Empowered to Change
Empowered to Change
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Acts 8:1-3
Explain… God works thru His presence, principles, people, pressure, or prosecution
God is The Source True Transformation
Revelation
Inspiration
Desperation
Realization
Divine Visitation
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Change is inevitable, growth (transformation) is a choice!
— John Maxwell
Jesus will ask you “Why?”
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high pries and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ACTS 9:1-2
As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ACTS 9:3-4
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Lord, who are you?
&
Lord, what do you want me to do?
Without a doubt, the two most important and determinant questions in life are the ones that Saul of Tarsus asked the Lord Jesus when he headed to Damascus to persecute and destroy the early Church:
Who are you, Lord?
Lord, what do you want me to do?
The question of who Jesus is, why and what we were created for and how we should proceed and do is the most decisive and the key to living a fully fulfilled life that makes a difference and impacts eternity.
We all want to count and enjoy the benefits and blessings of doing God’s will, but few of us are willing to stand in the gap, go through the process and pay the price of growing… and being transformed. Metamorphosis is the process of change…
There are people who want awesome and abundant dividends with a measly, meager and pitiful investment… We want knowledge and wisdom without having to mine for it by reading books or studying the subject…
We want more things, cars and houses without having to exercise good stewardship… we want good children without paying the price and going through the process of becoming better parents…
We want a fulfilled marriage and a happy home but without taking the time and trouble to read a book or go to a lifegroup… We want to be great and enjoy the power and pleasure of God without having to grow up and earn it…
We want to live in peace without having to admit our mistakes, humiliate ourselves and ask for forgiveness… we want to be admired and recognized in public without praying, giving, and fasting in private…
Pastor, I want to be happy, fulfilled, fulfilled, and prosperous without bidding my time, submitting to authority, going through the process, and being willing to pay the price.
I want honey but not the bee… I want flowers but not the thorns… I want cake but not the process to make it or pay the price to buy it.
God the creator of the universe, your maker and the giver of life wants you to:
Know Christ
Grow in Christ
Go for Christ
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. John 17:3
To love & live for Him — fear – is to revere & honor his… to live for him is to Consecrate yourself to trust, obey & serve him
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul… Deuteronomy 10:12
FAT
Faithful
Available
Teachable
God wants you to Believe & have Faith in Him
Faith is the platform and the passport to experience the supernatural.
Because everything that God has for you, is seen, claimed and received by Faith.
Because Faith is the certainty of what is hoped for and the conviction of what is not seen.
Because without Faith it is possible to please God. Hebrews 11:6
Because for those who believe… all things are possible.
God wants you to
Grow — Evolve and be transformed to be more like Christ, Enlarge your spiritual circumference, Engage in meaningful relationships and help Equip and Empower others to do the same.
Luke 2:40 and 52
Few things are sadder, more tragic and more tyrannical than stagnation and lack of personal and spiritual growth.
Lost potential is a tragic thing.
What God has for you… can only be achieved through your personal development and spiritual growth.
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and grew in stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:40,52
Why Grow?
Because when you grow up you are following the example of our Lord and fulfilling God’s will!
Because when you grow… you’re bound to discover your purpose…
Because when you grow, everyone in your sphere of influence benefits and is blessed.
When you grow like any good tree, grow deep roots, you enlarge your influence, generate branchout, sprout leaves and produce fruit.
You did not choose me, but I chose you, and have appointed you to go and bear fruit, and your fruit to remain; so that everything you ask the Father in my name, he will give to you. John 15:16
You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
Because when you grow up, you are more effective, efficient, effervescent & efficacious. AMP
Because when you grow, you are capable, aware, competent, dedicated, focused, connected, complete and considerate.
Because when you grow, you are less given to selfishness, self-centeredness, vainglory, less given to calling yourself the victim, the black sheep, the misunderstood, the offended and forgotten.
When you grow, your attitudes, actions and activities tend to be more sincere, outstanding and healthy… your starts, steps and stops tend to be in alignment with God’s thoughts and plans for your life!
When you grow, you benefit, your house is blessed, those who know you are prospered and God is glorified.
How does one grow?
Step by step and day by day… through a fixed decision, an intentional process and decisive action. Read and study, learn and apply, receive and share, attend and insist, partake, participate and reciprocate.
Share your Faith and Story
1 Peter 2: 9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The First Commandment
The great commision
Faith and Testimony – a young girl from Israel who had been taken captive and she served Naaman’s wife…She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
Not a prophetess, prominent priestess, or powerful preacher… she was not a theologian with a message from the Torah… She was a young girl who had faith in God and told somebody about it.
The girl’s faith rubs off on Naaman’s wife… Her faith in the girl’s bold declaration of faith and rubbed off on Naaman… Naaman’s faith rubbed off on his servants and the King of Syria…etc.
In essence this girl’s faith in her God was more catalytic and contagious than Naaman’s leprosy.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem…
Sharing your faith and testimony is oxygen for your soul and life for others.
God wants you to be
Steady, strong and steadfast…
So, my beloved brothers, be firm and constant, growing in the work of the Lord always, knowing that your work in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Conquer your Doubts, Deficits, & Deficiencies once and for all
When you ask God, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:6-8
The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Spiritual Deficits will – Discourage you, Disconnect you and Ultimately destroy God’s Plan and purpose for your Life (Samson)
Doubts – weaken your faith and trust in God
Fears – They upset and paralyze, “God has not given them a spirit of fear”
The man with the hidden talent – I was afraid and hid it – I buried it
Contribute and Care for Others
Because the one who does not lend is not used by God, the one who does not contribute, does not receive and the one who does not serve… he does not serve!
Mark 10:45
For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Courage to Connect, Collaborate & Correspond with God’s Will
Acts 2:42
And they devoted themselves continually to the teachings of the apostles, to communion, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
Today, make a covenant and commitment with God to try to connect and belong to the body of Christ… We are one body but with many members and diversity of gifts.
Fulfill the Will of God for your Life once and for all.
Fulfill your wedding/conjugal vows
keep your promises
Fulfill God’s purposes for your life… only then can you help and empower those that God has placed around you to fulfill God’s purposes for their lives…
Colossians 4:17 Say to Archippus: See that you fulfill the ministry that you received in the Lord.
- Jesus will expose our blindness to lead us to transformation.
Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied.
11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized… and regained his strength. Acts 9:8-11;17-18
- When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you begin to see life differently!
Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized… and regained his strength. Acts 9:18
- Through the power of the Holy Spirit People Can Change! You can change!
I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Philippians 3:6-7