The Importance of Having an

ENCOUNTER
Ptr. Cesar Castellanos
“I have seen lives completely
transformed during these three
days with radical changes that are
usually not seen even after a full
year.”
 GOD ASKED THE
PEOPLE OF ISRAEL
TO GO TO AN
ENCOUNTER
The Situation:
Exodus 3:7-8
•7 “And God said, Truly, I have seen the
grief of my people in Egypt, and have
heard their cry because of their cruel
masters; for I have knowledge of their
sorrows; 8 And I have come down to take
them out of the hands of the Egyptians, to
bring them up out of that land into a good
and spacious land , into a land flowing
with milk and honey; into the place of the
Canaanite and the Hittite.”
God’s desires:
• 8 “…and to bring them up out
of that land into a good and
spacious land, a land flowing
with milk and honey…”
 What is your
situation in life
now?
The Petition:
Exodus 5:3
•“Then they said ‘The God of Hebrews
has to meet with us. Now let us take
a three day journey into the desert
to offer to the Lord the sacrifices
or HE may strike us with plagues or
with the sword.’”
• Moses’ petition reflected God’s desire to get
together with His people for 3 days.
Do you want to
Encounter Him?
The Rejection:
Exodus 5:4-6
•4 “And the king of Egypt said to
them, ‘Why do you, Moses and Aaron,
take the people away from their
work? get back to your work.’ 5 And
Pharaoh said, ‘Truly, the people of
the land are increasing in number,
and you are keeping them back from
their work…’”
 Is there any hindrances
in your life that will keep
you from Encountering
God today?
The transaction:
Exodus 8:25 & 28
•Deal 1: v25: “Go and sacrifice to your
God here in the land.
•Deal 2: v28: “I will let you go to offer
sacrifice to the Lord your God in the
desert, but you must not go very far.
Now pray for me.”
• Paul wisely said that everything that happened
in the old days is an example, a teaching for
our days. And as we can see Moses’ proposal
to Pharaoh was to allow the Israelites, from
young to old along with all their possessions,
to a three-day encounter. This is exactly what
the Lord is asking from you today – a three-
day Encounter, that God may perform a
complete transformation in your lives.
• This Encounter will bring victory to many
areas of your lives including personal,
professional (work related), and family. It will
even help you to overcome many internal
conflicts.
• Satan like Pharaoh will do everything in his
power to prevent you from Encountering
God. Because the moment he lets you go he
will lose control over your life. (Psalm 37:5)
What are your desires?
Make a deal with the
Lord.
PAUL HAD TO
ATTEND AN
ENCOUNTER
Saul of Tarsus: The Protector of Judaism
1. He thought the right way to protect
his religion was to eliminate all
Christians. (Acts 8:3)
2. He became an executioner of all who
believed in Jesus.
3. He dedicated every second of his
existence to the destruction of
Christianity. (Acts 9:1a)
What are the things that
you cannot easily give up
and by all means will
protect in your life?
Saul in Damascus: The Personal Encounter
Acts 9:3-6
• “And while he was journeying, he came near
Damascus; and suddenly he saw a light from
heaven shining round him. And he went down
on the earth, and a voice said to him, ‘Saul,
Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly?’ 5
And he said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he
said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are attacking: 6
But get up, and go into the town, and it will be
made clear to you what you have to do.’”
Saul in Damascus: The Personal Encounter
1. He experienced a complete
transformation in his life, which led
him to defend the very doctrine he
once condemned. (Galatians 6:14)
2. He had a revelation of the Cross.
3. He realized that the only true
foundation was Christ.
Galatians 6:14
14May I never boast except in
the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through which the world
has been crucified to me, and I
to the world.
 Are you willing to encounter
Him by surrendering your heart
to Him in order to experience a
complete transformation in
your life?
From Saul to Paul: The Transformation
1. He let go of that which most people
yearn to have. The Revelation of the
Cross. (Phil. 3:7-11)
2. His desire was to feel what Jesus
felt while He was on the cross. He
wanted to suffer the same agony
that Jesus suffered during His
crucifixion. (Gal.2:20)
Phil. 3:7-11
• 7But those things which were profit to me, I gave up
for Christ. 8 Yes truly, and I am ready to give up
all things for the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord, which is more than all: for whom I have
undergone the loss of all things, and to me they are
less than nothing, so that I may have Christ as my
reward, 9 And be seen in him, not having my
righteousness which is of the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is
of God by faith: 10 That I may have knowledge of him,
and of the power of his coming back from the dead,
and a part with him in his pains, becoming like him
in his death; 11 If in any way I may have the reward
of life from the dead.
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I live in the body, I
live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me.
TRUTHS THAT SHOULD
BE EXPERIENCED AT AN
ENCOUNTER
(ACTS. 26:13-18)
1. To have a vision of the Cross
• The vision of the crucified Christ
• “To open your eyes”
(Acts 26:18a)
2. A true conversion from darkness to
light
• “from darkness to light”
(Acts 26:18b)
• “Bears fruit worthy of
repentance”
(Matt. 3:8)
3. Taken from Satan’s control to the
Lordship of Jesus
• ‘and from the power of
satan to God.’
(Acts 28:18c)
4. Forgiveness of sins through faith in
Jesus Christ.
• “so that they may
receive forgiveness
of sins..

(Acts 28:18)
5. Enjoy the privileges.
• an inheritance among
those who are
sanctified…
(Acts 28:18e)