For this week’s Announcements please visit: (waterschurch.org/events):

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Reminders:

✳ Please regularly check your Planning Center profiles for requests to join your life groups, remove members from the list that no longer attend, or add members not listed. Please ensure that you have added no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and encourage your members to do so as well.  This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site. Thank you!

Waters Class Schedule:

• 1st Sunday: Discover Waters – after 1st service
• 2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
• 3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
• 4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service

Waters Help: Need marriage and family care  or have a group member in need of marriage and family care?   Click here:  help resources page  or visit waterschurch.org/help

Location Text Alerts:

Key Verse: Acts 9

ICE BREAKER:

Q: What are 3 of your all-time favorite movies?

The story of Paul is the story of the Christ-hater who terrorizes Jesus’s followers and actively leads others away from Jesus.  It is beyond any doubt that this is a story of God who can and will save anyone.  It’s the story of how NOBODY is out of God’s reach. 

The Bible is the story of God Redeeming your life.

God Uses YOUR STORY for HIS GLORY

How Does Salvation Happen?

1. 1. Salvation Happens When God INITIATES CONTACT

Acts 9:1-2 NLT

God always initiates salvation; He reached down to you long before you thought you could search for Him or reach out to Him.

If a murdering, violent, Christ-hating, vindictive persecutor of Christians can be saved and become one of the most profound friends of Jesus and greatest heroes of the Bible then we all stand a chance!

We move about our lives missing out on the moves of the Spirit all the time.  What stops us from listening to Him is the fear of being made uncomfortable to trade in our “to-do list” for His. 

Q. Can you share a personal experience or a moment when you felt that God was reaching out to you before you were aware of it? How did this awareness change your perception or actions going forward?

1. Salvation Happens When God BRINGS CONVICTION

Acts 9:4 ESV; Acts 26:14 ESV

God brings conviction before salvation. The Holy Spirit comes to convict people of sin. We need him!!  We are not enough on our own.  Without Him, there is something we’re missing in our life.

We want people in our sphere of influence to believe in Jesus but they are kicking against us, struggling with their conscience.  We may have thought they did not have a conscience, but it was buried under the muck and mire.

(Leader may choose from one of the following questions based on how the conversation is going):

Q. How do you understand the role of the Holy Spirit in convicting us of sin? Can you share an instance when you felt particularly convicted by the Holy Spirit, and how it led to a deeper spiritual insight or change?

Q. Reflecting on the statement that people may seem to resist or “kick against” the influence of those trying to share faith, discuss why it might be challenging for some to accept or understand their need for salvation. How can recognizing this struggle help us in our approach to sharing our faith with others?

3. Salvation Happens When God Authors A DIVINE TRANSFORMATION

If a person says they believe in Jesus but then they don’t do what Jesus said, then the truth is that they are not saved. 

Luke 6:46 ESV; Acts 9:5-6 ESV; Acts 9:8-9 ESV

OBEDIENCE is A Fruit Of SALVATION.

Jesus Is Lord, which means Jesus is King.   It means that He rules and reigns.

Those that are saved know that Jesus is in charge of their life.

Before Paul was saved, He was blinded. He wasn’t the only one who saw the light and fell, they all did, but only Paul was the one who was blinded.   Some people may feel that if that is the way God is going to treat them, then they don’t want any part of Him, but not Paul.  He met Jesus, and even though he was blind, he still met Jesus and if he could see, He still knows Jesus.

Paul’s conversion is a powerful reminder to all of us that when we look at everyone with the eyes of Jesus, we find that Nobody is out of God’s reach.

Q. The text asserts that obedience is a fruit of salvation. How do you interpret the relationship between believing in Jesus and obeying His teachings? Discuss a time when following Jesus’ commands challenged you, but ultimately demonstrated your commitment to Him.

Sermon In A Sentence:

We Know We’re SAVED When God INITIATES A Divine APPOINTMENT, That Leads To CONVICTION And Results In A SUPERNATURAL CONVERSION