Breath of Life would
like to invite you to our
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upcoming 2016
spring revival entitled
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"God's 10 Love Letters."
Beginning Saturday evening,
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May 28, at 7 p.m., live from the
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Oakwood University
Church. Join Dr. Carlton P. Byrd
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as he expounds on
these 10 expressions of our
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love to God in a clear,
enthusiastic, and compelling
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way. Several special music
guests will also be present:
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Dove Award nominee Vicky Yohe;
Grammy Award-winning artist
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Yolanda Adams; Stellar
Award-winning artist Smokie
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Norful; and NBC's Sing-Off
season 2 winner, Committed.
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All seats are free. Free
transportation is provided.
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We look forward to
seeing you on opening night,
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May 28, at 7 p.m., at the
Oakwood University Church.
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For more
information call (256) 929-6460,
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or visit us at
www.BreathofLife. TV.
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PB:  The Word of God
says, "And Saul yet breathing
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out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples
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of the Lord went unto the
high priest and desired of
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him letters to Damascus,
to the synagogues, that if
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he found any of this way,
whether they were men or women,
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he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem.
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And as he journeyed
he came near Damascus and
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suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven,
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and he fell to the earth and
heard a voice saying unto him,
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Saul, Saul, why
persecutes thou Me? He said,
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Who art Thou,
Lord? And the Lord said,
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I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest.
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It is hard for thee to
kick against the pricks.
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And he, trembling and
astonished, said, Lord,
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what wilt Thou have
me to do? And the Lord
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said unto him,
Arise, go into the city and
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it shall be told
thee what thou must do."
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Today I want to
challenge you on the subject
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"From Terrorist to Evangelist."
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From terrorist to evangelist.
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Father, bless us know
as we preach Your Word.
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May Your Holy Spirit
move in this place today.
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When the appeal is
made, I pray the individuals'
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response to your
voice. Forgive me of my sins.
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In Jesus' name. Amen.  
From terrorist to evangelist.
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If you watch the news,
it's not too hard to figure
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out that our world is
continually on the lookout
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for terrorists. As soon as
we hear of a plane going down,
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like we did this past
week, we think terrorist.
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As soon as we hear of
a building blowing up,
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we think terrorist.
As soon as we hear of a
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murder-suicide, we
think terrorist. Remember,
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it was after 9-11 that
the greatest attack on U.S.
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soil took place, and questions
like, how did this happen?
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Who's to blame? Was
this possible to prevent?
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They all became commonplace.
But long before 9-11,
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long before Saddam Hussein,
long before Osama Bin Laden,
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long before Adolph
Hitler, before all of them there
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was a spiritual
terrorist by the name of Saul.
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Meet Saul today. Born as a
Jew in a city called Tarsus
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down on the southern coast
of what we call Turkey today.
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But somewhere early in
his life, Saul and his family
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moved to Jerusalem, and
while there Saul had the
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opportunity to study at
the feet of one of the greatest
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Jewish rabbis of the
day, by the name of Gamaliel.
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Being a student of
Gamaliel was like going to an
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Ivy League school:
Harvard, Yale, Princeton.
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Saul was able to boast
that I was taught by Gamaliel.
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Saul wasn't like the
other apostles. Saul wasn't
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like the other disciples,
who were blue-collar fellows
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with little or no
education. But Saul was smart.
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Saul was a man who was
articulate, intelligent,
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well-endowed to
verbalize his various positions
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and attitudes among the
greatest thinkers of his time.
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In our everyday
vernacular, Saul was a bad boy.
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Some theologians even report
that Saul was multilingual,
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because Saul could speak
five different languages.
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Saul was in a class by
himself. Even before his
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conversion he was
zealous about what he believed.
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He was a zealous
sinner. He describes himself as
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chief of all sinners.
But Saul was not the kind
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of sinner who was a
sinner because of his depravity,
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debauchery or decadence.
