A university football coach went out to practice one Monday with his first and third string quarterbacks out with injuries. The big game was coming up Saturday, and he had to “make do” with his second, fourth, and fifth string quarterbacks.
In the first five minutes of practice, his second-string quarterback (who had become first string) hurt his knee. That elevated the fourth stringer to the first string and put the fifth stringer on the second team.
About ten minutes later, the fourth stringer (who had become first string) hurt his knee. That left the fifth stringer next in line for the first team.
The coach blew the whistle and gathered all the players around him. He took the one remaining quarterback, put his arm around him, and said in a gruff voice, “Son, do you believe in magic?”
The quarterback replied in a half-hearted way, “Well, sorta.”
The coach looked at him, pointed his five fingers at him like a magician and said, “Poof! You are now a first-string quarterback.”
It was true! No magic at all. That was his position, but in practice he had a long way to go.
So it is with those of us, who believe in Jesus Christ. We have a 1st string position on His team, but in practice we have a long way to go, don’t we? And yet, our Coach, the Lord, is committed to getting us there. He is committed to helping us fulfill His calling on our lives, and He will NOT fail.
You say, Phil, What IS His calling on my life? What has God called me to as a believer in Christ? What is the position He is equipping me for? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 1, where that call is made very clear.
1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes… (ESV)
Paul was called to be an apostle. Paul was called to represent Jesus Christ. The word, “apostle,” means “one who is sent” to represent the one who sent him. Under the direction of God the Father, God the Son sent Paul as His representative, as His agent, as His emissary to the Gentiles.
In a very specific sense, Paul here is establishing his authority to speak on behalf of Christ. He is an “apostle,” one sent from God Himself, with a message from God, to which we all better pay attention. That was Paul’s specific and unique calling.
But in a very general sense, that is your calling as well. To be sure, you are not an apostle, speaking with the authority of Christ. But like an apostle, you must…
FULFILL YOUR CALLING TO GO.
Respond to God’s invitation to represent the Lord before a lost and dying world. Answer His call to go as His emissaries, His ambassadors to people who don’t know him yet.
2 Corinthians 5 says, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).
Linda Clare of Eugene Oregon, often complained about her long hours working as a childcare provider. She didn’t know what God wanted her to do with her life, but she was sure it must be something other than “just” babysitting.
Then one day, a father came to pick up his toddler. He said to Linda, “You taught Kasey to pray. She says grace at home now, and my wife and I are thinking of attending church.”
God's direction suddenly became clear. Now, when others ask what she does for a living, she smiles and says, “I ‘just’ baby-sit for the Lord” (Linda Clare, Eugene, OR, “Heart to Heart,” Today's Christian Woman)
God may not have sent you to Africa, to Asia, or to Irian Jaya. But He did send you to the place where you work every day. Are you representing Him there? Are you making Him known through your deeds AND your words? Are you working for Him?
One of my professors at seminary, Howard Hendricks, talks about a time when he sat in a plane that was delayed for take off. After a long wait, the passengers became more and more irritated.
Hendricks noticed how gracious one of the flight attendants was as she spoke with them. After the plane finally took off, he told the flight attendant how amazed he was at her poise and self-control, and said he wanted to write a letter of commendation for her to the airline.
The stewardess replied that she didn't work for the airline company, but for Jesus Christ. She said that just before going to work she and her husband prayed together that she would be a good representative of Christ (Lorne Sanny, “The Right Way to Respond to Authority,” Discipleship Journal, March/April 1982).
That lady understood her calling. Do you? When you go to work, don’t work for your boss, work for the Lord. It makes all the difference in the world!
A New Tribes Missionary once said, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter” (Eternal Perspectives Newsletter, Fall 2003, p.15). Let me say it again: “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”
Is that what you feel like you’re doing sometimes? Do you feel like you’re succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter in the long run? Then grab a hold of God’s calling on your life and pursue it with all you’ve got. Fulfill your calling to GO as God’s representative wherever He sends you. Then second…
FULFILL YOUR CALLING TO BE.
Answer God’s call to BE who you are in Christ. Respond to God’s call to BE a real Christian, not faking it, but living out the reality that is yours in Christ. Look at vs.2 where Paul describes the people he is addressing.
1 Corinthians 1:2-3 To the church [the called out ones] of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified [or set apart] in Christ Jesus, called to be saints [i.e., called to be set apart or special] together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God calls ALL of you, who call on Jesus, to BE saints. God calls you to be special. God calls you to be distinct, to be set-apart unto Him, because that is what you ARE, even when you don’t behave like it.
Think about the original audience to whom this book is addressed. When we get into it, you’ll see that they are full of dissention, immorality, selfishness, disorder, pride, and uncertainty. They didn’t behave like they should, but God calls them “sanctified saints.” Why? Because that is what they ARE!
