What Did God Call You For? (I Pet 2:20)
Does God really call people to serve Him in particular ways? Who does God call, and how do they know? Could God be calling me to serve Him?
Anybody receiving the Gospel’s message will at least wonder about these things; and it’s natural to bring them to prayer from time to time.
If you take a poll, though, you’ll find that most people think of callings and vocations solely in the context of consecrated religious lives, such as pastors, teachers, missionaries and the like. And that’s tragic, because all people are called by their Creator to lead lives modeled after the virtues demonstrated by the life of Christ, and all are called to devote their lives to serving Him.
It’s a part of our relationship with God that He has woven into the very fabric of our being - all people are called by God, to know Him, to love Him, and to give their lives over to the service of Him.
But what path does God want for me? How can I find it? How do I follow it?
The story of Jonah offers us a glimpse of one, who - upon hearing God’s call - chooses to flee rather than follow. God keeps calling, and Jonah finally responds. Even those less reluctant than Jonah can take some time to respond. Samuel fails at first to recognize his call; but God patiently persists until Samuel hears. Whether our call comes in being knocked from a horse, in the Spirit’s voice from a burning bush, with an angelic annunciation, or in the stark quiet of the whispering wind, God calls each of us where we live, and invites us to respond.
The following are areas where you are called of God:
1. To do good as Christ did. Do not think that you will be rewarded, recognized or appreciated for the good things you do. Many times you will be misunderstood, maligned or taken for granted. Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? NO there’s a cross for everyone. And there’s a cross for thee. "But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." (I Pet 2:20)
2. To be a blessing. "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." (I Pet. 3:9) Do not try to play one upsmanship in your debates. Instead, bring benefit, encouragement and blessings to others.
3. To an eternal inheritance. "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins commited under the first covenant." (Heb 9:13) View everything from an eternal perspective.
4. To fellowship with Christ. "God, who has called you into fellowship with His son Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful." (I Cor 1:9) Enjoy His companionship. Communion with HIm in prayer throughout the day.
5. To Holy Service. "Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. No one takes on this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was." (Heb. 5:1) Be certain of your calling and do not retreat, relinquish it or allow yourself to be relegated to mediocrity.
6. To Freedom. "You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge your sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Gal. 5:13) Do not be burdened by rules, other peoples’ expectations or your own personality perfectionisms.
7. To holiness. "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (I Thes 4:7) Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Without purity God cannot use us as He refuses to empower a vessel that is already occupied with pollutants.
8. To heavenly rewards. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has calledme heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:14) Move ahead with maturity in all areas of life as there is a reward for your progress.
9. To hope. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and the exceedingly great power for us who believe." (Eph. 1:17-19) Let us respond and resound with hopefulness for the possibilities of great things to come in us and through us and with us in the days ahead.
10. To light. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belong to God, that you may declare the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (I Pet 2:9) Let us be more involved in ushering the appeal of God’s calling people out of their darkened lives of despair, depravity and self-destructiveness to the light of God. "The LOrd is my light and my deliverance, who then shall I be afraid." (Psa 27:1)
11. To Repentance. "Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Lk 5:31) "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners and purify your herts, you double minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up." (James 4:8-10) We constantly need to change our minds to be more like Jesus. "Change my heart O God. Make it ever new. Change my heart O God. Let me be like you. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me. This is what I pray."
12. To Peace. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Col. 3:15) As far as it is possible appropriate the peace inherent in the body of Christ. Do not be disharmonious.
13. To Holiness. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. For it is written: Be holy as I am holy." (I Pet 1:15)
14. To Ultimate Victory. "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Who is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." (I John 5:4,5) Approrpiate the victory over lusts, anger, and selfishness through the empowering Spirit of Jesus Christ. "There’s victory in Jesus."
Applications:
Testing a call to Christian leadership includes working through factors such as the following:
Positive involvement in leadership in your present congregation, particularly in youth work and Christian education.
Sharing in worship leadership in an acceptable way.
A sense of the importance of Christian leadership among the ordinary people that make up ordinary churches.
A vision of your leadership that bears a good relationship to what you are doing now and what other people see you doing in the future.
Valuing prayer and Bible study as an important part of your life.
Having good working relationships with the leadership team in your parish.
An openness to talk about your call as something you are testing, not something you have decided and therefore it cannot really be discussed. If you cannot talk about it in this way it will be difficult for others to believe that it is genuine. Real calls are tested.
Uncomplicated relationships with the opposite sex.
A openness to spiritual direction so that you have one person at least who will work and pray with you around the question "Where is God in this?"
Being willing to take your time to give this the serious consideration it requires.
Coping positively with conflict and with your feelings towards the church as it is.
Conclusion: God’s call is first of all to follow Christ and be the person God intended us to be. A committed Christian faith means developing our capacity to exercise responsible ministry in our church and in the community. For some this may involve employment by the church, for most it does not. Some employed ministry in the church involves ordination to the ministry of word. Others are called to the ordained eldership or to different leadership and administrative recognised ministries important for the worship and mission of the congregation. Some elders and others may be called to be members of Local Ministry Teams. For some God’s call may lead us to service in global mission.
Sorting out what we are meant to be doing takes time and involves consulting those who know us well and who have practical knowledge of what is involved. This is especially true if our sense of call takes us in the direction of working for a church or mission agency. Spiritual direction is a way to help us hear more clearly what God is saying to us
