When you hear that someone has been called to something or has answered a call on their life, who do you think of? A preacher? A missionary? Maybe a doctor, a nurse or a teacher. There seem to be certain professions that we feel particular folks are called to.
For many people, a call means that they have responded to something, which seems, at least in some people’s minds, to have a higher purpose.
Our series over the next couple of months is entitled “The Call,” and we will look at the various calls on the lives of certain people in the Bible. I’m sure if you were in one of our planning sessions, you would have had suggestions of where we could go with this series. And hopefully, those are some of the stories that we will land on, but maybe not.
Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, we see men and women who were called to be prophets, priests, judges and preachers. Jesus called 12 to be apostles, while others he called to be disciples.
Sometimes it’s easy when we are talking about someone being called, in a Christian perspective, to think of someone being called into full-time ministry. The pastorate or the mission field. And we often add a mystical element to it.
I remember the day that I was called into the ministry. It was a beautiful hot summer day in Saint John New Brunswick. I remember it so distinctly because it’s the only beautiful hot summer day in Saint John, that I can remember when I was growing up. Just kidding. And I heard a voice from heaven calling me to the pastorate.
I wish.
On the evening that I committed my life to Christ in 1979, at Saint John First Wesleyan Church, I felt a call on my life. But I really had no idea what that call was or where it would lead.
The day after I became a Christ follower, I drove to Sussex, New Brunswick and enrolled at Bethany Bible College, which is now Kingswood University. But I had no clue where that would lead.
For the first three years at college , I was officially undeclared, because I hadn’t chosen a major. I did know that I definitely wasn’t enrolled in the ministerial program.
Others seemed to have had different ideas for my future.
My pastor, Jack McKenzie, called me preacher after I had preached the first time in my home church when I was 19. He seemed to feel that there was a calling on my life to go into the pastorate.
The nurse at the college was a lady by the name of Uta Chase, and Miss Chase had been a career missionary nurse, and I remember her telling me, that she coveted me for the mission field. She felt that I was called to serve overseas.
It really wasn’t until late in my third year that I felt that maybe, perhaps, possibly, I might be called to the pastorate. Now, I might be a bit of a slow learner, because by that point I had actually been pastoring a church part-time for about a year and a half.
That being said, when we think of being called, we think of someone being called into full-time vocational ministry, and that isn’t always the reality.
The truth is, God doesn’t just call pastors and missionaries. He calls people into classrooms, workplaces, coffee shops, and neighbourhoods.
The scripture that we read this morning was about the early church’s response to an internal problem.
As the church was beginning to take shape, we saw two distinct groups, both were Jewish, but they had different backgrounds.
First you had the Jerusalem Jews, who spoke Aramaic, which was derived from their traditional Hebrew language.
Then there were those who were CFA, the “Come from Aways.” These were Jews whose ancestors had been away from Palestine, sometimes for generations, and they no longer spoke Aramaic. Instead, they spoke Greek, which was the universal language of the time, but was considered inferior by the Aramaic-speaking Jews.
And as often happens when you have us and them, you have tensions arising. In this case, it was over how care was being distributed to the widows.
I could take a lot of time explaining why and how the church was taking care of the widows in the church community and the historical context behind it, but I’m not.
The problem is outlined in Acts 6:1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
Kind of like Sneetches with Stars on their bellies and Sneetches without.
The solution to the problem is revealed when we pick up the story in Acts 6:2–4 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
Understand this isn’t about this task being beneath the apostles, it just wasn’t what they were called to do. It wasn’t less important than the apostles calling, it was just different, and it was distracting them from what they were supposed to be doing, which was spelled out for them by Jesus in Matthew 28:18–20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The apostles knew they couldn’t do both, but both things needed to be done. The issues with the widows had the potential to divide and destroy the baby church.
And it’s here that we see, other than the appointment of Matthias, who replaced Judas, in Acts chapter 1, the first time that people were called into ministry in the church. And they were called to the table not to the pulpit.
