A GENUINE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD...

This sermon spoke to me a lot...And I hope that it will speak to you as well. God bless!

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A Genuine Turning Point...

Ps Simon Eng, Hope PJ 7 May 2006

Acts 9:1-19

We may or may not realise it but God is leading us through our daily situations. Many times, God wants to capture our attention to change the direction of our lives.
Whatever happened, especially in difficult & testing situations, perhaps God wants your attention. Sometimes, God needs to capture our attention before we will change.

Paul's life 'crumbled' when he encountered God.

What happens when a person truly encounters God?

1) REPENTANCE

Repentance is the 1st sign of real encounter with God.
In Paul, there was in immediate change / turn around in his life.
When we say we encountered God, there must be a turn around.

1.1) Saul repented and surrendered his life to Jesus

Paul not only repented but he accepted God's instruction for his life.
The amazing thing is that Paul's instruction was coming from his enemy, Jesus. Paul had been zealously persecuting the followers of Jesus and here, he was obeying every command given by Jesus.

When there is true repentance, we are able to do what we may not have wanted to do.

Genuine repentance leads to CHANGE.

We see this act of obedience from Paul.

1.2) Paul admitted that he was wrong

Genuine repentance leads to Genuine Admission.

To 'admit' is to 'surrender to God and do what is right'.

If we say we repent but conceal our wrongs still, it is not full repentance. There are some who come to repent to God because of wanting a need to be met. This is not true repentance.

2) RESOLUTION (v 9-16)

This was time of time for Paul as he was blinded for 3 days. In those 3 days, all Paul could do was WAIT.
To make it resolute, God needed to blind Paul.
Paul was such a choleric man, an action man, this was the only way for him to sit and wait...a time to receive new direction.
We need to clear our hearts to receive new directions.

Search your hearts before we embark on a next journey.

God leads us progressively in our life. In your time of resolution, seek God for His plan.

2.1) God's Timing for Us.

2.2) Received God's Plan

In an encounter with God, God wants to reveal His plans in our life so we can move in His direction.
Then, count the cost.

When God reveals to us His next plan, in time of resolution (allowing the heart to become resolute in God's call) we need to make sure that we count the cost (v 16).

Examples of people who received and followed God's plan: Heb 11:22-26; Joshua 24:15; Isa 50:7; Dan 1:8

We can either follow God's way or follow man's way.

3) REVOLUTION

As soon as Paul received his sight and was prayed for, he immediately went to the synagogue to preach about Jesus.
This was a most radical thing that happened.
Before, Paul had taught on the Judaism faith, now he was suddenly teaching about Jesus.

There was a radical change in Paul and he began to preach a different message.

When we encounter God, there will be a revolution - a radical change.

Eg. Luke 19:8 - Zaccheus gave away half his riches and returned 4 times the money to those who he took from.