Sometimes Jesus turns upside down our beliefs, our approaches to ministry and our understanding of appropriate relationships.
“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.”
Acts 26v15-16
Saul at this point has neither ‘repented’ nor ‘believed’ in Jesus, so how can Jesus appoint him? People are supposed to progress down some road of discipleship before they are appointed, but here is Jesus handing ministry on a plate. And then, where is justice for those Saul has hurt?
So, what does it mean to walk humbly with Jesus who challenges us in our beliefs, our methodology and ultimately our worship of him? It is one thing to acknowledge Saul, but how do I respond when the Lord asks me to receive and honour someone I suspect would be unacceptable to the Christian world? How do I bring together the competing needs for mercy and justice with those whom Jesus receives but many brothers and sisters do not?
Jesus is so much bigger than our ways and our thoughts! To trust in such situations is to worship.
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Photo by Cindy Tang on Unsplash