Acts 9:19-31
When we come to faith in Christ, we are adopted into the family of our Heavenly Father. What many do not really realize is that our Heavenly Father also calls each child of God to do something. It is normally known as someone’s calling or vocation. Most of the time, it can be like general direction for someone’s life (i.e., acts of service, or caring for people, etc.). For others, this may look like the occupation or trade that a person would engage in. Sometimes it may be more specific (i.e., law enforcement, medicine, creating things, missionary work, etc.). Earlier in the passage, vv15-16, the Lord said to a man named Ananias, that Saul is God’s chosen instrument to carry God’s name far and wide. And then in v.19, Saul begins right where he was staying, in Damascus, to proclaim the name of Jesus. He used what God had given him even before he came to faith in Christ to follow God’s calling for him. Being trained and knowledgeable in the Scriptures, he proclaimed the name of Jesus, debated those who challenged him to show them from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ. This led to many people who opposed Jesus to seek to murder Saul, but each time God provided a way out for him.
Because we live in a fallen world, and as we are reminded in Eph. 6:12, that every follower of Jesus are engaged in a spiritual battle against the forces of darkness, we can be sure that as we follow God’s call that we will face opposition in some form. It may not be as dramatic as the way some people responded to Saul (i.e., attempted murder!), but we will encounter difficulties along the path that God calls us onto. What is important to remember, especially when facing difficulties and/or opposition of any kind as we follow God’s call is to trust our Heavenly Father and remain faithful. Like Saul discovered as he followed God’s call, we may also find a lack of apparent success, or fruit from our labor. By the end of v.31, we read that the Church multiplied. But it appears that it multiplied because Saul stopped attacking it, not because of Saul’s evangelism! Instead of fruit, Saul’s labor as a Christian seem to have led many people wanting to kill him. That may be why our Lord would occasionally appear to Saul/Paul to encourage him (see Saul/Paul’s time in Corinth in Acts 18:8-10 and 1 Cor. 2:1-3). So, let’s consider God’s call for you!
- What do you think our Lord’s calling for you is? Have you ever considered that our Heavenly Father has called you to do something?
- How has God gifted you and equipped you to follow His calling for you?