Saul was a sinner because
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Saul was zealous in
religious ideologies that made
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him persecute Christians. Saul
hung out with the Pharisees,
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and the Pharisees despised
Jesus Christ. The Pharisees
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had nothing good to say
about Jesus, and so this
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disdain for Jesus was
something that Saul shared
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with the Pharisees. So
then, when Jesus was arrested,
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Paul may have been one of
those who was in the crowd,
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who said, Crucify
him. Crucify him. But now,
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Jesus is dead. Saul's
thinking, "Good riddance."
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Good riddance to
bad rubbish. But then,
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there came these rumors.
Rumors that Jesus wasn't dead.
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Rumors that Jesus had
risen from the dead and
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appeared to His
followers. Two of His followers,
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Peter and John, those uneducated
fishermen from Galilee,
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had been preaching to
crowds of people about Jesus.
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In their preaching they
even had the audacity to
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stand before the
Sanhedrin and defiantly refuse
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to cease their false
teachings. Saul is furious.
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How dare they? How dare
these ignorant men challenge
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the Sanhedrin? How
dare these men question the
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leaders of his people.
That would have been bad enough,
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but then according to
Saul there was this fool of
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a man named Stephen.
Stephen preached about Jesus.
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Jesus, for them, was a
heretic, and that's why they
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put Jesus to death. And
so because Stephen preached
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about Jesus, Stephen
became a heretic too. And he,
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too, had to die. So
when Stephen said that he saw
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Jesus standing at the
right hand of God, that pushed
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the enemies of
God over the edge.
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Acts 7:58 says that
"when Stephen said that,
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they threw him out of
the city and they began
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to stone him. And it
was Saul who held their
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coats while they
stoned Stephen." This incident
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was the turning point in
Saul's life. Because from
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this point on, Saul knew
what his mission would be:
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to snuff out heresy
before it got out of control.
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That, my friends, is the
definition of a terrorist.
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A terrorist is a person
who uses violence or the
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threat of violence
against other people in order
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to obtain goals that
are political, religious, or
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ideological in nature. Saul's
job: persecute the Christians.
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Sniff out the Christians.
Snuff out the Christians.
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Persecute the Christians.
Saul was a Christian-killer,
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going up and down the
road, high and low, looking for
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anybody who was praising to
Jesus. He would take them out.
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Saul, robust and
radical. Mean and malicious.
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Terrorist of his day
against Christianity.
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But the Bible says
that on one memorable day
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Saul was going down
to Damascus, and he was
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going to persecute
some Christians when he
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was interrupted by
a force he had never
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encountered before.
On the road to Damascus,
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he saw a great
light that paralyzed him.
00:09:06.57\00:09:10.05
Saul falls to the
ground, hears his name
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being called.
Saul is bewildered;
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Saul is dazed;
Saul is perplexed;
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Saul is
disoriented; Saul is stunned.
00:09:19.92\00:09:22.96
Saul says, Who is
this? The voice says,
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It's Jesus, whom
thou persecutest.
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It's hard for thee to
kick against the pricks.
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Another translation
goes something like this.
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It says, "It's
hard for you, Saul,
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to kick against the goads."
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An Acts goad was
a sharp cattle prod,
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which means the
Holy Ghost had already
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started steering,
directing, and prodding Saul.
00:09:45.38\00:09:48.52
Saul had been
resisting, but now this light
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stops Saul dead
in his tracks. Saul's
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knocked off his horse.
Saul is knocked to the ground.
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This reminds me of the
story of the old farmer
00:10:03.16\00:10:06.67
who bragged about his
mule and said that his mule
00:10:06.70\00:10:10.47
was so well-trained
that all he needed to do
00:10:10.51\00:10:14.38
was say a few soft words
and the mule would respond
00:10:14.41\00:10:17.41
and do anything he
told him to do. Well,
00:10:17.45\00:10:20.78
his friend down the
road at the feeding store
00:10:20.82\00:10:23.18
had a hard time
believing this, and he said,
00:10:23.22\00:10:24.99
"I gotta see this
for myself. Show me!"
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So they went back
to the man's farm,
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and there's this
mule near the barn.
