Friday First - Changed Forever

The Apostle Paul had some deeply held convictions that once drove him to approve of the killings of countless disciples of Jesus. He was  schooled, powerful, well-connected and on the rise as a future leader in his Jewish community. He had been taught that Jesus was a raving heretic leading his brethren off into error. Each executed Christian would have represented a victory over the heretics who opposed the religious order. He was zealous. He was convinced that he was right. He was counting on his religion to justify him.

Everything changed for him one fateful day. As Paul was on the way to drag off more disciples for imprisonment on the road to Damascus, he encountered the real Jesus. Not the Jesus that he was told about. The Son of God. The King of Kings. The Suffering Servant. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

Paul had everything going for him, or so he thought. When he realized who Jesus really was it changed his life--forever. He was humbled. He went from a Christian killer to a new convert in a matter of days. He lost his faith in his religious tradition, his old identity and all his cultural schooling and became a student in Jesus' school of eternal life.

In Sunday’s lesson we will follow the story of Paul's conversion in Acts 9.1-22 and we'll...

• Join Paul the persecutor on the road to Damascus when he encounters Jesus
• Switch perspectives to Ananias, who was called to help convert a Christian killer
• See how Jesus set Paul on a totally different path, with a new purpose and a new mission
• Learn how we can make applications from Paul's conversion to find Jesus' healing in our own lives.

As you prepare for worship on Sunday, please give consideration to these questions:

OPENING / WELCOME
Jim Grushon, Jr.

SONG LEADER
Mark Ringle

PRAYER OF PRAISE
Richard Jacobs

LORD'S SUPPER
Drew Triplett

SCRIPTURE READING
Wes Grushon
Acts 9.1-22

PREACHING
Cain Atkinson

CLOSING COMMENTS & PRAYER
Rich Walker

WELCOME CENTER
Pat Reeder / Sadonna Schofield / Emily McDonald

USHERS (arrive @ 9)
Ben Baker/Chris Fles

Closing the Building
Mike Rosato

THOSE SERVING:
OPENING / WELCOME
Cain Atkinson

SONG: THANK YOU
Russ Robins

SCRIPTURE READING 1
Jordan Lewis

Ephesians 3.20-21

PRAYER: THANKING GOD FOR ALL HE'S DONE
Nathan Armstrong

PRAYER: GREATER UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP
Eric Renegar

PRAYER: GREATER DEPTHS OF PERSONAL FAITH
Justin Spargo

PRAYER: GREATER LOVE FOR THE LOST
Cain Atkinson

PRAYER: GREATER COURAGE TO BE LIGHT
Dylan Schofield

SCRIPTURE READING 2

David Williams

Ephesians 2.19-22

SONG: CORNERSTONE

Russ Robins