Acts 13:2b Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them

1 Acts 13:1-4 Dear God, Please tell me what I should do with my life Acts 13:2b Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them Today I want to talk about the call of God in your life. But first let s pray Pray Have you ever waited for a call? How many of you have waited for a call? Let s not think about god calling you at this point; we will get back to that later. Maybe it was waiting to hear about that job you really wanted. Maybe it was waiting for your son to call you and let you know he got there safely. Maybe, you were waiting for that super cute guy in math class to get the courage. You have been through this right. The stages of waiting? They are kind of like the stages of grief, but different. Stage 1. Oh, I can t wait to see him again. Stage 2. What an idiot, what is he waiting for? Stage 3. Waiting Stage 4. Still waiting Stage 5. Phone rings. Oh my gosh. Leap over the couch to get the phone Stage 6. It s your stupid mom asking how to use her stupid DVR. Stage 7. Still waiting. Stage 8. Give in to unfortunate moment of self-doubt. Stage 9. Total despair. Stage 10. Acceptance. 1 [please use GIFs from the website for each of these ] Today, I want to talk about waiting for a call. Not from some hot guy or girl, but from God. Here is an assumption I am going to make based on talking with people here for the last ten years. You would love to get a call from God. Like, literally I am sure. God calls you on the phone and says, Hey Michelle, its God. Maybe he is more formal. HELLO, THIS IS GAHWD. 1 http://www.glamour.com/story/the-10-stages-of-waiting-for-a

2 And then he tells you what you should do with your life. Wouldn t that be awesome? You are in high school and he calls you (wait, he wouldn t call, he would snapchat: yo dude (do kids say yo dude?), snap chat, this is so lit. I want you to take that AP class not the PE class. Oh and go out with her I know she doesn t look like much now, but just wait. And then he does a little dab and is out. Maybe you are finishing up college and wondering where God wants you. And there he is on skype: Hey man, wait is that Keg (your forgot he could see it), Put it down, God is in the house. And I want to put you on the right track. You will be a mechanic/teacher/politician/etc Maybe you have been in the job force for 20/30/40 years and you still wonder what you should be when you grow up. You have been training and looking and feel stuck in your job or dejected because you feel like it always goes to someone younger. And you would love for God to facebook message you and tell you the route to go. And maybe some of you are in the latter phase of life and wonder if you went the totally wrong direction. Hoping God sends you a letter in the mail because this new technology is destroying everything. The passage this morning speaks to that need we all have to be called by God. Its only six verses, so I want to be sure I read it. 25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. NIV Acts 13:1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. Back to verse 2 set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. God has called these two men. What do we mean when we talk about being called? Maybe before we even get started we might want to answer, what exactly is a call? I mean, assuming that I don t get a call on the phone, what in the world are we even talking about. Merriam-Webster defines a calling as: a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action especially when accompanied by conviction of divine influence.

3 Not bad. Inner impulse and divine influence. Maybe we can be less loquacious (it means wordy ) Buechner defines vocation from the Latin word vocare, meaning to call as the work a person is called to by God. That s simple. What is God calling you to do? Yeah, you. Because God is calling you to something. Even Oprah seems to know this. She says she used to start every one of her gatherings last winter with Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure that out. I think she is right. Something I don t often say about Oprah. Speaking of people who can be right sometimes: Tinybuddha.com says the degree to which we listen to and act on our callings determines how fulfilled we are with our lives. That is so true. You absolutely must know your calling to be truly fulfilled. And I am going to tell you what it is. I know, excited aren t you? But let me emphasize this before I move on. A calling is from God. I doubt Tinybuddha or Oprah fully understand what I am getting at here. This isn t merely an inner impulse or feeling, it s God. It s the Holy Spirit who calls them to be set apart for his work in verse 2. And in verse 4 they were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit,... While this is descriptive and not a theological statement for everyone, I think I can safely say that everyone, and I do mean everyone, has been called by the Holy Spirit to something and they are obliged to find out what it is. And again, I am going to tell you. But not yet. What kind of people does God call? But maybe you are here and you aren t sure if God has called you. After all, you aren t that special. He only calls the super gifted, popular, well-known, in crowd. So, to you, let me say this. If you are thinking that way, you apparently don t know this God very well. That is so not him. I mean, this text alone seems to have something to say about that NIV Acts 13:1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.

