When God Calls Our Name

This past week, our congregation had it's annual VBS, and I’ve been thinking about how God uses simple and fun themes to instill deep truths into our hearts.

This year’s VBS walks through four movements in the book of Acts all with a fun explorer theme (think Indiana Jones). Night one is about being called. Night two is about communicating Jesus through both life and words. Night three is about staying committed when faith gets hard. And night four reminds us that God’s Word still conquers hearts by leading people to Jesus.

Over the next four weeks, I want these posts to mirror our week of VBS. These truths are not only for kids - they are timely for all of us. We all need to be reminded that God still calls ordinary people, that our lives are always saying something, that real devotion is deeper than excitement, and that Scripture still opens the way to Christ.

So this week, we begin where Acts begins for so many: with a call that demands a response.

Most of us know the difference between hearing our name and actually responding.

A teacher calls on us in class. A coach calls us into the game. A parent calls from the other room. A friend reaches out because something is wrong. In each case, the sound of our name is only the beginning. What matters next is whether we answer.

That simple truth helps us understand one of the most important moments in Acts 2.

On Pentecost, Peter stood before a crowd and did not offer vague spiritual encouragement or generic life advice. He proclaimed Jesus. He declared that the crucified Jesus had been made both Lord and Christ. And when the crowd heard it, Luke says they were “cut to the heart” and asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:36-37, ESV).

That question sits at the center of the gospel.

The gospel is not just information to admire. It is good news that calls for a response. And that is exactly why the theme of the first VBS night matters so much. God calls ordinary people to hear the good news about Jesus, respond to Him, and begin a devoted life with His people.

The Gospel Confronts Us Before It Comforts Us

One reason Acts 2 still feels so powerful is because Peter refused to keep things abstract.

He tells the truth plainly. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the promised Christ. And sin is a personal problem for each one of us.

That is why the people were cut to the heart. Truth had moved from being interesting to being personal. They were not simply learning facts about Jesus. They were realizing they were not right with God.

Most of us know what that feels like in other areas of life. There are moments when truth stops floating around us and starts pressing in on us. A conversation. A conviction. A realization that something in us needs to change.

That is often how God works.

He does not expose our sin to shame us for his own enjoyment. He exposes it so He can heal us through Christ. Acts 2 reminds us that the gospel tells the truth about our need before it tells us the hope of forgiveness.

And that is grace too.

A Real Gospel Calls for a Real Response

When the crowd asked, “What shall we do?” Peter did not tell them to think about it later. He did not say, “Try harder and be better.” He gave them a clear response: repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, ESV).

That matters.

Repentance is more than feeling bad. It is a real turning. It is not just regret, embarrassment, or being sorry we got caught. It is changing direction. It is choosing God’s way over our own.

And baptism is not presented as some optional extra action for certain Christians. In Acts 2, it is part of a sincere, obedient response to the good news of Jesus. Peter does not present salvation as “clean yourself up first and maybe God will accept you.” He presents Jesus as the one who offers real forgiveness and calls us to respond in faith and through baptism.

That is good news for all of us.

Because all of us carry guilt, shame, and hesitation, often much longer than we should. We delay because delay feels safer than obedience. But delay does not make us right with God. The gospel invites us to stop circling around the truth and actually respond to it.

The Response Does Not End at the Water

One of the most important parts of Acts 2 comes after the crowd responds.

They do not get baptized and then disappear. They become devoted.

Luke says they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers (Acts 2:42, ESV). In other words, their response to Jesus led into a new life with Jesus and His people.

That is such an important reminder.

Conversion is not the finish line. It is the beginning.

This first VBS night makes that point especially clear: called people become devoted people. God calls us, we respond, and then we begin building a life around truth, prayer, fellowship, worship, and steady obedience.

For a middle school student, that may mean actually reading the Bible instead of just owning one. For a parent, it may mean leading with more spiritual intentionality at home. For any of us, it may mean moving from casual interest in Jesus toward daily devotion to Him.

Ordinary People Are Still Being Called

I love that Acts 2 does not begin with spiritual superheroes. It begins with ordinary people who hear the truth and have to decide what they will do with it.

That is still where the gospel meets us.

Not only in church buildings. Not only on VBS nights. But in ordinary life. In regular conversations. In moments where God makes it clear that hearing is not enough.

He still calls people.

And the question is still the same: What shall we do?

For some of us, that answer may involve first-time obedience. For others, it may mean repentance in a specific area. For others still, it may mean renewed devotion after a spiritually careless season of life.

But none of us are helped by pretending the call is for someone else.

So let me ask you…

As I ask myself these same questions:

• Have I merely heard the gospel, or have I actually responded to it?

• Is there any area of my life where I am delaying obedience because it feels safer than surrender?

• What does repentance need to look like for me right now?

• Has my faith become casual where it should be devoted?

• What would it look like to build my week more intentionally around truth, fellowship, prayer, and Christ?

The question “What shall we do?” is not just for the crowd in Acts 2. It is still the right question whenever the gospel reaches our hearts.

A Closing Word for Fellow Pilgrims

God still calls ordinary people.

He still speaks through the good news about Jesus. He still convicts hearts. He still forgives sins. And He still turns interested people into devoted people.

That means no one reading this is beyond the reach of His call.

So if Jesus is calling out to you, do not confuse hearing with answering. Do not settle for admiration when He is calling for surrender. Do not mistake a beginning response for the whole journey. Called people are meant to become devoted people.

And the grace that calls us is also the grace that keeps forming us.

Until the journey is complete,

Jonathan Pilgrim

P.S. This week, let's take five quiet minutes and honestly ask God, “What shall I do?” Then write down the first step of obedience that comes to mind. Let's not just think about it. Let's respond to it.