A Story of 3 Conversions

A Story of 3 Conversions

Why do we meet? Why do we gather?

Answer:

To worship

To Know God better

To fellowship-carry out the one-anothers of scripture

To be fed the Word of God.

We preach for the conversion of people.A response of some sort.

We preach:

We preach for the conversion of people.A response of some sort.

Your role: to accept or reject the Gospel every time we share it.

for the conversion of people.

We preach for the conversion of people. A response of some sort.

A response of some sort.

To introduce people to a God who wants to know you better.

Your role: to accept or reject the Gospel every time we share it.

Your role:

to accept or reject the Gospel every time we share it.

To make sure that we as preachers and teachers are up here telling you the uncut Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To respond somehow. Whether its committing or recommitting your life to Christ, asking forgiveness for sin that the Holy Spirit will show you, maybe you would like to be baptized, prayed for, or just want to hang around some other knuckleheads like Jimmy.

Your role: to accept or reject the Gospel every time we share it. To make sure that we as preachers are up here telling you the uncut Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Key Focus Tonight: v.6 “the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the Word in the province of Asia at that time. v.9 “That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia…was standing there, pleading with him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’”v.10 “God was calling us to preach the Good News there.”

v.6 “the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the Word in the province of Asia at that time.

v.9 “That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia…was standing there, pleading with him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’”

v.10 “God was calling us to preach the Good News there.”

How Are We Lead? How Does The Holy Spirit guide us? How much does He control our actions?

How Are We Lead? How Does The Holy Spirit guide us? How much does He control our actions?

We can learn alot from observing Pauls Second Missionary Journey. Ill try not to bore you with too much Bible nerd stuff.

Paul believed in passing the baton to the next generation. Timothy was being mentored or sponsored by Paul.

Pauls Journey Map slide

This journey of his took about 3 years.

Look at all the twists and turns.

Gods will isnt always going to lead you in a straight line. Not because he wants to jack with us, but because he sees a bigger picture.

Paul had a vision and a passion to carry the Gospel to anyone who would listen.

I doubt Paul’s vision for his life looked the way he wanted it to. Our own expectations will mess things up.

The Macedonia man calling for help.

What do we as addicts know about calling for help?

We typically dont do it...

unless we are spiritually bankrupt. We call for help when there is nowhere left to turn.

The man in Pauls vision is a representation of all the culture, intelligence, religion, and achievements of Greece.

This journey of Pauls would lead to planting numerous churches

through the book of acts. Countless conversions, baptisms, salvations, changed lives.

Phillipi Slides

Phillipi -Roman colony

How are we lead by The Spirit? How does the Holy Spirit guide us? How much does He really control our actions?

Charles Stanley wrote an article on this topic, it can be found on InTouch Ministries website.

This is so vital-”God doesnt want us to be confused. He is not the author of confusion.”

John 16:13 NLT

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

it was like they took a piece of Rome and planted it in other areas so that the Roman citizens would enjoy the same rights they would if they had lived in Italy.

Charles Stanley explains in his article 4 truths regrading the Holy Spirits leading:

1. The Holy Spirit will “guide” us, not control us.

Many times we wish that he would control us-especially when it comes to temptation.

We have to choose to follow Him.

2. Jesus is saying The Holy Spirit is a trustworthy guide.

He helps us decide what is true and whats not

whats wise, and whats foolish

whats best, and what is just simply “OK”

Most of our daily decisions arent spelled out in the Bible.

What we see here is that Jesus is saying the Holy Spirit gives us an “on-the-spot” sense of discernment to make big and small decisions

As we develop a greater sensitivity to His guidance we begin to worry less about decisions because our faith in the Holy Spirit is growing.

3. The Holy Spirit is God’s mouthpiece to believers.

This is God’s chosen way to communicate with us.

4.The Holy Spirit speaks

How?

Slide>1. The Bible-most accurately

Slide>2. Sometimes through others

Slide> 3. Sometimes through creation-nature, starlit sky, majestic mountains, look at some of his animals

Slide>4. Definitely in prayer

prayer was put there to change us, not to change God

Prayer is meant to bring our will into alignment with God’s will.

I know what your thinking-”If only we could know what God’s will for us is.”

We can. A large part of it is clearly spelled out for us in Gods Holy Word.

Gods will as Found in

1 Thessalonians 4–5 ESV

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Live to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4 NLT

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more. Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others. And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.

Gods will-1 thess 4-5

Live in a way that pleases God!

…do so even more

Live in a way that pleases God!…if your already doing that…do so even more..Gods Will: For you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Live in holiness and honor-not in lustful passion. Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this manner by violating his wife

1 Thessalonians 4

OC- “The Supreme Climb” 11/11/17(if time permits)

So lets say we are there. We are ready to serve God and be Obedient to the Holy Spirit....

We have a huge problem-

God isnt the only one at work here.

1 Peter 5:8–9 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

1 Peter 5:8 NLT

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Satan is just waiting on you if he hasnt already started attacking your mind. In many cases he has control over your mind.

The mind is where Satan attacks first.

Warren Wiersbe’s book- “The Strategies of Satan”

He lays this out very clearly for us.

Satan is THE deceiver and a liar.

He attacks your mind because this is the thought center of your life.

Its where God speaks to us.

Satans goal: is to intercept, bring confusion, and disruption to Gods purpose for your life.

He started with Eve in the Garden.We all know that story in Genesis.

Satan snatches up Gods word. That same Word of God is supposed to be planted in our mind.

How will it get there if we dont open this book?

We have to be prepared. The last scripture says “STAY ALERT!!!WATCH OUT!!!”

3 Steps to Satan’s Deception Process

1.Doubt

Doubt

1.Doubt

2.Denial

3.Deception

1.Doubt

1.Doubt- “Did God Really Say That?”

lets look at how he cause Eve to go through this process

3.Deception

Genesis 3:1–6 NLT

1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ” 4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

Gen 3:1-6

1.Doubt- “Did God Really Say That?”

It all starts with questions.

2. Denial- “Gods Word Is Not True-You Wont Die”

2. Denial- “Gods Word Is Not True-You Wont Die”

after doubt sets in-Satan tries to get us to believe Gods Word just isnt true for us.

3.Deception- “God Really Doesn’t Care About Us”

He gets us to think that God just doesnt want us to be like him knowing both good and evil

Slide>

Remember this:

Satan is the Deciever

His Target: Your mind

His Weapon:Lies

Satans Purpose: To Make You Ignorant of God’s Will

Your Defense: The Inspired Word of God.

Every Relapse I ever had started in a subtle distraction.

Relationships, Resentments, Fears, Anger, Judgment, misconceptions, Money

Stopped reading my word/Big book

Stopped praying/talking to others/talking to sponsor

Stopped going to church/meetings

Let me tell you something. Help aint just on the way-Its already here. You may feel like you have been waiting on God-but the truth is-Gods waiting on you.

Invitation: There is the simple path to salvation in the church world known as the “Romans Road”

The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is

The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is

Romans 3:23 NLT

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent. gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives.

We have all sinned.

We have all done things that are displeasing to God.

There is no one who is innocent.

Romans 3:10–18 NLT

10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” 13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don’t know where to find peace.” 18 “They have no fear of God at all.”

gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives.

gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives.

The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, teaches us about the consequences of sin -

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 NLT

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

, teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

teaches us about the consequences of sin - "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!

The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up where left off, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 5:8 NLT

8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

declares, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.

Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus' death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus' resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus' death as the payment for our sins.

The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is

Romans 10:9 NLT

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved!

Romans 10:13 NLT

13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

says it again, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death.

Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation.

Romans 5:1 NLT

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

has this wonderful message, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God.

Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God.

Romans 8:1 NLT

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

teaches us, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from , "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins.

Finally, we have this precious promise of God from

Romans 8:38–39 NLT

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation?

If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God.

Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation.

The words themselves will not save you.

Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation!

It takes a cry from your heart in your own way.

Sinners Prayer Example-"God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!"