Saul had been so effective in his persecution of the church that he decided to travel 150 miles to Damascus in order to arrest in followers of the WAY who were there. But God had other plans. On Saul’s way to Damascus, a bright light shone, and he found himself confronted by Jesus himself. The encounter left Saul blind and helpless.
Ananias was a follower of the WAY, and the Lord told him to go seek Saul and to lay his hands on him, so that he could heal the blind Saul. This didn’t thrill Ananias, Acts 9:13–20 (CSB)
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”
In one of the biggest transformations in history, this persecutor of Christ became one if Christ’s chief advocates. Saul the persecutor became Saul the persecuted. Even as many in the church rejected him in fear, the Jewish leaders sought to kill him for his testimony.
Today there are many of you who have been praying for years for individuals who do not know Christ. Some of you have even suffered persecutions of one form or another because of your testimony. Saul is a reminder that there is no one who is beyond God’s arms of grace. You may be tempted to give up. You may be tired and weary. You may have even given up all hope. But if God can change Saul, He can change anyone.
Keep praying. Keep sharing. Keep inviting. And I believe when we are faithful in this pursuit, God will answer our prayers. John 16:24 (CSB) “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
Who’s your one?
I encourage you to invite your friends to worship with us on Sunday Mornings as we worship online. God wants to do incredible things through you.
Dear God, We pray for those that you have laid on our hearts who need salvation. Lord, meet them on the road they are traveling right now–where they are. And save them from their sins. We pray this in Jesus’ Name, just as He commanded. AMEN!
Attention All PBC Kids:
Tonight
at 7 pm, we will be having Sunday School for kids in Kindergarten through 5th
grade. Join Carol Jo Taylor on Zoom for Sunday
School. Contact Carol Jo if you need the link.
Also, all kids are invited to a Biblical Storytime with Carol Jo on Sunday nights at 6 pm on Piner Baptist Church Facebook Live.
Items needed for Food Collection Week of April 27-30
Cereal
Canned Vegetables
Pop Tarts
Oatmeal
Dinty Moore Stew
Canned Chicken Breast
Loaves of Bread
Peanut Butter
Granola/Snack Bars
Microwave Popcorn
Saltine Crackers
VBS on the Road
We are looking for volunteers to lead and/or host 2-hour day camps in subdivisions around our area during the month of July. If you are interested in teaching or hosting, please contact Bro. Mark. mark@pinerbaptist.org
Grace Marriage
Hey everyone! We want to serve your marriages and your families during this time. We realize that you are enduring stress, anxiety and uncertainty. In an effort to help you draw closer to Jesus and one another, we are providing you virtual sessions to do together that will help your marriage and family. These sessions are specifically designed to help you navigate your marriage during this time of quarantine.
Please be intentional with this resource. Each session has a 7-10 minute teaching video and a worksheet you can download to apply the teaching to your own relationship. Set aside about 45 minutes a week of undistracted time as a couple to go through each lesson. If you don’t set aside the time and put it on your weekly calendar, it will not happen.
Week 1: “The Grace-Based Marriage” – As Christ and His grace are the foundation of everything, we desire couples to think through this concept during such a trying time. Plus, we pray this lesson will help many couples who have not started building their marriage on the foundation of grace.
Week 2: “I Would Have Never” – With couples experiencing so much negative news, it’s important that we visit a lesson on gratitude. Gratitude is a core principle in Grace Marriage and in the times we are in, it’s needed that much more.
Week 3: “Instinctive vs. Intentional” – It’s easy to be driven by anxiety, emotion and instinct right now. Without intentionality in our home and in our marriage, we’ll find ourselves on a roller-coaster of emotions and chaos.
Week 4: “Are You Smarter Than Your Cell Phone?” – We continue to hear of frequent conflict over technology. It’s important to address this topic during this season of technology overload.
Week 5: “Intimacy Igniter & The 621 Challenge: Creative Dating” – Intentional one-on-one time is needed to process and weather our current trials. Regardless if you have kids or not, don’t let the sudden isolation keep you from being intentional and creative. You may have a ton of time together right now, but how are you using it? We’ll spark discussion and get into specific ways you can be creative in a time where there are restrictions on what you can do.
Please contact Bro. Mark if you are interested in accessing this free resource.