From Clocker Valley in County Tyrone we present Let the Bible Speak. It's good to have you join us as Gospel Minister the Reverend Peter McIntyre is here to let the Bible speak and preach Christ in all his fullness. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night Jesus, I come Jesus, I come Into Thy freedom, gladness and light Jesus, I come Out of my sickness into thy health Out of my want and into thy will Out of my sin and into thy self Jesus, I come My shameful failure and loss Jesus, I come Jesus, I come Into the glorious gain of Thy cross Jesus, I come Out of our sorrows into thy power, Out of life's strife and into thy power, Out of distress to jubilant sound, God of the spear and bread of the tomb, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come into the joy and pleasure Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of the depths of room or tomb, Into the park, my love doth then Jesus, I come to Thee. This afternoon we are going to read some verses from Acts chapter 9 which relate to the conversion of the Apostle Paul, who at that time was known as Saul. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened he saw no man, but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. We know that God will bless the reading of his word to our hearts. In the verse 2 of this particular passage Christianity is simply described as this way. That if he found any of this way. This was the first name by which Christians were known. They were known as the way because they represented a new way. They didn't represent old Judaism steeped in all the ancient traditions and rituals. Neither was it Roman paganism with its multitudes of gods and gross idolatry. This new way represented holiness and purity, something unknown in the Roman world. It also represented unity in a world of division. Never before had anyone attempted to unite both Jew and Gentile within one body. Paul would describe this when writing to the Ephesians as one new man. Above all, this way represented hope based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was the fact of Christ's resurrection which separated this new faith, making it radically different from anything that had gone before. Therefore, before Christians were known as Christians, they were simply styled as the Way. This is a very appropriate title for the Church. It still remains an appropriate title for the Church of Christ even though it was given them by their enemies. The term Christian too was a nickname given by the enemies of the Lord and yet it was a totally accurate title. And so it is with this original name for Christianity, The Way. What can we learn about this original title given for those who were the followers of Jesus Christ? The Way. First of all, let us define the way. In Acts 16-17, the enemies of the apostles in the city of Philippi, they said this, These men are the servants of the Most High God which show us the way of salvation. And here we have the way defined. Christianity represents the way of salvation. And being the way of salvation, it is the only way of salvation. Man cannot come to God through whatever method he likes. through whatever religion he wishes. Man can only come to God through Jesus Christ. He is the only way. Without Jesus Christ there is no hope. Without trusting in his death, without believing in his resurrection, without submitting your life to him, there is no hope for you. He is the only way, for he himself said, I am the way, the truth and the life. Let's also think about the opposition towards the way. The Apostle Paul here in Acts chapter 9 verse 2, he was looking for people who were of this way, that he might have them captured, imprisoned and ultimately killed. He opposed those who belonged to the way. And yet whenever God spoke to him there on that road to Damascus, the Lord said, it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. Paul it seems knew in his heart that these people were right and that convicted him, that challenged him and it made him hate the Christians because he knew this man Jesus was indeed the way and by the ferocity of his hatred towards the Christians he was in reality rebelling against the Spirit of God that was teaching him in his soul and he himself was doing himself more harm and more injury through the injury he was doing. to the people of God because Jesus was the way. You see if you object to the way, if you turn away from Jesus Christ you do yourself more harm than good because you are resisting the one who is the only way to life. And then in the New Testament we also have instruction in the way. On one occasion there was a man who was preaching in the great city of Ephesus. His name was Paulus. and although he was a great preacher and a fantastic orator yet there were many things he had not yet learned. We're told in Acts 18 26 that Aquila and Priscilla, a godly couple, they took Apollos into their own house and they expounded onto him the way of God more perfectly. We need to be taught about the way. This is one of the reasons why we have these radio broadcasts that we might teach you about the way of salvation. That's so important why you need to be in a gospel preaching church where you might be taught the things of God and even after a person becomes a believer like Apollos we have so much more to learn. A Christian is one who wants to grow in the things of God, who wants to be nourished in the way that his faith might be developed. Let's also think about conversion to the way. What is remarkable about the Apostle Paul is that he was an opponent of the way and yet he became the greatest advocate of the way. And we have read his conversion in Acts chapter 9. You see when a person is converted they are changed, they are transformed. That person becomes a new man, a new woman. That which once they hated, they now love. The way which once they resisted, they now advocate. You see, Jesus Christ, he turns a life right around. Did the Apostle Paul ever have any regrets changing the path of his life, the course of his life there on the road to Damascus? No, he never had any regrets. Yet he would tell you it was not himself that did the transformation, it was God. It was God that worked the miracle within him. He said, by the grace of God, I am what I am. You see, Christianity changes people. If a man or woman is not changed, that man or woman is not a Christian. The power of this change, that only he can affect in the lives of men and women. And there is also the proclamation of the way. what the Apostle Paul did throughout all of his life. He preached the way. He was the one who taught that men and women had to follow this way. In Acts 19, for example, we are told that he went into a synagogue. He spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of God. He spent his time preaching Christ, persuading men and women, refuting falseness and exhorting people to come to Christ. And I exhort you today to come and be a follower of this way. Not just listen to the word. Some listen but they do not follow the teachings of the word. You need to follow. You need to trust Christ. You need to be a disciple. You cannot have hope for the future and for eternity unless you become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Be a follower of him in the way. But sadly there is rejection of the way. One of the most famous men who rejected the way was a man called Felix. He was the Roman governor of Judea and he had Paul before him as a prisoner and we are told in Acts 24-25 that Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come and Felix trembled and he simply said go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season I will call for thee. Felix was not an ignorant man. He knew about the way. He knew about Christianity. He knew about the life of Christ. He was a man who was very much aware of what was going on in the times in which he lived. The great influences that were shaping the world in Christianity was one of them. But yet, whenever Paul preached, the Spirit of God came upon him and he trembled. What Paul did was a reasonable thing. He reasoned. He taught him the need for self-control, for repentance, for turning from his sin. This is what you need to do. You need to turn from your sin. You need to learn about righteousness. about the law of God and how it makes you guilty. But you need to learn by the judgment to come that there is a day coming when all men and women will stand before God and you and I will stand there as well. And you need to be prepared for that day. And that can only be done by trusting Jesus now. But Felix put the matter off. He trembled. He did nothing about it. He rejected the way that he loses soul. Eternity will reveal the truth of that. But all I know is this. The final chapter of Felix's life, as far as the Bible is concerned, is one of Christ's rejection. It's not going to be the final chapter of your life. Here you have the way presented. What will you do with Jesus? Will you come to Him or reject Him? Oh come to Him today. Confess your sin to Him. Give Him your life and give Him your heart. Be a follower of Jesus Christ in the way. I thank you for listening. You've been listening to Let the Bible Speak. If we can be of any further spiritual help, or if you would like to receive some free gospel literature, we invite you to write to us. Our mailing address is Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, 13 Willand Crescent, 5 Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75OQL. That's Let the Bible Speak, Rev. Peter McIntyre, Thirteen, Willand, Crescent, Five Mile Town, County Tyrone, BT75, OQL. You may hear Mr. McIntyre preach each Lord's Day here in Clocker Valley Free Presbyterian Church at 11.30am and 7pm. For further information you may phone us at 028 8952 1611. 028 8952 1611. We assure you of a very warm welcome at all the services and look forward to having you visit with us. Thank you for listening today. May the Lord richly bless you, and don't forget to tune in on this same station at the same time next week, when once again we turn to the scriptures and let the Bible speak.