Hello again.

Welcome to the new blog dedicated to the Word of God. This site will contain sermons, stories, questions, answers, encouragement, and exhortation. I hope you will participate in discussion and ask any question you desire.

My name is Charles and I am the pastor at Concord Baptist Church in Bates City, Missouri. I have been a pastor since 2006 in Mississippi and here in Missouri. I attend seminary and have a lovely wife and daughter. I look forward to blogging and interacting with you.

PLease send any questions to the comments section and I will answer it openly in the text section of this blog. I will also post my sermons the day after I preach them at Concord.

I will also relate events at the church and other news of interest from religion to politics. Invite others to join the conversation. I will not evade any question. If I cannot answer it, I will say so. If you do not like the answer I give, so be it. I will speak my mind and relaywhat the Word of God says in simple style and with clarity of purpose. The purpose is to give God the glory and honor that is due Him, and to His one and only Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ the Messiah.

Note that each week's insight page will have information and then will be deleted and/or archived.

I look forward to interacting with all of you.

In Christ's Service,

Charles

Dec 1, 2009

Good morning. It's finals time at school. The pressure is on. I have many reports and projects coming due. I have not been able to keep up with my blogs for many reasons. But during the holiday period from Dec 18 until Feb 1, I will be able to catch up on my writing, including my e-book. I also want to ask for prayer for a member of our congregation. He was admitted to ICU yesterday and I will visiting him after class this morning. Please pray for him and his family.

Thanksgiving was stressful but good. As some of you know, there is a lot of stress between me and my family in Mississippi. I do pray that God will allow peace and good interaction to return. If people would get overthere pride, then relationships could be fully restored. There need to be more footwashing and less foot kissing.

God bless,

Bro Charles

Wednesday November 25,2009

Today I went to a website called the ManhattanDeclaration.org. I read the contents and signed it. It spoke to me as a follower of Jesus that I should take more of a stand against the things that are spiritually tearing our country and our universal church apart. We are all (believers) part of the body of Christ. I have some doctrinal disagreements with some other believers of different denominations, but I stand firm on the issues of life, religious freedom, and the sancticty of marriage. If you share these views, check out the website and let me know what you think.

Bro Charles

Sermon (A podcast of this sermon can be heard on the above or below podcast link.)

December 6, 2009

Text Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-14; 2:19-21

Points: Joseph was a righteous man.

Joseph was prepared to obey God at a moments notice.

Joseph used common sense.

Being a man is hard work. There are demands on us from all directions. We have a family to care for, a job to do, and a boss to satisfy. If we are a child of God, then we also have our greatest commitment in that we are to follow God in whatever He has us to do. We have a lot of things pulling on us at the same time. This doesn’t even consider what we do for leisure such as sports, hobbies, or hunting. All in all it is difficult being a man. Is there an example out there who can give us a hint as to what we should do? Yes. We can look to fathers, uncles, sports heroes and the like. In time they all seem to fade away or fail us in some way.

I will tell you today that we can look to Scripture and find many men that try their best to do the same things we do now. Remember that mankind remains the same throughout time; only their tools and their toys change. Humans’ hearts and minds stay the same. There has only been one perfect man ever born and we are preparing to celebrate His birth. We can see also that a few men in the Bible have left us good examples to follow. One of these men was Joseph, husband of Mary.

When God the Son planned to come to earth and live as a man, he wanted a righteous person through which to work His will. The Messiah was to be born of a virgin it is true, but God also wanted a family in which to grow to adulthood. God chose Joseph to be the “stepfather” of His Son while He was here on earth. Joseph was not a perfect man because none of us are. But notice the Bible says nothing bad about him at all. He was a carpenter in the days before power tools. He must have been strong and smart, good with his hands, and always seeking to do what was right as we shall see.

Today we shall see in the text that there are three character traits from Joseph that we as men, and as women, can emulate. If we do these things, we will please God and be of ready service to Him.

First some information on Joseph besides what we have already stated. He was betrothed to Mary. (speak about betrothal process in Israel during the 1^st century).

Read the texts for today:

Matthew 1: 18-25

Matthew 2: 13-14

Matthew 2: 19-21

Verse 1:19

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

I. Joseph was a righteous man. The Bible makes this very clear. And by righteous man, the Scripture indicates that he lived his life correctly before God. He had began to build a home for his young fiancée/wife. Now this news came that she was pregnant. She was probably only 13 or 14 years old, and now she tries to tell her husband that “GOD is the father of the child.”

