Murderer to minister and the church is cancelled?

I have seen some amazing changes God has done in people’s lives. I have seen the power of the Spirit of God turn people from sinful ways. I have seen Jesus turn cold hearted people to loving and generous. I have seen some people live through terrible situations and come out better in the end. I have seen people that should have died in bad accidents walk away alive. I have seen people worship Jesus while going through physical and emotional storms. Most of all I know a story where Jesus turned a murderer to a minister.

He used to murder Jesus followers now he is one. This is the story of Paul. Paul was one of the first century enemies of Christianity. He went by the name Saul and was one of if not the number one enemy of Christianity. He got documents created so he could jail Christians or Jesus followers. Worst, some of the people he persecuted he was able to get them put to death. How could Jesus change this man? He did.

Long after this conversion and starting multiple churches, Paul had enemies. People questioned Paul’s motives.  In 2 Corinthians 4:1 it states, “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” Not losing heart is the same as giving up. Paul didn’t give up. Through the tough times in Paul’s life, he didn’t give up. Paul was under attack. They questioned his motives in Corinth. They said he used the gospel for his own benefit. They thought he deceived people (Verse 2) and the way this was put meant Paul was cunning and trickery. They didn’t like Paul.

This is Paul. The man wrote several of the books of the Bible I love. The man started churches in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Many came to know Jesus through him and people hated him? Believing in Jesus does not mean life is going to be easy. He stayed strong with his will and the message of God led him through tough times.

Paul constantly reminded us this in 2 Corinthians 4:5-6…”For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

Paul didn’t do Christianity for his benefit but for Jesus’. Jesus was the focus not Paul. Paul worked hard not to make himself the focal point but Christ. Paul was once in darkness, Jesus changed that. Jesus bring light to dark places. This is what we are called to do as Christians bring light to darkness. Today we have an amazing opportunity to do that.

Over the next three days the weather is going to be miserable in the Midwest. For only the third time in my life church is cancelled. Just because service is cancelled, doesn’t mean a break from Jesus. I am looking forward to sharing the love of Christ with my family today. I am looking forward to Hailee and I watching a sermon online. I am looking forward to spending time in the word of God with my kids. I am looking forward to breaking bread and having communion with my family. It’s going to be a different Sunday but a Sunday I look forward to very much. It’s still a Sunday I can worship Jesus.

Even though many church buildings are closed the church is still thriving. How can you lift up Jesus today? How can you let the story of Paul influence you in a positive way? Today is an amazing day, you will never be as young as you are today, don’t waste it away. You can do amazing things.

Have a great day.

Go ahead and kill Bambi if you want

Hunting deer seemed pointless to me.

Why waste hours of sleep to sit in an extremely cold place to see a creature come by and take it out with a bow or gun? Deer hunting never made much since to me.  A couple of years ago, my mind changed.

I was driving down the highway going 75. I was driving my sweet 91 Buick (I loved this car). Out of nowhere a deer ran across the highway.  I hit the brakes and swerved out of the way. I missed that deer, but I hit his friend (We will call him MJ, because the dude could fly).  I was trying to control my car and did a 720, both times spinning around I still saw MJ airborne.

I was impressed.  That deer went flying.  I thank God that nothing happened to me and there was nobody on the road.  Two things happened that day, my car died and I change my thinking on deer hunting.  I always heard deer hunters say it controls the population of deer.  I chalked that up to a lame excuse.  It took me hitting MJ on the highway for me to change my view on deer hunting. Sometimes it takes something drastic in order to change our thinking.

Something happened like this to Paul. Paul was a man who killed Christians and went out of his way to make sure they were in jail.  Acts 26:9-11…

“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  And that is just what I did in Jerusalem.  On the authority of the chief priest I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”

Whoa.

Have you ever had something happened in your life that caused you to completely change your view?

If so, would you mind sharing? Paul was a brutal attacker and killer of Christians. Yet he changed, became what I would classify as a hall of fame Christian life.

He changed, started many churches and defended the people he used to try to kill. A major thing happened in Paul’s life and he changed. No matter where you are at with Jesus, you are never far enough where you can’t call on him. Jesus gives us a second chance in life.

