Go Do
(10-3-04)
Acts 22:10-16
What shall I do Lord?
Some things are beginning
to make more sense than they use to, and other things not yet. What is starting to become clear is the point of being called
into service.
Look at Paul –
the cheifest of sinners, if anyone needed to be rescued from their sin sick life, he did. What do we see included in the calling
by God? A sending! You might be tempted to say – ‘so, what does that have to do with me, that was Paul’s calling.’ True it is Paul’s calling but it does demonstrate something
for us – calling into grace is life changing.
There is something worth our investigation here.
It is our desire (the
Churches of Christ) to be the Church of
the New Testament, True? It is true for me, I desire to labor in the building of the Church that Peter and the Apostles laid
the foundation for and to which men and women have built upon ever since.
Lets ask some questions of the text and compare Paul’s
experience to ours.
·
Paul was called (Acts 13:2, Rom.1:1)
·
Paul was freed from sin in Baptism (Acts 22:16;
9:18)
·
Paul received instruction (Acts 22:14,
1Cor.11:23, Gal.1:12)
·
Paul received a laying on of hands (Acts 9:18)
·
Paul received a sending, a commission, a job. (Acts 22:10; 9:15, Rom.1:1; Gal.1:15-17)
·
Paul received the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17; Rom.8:15, 1Cor.2:11)
Now the question to
be answered is – have we also received what Paul did? No I don’t mean have we been called to be Apostles. I am
looking for equivalencies –
Paul was
called are you?
Paul was
baptized are you?
Paul received
instruction have (are) you?
Paul received
a laying on of hands, have you?
Paul received
a sending, a purpose, have you?
Paul received
the in-dwelling, have you?
If your answers are
not yes, yes, to all of these, what can we conclude? Something is still lacking! Something in the 1st century grace
package is missing from the grace package I (you) received. If we are to be the Church of the New Testament, the Church of
the 1st Century, the Church the Apostles labored to see built, then we are not yet what they were.
Two areas of concern are in need of being dealt with:
1. Laying on of hands
2. Commissioning or giving task or purpose.
Every
one of us should ask this question:
What can I do for my Lord and His Kingdom and His Church ?
(the short question) What can I do?
(You each have a unique and special
purpose to which God has called you. If you don’t know what it is, ask? Tonight in the study of the role of the elder the responsibility of that answer will be
discussed – come, join in.)
