WEBVTT 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:16.160 We're Startup Church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:40.380 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:46.250 Good morning, church. 00:00:46.469 --> 00:00:47.289 Morning, Saucy. 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:49.170 How's everyone doing? 00:00:50.250 --> 00:00:52.429 So I'm happy to be back. 00:00:53.270 --> 00:00:54.530 This last week. 00:00:54.649 --> 00:00:57.850 Yeah, I'm glad to be back this last week for Thanksgiving. 00:00:58.630 --> 00:01:03.348 First off, Thanksgiving in the McCoy household is held at the highest esteem. 00:01:03.670 --> 00:01:04.670 It is the best holiday. 00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:09.250 The good part about me preaching is no one can argue with me at this moment about it. 00:01:11.109 --> 00:01:12.450 But I went down to Texas. 00:01:13.030 --> 00:01:15.250 I got to see my parents, had a great time. 00:01:15.689 --> 00:01:19.489 It was in like the high 50s, low 60s the whole time. 00:01:19.890 --> 00:01:23.230 And I came back on Tuesday, like Tuesday, Wednesday. 00:01:23.870 --> 00:01:25.549 So that morning, I spent time with my mom. 00:01:25.609 --> 00:01:26.909 We had some lunch. 00:01:26.909 --> 00:01:29.670 And when we were leaving, it was like 61 sunny. 00:01:29.829 --> 00:01:30.530 It was gorgeous. 00:01:31.269 --> 00:01:32.510 I come into Detroit. 00:01:32.569 --> 00:01:37.689 It's where I flew into, and it was 18 degrees, and I was like, I don't want to do this right now. 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:39.650 And I love the cold. 00:01:40.189 --> 00:01:44.269 As you guys will understand about me more and more, I am kind of crazy with the cold. 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:45.450 I embrace it. 00:01:45.849 --> 00:01:47.530 It's like a weird friend of mine. 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:48.409 I'm like, I love you. 00:01:48.569 --> 00:01:49.349 Please be colder. 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:52.010 But when I came back, I was like, I see why. 00:01:52.090 --> 00:01:54.769 I see why people go to these places, these warm places in the winter. 00:01:54.849 --> 00:01:55.530 I was like, I get it. 00:01:55.549 --> 00:01:56.109 I get it. 00:01:56.109 --> 00:01:57.310 But I am happy to be back. 00:01:57.349 --> 00:02:00.650 I'm happy to be back in Michigan where my brain has now got back to the cold. 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:05.709 I'm happy to be where it's nice and my type of temperature, as it were. 00:02:06.590 --> 00:02:13.969 But for this week, I'm excited to continue preaching on this series that we've been doing about transformed Bible characters. 00:02:14.969 --> 00:02:23.430 We've been looking at people in the Bible that were all by the definitions of who they were at the beginning of their stories. 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:24.469 They were chaotic. 00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:29.349 They were sinful, unwise a lot of the time, and selfish. 00:02:30.389 --> 00:02:39.949 But what we've been looking at is through God's power and continued work on their spiritual lives, these people have become wise, zealous, loving servants for the kingdom of God. 00:02:40.590 --> 00:02:46.129 And today, we're going to be looking at probably the most well-known transformation in the Bible. 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:49.550 And that's the transformation of Paul the Apostle. 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:57.340 The Apostle Paul is arguably one of the best-known figures in the Bible. 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:02.479 You could go down the street and ask, you know, who are some people that you know from the Bible? 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.159 I hope Jesus is number one. 00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:06.740 But number two is probably Paul, right? 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:15.560 You know, Paul, you know, the letters he wrote thousands of years ago are still vital for us today, right? 00:03:15.620 --> 00:03:29.000 His convictions for the church, his convictions for how we should respect the Lord are some of the most awe-inspiring pieces of literature, things that we get to look at in the history of Christianity, right? 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:35.159 His writings and his life gives us life and understanding, instructions and hope. 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:39.960 Paul's transformation is a shining example for every Christian. 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:45.620 So right, you know, if you grew up religious or not, we kind of know a lot about Paul. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:53.479 We also know Paul wasn't this just, you know, he didn't, you know, pop out of the womb as this great, awesome dude, did he, right? 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:59.340 And so today what we're going to do is we're going to look at kind of the three sections of Paul's life a little bit, right? 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:00.259 We're just going to section out. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:05.439 We're going to look at before his transformation, right, who's, you know, who he was before he was Paul, right? 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:06.340 We're going to look at his conversion. 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:09.979 Then we're going to look at his continual transformation, all right? 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:11.560 So let's dig into this. 