turning away from the SON

Last Saturday night Pastor Rudy and I went to visit our friends/family both Glorias, Pastor Russ, Nick and Terry Clifford
at the Living Well in Santa Rosa.
Pastor Russ is teaching on James right now~
go and join them at 7pm on Saturday nights on Mendocino Ave in Santa Rosa.
We will be going when we can and so let me know when you can join us too!

During the teaching Pastor Russ asked about what happens when you turn yourself away from
the sun? As in, you are facing the sun then turn from it...
a shadow is cast, right?
It brought me to the scripture which I've prayed for many years over my family and mostly
my children and their friends and teachers when I was meeting w/ Diane weekly to pray
for our kids in our "moms in touch group" when Anthony was just an elementary school student.
I had just found the scripture last week while in Acts...
I wanted to share it with you this morning.

It reminds me as Pastor Russ was teaching that we are to keep towards the SON~
be rid of shadows in our lives that aren't reflecting the light of Christ~
be rid of shadows that keep us from the LORD~
he didn't preach on Acts, but his teaching has led me to Acts.

In ACTS it reminds me of how important it is to GO and preach the gospel~
to help and encourage others to do the same...
because for those of us who are living out our salvation therein lies the responsibility
given to us to be a witness~ as in witness in the VERB sense of the word, not the NOUN sense of the word.
This passage I want to share with you today is in Acts 26:1-15~


1Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2"King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4"The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. 7This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. 8Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

9"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

12"On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[a] 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

15"Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?'

" 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. 16'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

May you pray that you too will find yourself like Paul...
perhaps some of you don't know the LORD but the HOLY SPIRIT is prompting you and speaking to you...
perhaps you have been raised in the faith but have never shared it with anyone else...
perhaps you are like me and didn't know you had the power to lead others to Christ and thought it was only for the pastors to do it, not a mommy...
perhaps you have been lied too and didn't know it's your responsibility to go and preach the gospel... YOUR responsibility...
perhaps you are like me and may or may not have read this scripture before...
i pray this morning that you will be as Paul was,
prompted by the LORD to get up and stand on your feet~
appointed as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of the LORD
and sent to open the eyes of those who don't call upon the LORD who has saved you~
that you will open the eyes of those around you who are living without CHRIST
and by your actions, turn them from darkness to light
and by your deeds from the power of satan to GOD,
so that your friends, family, neighbors, community, city, world may receive forgiveness of their sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in JESUS CHRIST.

AMEN.