05/05/2025
By Pastor Vinnie Cappetta
Note to our readers: "I am going to do a series of devotionals for the next 12 weeks. You will get one installment every other week. I’m calling it “Faith First: Seeing Through God's Eyes.” The Series Theme: Learning to trust God even when we can't see the full picture.
Here is the first installment.
"Radical Encounter"
When God's Gospel Finds You
Galatians 1:11–14 | Acts 7:54–60
If there's one thing I've learned about real faith, it's this: You don't stumble into it by accident. God finds you. God interrupts you. God changes you from the inside out.
When Paul talks about the Gospel in Galatians, he's clear: "I didn't get this from any person. I didn't dream it up. It came straight from Jesus." Paul wasn’t one to sugarcoat things.
Paul had been living at full speed in the wrong direction — convinced he was doing the right thing — until God's grace slammed the brakes on him. That’s the thing about real encounters with God: you don’t stay the same.
I remember reading once about a preacher in London who got challenged by an atheist to a public debate. The preacher said, "Sure — but I’m bringing 100 people with me. Each one has a story about how Jesus pulled them out of addiction, poverty, violence, and gave them a new life." The atheist never showed up. But the stories did. And that’s what the Gospel does — it leaves changed people standing in front of you, living proof that God is still rescuing.
Paul’s life was proof, and if you follow Jesus, so is yours.
Some things to think about:
- How has God's grace interrupted your story?
- If someone looked at your life today, what would they see that only Jesus could have done?
- Who in your life needs to see the Gospel lived out through you?
Practicing Faith (this week):
Pick one way you can live out the change God has made in you — maybe it's showing kindness to someone who doesn't deserve it, forgiving someone who hurt you, or speaking truth when it's hard. Pray for courage, then do it.
Memory Verse Challenge:
"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me." — John 14:1
A Prayer You Can Pray:
Jesus, thank You for finding me when I wasn't even looking for You. Thank You for not giving up on me. Keep changing me. Let my life be living proof that You're real.
