Obeying God’s Call

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Acts 16:1-10

 

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

(ESV)

 

What is God’s will for my life?  This is a question many believers have asked.  The general answer to the question is that everyone accepts Jesus as his or her savior (2 Peter 3:9).  The more specific answer to the question is what believers in Christ wrestle with and is unique for each believer.  The text of Acts 16:1-10 records the account of two individuals who discover God’s specific will or their calling in life.  In both instances, each individual finds their calling in life and goes on with God using them in ministry.  However, each of these individuals finds his calling differently,

 

1)      Timothy (Acts 16:1-5) – Timothy was a young man Paul met while traveling through Derbe and Lystra.  While young, the brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him (Acts 16:1-2).  While Scripture does not tell us if Timothy felt any call to ministry in his life, the Apostle Paul must have seen a calling in Timothy’s life, prompting him to ask Timothy to accompany him and Silas (Acts 16:3).  Paul then has Timothy circumcised because of the Jews in Lystra and Iconium who knew Timothy’s father was a Greek (Acts 16:3).  Perhaps the Apostle Paul is reflecting on the problems he had in Iconium with the unbelieving Jews and did not want to cause further division by having an uncircumcised half-Jewish man accompanying him in ministry (Acts 14:1-7).  While Paul’s ministry is to the Gentiles, his heart’s desire is for his fellow Jews to come to know Jesus as their Messiah.  Timothy then accompanies Paul as they deliver the letter from the Jerusalem Council to Churches in the cities they went through leading to the strengthening of the Churches and daily growth in numbers (Acts 16:4-5).  Seeing God’s calling in the life of young Timothy, Paul wastes no time in involving him in ministry and begins mentoring Timothy as his protégé (1 Timothy1-2 Timothy 4). 

2)      Paul (Acts 16:6-10) – Paul is a man of action when it comes to ministry, constantly on the go with a passion for sharing the Gospel as he went.  A great analogy for the ministry of Paul would be slinging as much Gospel mud on the wall wherever he went and establishing Churches wherever the mud stuck and moving to areas where the Gospel was accepted (Acts 13-14).  Paul is following the general calling on his life to take the Gospel to the Gentiles but needs more specific direction for the ministry.  God provides these specifics by the Holy Spirit not allowing Paul to speak the Word in Asia or Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7).  This does not mean that God does not want the Gospel preached to those in Asia or Bithynia but that it is not his will that Paul does it.  Instead, as they travel to Troas, God gives Paul a vision of a man from Macedonia urging Paul to come and help them (Acts 16:8-9).  Paul interprets this vision to mean God wants him to take the Gospel to Macedonia and immediately obeys this calling on his life (Acts 16:10).   

 

The passage in Acts 16:1-10 shows two ways God reveals his direction and calling in one’s life.  For Timothy who has the calling to ministry in his life that, something the Apostle Paul discerns, the discovery of a calling comes through Paul taking Timothy with him so he can begin using his calling and receive mentorship from Paul.  Timothy becomes part of the ministry, delivering the Jerusalem Council letter to the cities they visited and sees the Churches strengthened and growing daily in number.  Paul received direction in his ministry as the Holy Spirit closes doors of ministry while giving him a vision of an open door to minister in Macedonia. 

 

When one has the calling of God in their life, others in ministry may see it and ask them to go with them in ministry.  The one with God’s calling on their life should obey and go with the one seeing the calling in their life to receive mentorship and to see God at work in the ministry.  While working in ministry doors to ministry may close, the closing of these doors and directing us to where God is calling one to minister. 

The calling of God in the life of an individual is something one should immediately obey once it becomes clear.  This clarity may come through others seeing God’s calling in his or her life or the closing of doors to ministry with doors opening in other areas.  My prayer is that everyone reading this post will find their Godly calling and begin serving God in that calling.  May God bless everyone reading this post.