God's Valentine's Day Gift

1 Thes 1:4 Today's sermon went so well with yesterday's blog, that I had to share my sermon notes with you.

Last week Recap:
The reason Paul went to the Thessalonians was because God prevented him from going somewhere else! We need to let God lead us! In just 3 short weeks many came to Christ and became strong Christians! Even some prominent women! Only true conversion brings change that is lasting.

1. What does true conversion mean? How does it happen? It always begins with God and His love for us.

John 3:16--God loves everyone He made and He loves you and is reaching out to you!

Many do not respond to this, or even believe He is Creator! To have
this love, we must respond to this love, to bring us into relationship
with Our Creator.

Just like a human relationship--love must be a two way street and must be responded to! When you love someone, you choose them.

Jesus is God's valentine to you. It was a very dramatic gift and you
must accept it by loving Him back.

2. Witnessing about that love.
The most powerful message in the world is that of redemption! It is
deep conviction in our heart that leads us to sharing God's Message of
Love! Our filling of the Holy Spirit makes us bold and loving about
our faith--not fearful and shy.

If the person receiving your words must also have deep convictions, it
will be a true conversion!! The Bible says it is through our HEART
that we are saved! It is emotional!

3. True conversion is always DRAMATIC. It is a dramatic life change.
The LifeChange program of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission, of which this church is a part, has some of you in it. And those that want change and are on the program work hard and graduate from LifeChange with much flair and drama! It's a huge cost to them, and takes a lot of work, but the change for those that do it is permanent and lasting.

Those who accept this valentine are filled with love and joy and
peace. If you, as a Christian, lose your joy, it often comes from sin.
If you find yourself lacking these things, you can restore the joy of
your salvation by turning around and repenting of your mistakes--those idols of the heart: pursuit of pleasure, money, or addictions. When we turn from those things to serve God, it is going to get noticed!!

When you are truly converted, you are not just saved. You are
changed! You love Him because He loved you first. And you eagerly
await to see Him in Heaven.

Sent from Michelle's iPhone