Called by the Gospel
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
God Spoke Directly to Samuel.
The young man Samuel was a servant of Eli the priest, and because Eli was losing his sight, Samuel was very attentive to him.
Consequently, when Samuel heard his name called in the night, he responded by running to Eli and saying, “Here I am, for you called me” (1 Samuel 3:5). Learning that Eli did not call, Samuel returned to his bed only to hear his name called two more times.
After the third instance, “Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy” (1 Samuel 3:8), so he instructed Samuel to answer God if He called again.
Upon hearing his name the fourth time, Samuel responded, “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10).
Limited to a Particular Time.
As in this example, the Bible describes a number of occasions where God called to individuals in a direct, audible manner. But interestingly, Scripture teaches that God’s willingness to communicate directly to individuals was limited to a particular time.
Making this point, the author of Hebrews wrote:
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
There was indeed a time when God spoke directly to the fathers by the prophets, but now he speaks to man through His Son—Jesus Christ.
How God Calls Us Today.
Rather than being called in a direct, audible manner, God calls men today through the message of Jesus Christ. Describing this, Paul wrote:
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).
In other words, the call of God is not limited in its scope. We are all called today by the word of God.
Will you obey the call?
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
