Foundations

Digging Your Foundation Deep Enough to Touch the World

God’s Call

God’s Passion for the Eternal

Rom 1:1 A man separated unto the Gospel of God

How is the word “Call” used in the Bible?

I.      God calls all Christians to salvation and sanctification

a.            Rom 1:6-7

b.            I Co 1:2 It’s reciprocal. He calls all for salvation. You call on him to be saved. He sets us apart (sanctifies us).

c.            I Thes 4:7, I Pet. 1:15,

II.      We are called to let God rule in our hearts Col 3:15

III.      We are called to victory II Pet 1:3

IV.      We are called to be apostles (Sent ones, Missionaries) Rom 1:5

a.            Jesus sent the 70 (Those who followed him closely) Luke 10:1

Conclusion: “A calling” is a confusing word for what God says in His Word to all his people. What God tells his church to do is his calling.

Does God call us to a place?

I.      Jesus was God on earth and sent his disciples to certain places

II.      Only other time someone was called to a place God called one and everyone followed him Acts 16:10

III.      The Son commanded us to go everywhere. The Spirit only warned Paul where NOT to go Acts 16:7, 21:4,

Conclusion: God’s field is the world and the world is his field. It’s your responsibility to follow him as he leads you in reaching it.

Is there a call to preach?

I.            Only one time does the word “Call” and “preach” appear in the same sentence.  Acts 16:10

II.            Jesus told a guy to go and preach who never did Luke 9:60

III.            Preaching the gospel simply means “bringing glad tidings of good things” Rom 10:15

Conclusion: Everyone is called to preach

The Calling to leadership:

I.      He called 70 amongst the thousands Luke 10:1

II.      He called 12 Mat 10:1

III.      He called 3 apart from all Mark 9:2

IV.      He called 2 from Antioch  and the church sent them to head up a church planting strategy Acts 13:1-4

V.      The church decided to send Silas and Jonas Acts 15:22

VI.      Paul chose Timothy to learn from him Acts 16:1-3

Conclusion: God will put it on your heart and the heart of the leadership around you. You should head out and start leading ministry. Sometimes that is a call to train and sometimes a vacuum of leadership to fill. THAT is the call to full-time ministry.

Is he calling you?

I.      God calls us all to all-out commitment

II.      Your question to ask yourself is, “Is this next step I am about to take getting me more or less involved in Christ’s harvest?”

III.      Has God put the unquenchable passion for ministry in your heart? I Tim 3:1

IV.      Search out what our gifts and abilities are by preparation and practice

a.            Eph 4:12-13

b.            Heb 5:14 Prepare yourself to preach by using your senses

Conclusion:

  1. Some have said, “I am tired of sitting on the sidelines. I am going to the mission field!” There are no sidelines in the world since the whole world is God’s field. There are only chairs where Christians stop working. Non involvement is not a place but an activity. We can serve God’s mission in the kingdom from anywhere.
  2. Obedience to “the uttermost” is does require us to GO to them.

Leave a Reply