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:15.620 This first one is before his transformation, Saul before Paul. 00:04:17.278 --> 00:04:21.939 And I've got two scriptures I'm going to look at here, right? 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:22.839 We're going to dig into this a little. 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:26.060 So this first one is Acts 7, 57 through 58. 00:04:26.139 --> 00:04:29.180 It's kind of our first introduction into who Paul is. 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:32.180 And you know, before this, right, his name was Saul, right? 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:36.139 That was his given name as we'll look a little bit in this conversion. 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:38.480 We'll look at it at a time, like that's when he changed his name to Paul. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:44.060 So I'll be using Saul and Paul, you know, kind of, you know, back and forth just so you guys know it's the same person. 00:04:44.300 --> 00:04:44.980 I'm not crazy. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:47.879 You know, just so you know. 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:48.259 All right. 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:51.600 So it says here, Acts 7, verses 57 through 58. 00:04:52.279 --> 00:05:00.800 It says, at this they covered their ears and yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragging him out to the city and began to stone him. 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:07.759 Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, right? 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.019 So this is our first time hearing of Saul. 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.040 And it's not anything close to the man we come to know as the Apostle Paul. 00:05:14.819 --> 00:05:20.240 So right, this is a little tidbit, but this is in the bigger context about the story of a man named Stephen. 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:24.199 Stephen is the first martyr for the Christian faith that we know. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:25.779 Right? 00:05:25.899 --> 00:05:30.500 Stephen was so adamant about, you know, who Jesus Christ was. 00:05:30.540 --> 00:05:31.560 He was the son of God. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:37.319 And he went before the, you know, the Pharisees and the courts and basically laid it to them, right? 00:05:37.420 --> 00:05:40.920 He said, you know, like, you killed the man that is your savior. 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:42.939 And they're like, we don't like you. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:43.660 We're going to kill you now. 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:46.860 It's just like, they were so adamantly like, we're going to kill you. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:50.519 And that's like the main story. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:52.060 And then there's this little tidbit, right? 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:59.899 You know, this man Saul, we haven't heard him, you know, but Saul specifically called out as being a man of influence in this position. 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:01.279 Right? 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:07.800 Now, it doesn't state what role he had in the stoning of Stephen, which, you know, right, is the context of the story. 00:06:07.959 --> 00:06:13.019 But what we can safely assume is that his role was important, right? 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:28.339 What reason would you put this little sentence about, you know, everyone laying down their coats as a sign of respect, as a sign of, you know, this is almost like, you know, we're doing this for you to this young man named Saul, right? 00:06:28.459 --> 00:06:31.560 The witnesses gave their respect to him, you know. 00:06:32.379 --> 00:06:38.540 And then in Galatians 1, 13 through 14, this is Paul's description of his previous life, right? 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:46.879 He says, for you have heard of my previous ways of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:58.680 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my father. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:14.040 Once again, this is Paul talking about himself, but looking at what Paul said about his previous life as Saul, he said about himself that his opposition to the church, to Jesus, was intense, right? 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:18.079 He did everything he could to push himself to the top of the competition. 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:24.480 It resulted in a very esteemed position with the Pharisees and set himself up to be very successful in life. 00:07:24.980 --> 00:07:25.220 All right? 00:07:25.300 --> 00:07:26.300 So we have these two verses. 00:07:26.300 --> 00:07:31.620 So let's kind of take a bigger picture of Saul's life before he was transformed. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:33.220 Right? 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:36.899 So we look at this, we kind of know, oh yeah, he's a good religious dude. 00:07:37.459 --> 00:07:40.800 But even in a bigger context, this dude was a go-getter, right? 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:44.879 Paul slash Saul was an absolute go-getter in his life. 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:50.420 You know, talk about someone with an insane drive to be the best, right? 00:07:50.779 --> 00:08:01.939 He was so intelligent and so passionate that there's another scripture, I don't actually have it written down, but you can go look at his text, that he was trained by this man named Gamaliel. