Why Did Jesus Come To Earth?

WHY DID JESUS COME TO EARTH?

April 24, 2011

Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

·         Matthew 1:21: And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS: for he will save His people from their sins.

·         Matthew 18:11:  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost

·         Luke 9:56: “for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

·         Luke 19:10: for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

·         John 10:10: I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly

·         1 Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

·         John 1:29: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Why Did Man Need Jesus To Save Them From Their Sins?

Before Jesus (Old testament):

·         “The wages of sin is death…”

·         God demanded a sacrifice for the atonement/forgiveness of sin.

·         The lamb was the principal animal of sacrifice among the Jewish people at the evening and morning sacrifice.

o        The lamb is gentle, meek, and innocent

·         Sacrifices were offered morning and evening and for special holidays.

o        Ex. 29:38-42: Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39"The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;  40and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41"The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 42"It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.

o        Num. 38:3-8): You shall say to them, 'This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day.  4'You shall offer the one lamb in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 5also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a )grain offering, mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6'It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai as a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 7'Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD. 8'The other lamb you shall offer at twilight; as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering, you shall offer it, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the LORD.

o        specials days (Num. 28:11): 11'Then at the beginning of each of your months you shall present a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without defect. the Passover (28:16-19), Pentecost (28:26), Feast of the Trumpets (29:1, 2), the Day of Atonement (29:7, 8), and the Tabernacle (29:12-16). Other personal sacrifices included lambs (Lev. 12:6; 14:10-18, etc), such as the sin offerings (Lev. 4:32-35)

·         The blood of the lamb paid the penalty for sin. Romans 3:22-25

·         You could not approach God yourself but only through His chosen mediator.

o        Priest – served as mediator to plead on behalf of the people

·         Sacrifice had an expiration date

Jesus as the Sacrificial Lamb:

·         “The wages of sin is death…”

·         God demanded an offering of sacrifice for sin

·         Needed a mediator to plead on our behalf

·         Jesus as High Priest:

o        Hebrews 7:26-28 - 26Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

o        Hebrews 9:11-15 - 11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here,[b] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God! 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

o        Hebrews 9:24-28 - 24For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

o        Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews 10:1-10; Hebrews 13:11-13, 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:6-13

·         In Jesus, God provided the lamb to be used for the sacrifice of our sins.

·         The blood of Jesus paid the penalty for our sins for eternity.

Final Word:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6380Ich51lI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Jesus came to earth as a man to offer His body as a sacrifice for all our sins – past, present and future. He took the place of the lamb to be sacrificed; the priest that received the sacrificial offering and interceded on our behalf; and paid the penalty for our sins for eternity.

·         Philippians 2:6, He, "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

http://www.letusreason.org/Doct60.htm

http://www.lifeofchrist.com/life/lifescan/teachings.asp

http://www.letusreason.org/Doct53.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6380Ich51lI

http://www.biblecourses.com/English/downloads/pdfs/BAFC/08-Come_to_Earth.pdf

http://www.beverlycovenantchurch.org/pdf/2009_sermons/pdf_090913.pdf

OVERCOMING DOUBTS

WHAT IS DOUBTS?

John 20:24-29

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent full of doubt. - Bertrand Russell

Doubt is the doorway to unbelief…

• Uncertain — mistrust — apprehensive — suspicion.
• Regard as unlikely
• Lack of confidence and conviction.
• Blocks faith
• Faith –
• Heb 11:1 - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
• Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
• Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof

Why Do We Doubt?

WHY DO WE HAVE DOUBTS?

·         SIN: Your disobedience raises questions about your relationship with God.

·         IGNORANCE: If you don’t know God’s direction, you may question if you’re on the correct path.

·         HERESY: If you think you can’t sin, you deny the experience of Paul. “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom. 7:19, NKJV).

·         NOT SAVED: If you are not God’s child, you will doubt if He is your Father.

·         CONCLUSION: Because your sin nature is not eradicated, then you will always have doubts until you get to heaven.

7 Steps to Overcoming Doubts

1)       Acknowledge that you’re a doubter

2)       Trust and Rely on God. If you believe that Jesus came to die for our sins, then you have to be all in with your faith.

3)       Check your heart – meditate to figure out why you’re having doubts.

