By John A. Huffman, Jr.
Paul was not the only one called. First Corinthians 1:2-3 reads, "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
You are called to be a saint. I know you have a hard time relating to that privileged responsibility. I know that you don't look forward to polishing your halo, which you are not quite sure is there. God tells us in the New Testament that all the believers are "saints," holy persons set apart by Jesus Christ for particular functions. This means that you have been devoted to the possession and service of God.
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In the first century, it was the word by which to describe a temple or a sacrifice, which has been marked out for God. If a person has been singled out as belonging to God, that person must show himself or herself to be fit in life and character for that service. The root idea is "separation." You are separated from the ordinary run of things or persons in order especially to belong to God. Do you see yourself as special? You are! If you are not living with the reality of this, you, God and the rest of us are the losers. You, every bit as much as the Apostle Paul, are called of God. God makes His claim on your life.
Not only are you called, you are also built for relationship.
I'm convinced that the bottom line message of too many churches in Southern California is to "add Jesus to your already successful lifestyle, and you have it made!"
Let me build a bit on that. There is a cursed brand of individuals running rampant in what is called the Christian community. It is as if we want to live free from the problems of others and the horrendous needs of our world.
We barely survive in our nuclear family as husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister. If the problems get too tough, the tendency is to split, retreating into the semi-comfort of our own individualistic existence. This is one of the reasons we have so much divorce.
How tempting it is to do the same thing spiritually. We find a church where the preaching is entertaining or where we can get some handles on our own life. But we don't want to be burdened with the concerns of others. We don't want to be asked to be a servant. We have enough problems of our own, much less having to carry the problems of others. We want that one-way ticket to heaven. We hold on tight, so that no one will take it away. We are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. But we don't want to get contaminated with the problems of others. Oh, we don't say it in quite that blatant a way. But we do have our defense mechanisms, don't we?