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:06.579 He was one of the most respected rabbis of the time and in the history of rabbis. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:07.139 Right? 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:17.420 It's kind of like that idea, whatever degree or whatever thing you're in, if you got trained by the most prestigious person in that position, that was kind of what was happening with Saul's life. 00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:20.759 And all these ideas, right? 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:23.399 Saul had life figured out. 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:28.379 You know, he lived to better his own life, right? 00:08:28.660 --> 00:08:32.860 He seeked out to destroy those who were in opposition to his convictions. 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:39.058 And to top it all off, it is noted all these accomplishments happen at a very young age. 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:48.820 You know, Saul is, and we think of it in today's terms, like he would have been a religious zealot, right? 00:08:48.820 --> 00:09:00.940 You know, Saul would have been someone that would have stood up for his convictions no matter the evidence against it, what would have been said to him. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:03.940 Like he was going to stand, ride or die for what he did. 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:07.100 And most importantly, he was very intelligent at what he did. 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:07.919 Right? 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:18.379 You know, in today's term, think about someone from another religion or someone from a biblical Christian adjacent religion that is so rooted in their cause. 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:25.740 Like, think about the idea, like there's a lot of people in our day and age, sometimes us, like we can't be reasoned with. 00:09:26.139 --> 00:09:26.279 Right? 00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:34.299 Like when we believe something, and this is especially me, when I think something's true, like I am so stubborn in trying to be like, I'm not believing in anything else. 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:35.980 Like this is the way this is happening, right? 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:41.460 But this is, you know, how a lot of things is, especially for religion, especially with doctrine, how we believe, right? 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:43.899 In our core of what we believe, right? 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:51.240 And here, I want to be delicate about what and who I point out here, right? 00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:56.679 So I'm not, you know, I'm not trying to, you know, create a war with, you know, my second lesson here. 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:08.620 But I have always found it hard, I want to share something, I always found it hard to have any common ground with the Latter Day Saints church or what we would be known as the Mormons, right? 00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:14.899 You know, the LSD, the LDS church, its members are passionate. 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:16.779 It's something I actually have the biggest respect for. 00:10:16.820 --> 00:10:18.860 They are so passionate about their cause. 00:10:18.919 --> 00:10:21.259 Their family connections are so strong. 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:26.460 Sometimes I'm like, yeah, we need to take some notes on like how they connect with each other, right? 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:32.940 You know, they're strong in what they believe, with a strong understanding in what they believe, you know, right? 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:56.440 And I think in my cynical heart, my judgmental heart, you know, whenever I have a conversation with someone from the LDS church or just in general, anyone outside of, you know, what I believe is doctrinal like truth about the Bible, right, my brain, my heart already checks the box that this person has no chance of going to want to have a genuine talk about Jesus. 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:04.139 That this person is going to have any genuine talk about the Bible with me and there's no way that there's going to be any reasoning in this conversation. 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:09.919 I say that to say, Saul was no different than this example, right? 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:18.759 Saul went out of his way to kill those who were in opposition to him, right? 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:22.379 There's a reason that we stayed in Acts 7, 57 through 58, right? 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.240 Like he was there. 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:27.320 Most importantly, he had influence in Stephen Stone. 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:37.960 We don't know entirely what that is, but there's some reason that they laid their coats at the bottom of this young man who was doing whatever he wanted to kill those who were in opposition of him, right? 00:11:38.740 --> 00:11:43.580 You know, we would look at this and we would look at this man, we're like, man, there's no way. 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:48.620 There's no way that this man is going to come to God, is going to love Jesus. 