PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Acts 26:7–11
“This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.”
CONSIDER THIS
Are you a “for” person or an “against” person?
Let me ask it another way. What are you for? Many people (if not most) cannot answer this question with sufficient or satisfying detail. Over the course of life and time, people slowly become cynical about their ideals, hopes, and aspirations (and even their faith) and wind up becoming more defined by what they oppose than what they are for.
This is not about politics, but human nature; hence my question: Are you a “for” person or an “against” person?
So what does this have to do with Paul and today’s text? Thanks for asking. Paul tells his story to King Agrippa through this framework. Paul begins by sharing with Agrippa just how much of an against person he used to be. He said it clearly—his opposition to Jesus of Nazareth and his followers was an obsession fueled by aggression. Paul defined himself by what he opposed.
I know, some of you are thinking, But underneath his opposition to Jesus, he was actually for something else. Okay, what was he for? Where have you ever heard him talk about anything he was for before he met Jesus? For that matter, scan back through the Gospels and see if you can find direct evidence of what the Pharisees were for in their fight against Jesus. I can’t find it.
I’m sure they were for something. After all, everyone who is for something is also against other things. My question has to do with your center of gravity. Once a person’s center of gravity shifts from what they are for to what they are against, they tend to slowly lose sight of what they were for and life becomes fueled by obsessive opposition. Let’s be honest. Being against something works powerfully in motivating campaigns and causes. It just won’t move the gospel. Only for people move the gospel.
One doesn’t have to look very far to find out what a for person is for. It’s patently obvious. After Paul met Jesus, it became overwhelmingly, abundantly clear he was for Jesus. Maybe it’s the difference between aggressive obsession and passionate pursuit. I’m beginning to think this may have been the most significant element of Paul’s conversion: he ceased being an against person and became a for person. He traded in his angry obsession for a holy passion.
So I’ll ask again: Are you a “for” person or an “against” person? How can you tell? If you don’t have an immediate answer to the question, “What are you for?” then you are probably an against person.
Paul shows us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, profound change is possible.
THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION
Lord Jesus, I am your witness. I long to be like you.
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness.
I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
THE JOURNAL PROMPTS
So how about you, are you a “for” person or an “against” person? Be honest.
THE HYMN
Today we will sing “Victory in Jesus” (hymn 119) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. Get your copy here.
For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
P.S. TAKEOVER
J. D. wasn’t going to say anything, so we sneaked into his P.S. with a special announcement. Today is a big deal BECAUSE it’s the official launch day for 1 Peter: Surprised by the Church Jesus Is Building—which also happens to be the first of his new Daily Seeds book series. If you’re a longtime Wake-Up Call reader, you may recognize the content. We were flooded with book requests after this series ran in 2022. Better late than never, right?! Order 1 Peter here with a 25% launch month discount.
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4 Responses
I’m for Jesus first, Jesus last, and Jesus forever!
People who are for Jesus frequently talk about Him and about the amazing things that He has done and is doing in their heart and in their life. They daily overcome the badness that is within them and around them by continually relying on the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, by joyfully and excitedly sharing their testimony to glorify Jesus and point people to Him, and by freely embracing death to their self-interests and personal desires. (See Revelation 12:11.) People who are for Jesus keep Jesus first in their heart, first in their thoughts, first in their desires, first in their words, and first in their way of life.
Your first line!!!
Jesus first, Jesus last, Jesus forever!!!!
That’s who I am for, too!!!
Hallelujah!!
I’m going to pushback on this posting a bit. Although it was obvious that Saul was definitely AGAINST the the new religious sect known as the Way, I believe that at his very core, his driving force was that he was zealous to preserve the “old wineskin” known as Moses and the Law. See Philippians 3:4b-6. Paul admitted there, that he was a zealot for righteousness by, in his opinion, keeping the law. The problem for Saul was that like most of the observant Jews of his day, they were expecting the Messiah to come as a warrior king like David, who would free them from their Roman overlords, and so Jesus was rejected as a fraud. Paul’s conversation experience on the road to Damascus would eventually bring about his acceptance of the Way of the cross. I see a similar situation occurring within Christ’s Church today. We, post-Constantinian Christians have had such a relatively persecution free form of Christianity that I believe we are totally unprepared for the Great falling away that will occur because of the trials and tribulations prior to Christ’s second coming. Many will resist accepting the changes required to face what’s coming, just like Saul did prior to his conversion. Therefore, I’m personally For a return to a simpler, more primitive form of organic as opposed to institutionalized Church structure. I truly believe that’s what Jesus wants as well.
JD – I love that song ! Bo Steele recorded a version that has our church featured in the video. The link is https://youtu.be/MN0OJGb2Pjg?feature=shared
I pastor Union Chapel Methodist Church in a little town called Eatonton, Ga and I listen to the WakeUp Call each morning. Thank you for all you do.
Ed Baker