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And as the friend
watched, first with
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curiosity but then in
dismay, the old farmer
00:10:33.76\00:10:36.80
went and picked up a
two by four and swung
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it with all his might,
hitting the mule in the ear.
00:10:40.67\00:10:45.27
When the animal stopped
squealing, stopped bellowing,
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stopped prancing around
the farmer then said quietly,
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Come here. And the mule
came. The farmer, said, Sit.
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And the creature sat
down. The farmer said, Back up.
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And the mule backed
right on up. The old farmer
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said to his friend, you
see what I'm talking about.
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He will respond to a
simple voice command.
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His friend said, Man,
what are you talking about?
00:11:10.77\00:11:13.10
You said all you had to
do is talk to him, but you
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hit him with that two
by four. What do you mean,
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a few words? What do
you mean, some soft words?
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That's not what I saw.
The farmer said, Oh. That.
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Well first, I have
to get his attention.
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[Aud. reaction]    PB:
 Don't misunderstand me.
00:11:32.85\00:11:35.49
I'm not promoting the
hitting or cruelty of animals.
00:11:35.52\00:11:39.56
But the point I'm
trying to make is,
00:11:39.59\00:11:42.00
sometimes God has to knock
us down to get our attention.
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Sometimes God has to
shake us up in order that
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He might save us.
Sometimes God has to shake us
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to bring us to our
knees. Sometimes God will
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shake stuff up so
you don't trust in money.
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Sometimes God will
shake things up so you don't
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trust in people.
Sometimes God will shake things
00:12:05.85\00:12:09.32
up so you'll know who
your real friends are.
00:12:09.36\00:12:12.16
Sometimes God will
shake you up to get your focus
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back on what really
matters in life. Sometimes God
00:12:15.56\00:12:19.20
will shake stuff up because
He's not really after you,
00:12:19.23\00:12:22.24
but He's after folk in
your house. Sometimes God has
00:12:22.27\00:12:27.44
to shake you up in order that
He might get their attention.
00:12:27.48\00:12:29.88
God will shake you up so your
family can stop looking at you,
00:12:29.91\00:12:33.98
so they can look at
God, who's the Author and the
00:12:34.02\00:12:36.28
Finisher of their faith.
Sometimes God has to shake
00:12:36.32\00:12:39.39
things up. Sometimes
He has to knock us down,
00:12:39.42\00:12:42.19
knock us out, to save
us. Because anywhere you're
00:12:42.22\00:12:45.09
blessing me, I'll be
satisfied. Sometimes God has
00:12:45.13\00:12:49.33
to do something drastic,
because we don't notice that
00:12:49.36\00:12:52.03
He's trying to save us.
We don't notice that He's
00:12:52.07\00:12:54.94
trying to call us to do
something. He's calling us
00:12:54.97\00:12:56.77
to make a change in our
life; He's calling us out of
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our mulish stubbornness and
is asking us to make a change,
00:12:59.37\00:13:03.81
but sadly we don't even
notice it until He knocks us
00:13:03.85\00:13:06.55
over the head.   Saul
needed a two by four over
00:13:06.58\00:13:11.32
his head to see that he
was missing it, and that
00:13:11.35\00:13:14.89
he needed to change.
But notice. The second point
00:13:14.92\00:13:18.09
I'm going to make
today. Saul wasn't saved on the
00:13:18.13\00:13:23.73
Damascus Road. A lot of
preachers say he was saved
00:13:23.77\00:13:29.97
on that road, but that's
not true. Saul was blinded
00:13:30.01\00:13:37.08
on the Damascus Road.
But Saul was not saved on the
00:13:37.11\00:13:42.62
Damascus Road. After
he's blinded, that's when the
00:13:42.65\00:13:46.09
Bible says he says, Lord,
what wilt Thou have me to do?
00:13:46.12\00:13:49.92
The Lord told him to
get up, go to Damascus,
00:13:49.96\00:13:53.56
and it shall be told to
you what you're going to do.
00:13:53.60\00:13:56.80
Now, let's be clear.
Jesus could have saved Saul
00:13:56.83\00:14:02.60
on that road to
Damascus, but Jesus didn't.