A chance to change. How many opportunities do you have like that? This is what’s awesome about faith. Jesus gives us a second chance, a chance to make things right. I thought deer hunting was pointless, my mind was changed.

What have you changed your mind about? If you gave up on faith, you are not too far from Jesus and I hope you give it a second chance.

Have a great day.

Can a product be new and improved?

Advertisements can crack me up.

I love seeing those commercials where they talk about a product changing.

Often they say it’s new and improved.

It cracks me up because how can it be both new and improved?

The product is either new or it’s improved but it can’t be both.

That is just one of the little things that make me laugh that I cherish everyday.

The company that does this, wants to make sure you know there is a change in the product.

Can people be the same way?

Saul was a ruthless man when it came to him and Christians.

He was known for throwing them in jail and killing them.

Now because of the grace of Jesus he was a changed man.

People were still hesitant about this major change.

Acts 9:19-22….

“Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”

Saul was the guy who was 100 percent against Christians and now he was claiming to be one of them.

Christians didn’t buy it and thought otherwise.

They didn’t think this man would change and the Jews at the time thought the same thing, how could this man change?

Yet that is how God works.

He can take those that are completely far from him and make them close to him.

Nobody is too far from God and Jesus.

People thought there was no way Saul could improve or become new again, but that is the beautiful thing about faith, God’s grace is for everyone.

You can be new.

You can be improved.

There is nothing you can’t do to be forgiven by Jesus.

Saul was a murderer and killed Christians, now he was one of them.

Jesus’s grace extends to everyone who accepts him as Lord and Savior.

You can be new and improved.

Your sleight oops I mean slate can be wiped clean and blank and blameless when you believe.

Forgiveness is always there for you no matter how far you feel from Jesus.

Are you ready for a clean slate and a chance to be improved?

You don’t have to carry those burdens anymore.

Saul was a murderer, but that is not who he is known for anymore.

Who do you want to be known for and would you like to be known for something greater.

Today can be a great new start for you.

No matter what Jesus love you and wants to know you more.

Make a decision that can have an eternal difference.

Or maybe you can share this amazing story with another person, Jesus love isn’t just for you, it’s for everyone.

Share this amazing story of Jesus, it can make another new and improved.

Have a great day.

I don’t need God right now, I am having too much fun

It’s always interesting what you can hear on a college campus.

While working at MSU I worked with this really cool guy.

We were student supervisors together and honestly, it was a blast when we worked together.

We had way more fun than we should of, but always got the work done and done well.

Often at times it would be slow and it would allow us to talk more.

One day we started to talk about faith.

In this conversation we talked and I told him that I used to never attend church and thought everyone was a hypocrite.

Now I was pretty active in the Church.

He told me about the fact that he used to go to church.

He loves God and Jesus very much, but he’s just having too much fun right now and don’t think God would approve of his lifestyle right now.

He told me he know he will eventually get back into going to church, but right now he is happy having fun.

I come across this with talking to people about faith.

They feel like they are far from God.

I have talked to people that have graciously served our country in the military, some of which have confirmed kills in war.

A couple of these people have told me, I honestly don’t know if I will ever go to heaven because of what I have done in war.

They were some people that have confirmed kills in war.

They have trouble living with that.

Some people think because of what they have done, they never have a chance to get to heaven.

It’s a sad story, but there are murders and people who were far from God in heaven.

At the end of Acts chapter 7, Stephen ticked off the religious leaders of the time and they stoned him to death.

One of the people behind the stoning of Stephen was a guy by the name of Saul.

This is what it says about Saul in a brief verse, Acts 8:1…

“And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.”

Approval for his death?

Yes.

Saul was very much against the Church, Jesus and the ministry the early disciples were doing.

He was the one that hated Christians and there ministry.

In the next couple of blogs I will take a deeper look at this man named Saul, how far he was from Christ and what changed in him that made him a faithful follower.

No matter where you are at in your life, you are not as far from God as you think.

If a murderer can still go to heaven, you can too.

It’s not too late and no matter what Jesus Loves You.

Have a great day.