And it was this decision to expand the ministry beyond the original group of twelve that would allow the church to grow and expand across the known world.
And soon we see Paul, travelling across the Mediterranean, doing what the apostles were called to do: preaching and making disciples.
Those disciples then formed local churches. And it was in those churches, and out in the marketplace, that others rose up to serve—disciples who carried the gospel into their friendships, their neighbourhoods, and their workplaces.
While the term deacon is not used in this scripture, the Greek word, diakoneo, which means to serve, is. It is from this word that we get the word deacon.
And then we see the word deacon used several more times in the New Testament.
In 1 Timothy 3:8-13 Paul lists requirements for deacons, or those who would serve.
This is what he tells Timothy in, 1 Timothy 3:8–13 In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
And in Romans 6:1 we discover that Phoebe was a deacon, so apparently it wasn’t simply limited to men.
We don’t know much about the deacons to whom we are introduced in this story.
Two of them get a lot of press; the other five, not so much.
In the very next chapter of the book of Acts, we read how Stephen became the first Christian martyr.
Then in the next chapter we read the story of Philip leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ and baptizing him. The little Ethiopian church up the road would trace its heritage to that event.
But after that, nothing. It would seem that the deacons quietly went about their lives, serving.
Recently, we’ve been hearing the phrase, Marketplace Ministry or Marketplace Discipleship. That is simply a new term for what Christians have always been supposed to have been doing. Taking their faith to their marketplace. Where they work, where they learn and where they play.
Not to be content simply to live out their faith on Sunday between 10:30 and noon, but to diakoneo, serve, 7 days a week.
This summer at Beulah camp, they ran a Marketplace Discipleship conference. Some of you were there.
One of the speakers was Jeff Clark. Jeff is the associate head basketball coach at Indiana Wesleyan University and the author of the book “Praying on the Offense.” Jeff uses the acronym PROOF, which I think is a bit of a stretch, but it’s his book and his acronym.
It’s a great book, and from it I stole Jeff’s formula of 1-3-2, which seems to be a practical framework for those called to make a difference where they live and where they work. And in case you are wondering who that might be, that’s all of you.
So, what does 1-3-2 mean for each of us today in our marketplace?
The first thing that we need to do, if we are going to impact our world is to Take Spiritual Ownership of One Place
You need to understand that you don’t need to go looking for this one place. This is a place that God has already placed you.
It might be your workplace. It might be your classroom. It might be where you volunteer. Perhaps in a community group, a sports team or a parent’s group.
I do know that it’s not your church and it’s not your small group.
That’s tough for me, because church and small groups consume most of my time. And so, my one space is where I grab my daily coffee. I am a creature of habit, most days, before I get to the office I spend ninety minutes or so, either at Tim Hortons or A & W. And by creature of habit, I mean that on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I’m at A & W, and on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays I’m at Tim Hortons. And people know I’m there.
And I sip my coffee, open my laptop, read some news, and do some work, and most every morning I have the opportunity to interact with the staff and with other customers. I know technically it is two places, but for me it is my one space. It is the space that I have claimed and that I have taken spiritual ownership of.
Your place is a place in the darkness where Jesus’s light needs to shine. Does that mean that you start witnessing to people and leaving gospel tracts around, and loudly playing Christian music in your cubical?
No. It is about taking spiritual ownership; it’s not about being annoying. It means that you claim your one space for Christ. It means that you will be the light of Christ in your one space. And the great thing about a light, is that it doesn’t have to tell people it’s the light, it just is.
Now I know that we are supposed to be a light everywhere we go, and we want to be like John Wesley who said, “The World is my Parish.” But let’s start where you have the most influence and where you can be empowered by the Holy Spirit as you go to that place.
Even now, I hope you are thinking about where your one place can be.
After we have taken spiritual ownership of that place, we need to commit to Pray Intentionally for Three People who are in that place.