4)       Renew your mind - When doubt starts to creep in your thought, speak the word to chase it away. Romans 12:2

5)       Put the word into action

6)       Feed your faith - Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17

7)       Resist the devil – “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”James 4:7

Final Word:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaJfDg1-lFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

James 1:2-8 - 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Doubt does not come from God; it comes from satan’s evil deceptions. It’s a tool satan uses to eat away at our faith. Just like temptations, we have to fight doubt with the word. We can’t win if we just sit back and allow doubt to dominate our thoughts. Below are 3 things to keep in mind as we fight the good fight that allows our faith to be strengthened:

1. You have to believe that we can win the fight!
2. You have to keep our guards up!
3. You have to keep on fighting until you have complete victory.

http://www.andrewwommack.org/extra/article/overcome_doubt

http://www.bibleanswer.com/doubt.htm

 http://www.fillthegap.com/products-mainmenu-64/free-book/113-overcoming-doubt.html

http://www.jenniferleclaire.org/articles/entry/overcoming_doubtaholism/

http://www.armenianbrethren.org/resources/I%20Cant%20doubt%20and%20be%20a%20Christian%20Part%203.pdf

http://truthchasers.com/Sermons/Expository/051400p.pdf

http://www.born-again-christian.info/assurance.of.salvation.htm

http://www.fbinstitute.com/Voss%20Jim/Assurance1.html

I'M A CHRISTIAN – NOW WHAT???

I'M A CHRISTIAN – NOW WHAT???

Now that you have made a decision to follow Christ, you are a new creation, rebirth into a new family. Being a Christian is not about throwing up your “Halleluiah sign” but about an intimate, personal relationship with God (Romans 5:6-11). Below are some answers to questions that you’re probably wrestling with in your new walk with Christ. We trust that they will be  useful to your growth.

AM I REALLY SAVED?

Was it that easy? All I did was go up for prayer? Is there more to it than that?

Being saved is as easy as the ABCs:

• A-Admit you have sinned (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 1 John 1:10)
• B-Believe in Jesus (John 1:12)
• C-Confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8,9)

That’s all there is to it. If you did that then you are now a child of God and God’s Holy Spirit is working inside of you. You will not automatically become perfect but with His Spirit working in you, you will begin to see progress and have a deep desire to change your ways.

IS FOLLOWING JESUS THE ONLY TO BE SAVED?

Let’s hear what Jesus had to say on the matter:

·         “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

·         Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

·         “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and find pasture … I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9)

·         Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

·         Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

·         “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

·         “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

·         For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:15-16)

The bottom line is we are not saved by being religious and following all the laws and tradition of church. Being a faithful member of The First Church of Anything, paying our tithes, involved in ministries and being faithful to all religious rituals doesn’t save us. Our faith in Christ saves us. All we have to do is admit that we are sinners, be willing to confess our sins before God, and be willing to repent and turn from those sins. Then, accept that Jesus Christ came to die for all of our sins, that He rose from the dead on the third day, and then accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior.

I’VE BEEN BAD, WILL GOD REALLY FORGIVE ME?

Yes! There’s no sin too big that God cannot forgive. Remember the adulterous woman; remember King David – the adulterous/murder; how about Abraham’s lying; or Peter’s denials of Jesus; and lastly Paul, the persecutor. They were all sinners that God used for His purpose. If we are honest with ourselves and with God and confess ours sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all bad things (1 John 1:9).

WHAT IF I GO BACK TO MY

BAD WAYS

?

“We fall down and we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who falls down and got up…”

We all sin, whether it’s a tempter, materialism, envy, gossip, lust, etc… But that’s not where it ends. You have to come clean to God about your sins and He will forgive you. Surround yourself with friends who will support you and hold you accountable and cut out anyone else who is not helping you with your growth in Christ.

WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY WHEN I PRAY?

Imagine just entering a new relationship with a girl/guy that you think highly of. What do you say to him/her? Do you wait until you see her at church on Sunday to talk to him/her?

When you’re entering in a relationship with someone you want to talk to them all the time, you give them quality time. You often can’t wait until the next time you talk. Every day you learn something new about the person that you didn’t know before and it’s just exciting.

Well, prayer is no different than communicating with a person you’re in a relationship with. All you have to do is find a special spot where no one will be all up in your business and start talking to the “lover of your soul”. It’s that easy. Here are some simple guidelines:

In Matthew 6:6-13 and Luke 11:1-4, Jesus gives us a good template for prayer.  In the example of the Lord ’s Prayer, it gives us an example of what components every prayer should have. Our prayers should be done in secrecy, be simple and Thus the discipline of prayer should include the elements of secrecy, simplicity, and sincerity.  The A-C-T-S of prayer is an acronym which gives us guidelines of a disciplined prayer life. They are as follows:

A – adoration: means to worship and acknowledge the majesty of God. This is where we acknowledge that God is the ruler of every facet of our lives and without him our lives would be nothing.

“Hallowed be thy name…”

C – Confession: Here we acknowledge that we are sinners and have sinned and ask for God’s forgiveness.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”

T – Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for all that he has done and the graces and mercies He has afforded us in spite of our sins and shortcomings.