What would you do men?

b. Joseph’s love for Mary is made clear here. He did not want to disgrace her openly. He did not want to shame her or cause her to be stoned which was the punishment prescribed in the Law for adultery. But how could he live with her? He probably agonized over this for days. Then he came up with a plan to send her away secretly so that she would not face public ridicule or scorn. How different than it is today! Today it would be considered just another unfortunately bad decision on the girl’s part, but nothing would change. At that time you could die for such behavior! Maybe that is why it happened so less often then.

Verse 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

“Ok, this really isn’t happening!” Joseph probably thought this as the angel appeared to him. But it was real, very real. Mary had been telling the truth! She had been faithful to him all along. He would have to apologize to her. But now what should he do? He would obey the Lord.

II. Joseph was prepared to obey God at a moment’s notice. Joseph woke up and did as the Lord commanded. He took Mary as his wife but did not have relations with her until after the baby was born. This is clear in 1:25. This proves that Mary did not remain a perpetual virgin. We will discuss that in our next sermon.

Look ahead to our next section of text, 2:13-14. After these strange visitors from the east had come and gone, that same cotton-picking angel came back in his dreams. It had been almost two years since he had last appeared to him, but here he was again! This time with a warning to get out of Dodge! Herod was coming to kill his child and he had to get out of there fast! He saddled-up the 1^st century version of a U-Haul and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt at a moment’s notice. You see the Grinch didn’t want to steal Christmas as much as that real Grinch Herod. He wanted to destroy it! But God’s plans are always accomplished. Herod is the one who died and not Christ. And it was because Joseph had been ready to obey God in an instant.

Look at verse 2:19-21. Again Joseph dreamed about an angel and they were off again, back to Israel. It was around 2 BC when Roman records report Herod the Great dying. Therefore, Jesus probably was born around 4 BC. The point is Joseph followed God’s direction again and got to go home.

III. Joseph used common sense. Men, God gave us common sense and we need to use it.

Verses 2:22-23 indicate that Joseph was afraid to go back to Judea because Herod’s son was no better off than Herod in the meanness department. God warned Joseph and he set out for the regions of Galilee. He ended up in Nazareth, a back-water town that many people thought was the sticks.

All in all, Joseph was willing to obey God. And for this obedience, he became the earthly protector of the Son of God. What higher honor could a man have here on earth?

Men, and ladies, God will give us honor even during the times of persecution and trials if we do today what Joseph did then. Here is how we apply these points to our lives.

1. We are to be righteous. We are to live our lives in such a way that God is glorified by all of our actions. If we do this, God will use us for the furtherance of His kingdom and for His glory. Is there any higher honor than that today? If we do this, we will here from our Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” As children of God, what else could we want?

2. We are to be ready to obey God at a moment’s notice and then we are to obey Him. It is much more than simply saying, “Yes, I will do what He wants.” It is joyfully allowing our hearts to be prepared to follow our Lord wherever He leads, including all the way up Calvary’s hill. Yes, this means we must be willing to give our hearts, our monies, and our very lives if necessary. Remember, God promises to put no more on us than is common to man. If He could do it, If the Apostles could do it, if our brothers and sisters around the world and throughout time can do it, then we can do it. We dare not fuss and whine if God calls on us to sacrifice for Him. If you do, you will have to answer before the judgment seat of Christ for every word you have said. You are to be ready and you are to follow Him.

3. We are to use common sense. Jesus taught his disciples to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. God gave each of us a brain to use. We are to ask for wisdom, prayer, and seek His face in all of our ways. He will let us know what we are to do. We should not go off half-cocked and end up going against the plans of God. There is nothing but disaster in this. But we are to be practical and sincere. In so doing, God will show us the way to go, the way to act, and he will provide for our needs. We dare not tell God that we know better than Him. What we should know is that we are dust and ashes and only exist at the pleasure of the almighty. This may smack some in the face who are prideful and arrogant, but common sense tells us that if God made us, we are to trust in Him and Him alone. Yes, common sense helps us to use what God gave us to build up His kingdom.

