Apostle Paul was in the spotlight. Standing before King Agrippa. On trial. In Caesarea. Beside the Mediterranean Sea. Questioned about his faith. One line burns in my mind. “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven” (Acts 26:19).
The ruins of Caesarea beside a stormy Mediterranean Sea during one of our recent visits.
If you were questioned about how you have lived out your calling and purpose so far, what would your answer be? If you don’t have a solid and definitive response, why not? Are you unsure of your call? Do you know your purpose? Do you have a clear mission? Do you have a written mission statement? Or, do you know your calling and purpose but you haven’t lived it out for some reason or another?
In Acts, the story of the first century foundations of the Christian faith, Paul was one of the notable leaders of the entire movement. His call came in a dramatic way (described in Acts 9) as he was on another mission to destroy this fledging but growing mission of Jesus followers. But. A voice. Blinding light. A determined man. All collided. On a road between Damascus and Jerusalem. Thirty years earlier. Paul heard the call. He received his assignment. He accepted his mission.
My wife and I have personally been reflecting on this powerful response of Apostle Paul three decades after his dramatic encounter with God —“I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” This month, is a thirty year mark for our own call to start a church in Cape Coral, Florida. Not nearly as surreal. No booming voices. No flashes of lightning. But still as certain.
It started with a phone call. Then we visited the small city of Cape Coral with its 48,000 residents in February 1986. Met our two support couples. Saw a need. Were interviewed by sponsoring agencies. Felt an inner stirring. This was our dream. Start a new church that would reach out to unchurched families. This was our call. Our purpose. Scary. Uncertain. No guarantees. But somehow, irresistible.
Three periods of ten years and we know it was the real deal. Amazing God-encounters. Thousands of transformed lives. Affecting a community. We can confidently answer anyone who questions: “I was not disobedient to the vision.”
QUESTION: Do you have the same certainty of your answer? I’d love to hear your story below…
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