Still got chance one

S: Acts 9

11 The Lord said to him, “Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.”

13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 Here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

O: There have been many people throughout history who started as enemies of Christ but then became great proponents of the faith, for example:

• Justin Martyr (c. 100-165) who was a pagan philosopher who eventually got saved after an elderly Christian he met by the sea started his journey to Christ. He became one of the early church’s most articulate defenders of Christianity, writing extensively to defend the faith against pagan criticism.
• Vladimir the Great (c. 958–1015) used to worship his people’s traditional gods with human sacrifices. Though he converted to Christianity partly because of political considerations, his life changed a lot afterwards as he learned more about the faith, and he made substantial reforms and tried to Kievan Rus into a Christian society. After his conversion, he married Princess Anna of Byzantium, who was a devout Christian, and she may have been part of the reason why in spite of his political reasons for conversion originally, he genuinely transformed.
• John Newton (1725–1807) was an evil slave trader but after God saved him, he became a pastor and fought against slavery. He ended up writing Amazing Grace and worked with William Wilberforce to bring an end to the slave trade in Britain.
• Chuck Colson (1931–2012) was known as Richard Nixon’s hatchet man. He did a lot of evil things for Nixon, but after the exposé of Watergate, he went to prison and Tom Phillips, another prisoner who had become a Christian, developed a close relationship wit him and planted the seed of the Gospel and he eventually got saved. After his release from prison in 1975, he started Prison Fellowship, an organization dedicated to ministering to prisoners and advocating for criminal justice reform. Prison Fellowship became one of the largest and most influential Christian organizations in the United States, working to bring the gospel to prisoners, their families, and communities.
• Mosab Hassan Yousef (1978-now) was a Hamas terrorist and the son of one of Hamas’ key leaders, Sheikh Hassan Yousef. However, as he grew older and became more involved in the conflict, Yousef began to feel disillusioned with the violent methods of Hamas and the division it caused within his community. He began questioning his beliefs about the violence he had been taught was justified in the name of religion and politics. It was during this period of emotional and spiritual turmoil that Yousef's life took a decisive turn. In the early 2000s, while in his twenties, he encountered a Christian named Pastor Naim, who introduced him to the teachings of Christianity. It took several years, and his conversion was not a single event but a gradual process of spiritual transformation. Over time, he accepted Jesus as his Saviour and became a Christian. He kept his new faith a secret for several years, as he feared for his life. Eventually, Mosab made the bold decision to publicly identify as a Christian, even though it meant alienating him from his family, his community, and his homeland. His new faith gave him a sense of peace and purpose, and he became passionate about sharing his story of transformation with others.
  

A: There are many people we know of that we think are so bad, there’s no chance of them getting saved. But there is a chance. Though the Bible does seem to indicate that some will be some who are reprobate (e.g. Romans 1:28, Hebrews 6:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, Matthew 12:31-32), it is not our place as humans to decide who these people are individually. From our perspective, we can’t consider anyone to be without hope.

P: Father, let me see people through your eyes and not write anyone off, and always remember to be your ambassador. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people goin' somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath

There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, he's buyin' time

All those people goin' somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just move and pass me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong

Well, I want a second glance
So, give me a second chance
To see the way You've seen the people all along

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

Give me Your Eyes
(Give me Your eyes for just one second)
Lord, give me Your eyes
(Give me Your eyes so I can see)
Everything
(Everything that I keep missing)
That I keep missing

Give me Your heart
(Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted)
For the broken hearted
(The ones that are far beyond my reach)
Give me Your heart
(Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten)
Lord, give me Your eyes
(Give me Your eyes so I can see)