the coming of the Messiah.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[18]] Paul begins to talk about John the Baptist and describes how he was pointing the way to Christ by preparing for him. However, John the Baptist declared that he was not the one who was coming in the form of a Messiah and he was not even worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus. Paul came to a point in his sermon where he made salvation available for all who would receive. Paul called on his audience to watch carefully and to be careful that they would not fall into judgment as the prophets had warned them in the past. Failure of responding to this would result in judgment. He calls them to repent because people can receive forgiveness of sin through the living Jesus.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[19]] This is the climax of the message as it was lead up to by the history and the prophecy that pointed to the coming Messiah. This message was a huge moment because it summarized Christ’s entire work, which had not been believed up until this point.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[20]] After they left the synagogue, the worshippers who wanted to hear them continue to speak stopped Paul and Barnabas. Some of the people were impressed by the message that Paul preached and invited him to come back on the following Sabbath to continue teaching to them on the topic of the coming Messiah.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[21]] Many people were urging the men to come back and preach more on this topic. Hearing things about Jesus Christ and the Gospel interested them, although some were still very uncommitted. Many people continued to talk with them and because of this many Jews avoided speaking to Paul and Barnabas.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[22]] Paul and Barnabas were attracting the Gentiles to the Christian faith. Paul preached a second time on the next Sabbath and there was a positive reception of them, which caused some of the Jewish leadership to be against Paul. Because of the jealousy of those leaders and because he preached for the sake of the name of Jesus, Paul was hated. The Gentiles were not accustomed to observing the Sabbath day and yet the people took the time to come and hear what Paul and Barnabas had to preach on about the gospel of Christ. There was a positive response that the missionaries received from the Gentiles and that proved that God was blessing them, as they are missionaries. There was already conflict with the Jews and after this message they turned even more against Paul and Barnabas. Paul became much more hated for the name of Christ. Paul was bold in his second message to these people.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[23]] He firstly talks to the people about how their rejection for the message. The Jews had taken the word of God and taken it out of their lives. He then explained how they had judged themselves but they needed to realize that they are able to have eternal life in Christ because of the coming Messiah. The people are responsible for their rejection of the salvation of Christ. Lastly Paul speaks to the Gentiles because of the rejection of the Jews. Paul explained to them how the he is obedient to the commission that God has given him and that he’ll obey the commission at all costs. He desires to model what the commitment of the church is to all people. Paul tells the people that the Lord commanded Barnabas and Paul to take on this commission of being guides to the nations. Paul and Barnabas are now put into a position that they are seen as the extension of the work of Jesus. The Gentiles rejoiced when they heard this message that Paul preached. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[24]] <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The purposes of Paul’s messages were to spread the word of the coming Messiah amongst the people and they were very successful. People who had never heard of this now knew, and people who had never been interested were now interested. There was much growth amongst the community.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[25]] However, the Jewish leadership encourages men and women to run Paul and Barnabas out of the city. This happens because of the outreach that Paul and Barnabas had to the Gentiles. Paul and Barnabas had to leave the city. This missionary journey to Pisidian Antioch indicated a turn to the Gentiles becoming the audience to the message of the Messiah.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[26]]

=**Paul and Barnabas in Iconium (14:1-7)**=

Iconium was another stop on Paul and Barnabas’ missionary journey. Iconium was a ruling center in the region. They were going to undertake evangelizing this town to convert many Jews and Greeks.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[27]] Paul and Barnabas went to the synagogue to begin meeting with people, as was their usual pattern. The reason that they went to the synagogue first was because if they had gone to the Gentiles first, they would not have been able to go the synagogue. It says in the text that there were a large number of both Jews and Gentiles that believed in this location. The Jews who were not believers stirred up the Gentiles who were unbelievers against Paul and Barnabas, but the men decided to stay and continue their effort for the gospel. They spent a very long time in Iconium and as they spent time in Iconium their enemies began to ruin their reputation amongst the people. It should be expected that when the gospel is clearly presented that this type of persecution would happen. However, this persecution motivated Paul and Barnabas to speak out more boldly to the people. One commentary explains boldness as an “essential quality without which nothing significant can be accomplished for the gospel. Boldness is what enables believers to persist in the face of opposition.”<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[28]] Especially because of persecution, Paul and Barnabas were known by their boldness. Part of the significance of the acts of divine power being done through these men affirmed that they were speaking for God. The miracles were the confirmation that Paul and Barnabas spoke a message of grace for sinner from God. Eventually they discovered that there was a plot to stone them and because of that they had to flee to Lystra and Derbe. Paul and Barnabas were bold men, but they knew when it was foolish and they knew that they could no longer stay in Iconium. It was not because they were cowards that they fled, but it was because of their good judgment.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[29]] They realized that there was nothing more that they could obtain while staying in Iconium and this proved to them that they need to move on to the next town. The pattern of preaching, acceptance, and rejection continues on in their missionary journey.

