Know II

Eph.1:¹ (NRSV) “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus”.

Titles are neither here nor there, but it is important to know your calling, know what you are called to be. The fact that you have prophesied does not make you a prophet. The fact that you teach does not make you a teacher. Certain gifts will operate in your life based on the current need of the body. It does not mean that that is your calling in Christ. Everyone must understand their calling in Christ. Some people insist that I am a prophet and they will not even back down. I am not a prophet; I am just a little boy that hears from God, there is a big difference. The prophets know themselves. I am not a prophet.

So, what are you? By the Grace of God, I am an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. Paul says somewhere in his writings, let my work speak for me. Jesus said to the disciples of John, to tell him, the blind see and the lame walk, blessed is he is not offended in me. I am an apostle by the will of God; some people will never agree, and they do not need to. But the Holy Spirit will stamp it with His work, and His authority. Still, call me Pastor and that is what it is. if you call me apostle, I will not even answer you. In fact, that is not the purpose of me telling you this. The purpose is, everybody must know their calling. Again, it is important to note that the fact that you know your calling does not mean that you are going to walk in it from day one. But a time will come when you will be released into it. However, it is important that you know, by God, what you have been called to do. Paul is one person in scripture that was not apologetic about who he is.

“…To the saints who are in Ephesus…”; Ephesus was a very powerful city. It was the centre of travel and commerce. A coastal city like Lagos, New York, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Singapore. Back in the day, coastal cities were very powerful in commerce. If you check, every city that is big in commerce is usually taken over by the enemy until God comes to take it over. In Ephesus, there was a temple Artemis, a very powerful goddess at that time. Artemis had the people in shackles; in fact, the foundations and just one pillar of his temple remain till this day in present-day Turkey. Paul was treated as a threat to Artemis and the priesthood of Artemis, we will talk more about this tomorrow. Demetrius was the head of all the silversmiths for the temple of Artemis. He instigated the people against Paul because he knew the gospel was a threat to their livelihood.

Prayer: Father, I ask for spiritual intelligence, for wisdom and revelation so that I will know You and understand the hope to which You have called me, in Jesus Name. Amen!