September 27, 2026: The Way - Acts 9:1-19

Welcome to the Fort St.

John Alliance Sermon Podcast.

I'm Nate Perry, the youth pastor here at the church.

We're so glad you've joined us today.

Our desire as a church is to become a community of people who practice the way of Jesus together and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live on mission to meet the social and spiritual needs of the world around us.

Each week we gather as a community to worship, learn from God's Word, and to be encouraged in our walk with Christ.

In this podcast, you'll hear the latest message from our Sunday service.

Whether you're listening from right here in Fort St.

John or from afar, our prayer is that God will speak to your heart and strengthen your faith.

Let's lean in together as we hear today's sermon.

All right.

I think I actually fooled you.

And I said the wrong thing.

So what I'm going to do, because I'm going to be kind and gracious, is if you would like to sit down for the reading of God's Word, you have every right to do though.

If you feel in your heart that it is right and good to stand for the reading of God's word, I'm going to invite you to do that as well.

So today's reading, we are in Acts chapter 9, and I'm going to be reading the first nine verses.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.

He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

Who are you, Lord?

Saul asked.

I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied.

Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.

The men traveling with Saul stood there, speechless.

They heard the sound, but did not see anyone.

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing.

So they led him by the hand into Damascus.

For three days he was blind, and he did not eat or drink anything.

This is the word of the Lord.

A few years ago, Fort St.

John Alliance Church took a bit of a risk on us.

12th Church was an idea, really an experiment.

We were asking a question: can we develop a simple, effective way to train ordinary Christians to live on mission and make disciples?

And this church, along with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, gave us the opportunity to find out.

So, right off the top, I want to say thank you.

Thanks to the leadership of this church for giving us room to experiment and develop and learn and adjust and keep going.

Thanks to those of you who have prayed for us and encouraged us and financially supported the ministry.

Fort St.

John Alliance has provided oversight and financial administration for 12 Church, and we're deeply grateful for that.

At the end of January 2027, the formal relationship will come to an end.

We're still working out some of the details of that next chapter, which we refer to as chapter two.

We're currently discerning what organizational structure makes the most sense going forward.

But we're quite clear about the mission.

Twelve church exists to train Christians to make disciples.

The goal has never really been to build a large organization.

Catalyzing a movement would be cool.

We're open to that.

But our heart is to resource passionate followers of Jesus, whether they're a part of a 12-church group or not.

Just last week, I met with church leaders in another community about how they can incorporate 12-church principles into their regular church model.

We want to equip people to live all in on mission with Jesus wherever God has placed them.

Over the last few years, that's taken different forms.

We've continued a local 12-church group here in Fort St.

John, where we meet weekly for Bible study, evangelism training, intercession, and food.

It's mostly been one group, it's now two, and looks like there will be three groups before the end of the year.

We've developed practical disciple-making resources, especially around personal evangelism, which is the thing that brings most of our online people to us initially.

Our umbrella training is the Missional Living Map, which is designed to help Christians move from just faithfully attending church to living a disciple-making life.

From the start, we've placed our training online through videos and courses and podcasts and other resources so that people far beyond Fort St.

John could use it.

And they do.

And we're becoming increasingly aware that we aren't just a small group, but a Christian training ministry, creating resources that can serve individual believers and pastors and churches, other ministries wherever they are.

Disciple making is not something that belongs to pastors or missionaries or ministries like 12 Church.

Jesus gave that assignment to his followers.

To you.

I encourage you to take advantage of what we've developed.

Much of our content is available online to anyone.

Go to 12church.net, have a look around, watch some of the training, work through some of the resources.

Feel free to share with anyone who might benefit.

Part of 12 Church Chapter 2 is a financial transition.

The funding arrangements that help launch and establish 12 Church are coming to an end as we move toward operating independently.

So I especially want to thank those of you who've supported 12 Church financially.

You helped make it possible.

If you'd like to help us move into this next chapter, there's still an opportunity to give through Fort St.

John Alliance Church through the end of this year.

Those gifts will help us continue developing the ministry and make the transition into an independent future.

But mostly today, just want to say thanks.

Fort St.

John Alliance didn't just give us some funding, you gave us the opportunity to test an idea, refine a ministry, learn a lot, and discover more clearly what 12 Church could and should become.