So brothers and sisters, let us look to men such as Joseph. Let us look to his ability to trust God and obey God. Let us be ready to follow God like he was. And who knows, maybe in so doing, God will allow you to have responsibility in the kingdom. Our service to Him depends on our obedience to Him. You would not allow your child to drive your car when they are 5 years old. God will not allow us to serve until we are ready. And we are ready when we are righteous, (through Jesus Christ and not of ourselves), when we are prepared to go wherever and whenever God commands (obedience), and when we use the common sense God gave us. Be ready like Joseph. Obey like Joseph. Trust God like Joseph.

Nov 29, 2009

There are times in this life when we seek help. When things look like they are crashing in around us or when we see imminent disaster before us, we search for something bigger than ourselves. Like the old song says, “We need a Hero!”

However, we need more than a hero. Yes we need someone to save us, but we also need someone to guide us, to point us to the right way. To show us the difference in living a life of selfishness and living a truly righteous and helping life. We need a kind but firm hand to overshadow us.

Mankind, in his pride and arrogance, has constantly striven to be accountable to none but himself. He turns his back on any aid from his brothers and sisters, and forges ahead giving all the credit to himself and the blame to others. He evens blames God when things get too tough on him.

This is nonsense. God has promised many times to send help and He has always kept His promises. Today we will look at three groups of people and their situations along with the promises God made to them. We will look at Adam and Eve, Moses and the Hebrew people in the wilderness, and Isaiah with King Ahaz.

Genesis 3: 15 (NASB) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.

Adam and Eve had everything. They had beauty, love, a good work environment, all the animals at their beck and call, and the ability to walk and talk with God directly. And yet when the test came to them, they both failed miserably. They lost it all for a simple act of disobedience. They chose to not believe God and to believe their own reasoning prompted by the serpent’s lie.

Do not too harsh on the couple, for we would have done the exact same thing in their position.

However, God in His mercy clothed them and stayed with them, even though they had to face the consequences of their actions. And then God promised something that would strike terror in the heart of Satan. He told the serpent that one day the woman would produce a “seed” (a child) that would stomp his head. Notice that the “seed” was not of the man and the woman, but only from the woman. This foreshadows a person who would be born only of the woman, a most unnatural, or supernatural, occurrence. This special born one would come to destroy the serpent and all those who follow him. So, in this promise, God said to hold on for help was coming.

Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command Him.

The time had come for Moses to go up the mountain and die. He had sinned and God would not let him go over the Jordan into Canaan. In fact, a whole generation had died in the wilderness because of their unbelief, and now their children were poised to go over the river and take this Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. However, they were scared. Who would lead them? God promised Moses that He would raise up a man like himself. What did Moses do so special? He talked with God face to face. God gave him the Law. God worked miracles through him to show a path to a place of promise. In every sin of the people, Moses had intervened on their behalf with God and God had forgiven them. Moses sacrificed himself in many ways to lead God’s people into a new life.

God promised another would come who would do the same thing. When this new man would come was up to God, but He would come! When he did, the people were to listen to Him! So hang on a little while longer, help is coming.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Now old Ahaz had a problem with the land of Aram. To top it off, the northern kingdom of Israel had sided with Aram against Judah. Ahaz was an evil king anyway, but God wanted him to ask for a sign that would show the providence and care of God for His people. Ahaz refused and God told him, through Isaiah, that a virgin would conceive. This prophecy had a short and long fulfillment. No doubt that a young woman (not a virgin) had a son and before the boy grew the problem Ahaz faced would disappear. The Hebrew word for virgin can also mean a young girl. However, in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23), the word used means VIRGIN, so the prophecy was fulfilled in the long-term by the miraculous birth of Immanuel, God-With-Us, the Ever-Present, through a virgin. So ladies and gentlemen, help was coming and help arrived.

As we approach this advent season, we must remember that our help, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Messiah of Israel, was prophesied from the first to come to humanity’s aid. Regardless of time or season, this promise stood out above other promises to the nation of Israel. God kept His promise and Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

This same God also promised that if we believe in His Son, we would be saved from eternal separation from Him and all that is good. We affirm that God always honors His promises. If He kept one, He’ll keep them ALL.

