E-pistle for May 26, 2006
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation May 26, 2006
The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
(Acts 9:1-43)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the main events of this chapter
1. Saul participated in Stephen's execution, Acts 8:1; Saul received
warrants
to arrest and kill Christians, vv. 1-2.
2. On the Damascus Road, Saul saw a light and heard a voice, vv. 3-9.
3. Ananias obeyed his vision and laid hands on Saul, who was healed of
blindness and filled with the Holy Spirit, vv. 10-20.
4. Saul preached in Damascus, then had to flee; the church prospered
and
Peter healed Aeneus and raised Dorcus in Joppa, vv. 20-43.
II. Meditation: on Saul's testimony
1. To a mob in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1-16), he spoke of . . .
* The blinding light, and the healing of Ananias.
2. To King Agrippa (Acts 26:1, 12-20), he spoke of . . .
* The blinding light, but made no mention of Ananias or his healing
or his being filled with the Holy Spirit.
III. Revelation: on where and when Saul was converted
1. Saul was converted on the Damascus Road where he saw the heavenly
light and said, "LORD, what do you want me to do?" (Acts 9:6; 22:10)
Saul confessed Jesus as Lord. (See Romans 10:9-10)
2. Ananias addressed him as "BROTHER Saul," v. 17. Ananias
acknowledged
Saul as a fellow Christian . . . a brother in Christ.
3. In Saul's testimony to King Agripa, he spoke ONLY of the Damascus
Road
experiences, omitting any reference to Ananias' healing and imparting
the Holy Spirit to him. This clearly shows that Saul's new birth
(salvation)
experience happened on the road, not within the city of Damascus . . .
because in relating his personal testimony, he sometimes did not even
mention the Ananias' events.
4. This point (when Saul was saved) is important because it shows that
his
being filled with the Holy Spirit occurred three days AFTER his salvation
experience. A person who is saved immediately receives the Holy Spirit;
without receiving the Holy Spirit, a person is not saved, Romans 8:8.
Later, a saved person may be "filled" . . . anointed by the Holy Spirit
and empowered for service.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Have a clear testimony on my personal experience of encountering
Christ
and receiving Him as my Savior and Lord.
2. Like Ananias, obey God by relating in love and acceptance to new,
even
questionable converts.
3. Be filled with the Holy Spirit . . . a personal experience of being
anointed
and empowered for effective service for Christ.
4. Have my spiritual eyes opened to see God's purpose for my life . .
. to have
a vision of my destiny. (See Acts 9:15-16; 22:14; 26:16-18)
"Every Boy Needs a Pony!"
Dr. Curt Scarborough
Yankee Doodle went to Benton, riding on a pony;
Stuck a feather in his hat, and called it "Macaroni!"
(I wondered if the "IT" was his 3-cornered hat or whether a New
York ballplayer
actually had christened his noble steed, Italian pasta?) "RIDING ON A
PONY!"
Yes sir, I really needed a pony! Not one of those wooden rocking horses for
pre-school
babies! And not a broom-stick steed such as I used to sweep around the
neighborhood
on, making those clucking noises I imagined sounded like clopping
hoof-beats. Those
were merely infantile childhood fantasies! As a mature fourth grader, I
wanted the real
thing . . . complete with a saddle, a bridle, and a plaid horse blanket that
could serve
as my bedspread.
I knew it was a long-shot. Nobody in my school had a real live
pony. The
animal would have to do double duty, I knew. I could ride him back and
forth to
school, and on the off-days, we could hitch him up to a plow. Our 4-room
house sat
on a 1-acre lot (50 feet wide and 900 feet deep), so I could see me walking
behind
my pony, tilling the soil (carefully watching my step to avoid any recycled
hay-piles).
"We could raise sweet corn and Lima beans," I pleaded with Mom. I
visualized
myself as a wealthy part-time cowboy, a part-time succotash farmer!
But it was not to be! Something about the Great Depression
hanging on in
southern Illinois a decade longer than anywhere else in the nation, my
parents told
me. We simply couldn't afford to build a shed to house a live pony. And,
letting
him sleep on the bottom bunk in my room, they said, was out of the question.
So,
I missed my big chance. I just know I could have become a world-class
horse-
whisperer!!
In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul listed as one of the fruits of the
Spirit . . .
"gentleness." The word really means "meekness" . . . but that's not the
same as
weakness! A gentle horse is one that has been "broken" to respond
immediately
to the reins in a rider's hand. In spiritual terms, it refers to a
Christian who knows
who is his Master, and who obeys the tugs on the reins without hesitating or
pulling away. A 'meek" or gentle Christian is a believer who goes wherever
the
Master guides, and at the pace He determines.
PRAYER FOR THE DAY: Lord, I sincerely desire to be yielded to
Your will.
"Break" me so that I will
instantly submit with
"gentled meekness" to Your
divine guidance.
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College & Seminary had it's Fourteenth Annual Commencement
Ceremony on Saturday, May 20, 2006. We had a very blessed day! It was the
first
time we got the opportunity to meet some of the graduates. The ceremony was
held
at Mid Rivers Baptist Chapel in St. Charles, MO. We are very grateful to
this church
for allowing us to use their facilities for our graduation.
We had 16 graduates this year. These included 3 Undergraduate
Degrees, 8
Masters degrees, and 6 Doctoral Degrees. These students worked very hard
for these
degrees and we pray that God will continue to bless them in their work as
they
continue to serve Him.
We also gave 2 Distinguished Alumni Awards, 2 Distinguished
Service Awards,
and 3 Honorary Degrees. These were all given to people who have been an
integral
part of Pillsbury College & Seminary through the years.
We would like to invite all of our graduates to attend the
Annual Pillsbury College
& Seminary Retreat and Reunite Event in August. There will be some
interesting seminars
with very knowledgeable speakers. This is a time for students to meet the
staff and board
of the Pillsbury College & Seminary, as well as fellow class members. Get
face to face
instruction from your clinical supervisor, play golf, or sail on one of the
country's finest
boating lakes. On Sunday we will all worship together as Dr. Scarborough
delivers the
morning's message. For more information on this event please contact Keith
at
keith@pillsburycs.org or call us at 314.739.1121.
For more information about the college please contact us at
info@pillsburycs.org
or call us at 314.739.1121.
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