When I became a believer, I asked myself, “What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?” Does it mean I go to church every week? Prove I love people? Read the Bible more? As I was trying to figure this “believer” thing out, I decided to devote more time in the Word. I was already a churchgoer, so it was either devote myself to more Bible or more people. I chose what I thought was easier.
As I started reading the Bible, I learned a lot from it, but never felt compelled by God’s Word. I read the Bible like any other book. I wanted to reach the climactic part of the book, not realizing that, in every verse of the Bible, there is a climax if I leave room for it to speak to me. But seriously, who has time for all of that? I didn’t. The Bible was so freaking intimidating, I had a hard time deciding where to start and what to read. This is another way of saying that I hate making decisions! I suck at it! I struggle with it so much that sometimes I have others make decisions for me. Needless to say, I copped out of making yet another decision, and asked God what book would He have me read. Most would have suggested the book of Mark, John, Matthew, or Luke, the books of the Gospel, but God isn’t like most, is He? That climactic moment I was looking for was in the book He led me to: Acts.
Though I felt it was a bit much for me to start there, because I knew that the general message of the book of Acts calls believers to get their lives all the way together and do something to advance the Kingdom of God, I listened and started to read.
Reading Acts became the defining moment that changed the trajectory of my walk with God forever.
The morning I sat down to read Acts, I found myself completely buried by Philip’s story. I saw Philip as a freaking beast, breaking down the four walls of church to do ministry all over the world. God eventually led Philip to an Ethiopian man, whom he led to Christ, and changed the destiny of an entire nation. The Ethiopian man became the first known witness to spread the Gospel in Africa.
After reading the story of Philip, I tried to grasp the magnitude of Philip’s unquestioning obedience to God. I was amazed by it. Then all of a sudden, I felt the strongest pull reaching into the depths of my soul. It was so strong and went so deep that, there, for the first time ever, I heard God speaking to me through his Word. He whispered, “You are Philip. And you will be in missionary.”
It’s crazy, I know. But it’s crazier to see this come full circle. The dream planted in my heart almost 10 years ago to do missionary work, even before I knew Christ personally, is about to become reality with my unquestioning obedience.
“What does it mean to be a follower of Christ?”
Listen.
Just listen to His voice and trust that what He has in store for you is nothing short of something extraordinary.
