Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’” – Acts 16:9

As Christians, we can have several different reactions to this story of Paul’s call to take the Gospel into Europe. Commonly we celebrate it and think, “That’s awesome!” It’s also common to think, “I wish God would speak to me like that.” Indeed, some Christians will use their lack of a specific “Macedonian Call” as an excuse to remain less than fully engaged in following Jesus. They reason that, “If God wants me to do something big, He’ll tell me.”

There’s something very important every Christian must understand about this story, particularly if we’ve ever given in to the temptation to sit back and relax because we haven’t received a personal calling from God to serve in some capacity. Here it is: Paul was already on mission doing the work of God when he was called to Macedonia!

Paul was already doing the thing EVERY Christian has been called, commanded, and invited to do: make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching. That’s the task of every Christian, including you. Jesus gave you this work Himself (see Matthew 28:18-20). Because Paul was obedient to that task, He received a later call to go into mission work. Because Paul was obedient to that next task, He received this later call to go to Europe.

If you’re waiting for a personal invitation from God to serve Him, you’re wrong. He’s already told you what to do. Go make disciples. Once you’re doing that, you may receive further clarification about how and where. God is quite unlikely to give you further instructions until you’ve proven yourself faithful with the ones He’s already given!

“Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.”
– Psalm 25:8-9

God is good and upright. Therefore, He instructs, leads, and teaches. Please note that He doesn’t make any Christian instantly or automatically know and understand all His ways of righteousness. We must each go through a process of learning and instruction. We must humble ourselves to truly hear and follow God’s way. Then we’ll walk in increasing righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Every follower of Jesus must be an intentional learner. Every follower of Jesus needs to be intentionally, habitually, and carefully reading and studying the Bible for him or her self. Every follower of Jesus also needs to be learning from wise and knowledgeable Bible teachers and preachers.

A Christian should never sit back and be content to know very little about the Bible. Nor should a Christian ever arrogantly assume he or she already knows everything about the Bible. A Christian shouldn’t be satisfied with just letting others study the Bible on his or her behalf, waiting for them to simplify it. A Christian should never think that the Bible is too hard for him or her to study or learn from on their own.

God is our primary teacher! The Bible is the content He uses to teach. Therefore, every believer can and should study the Bible, knowing that God will help them learn and understand if they’ll put in the effort. Through the Bible, God has revealed all that we need to know about His way and the path of righteousness in Christ. If you haven’t already, discipline yourself to study His way and His Word.

“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” – Matthew 10:38

These words of Jesus are very simple and very stark. Every Christian needs to wrestle with this statement. A lot.

To His original audience, the cross was the symbol of agony, suffering, oppression, and brutal death. Jesus doesn’t call His followers to a life of comfort, convenience, health, wealth, or popularity. He calls us to obedience. He calls us to go through what He went through: betrayal, humiliation, rejection, suffering, death, and glorious resurrection.

Though Christ saves us by grace alone, as those who are saved, He calls us to sacrifice. He calls us to surrender every aspect of our lives – time, talent, and treasure – to His work of making disciples throughout the entire world. Jesus calls us off the couch and out of the pews to go where He leads and do what He commands. If living your faith isn’t costing you in many ways, you need to meditate on this verse more!

When we say we love Jesus, accept His gift of salvation, but reject His call to hard, faithful, Spirit-empowered, joyful obedience, service, and sacrifice we aren’t worthy of the union we enjoy with Him. We aren’t worthy of the blood He shed for us. We aren’t worthy of the new creation He made us to be. We are blessed with all these things and more for a purpose: His glory and His kingdom. Take up your cross and follow Him, today, tomorrow, and every day!

“Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22

We don’t get into God’s Kingdom because of tribulations. We don’t have to earn our way into the Kingdom through hardship. Thankfully, Jesus earned our way for us on the cross. However, as Paul taught the early Christians, we should expect plenty of tribulations on our journey through life as citizens of Heaven.

Tribulations are a normal and expected part of Christian life. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying! The joys of life in Christ don’t include all our problems magically disappearing. Rather, the joys include the glorious truth that God is always present with us in our tribulations. The joys include the assurance that our Savior Jesus, Who personally experienced terrible suffering and unimaginable temptation, lives in us and walks with us through our own seasons of hardship.

Think about that – your suffering Savior is always with you in tribulation. Because you are in Him and He is in you, Jesus suffers with you. He understands your thoughts and feelings better than you do yourself. He understands completely and He’s with you. His Spirit strengthens and renews you for the tribulation. He gives grace sufficient for each day. So continue in the faith throughout hard times. Continue in the knowledge that God is with, Christ is in you, and the Holy Spirit sustains and comforts you.

Christian, don’t be surprised when you find yourself in tribulation. Be prepared and be faithful. The road is hard but the destination is glorious!

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Matthew 9:37-38

Such a simple prayer, but do we pray it? Do we dare? If we did, it would turn the world upside down! Do we truly want that??? God is the Lord of the harvest and He’s prepared a great harvest of people from all nations, languages, and ethnicities who are ready to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. But who will go out and share that good news?

Billions of souls are alive today who need to hear this good news, but where are the laborers who will proclaim it? Sitting in churches all around the world! We must pray as Jesus told us to pray that they would go out. We must pray that God would raise up workers to go out from every Christ-loving, Bible-believing church – some to their schools and offices and some to the far ends of the earth – who will go into the vast harvest fields God has already prepared and proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

We don’t have to make the harvest. God’s already done the hard spiritual work! We need laborers to go out in faith. Right now, there are too many who need to know Jesus and too few going out. Only God can change that. We must pray and plead for Him to raise up a mighty generation ready, eager, and on fire to go out proclaiming Jesus in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.