WHO ARE YOU AN APOSTLE TO?

I made a rather profound statement the other day to Pastor Ashli Van Horn of ONE CHURCH SCOTTSDALE. We were talking about the fact that I was wearing a mask during the service, and I explained to her that I was wearing it, not so much for the fact that I felt that I needed it, but so that others in the congregation who might want to wear a mask but felt intimated could take heart in the fact that I was wearing one. I then said, and this is the profound part, “You know, Ashli, for my whole life I pretty much feet that I was an Apostle to the Timid.”

As usual, my comment probably intrigued me more than those who heard it, so I have spent the last ten or twelve days cogitating on it more than a little bit! As I surfed on the waves of my memory regarding “assigned’ Apostles in THE BIBLE, the one who immediately came to mind, of course, was Paul, “The Apostle to the Gentiles.” To write an accurate dissertation on this subject for you today, I did a little research and discovered some interesting and marvelous facts! The first thing that I discovered, and this REALLY blew me away: It was not Paul who first identified Paul as an Apostle to the Gentiles – – it was GOD!!!!!!!!! We find this to be true in Acts 9:15, when God is sending Ananias of Damascus to go to Saul/Paul and return his sight to him: “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.”

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I knew that Paul, on numerous occasions, alluded to himself as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” For some reason, however, it had never registered with me that it was God who first gave him that particular nomenclature.

 “Well, Floyder,” you may be thinking, “how the smash did Paul find out he was supposed to be the Apostle to the Gentiles?” And, I am glad you asked! The answer is found in Acts 22:17- 18, 21: ¹⁷ “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance ¹⁸ and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’… ²¹ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Not wanting to belabor the issue of Paul being the Apostle to the Gentiles, I will only tell you that there are many more verses in the New Testament where this is pointed out, including but not limited to: Romans 11:13,Eph. 3:1 & I Timothy 2:7.

At the completion of this research, I wondered when it was that I knew that I was the Apostle to the Timid. I know that it did not come to me in a trance – – I would have remembered that right away! Slowly strolling through the folds of my medulla oblongata I sought to discover when I realized I was to become the Apostle to the Timid (Actually, I know that it is the hippocampus, located in the brain’s temporal lobe, where episodic memories are formed and indexed for later access – – but, doggone it!, I just LOVE to say medulla oblongata! I also know that the medulla oblongata is at the base of the brain where it connects to the spinal column, and that it has no folds – – but doesn’t it sound neat to say you “strolled through the folds of your medulla oblongata?” Sometimes, it is better to disregard facts for the mere poetry of writing!). Anyway, I took it upon myself to recollect when I realized I was the Apostle to the Timid. Are you ready for this – – it was a couple of Sundays ago when I was visiting with Pastor Ashli!!!!!

 “Hold on thar, Floyder!” I can hear you exclaiming. “You said, and I quote, ‘for my whole life I pretty much feel that I was an Apostle to the Timid.’ Now, which is it, have you been an Apostle to the Timid your whole life, or just since you visited with Pastor Ashli?”

Well, I can understand your confusion and your consternation. You see, I have been an Apostle to the Timid my whole life, it’s just that I never thought about it, or realized it!, until my discussion with Pastor Ashli. In other words, I didn’t think about it, I just did it! And, I did it because I was being directed to do so by The Holy Spirit as He communed with my Spirit!

You are, perhaps, wondering how one manifests being an Apostle to the Timid. Let me give you a few examples.

1. I do things I might not otherwise do so as to give courage to others who may want to do it (Wear a Mask in the Church Service).
2. When in Seminars or Similar Classes I ask questions that I already know the answer to because I sense (Spiritual Discernment) that there are others who need to know but are reluctant to ask.
3. I ask others if they would like me to Pray for them when I sense (Spiritual Discernment) that they need it, but are reluctant to ask for it.
4. I volunteer myself as an advocate on behalf of those who may not have the same oratory or literary skills that I do.
5. I initiate conversation with those I sense (Spiritual Discernment) want to visit, but are uber reluctant to initiate the conversation.

There are, of course, many other instances but I don’t want to bore you with them. What I do want to do is point out a very important part of my examples: In most instances I minister to the Timid because of Spiritual Discernment that the need exists.

You see, God will not appoint you as an Apostle to a group without letting you know when you need to minister to members of that group!!! And that, my friends, is the GOOD NEWS for today! I think that it is important for all of us to know who we are in Christ. Some-times, as in my case, you may be “Someone in Christ” and not even realize it for years, decades, or even several score! The key, how-ever, was not that I realized I was an Apostle to the Timid, but, rather, that I WAS an Apostle to the Timid as the Holy Spirit led me!! So, again I ask, WHO ARE YOU AN APOSTLE TO?