Acts 22:12-16 - “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’”

This is Paul’s own testimonial account of his conversion experience. After he was felled by the powerful light and presence of God, Ananias came by the Spirit’s leading to help in recovery and initiation into the calling that God had for Paul. Ananias delivers the message and then in a quite surprising tone asks Paul what he was waiting for. Perhaps Paul was dumbfounded and shocked! Maybe this was Ananias trying to slap Paul on his face a few times to wake him up? Whatever the case, the rhetorical question demands an immediate and decisive action to make a public confession, even if it cost a tremendous amount of persecution that was to follow for Paul.

This is a great question for us to ask - what are we waiting for? Again this is rhetorical, and the answer is obvious. There is nothing to keep us from committing ourselves to God. There is nothing to negate it, but on the other side of the coin, there is every reason to follow the Lord as baptism is a sign and seal of all that was accomplished by Jesus on the cross and also the new life, new reality in Christ that we can live by the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.

What are you waiting for?

Response: For those who have yet to be baptized, immediately get up and seek your small group leader, inquire how you can grow, what steps do you need to take to work towards baptism.
For those who are baptized, recall your day of baptism. There was nothing stopping you. There was nothing to negate it, but there was every reason as you fully committed yourself to the Lord, trusting His calling over your life. That still holds true today and as we continue on this journey.

Song of worship: “From the Day” by I Am They
https://youtu.be/TUjuRFwwvaw

-MK