We don't know all the details of the next chapter yet, but we do know that the focus is training Christians to make disciples, helping more people live all in on mission with Jesus.

This is an important moment for us as a church here.

Right, because this is a moment in which, you know, as much as you, Darren, in the videos say how much you're just, I mean, thankful for us, we are thankful for the two of you.

We are thankful for the ways in which you have invested in us deeply over the years, in which you have poured your hearts into this church family.

And even though this doesn't mean in the moment that you guys are necessarily gonna just move away or go anywhere, um, we are thankful for the ways in which you have loved us as a church family, for the ways in which you have invested deeply in so many of the lives here.

And as we've now just, you know, in this last season, along with you, you know, we've had this moment of just, I mean, asking Jesus to see what is the next step for 12 church with you.

And as we move into this next chapter, we're excited for what the Lord actually has in store for 12 church.

We just know that the next chapter will be just as good, if not better, than what you have experienced.

So we're just gonna lean into Jesus for that for you.

Um, but I just wanted us as a church family just to take a moment just to say just I mean thank you to these two for the ways in which they have served our church family so well, so faithfully over the years.

So let's just give them a hand up here just to thank them.

So I'm gonna have the elders actually lay uh some hands on you guys here, and I'm gonna pray.

And if you feel comfortable out there, just invite you just to have a hand extended towards them, just as we ask for God's blessing on them.

So, Lord Jesus, we thank you, Lord, for Darren.

Lord, we thank you for Kristen.

We thank you for the work that they've been doing, Lord of Twelve Church, for the way that you have woven together our just amenity stories over the years.

Father, we are grateful for Darren for his just amenity friendship, for the way he leads, for the way he has faithfully served and invested in our church over many years.

We're thankful, Lord, for the seasons when you used him to lead and care for this church and for their and for where we currently are, Lord, in relationship.

We thank you, Lord, for 12 church, for the new venture, for the expression of your church.

We are grateful that we have had the opportunity over these years just to partner with them, to support them, to pray for them, and to play just a small part in what you are doing through this ministry.

And as the season changes, we want to bless them and send them off for what you're calling them into next.

So we just ask now to Holy Spirit that you would go before them, that you would give them all that they need for 12 church.

Would you give them just courage as a community, wisdom, a deep love for people who don't yet know you, open doors for the gospel.

Lord, lead them to people who are searching, questioning, longing for hope.

And may people encounter Jesus because of their faithfulness.

Lord Jesus, give them everything they need for the work that you've called them to.

Continue to form them in the likeness of yourself as they invite others to know and follow him.

And may they know that even in this next season, that we are cheering them on, praying for them, grateful to be a part of the same kingdom work together.

So Jesus, we bless this.

We just we ask for a hand of blessing, Lord, on this ministry, Lord, on 12 church, on Darren and Kristen, on their team.

And we just entrust them to you for all that lies ahead.

And so we ask all these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Thanks so much, you guys.

Yeah.

Well, I uh want to invite you to turn into your Bibles to Acts chapter 9.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

Uh, we're gonna dive right in here.

I had the joy of being down in uh Surrey this last week.

I was part of a leadership team cohort thing, sat under some excellent, excellent teaching around things right like leadership, uh preaching, just governance, all these sorts of things.

Really just a fire hose of information, though.

You're just exhausted by the time you hear it all.

You're tired.

One of the sessions that we had was around our just I mean a mission as a just I mean a church and looking at primarily what it means to be the what it means for us, those who to be the church in the Alliance Canada, being founded on the idea that we are a group of like-minded people who desire to bring the good news of the Lord to everyone who is unreached.

Like that is the heart of what it means to be the Alliance.

We want to reach unreached people, to go into the world, to make just I mean the disciples.

And I have heard that a lot in my time in the in, sorry, sorry, I have heard that a lot of my time in the alliance.

And and I was thinking about this, right?

You know, like you know how you can hear something so much, and sometimes it feels like it loses its punch a little bit, right?

Not that it doesn't matter, so don't hear me say that what I just said is not important, but sometimes you can hear it so much that it feels like it just kind of loses its pow a little bit, it loses the oomph that it once had.

It can feel less fresh.

Sometimes you just need to hear it again in a different way or to see it in a different way.

And so as I sat in that room and heard it again and again and again, it just didn't feel as fresh as it once did, if I'm honest with you.

