MACON TRANSITIONAL CENTER - Feb. 28 and Mar. 1, 2015
Wayne and Julia Smith went to Macon for the weekend holding the Bible Study on Saturday night and then the Sunday morning church service the next day.
After a great time of praise and worship, Wayne opened with Acts 28:3-10 and looked at how Paul was bit by a snake. Figuring that was a pretty bad day, in and of itself, they backed up to Acts 27:39 and looked at how, just before the snake bite, Paul was involved in a shipwreck.
After a great time of praise and worship, Wayne opened with Acts 28:3-10 and looked at how Paul was bit by a snake. Figuring that was a pretty bad day, in and of itself, they backed up to Acts 27:39 and looked at how, just before the snake bite, Paul was involved in a shipwreck.
Wayne and Julia Smith went to Macon for the weekend holding the Bible Study on Saturday night and then the Sunday morning church service the next day.
After a great time of praise and worship, Wayne opened with Acts 28:3-10 and looked at how Paul was bit by a snake. Figuring that was a pretty bad day, in and of itself, they backed up to Acts 27:39 and looked at how, just before the snake bite, Paul was involved in a shipwreck.
They then moved to 2 Cor 11:22-33 and looked at all the things Paul went through. They discussed how Paul was a pharisee, who was safe and comfortable in a religious state. Yet, after his conversion to following Christ, his life drastically changed and he suffered many hardships. They looked at how serving Christ does not mean an easy, comfortable, life. In fact, serving Christ means we turn away from a comfortable life in order to gain more into the kingdom of God. They looked at how Paul served all men in order to save some (1 Cor 9:19). We need to stop looking at our circumstances and understand that God may put us through some trials in order to gain people into His Kingdom. We often are too busy worrying about our own comfort, our own pleasure, our own circumstances to miss the fact that God is trying to get us to reach out to someone else.
Why did the shipwreck and snake bite not bother Paul? How did he just shake it off and go about his business as if nothing happened? Because, back in Acts 23:11, God tells Paul he's going to Rome. The being arrested by Roman soldiers, and the ship ride, was Paul's "taxi" to Rome. When the ship wrecked, Paul had no fear. First, he knew he was supposed to go to Rome. Secondly, Paul understood the great commission of going to all nations. There was a people on that island that God was concerned with, and this was the means He used to get His Glory to that people. When the snake bit Paul, there was no need to worry; because, there was a mission that God had Paul on.
We all have a mission. It may not be revealed to us as clearly as it was to Paul, but we have a mission. Things may not always go the way WE think they should go but we need to live in confidence that God has a plan. We need not look at our surroundings because, as long as we are on the mission of God, God's got our situation in His hand.
They closed with prayer requests and prayer.
Submitted by Wayne Smith
After a great time of praise and worship, Wayne opened with Acts 28:3-10 and looked at how Paul was bit by a snake. Figuring that was a pretty bad day, in and of itself, they backed up to Acts 27:39 and looked at how, just before the snake bite, Paul was involved in a shipwreck.
They then moved to 2 Cor 11:22-33 and looked at all the things Paul went through. They discussed how Paul was a pharisee, who was safe and comfortable in a religious state. Yet, after his conversion to following Christ, his life drastically changed and he suffered many hardships. They looked at how serving Christ does not mean an easy, comfortable, life. In fact, serving Christ means we turn away from a comfortable life in order to gain more into the kingdom of God. They looked at how Paul served all men in order to save some (1 Cor 9:19). We need to stop looking at our circumstances and understand that God may put us through some trials in order to gain people into His Kingdom. We often are too busy worrying about our own comfort, our own pleasure, our own circumstances to miss the fact that God is trying to get us to reach out to someone else.
Why did the shipwreck and snake bite not bother Paul? How did he just shake it off and go about his business as if nothing happened? Because, back in Acts 23:11, God tells Paul he's going to Rome. The being arrested by Roman soldiers, and the ship ride, was Paul's "taxi" to Rome. When the ship wrecked, Paul had no fear. First, he knew he was supposed to go to Rome. Secondly, Paul understood the great commission of going to all nations. There was a people on that island that God was concerned with, and this was the means He used to get His Glory to that people. When the snake bit Paul, there was no need to worry; because, there was a mission that God had Paul on.
We all have a mission. It may not be revealed to us as clearly as it was to Paul, but we have a mission. Things may not always go the way WE think they should go but we need to live in confidence that God has a plan. We need not look at our surroundings because, as long as we are on the mission of God, God's got our situation in His hand.
They closed with prayer requests and prayer.
Submitted by Wayne Smith