Are we blinded by having to be right? A look into Saul ' s calling.

To continue my part in our Sermon Series on Bad Days and How God Fixed them, I wanted to take a look at Saul.  I wanted to approach Saul's bad day a little differently.  We often look at Saul's bad day as hunting down the followers of Jesus or being blinded by Jesus on his was to Damascus.  Yes, those are bad days but I wanted to focus on what happens after he begins to follow Jesus.  I wanted to talk about how the Disciples, Apostles, and people he had been hunting treated him.  Often times as people we have a hard time accepting someone new into the church, especially if we know what they do outside of the church.  Saul was not easily accepted, yet Jesus changed his heart and he did amazing things, the early church was still apprehensive of him.  Who are we pushing away from God, because we as people have a hard time accepting that His grace can change even that hardest of hearts?

We explore Saul's experience with God's grace and how we as Christians today react to God's Grace working in the people around us.


Saul's Bad Day

1. Are we blinded by having to be right?
Acts 9: 1-2

2. God’s grace changes hearts, can we accept that?
Acts 9: 26
Acts 9: 13-15
Acts 9: 20-21

3. God empowers us through changed hearts.
Acts 9:20-22

We are all called! A look into Stephen's calling.

Stephen is a great example of God calling ALL people to share his love and grace, not just Clergy.  Stephen was not one of the original 12, but was asked to lead a food pantry ministry to the Jewish people in the area.  With that calling in his life Stephen begins to let the Holy Spirit work through him, and begins to upset the Jewish religious leaders around him.  Although Stephen was not called to be a pastor, he is called to preach the Gospel wherever he is.  We have the same calling by God. No not all of us are called to be pastors, yet all of us are called to share the Good News or Jesus Christ.  We are all called to love God and love Others. In my sermon below we talk about we are called just like Stephen was, and just like Stephen when we bring a Gospel that causes people to question what they are doing and calls them to change from the inside out, people will begin to throw rocks at us.

Below is a link to my sermon and the notes I provided my congregation.  Please take a listen and leave comments.  Let us be in conversation about what and where God is calling us too.

Stephen's Bad Day

1. We are all called.
Acts 6:5

2. When you preach the Gospel, people will talk about you.
Acts 6: 11- 13

3. When you preach a Gospel people dont want to hear, they will throw rocks at you.
Acts 7: 51-57

4. What Gospel are you bringing to the world? Are you living it?
Acts 6:8, 10, 15