My flight left on Thursday.

My plan was to get to the airport a bit early, do some work, including a little bit of work for this morning.

And as I'm sitting at the table, I'm reading through this beautiful moment that we read just a little earlier ago in Acts 9.

When someone who was so far from Jesus, who was so hostile towards Jesus, whose rap sheet included the worst of things, who was so distant from God and in need of rescuing, and Jesus found him on the road.

Jesus pursued him, Jesus chased him and radically changed Saul's life forever.

And as I'm sitting in the airport reading this, I'm just worshiping, I'm just thinking, Lord, you are so good, you were so kind to chase down Saul.

And then I sense Jesus in the moment as I'm just reading this passage.

Jesus said to me, Dan, lift your eyes for a moment.

And as I lift, I just see faces in the airport, like just faces, just people.

Most likely far from God.

People who are desperately, desperately hurting, people who are just, I mean, broken, perhaps, just feeling, I mean, resistant even to the gospel.

And I just hear him say, as I'm looking at all these people, I just hear him say, I'm still in the business of rescuing people, Dan.

I still do that today.

I'm still actively pursuing and chasing people.

I haven't stopped that same work.

Right?

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

That God has come down, he's entered our humanity, lived the life that we couldn't live, died the death that we were meant to die.

He atoned for our sin, took the punishment on himself.

And he is relentlessly pursuing us, you and me, that we might follow the way of Jesus, that those walking in darkness like Saul might see a great light.

That they might be exposed to the goodness, the kindness, the love, the grace, and the mercy of Jesus.

And so here's what I want to do this morning.

I want to do two things.

First, I want us just to glory in Jesus.

I want us just to look at this passage and just be struck with how incredible he is, how much he loves us, how much he cares for us, that our hearts would be stirred by the goodness of Jesus, by how much he deeply loves you, by how he has been chasing after you your whole life.

And even right now in this room, he is with you.

He is present.

Right?

So I want us to sit in that, to simply worship the God who is mighty to save.

And then, secondly, I want our hearts to be stirred to remember that Jesus is still pursuing the hearts of people around us.

That maybe you're here this morning and you've been in prayer for somebody for years, that they would come to know Christ.

Or that your heart just breaks for them, that they still have not encountered Jesus.

Or maybe you need to be here this morning just to be reminded that Jesus is still chasing you.

Maybe this morning you feel far from God, maybe you feel like he's distant to you, that you are not here by mistake.

This morning you are not here by accident, and just perhaps he's inviting you into a next step with him this morning.

Maybe it's to get into the waters of baptism after the service, or maybe even that you might choose to stop running and to follow him.

Because he is chasing you, he is pursuing your heart.

So no matter where you find yourself, just know that.

And that my prayer is that your heart would be stirred, your affection would be stirred, and it would move to a next step with Jesus.

That you would just catch a glimpse of the goodness of God in your life and it would move your heart.

All right, so let's dive in today.

So, just to give a context of where we are, we learned last week that Philip is in uh Samaria.

He is doing awesome work in Samaria.

He encounters a man who is hungry for the word on the side of the road, sees him, he meets them, they go off together into the water to get baptized.

Just this beautiful moment in which Philip brings the good news to the Gentile word.

And it's just an incredible moment.

And so now we pick it up in Acts 9, right?

So all these good things are happening, right?

Right, you know, even though the church is just, I mean, it's scattered, they are planting God's word wherever they go.

They are sharing the good news of the gospel.

They are right, like this is just who they are, this is what they're doing.

And so in verse 1 of chapter 9, it says this meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.

He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who belong to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

You know, when we when we just, I mean, he picked up this series again a couple of weeks ago, right?

We actually were just, we we were just, I mean, reintroduced into Saul.

We get him at the end of chapter seven, standing over the death of uh Stephen, giving the okay.

He's a right, he says, this is a good thing, this is happening.

And he's been leading the charge ever since.

Like he is after the early church.

As the church has scattered, Saul becomes almost kind of almost kind of like the Inquisitor.

He is going from just, I mean, house to house, looking for people, hunting them down, moving around all the region now, breathing murderous threats, the text says.

Right?

Like there is real anger here for Paul, right?

Like he is angry about this, real hatred for this movement, which is called the way.