And that’s what YOU are, if you know Jesus, whether you act like it or not. You are set-apart to the Lord. You are His special people.
The Princess Diaries tells the story of Amelia Thermopolis, a shy, awkward teen whose only goal in life is to be invisible. She tries to get through each day with as little embarrassment as possible, but her world is turned upside down when her grandmother comes to America to give Amelia the biggest news of her life.
Amelia has been summoned to her grandmother’s opulent mansion in San Francisco, where she feels very uncomfortable. They go for a walk outside, where they sit down for tea. Take a look (show Princess Diaries—Tea Scene).
Her grandmother asks, “Amelia, have you ever heard of Eduard Cristof Philip Gerard Renaldi?"
“No,” Amelia responds.
So her grandmother tells Amelia that he was the crown prince of Genovia.
Amelia shrugs her shoulders and says, “What about him?”
Her grandmother replies, “Eduard Cristof Philip Gerard Renaldi was also your father.”
Thinking her grandmother is only joking, she laughs, rolls her eyes in disbelief, and says, “If he was a prince, that would make me a—“
“Exactly,” says her grandmother, “a princess. You see, you are not just Amelia Thermopolis. You are Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, the princess of Genovia.”
Amelia can hardly speak as this new revelation sinks in. “Me…a…a…a princess? Why on earth would you pick me to be your princess?”
Her grandmother replies, “Since your father died, you are the natural heir to the throne of Genovia. That's our law. I'm royal by marriage; you are royal by blood. You can rule.”
Mia blurts out: “Rule?! Oh no, oh no, no, no, no. Now you have really got the wrong girl. I never lead anybody, not at Brownies, not at Campfire Girls. Queen Clarisse, my expectation in life is to be invisible, and I am good at it. I don't want to be a princess!!” (The Princess Diaries, Walt Disney, 2001, written by Meg Cabot, Gina Wendkos, Bob Brunner, and Audrey Wells, directed by Gary Marshall; 00:12:55 to 00:15:48, DVD scene 4)
A lot of believers are like that. They have no idea of their position in Christ; and when they find out, they’re not sure they want it.
You, as a believer, are special, like no one else. That’s what it means to be holy. It means that you’re not common, not like the world. It means that you have a special position in Christ. You are a joint heir with Him—a king or a queen in His kingdom.
Now, you may choose to reject that lifestyle, but that IS who you are. That IS your calling. And if you want to really make a difference in life, then you must learn to live out that calling. You must learn to live as the special person you are, unlike the world around you.
Please, don’t be content to be like everybody else. Instead, be special, because #1, God calls you to be special.
Then #2, be a servant, because God calls you to be a servant, as well. He gives each and every one of you special ways to serve. He gives you special gifts and abilities to minister to others.
1 Corinthians 1:4-7 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ… (ESV)
God has been generous with ALL of you. He has given each one of you one or more spiritual gifts. He has given each one of you one or more ways to serve, whether it is through speaking or knowledge, whether it is through serving or leading, God has graciously gifted all of you, so that as a church, we are not lacking in ANY spiritual gift.
D. Elton Trueblood put it this way: “If you are a Christian, then you are a minister. A non-ministering Christian is a contradiction in terms” (D. Elton Trueblood, Leadership, Vol.9, no.3). Did you hear that? “If you are a Christian, then you are a minister.” You are a servant, called to serve the body of Christ with the special abilities He has given each and every one of you.
Several years ago, a reporter at the NCAA basketball Final Four playoff in Dallas asked one of the coaches, “Why has your team done so well? What is it about this team that has made it come as far as it has, because everybody wants to know about success?”
The coach said, “We have a motto on our team, and the motto is this: ‘Good people do for themselves; great people do for others’” (Phil Lineberger, "Great People Do for Others," Preaching Today, Tape 62)
God, our Coach, has called you to serve on His team with special gifts (or talents), so use those gifts to help the team win! Use your gifts to build up the church, so that together we can win many lost people into Christ’s Kingdom. God doesn’t call you just to be “good.” God calls you to be “great.” God calls you to be great people who do for others.
Is that what you want to be? Then fulfill your calling. Be special, because God calls you to be special. Be a servant, because God calls you to be a servant.
And #3, be secure, because God calls you to be secure. God has, is, and will confirm you as His special people. God guarantees your complete acceptance in heaven, free from any accusation.
Notice, God confirmed our salvation in the past. Verse 6 says, “The testimony about Christ WAS confirmed (past tense) in you.” In other words, the Gospel was demonstrated to be true. The Gospel was verified by your changed life when you came to trust Christ as your Savior. God already confirmed your salvation in the past.
More than that, God is confirming your salvation in the present. God is confirming it by the special gifts He is giving you, as you eagerly await the second coming of Christ (vs.7).
