Saul's Encounter With God Series

Acts Part 7- Saul‟s Encounter with God

Preliminaries

Christmas Weekend Celebration Service- one service-bring your tithes/offerings plus extra- Casaverde.

Thank you- Lisa- decorating, Jeff/Lowe’s- Poinsetta.

Next week- focus on- significance of Christmas.

This week, continue with our walk through Acts.

Review/Recap

Two weeks ago- challenge-

Find someone this next week, lay hands on them, and pray for them to impart what God has given you.

Rom 1:11–12 (NASB95)

11For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;

12that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other‟s faith, both yours and mine.

Gift of Joy- Sheryl Sherman- have her pray- someone.

Last week- M Black- The Power of an Encounter w/God

Church mission statement:

Encounter God, Love People, Share Life

Every aspect of-spiritual life begins w/encounter w/God.

God is real and He desires to interact with each of us personally.

When we have an encounter with God, God ...

is reproducing His Life in us

revealing some aspect of His purposes for us

releasing His power/grace to live in His calling

God’s Word will always change our lives.

God encounters are opportunities to adjust our lives to His purposes.

Act 9.1-2 (Acts 26.10-11, Act 22.4)

In Acts 9- examine Paul’s divine encounter with God.

Paul refers Christian’s as the Way- (path, road, highway)

The Way- speaks to the reality that there is a different way to live than the way of the world.

There should be- distinction in how we live from others.

Rom 1:1 (NASB95) Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Set apart- to separate, mark off by boundaries or limits.

We are called to be a holy people- (1 Pet 1.16)

Holy- separated from sin and dedicated to God, a people set apart for God.

Act 9.3-4 (Act 22.9, 26.14)

Matt 25:40 “The King will answer and say to them, „Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.‟

Be careful how- treat another member of God’s family.

Act 9.5-6

Saul was suddenly faced w/reality- whole career (life) was based on a faulty understanding of God.

This is going to bring- radical change to how Paul lives.

We need to heed the same caution today- if we are not careful we will worship a false image of the true God.

That is why it is so important to read/study God’s Word.

Not just-picture of conversion, but-total surrender- God.

A meek man is not a weak man, but a man who quickly yields his heart/way of life to God

Story of David and Bathsheba/Uriah-

2 Sam 12:13 (NASB95) Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Up to now Saul had been doing what-

he liked,

he thought best,

his will dictated.

From this time forward he would be told what to do-

The Christian is a man who has ceased to do what he wants to do and does what Christ wants him to do. William Barclay

Act 9.7-8

The leader had now become the follower.

Whoever we are, wherever we are in life, we must always be followers of God- He leads, we follow.