Are you ready? Ready for whatever assignment God gives to you next? Are you willing? Willing to go, willing to do whatever your next assignment is? Are you able? Able to open yourself up to the Spirit so that if He leads you "outside the box" of your present life plans you will follow?
In three consecutive chapters, the book of Acts describes four assignments that did not make logical sense; assignments that came as somewhere between quite surprising to absolutely, totally shocking for the men involved.
The first assignment was given to Philip (Acts 8). Through him God was doing amazing things in an unnamed city in Samaria. Crowds listen closely to the Good News as Philip preached; they were amazed as Philip performed miracles of healing and cast out demons. people were healed and demons were cast out. At the news of this, Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem by the apostles. And Philip was sent by an angel - surprise - to a desert highway!! From miracles and crowds he was assigned to hitch-hiking with an important government official from Ethiopia.
In Acts 9 we read the familiar story of Saul's conversion. From leading persecutor of the Jewish Christians he is given the assignment to become the apostle to Gentile pagans! None of those early Christians could have guessed; Saul himself could never have guessed, that Jesus would reach down, revolutionize his life and send him to preach Jesus to much of the Roman world. Nor could Saul have known how much persecution he himself would suffer for the cause of Christ.
And of course, there is a supporting Jewish Christian actor tucked into that dramatic Saul to Paul conversion drama. His name is Ananias. His assignment was simple: go and place hands of healing on the well known man who had come to Damascus; the man with the reputation and the assignment to arrest and deport Jewish Christians!
In the next chapter the main actor is Peter. He was proud that he had always eaten only kosher food. No doubt he was also proud of the fact that he had not contaminated himself with Gentile relationships. God first told him the surprising news that OT dietary laws were cancelled. Then he was given the shocking assignment to go to a Gentiles house, share the Good News with them and baptize them.
Surprising, shocking assignments. Yet all four men were willing to obey, even if at least two of them were quite reluctant. None of those assignments were the next natural thing on their planned life journey. But they did not miss what God wanted them to do.
God often leads in ways that are surprising, startling, even shocking. Are you ready? Are you willing? Do you have a spiritual mindset that will allow you to recognize it if God leads you to reach out to some unlikely person; step into some difficult leadership role; resign from a comfortable position; move to an uncomfortable place? Don't miss God's surprising assignment for you!
In three consecutive chapters, the book of Acts describes four assignments that did not make logical sense; assignments that came as somewhere between quite surprising to absolutely, totally shocking for the men involved.
The first assignment was given to Philip (Acts 8). Through him God was doing amazing things in an unnamed city in Samaria. Crowds listen closely to the Good News as Philip preached; they were amazed as Philip performed miracles of healing and cast out demons. people were healed and demons were cast out. At the news of this, Peter and John were sent from Jerusalem by the apostles. And Philip was sent by an angel - surprise - to a desert highway!! From miracles and crowds he was assigned to hitch-hiking with an important government official from Ethiopia.
In Acts 9 we read the familiar story of Saul's conversion. From leading persecutor of the Jewish Christians he is given the assignment to become the apostle to Gentile pagans! None of those early Christians could have guessed; Saul himself could never have guessed, that Jesus would reach down, revolutionize his life and send him to preach Jesus to much of the Roman world. Nor could Saul have known how much persecution he himself would suffer for the cause of Christ.
And of course, there is a supporting Jewish Christian actor tucked into that dramatic Saul to Paul conversion drama. His name is Ananias. His assignment was simple: go and place hands of healing on the well known man who had come to Damascus; the man with the reputation and the assignment to arrest and deport Jewish Christians!
In the next chapter the main actor is Peter. He was proud that he had always eaten only kosher food. No doubt he was also proud of the fact that he had not contaminated himself with Gentile relationships. God first told him the surprising news that OT dietary laws were cancelled. Then he was given the shocking assignment to go to a Gentiles house, share the Good News with them and baptize them.
Surprising, shocking assignments. Yet all four men were willing to obey, even if at least two of them were quite reluctant. None of those assignments were the next natural thing on their planned life journey. But they did not miss what God wanted them to do.
God often leads in ways that are surprising, startling, even shocking. Are you ready? Are you willing? Do you have a spiritual mindset that will allow you to recognize it if God leads you to reach out to some unlikely person; step into some difficult leadership role; resign from a comfortable position; move to an uncomfortable place? Don't miss God's surprising assignment for you!
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