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:50.700 Like he's a lost cause. 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:55.799 And let's be honest, like in our sinful hearts, we look at people and we're like, that's a lost cause. 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:57.360 Like that person's gone. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:03.399 Like truly, and my grandma would say this, like they're in God's hands now. 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:05.240 And I'm like, I don't even know what that means, grandma. 00:12:05.379 --> 00:12:05.820 Like, amen. 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:07.200 Like, you're right. 00:12:07.399 --> 00:12:07.740 You're right. 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:09.860 Right? 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:20.240 You know, you might think that someone so strong in their reasoning, so entrenched in a certain way of life, so fully committed to and convinced of a cause would be unreachable. 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:22.860 But God had different plans for Paul. 00:12:22.860 --> 00:12:26.779 You know, God can move anyone's heart closer to him. 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:27.519 Right? 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:31.019 So then we look at, you know, this is Saul before he was Paul. 00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:32.440 He was intelligent. 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:33.960 He was zealous. 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:37.059 He was a, you know, I use the term like firecracker. 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:41.559 You know, he was a go-getter and he was unreachable, or at least we thought. 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:44.220 So let's look at the second point, right? 00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:46.240 It's Paul's conversion, right? 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:56.799 And we're going to read into Paul's, how Paul talked about his conversion, which is in Acts 26, 12 through 23. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:59.779 I'm going to read that out here, and then we'll dig into this. 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:10.379 Acts 26, 12 through 23, it says, In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority of the commission of the chief priests. 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:19.080 At midday, Okin, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:27.720 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:30.899 It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:32.659 And I said, Who are you, Lord? 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:36.299 And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 00:13:36.879 --> 00:14:04.759 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:23.139 Therefore, Okin Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then into Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:26.639 For this reason the Jew seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:30.139 To this day I have had the help that comes from God. 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:45.360 So I stand here testifying both to the small and great, saying nothing but what the prophet and Moses said would come to pass, that the Christ must suffer and that by being first to rise from the dead he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles. 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:52.899 This is to a point that anyone who's grown up with the Bible would likely know this story. 00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:59.779 It's one of the most inspiring conversions and transformations in the Bible. 00:15:01.419 --> 00:15:06.940 Jesus himself appeared as a light from heaven, forcing Paul to his knees. 00:15:06.940 --> 00:15:12.860 Now, I can safely assume, I don't think Jesus has come in a ray of light to you. 00:15:13.059 --> 00:15:14.519 If you have, please come talk to me. 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:15.080 I want to know. 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:16.940 I think that'd be pretty neat. 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:22.940 But Paul had this extreme experience with God. 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:31.440 This personal experience with Jesus affected a 100% conversion of Paul. 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:43.620 In this moment of time, what he describes here between 12 and 23, Paul, he believes, he repents, and he's baptized. 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:49.620 And then right after that, he went from a persecutor to a disciple. 00:15:50.299 --> 00:15:51.659 We'll talk a little bit about this. 00:15:52.320 --> 00:15:55.919 It says that after this experience, he immediately started preaching Christ. 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:01.460 There was no wavering, no human reasoning, wondering if what he was doing was right. 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:07.860 He had experienced Christ, and that was enough for him to completely refocus his life. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:17.940 Now, I think about this because not everybody's life, and I don't think it should be, not everyone's life is a direct correlation to Paul. 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:21.779 I don't think a lot of us are just like, boom, this happens, let's go. 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:25.539 We're not that intensely just like from here to here. 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:27.820 We all have different ways of coming to the Lord. 