S – Supplication – This is a big word that means “request”. When we lift up our supplications to God, we’re telling him directly what we need from Him.

                “…Give us this day our daily bread…”

                “…lead us not into temptation…”

The ACTS are not meant to be the only way to pray but it gives us a guideline to begin our prayers. As we’re in constant communication with God, we’ll have times of prayer that only focuses on one aspect of this ACTS. For example, we may at some point during the day; say a quick prayer of thanksgiving for something that God has just done for us.

How Do I Read The Bible?

Like NIKE used to say in their commercial; JUST DO IT!!! As it relates to the reading the Bible, just OPEN IT! In order to follow Jesus you need to know what He said and did. Reading the Bible is the best way to learn about who Jesus was and still is. Further, the stories of the life of Jesus can be found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives. We are nourished by the Word because it is our source of spiritual strength.

1. Define Study: The word “Study” is not widely used in the Bible, we find words like:
1. Meditate:

                                                              i.      Dictionary: To engage in contemplation or reflection; to focus on thought, reflect on or ponder over, to plan a project

                                                            ii.      Psalm 1:2 (1897): To ponder, imagine, study, talk, utter, to murmur in pleasure or anger

                                                          iii.      Psalm 119:5 (7878): to ponder; converse with oneself, and hence aloud; complain, declare, pray, speak, and talk with.

2. Basic Principal of Bible Study
1. Ask the right questions

                                                              i.      Ask different questions

                                                            ii.      The more questions you ask the more you will get out of your study

2. Write it down
3. Application is the ultimate goal.

                                                              i.      It is valueless if in the final analysis we do not change.

DO I NEED TO GO TO CHURCH, I CAN DO ALL THIS AT HOME?

Which option would you choose to watch the NBA Finals? Sitting at home watching it on TV or being in the actual stadium with a bunch of your friends cheering for the same team?

Most of us are going to choose watching the game at the stadium with a bunch of friends as the ideal way. As we continue on the journey to become like Christ, the people at church who care about you, support you, and teach you and encourage you help make that journey more enjoyable.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

HOW CAN I GET MY FRIENDS IN ON CHRIST?

To your friends and most in the world, actions speak louder than words. Let them see the change in you as opposed to you talking about it like the next fad. When your friends see your change in action, they’ll be curious and ask you about it so be prepared to talk about your encounter with Jesus. Share what God has done in your life.

Once you’ve shared your experience, don’t try to force feed them Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit work in their hearts. You can’t save anyone with your words or actions. Only Jesus saves!

WHEN DOES BEING A CHRISTIAN EXPIRES?

Being a Christ follower is something you’ll take with you to your grave. It’s a journey that never ends until we reach eternity. You are not alone on this journey. It’s a four man team – you, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They’ll never leave you behind and never fail you. In addition to the Holy Trinity, you have other believers walking the same walk with you to encourage you, and help you carry part of your load.

http://www.communityworshipcenter.org/now_what.html

http://zoohite.blogspot.com/

Guidelines for New Believers

Guidelines for New Believers:

Written by Esther Arthur

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.     (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

You've just made a decision that will change the rest of your life. You made a choice to follow God and leave the things of this world behind. However, though we are happy, we know that this walk of holiness before God is no easy road. Still, we would like to encourage you on your new journey as well as provide basic guidelines for you to continue on this walk of faith in Christ Jesus.

The 4 fundamental needs and practice for every Christian is prayer, worship, fellowship and the reading/application of the word of God.

Prayer

· This is the privilege that God has given to every believer to communicate with him.

· We need prayer on a daily basis (1Thessalonians 5:17-18)

· Prayer keeps us from temptation and gives us strength in our walk with God (Our Father Prayer is an example of how to pray, Matthew 5-15)

· Check out this link for more information on prayer - www.bswett.com/1990-03TwoWayPrayer.html

Worship

· More than singing songs, worship is a lifestyle, it involves how we think (Romans 12:1-2), act, solve problems, how we face problem.

· More importantly, it helps us to see God as he should be seen, a Holy God.

· Is a way we express to God that he is worthy to be praised.

Fellowship

· We are one Body (the church aka “bride of Christ”) made up of many members. One of the members is you. We need you to function properly and you also need us (1Corinthians 12: 12-31).

· We are never to forsake the fellowship of the saints, those who are in the faith with us. Also we need to be growing together (Hebrews 10:24-25).

· We are to love one another as Christ loved us.

Reading/Application

· Faith without works is dead. It is not enough to just read the bible but applying it and demonstrating the truth of God’s word goes hand in hand (John 14: 21, James 1: 22-25).

