Can I Hope Again?Sample

### Who Was Paul? Paul’s life story is wild. Before coming to Christ, he was a complex being: a Jew, a citizen of Rome, a trained rabbi, a Pharisee, and a vicious opponent of the gospel. Paul [then known as Saul] saw Christianity as a dangerous threat to Judaism. He believed Christians blasphemed the Old Testament’s message, falsely claiming Jesus as the promised Messiah. He made it his personal mission to stamp it out, rallying other devout Jewish people to persecute and kill Christians. In fact, he even oversaw the stoning of Stephen–the first Christian martyr–in Acts 7. So, how on earth did he go from a man who hated Jesus' followers to one who identified as a servant of Christ? Here's how–Paul met Jesus (Acts 9)! My friends, we cannot meet the resurrected Christ and not be changed. God turned Paul 180 degrees, setting him on a new course he could never have imagined. We are never the same when the gospel message truly gets into our hearts. Paul experienced peace beyond understanding, contentment in the midst of hardship, and true joy even when being persecuted. Paul spent the rest of his life on three epic missionary journeys throughout Asia and Europe. Astoundingly, he ended up writing two-thirds of the New Testament, helping spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire! How has meeting Jesus redirected your life? As you engage with God’s word: ● What is God saying to me? ● What does it mean to me? ● How can I apply what God is teaching me? ● How can I be specific in prayer today? After you reflect on these questions, bring everything to God in prayer.