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:37.320 For me personally, I made a decision to make Jesus Lord, I'd say somewhere around six months after hitting that point where I knew I really needed God. 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:44.120 You kind of have this moment where you're like, there's really no other way for me to turn, but I need to go towards God. 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:45.519 This is what I need to do. 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:47.419 For me, it was about six months, I'd say. 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:51.700 For some of you, it might have taken weeks, maybe even days. 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:53.299 Some, it takes years. 00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:58.320 But something I want to focus on in this story is this. 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:05.519 Paul's conversion is a part of transformation, but it's not his whole transformation. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:10.180 The road to Damascus was just the beginning. 00:17:11.838 --> 00:17:26.578 What begins to be very transparent about Paul's life, and should be very transparent in our own lives, is the dedication to be transformed daily until our time on earth and done is this second part into transformation. 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:34.059 But talking about this idea of being transformed, we have, like I said, we have two transformations in our walk with God. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:36.519 This is what I'm saying. 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:40.380 Paul had two transformations, and this first one is his conversion. 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:53.160 When his heart was transformed, he described this as putting off the old man and putting on the new man, becoming a disciple for Christ in his first transformation. 00:17:54.819 --> 00:18:01.539 What I think is super important about this, it was hard when I was writing this, I was like, this feels like such a bridge point. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:09.359 I'm trying to get to that third point, but as I was doing that, I was like, wait, this is super important to understand that. 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:17.359 I really love the idea of how Paul's life is a continual transformation, but we have to be converted first. 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.599 We have to have that 100% our hearts are in it. 00:18:22.180 --> 00:18:23.980 And that was what happened with Paul. 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:35.039 No matter where we're at in our lives, you could be following Jesus for 30 plus years, it could be three days, it could be you're just figuring this out for the first time. 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:41.200 We got to look back at our lives and be like, have I given that to God? 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:43.200 Have I given him everything? 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:45.059 Has he changed my life enough? 00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:49.619 Has he changed it completely to where I'm going to go from here to here? 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:56.700 And the cool thing about Paul, as we looked at in that first part, is he was technically unreachable. 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:05.059 He was someone who we look at him and we're like, there's no way God could convert a man like that. 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:11.839 He was going to do everything he could to lift himself up to the highest in the order of Pharisees. 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:14.539 But God was able to convert him. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:16.819 So to the point, what does that say about you? 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:21.380 Are you holding back on the things that God can do to you? 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:25.039 Are we holding back on the things God can use? 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:32.960 And the second part to that is when we get converted, as we'll jump into this third point, is just like Paul, don't waste time. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:53.579 I think what is so cool about his transformation, about this moment on the road to Damascus, it was a three-day period, if you dig more into the scriptures, where he went to Damascus and Ananias, I believe, raised him up, taught him for three days, that's when he got baptized. 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:58.779 He'd gotten blinded, his scales came off his eyes, and then right after that, he went and preached. 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:00.019 He didn't waste his time. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:06.059 And so no matter where you're at today, as we think about the second point, don't waste that time. 00:20:06.299 --> 00:20:07.779 Don't waste the moments after. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:18.240 If you've loved God, if you've seen his conversion, if you've repented and been baptized, don't waste a moment of that time giving your transformated life to God. 00:20:20.220 --> 00:20:22.779 So let's jump into this third point, like I said. 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:24.880 Paul's continual transformation. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.099 So we look at his conversion. 