Called By God

Called by God

Ephesians 4:1

August 9, 2020

For the past weeks I’ve been talking about the fact that you have been called by God. I think we would all agree with that. I think I’m on pretty solid ground when I say most of us believe we were created by God to do something significant, something eternal, something that matters. We all want to do something that matters, but if we were to be really honest, so many times we really don’t know what it is we’ve been called to do and we’re not sure where we should even start.

I want to share a verse that we’ve looked at awhile ago, but I hope you believe what Paul is telling us in this verse. In Ephesians 4:1, the Apostle Paul wrote this from a Roman prison, around the year 61 AD. He wrote -

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called - Ephesians 4:1

When you read the Greek of this verse, Paul starts with the word URGE. And that word has a deeper meaning. If I urge you, I’m kind of encouraging or pushing you to do something. But this word really means to beseech, to beg, to entreat, to plead. Paul is pleading with us - - - - even begging us - - - to live our lives in a manner which is worthy of the calling we’ve received.

I’ve been trying to place a lot of importance on the fact that we’ve all been called by God. I’m not sure how often we think about it. Mostly we think of pastors as being called. God calls us to ministry, and we believe He stops there. God certainly isn’t going to call me. I believe 100% we’ve got that wrong. God does call us.

If for a moment this resonates with your spirit, because you sense that you were created for a reason, a calling, a purpose, a divine destiny because you know no matter what you achieve in this world, no matter what you obtain in this world, you long for more than just success. There's something in you that craves spiritual lasting significance.

You know, it’s the thought that there’s more to this life, than going to work, earning money to pay the bills, maybe having a family and friends. Not that those are bad. They’re all good, but I believe they are all part of the plan, part of the calling.

We live in a world called instafluence! How many people have taken videos or photos that have gone viral, they’ve become famous. They’ve gained 1000's of followers. There’s people who are famous and I can’t tell you why they’re famous, but they are. Now, you can become famous on TikTok. I'm working on my moves. My family is against this! And they’re probably correct. If you saw my moves, you would agree with them.

We live in a world where people want to sell themselves and their brand. They want fame, but what’s the cost of their fame?

We're also called to go into the world. We're called by God. Actually we’ve been set apart by God. We’ve been chosen to go into the world and make a difference.

Here’s the tough part. At least in my opinion. If you’ve been called by God then you might ask, “What if I miss my calling?” In other words, what if I was supposed to major in a certain subject in college, but didn’t. What if I chose the wrong career? And what if I went to the wrong church and didn't hear the right message which spurred me on to the right life changing experience? What if I slept in and didn’t go to the church on that one day when I would have heard the message which would have changed my life forever?

What if I take a wrong turn and the train slows me down and my whole life is changed because of that. If God is calling me, He's chosen me for something special. What if I miss my calling? What is it specifically - if I'm called by God, what am I called to do?

Now, I want you to listen to this part. Not that the first part wasn’t important. But I think this is more important . . . I believe we have to embrace the truth that our calling is about who you are before what you do.

I’m not sure how to say it other than . . . when God calls you, He's calling you to a who before He's calling you to a do. I think this is really, really important.

As Paul was encouraging Timothy. Reminding him of his grandmother’s faith, his mom’s faith, and his faith . . . he tells him this in 2 Timothy 1:8-9 –