Every email we send or receive has three essential elements: the sender, the recipient, and the subject line. This week, as we start our journey through the Epistles (letters written to specific churches to address specific issues), we will see that they all start like our emails, with a sender, recipient, and subject line.
However, Paul uses these three elements to do much more than say “Hi.” He uses it to reinforce key truths about everyone’s identity, starting with his own.
In every letter Paul writes, he describes himself in relation to what God has called him to be. He understands his life through the filter of God’s will for him. First Corinthians is no exception. He states, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” (1 Cor. 1:1)
The word “apostle” simply means “one who is sent on a mission with a message.” Paul understood that wherever he was and whatever he was doing, he was sent there by God with a mission to declare the glorious truth about Jesus.
One of the reasons Paul had so much fruit from his life was that he had so much clarity on what God had called him to. That clarity kept him from wasting time and effort chasing what the world said he should be and do. He wasn’t trying to be a success, get others' approval, or keep up with the lifestyles of those around him. He was called to be an apostle. Period!
In a similar way, God has called you and me not to be the apostle to the Gentiles but to be an apostle to those around us. It is not an accident that you are a teacher or a student, a businessman or a stay-at-home mom, an engineer or a contractor.
So, whatever season of life you are in right now, be encouraged that God brought you here by His will and He is sending you into it on a mission to declare His message. So, let’s start seeing our lives in relation to God’s calling.
Fill in the blanks: (your name), called by the will of God to be an apostle to (your main group).
However, Paul uses these three elements to do much more than say “Hi.” He uses it to reinforce key truths about everyone’s identity, starting with his own.
In every letter Paul writes, he describes himself in relation to what God has called him to be. He understands his life through the filter of God’s will for him. First Corinthians is no exception. He states, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” (1 Cor. 1:1)
The word “apostle” simply means “one who is sent on a mission with a message.” Paul understood that wherever he was and whatever he was doing, he was sent there by God with a mission to declare the glorious truth about Jesus.
One of the reasons Paul had so much fruit from his life was that he had so much clarity on what God had called him to. That clarity kept him from wasting time and effort chasing what the world said he should be and do. He wasn’t trying to be a success, get others' approval, or keep up with the lifestyles of those around him. He was called to be an apostle. Period!
In a similar way, God has called you and me not to be the apostle to the Gentiles but to be an apostle to those around us. It is not an accident that you are a teacher or a student, a businessman or a stay-at-home mom, an engineer or a contractor.
So, whatever season of life you are in right now, be encouraged that God brought you here by His will and He is sending you into it on a mission to declare His message. So, let’s start seeing our lives in relation to God’s calling.
Fill in the blanks: (your name), called by the will of God to be an apostle to (your main group).
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