00:20:28.720 --> 00:20:38.920 Although he was born again, he had a new heart, a new attitude, and a new life, something important is Paul's conversion didn't change who he was by nature. 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:42.119 That's something we haven't really hit on a lot. 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:49.299 Amen, all these things happened, but it still doesn't change the fact that the dude was fiery and passionate. 00:20:49.299 --> 00:20:55.900 It doesn't change the fact that he was selfish by nature. 00:20:56.019 --> 00:21:00.180 He went after anything and everything to gain a higher understanding. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:03.299 So what had to happen? 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:06.660 So for him, he met Christ. 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:10.440 And his whole heart's desire had to switch. 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:17.079 There had to be this point where he goes, this is who I am, this is who God is, where do I need to go with that? 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:25.279 So beforehand, his whole heart's desire was to get to know himself personally. 00:21:25.720 --> 00:21:33.500 Like it was about him gaining knowledge, seeking it, but what had to change was now he had to get to know God personally. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:40.759 For Paul to do that though, he knew that transformation wasn't going to be a one-off event. 00:21:41.299 --> 00:21:44.880 Transformation was a continual work on his discipleship. 00:21:45.539 --> 00:21:46.079 Right? 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:48.440 And something so cool, you can dig in. 00:21:48.579 --> 00:21:51.240 Most of the New Testament is written by Paul. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.700 I could read the whole Testament and be like, that was his transformation. 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:56.339 The end, have fun with it. 00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:03.039 Because Paul wrote so much about his longing for Christ. 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:15.200 I think this longing for Christ drove him to deep humility because he saw that everything he had as a natural person was useless to fulfill this longing. 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:16.539 Right? 00:22:16.900 --> 00:22:29.839 That man that we read in the first point, the Saul that was selfish, ruthless, and openly fighting all those who opposed his belief, this man who was so strongly in himself was so self-righteous. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:39.359 He says this in Philippians 3, 7-8, Whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:46.359 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:53.599 For those sake I have lost all things, I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. 00:22:57.150 --> 00:23:04.789 The key for his continual transformation was Apostle Paul no longer saw himself as the one at the pedestal. 00:23:05.609 --> 00:23:05.930 Right? 00:23:07.589 --> 00:23:10.230 As someone who needed to be completely changed. 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:17.829 Because of this great humility, God was able to begin the work of transformation in his inner self. 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:23.190 So that he could be conformed to the image of his son. 00:23:24.650 --> 00:23:25.069 Right? 00:23:25.130 --> 00:23:27.529 I think about my life in this. 00:23:27.670 --> 00:23:32.849 How do I quote unquote stock up to this example of God? 00:23:33.630 --> 00:23:37.529 I think when I looked at... 00:23:37.529 --> 00:23:42.829 I'll share stories about this in time through if you get to know me more better personally. 00:23:43.130 --> 00:23:48.430 But my kind of second year into me walking with God as a disciple, I was not really a disciple. 00:23:48.890 --> 00:23:50.190 I did about... 00:23:50.190 --> 00:23:54.150 I did the bare minimum to check the boxes. 00:23:55.470 --> 00:24:01.710 And I looked at how that stocked up to how Paul took his years as a disciple. 00:24:02.230 --> 00:24:05.490 And it was so easy just to like, Oh yeah, I see where I went wrong. 00:24:05.930 --> 00:24:08.170 I wish I would have thought that five years ago. 00:24:09.490 --> 00:24:10.910 But I saw, wow. 00:24:11.250 --> 00:24:18.970 I did not see myself as the one that wasn't on the pedestal anymore. 00:24:19.369 --> 00:24:22.710 I did not have a great humility in wanting to grow. 00:24:23.049 --> 00:24:23.789 I genuinely thought... 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:25.789 I think about that second point. 00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:27.309 I thought I was good after that. 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:28.009 I genuinely did. 00:24:28.109 --> 00:24:30.289 After my conversion, I was like, Alright, we're good. 00:24:30.769 --> 00:24:33.349 I did my work. 00:24:33.470 --> 00:24:34.210 I'm good. 00:24:34.470 --> 00:24:36.089 I can kind of just live my life now. 00:24:36.309 --> 00:24:38.190 Not in a way where I'm like, Oh, I can just go sinning. 00:24:38.450 --> 00:24:41.410 Or I wasn't fully religious. 00:24:41.509 --> 00:24:42.829 I kind of was just like, Alright, I'm going to stick here. 00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:43.809 I'm going to be happy. 00:24:44.309 --> 00:24:48.329 But what happened with that was I still had a hold of that pedestal. 00:24:48.529 --> 00:24:50.269 I still had a hold of the will, as it were. 00:24:50.710 --> 00:24:52.369 And what happened is I slowly... 00:24:52.369 --> 00:24:53.109 I didn't get transformed. 00:24:53.329 --> 00:24:57.809 I was actually transferring my sin further and further into my life. 00:24:59.869 --> 00:25:03.009 And I think a lot of us can probably relate to that statement. 