On this fifth Sunday in October, Pastor Victor concludes the enlightening sermon series, “The Evolution of a Henchman: The Spiritual Transformation of the Apostle Paul.” A completely converted Paul is now nearing the end of his life and is in confinement and restrained under house arrest. The reason? He is being held for hoping and believing in the promise of God. We learn from the text, Acts 27:17-22, although Paul is bound his spirit remains free. In this sermon the question before us is how does one experience liberation although confined? Of course, our preacher will provide to us the answer.

The first thing our pastor tells us is surely there is freedom when you honor God. An unbreakable connection to the Holy One allows a liberation that is not affected by current circumstances or situations. Honoring God has more sway than statutes and rules enforced by this world’s institutions. Secondly, honoring your authentic self prevents you from allowing others to have control over you. Being genuine means you are truly free from external forces that attempt to restrain you or toss you about. Finally, being true to one’s calling is liberating as well. We of the Christian faith have an assignment and a purpose to serve the Lord by sharing our unique gifts, and as long as we are heeding our call, we can live freely.

We experience complete and transcendent liberation by honoring our Creator, honoring ourselves and staying on the ordered path by honoring God’s call on our life. My beloved, our work is to understand and be faithful to the assignment our Lord and Savior has just for us. Therefore, even when earthly shackles do their best to bind us and our bodies are held in chains, our spirit and our mind cannot be constrained, and we continue to experience and live in a state of constant and unrestrained sweet freedom.

On this crisp, sunny autumn morning, Pastor Victor continues to explore the sermon series, “The Evolution of a Henchman: The Spiritual Transformation of the Apostle Paul”. Again, he is focused on Paul’s conversion from notorious persecutor of the early disciples to one who passionately spreads the teaching of Jesus Christ. In today’s text, Acts 27: 39-44, there is an invaluable lesson about surviving life’s shipwrecks. In our lifetime we will all be faced with tumultuous shipwreck situations, but thankfully, on this Sunday we receive a multi-faceted strategy that will help us survive them.

The first part of this strategy entails understanding that God can make a way even when we see no way. However, God expects all of us to do everything that is within our power to survive a shipwreck. When your ship is wrecked and no longer moving you toward your destination, follow your inclination to swim with all your might and do not sink. The bold human spirit within us is resilient and instinctively strives to survive and not perish.

In the midst of the shipwreck, we must also find something that floats. When life gets rocky and unsteady trust that God is still there. His steady hand keeps us afloat as we endure health, financial or even emotional challenges from people or situations that absolutely break the heart. Our pastor notes that Paul’s writings tell us of three things that will always remain in life. They are faith, hope and love. These three will always buoy and sustain us.

Lastly, learn to hold on. Hold on and don’t you ever give up for surely the Master is always at work. In His own time, our God will make a move on our behalf. He possesses the power, and He has an obligation to us, His children, to fix it. Be sure to hold on because a wonderful change will come over you.

Alas, in this life shipwrecks will happen, but you can be sure you will survive them if you follow this proven, three-pronged strategy. First, do everything in your own power to survive. The strong spirit within you will provide the strength you need to make it. Then, be resourceful and use the broken pieces scattered around you to stay afloat. And finally, just hold on for God is always moving and He will not abandon you. Remember, my beloved child of God, you are a survivor!

On this glorious First Sunday in October, Pastor Victor continues with another installment in the sermon series “The Evolution of a Henchman: The Spiritual Transformation of the Apostle Paul”. From the familiar text, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, we learn how a proverbial thorn in the flesh opens us up to spiritual growth, becoming closer and closer to God. Now that is truly good news, for in life we all experience and have to deal with our own personal thorns in the flesh.

When we suffer insurmountable pain that has become too much to bear, surely, we call on the Lord in prayer. The greater our pain, the more fervent our prayer. Just as God responded to Paul’s anguished prayers, He has the answer we need as we suffer as well. He wants us to know that His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in weakness. It is quite humbling when we can no longer move forward on our own due to unrelenting discomfort. That is when it becomes abundantly clear that we must call on the Lord to see us through.