· The word is our manual and standard as to how to live and to know more about Christ Jesus.

· It is the authoritative word of God - meaning there is no error in it.

· This is how we measure our growth…

You may be wondering if you will be able to stay faithful in following these principles. Do not worry, God is not expecting you to walk alone in this journey. That is why he has given to us the Holy Spirit. For Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever... and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you (John 15:16, 26). Be blessed our prayers are with you.

For more information or questions concerning the bible, please email questions to earthur0407@live.com

Paul:God's Chosen Vessel (March 23, 2011)



ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS: PAUL – GOD’S CHOSEN VESSEL

March 23,  2011

ACTS 9:15-16 - “15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8kB6WvXX0c&feature=youtube_gdata_player

SAUL’s STORY

Saul was born in Tarsus, the Capital city of Cilicia and one of the great centers where trade from the East and West came together. Tarsus was famous for manufacturing of goats’ hair felt, which was used to make tent-cloth, blankets, clothing, belts, and saddles. Tarsus enjoyed the status of being a city free of Roman occupation and had the privilege of being governed by its own mayor but that alone did not make a Jew a Roman citizen. It is believed that Saul’s father’s Roman citizenship was purchased for a large sum of money or even more likely as a reward for services he gave to an influential Roman during the civil war. Therefore, Saul was a Roman citizen by birthright because of his father. Saul was his Jewish name and as a Roman citizen, his latin name was Paul. Growing up in a strict Pharisee home, the name Saul was the more fitting name to go by. But after being called on the road to Damascus to preach to the Roman Gentiles, He used his Roman name and became Paul, a name Gentiles were used to.

Every Jewish boy had to be taught a manual trade in addition to having a religious upbringing. Young Saul was taught the tent-making trade (Act 18:3). Saul was brought up in a strict Jewish home and was well educated and spoke many languages. At an early age, he was taught by Gamaliel, the high priest of the Jewish council and a very influential, honored and intellectual man of his day.

He was a Pharisee, one of the strictest and law-abiding sects of Judaism who stood firm by the traditions of the fathers and was held in high esteem by the people.  He was more zealous of the traditions of his fathers than most of his peers (Gal 1:14). He was a Pharisee of all Pharisees.

Before his encounter with Christ, Saul did all he could to oppose the name of Jesus. He had a part in putting Christians to death. He was there when Stephen was being stoned and had a vote in the execution (Acts 7:57-60). He was so obsessed with persecuting Christians that in his own words, would hunt them down in foreign cities (Acts 26:9-11). Sadly, Saul believed that what he was doing was in the name of God but later confessed he regrets in Acts 26:9.

On one of his authorized journeys to persecute continue to persecute Christians, he had an encounter with the light of the world and was forever changed.

WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

·         In order for our eyes to be opened to God’s truth, we must lose our earthly vision and gain a new vision from God (Acts 9:9; 17).

·         Not everything done in the name of religious law is of God.

·         God can call even those who strongly oppose Him to do His work (Acts 9:13).

·         Everything we’ve learned in our professions and in life is preparing and equipping us to do God’s work (Acts 9:15).

·         There’s no one better prepared to be a defender of the cross than Paul.

·         Sometimes, we have to sacrifice our own freedoms in order to win souls for Christ (1 Cor 9:19-23)

o        “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” V 22

·         No matter how lost you think a person is, don’t under estimate God’s ability to use them in a special way.

FINAL WORD – WHAT CAN WE APPLY IN OUR OWN WALK FROM THIS ENCOUNTER?

This is not Jesus’ first encounter with a Pharisee. Two who stand out above the others were Nicodemus and the rich young ruler. They were both hard core Pharisees who were devoted to following all the laws of Moses, yet they did not have a personal relationship with Christ. Paul puts both of these devoted Pharisees to shame in his crusade to make sure the laws of the fathers is not trumped by the preaching of Jesus. This makes his encounter and conversion even more amazing. He went from being the ultimate persecutor of all who professed the name of Jesus to being the ultimate defender of the name of Jesus. There are no limits to God’s saving power. In Paul’s own words: 

·         “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

·         “…knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ … for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

The same grace that worked a miracle in Paul’s life can work miracles in our lives today and do a complete 360 with us. Just as God used Paul, the sinner of all sinners, he can use all of us as well for His Glory. Let’s pray that our hearts are open and receptive to His calling.

Next Week: Encounters With Christ

Reference:

http://www.harvardhouse.com/paul.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/who-was-saul-of-tarsus-a112299

http://www.padfield.com/acrobat/sermons/saul-of-tarsus.pdf

http://www.truthseekers.co.za/content/view/38/32/

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9301qq.asp