00:25:03.490 --> 00:25:03.789 Right? 00:25:04.390 --> 00:25:06.309 Where it's like, Man, I have these great moments. 00:25:06.309 --> 00:25:06.950 This conversion. 00:25:07.450 --> 00:25:09.849 Or these moments with God where it transforms you. 00:25:10.349 --> 00:25:11.589 It transforms your life. 00:25:12.009 --> 00:25:12.170 Right? 00:25:12.250 --> 00:25:14.069 And you're just like, I'm going to live it all for God. 00:25:14.430 --> 00:25:15.569 But then the next... 00:25:15.569 --> 00:25:24.650 However long it is, that process over the next weeks, months, and years is we truly forget why we do this. 00:25:24.890 --> 00:25:28.410 And I think that's something Paul was so amazing at. 00:25:29.069 --> 00:25:36.509 Not because he was just some great dude, but because he understood the concept of how Jesus Christ needed to be at the front of everything. 00:25:37.410 --> 00:25:37.509 Right? 00:25:38.130 --> 00:25:41.049 Looking back, let's be honest. 00:25:41.250 --> 00:25:46.650 Saul probably has completed more in his 20... 00:25:46.650 --> 00:25:52.089 however many years it was before having an interaction with God than some of us have in our lifetime. 00:25:52.730 --> 00:25:55.569 He was such an accomplished man. 00:25:56.150 --> 00:26:05.349 And he was saying in Philippians that those things that I gained, the things that were so high that I considered the greatest things, are now lost for the sake of Christ. 00:26:06.369 --> 00:26:19.509 So that's a question I have for this point is, you know, all these things in your life that you've gained, that you feel are such a strong standing point of who you are, are you willing to lose those for the sake of Christ? 00:26:19.769 --> 00:26:28.950 Because if you want to be truly transformed every day and to continue in this transformation, you have to lose a lot for the sake of Christ. 00:26:30.130 --> 00:26:30.549 Right? 00:26:31.630 --> 00:26:37.869 And so, coming into this back-end point, I said, what should we take away from this? 00:26:39.549 --> 00:26:42.910 And this first point, this is not my point, as you can see. 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:50.609 But when I was in Detroit, Mark King, the leader of our Detroit church, we do leaders' meetings every Tuesday, right? 00:26:50.829 --> 00:26:56.609 And he had this just outstanding, awe-inspiring lesson just kind of about like the accountability we have in our own lives. 00:26:57.390 --> 00:27:04.529 Like, hey, what does it look like for you as leaders to take accountability for your sin on a day-to-day basis? 00:27:05.089 --> 00:27:15.930 Because a lot of times, when you get to a certain spot, you start getting a lot of people to ask you about their lives, but if it's not something you've made a conviction, not a lot of people ask you about your lives. 00:27:16.630 --> 00:27:24.390 So that's something, when you get into a role of leadership, you kind of have to get really humbled about it, being like, well, if I don't go after this, it's not going to happen. 00:27:24.990 --> 00:27:25.109 Right? 00:27:25.630 --> 00:27:32.109 And so, Mark was having this great lesson about this, and he's talking about what happens when we don't, right? 00:27:32.170 --> 00:27:39.470 And he uses this, and he wraps his lesson around this statement, and it's, what doesn't get transformed gets transferred. 00:27:40.809 --> 00:27:41.309 Right? 00:27:41.349 --> 00:27:44.390 What doesn't get transformed gets transferred. 00:27:46.009 --> 00:27:48.650 And I think Paul understood this so well. 00:27:49.009 --> 00:27:54.250 I think he understood this concept probably better than most in, you know, the history of Christianity. 00:27:55.130 --> 00:27:57.849 You know, like I said, Paul's conversion was powerful. 00:27:57.849 --> 00:27:59.650 It turned his life around. 00:28:01.410 --> 00:28:12.650 But if Paul didn't strive to humble himself before God, he understood his hot-headed ways of old would creep back into his life and taint that which was already changing in his life. 00:28:14.309 --> 00:28:20.450 And I think, right, if we're going to take this into our own lives, look at what is important about Paul's conversion in our own lives, right? 00:28:20.990 --> 00:28:26.869 Like, I think, you know, that idea of what doesn't get transformed gets transferred is so true in our lives. 00:28:26.869 --> 00:28:27.990 I think about my life. 00:28:29.049 --> 00:28:34.069 You know, there are times when I've had and we've had radical changes in our lives. 00:28:34.490 --> 00:28:48.549 God gives us these moments of change, but if we don't continually transform through these moments, we strive and we don't strive to be further away from our sin, our sin then kind of transfers later into our lives. 00:28:48.890 --> 00:28:50.509 It seeps up in other things. 00:28:51.109 --> 00:28:51.309 Right? 00:28:52.349 --> 00:29:01.190 And then, like, the humblest part, which, you know, Mark talked about and I haven't had a big aspect of this because, right, I'm still single, but he goes, it's going to happen in your kids. 00:29:01.809 --> 00:29:01.950 Right? 00:29:01.950 --> 00:29:07.529 You're going to look at your kids' lives and they're going to have the same sin as you and it's like, oh, I don't want my kids. 00:29:08.009 --> 00:29:08.369 Right? 00:29:08.549 --> 00:29:09.869 I think about, like, me and my mom. 00:29:10.450 --> 00:29:16.549 My mom is always like, man, I paid tenfold with you and I was like, love you, mom. 00:29:19.210 --> 00:29:24.569 But when I think about that, you know, it transfers into our kids' lives and it transfers into our spouses' lives too. 00:29:24.569 --> 00:29:34.450 Like, you know, the sins that we have in our intrinsic nature, if we don't transform them on a day-to-day life, they're going to get transformed to the people we love most. 00:29:34.789 --> 00:29:35.210 Right? 