Refs Do Miss Calls

Matthew 8:5-13

 

 

Many years ago (it seems like a lifetime now), I was a certified basketball official. You know, the guys in the striped shirts who are blind that you love to yell at. My authority was given to me when I passed the exam and was given a patch to wear on my shirt.

 

The centurion knew how authority worked. There was a chain of command. His superior gave him an order and with that order the authority to carry it out. In turn, the centurion gave the order to those who were under his authority. And with that order, they had the authority to carry it out. The order was carried down the line of authority.

 

The Bible says that Jesus spoke with authority unlike the Pharisees and teachers of the law who just gave their opinion. He healed with authority by touching people and being touched. He performed miracles just by speaking. His authority came from somewhere and the centurion recognized its source as God.

 

Did Jesus have that authority because of who he was, or whom he belonged to? The answer is yes to both. He was the Son of God and he belonged to God his Father. In the same way, we are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. It is who we are in Christ and who we belong to.

 

Jesus was obedient to who he was and who he belonged to. He could have said, ‘No. I’m not going through all of that’, but instead he obeyed. He accepted his “calling”, if you will, and the authority that went with it.

 

In a similar way we have been called. God is calling you to ministry. It might be at your place of work or home or neighborhood or church, but God has called you and given you the gifts, resources and authority to complete your ministry.

 

When I was a referee there’s no doubt that I missed some calls. Ok, maybe there were a lot of missed calls. But the fact is that I was responsible to referee the game and had the authority to complete it. Don’t miss your call to ministry which comes with the authority to complete it.