December 27, 2009 - Traveling Mercies #5:

Slow Train to Damascus

Saul's Side Trip to Grace

Key Focus:

• Saul's journey to become the apostle Paul
  • The power of Jesus' resurrection
  • The power of Jesus' grace

Time in the Word Focus:

• Message Kernel

The focus is on Paul's journey -- from Damascus to Jerusalem to be trained as a Rabbi and from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute believers only to meet Jesus on the road, and Paul's journey to share Jesus with the world. Acts 9, 22, 26 are crucial to this as are his autobiographical sections in Galatians 1 & 2, Philippians 3, 1 Corinthians 9 and 2 Corinthians 10.
Connection Point: None of us is ever past the point of God using in powerful ways and no one we know is past the point of God reaching and bringing to Jesus. The traveling mercy we want to take from Paul is the power of God to take our passion and channel it in the right direction no matter where that passion was channeled previously. God's goal is not to make us nice, but to make us mighty in influence for Jesus.

• Key focus of the Time in the Word
  • Jesus being revealed in the life of Saul of Tarsus
    • Persecutor
    • Seeds of Grace (Stephen)
    • Insight without Sight
    • Collision of grace versus works

• Holiday Traveling Season and Ministry Opportunies
• The Giving Tree
• Others

• Acts 9, 22, 26 tniv

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• Galatians 1-2 tniv

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• Philippians 3 tniv

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• Romans 7 tniv

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Drama, Media, & Connecting Pieces:

• Pre-video:
• Video Piece: TBD
  • Direction
• Scripture readings
  • TBD
    

Daybreak Focus: (See emphasis above! Team Working on Planning Order - Names)

Refresh Focus: (See emphasis above! Team Working on Planning Order - Names)