The Messenger 2
Introduction
In the previous reflection we focused on Paul’s pastoral concern for his readers. Exceptional as his God-given abilities were Paul always remained a true shepherd at heart. How closely he followed in the footsteps of his Lord and Master.
It is an important reminder to us that the closer we walk with God the more we should be in touch with the needs and concerns of others. We become unbalanced when we allow the spiritual knowledge and gifts we possess to distance us from others.
Confirmation of his calling:
At a particular point in history God called a unique man to fulfil a unique calling. Not only was that calling to have a major impact on the outworking of the Gospel but it was also to result in the breaking down of that dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. “Surely” Paul writes “you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you (Gentiles)…” (3:2).
Before we focus on the meaning and implications of this unique calling of God, I want briefly to touch on two thing: firstly, I want to try and put Paul’s life into some kind of perspective.
As you go through Paul’s letters in the New Testament keep in mind the fact that however unique his calling from God, Paul was also flesh and blood just like us. He would have experienced frustrations and disappointment, would have had to wrestle with issues and doubts, had days when he had to deal with the mundane routines of everyday life – just like us. His calling did not magically transport him onto another plane where he was free from the sorrows, struggles, temptations and pains that we go through in this world. He surely had to face times of intense loneliness when he felt deserted by friends and colleagues and when he did not feel the intimacy of God’s presence or sense God speaking to him – just like us. I don’t want us to think of Paul as being some kind of super human being or we will fail to hear what God is saying to us through his life.
Secondly, I would like to provoke you into thinking through something with me by posing a series of questions for your reflection.
There can be little doubt that Paul’s single-minded focus was influenced both by his encounter with the risen Lord and by a very specific calling upon his life (Acts 20:24). Now all Christians, irrespective of who they are, have a general calling upon their life. We are called to be a witness to Jesus Christ and the Gospel (Acts 1:8). I don’t think any of us who claim to be a follower of Jesus would have a problem with that. But do we also, like Paul, have a very specific calling on our life? Is there something specific that God has in mind for each of us? Or is it only special people whom He calls in this way? And if God does have something particular for each of us to do in this world, is it not important to know what it is that we are being called to do so that we too might remain focused on the outworking of that calling?
In 1 Corinthians 12:27 Paul writes: “Now you (the believers) are the body of Christ, and each of you is part of it.” I like to remind believers that they don’t go to church – they are the church, the body of Christ. Now just think of the implications of that statement. The Jesus who once walked on this earth in his physical body and who was anointed by the Spirit to “preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the captives, recovery of sight for the blind, release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19) continues His ministry on the earth 2 000 years later. Only now He functions not through His physical body but through His spiritual body, the church, of which He is the head (Colossians 1:18) and the believers are the individual parts that make up that body.
So let me ask you again: Do you have a specific calling on your life? If we think of the Church as the body of Christ with every part having its designated function under the headship of Jesus then there can only be one answer to that question. Yes, we do have a specific calling on our life as a believer. Within that body, the Church, as Paul reminds his readers in his letter to the Corinthian Church, we are given a specific role and specific spiritual gifts (1 Corinthian 12). As we submit to one another and together submit to the head, Jesus, the church fulfils its function as the body of Christ – alive, dynamic, active in the world, fulfilling the will of Him who sent it as Christ fulfilled the will of the One who sent Him. Being led by the Spirit, both as individuals and as the church, becomes then an imperative not an option if we are “going to finish the task the Lord Jesus has given us” (Acts 20:24).
God’s calling on our life as an individual may not be something that appears dramatic. It may not be something that causes us to stand out from among our fellow-believers, and it seldom is something earth -shattering in what it produces. However, if the church is to function as the body of Christ then the fulfillment of what God has called each of us to be and do, however big or however small, is not only important it is vital.
Paul was so certain and clear about his calling (3:2). Now just think of the impact on the Church, and ultimately though the Church on the world at large if we as Christians were equally clear about God’s calling on our life, and equally committed to fulfilling that calling. I wonder what would happen if this were to become an important area of focus in the life of every local church. It would certainly give a different perspective on what constitutes the priorities for the church and could well lead many churches to re-structure their weekly programme. Revival may be closer than we think. Perhaps it is just our understanding of what we are actually looking for from God that needs to be revised.
The 1st century Church was not perfect. Anyone reading the New Testament would be aware of that. However, there are a number of important lessons that we can learn from those early Christians. Four things in particular stand out, and wherever they are present today there is the same overflowing of the kingdom of God into the world as we read about in the book of Acts. They are:
• A dynamic relationship between the Church and the Holy Spirit
• A combination of prayer, fasting and worship
• A Spirit-filled leadership
• An outward looking vision
The Church at Antioch (Acts 13) was a wonderful example of all four. Just think of what came out of that church and the impact it was ultimately to have on the Roman world. Now consider just what could come out of the local church in your area if those four things were to characterize its life.
In John chapter 12: 20-21 John tells how some Greeks were wanting to meet with Jesus: “Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Isn’t that really what people are looking for today? It is not religion they are looking for but Jesus. When the church starts living out what it is called to be, the body of Christ, that is what the world will see. It will see Him who is able to connect us to God and bring us into that great family of the Father.
If you have a question or a comment about this series please feel free to write to me, Brian, at
Click on next page to continue