God Gives

Posted on by korgrocker

“John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
John 3:27-30 NLT

John the Baptist’s statement to his disciples “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven” was in the context of their concern that someone seemed to be taking away their ministry. After all, John had started  the practice of baptising people and now someone else seemed to be copying him. And from the previous verse, (John 3:26), it seemed that Jesus was being more successful, with people going directly to Him instead of John. But John’s humility prevailed and his statement applies to anyone in a ministry, or thinking about starting one, then and now. Unless God is in the plan, then it is pointless even starting it because it will fail. 

We Christians often talk about a “calling”, where someone hears a call from God, often to a difficult situation, in the role of a missionary, or nurse, or something similar. The Apostle Paul was called by God, as we read in Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God“. An example of a modern day calling would be that of Jackie Pullinger, called to work amongst drug addicts in Hong Kong. God provides a “call” in our lives, seeing within us the potential to achieve His will and purposes, to complete His plans at this stage in the history of this planet. 

What calling have we pilgrims responded to? Perhaps we think that we don’t have one. But that deficiency can soon be remedied, because we only have to ask God. Of course, we might be disappointed if we were expecting a high profile ministry. But while we wait for something tangible, we might have to realise that being a Christian involved a lifetime of training. We, over the years, become more and more sensitive to the voice of God as we spend time with Him. We read about Moses, who was 80 years old when he started to speak to Pharaoh about letting the slaves leave Egypt. “Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:6-7). Moses spent 40 years in training looking after sheep (Acts 7:30) before he was able to carry out God’s calling.

But whatever we pilgrims do, there are two important “callings” that we must recognise. There is the Great Commission – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). And there is the reminder from Jesus in Matthew 5:13-16, “‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”. Wherever we are, we remind those around us about our faith. 2 Corinthians 2:15, “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing“.

Dear Father God. We truly are a witness to You wherever we find ourselves. Please help us shine like a beacon in the community where You have place us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Called Ones

Posted on by korgrocker

“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9 NLT

Peter wrote “he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Did we pilgrims hear a call when we decided to believe in Jesus? Was that a call or a decision? And did we feel we were in a dark place? Of course, for some this is exactly how it happened. Perhaps a person was living a normal life when, suddenly out of nowhere, everything collapsed like a house of cards. A marriage broke up. The illness of a loved one was announced as terminal. A job was lost. Many things can conspire to disturb the status quo and leave us in a dark place. Dark because there seems no way out. For other people the darkness of their previous lives only becomes exposed when they find themselves living in the light of God’s presence. After they make that so important decision to follow Christ. 

So, was it a call we heard? We read in Matthew 4:19-22 the calling of the first disciples. “Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.” Then there was the “calling” of Zaccheus. Luke 19:5, “When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”” Those “callings” were dramatic and immediate. But on 21st Century Planet Earth, Jesus is not physically present to do the calling. He has delegated the task to us pilgrims. We get a glimpse of how this might work from the calling of Levi (Matthew). Jesus called him to follow Him, and the first thing he did was to hold a party. We read in Luke 5:29, “Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honour. Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them”. The natural thing for Levi to do was to introduce his friends and acquaintances to Jesus. 

We pilgrims have responded to the call of Jesus in our lives. Did we hear a “call”? Perhaps it was something less tangible, but the Holy Spirit within us was the key. We read in John 16:8 about the work of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”. We today are commissioned to tell the world about Jesus and His saving grace. But the Holy Spirit does the “calling” in our hearers’ lives. To facilitate the process, perhaps we, like Levi, should also hold a party, with Jesus the guest of honour.

Who have we shared the Good News about Jesus with lately? Do our lives measure up to promote the Gospel? Or are they just like anyone else’s? Do we have the message on the tip of our tongues, ready to share at the first opportunity? The world about us has lost its way, becoming confused by so many unnecessary issues. Confusion about gender, education, origins, finances – the list seems endless. But it is only we called ones who have the answers. The darkness around us needs the light, the light that can only be found through God. Who else will light up the world around us, if not us pilgrims?

