Response to Calling God acts. He chooses. He calls. But “call” isn’t just about invitation. Like the gospel, the call must be “received.” It must be acknowledged, accepted, and acted upon. It must be counted a precious thing, worthy of whatever sacrifice, protected and handled faithfully. “Call” is never unilateral. It requires response. It is [...]
Archive for May, 2010
Chapter 33: The Mission
Sunday, May 30th, 2010 | No CommentsEarly the next morning—the Lord’s Day—Paul, Aquila, and Prisca set out from the shop to walk to Crispus’s house. Everyone had agreed, the night before, to meet there for worship. What a difference a good night’s sleep can make, Paul was thinking, enjoying the morning cool and the sight of tousle-headed children standing in doorways. [...]
Chapter 32: The Mission
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 | No Comments“I’ve been scouring the city for you. Where’ve you been?” Paul and the others turned in the middle of the Lechaion Road to find Gaius hurrying to meet them. His cane stabbed at the marble pavement as his sandaled feet picked a way through the garbage and vendors and pedestrians separating him from the Apostle. [...]
A Theology of Calling (VI)
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 | No CommentsThe Logistics of “Calling” Acceptance of a theology of calling leads us, necessarily, to think about how calling works. Does God still call people with vision and voice (as he did with Samuel and Paul)? Does he work through others who “call” leaders (as Samuel did David) in God’s stead? Is there still such a [...]
Chapter 31: The Mission
Friday, May 21st, 2010 | No CommentsThe Sabbath went just as Hester predicted. Crispus led the opening blessings and supervised the readings from Moses and the Psalms. And, as was now his habit, when the time came for the word of exhortation, he beckoned to Paul. Only this time, Sosthenes jumped to his feet before Paul could rise and addressed the [...]
A Theology of Calling (V)
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 | No CommentsImplications of “Calling” To accept that God can still “call” people to leadership roles and specific tasks (in a manner similar to the way he called Paul and Barnabas, for instance) requires us to acknowledge certain ideas. First, it means that God is still involved in our world, aware of the challenges facing his people, [...]
Chapter 30: The Mission
Monday, May 17th, 2010 | No CommentsThe storm would break soon. Dark clouds threatened on the Sabbath horizon—he had only days before the tempest hit. There would be wind and thunder, he knew—Sosthenes blustering … Berekiah rumbling. But would there be lightening? That was the unknown. He’d weathered wind and noise before—the angry words and shouted threats, unpleasant but unavoidable. Paul [...]
A Theology of Calling (IV)
Friday, May 14th, 2010 | No CommentsDefining ”Call” The concept (and even language!) of “calling” is used throughout the New Testament—by at least seven different authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, Peter, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews. Although their use of “calling” is textured and nuanced, this idea seems to crop up in three separate contexts: calling as salvation, calling as lifestyle, [...]
Chapter 29: The Mission
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | No CommentsThe sun rose that next morning on the first day of the week. The Lord’s Day. For most Corinthians, it was a day like any other. They got up with the sun, chewed a crust of bread, and set off to work or to shop at the farmers’ market. For a few, however, the sun [...]
A Theology of Calling (III)
Sunday, May 9th, 2010 | No CommentsExamples of “Calling” in the New Testament As the pages of history turned, the need for “calling” did not diminish. If anything, the requirement for human agents to accomplish specific, divine missions increased. John the Baptist is a case in point. Called “from birth,” commissioned from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:5ff), John was bred for [...]