4 o A Jewish man (Hebrew name) with darker than normal skin (so maybe some roots that aren t Jewish?), o A Roman man (Latin name) who seems to come from Africa, o and someone who was a pal of the King. These are people from all over. Different races for sure, different looks, even someone who grew up with the enemy. All called by God. And let s not stop there. He called Jacob, a lying scumbag He called Joseph, a bratty narcissist. He called Moses, a smelly shepherd with a speech problem He called David, the least of his brothers And he called Saul, the one who did the most to persecute the church. Trust me when I say, he knows who you are, male or female, red or yellow, black or white, rich or poor, a Christian or a non-christian, goody two shoes or super rebel, he knows you are broken and messy and needy and he calls you anyway. He loves you anyway. He wants to use you for your good and the good of the world. And that is key. What is my big picture calling? Maybe I should just tell you what your calling is. Let me start in the left front corner here and I will go around and tell you your calling. 1. 8:8, that is your calling In fact, that is your calling too. And yours. And yours. And Everyone s. Remember 8:8? To bring joy to the city. Your calling is to bring joy. How awesome is that? Don t you love making people happy? That s it. Bring them true joy. But maybe I should supplement that with 1:8. Remember that one. And they will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Your calling is to witness to the beauty, love, justice, and grace of God. You are to remind them of their forgiveness wrought on the cross. You want to show them the power of the resurrection in every day life. You are to witness the glory of only God. Yes, that is your calling. To hold out that angled mirror for all to see. Oh great, we thought this was going to be super applicational and speak to me in my job struggle, my dating struggle, my disciplining my kids struggle, my college choice struggle. Oh, I am getting there. But this is primary. Because whatever you do, you do to the glory of God. What is your calling?

5 Love God Follow the King Honor your parents Be generous Live humbly Be just Fight for the weak Bring joy to the city Exalt the Lord Yes, I could keep going. But, let me make this overall point. It s more about the who than the do. That is, if you want to know what you are called to do in life, remember its more about who you are called to be and less about what you are called to do. More about the who than the do. In fact, I think if you focus on who you are a person to be trusted, one who loves intensely, a person who is truthful, a follower of Jesus, then I have a feeling the rest will work out just fine. In fact, Luther says this: (I heard it attributed to Luther but have never been able to confirm it) Love God, and do whatever the #$@^ you want. Sounds like Luther. But, this is truly helpful. When you are trying to figure out the specifics, stay focused on loving God. On living for him. And watch him move. Does God make it obvious what he wants? So, pastor, you are saying if I just love God with all my heart, then he will send me a sign? Some lightning bolt? Maybe like Saul s call? Heading to Damascus to destroy this group of Jesus followers and knocked to the ground by a big light and a loud voice rebuking him. I mean, I would get that point. Is that what it will be like? Nope, can t guarantee that. In fact, I think he seldom moves that way anymore. Dear Lord, just give me a sign. Should I marry her? Eight years I asked God for a sign with my girlfriend. Never got one. I know a few of you have that You just know feeling, and I am glad for you. I never just knew. I just kept falling deeper in love and realized I wanted to be with her and kept loving God and realized we could make it work and we just did it. And God gave me a great marriage with no lightning bolt signs. I mean, there was lightning in other areas, but her parents are here and they don t want to hear about that.

6 Even, my call to ministry was ridiculously undramatic. I was teaching a Bible Study and thought, hmmm, it would be cool to have more training. Not be a pastor or anything, just have more knowledge. Then, there I was in Florida learning from R C Sproul and John Frame. I was working at a gas station in Florida to pay for my mac and cheese dinners while I went to seminary and a church I visited called me. They had heard I had done work with a singles ministry in MD and they wanted me to come and interview for the job. I did, and I was at that church for six years. My next call to ministry was a seminary in Philadelphia telling me I got in to the PhD program and we packed up and moved. Then a phone call came from Kenya saying they desperately needed an Old Testament and Hermeneutics professor. We sold everything and moved overseas. Then I got a call from a church in a town I used to make fun of telling me they had a 96% vote in favor of me. And we began ministering here. These are my calls to ministry. They happened on the telephone. Every one of them. Not mystical at all. No lightning. I wasn t planning on being a pastor; Jac married me with the agreement that I wouldn t be a pastor. And yet, I was called to pastor. But don t get me wrong. There were other phone calls offering me other things. I told you the story like it was all super easy, but we still had to make decisions about whether those were the right calls to take. How do we know what God wants for us? Ok, so then how do I know? University of MD or VA? If a sign doesn t actually fall on you that says University of MD right when you are thinking about it, how do you know what to do? Ready? Take notes now. 1. Be on mission now Don t wait to do anything while you figure out what you should do. 12:25 says When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, They didn t know what was next, they were just doing what was in front of them. Do you remember their mission? They were in Antioch and a prophet came and predicted a famine in Jerusalem. They took up and offering and asked Saul and Barnabas to take the money there. Neither of them knew what was next, but they were doing what was now. They were asking how they could bring joy to the city now. And they did it. While they were waiting. 2. Worship and Fast