=**Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe (14:8-20)**=

The next step on the missionary journey was to Lystra and this is the home to Timothy. Their time in Lystra begins by Paul having an interaction with a man who desires to be healed. This becomes a healing that is a miracle story that becomes the opportunity to bring the Gospel to the people. This is a parallel between Peter and Paul. Peter healed the cripple at the temple gate and Paul healed this man in Lystra. This lame man had his condition since he was born and he had never walked in his entire life. After observation Paul sees that he is a man of faith and he knows that the man wants to be healed. Paul commanded the man to stand and the man were healed; this is considered Paul’s first public miracle. Paul does not immediately share the gospel in this situation, but instead this is used a picture which shows the power of God. This miracle shows that God’s power is completely necessary for his work to be accomplished. It shows how that when someone becomes a believer than they have the power of the Holy Spirit to help people live in obedience to the truth. Because of the Holy Spirit people can be used to aid in transformation of the souls of people. Paul healed this man with the purpose of gaining the interest of the people. He wanted them to be ready to hear the gospel. The crowd was amazed at what Paul had done to the crippled man and they believed that Barnabas and Paul were gods because of the miracle that Paul preformed. The crowd compares Paul to the god of interpretation, Hermes, and they compare Barnabas to Zeus, who they consider the leader. With them comparing Barnabas to Zeus, the people are suggesting that Barnabas is the elder of the two men.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[30]] The people see Paul and Barnabas as being divine men because of the miracle. The people spoke a different language then Paul and Barnabas so at first they did not understand what the people were discussing. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes when they heard this, as a sign of deep emotional agitation and to try to stop the procession. They were deeply upset because they wanted to make sure that God received the honor and not them because they were not gods.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[31]] Their goal was to bring the good news of Christ and not for the goal of bringing the attention to be on them. Their effort in sharing the gospel with the community actually divided it because of this conflict. Paul speaks to the crowds to change their orientation from being focused on dead idols to the God who is alive. He further explains that there is no excuse for not responding to the Creator. The message that Paul gave left the crowd very upset and ready to sacrifice Paul and Barnabas. The Jews who were against Paul showed up to speak against him and these men were ironically taking part in many of the same activities that Paul participated in before he was a believer. Paul was stoned by these men and is left for dead. If it were not because of Barnabas and Paul bringing the gospel of Christ to this crowd, the people would have thought that they were Jews and the stoning would probably not have happened. Barnabas was absent in the stoning because he wasn’t the one who was the speaker like Paul was. But Paul survived because of the grace that God allowed him too] live. After the stoning Paul fled for Derbe, which is thirty-five miles from Lystra. Barnabas and Paul had to flee from this location as well.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[32]] =**Paul and Barnabas return to Antioch (14:21-28)**=

On their return to Antioch Paul and Barnabas went back through Lystra and Iconium where they encouraged the believers who were there. They also appointed leadership in the churches and left elders to oversee the different congregations. They commit the leaders and the church as a whole to the service of the Lord. They not only are doing this for administrative purposes but for spiritual purposes with prayer and fasting. Paul and Barnabas then returned to their sending church that put them out on the mission field.<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[33]] When they arrived back to their sending church they reported to the community what God had done throughout their time speaking to different people. They explained how God had granted access to the Gentiles. There was much progress made with bringing the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. This was the completion of the first missionary journey. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[34]]

__Work Cited__ Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print. MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The New Interpreter's Bible: General Articles & Introduction, Commentary, & Reflections for Each Book of the Bible, including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books in Twelve Volumes. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Nashville: Abingdon, 2003. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Fernando, Ajith//. Acts.// Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Johnson, Luke Timothy., and Daniel J. Harrington//. The Acts of the Apostles.// Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Kistemaker, Simon. //New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles.// Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Parsons, Mikeal Carl//. Acts.// Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. Print//.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Stott, John R. W. //The Spirit, the Church, and the World : the Message of Acts.// Seoul: Korea InterVarsity, 1992. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fitzmyer, Joseph A//. The Acts of the Apostles.// New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Calvin, Jean, and Henry Beveridge. //Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles by John Calvin//. Edinburgh: [s.n.], 1844. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[1]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[2]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[3]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[4]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[5]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fernando, Ajith. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[6]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[7]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[8]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Calvin, Jean, and Henry Beveridge. //Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles by John Calvin//. Edinburgh: [s.n.], 1844. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[9]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[10]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[11]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Johnson, Luke Timothy., and Daniel J. Harrington. //The Acts of the Apostles//. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1992. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[12]] //The New Interpreter's Bible: General Articles & Introduction, Commentary, & Reflections for Each Book of the Bible, including the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books in Twelve Volumes.// Nashville: Abingdon, 2003. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[13]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[14]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[15]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[16]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Acts of the Apostles. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[17]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fernando, Ajith. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[18]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[19]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Stott, John R. W. //The Spirit, the Church, and the World : the Message of Acts//. Seoul: Korea InterVarsity, 1992. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[20]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Parsons, Mikeal Carl. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[21]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[22]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Calvin, Jean, and Henry Beveridge. //Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles by John Calvin//. Edinburgh: [s.n.], 1844. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[23]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[24]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[25]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Kistemaker, Simon. //New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[26]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[27]] //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Acts of the Apostles. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print. //

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[28]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[29]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Stott, John R. W. //The Spirit, the Church, and the World : the Message of Acts//. Seoul: Korea InterVarsity, 1992. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[30]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[31]] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Kistemaker, Simon. //New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[32]] MacArthur, John. //Acts 13-28//. Chicago: Moody, 1996. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[33]] Bock, Darrell L. //Acts//. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007. Print <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[34]] //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Acts of the Apostles. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print //.

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