00:14:02.64\00:14:06.24
He left that privilege
to a mere mortal man by
00:14:06.27\00:14:09.41
the name of Ananias, and
there's a reason for this.
00:14:09.44\00:14:12.85
Now, this Ananias--not
to be confused with Ananias
00:14:12.88\00:14:16.12
and Sapphira--this Ananias
was not mentioned anywhere
00:14:16.15\00:14:19.99
else in Scripture. This
Ananias was not an apostle.
00:14:20.02\00:14:23.86
As far as we know, he
was not a great orator,
00:14:23.89\00:14:25.99
he was not a church planter,
he didn't write any books,
00:14:26.03\00:14:28.83
he wasn't famous, he
wasn't important. Ananias was
00:14:28.86\00:14:32.00
an ordinary man, just
like you and me. And that's
00:14:32.03\00:14:34.77
the point: God uses
ordinary people who are willing
00:14:34.80\00:14:38.21
to do as He commands.
Let me let you in on a little
00:14:38.24\00:14:41.64
secret today:  You might
just get the opportunity to
00:14:41.68\00:14:47.65
be involved in somebody
else's salvation. Just might
00:14:47.68\00:14:54.39
send somebody your way that
you can lead to Jesus Christ.
00:14:54.42\00:15:00.30
I wish I had a witness
in this place. You see,
00:15:00.33\00:15:02.26
you don't need a
theology degree. You don't have
00:15:02.30\00:15:05.27
to be an elder. You
don't have to be a Bible worker
00:15:05.30\00:15:07.87
or be somebody important
in the church. You don't
00:15:07.90\00:15:10.87
have to be a star in
God's show. You don't have to
00:15:10.91\00:15:14.61
be outstanding for God
to use you. If you don't
00:15:14.64\00:15:17.58
believe God will use
ordinary people, then look
00:15:17.61\00:15:20.02
at the disciples.
Plain, ordinary, workaday,
00:15:20.05\00:15:25.62
grass roots people.
There wasn't a star among them.
00:15:25.65\00:15:29.86
There was not an aristocrat
among them. Not one of
00:15:29.89\00:15:32.56
them was a genius or a
scholar. They were unschooled
00:15:32.59\00:15:35.53
in philosophy, untaught
by professors, unexposed
00:15:35.56\00:15:39.17
to high culture, lowly
fishermen. They were ordinary
00:15:39.20\00:15:43.00
people, but what
difference did it make? God used
00:15:43.04\00:15:47.04
that band of men, ordinary
people, to build the church,
00:15:47.08\00:15:50.65
inspire His people, and
turn this world upside-down.
00:15:50.68\00:15:54.75
God can do mighty
things with ordinary people.
00:15:54.78\00:15:58.05
God can do extraordinary
things with ordinary people.
00:15:58.09\00:16:01.69
God doesn't use just
geniuses; God will use anybody
00:16:01.72\00:16:05.53
that will give God
clean hands, a pure heart,
00:16:05.56\00:16:08.00
and dedicated life and
an open mind. So don't you
00:16:08.03\00:16:11.20
refuse to serve God, and
refuse to serve God's church,
00:16:11.23\00:16:13.90
saying I'm not rich
enough, I'm not good enough,
00:16:13.94\00:16:16.24
I'm not old enough,
I'm not spiritual enough,
00:16:16.27\00:16:18.24
I'm not holy enough.
If you think like this,
00:16:18.27\00:16:20.38
you will feel that
you'll never be good enough
00:16:20.41\00:16:22.64
for God to use you.  
Let me tell you something:
00:16:22.68\00:16:25.58
God doesn't use us
because we're good enough.
00:16:25.61\00:16:29.85
But because God is
good enough to use those
00:16:29.88\00:16:33.12
that are not good enough
to do what God wants done.