Father God. You are the Light of the world, but we are Your reflectors. Please help us to shine with the light of Your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Gentiles Included

Posted on by korgrocker

“And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT

There is much encouragement in these two verses. The word “called” occurs twice and it infers something special. Paul assures the Roman congregation that they are in a special place in God’s eyes. He knows them all. And this all the more remarkable because they were “Gentiles”, non-Jews who were feared and despised by a race who claimed the exclusive rights of a relationship with God. But through Jesus’s last instructions, as recorded in Matthew 28:19, God’s grace was extended to everyone. He said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” 

But what is it like, being “called”? In a natural sense, it happens all the time. We call someone using a phone. A child calls out for their parents in the night. It is all part of the human interactions that we all take for granted. To facilitate the process of calling, we are each given a name, so that we can be identified, one from another. In a different sense, we sometimes observe that someone who is doing a certain type of work must be responding to a calling. Perhaps a nurse, or missionary. Doing work we couldn’t do, or wouldn’t want to, and we then assume that they were making a personal sacrifice to do something for the benefit of their fellow human beings. 

But in our relationship with God, the calling is something special. I don’t know about you, but I fall into the “Gentile” category. I do not have Jewish heritage. But I do know that God’s grace has extended even to me, because I know that I am one of His children. If anyone has any doubts about their eligibility to be a child of God, start with reading John 3:16-17, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him”. That is where we start our journey, with the thought, a glimmer of hope, that God’s grace extends to everyone, the whole world. That journey continues with the assurance that through repentance we gain salvation from the consequences of our sins. We read in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent”. I John 2:2 reads, referring to Jesus, “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world”. And then we read Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes”. In some timeless and eternal way, God sees all His creation, past, present and future, and yearns for each person to turn to Him during their lives here on Planet Earth. Everyone is called.

But are we listening? Do we hear His voice calling us? If not, perhaps we need to find a quiet place away from the clamour and noise of the world in which we live and just sit and listen. Quieten our thoughts before Him. Ask God to speak to us. And He will.

Dear Lord Jesus. We hear Your call today. And I pray for all those who will respond, that Your Holy Spirit will touch them deeply, securing their future relationship with You. In Your precious name. Amen.

Our Calling

Posted on by korgrocker

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”
Ephesians‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What is our calling? We look at someone who is doing a job we feel ill-equipped for, or undesirous of, and say that that job must be a “calling”. For example, being a foreign missionary could be a “calling” because, from a worldly perspective, it’s not a job that would be considered as a step on a money-earning career. In my community there is an ICU nurse. She is a very caring person but admitted to me once that what she does is not glamorous or particularly financially rewarding – she considers her job to be a “calling”. 

But our Christian calling is clear, and is in response to our wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ. We have to consider what we have been called from, and what we have been called to. Though we may immediately associate “calling” with a job or act of service to God, there’s something else that comes first. In 1 Peter 2:9 we read, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” We are called out of the darkness of sin and worldliness into the wonderful light of God’s presence. It is at Calvary that we make this transition, responding to God’s invitation to accept His Son as our Lord and Saviour. And once we start living in the “light”, in God’s kingdom, another calling emerges. In John 8:12, we read, “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” Quite simply, we are called to follow Jesus, a personal “calling”, essential for the Christian pilgrim’s spiritual life and well being. Once saved through God’s love and grace we have only one overriding “calling” in life and that is to follow Him, walking in His light. So that is a major part of Paul’s appeal to his friends in Ephesus – in effect he was saying, don’t bottle it, don’t hide it, but live your lives the Jesus way. 

But what is the relevance of Paul once again mentioning his status as “a prisoner for serving the Lord”? I think he was saying two things. Firstly, he was pointing out that, by being in jail for his faith, he was making a very visible statement of his commitment to God. He was publicly saying that he was leading “a life worthy of [his] calling”. Secondly, he may have been giving a gentle hint to his friends, that they also, in living “a life worthy of [their] calling” might end up in a similar persecuted condition.

There is another meaning to the word “calling”. That is to do with how we spend our time, either in our employment or in our leisure time. And that boils down to our gifting and interests. For example, if I have an accounting qualification and faint at the sight of blood, then probably a “calling” to be a brain surgeon might not be quite right. Similarly, if I have a hobby that involves crafting knitwear, then wanting to spend my leisure time in collecting stamps might not be too rewarding. Personally, I don’t believe God will want us to do things or be people, that He hasn’t created us to be. But all our giftings are complementary, building the church of Jesus Christ into a composite, functioning entity.

So we are a chosen and called people, a grateful people saved through grace, ever willing to listen to His voice, hearing His call, as He leads us in our lives, day by day. Yes, it will involve being counter-cultural, but there is a day coming when we will hear those words, “Well done …”