God’s grace, His unmerited favor, allows us to overcome and press on, even at our weakest. When we lack confidence, have a broken heart, are faced with crushing disappointments, or devastating illness, that is when God is most powerful in our lives. We are able to courageously transcend our challenges because we have a transcendent God. He can and will move mountains.

Remember, when you are being tormented by a thorn in your flesh, know that God intends the pain to draw you closer to Him. A thorn in your flesh is not a setback, nor is it there for your destruction. Our thorns teach us humility, prevent arrogance, and motivate us to tap into God’s perfect power. Thorns in the flesh are a set up to transform us spiritually in order to walk in our purpose, and keep carrying out our mission for Jesus, the Christ.

We have reached the last Sunday of the summer of 2021, and our pastor’s sermon is focused on Paul and his conversion from zealot to a passionate, dedicated disciple of Jesus Christ. Pastor Victor takes his text from Acts 9: 26-30. The apostles Paul first approached in Jerusalem rejected him because of his past heinous deeds and unbelief in Christ. However, his detractors became convinced that his faith was authentic, and he overcame his bad reputation. Pastor Victor imparts to us three things that allowed this former henchman to overcome his sordid past. Firstly, Paul had an advocate in Barnabas, a Christian disciple who told the doubtful believers of the Damascus Road conversion. Barnabas was willing to vouch for Paul’s metamorphosis. We all need an advocate like Barnabas who will stand in the gap and speak up for us when we are not convincing on our own. We need an advocate when others do not accept us, listen to us, or cannot see who we really are. Secondly, Paul himself made an announcement. He not only spoke boldly in the name of Jesus Christ, but he also demonstrated the same in his changed behavior. He walked the talk, as they say. The disciples could see the change for themselves. We can move freely through our lives, speaking the truth, when we are no longer bound by a marred, scarred and shameful past. The last thing that allowed Paul to overcome his bad reputation was his willingness to die for his convictions. He did not back down from the Hellenistic Jews who sought to kill him. The strength of his convictions was proof that he was truly transformed, and other believers protected him.

Just as the disciple Paul was able to overcome his past and his bad reputation, every child of God has the ability to do the same. We need someone to advocate on our behalf, to make an announcement declaring our faith, and finally be willing to die for our convictions. Our reputation can be overcome, and we can live fully and beautifully because the Spirit of the Lord dwells within each of us.

On this Sunday Pastor Victor commences a new sermon series, “The Evolution of a Henchman: The Spiritual Transformation of the Apostle Paul”. Today’s text is taken from Acts 7:54 - 8:3, and here we are introduced to Paul, the legendary and essential apostle, before he became the author of the first recorded writings of the New Testament. In fact, Paul, then known as Saul, is engaged at a crime scene holding the coats of heinous executioners as they stoned Stephen to death. Stephen, one of the first deacons of the Christian church also became its first martyr. In this sermon we will discover that faith-filled and Holy Spirit-filled Stephen demonstrated how to be dedicated to God without being fanatical and condemning others.

Stephen first sees the glory of God as the heavens opened up and he saw Jesus Christ standing next to Him. By seeing Jesus standing at the right hand of God, Stephen realized that our triumphant Savior is the way to God and our salvation. This recognition provides an understanding that our church is not the singular way that we enter into right relationship with the Lord. God is vast and He is grander than our church doctrines and theological constructs.

Secondly, Stephen also demonstrates that there is security in faith. Although death was near, he kept the faith that as a child of God surely the Lord would keep him. Because he was secure in his faith, he had no need to legitimize his own faith by belittling another’s like the stoners who took his life.

Lastly, in order to avoid the bigotry and hate other’s display one must learn to extend forgiveness. As Stephen was dying, like Christ on the cross, he prays to his Father in heaven to forgive his attackers. We too must learn to forgive those who hurt us. We extend forgiveness because we have been forgiven. As the pastor reminds us, when we forgive, we are liberated and no longer bound to the baggage of even our deepest wounds.

Remember, we can avoid a faith that is ignorant, zealous and fanatical by seeing the glory of God, and knowing that the way to our heavenly Father is through His Son. As children of God we can be assured that there is security in faith. All the days of our life, God is looking out for us. Finally, we are to extend forgiveness because we are forgiven for our sins. This is the way to our own spiritual transformation, growing more and more like Jesus each and every day.