It's a name given to them that represents that when they came to life, that this group of people that they confessed, that they know the real way.

That's why they have that name, that they know how to live, or at least that's what they tell everybody, and that's the name that people know them by.

That Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

This is what they believe and hold to, and so they are known as the way.

Which from our seat sounds positive, but for Saul and others, this is a negative way to describe them, because it means that they are arrogant in what they believe.

They believe that this is the only way to live.

And so, for everyone else around them who didn't follow the way, this is blasphemy, especially to the Jews.

So, no matter who he finds, all throughout the region, men or women, he is bringing them back to the city to face the high priest, that they might find themselves in jail.

Saul thinks that he's doing the good work, that this is a good thing.

And on this trip, walking, or even most likely by horse in Saul's case, it's about a week's journey.

And as he gets close to where he's going, he has one of the most incredible moments in scripture.

Says this in verse 3.

As he neared uh Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

Right now, understand how light is used in scripture, not just as a metaphor, but God is light.

He breaks through darkness from light breaking through in Genesis all the way.

We see in Exodus, there's the two, we see it as well all through the Old Testament, moments in which people are described as living in darkness, and then a great light comes.

Saul understands this.

He is educated, he knows scripture well, he understands the reference to light.

Saul understands this deep significance and how God uses it as a picture that nothing can hide in the light of who God is, but light shines into the deepest corner of the human heart.

It exposes everything.

Nothing is hidden.

You know, when I was a part of just, I mean, uh about or sorry, when I was doing uh uh youth ministry a number of years ago, we used to play a lot of night games at youth retreats.

And so because I like to win, I'd always bring up just I mean, a flashlight that was super, super bright, like really out there.

And I would always get the best flashlight, right?

I always had to buy the best one.

I had to spot students in the middle of games, and and they couldn't stand it.

Like they hated that I would always come with this industrial-sized flashlight because I'm just like, I want to win.

This is why I'm here.

I'm not here so they win, I'm here so I win.

And no matter how well they hid in the woods, no matter how much they tried to hide themselves, it would show exactly where you are.

There's no hiding from the light, it just brings out everything about you.

It shows yourself.

And the light of Christ in this moment is shining and revealing Saul and who Saul is, finding him where he is, exposing the deepest parts of his heart in this moment.

And when this life hits in verse 4, it says he fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

Well, on the ground, Saul hears the voice of Jesus.

Why do you persecute me?

Jesus makes this statement here that says, I am so deeply in love with the church.

I love the church so much that anyone who hates the church hates me.

Anyone who is against the church is against me.

He's making this direct tie.

Just think about that as a husband, right?

You know, I often think about this as a husband.

It would be impossible or near impossible for you and me to be friends if you hated my wife.

That would be deeply difficult, wouldn't it?

That would be so hard for us to have any kind of back and forth relationship.

Jesus says to persecute his church is to persecute me.

Anything you do to them, you do to me.

They are my bride.

Anything that you say to them, you say to me.

You know, just let that sit in for a second.

The friendship, the loyalty, the deep compassion, the love that Jesus shows his church is breathtaking.

Right?

In spite of all of our sin, our failings, our shortcomings, that God has never given up on his church.

He deeply loves us.

Like the image we get all the way in the book of Hosea when God tells them to marry a woman who's unfaithful, because God wants the people of Israel to see what it's like to be married to them.

Right?

That as they are constantly looking elsewhere, as they are Constantly looking in a different direction from God.

Just like them, we are disloyal.

We pick our own way instead of the way of Jesus.

We sin against God and one another.

We get distracted by lesser things.

We find ourselves off mission.

And yet, in spite of all of those things, Jesus just continues to say, I'm not leaving.

Even when you are faithless, I am faithful.

I will never abandon my church.

And then this takes on just this, I mean, a personal application for the same God who is faithful to the global church is just as faithful to you.

He is just as faithful to you.

That in spite of all that you've done, all the things in your past that you might look back and be ashamed of, the things that you regret, Jesus loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Tim Keller says this I am more sinful than I could ever believe, and more love than I can ever imagine.

You know, can I just ask you this this morning?

Do you really believe in the core of your heart that God loves you?

That there's nothing that you could do that would make him love you any less?

There's nothing you can do that would make him love you anymore.

He loves you completely, like truly loves you.

