The Will of God Made You a Christian Worker
2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the Will of God…
It may sound odd to walk around telling people this when you first meet them, “Hi, I’m Matt, I came here by the will of God… no biggie.” Paul doesn’t often begin his letters this way. This letter is somewhat unique in stating this so quickly. We could name some reasons: it was for those who doubted him, for those who were being influenced by those who doubted him, and quite possibly to simply state the plain authoritative truth that God did, in fact, make him an apostle.
For our purposes here, let’s reflect on this characteristic of God: His selection process for the mission.
God Chose a Murderer for the Mission
As you recall, Paul (Saul) had been a persecutor of the people to whom he would one day be a bondservant (Acts 8:1-3, Galatians 1:13). Just think about that for a moment. What does this teach us about the heart of God? God forgives, loves, transforms, and gives new purpose to people. The mission of God is filled with all kinds of people from all sorts of backgrounds. Whatever the content of those backgrounds, it is clear that God uses candidates from the camp of “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” He has no other camp from which to choose!
God Desired This
To speak of God’s “will” here is to also speak of His desires. He wasn’t frowning when He chose Paul, Timothy, Peter, Charles, Andy, Oscar, Lisa, or Gloria. He is pleased to use messy people for His harvest work. I get to talk with many people interested in missions when I go to conferences to represent the cross-cultural ministry. What’s surprising about this verse is that when people usually express how they are interested in missions, it comes off as if this desire is just simply theirs. As they share their hearts and longings to go overseas, I’ve not had many people say to me, “GOD desires to make me a missional ambassador! And in this, I find great delight.” This understanding dramatically changes how we view our call to missions — that it was, first, God’s desire to appoint us to the work. This is the seed from which our own desire comes from.
Mission Workers Don’t Make Themselves
If 2 Corinthians 1:1 served as a filter for mission agencies, they might inquire of mission candidates, “When did God’s will commission you as a mission-worker?” This might sound peculiar, yet it emphasizes the truth that this is God’s mission, not yours. You actively respond to people’s prayers to the Lord of the Harvest, sent as laborers into His harvest. As an artist, my drawings don’t suddenly proclaim, “we’ve developed a great desire to be drawings!” It doesn’t work that way, and neither does God’s mission. If you feel drawn to kingdom work, that could be God’s handiwork in you!
Whatever yearning has entered your heart, recall that at one point, it did not exist. God actively possesses the power and ability to reach down into the depths of the hearts of those He has created and actively transform them, giving them new life and awakening His cosmic purpose in them.