So, whether we have everything and then lose it, Christ is here for us. If we are looking fearfully into an unknown future across the river, Christ is here for us. If we are facing a threat from the enemy, Christ is here for us. He is IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US, and He is coming again for His own.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us pause to reflect on this One who was promised and who fulfilled His promise. Let us look to the manger, but let us see the shadow of the cross pass over it. Jesus was born and then lived a sinless life so that He could take on our sins and take our punishment. He went to the cross and willingly laid down His life for His friends and then was raised on the third day so that we may have life everlasting.

So Brothers and Sisters, Hang on! Help is coming! Help is HERE!

November 8, 2009

Galatians 4: 1-7

When we are young, especially in our 12 to 16 years, we begin to notice things that the older kids and adults get to do. Unfortunately we usually see only the fun things and not the work and taxes and worry etc. We want to drive the car, go out with our friends, and especially spend money. I remember one time when I was young that I wanted a certain toy and it was explained to me that we didn’t have enough money. My solution? Write a check. Little did I know at that time that money was needed in the bank in order for that check to be written.

Now imagine that while having only the original understanding that I had, I was put in charge of the family finances. Imagine the horrible side effects. But, if someone would have taught me, trained me in the uses of checks and about basic finances, I might have done a better job. However, I would still have had only a child’s understanding with which to operate. Scary, huh?

In the end, I reached an age and an experience level in which I had learned the proper ways to manage money. Whether I choose to manage it wisely or not is a daily decision that we as a family make.

So we can see that as a child, I needed someone to guide me and to train me. Later, at the right time, I was given the responsibility of my decisions and the consequences. Every person who matures into adulthood appears to take a similar path. However, some use this path, this set of conditions, in a different way according to their level of maturity.

God has done the same thing when it comes to the maturing of people’s spiritual needs. Paul was explaining to the Galatians the need for the guardian and the coming of the time when we would be completely responsible for our own choices.

In today’s text we will see that there are two conditions under which the children of God have existed and continue to exist.

I. The first condition is that of a child who is placed under a guardian until the time of inheritance. V 1-3

A. The child of God was under a guardian although he had access to all. V 1

1. The child was no different than a slave. V 1a

2. This being so, the child still had access to the inheritance. V 1b

B. This was so until the time set by the Father. V 2

1. However, the Father set the time of inheritance. V 2b

2. A guardian was placed over the child until the set time. V 2a (cf 3:23-25)

C. The children were held in a type of bondage to basic things of this world. V 3

II. The second condition is that of an child who receives the adoption and the inheritance promised. V 4-7

A. At just the right time Jesus came. V 4

1. God picked the time in which He decided to come to earth. V 4a

2. When He came, He was born as any other man and also under the Law

as others were. V 4b

B. He was sent to redeem those under the Law. V 5a

C. Believers are adopted as children of God. V 5b

1. Redemption by the Son (Jesus) results in adoption by the Father (God). V 5

2. As a guarantee of this adoption, God sends the Holy Spirit. V 6

a. The Spirit is sent into our hearts. V 6a

b. The Spirit allows us to call on God as our intimate Father. V 6b

D. The results of this guarantee V 7

1. The person is no longer a slave under a guardian. V 7a

2. The person is now a full-fledged child of God V 7b

3. As a child of God we are heirs through God V 7c

Now, in this time, we have, through God’s mercy and grace, the ability to become children of God in a way that the Israelites and Jews of old did not. Those people, along with the God-fearers (Gentile believers), had the Law and the Prophets as guardians and guides in their relationship with God. But, since Christ came, we can now have God Himself as our teacher in a personal and internal way. God’s wants our hearts to be circumcised and not our bodies. God wants obedience and not sacrifice. In these ways, God knows our heart towards Him and towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we apply this knowledge?

1. We read His word and learn what the tutor (the LAW) said to those people in their circumstances and troubles. We take the principles of the Law and apply them because they are still God’s Word to His people.

2. We use the New Testament and the teachings of Christ to filter those principles before we use them. There are some things in the Law that are not applicable in specificity (dietary laws, hygiene laws, conquest laws, etc) but the overarching principle of trusting and following God are very much still applicable.

3. We trust God to fulfill His promises because of the guarantee of the Holy Spirit that He has sent to we who believe.

4. We act as the children of God and not as a selfish spoiled child of the world.

5. We honor the Lord Jesus who made it possible for us to become children of God.

6. We listen to the Holy Spirit who allows us to cry out to God as our Father.

7. We no longer act as slaves to the base things in this world (greed, sloth, envy, etc).

Brothers and Sisters, let us act as true children of God who were made so by the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us not write checks that have no “money in the bank” as it were, but let us be good stewards of the inheritance which God has so graciously given to us.

