Old Testament

Psalms

Proverbs

Gospel

Epistals

Psa 15:1-16:6

Prov 7:1-9

Mat 9:18-31

Acts 8:25-9:9

Acts 9:3, “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.”

Dear brothers and sisters,

Loving greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today let us see about the marvelous ways in which God can reach even a very difficult person with his Gospel. When we read about the conversion of Apostle Paul and the way in which God changed him, it is really a marvelous one and that shows and proves the real power of God over all the human beings. To God nothing is impossible and he can change any person to be His follower. Because, Saul was a very tough person, who can take all things in a more serious and aggressive manner. In any field, he will be a leader working with real aggression. When he was against the Christians, he was really against them by going door to door to persecute them and put them behind the bars as in Acts 9:1 & 2, “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.” In the same manner when later Jesus caught his with His power in a supernatural manner he become a real hard worker for the Gospel of God.

No believer of the lord Jesus Christ who lived in those days would have dreamed that God will change Saul in such a wonderful way and that he will be used of God to reach the whole world with the word of God one day. That is why, when God told about Saul to the prophet Ananias that he may go and pray for Him, he argued with God in utter disbelief as in Acts 9:11 & 12, “The Lord told "Ananias!", "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street 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." Ananias also told God as if God may not know about whom He is talking as in Acts 9:13 & 14, "Lord," Ananias 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 priests to arrest all who call on your name."

God knows what He has been doing in the world since He is the God Almighty. He told to the prophet to do what He has told him to do. Because Saul was a chosen vessel of God as in Acts 9:15 & 16, “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."

Dear brothers and sisters, our God can change any person and also use him for the promotion of the kingdom of God. So, let us believe this truth with all our heart and pray for those who persecute us so that one day or other, God can turn them to win souls as He reached this Saul for the kingdom of God. Today also God can speak to people as He has spoken to persons like Saul and call them by their name and make them to win souls in the coming days.

May the Lord help each one of us to believe God in all situations of our life for a miracle since His name itself is “wonderful.” He will definitely do many wonders for us in this New Year 2006 as we believe God for the impossible things. If we believe certainly we will see the glory of God. Amen.

Your Web-Site Pastor,
Rev. Dr. T. Marcus Devasahayam

Web-site: www.barodabibleclub.org e-mail: marcusbbc@yahoo.com Mobile: 91-9327243600 ,Church 3096882 / 5540651.
Res : 3, 2nd floor, Arpita Complex, Priyalaxmi Mills Road, Vadodara – 390003, Gujarat, India, Phone:91-265-2335651.

Prov. 7:2, “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.”

Mat 9:29 & 30, “Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."

Mat 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Mat 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God."
Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Acts 2:24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
Heb 6:4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
Heb 6:18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Africa

The colonial and apartheid past is fading and a new level of confidence, dynamism, vision and maturity is evident in many parts of Africa
1 More effective discipling of new believers
2 Unity in great diversity
a) That the carnality of inter-personal relationship breakdowns, desire for power and ethnic favouritism that lie behind many denominational splits may be crucified with Jesus on the cross
b) For pan-African bodies such as the AEA (Association of Evangelicals of Africa)
3 Leadership training is the critical bottleneck
a) Theological institutions
b) A relevant curriculum that is biblical, yet Africa-oriented
c) Harmony between staff
d) Selection of students
e) Funds
f) TEE programmes, which are vital for training lay leadership
g) African theologians
4 More effective cross-cultural missions
a) Pioneer areas. These still abound
b) Church support personnel for teaching, youth work, etc., which are needed as never before
c) Specialists for Bible translation, education, agriculture, health, radio, television, cassette ministries, Internet evangelism, etc
d) Social projects and aid ministries which are in ever-growing demand
5 The development of missions vision in the Church
a) Churches to see missions as fundamental to the gospel itself, and the task of every believer
b) Funds to be made available to train and send out missionaries
c) Effective cross-cultural training for missions — few Bible schools do this, but they should
6 Christian research has flourished through the enthusiastic efforts of a new generation of talented African researchers
7 The expatriate mission force
a) Partnership. The mission force is increasingly African and multicultural
b) Health and restorative ministries