God Conversation

Paul experienced a radical transformation. The Apostle Paul says about himself that he was of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee educated at the feet of Gamaliel, who was one of the most noted rabbis in history. Paul went from a man who chased wealth and power to one who lived in faith.

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IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN SEPARATE YOU FROM GOD? Romans 8:38-39, 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul said, “For I am persuaded.…” The word “persuaded” is the Greek word peitho. It means to be persuaded, to be convinced, or to be swayed from one opinion to the opinion held by another. This word describes a person who has been coaxed from a particular conviction to embrace a different one.

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Matthew 7:13–14 13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Entering the narrow gate is not easy. Jesus made this clear when He instructed His followers to “strive” to do so. The Greek word translated “strive” is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize.

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Four Fishermen were called as disciples of Jesus. Jesus calls to his side the first four disciples - Andrew and John, Peter and James. With the former pair he had already made acquaintance when they were disciples of John the Baptist. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (v.19)— In its Jewish setting, Jesus was officially calling these men to become His disciples. There were set rules and procedures on how a rabbi did this. The terminology is a word play on their current profession of fishing and their new one as witnesses and evangelists.

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“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34

Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.”

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Matthew 9:27-29 27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  "Yes, Lord," they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";

These blind men knew that they needed a change. Jesus had something that could change their future so they did the right thing and started to follow Jesus. 

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The Gospel of Mark shows that Jesus is talking about two time periods: Mark 10:29-30 No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. God will reward us generously — but Jesus also warns us that this life is not a life of physical luxury. We will have persecutions, trials and sufferings in this life. Jesus is not promising to give 100 fields to everyone who gave up a farm to follow him. He is not promising to give 100 mothers. He is not promising to make everyone wealthy. He is not talking in literal terms. He means that the things we receive in the next life will be 100 times as valuable as the things we give up in this life — as measured by real value, eternal value, not by temporary fads about physical things.

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Revelation starts with letters that contain promises of Rewards to “he who overcomes”. Thedre are 7 Promisses to the Overcomer.The great reward, heaven, is absolute.

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There are 5 CROWN REWARDS promised to the believers. 

1. The Victor’s Crown


2. The Crown of Rejoicing


3. The Crown of Righteousness


4. The Crown of Life


5. The Crown of Glory

A prize is a reward. Paul is concerned about disqualification. Learn how to qualify for these crowns. Your rewards in heaven.

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Scripture teaches the 4 THINGS we need to give as a proof of submission. "Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." - Romans 13:7  

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