Stay Where You Are Called

1 Cor 7:24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

When people get saved they often want to make changes in their life that are not necessary or God's will. In context, new converts were considering changes like being circumcised or uncircumcised. They wanted to get out of their servitude. Some felt they needed to get married or divorced.

Paul told them to stay as they were in those areas. Yes, stop stealing and issues like that, but don't pack up and move, change jobs (unless the job is ungodly), grab a wife because you want to be a pastor or dump a wife because she is unsaved, etc.

Indeed, God may have called you to serve where you are in the same career field and to lead your spouse to Christ. Zeal is wonderful, but zeal without knowledge and maturity can be very dangerous.

It is the same today as human nature has not changed since the Fall and will not be completely changed until the New Heaven and New Earth. New converts and even people who have been saved awhile feel a need to do something great for God so they run off to Bible college or cemetery, uh, seminary to find their calling when their calling might well be where they are doing what they are doing and does not require any kind of degree other than a degree of submission to God. Too many have run off like Martha to do things for God that He did not require of them missing what He really wanted them to do.

Too many sit on a pew or in their home talking about their gifts or what was prophesied over them waiting for God to move them up and onward to greatness when they are not doing anything where they are even if they see the need and have the gifts to do it.

Acts 13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

I do not remember who told me this, but I believe it to be true. If you are not serving where you are God is not going to call you somewhere else. That is in alignment with the case of Paul and Barnabas. They were in an active ministry in the church at Antioch when the Holy Spirit called them out to missionary work. Had they been sitting around waiting for the calling or talking about what someone had prophesied about them they may well have died on that pew in Antioch.

There was a time when churches did not even allow a person to become a member until they went through a year of discipleship classes. That would certainly weed out some of the emotional response people and false professors. Indeed, do not lay hands on a novice until they have proven themselves faithful.

That is partly the problem we have in many churches. Someone pops up as a volunteer shortly after they are saved and the church needs so many positions filled that they give the novice positions, titles or whatever and he falls into the snare of the devil through pride or he fails because he is walking in his own strength, not the Holy Spirit's. Instead of waiting for a spirit filled person in position to serve we snag a spirited person to fill a position. As we see in Corinth that even people with spiritual gifts can be a problem if they are immature or carnal. We need more discernment in placing people.

More pastors should direct their people to stay where they are and serve until God moves them out and that may be when they are not looking for another place to serve. We do not see where Barnabas and Paul had their resumes sent all over to find a slot. They were exercising their gifts in contentment when the Holy Spirit said it was time for a new thing.

Too often, pastors are excited to send people off to college rather than having them apprentice under him. We put people through unnecessary burdens and then wonder why so many never enter ministry or drop out. In this day, we can find many courses online and get our practicum at our home church. Many churches lack in certain gifts because God gave them the people and the pastor shipped them off to college and they usually do not return to their home church.