00:16:33.15\00:16:35.56
Hallelujah,
somebody. All you have to do is
00:16:35.59\00:16:38.73
love Jesus and be
willing to tell people how
00:16:38.76\00:16:41.86
to become a
follower of Jesus. Ananias is
00:16:41.90\00:16:45.60
instructed to go
to Straight Street,
00:16:45.63\00:16:48.60
put his hands on
Saul, so Saul's sight
00:16:48.64\00:16:51.51
can be restored. But
Ananias was apprehensive
00:16:51.54\00:16:55.01
and skeptical at first,
because Ananias remember,
00:16:55.04\00:16:58.48
was afraid of Saul.
Saul had been such a terror
00:16:58.51\00:17:01.72
to the Christians and
Saul, he thought was actually
00:17:01.75\00:17:04.59
a spy trying to infiltrate the
church by faking a conversion.
00:17:04.62\00:17:10.03
So God had to speak to
Ananias in the church and say,
00:17:10.06\00:17:12.06
Look, don't be afraid of
him because he was a known
00:17:12.09\00:17:17.73
terrorist. You see, church folk
knew him when. And sometimes
00:17:17.77\00:17:22.64
when people knew you
when, they won't accept you now,
00:17:22.67\00:17:26.64
because they don't believe
what God has done in your life.
00:17:26.68\00:17:30.15
But you'd better tell
somebody, I may not be all that
00:17:30.18\00:17:33.55
I should be, but praise
God I'm not what I used to be.
00:17:33.58\00:17:39.22
But there's one more thing,
and then I'm going to sit down.
00:17:39.25\00:17:41.82
The interesting thing
about this story--the thing
00:17:41.86\00:17:44.86
that sets it apart from
almost every other narrative
00:17:44.89\00:17:47.40
in the Bible. Listen
to me good--is that when
00:17:47.40\00:17:51.00
Paul was converted,
Paul was already religious.
00:17:51.03\00:17:58.17
Paul wasn't a smoker;
Paul wasn't a drinker;
00:17:58.21\00:18:04.95
Paul wasn't a curser;
Paul wasn't a drug addict;
00:18:04.98\00:18:08.25
Paul wasn't a sex offender.
Paul wasn't running from God;
00:18:08.28\00:18:13.52
Paul did not reject the
Ten Commandments; Paul wasn't
00:18:13.56\00:18:16.56
purposely rejecting
God. In fact, in his mind,
00:18:16.59\00:18:19.36
he thought he was serving
God. He was doing everything
00:18:19.39\00:18:22.10
he could to please God.
Paul was zealous for God,
00:18:22.13\00:18:25.07
but there was one
problem. He was wrong about what
00:18:25.10\00:18:29.20
it meant to serve God. And
that makes the story of Saul,
00:18:29.24\00:18:34.24
who became Paul, the most
relevant possible story for us
00:18:34.28\00:18:38.55
today. We are living in
supposedly a Christian society.
00:18:38.58\00:18:44.45
The majority of the
people in the United States
00:18:44.49\00:18:47.36
believe in God. The
majority of the people in our
00:18:47.39\00:18:51.93
country believe in heaven.
Almost half of the people
00:18:51.96\00:18:56.33
living in this country
say they're born again.
00:18:56.36\00:19:00.27
But the thing is,
even though people can say
00:19:00.30\00:19:02.70
they're religious,
that doesn't mean they have
00:19:02.74\00:19:04.51
the power of God
working in them. That doesn't
00:19:04.54\00:19:07.41
mean their lives
are being changed, that
00:19:07.44\00:19:10.11
relationships are
being mended, that their
00:19:10.15\00:19:12.35
bodies are being
healed, that the power of
00:19:12.38\00:19:14.48
God is on them in
such a way that it gives
00:19:14.52\00:19:17.15
them joy and peace
and love so they can shine
00:19:17.19\00:19:19.89
like flaming torches
in a dark world. You see,
00:19:19.92\00:19:23.12
there's a big
difference between religious and
00:19:23.16\00:19:26.19
in truly loving God.
Saul was religious but he
00:19:26.23\00:19:31.07
didn't truly love God
because he didn't even
00:19:31.10\00:19:33.37
know the true God. So
God had to knock him down.
