Acting on Christ’s Call

I apologize for not writing in the last couple of weeks. We’ve temporarily shifted how things are done, and I’m still getting in the groove. Last Sunday, our church celebrated Easter and used Marks’s account (Mark 16:1-8) as our focus. The women arrive at the tomb for one purpose and are then told to leave the tomb with an entirely different purpose. They come to finish anointing the body, and Jesus’ body is gone when they arrive. They are then told that He is alive and that they should go and let His disciples know. Mark leaves this on a strange note, showing the women being afraid and not telling anyone. 

However, after reading the other Gospel accounts, we know that the women had to have told someone. From exploring different explanations for Mark’s choice, I believe that he intended to write more and couldn’t, or the rest of His account was lost. The women’s response is consistent with the responses to other grand moments of God’s kingdom breaking through, as recorded in Mark. Think of the healings and how many times people were scared. However, faith typically trumps the initial reaction. 

Today, we look at the opening of Acts chapter one (Acts 1:1-14). Jesus speaks to the disciples, instructing them on their next steps as His disciples before he ascends to heaven. As he leaves, they are standing and staring, likely wondering where Jesus is going and why they will need the Holy Spirit to spread this message He has continued to teach them. Then, as if they needed a wake-up call, two men dressed in white (indicative of angels) asked them why they were staring and said He would return the way He had left. While they were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, their mission wasn’t to wait for that moment. They needed to continue in the direction Jesus had already led them.

There have been many times when God has led people to follow Him but left the details to be resolved while they followed. I can think of several times in my life, including feeling called to ministry, but knowing that I needed to use the scholarships, I had to attend a public school to learn Information Technology. Then when I completed my Bachelors, I knew I would need to work in the field long enough to pay for seminary. I wasn’t sure at first how God would use that, but when COVID hit, and I was only a year into full-time ministry, I was prepared to serve and help our congregation navigate online ministry safely. It also didn’t hurt that I could pay for my seminary degree without any debt. 

I have learned that listening closely to where God is leading and following in complete obedience becomes evident along the way. I may have shared my experience concisely, but what God did was over seven years. 

So, today, where is God calling you next? Are you willing to step out in faith to share Him with the world, trusting it will become apparent along the way?