And yet this love goes deeper still.

Look at how Saul experienced God's grace in this moment.

He says, Who are you, Lord?

In verse 5, Saul asked, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

He replied, Now get up and go to the city, and you will be told what you must do.

Think about this for a moment.

As Saul is chasing the church, Jesus is chasing him.

Right?

As Saul is chasing the church, Jesus is chasing him.

Saul is looking to bring death to others.

Jesus is looking to bring life to Saul.

As Saul is wanting to imprison others, Jesus is looking to set Saul free.

It's this beautiful moment in which everything that Saul is doing, Jesus wants to flip the script on him.

Right?

Jesus didn't just happen to bump into Saul on the road as well.

It's not as though they both happen to be going the same way, and Jesus is like, oh, Saul, I didn't catch you here.

Didn't realize you were gonna be on this road.

It has nothing to do with that.

In God's sovereignty, his grace, his love, his compassion, his mercy, Jesus has been pursuing Saul.

He knew where he'd be.

He knew he'd be on the road.

Here is good news for you and I today.

I don't know where everyone is in the room this morning.

Whether you've been with Jesus for a long time or a short time, maybe you're just here because someone promised you lunch afterwards.

Maybe you're just here just to simply check faith out.

But no matter where you are with Jesus, hear me say, Jesus is pursuing you.

Jesus is still chasing after your heart.

And this is his character from the start of just, I mean, a creation.

His heart has been to be with us, to come and be where we are.

And even when we try to hide, he seeks us out, just like in the garden where he says, Where are you to Adam and Eve after this and he's continuing to look for us, to pursue us.

Whereas David says it in Psalm 139, where can I go from your spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go to the heavens, you are there, if my make if if I uh make my bed in the depths, you are there, if I rise in the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you.

For the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

And in this moment, when the light of Christ shines on Saul, he's met with the grace of God.

He's met with the grace of God because God's grace is always closer than you think.

It's always closer than you think.

It is in pursuit of you, it's chasing you down.

Christ has his eyes fixed on you.

No matter what you've done or ever will do, there is nowhere high enough, nowhere low enough, nowhere dark enough to outrun or to hide from Jesus.

He's actively pursuing you.

Right?

And really hear me say this: in love as your pastor, God is not in love with a future version of you.

He's not waiting for you to get fixed, and then finally he's gonna love you as you are.

That's not how he operates.

He loves you right as you are, his heart is for you.

He won't leave you where you are, but he will meet you where you are.

He will meet you where you are.

In verse 7, this is how Saul continues to experience God's grace.

It says the man traveling with Saul stood there speechless.

They heard the sound, but did not see anyone.

Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing.

So they led him by the hand into uh uh uh Damascus.

For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything.

Right?

So here's Saul now.

He's once proud, doing what he believes is God's work, being completely humbled now.

Now being led by other people by the hand, because he's completely blind, helpless in every single way.

Saul has been spiritually blind as well.

He thought he knew God, he thought he had right understanding, but in fact did not really know God at all, did not really understand who God was and what he was doing.

And now it's manifested itself in being physically blind.

Here's a man who thought he knew exactly where he was going, who is now humbly being led by someone else.

Jesus is moving him from independence to dependence, to from this place of pride to being humble, from self-reliance to reliance on Jesus.

There is a deep work that's being done in Saul over the course of three days.

And while the Holy Spirit is working on Saul, the Spirit starts to speak to somebody else in the story, Ananias, through a vision.

It says this in verse 10.

It says, And it's because there was a disciple named Ananias, the Lord called to him in a vision.

Ananias.

Yes, Lord, he answered.

The Lord told him, Go to the house of Judas on Strait Street and ask for a man named Tar and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.

Lord, Lord, he answered, I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.

And he has come here with authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on your name.

Understand something here.

The early church is terrified of Saul.

He has been hot on their heels.

He has been given full access and authority to imprison people, to stand over them as judge, even as executioner.

He is a major catalyst for the reason that so many of them are fearful.

And right now, in this moment, though, too, we just see this fear as well for this man, Ananias, has the same reaction that most of us would.

Sort of like this, are you sure?

Right?

Like you want me to go to him, to go see Saul for Ananias.

This is a legitimate fear because, like, if he's heard wrong, or even if he's heard right to go, he's not sure the outcome.

