To those who are called of God,
the good news in Jesus Christ is the power of God.
If you are called of God, you know it.
It is a matter of pure experience between you
and the risen Christ. The true
believer can declare, “Now I know in whom I have
believed.”
C. H. Spurgeon said, “Ah!
What a mercy it is that it is not your hold
of Christ that saves you but His hold of you!
What a sweet fact that it is not how you
grasp His hand, but His grasp of yours that saves
you! Jesus Christ is the power of
God and the wisdom of God.” "But
we preach Christ crucified… to those who are called,
both to Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and
the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23a, 24).
“To those who are the called…
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
On occasion Jesus said, “Many are called, but
few are chosen.”
There is the general call
through the preaching of the Gospel to all who will
come and listen, but there is also an effectual call
when the Holy Spirit speaks to the individuals and
they respond by repenting of their sin and believe
on Christ as their personal Savior.
The school bell rings at 8
a.m., and it is a general call for all students to
be in their classroom ready to begin their studies.
However, when the teacher says, “Wil, come
with me. We are going to the
principal’s office,” that is a special call.
When the apostle Paul said, “We
preach Christ crucified…to those who are called,” it
is always a special call. It is
the sharp, hot arrow of God’s Word piercing into the
heart bringing conviction of sin and saving faith in
Jesus Christ.
The effectual call of God is
when the Holy Spirit whispers your name and says,
“Come to Me.” The word comes into
the soul, and there is no resisting it.
God speaks. Jesus said,
“All that the Father has given to Me shall come.”
That is the effectual call.
The believer is saved by the
effectual grace of God. Saul, the
persecutor of the early church, heard the effectual
call of God saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul could go no
further on his way, and a radical change took place
in his heart.
Zaccheus saw Jesus coming down
the road and climbed up into a tree so he could get
a better view. As Jesus walked He
looked up into the tree and called to Zaccheus,
“Zaccheus, come down today. I
must abide in your house.”
Zaccheus heard his name called and he could not stay
up the tree.
The effectual call of God comes
as we listen to the gospel being preached, and there
is the power of God drawing the person to repent and
believe on Christ. It is the
effectual call because those who hear it respond to
God’s free grace and are saved.
The preaching of the cross is a
thing of power. “I have felt it
here, in this heart; I have the witness of the
Spirit within and know it is a thing of might
because it has conquered me; it has bowed me down,”
wrote Spurgeon.
It is a thing of power that
does it. It is the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Have you experienced it? I
have. It is my prayer that you
will respond to the good news that Jesus Christ died
for your sins on the cross. Can
you say in your heart, “Jesus died for me.
I know the blood of Jesus has washed me of
all my sins. God has saved me for
all eternity by His cleansing blood.”
Christ to me is the power of
God and the wisdom of God.
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
This is the response to the
effectual call of God. “To the
rest of you who are called, I need say nothing,”
Spurgeon said. “The longer you
live, the more deeply Christ taught you are, the
more you live under the constant influence of the
Holy Spirit, the more you will know the Gospel to be
a thing of power, and the more also will you have
understood it to be a thing of wisdom.
My every blessing rest upon you; and may God
come up with us in the evening.”
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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Reports on what God is doing through Bible believing evangelical Christians in Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, India and Ecuador. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).
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