TUESDAY September 6, 2022
Knowing God’s Will
And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.” And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:23-26
If you want to know the will of God, then you must pray! This is exactly the direction the Apostles took when choosing a man to replace Judas. They needed God’s wisdom and knowledge to discern whether it would be Joseph called Barsabas, surnamed Justus, or Matthias.
However, after they prayed, they cast lots. This was used in the Old Testament to discern the will of God. Joshua cast lots before the Lord when dividing the land to give to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 18:10). Yet I do not believe casting lots was necessary in making this decision, because, after Jesus’ death and Resurrection, this era became a new dispensation of grace. Even though the disciples chose Matthias, he was never mentioned again in the Scriptures.
I believe, after Pentecost, it was Paul who became the twelfth Apostle. God chose Paul to be an Apostle. Paul declared: He [Jesus] was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time (1 Corinthians 15:7-8). Paul saw the risen Savior, a qualification needed to be called an Apostle. The Lord said of Paul: “...he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).
Paul took three missionary journeys. He wrote 14 epistles and gave us one-third of our New Testament. Just one man! During his 30 years in ministry, he established churches everywhere. Think about what you could do for Jesus Christ. If you are called to be a missionary––go!
I want the whole Christ for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship and the world for my mission field. ~John Wesley~
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