Sunday November 1, 2009

Galatians 3: 27-29

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt inferior to someone? Have you ever felt superior to someone? Admit it; all of have felt one way or the other at some point in our lives. We have seen the dirty beggar standing in the road with his sign asking for money. WE think that he will just take it and buy drugs or booze or otherwise waste it. We feel a sense of “betterness” than the poor wretch. It may be true that he is conning people, but dare we take that stance? Do we put down someone who really is in need? Or conversely do we shrink when we find out in a conversation that the person we a talking to has multiple degrees in philosophy or engineering or is at least successful to the point of arrogance? We feel less of a person, but we do so in anger usually because we may harbor envy or covetousness towards their education or wealth. So either way we displease God by being either too big or too little for our own britches.

I personally remember the first grade and a pair of twins named Jimmie and Jamie Eichelberger. Their dad owned the local supermarket. They were always bringing their toys to school and bragging about what their parents had bought them that week. I felt about two inches tall because all the kids were playing with them, except of course the outcasts and the poor kids. I felt angry and sad, in a first grade type of way. I wanted to be the same as them. I wanted equality and the ability to receive the good things that they received.

Paul had been dealing with the churches of Galatia since he had helped found them. He had written this letter to remind them that it was their faith in Christ that saved them and not any work or deed that they could possibly do. He had told of withstanding even the Apostle Peter when he had been hypocritical. He had discussed with some heated language the difference in Law and work versus simple faith and power in Jesus Christ. He now begins to relate about what the Galatian believers should realize that they have through their faith in Christ Jesus. He wanted to make sure that they knew that as faithful followers of Christ they had been given a new standing before God that could not be achieved by their own efforts.

In our standing as believers who have joined the body of Christ, we are given a new status before God through our faith in Jesus Christ. This new status puts the members of the body of Christ in positions they may have not understood before their conversions. Paul, in explaining the realities of the difference between the Mosaic Law and faith in Christ, points to these new positions.

In our new status as believers baptized into the faith and “clothed in Christ,” we are given two new and significant positions before God.

I. We are given a position of equality before God through Christ. V 27-28

(WE are no longer held accountable the same way a sinner will be. We should no longer see the differences that the world puts upon us or that we are born into.)

A. All believers baptized into Christ are made “one” by putting on Christ. V 27

(Those who believe are placed, through their faith, into the body of Christ. WE are united by the blood that was shed for all of us. It is this realization and its effect on the heart that bonds us together in ways that the world cannot understand.)

1. We are “clothed” in Christ V 27b

(In this act of faith, our old self is done away with by the forgiving grace of God. God impart the righteousness of Jesus onto the new believer as they are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ.)

2. We are “one” in Christ V 28d

(This impartation of the righteousness of Jesus not only cleanses us, but it also bonds us into a single unit, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.)

B. Equality is given through Christ V 28

(We are made equal before God.)

1. Race doesn’t matter V 28a

2. Social status doesn’t matter V 28b

3. Sex doesn’t matter V 28c

II. We are given the position of heirs of God through faith V 29

( This status makes us eligible to receive the promises that God gave for all those who trust Him in faith. These promises include but are not limited to salvation, heaven, the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, and trials and persecutions that come with standing in and under the authority of God against the world.)

A. Unity is gained through Christ by faith V 29a

1. We are part of the body V. 29a

2. Our unity is through belonging to Christ V 29a

B. We have access to God as heirs V 29b

1. We are Abraham’s spiritual descendants V 29b

3. We are made inheritors by the promise of God V 29c

How do we apply these new positions in our everyday lives?

1. We are not to think to highly of ourselves. God sees us equally and no matter how much you are tempted to do otherwise, you are to see your brothers and sisters as exactly that, brothers and sisters in Christ. WE are to bear one another’s burdens and share in the joy and the sorrow of life. Those who are not of the faith we are to show love, as far as God allows, in the realization that they are purposefully ignorant of the love of God. We are to be witnesses and ambassadors for Christ. But we are not to think we are better than they or worse off than they are.

