When APPOINTED Becomes ANOINTED
Meet the author
Hi, I’m Selah! A daughter of the king, a magazine writer, and a tennis player. I am 15 years old and in 10th grade. If we step back to 2020, I created a newspaper called “The Selah Shupe Scoop” written to encourage our neighbors during quarantine. About a year and a half later my family helped me start a magazine ministry called “The Ugandan Co.” Uganda has a sweet spot in my heart since our family has sponsored 4 Ugandan children. The Ug Co. was made to sponsor children and make Jesus' name known through the pages of our magazines, for ALL of our days, with ALL that we have. Thanks, friend, I hope that you enjoy the article!
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“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16 ESV I love how the message version translates Jesus’ words, for an easier understanding, "You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.”
When Jesus was with his disciples he reminded his disciples to remember when he chose them from the boat saying “Abide in me, I chose you, go bear fruit”. Jesus was sending out his disciples so they could be sent out and preach the gospel. Mark 3:16 says “He appointed the twelve.” These are the accounts of his callings.
“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:1–11
Mark 1:16–20; “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.”
Luke gives us an understanding of Jesus’ calling of his disciples. When Jesus was preaching, the crowd became too big because they wanted to hear the true word of God. They were pressing in and to escape from the crowd, Jesus got into Simon Peter’s boat. Even before Simon knew who Jesus was, he had respect for him. When Jesus told him to put out his nets, he replied, “‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.’ He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ “
We must abide in Christ to trust in his calling on our lives as we go out and bear fruit for his kingdom.
We are called to bear fruit for his kingdom. What does that mean? I'm not a tree and I highly doubt that you are one either. Bearing fruit means reaping the gifts of sharing the gospel and teaching others about his goodness and mercy. It is letting God take over and trusting that he knows what is best for our lives. Bearing fruit comes from an intimate relationship with God. He meets us, he calls us, and he appoints us in the relationship. We have to remain in him, remembering that he chose us. When Jesus called his disciples to follow him, he didn't choose righteous wealthy men; he chose sinful fishermen and tax collectors. He chose you and continues to choose you. He doesn't change his mind.
It excites me when God reveals a word to me that becomes the theme of the next magazine... I love breaking down words for the theme, finding out what they mean, why they are written, and how we can apply them. The theme for this magazine is Appointed. We find it throughout The Bible. It is a challenge to me in my walk. Appointed means; Of a time or place decided on beforehand; designate notice the parallelism of Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
You might not be sure of God’s calling on your life, but you are called to trust him and his plans for your life. Remember he chose you! You are called to bear fruit! What does that look like in your place in life?
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:1. The Lord appointed Jonah to share the gospel and to prophesy to a nation that was not walking in step with God’s will. When Jonah didn’t obey, “The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:1.
James 4:13-17 “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Being called is hard, God calls us out of our comfort zones, he calls us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and to make the gospel known to all nations. None of these are easy, but they are what God calls us to. Are you living a life of Jonah: called but turning away, or living the life that James challenges us to live? Are you remaining faithful? Do you know the right thing to do? Are you obeying or are you turning from that?
This summer I had the opportunity to serve on a mission trip and make a global impact for the kingdom by going to Guatemala. God appointed 16 people on our team this summer to serve two families. The most impactful part of the trip was their gratitude for our answer to God's calling: to go to Guatemala and build one family a hygiene unit, and one family a house! Mark 13:10 “And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.” How is God appointing you to serve him? Are you submitting to him? Are you stepping out in faith? When God appoints you, you are anointed by the Holy Spirit!
You are chosen.
You are called.
Jesus told his disciples to “abide in me, I chose you, go bear fruit” and he tells you the same!
