Friday, January 18, 2013

Advent Archive: Acts 26


Imagine that I came to you and told you that I had bought you a ticket to go visit Six Flags and that I was going to take you in the church van to Six Flags, some day. You would be pretty excited, right? However, although you would be excited, you would probably get busy over the next several weeks and the excitement would wear off. Maybe the first couple of days after you found out the good news, you would tell your close friends and family, but even after a couple weeks, you would find other things to talk about. Now, imagine that I owned Six Flags. Imagine that I called you up one day and said, “I want you to come work for me. I want you to be the representative for Six Flags. I will give you unlimited tickets, it is just your job to get them to people.” You would no doubt be excited. You would tell whoever you could about your new job. You would give out tickets like candy, and if someone didn’t accept a ticket, you would work hard to get them to see that you just care and that they would love it. “Purpose” is what defines how involved and how excited we are about something. You see, if you simply had a ticket, your purpose is very short-ended; but if you work for Six Flags full time, your purpose is un-ending. Paul had this same perspective to Christianity. In Acts 26:16-18, Paul tells how that Jesus didn’t just save him, He called him to work for Him. Jesus didn’t just purchase an eternity for Paul, He purchased Paul’s very life with His blood, and Paul now saw himself as an employee and representative of the Kingdom of God. Now, how do you view yourself? As one who simply holds a ticket to heaven, or as one who is called of God with the purpose to grow the Kingdom of God?







Food For Thought: What is the difference between being converted and being a servant of God?

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