2. WE are not to differentiate between brothers and sisters inside the body, except where roles are clearly mandated by Scripture.

3. We are to understand that we belong to the great family of God which includes the likes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah, John the Baptizer, Peter, John, and all the saints of God throughout history. WE are part of the “great cloud of witnesses” that the Book of Hebrews talks about.

4. We are to love one another accordingly.

Our new positions as heirs of the promises of God, as the children of God, makes us realize the depth of the love of God for us. This depth goes so deep that God became flesh, dwelt among us, to on our sins, and died the death that was due to each one of us. He then rose again to be the first fruits of the resurrection, for He is the resurrection and the life. We, His children and heirs, will attain the resurrection and be with Him forever. And that my brothers and sisters is what our new status of equals and inheritors really means. We are God’s children.

Sunday October 11, 2009

Galatians 1:13-24

One of the greatest things about choosing to follow Christ is the fact that He changes lives. History is replete with examples of men and women who totally changed who they were, what they did, and how they impacted their world. The reason was simple. You cannot know God through Jesus Christ, and not be changed.

John Newton, who was a slave trader, found God and wrote the hymn AMAZING GRACE as a result. Matthew the tax collector left his post and followed Christ. These are just two examples. But today I want us to focus in on the example of Paul of Tarsus.

Read Galatians 1:13-24

Here is a murderer; A Jewish zealot on his way to the top. A man who wished to hunt down those he considered to be heretics and infidels in order to arrest and imprison and kill them. But God touched him in a great and mighty way. God intervened in Paul’s life, and the result was magnificent.

Today, we will see 3 results of God’s intervention in Paul’s life and how these same interventions can impact us today.

I. God’s intervention results in a change of heart and direction. (v.13-16).

a. Paul had been an up-and-comer in Judaism. v 14

i. Paul was advancing beyond his contemporaries. v 14a

ii. Paul was more zealous for his religion than the others. V 14b

b. Paul persecuted and tried to destroy the church. V 13

i. He tried to destroy those he thought were against Judaism. v13b

ii. He persecuted many in these attempts. v 13a

c. God’s call in Paul’s life changed Paul’s direction and he began to preach the gospel. V15-16

i. God had chosen Paul even before he was born. V 15a

ii. God used grace to call him. V 15b

iii. Jesus was revealed IN Paul and not just through him. V 16a

iv. Paul’s mission was now to spread that which he originally tried to destroy. V16b

II. God’s intervention results in new people to have relationships with.

a. Paul did not go straight to Jerusalem. V 17

i. Paul did not go back to his old running buddies. V 17

ii. Paul went off to be by himself to think things through. V17

b. Paul took time off, then sought Peter. V 18a

c. He only did this to become acquainted with Peter. V 18b

d. He did not see or confer with any other, except James. V 19

e. Paul ensures the Galatians that he was not lying to them. V 20

III. God’s intervention results in people praising God.

a. Paul went back to his hometown area. V21

b. The churches in Judea could not recognize Paul. V22

c. News about Paul was leaking back to the churches. V23

i. They were hearing good things about the ex-persecutor. V23a

ii. They heard this former killer was now preaching the gospel. v 23b

d. God was getting praise for this miracle of a changed life. V 24

God was getting the glory for a changed life. Paul was running with a new crowd. Paul’s life was totally turned around and upside down by the intervention of God in his life. Does God still change the path of those who seek Him? ABSOLUTELY! The Bible records Jesus as saying “Follow Me.” Following Jesus cannot help but change your life. You are no longer focused on your own self, but on Him who called you by His grace.

APPLICATION

1. God changed Paul and He still changes all those who follow Him in Spirit and Truth.

2. No matter the past sins, Christ can and will save those who trust in Him.

3. When we come to Jesus, we leave the old way of life and head into a new way of living.

4. God puts us in contact with fellow believers in order to strengthen and encourage us.

5. We might end up doing things we never imagined in our service to the Kingdom.

6. People will hear of the change in our lives and react. Some will turn against us, some will see the good and help us in our daily struggles to carry our cross.

7. God will get the glory!

The results of God’s intervention in our lives, in Paul’s life, in the history of the world, are all pointed to that last end. God will get the GLORY for He alone is worthy to be praised. Our trust is in God through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Excelsius Deo! Glory to God in the Highest!