00:19:33.40\00:19:37.74
God had to blind
him. God had to do this,
00:19:37.77\00:19:42.21
so He could stop him
from his silly religious
00:19:42.24\00:19:44.98
foolishness long
enough to get to know God.
00:19:45.01\00:19:49.05
And just like God
knocked Saul down,
00:19:49.08\00:19:52.89
God just might need
to knock some of us down,
00:19:52.92\00:19:56.73
too, so God can make
some changes in our lives,
00:19:56.76\00:20:01.36
today. Don't fall in
the trap of being religious
00:20:01.40\00:20:06.50
but then you miss
God. Paul had gone several
00:20:06.53\00:20:11.24
years spiritually blind
to the teachings of Jesus,
00:20:11.27\00:20:14.68
but when his eyes
were opened spiritually,
00:20:14.71\00:20:16.38
he became blinded
physically. Now, all throughout
00:20:16.41\00:20:20.18
Scripture we shout on
people who were blind but
00:20:20.22\00:20:24.09
then Jesus healed them,
and they were able to see.
00:20:24.12\00:20:26.42
We shout hallelujah! on
blind Bartimaeus being healed.
00:20:26.45\00:20:31.29
We shout, thank You,
Jesus, on the young man in
00:20:31.33\00:20:34.00
John chapter 9, who said, Look,
I don't know who healed me.
00:20:34.00\00:20:36.97
I don't know where he
came from. I don't know if
00:20:37.00\00:20:39.10
he was a sinner or not.
All I know is I once was blind,
00:20:39.13\00:20:41.84
but now I see. We shout
on that, but Jesus doesn't
00:20:41.87\00:20:46.24
just heal these
people for physical reasons,
00:20:46.27\00:20:49.41
He also healed them
for spiritual reasons,
00:20:49.44\00:20:51.65
and so then the
converse of this must be true:
00:20:51.68\00:20:53.92
Sometimes the Lord
will physically blind us so
00:20:53.95\00:20:57.52
we can see spiritually.
You see, you can get to
00:20:57.55\00:21:01.39
heaven blind
physically, but you can't get to
00:21:01.42\00:21:05.93
heaven blind
spiritually. Some of us grew up
00:21:05.96\00:21:10.03
in the church, and
we've been learning about
00:21:10.07\00:21:13.70
God all our lives. I
grew up in the church.
00:21:13.74\00:21:18.47
You know my story,
born in the church.
00:21:18.51\00:21:22.04
And I appreciate my
upbringing and all I've learned.
00:21:22.08\00:21:26.65
All that I saw. All
that I have experienced,
00:21:26.68\00:21:31.22
because it's helped
me become who I am today.
00:21:31.25\00:21:33.76
But I've discovered,
as I'm getting older,
00:21:33.79\00:21:36.39
that the problem is
we can learn a lot of
00:21:36.42\00:21:38.99
stuff that doesn't
have anything to do with
00:21:39.03\00:21:41.13
what God is really
like. Some of those things
00:21:41.16\00:21:44.57
blind us spiritually,
and whenever you get a
00:21:44.60\00:21:48.37
certain picture--listen
to me good--whenever
00:21:48.40\00:21:50.41
you get a certain
picture in your mind of
00:21:50.44\00:21:52.67
what a Christian
looks like, and you start
00:21:52.71\00:21:54.94
trying to look like
that, you've just taken
00:21:54.98\00:21:56.34
your first step away
from grace. And you've
00:21:56.38\00:22:01.85
taken a step toward
legalism. Because that's
00:22:01.88\00:22:04.85
not how God looks at
us.   A little girl had
00:22:04.89\00:22:09.96
been to a revival and
had been happily converted.
00:22:09.99\00:22:12.83
She came home,
laughing, singing, praising God.
00:22:12.86\00:22:16.03
Her little heart was so
full of joy and gladness.
00:22:16.06\00:22:20.30
Oh, Grampa. She
rushed in to see her grampa.
00:22:20.34\00:22:23.00
Rushed into the room
where the old man sat.
00:22:23.04\00:22:25.24
She said, Grampa,
I've got religion! Grampa,
00:22:25.27\00:22:28.14
I've got religion! The
grandfather took his little
00:22:28.18\00:22:31.21
granddaughter by the shoulders
and sat her down on a chair.