7 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,.. Why do we miss this? If you want to hear God speak, worship and fast. When was the last time you had a pressing question and called a bunch of church friends together and asked them to gather for some songs and readings and prayer. When have you come to the elders and said, is it okay if we organize a churchwide fast so we will know what direction we should go in? Or maybe even just asked a few people to worship and fast with you. Or maybe just did it yourself. Maybe dedicated a week to that with real intentionality asking God to direct your steps. A time where you slow down long enough to listen. If you just recite the Lord s prayer real quick or say grace at breakfast and ask for a quick blessing for the pygmies in Africa, I am not sure what you can expect. God wants a relationship with you. Listen. Slow down. Don t let this go by too fast. I think it s important 3. Go to elders But I did say get others together because you know I think the church is really significant in directing your steps. You see it s the church gathering in this passage as they come to their plan. But even more specifically, it s the prophets and apostles. The leaders 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Who is the they? It s the leaders. The leaders sent them off. Why don t we think of our leaders in such a way? When was the last time you came to your elders for advice? Our culture is so individualistic that we can t comprehend actually putting our decisions in someone else s hands. No, I am responsible for my decisions. But what if God wants you to let others think this through with you. What if he designed the church to help you navigate life? That it isn t a weakness to go to the wise for counsel? We still keep doing it. We think that we make the decisions and that is that. But before shipping off to college, why not sit down with Carl and see what he thinks. Before moving to another church or to another town or to another job, sit down with the elders and talk it out. Perhaps God wants to speak to you through the people he has designated to speak to you. What a crazy idea. Listen to the wise old men. They actually do want what is best for you, but maybe just maybe, they can see beyond you. Maybe they are more in tune with God s will not only for you, but also for the church he has placed you in or for the kingdom of God itself. How do I find my specific career calling? Can I get even more specific from Saul s life to yours? If you want to know what you should do let me ask you three questions

8 1. What captivates you? What is your deep longing? What do you love most intensely? I think God has made you a certain way and I think that deep desire may help. Saul s deepest desire was to zealously defend God. 2. What are your skills and gifts? Are you really good at something? Chances are you have that gift for a reason and using that gift might very well be part of the calling. Saul was a good speaker and 3. What are the needs in the world? Look around. How can you contribute to making the world a better place? Saul saw the people without a shepherd. He saw Gentiles who wouldn t hear about Jesus without him. Now, I fully believe that every one of you should be using your gifts to point others to Jesus and give God glory. But I don t want you to think that means full time ministry. Can I be very clear in this? Being a Pastor is not a better calling than being an engineer. Or a scientist or a housewife or a president or a mechanic or a teacher or secretary or any other job. If God has called you to it, then it is full time ministry. In whatever he calls you to, you are to use your skills and passions to show people Jesus. This does not mean you lug around a big Bible and quote Christian bumper stickers and wear a WWJD bracelet and ask people not to use the F word around you. All I am saying, is that whatever you are doing you do it unto God. You do it with excellence, glorifying the father. You serve God by serving the world. You model Christian love and mercy and compassion and you look for ways to be vocal about it. How does my calling fit my story? Look, your calling isn t as much about an individual job or decision. It s about a life lived. It s about a story. Jesus, the risen King has asked you to follow him. Now what shape does that take? Probably not a missionary like Saul and Barnabas, but maybe. But maybe you take the deep longing, your skills and gifts and the needs of the world and you make a Venn diagram and investigate where they overlap But they aren t going to create some firm blueprint dictating your life. They don t direct your story, they are pieces of your story. Our calling is a daily one and daily we need to ask God

9 How do my gifts, and the needs around me, inform how I will respond to Christ s call? Calling, therefore, is less like a plan and more like a posture. In other words, it is discipleship. And discipleship is always embodied in community, among other believers. So, your calling is bigger than what career you will have. Rather, it is about daily offering up all that you are your passions, experiences, talents as you faithfully embody these gifts in a community that witnesses to Christ s follow me. It is only when you loosen your grip on what you believe to be God s static, specific call on your life that you are freed to once again follow the One who called in the first place. Look, Paul had something that animated his life. You have that too. This Jesus called him to full time ministry and you are called to the same. Not as a pastor or missionary but in whatever area he has called you. God has called you as he has called me. It is the way God desires you to express his creativity and justice and love and beauty in the world. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, (Col 3:23 NIV). I hope this was helpful to think through. I just want to end with a couple of verses to remind you: 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. (Psa 145:19 NIV) 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psa 37:4 NIV) I know you are anxious. But maybe you just need to hear this... rest. Relax. He has this. He values you and your purpose. He will lead. It s never too late to figure out what God is calling you to do in this phase of your life. Cry out to him... and follow. Dear Family, It s not just teens who are wondering what they will be when they grow up. Some of us older people still don t know and we have had a career for 20 years. This week I want to jump off of Acts 13:1-4 where Barnabas and Saul are called for a very specific duty. I want to look at that and maybe give you some thoughts from this passage about your own calling. Maybe God wants to be part of your story. Rather, maybe God wants you to be part of his. Whatever you are doing, whoever you are becoming, I hope that God is at the center of every decision. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday.