Changing Your Convictions

Story

belief remains in the head; conviction makes its way to the heart; more emotional about it - angry or threatened when someone challenges it; hard to change

Acts An Enemy Becomes a Brother: The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1–19a)

Flannery O’Connor once said of Paul, “I reckon the Lord knew that the only way to make a Christian out of that one was to knock him off his horse”

Being pushed into new places, to ministry to new people;

Acts An Enemy Becomes a Brother: The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1–19a)

Flannery O’Connor once said of Paul, “I reckon the Lord knew that the only way to make a Christian out of that one was to knock him off his horse”

Intro - not just changing opinion, changing conviction

opinion / belief: gathered facts, drew conclusion (can change if they remain open to new information, if shown the error then you can change these

conviction: No argument, persuasive fact can make a dent in his conviction - stubbornness

what convictions need to change? convictions that create barriers,

1. way - change of living life - everything becomes subject to God

Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament Acts 9:2

The use of the term “way” for the Christian movement and the kind of life in accordance with God’s will that was associated with it

Transition: the way we live changes, why we live changes

2. Paul to be a vessel, God determines the purpose, we are vessels - God fills us so we can fill others. God’s vessel doesn’t say, fill it with whatever you want. A vessel does not say to the one whom pours, “I don’t want this.”

Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament Acts 9:15

The phrase rendered “chosen instrument” (TNIV) or the like is literally “vessel of choice” (skeuos eklogēs) and is a Hebraism, reflecting the use of kĕlî (a utensil of any kind, such as a pot, tool, or weapon); the metaphorical use of human beings as instruments or tools that God can use is found in, for example