God confirmed your salvation in the past. God is confirming your salvation in the present, and God WILL confirm your salvation in the future. Verse 8 says, “He will sustain you” – lit., He will confirm you; He will verify you. It’s the same word used in verse.6. Verse 8: God will confirm you “to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Do you hear that? God guarantees that you will be guiltless in the end. God guarantees that no one will have any charge or accusation whatsoever to bring against you.
Now, remember, the original audience to whom this was written. They were full of dissention, immorality, selfishness, disorder, pride, and uncertainty. And yet, these are the very people who will be confirmed in the end, because they are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They will be blameless on the day of the Lord, on the day when the Lord comes again.
And so will you if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. That’s what the Bible says! You are secure! When you stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, there will be no one to accuse you of any wrongdoing. God guarantees it. YOU ARE SECURE! So be secure! Live securely. Live with the certainty that God will keep you all the way to glory.
Bill Hybels talks about the time when he was first learning how to sail his dad's sailboat on Lake Michigan. His dad would say to him, “Go ahead and take the boat out, but take a friend with you.”
So Bill Hybels, always up for a challenge, took his dad’s 42-foot sailboat out on Lake Michigan with one of his junior high buddies. But as soon as he saw any cloud formations coming their way, or as soon as the wind seemed to be piping up, he’d head back towards shore, take the sails down, and relax only when they were safely tied up at the dock. For Bill Hybels, it was fun having a friend along; but in a storm, he knew this kid wouldn't be much help.
Other times, however, his dad would come home from work and they’d go out together. And when he was sailing with his dad, he'd actually look for cloud formations and hope for strong winds. He loved the feel of the wind and the waves when he was with his dad. That’s because he felt secure in his presence.
You see, his dad had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. He had endured five days of sailing through a hurricane. He was a veteran, and Bill was confident that his dad would be able to handle anything Lake Michigan could throw at them (Bill Hybels, The God You're Looking For, Thomas Nelson, 1997).
So it is in life. Your Heavenly Father is with you, so you can be confident no matter what life throws your way. He can handle it, and He will see you safely into port. You will arrive in heaven guiltless, not because of anything in you, but because God is faithful (verse 9 says). You are kept by HIS power, not your own (1 Peter 1:5).
So be secure, because God calls you to be secure. Don’t be afraid to take some God-directed risks. Enjoy the wind. Enjoy the waves of life, because God guarantees your safe arrival in the port of heaven.
Do you want to be all that God wants you to be? Then fulfill your calling. Fulfill your calling to GO as God’s representative wherever he sends you. Fulfill your calling to BE God’s special, secure servant in that place. And finally…
FULFLL YOUR CALLING TO SHARE.
Answer God’s call to enjoy the fellowship of His Son with other believers. Respond to God’s call to come together in the community of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you [i.e., all of you—the word is plural] were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (ESV).
God calls you into a relationship. God calls you into a relationship with His Son, halleluiah! But He also calls you into a relationship with other believers. All of us who trust Christ belong to the same fellowship. We ALL belong to the fellowship of Jesus Christ. And if you want to be all that God calls you to be, then you must BE in a community. You must get together with God’s people often as you can, and you must work together with those people for the glory of God.
Jamie, a young teenager, was in a terrible accident in which she lost her arm. Though she recovered physically pretty quickly, her emotional recovery took some time. For an entire year, she refused to go to school or to church.
Finally, Jamie thought she was ready to face her peers and at least go to church. So her mother called the Sunday school teacher to prepare him, and she asked that he not call attention to Jamie.
The teacher promised, but he got sick on Sunday and had to call a substitute. The substitute teacher was not aware of the situation.
At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the sub led the class in doing the hand motions to a familiar children's poem:
Here's the church
Here is the steeple
Open the door
See all the people.
Jamie's eyes filled with tears, because she couldn’t do it with only one hand. Then a 13-year-old boy, sensitive to her feelings, knelt beside her. And with one hand each, they made the church, the steeple, and all the people (Billy Waters, Teacher Touch, Colorado Springs: Cook, 1999).
My friends, that’s exactly what the church is all about. It is you and me and all of us together making up the church. No one of us can do it by ourselves, but together we can.
Let the church BE the church. Let the church fulfill her calling. GO as God’s representative, because God calls you to go. BE God’s special, secure servant, because God calls you to be. And COME together as God’s people, because God calls you to share together in the fellowship provided by His Son, Jesus Christ.
The literary critic, Donald Hall, once asked the famous English sculptor, Henry Moore, a fascinating question. He said, “Now that you are 80, you must know the secret of life. What is it?”
Moore smiled and said, “The secret of life is to have a task, something you do your entire life, something you bring everything to, every minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is: It must be something you cannot possibly do” (John Byrne, Fast Company, January 2005, p.14).
God calls you to just such a task. Now go, and in His strength, fulfill your calling.