Right?

Like he knows that this man is dangerous, and not only that, he has to be thinking, he's gotta have it in his mind that there is no way that this guy has changed.

Right?

Because they know who Saul is, they know what he's about.

Right?

Just think about all that he's done, and Jesus, knowing all the things that Ananias is thinking, says this in verse 15.

But the Lord said to Ananias, Go, this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.

I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.

You know what's interesting about the story is not only is Saul blind, but so is Ananias.

Did you catch that?

That he's actually blind in this story, too.

Blind to the reality that God can change the hardest of hearts.

He thinks, man, there's no way that Saul's changed.

It's impossible.

That God can redeem anyone, that as far as the East is from the West, God can remove every stain of sin and call anyone to life in Him in repentance.

Here's a question for us to sit with.

Do you believe as you sit here this morning that God can actually change any heart if he wants to?

The hardest of hearts.

Some of you might even know someone that right away just kind of comes to your mind.

And you think, I'm not sure.

I don't know that if their heart could ever change, and if God can really reach them.

Some of you have been in prayer for, I mean, family members, friends, spouse, someone you work with, someone at school, a neighbor.

Saul's story here is a reminder that no one is too far from the grace of God.

It's so much closer than you think.

No sin is too big, no hurt is too deep, no shame is too great, no past is too broken.

God's grace covers all of that and more.

And not only is anyone redeemable, but everyone is invited in to build God's kingdom.

Jesus is inviting Saul to be a significant voice in the early church, that he's going to proclaim Jesus in front of people who have never heard his name.

He'll proclaim Jesus in front of kings.

Jesus is going to use him for his glory, and it will cost Saul everything.

Jesus continues to chase him down and gives you purpose.

It says this in verse 17.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it, placing his hands on Saul.

He said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me.

This just died.

Has sent me, so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again.

He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Here's why this story matters so much is that Jesus in his kindness is pursuing you and me.

And this story is a reminder that Jesus can save anybody.

And you know what?

Sometimes I think about what it was like for Paul later on, because that's who he becomes.

He turns into Paul.

He writes letters in the New Testament.

He becomes this force for the church.

And we see how Jesus uses them in such a powerful, incredible way.

But as we look back to how he reflected on this moment, he writes a letter to a young man named Timothy, and he says this on that slide there.

Do you mind switching that heather?

He says this.

That he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service, even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.

I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

Of whom I am the worst.

Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and would receive eternal life.

Now to the King, external, immortal, invisible, the only God be honor and glory forever and ever.

Amen.

God has the power to change hearts.

He can change anyone's heart in a moment.

As I think about my own life and I reflect back on how Jesus has saved me, of who I used to be, the person that I was, I am just in awe of the goodness of him chasing me down.

Just being relentless in how he is after me.

And let me tell you this this morning, no matter where you sit here today, Jesus is chasing you.

Jesus is inviting you in to a next step with him today.

To something maybe for some of you here this morning, maybe again, you're here because someone just invited you for lunch and you just think, I just want a good meal afterwards, Dan.

That's okay.

But you know what?

Jesus is still inviting you into a next step.

That maybe just this morning you might realize that Jesus is chasing after you.

He is still pursuing your heart.

That just like Paul, that you might experience a great light this morning that would peer into the deepest parts of your heart.

Even if you're here this morning and you are thinking to yourself, Dan, you have no idea what I've done.

You have no idea my store, you have no idea the history, you have no idea the shame, the sin that I've done.

God's grace and his mercy is greater than any of that.

He can wipe it completely clean.

He can make you completely new, and he can give you purpose, and he can invite you into the kingdom work that he's doing.

Maybe some of you are here this morning and you just need to be reminded this morning that Jesus is pursuing you.

That maybe you've had some hard days, some hard weeks, and you just think, man, God, where are you in the midst of my life?

Jesus has never left your side.

He is pursuing you.

And maybe some of you here this morning are in a space in which you're still wondering, what is the next step for me?

Some of you here today have maybe never been baptized and you've been in the church for a long time.

Well, the water is still there.

It's a little cool, but we're gonna keep it there after the service is done.

And if you're here this morning, and if you are getting this nudge from the Holy Spirit, saying, I think Jesus is inviting me to let everybody know that I am 100% in on Jesus, that he is my Lord and Savior, that I want the world to know around me.