Now in the bible Christians are told to pray for the sick, our political leaders, unbelievers, our fellow believers, ourselves and Jesus even commands us to pray for our enemies.
And you probably or hopefully have a prayer list where you pray for some or all of those people.
Here are three more to add to your list. These are people whom you encounter at your “one place”. Maybe they are a co-worker, a fellow student, another parent, or in my case, coffee shop staff.
They might be someone you like and connect with, or they might be someone you don’t like and that you have issues with. They might be a fellow believer, or they might be far from God.
Maybe your first prayer, in your one place, needs to be asking God, who these three should be.
Maybe, you are thinking about how awkward that is going to be to ask them what they would like you to pray for, or to let them know they are one of your three.
You don’t have to. It’s not like you are doing something nefarious or underhanded; you are simply praying for them.
The opportunity may come up, when they share a problem, a concern or difficulty, that it seems like a natural thing to ask if you can pray for them, and that’s fine. I find it helpful when that happens, to ask if you can pray for them right then. I’ve prayed for a variety of people, believers and nonbelievers in coffee shops, and they don’t have to be loud prayers. God isn’t hard of hearing.
You don’t need to be attracting attention to what you are doing. Jesus warns about that in Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.”
And maybe you are wondering how you will know what to pray for. You could pray for opportunities to talk to them about your faith. You can pray for their health, for their wisdom. You could pray for their children, and for their marriages. You could ask God to bless them. Maybe you are thinking, I don’t want God to bless that jerk. Well, in that case maybe we have other issues.
And when you see results, pray prayers of thanksgiving for your three.
And even now, you are probably thinking of three people in your one place who you can pray for on a regular basis.
So, now we have the 1 and the 3, that just leaves us with the 2.
As we pray, Pursue the Two Sides of Prayer.
Samuel Chadwick wrote, “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”
And most of know that we should pray as Christian, but sometimes we don’t know how we should pray as Christians.
In Praying on the Offense, Jeff Clarke says this means when you pray, you ask God two questions. The first is, God, what do you want me to know and the second is, God, what do you want me to do?
And that’s a change for most of us, because most of us start our prayers by saying: God this is what you need to know. And then we clue him in, of what we need him to do, and how we need him to do it.
But prayer isn’t about us briefing God—it’s about God shaping us.
So instead, as we pray for our one space and our three people, what if we began every prayer by asking, “God, what do you want me to know?” And then, “God, what do you want me to do?”
And sometimes, we get a little impatient if we don’t hear right away what God wants us to do, and we need to understand that grace often set’s its own pace. Perhaps we are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing at this time.
But be prepared to use what God has given you. Perhaps it’s your insight that someone needs concerning a particular issue. Maybe it’s your influence or position, maybe it’s your finances and resources, or maybe it’s one of your spiritual gifts. Or maybe you are just being told to be there, to listen and to provide the support that person needs.
Over time, as we consistently and intentionally pray this way and then follow the Spirit’s prompting, our prayers become the birthplace of spiritual influence in our one place, and in our world.
So, what would happen if each of you took spiritual responsibility for your one place? What if you began praying intentionally for three people, and asking God two simple questions?
That’s the 1-3-2 framework. It’s not complicated, but it could change everything. And maybe someday for you it won’t just be 1-3-2, but 4-12-2: your workplace, your hobbies, your family, and yes, even your church.
The first deacons were called to serve at tables. You are called to serve in your world. The question isn’t whether you’re called—the question is, how will you answer?
There is a great resource on the App store, Praying on the offense. The movement code for the Atlantic district is 100-001. You can sign up and register your one place online, and as the app continues to be developed, they will be adding additional prayer resources.
At the close of our service, we always want to make space and time for prayer. If you’d like someone to stand with you in prayer, as the last song is sung, please come forward—Pastor Stefan will be here at the front to pray with you or for you.
A free PowerPoint presentation for this message might be available, contact me at denn@cornerstonehfx.ca