00:22:31.25\00:22:33.31
He said, Baby, you
don't know what religion is.
00:22:33.35\00:22:35.85
He said, People don't
shout and skip when they
00:22:35.88\00:22:39.85
have religion. Sit still.
The child sat there awhile,
00:22:39.89\00:22:45.96
then she crept away.
All the joy and the gladness
00:22:45.99\00:22:50.33
was gone from her
little heart. She went and
00:22:50.37\00:22:53.00
climbed on the lot
fence, where she went each
00:22:53.03\00:22:56.87
day to feed sugar to an
old donkey. The old donkey
00:22:56.91\00:23:00.84
put his head up and as she
stroked the old donkey's face,
00:23:00.88\00:23:05.75
she said, pityingly: Poor
old donkey. Poor old donkey.
00:23:05.78\00:23:13.15
Poor old donkey,
you've got religion.
00:23:13.19\00:23:18.06
I know you have it,
because your face is long
00:23:18.09\00:23:21.06
just like
Grampa's.   [Aud. reaction]
00:23:21.10\00:23:24.53
PB:  But I believe
I've got a witness in this
00:23:24.57\00:23:29.27
place that knows that the
joy of the Lord is our strength.
00:23:29.30\00:23:37.65
I believe somebody knows
He woke you up this morning,
00:23:37.68\00:23:41.98
started you on your
way. Put food on your table
00:23:42.02\00:23:46.52
and clothes on your
back. So, I don't have time
00:23:46.55\00:23:48.66
for a long face. I
don't have time to have
00:23:48.69\00:23:51.73
my lips poked out. This is
the day that the Lord has made,
00:23:51.76\00:23:57.37
I will rejoice and be glad in
it. Rejoice in the Lord always,
00:23:57.40\00:24:04.04
and again I say, rejoice.
Because victory is in your
00:24:04.07\00:24:10.55
praise. Salvation is in your
praise. Deliverance is in your
00:24:10.58\00:24:16.22
praise. Saul was converted, Saul
was baptized, Saul became Paul.
00:24:16.25\00:24:20.99
Paul goes from being a
mean man to a humble man
00:24:21.02\00:24:25.06
to a new man to a preaching man.
00:24:25.09\00:24:27.56
[Aud. reaction]    PB:
 He goes from terrorist
00:24:27.60\00:24:30.30
to evangelist. He goes
from being a pronounced
00:24:30.33\00:24:32.27
persecutor to being a
prolific penman. In fact,
00:24:32.30\00:24:36.37
much of the New
Testament writings we know today
00:24:36.40\00:24:38.87
are from Paul. It was
Paul who said that all
00:24:38.91\00:24:42.14
things work together
for good to them who love
00:24:42.18\00:24:46.01
the Lord and are the called,
according to his purpose.
00:24:46.05\00:24:48.32
It was Paul who said I
can do all things through
00:24:48.35\00:24:50.95
Christ which
strengtheneth me. It was Paul
00:24:50.99\00:24:53.15
who said the wages of
sin is death but the gift
00:24:53.19\00:24:56.12
of God is eternal life
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:24:56.16\00:24:58.59
It was Paul who told us
the truth about the state
00:24:58.63\00:25:01.50
of the dead: Behold, I
show you a mystery that
00:25:01.53\00:25:04.40
one day we shall not
all sleep, but one day we
00:25:04.43\00:25:06.80
shall be changed in a
moment, in a twinkle of an eye.
00:25:06.84\00:25:09.40
It was Paul who said
the dead in Christ are going
00:25:09.44\00:25:12.24
to rise first, then we
which are alive and remain
00:25:12.27\00:25:14.64
are going to be caught
up together with them in
00:25:14.68\00:25:16.11
the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air,
00:25:16.14\00:25:17.78
and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.
00:25:17.81\00:25:19.41
It was Paul who said
that God gave some apostles,
00:25:19.45\00:25:22.95
some prophets, some
pastors, some teachers,
00:25:22.98\00:25:26.12
some evangelists
for the work of ministry
00:25:26.15\00:25:28.82
until we come into
the eulogy of faith.