And I know that everyone in this room has a I mean, a story there.

I know it sometimes feels intimidating to get in.

Here's the thing I'm gonna make this incredibly easy on you because I think Jesus makes it easy on you.

You don't have to get in there and share your whole story.

You getting in the water is witness.

That is giving witness to the good work that Jesus has done in you.

And so I want to encourage you, if you are in that space this morning and you're thinking, maybe Jesus is nudging me to get in the waters of baptism, come have a chat with myself or Aaron after the service here.

We would love to see you get in the waters of baptism.

That you would show the rest of us that the old you is gone, the new you has come in Christ.

It's a beautiful expression and to do it in front of your church family.

I can't imagine anything better.

So I want to encourage you in that.

I'm gonna invite the band up at this time.

They're gonna lead us here in one last song.

And as they come, I just want to pray for you.

I just want to pray God's heart over you.

I want to pray his just I'm a blessing over you.

And so let me just pray these things.

So, Lord Jesus, we just thank you for this morning.

Lord, we thank you for your grace, for your mercy, for your goodness, for your kindness.

We thank you for the story of Saul, who was so far from you.

So incredibly far from you, who has a rap sheet, who has a past, who has a history, that by so many accounts, so many of us, if we were in the shoes of the early church, we might look at Saul and say, he is too far gone.

But Lord Jesus, you are chasing after every single one of us.

Jesus, as I sat the other day in the airport, I was just reminded of how deeply you love every face that I saw.

That you died for them, that you took their weight of sin on yourself, and that three days later you rose from the grave to give new life to everyone who might confess that you are Lord, that they would turn from their sin, that they would change their ways and they might experience new life in you.

So, Lord Jesus, I just pray for anyone in this room this morning that is in this space of just thinking, man, I am so far from God.

I have been on the run for a long time.

I have been living life my way.

I have been choosing my own things instead of God's things.

And even for those in this room that might feel like, Dan, you have no idea what I have been up to.

You have no idea the sin, the guilt, the shame, the things that I feel like are too big for God to carry.

Lord Jesus, I pray this morning that for each one who is in that space, who is longing for mercy from you, that they might confess their sin to you and experience your compassion, that they just might share with you all that they have done, trusting that you are kind to forgive.

That you can wipe everything clean, that as far as the east is from the west, so far are our sins from us.

So, Lord Jesus, for those in this room this morning that are in this space of wanting to take a next step with you, maybe even for the first time, Lord Jesus, I pray that they even right now might just have a moment with you to pause to confess their sin.

To bring their shame, their pain, their heartache, and that they might choose today to follow you, to say, Lord, from now on, I'm gonna put aside what I want and I am going to live your way.

I'm gonna follow after you.

Lord Jesus, I pray that your light would just expose the deepest parts of our hearts.

Lord, for those this morning who are also in this space of in prayer for somebody for years, praying that you would change their heart.

Lord, I just think of those in this room who've been praying for a spouse for what feels like forever, hoping that you might change and transform them.

Lord Jesus, I pray this morning that they might be encouraged, that you are the God who still saves, that you are still in the business of rescuing, broken, hurting people.

And that you are the God who sees them.

Lord, those who are in prayer for someone that they love, and that you see the person that they're praying for, that you have not given up on them, you have not stopped chasing them.

I pray, Lord Jesus, that they might experience your light, your grace, that they might meet you on their own Damascus road, that they might find you in the ordinary moment of a day in which you just show up in an undeniable way.

Lord Jesus, I just pray for us as a church that you would give us the grace to be on mission.

Lord, that we would be willing to take risks to share your word with others, that we would be bold in our way of sharing the good news of the gospel, that we wouldn't look at anybody and say they're too far gone.

But Lord, no matter who you put in our place, that we might be reminded that you have called us to this moment, to this space, to this neighborhood, to this church, and that you are giving us work to do.

That you are inviting us in to bring the good news of Jesus to all those who need it.

And so, Lord Jesus, I pray that you just might be at work in this room.

I just invite you now, Holy Spirit, come.

Just fall fresh on each one, be speaking to our hearts and just be revealing to us what it is you have for us and what you're inviting us into.

So, Lord, we love you.

We just ask these things in your name.

Amen.

Please join us.