Written by: John Sernaque
Call to Worship
Romans 1:1
1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God
The Beginning of Paul’s Apostleship—
Paul regarded the occasion of his formal ordination as marking the beginning of a new and important epoch in his lifework. It was from the time of this solemn ceremony, when, just before he was to depart on his first missionary journey, he was “separated unto the gospel of God,” that he afterward dated the beginning of his apostleship in the Christian church (The Review and Herald, May 11, 1911). {6BC 1067.2}
Paul called himself a debtor to the Jew and Greek, to the wise and unwise. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All are in need of a savior. Only God can provide a remedy. This He did by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. All He asks of fallen man is to exercise faith and believe. As all Disciples of Christ, Paul had received the commission to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. When we accept Christ, we also accept the same commission. The obligation is ours to labor to all classes, Jews, Greeks, learned and unlearned, rich and poor. The gospel is to be preached unto the four corners of the world. As it was Paul’s lifework, so it is ours. As it was not too late for Paul, it is never too late for anyone. Begin now and make it your lifework. Be encouraged by not how Paul started, rather for the way he finished. With patience, he ran the race, fought a good fight to the end, and kept the faith.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
We come before You and into Your presence with thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. We are so thankful and grateful that You are our Father and we are Your children, heirs of the Royal Family. This You made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son, Christ Jesus, who died so that we may live. We have all sinned and fallen short of Your glory. Thank You for giving us the remedy in Christ Jesus for the disease called sin. For giving us the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world. All You ask of us is to have faith and believe Christ Jesus died and was buried, and rose again on the third day. Believe! We confess and repent of our sins and pray for Your forgiveness. Save us, we pray. We all need a savior. We thank You for Your righteousness imparted unto us. We are not righteous by our own strength, as our righteousness is of You. We accept the commission given unto us to go, teach, and preach the gospel to all nations, kindred, tongues, and people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. As You did for Paul, we thank You for giving us this commission and our lifework. Help us to be like Paul who with patience, ran the race, fought a good fight to the end, and kept the faith. Thank You for giving us the plan of salvation. Protect and help us as we go out and encounter resistance. There will be scoffers and mockers. We cannot save them but we can lead them to the One who can. Please send the Holy Spirit to them to enter into their hearts and minds, that they may be saved and make it their life work to labor in Your name. We thank You for hearing and answering our prayers, in the name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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