00:29:36.230 --> 00:29:45.789 And so, when we look at this, you know, we need to understand that we have to transform on a day-to-day basis. 00:29:46.250 --> 00:29:47.990 We have to take up our cross daily. 00:29:49.230 --> 00:29:54.049 And the second point, obviously, we look a lot about the idea of transform. 00:29:54.130 --> 00:29:56.470 We look at our cross How can I be transformed? 00:29:56.710 --> 00:30:01.329 How can I, you know, make Jesus Lord over my life and continue myself? 00:30:01.490 --> 00:30:05.289 But also, we have to look at the other people in our lives that are transformed. 00:30:05.430 --> 00:30:08.109 This kind of goes back to who Saul was as a human being. 00:30:08.710 --> 00:30:08.910 Right? 00:30:09.130 --> 00:30:10.970 We look at how he was so unreachable. 00:30:11.470 --> 00:30:11.670 Right? 00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:15.430 How there was so much about his life that was trouble. 00:30:15.890 --> 00:30:16.150 Right? 00:30:16.269 --> 00:30:21.670 He truly, like he killed, like he would have killed us if we were in his position because of what we stood for. 00:30:22.150 --> 00:30:22.529 Right? 00:30:22.529 --> 00:30:27.210 Like that's how much he loathed, you know, and just despised Christianity. 00:30:28.289 --> 00:30:32.349 And I think, like, right as I share, I'm like, I would have never reached out to this guy. 00:30:32.410 --> 00:30:33.930 I would have been fearful of him. 00:30:34.410 --> 00:30:34.589 Right? 00:30:36.130 --> 00:30:38.329 And that third point is so important. 00:30:38.470 --> 00:30:38.589 Right? 00:30:38.710 --> 00:30:41.210 God can reach the most untouchable. 00:30:41.789 --> 00:30:45.769 That's, I think, kind of the idea about this transformation is we look at all these people in their lives. 00:30:45.890 --> 00:30:47.990 It's like, some of them we relate to more than others. 00:30:47.990 --> 00:30:56.170 But, we look at Paul, like he was so at the end of, you know, the line of who we would put on the list of, oh, that person could get saved. 00:30:56.230 --> 00:30:57.970 That person is humble to the Bible. 00:30:58.329 --> 00:30:58.490 Right? 00:30:58.529 --> 00:30:59.890 He would have been at the lowest point. 00:31:00.009 --> 00:31:07.630 He would have been, you know, there would have been, you know, anybody here, and it's like 50 spaces of just space, and it's like, yeah, Paul's down there somewhere. 00:31:07.890 --> 00:31:10.490 Like, it's truly, we take an act of God. 00:31:11.329 --> 00:31:15.450 And most of our lives take an act of God to get us to come to be disciples. 00:31:16.230 --> 00:31:27.630 And so, as we wrap up, as we finish this, and then we're going to go into communion here, is, we've got to be humble to what Jesus can do in our lives, and in other lives. 00:31:28.109 --> 00:31:28.289 Right? 00:31:28.670 --> 00:31:35.910 So, if we look at who Paul was, how he was transformed, he was only transformed because he understood how powerful Jesus was. 00:31:36.230 --> 00:31:36.589 Right? 00:31:36.609 --> 00:31:38.250 He understood his power in his life. 00:31:38.869 --> 00:31:41.009 And so, as we look at our own personal lives, we need to do that. 00:31:41.049 --> 00:31:56.990 But, as we also share with other people, understand, no matter where they're at in their lives, no matter how we think, or how we view them, how we have predetermined how percentage of likelihood that they can get to salvation, that's not up to us. 00:31:57.150 --> 00:31:58.130 It never has been. 00:31:59.109 --> 00:32:10.829 And we always need to be humble to what Jesus can do, because, as we look at Paul, we look at one of the most influential men of our Christianity, he was so unreachable, but God still reached him. 00:32:10.829 --> 00:32:13.910 And that's how all of us, you know, if he can get transformed, all of us can. 00:32:14.390 --> 00:32:17.250 So I'm going to pray for communion, and we'll go from there. 00:32:19.380 --> 00:32:22.440 Dear God, I'm super grateful. 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:24.880 I'm super grateful that you can transform anyone. 00:32:25.799 --> 00:32:26.299 Right? 00:32:26.339 --> 00:32:27.839 We look at someone like Paul. 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.859 Someone so well educated in their own life. 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:32.160 Someone so intelligent. 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:35.480 Someone who was such a go-getter. 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:39.640 We would think that people like that are not touchable. 00:32:39.700 --> 00:32:45.299 But God, you show time and time again that your love surpasses any knowledge that this world can hold. 00:32:46.079 --> 00:32:51.779 I'm just super grateful that we can get to come on a day-to-day basis to you and transform our lives. 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:54.339 God, let us not be weary of our sin. 00:32:54.440 --> 00:32:56.119 Let us not let it seek back in. 00:32:56.799 --> 00:33:02.099 Let us be transformed on a day-to-day basis so that we can fight the good fight at the end. 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:10.960 That we can say that we ran the race for you, and in the end, that we get to come to you in heaven, and you'll say, well done, good and faithful servant God. 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:21.740 Let us remember that as we take your communion, that we remember your son, that we remember what this is all about, and that we never forget just how grateful we are that you came down and died for us. 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:23.680 In your name I pray, Amen. 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:48.059 You'll be hearing from us next week.