00:25:28.86\00:25:30.73
It was Paul who
taught the kind of truth
00:25:30.76\00:25:34.56
that made demons
tremble, makes hell nervous.
00:25:34.60\00:25:40.14
It was Paul who
helped us understand that
00:25:40.17\00:25:43.84
God has not
forgotten us and we should
00:25:43.87\00:25:45.84
comfort one another
with the same comfort
00:25:45.87\00:25:47.34
by which we have
been comforted. It was
00:25:47.38\00:25:49.21
Paul who makes us
to show we should not
00:25:49.24\00:25:51.68
compare ourselves to
one another; by doing so,
00:25:51.71\00:25:54.62
we are not wise. It was
Paul who was stoned to death.
00:25:54.65\00:25:59.65
But death couldn't take
Paul, couldn't take him out.
00:25:59.69\00:26:02.76
Paul shook death off his
clothes. Paul walked away
00:26:02.79\00:26:08.46
from death. It was Paul
who ended up on the coast
00:26:08.50\00:26:11.77
of Melita, stoned
and left lying for dead.
00:26:11.80\00:26:15.47
But Paul gathered up some
sticks, got bitten by a snake,
00:26:15.50\00:26:20.31
shook the snake and
started preaching the gospel.
00:26:20.34\00:26:24.08
It was Paul who said,
For I am not ashamed of
00:26:24.11\00:26:26.85
the gospel of Jesus
Christ, for it is the power
00:26:26.88\00:26:29.25
of God unto salvation.
From terrorist to evangelist.
00:26:29.28\00:26:34.39
Paul today provides us
with the reason to pray for
00:26:34.42\00:26:41.73
the enemies of Christianity.
Paul today reminds us,
00:26:41.76\00:26:47.17
friends, that no one is
hopeless; that God can reach
00:26:47.20\00:26:53.34
out to even the most
heartened person. That's why
00:26:53.38\00:26:57.81
there are three surprises
when you get to heaven:
00:26:57.85\00:27:00.08
those you thought
wouldn't be there will be there.
00:27:00.12\00:27:02.55
[Aud. reaction]   PB: 
Those you thought would
00:27:02.58\00:27:05.32
be there won't be there.
And then if you're like me,
00:27:05.35\00:27:08.79
thank You, Lord, that I'm
there. Most people come to
00:27:08.82\00:27:14.13
Christ not through
arguments for Christianity but
00:27:14.20\00:27:21.10
by exposure to it.
Listen to that one more time.
00:27:21.14\00:27:25.97
Most people come to
Christ not through arguments
00:27:26.01\00:27:31.51
for Christianity, most
people come to Christ by
00:27:31.55\00:27:37.62
exposure to
Christianity. Our task, then,
00:27:37.65\00:27:43.49
is to introduce people to Jesus.
00:27:43.53\00:27:47.50
That's why we have tract attack
00:27:47.50\00:27:50.90
That's why we have a revival.
00:27:50.93\00:27:54.80
That's why we
invite Earvin Johnson.
00:27:54.84\00:27:58.21
That's why we
invite Michael Vick.
00:27:58.24\00:28:02.31
That's why this
service is broadcast
00:28:02.34\00:28:05.28
over the television airways.
00:28:05.31\00:28:08.25
Because people
will not be brought
00:28:08.28\00:28:10.45
to Christ arguing
about Christianity
00:28:10.49\00:28:13.09
>:  Thank you for
joining us for another
00:28:13.12\00:28:15.16
exciting Breath of
Life television broadcast.
00:28:15.19\00:28:17.53
Tune in next
week at the same time,
00:28:17.56\00:28:19.69
as Dr. Byrd will deliver another
00:28:19.73\00:28:21.60
dynamic message from the Lord,
00:28:21.63\00:28:23.57
just for you. Until
next time, may God bless you.
00:28:23.60\00:28:26.87
END
00:28:26.90\00:28:41.92