The Call! What an interesting statement? Depending on context it can mean a variety of things such as: a phone call, a mothers call to a child, and even an invitation by a church to a prospective minister to come and candidate for the available pastoral position. Let’s focus on the call of the minister. I believe it’s more than just a phone call to interview for a job. I see it going beyond the scope of salary package. In fact the call of a minister is of Divine nature and is something that has eternal consequences.

Recently, I asked one of my core spiritual lay leaders to write down what they felt the “Call” was all about. When I received that handwritten page I was intrigued and my heart was humbled. What follows is a collaboration of sorts of my lay leader’s thoughts and mine.

1) Can you think back to a definite time when you knew God was calling you, not only to live for Him, but also to serve Him in full time ministry? I Samuel 3:1-12

God wanted Samuel. He had a job for him to do but first God had to get his attention, so he called Samuel. Three times God called him and finally Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” God wants us. He has something important for us to do. He’s waiting for us to respond with similar words of I’m listening.

Once God has our attention, as with Samuel, He shares the vision. The responsibility given to Samuel was critical. The Lord wanted Samuel to deliver a message to Eli. Verse 14 of chapter 3 sums it up, “And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Eli’s sons had sinned and their sin had ramifications on themselves and their family. Samuel had a daunting task but he fulfilled it.

We need to be like Samuel. We need to be open and receptive to the call of God, listening and responsive to his will. Roy Lessein has written: “Whatever God asks you to lift, He gives you the grace to carry.” God goes with us all the way.

2) With much prayer and waiting on the Lord we could pray with Paul for Spiritual wisdom. Ephesians 1:17

Discerning God’s will is challenging to say the-lest. In it’s study notes on Ephesians 1:17 the Wesley Study Bible says, “True wisdom is ours only by revelation. Such wisdom is more than knowledge about God. It is a personally experienced knowledge of Him and a submission to His will. Without this knowledge of God, spiritual growth is impossible.” Prayer and waiting on the Lord is so simple and at the same time very hard. Satan does not want us to be productive for the Lord and this results in our temptation to put off praying and waiting. The search for God is over! Talk and listen to Him now!

3) We need to be sure we do what God is asking and not man. Man makes mistakes, God never does. Phillip left a big revival to go and preach to one man. Acts 8:26-39

The call to minister is bigger than the big numbers. God is concerned about each soul. The call to minister is bigger than the applause of men. God is concerned that we love our neighbours as our-self. What seems to be good for man (money, fame, success, self-advancement) is not God’s motivation for us to worship Him and further His Kingdom. God’s desire for us is to simply tell others of the saving power of Jesus Christ.
In his book, “The Barbarian Way,” Erwin McManus writes, “God’s will for us is less about our comfort than it is about our contribution. God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance. God created you so that your life would count, not so that you could count the days of your life.” Phillip left the revival in Samaria because the Angel of the Lord told him to. While Phillip was out in the deserted desert area He came across a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch, who needed the Lord. Phillip led the eunuch to Jesus and so won this first Gentile convert. So let’s be like Phillip and listen to God, go where He wants us to go and find the one man.

4) May we realize that if we are serving where God wants us, we will be more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Romans 8:37

This is an incredible promise that we may all claim. The call of God goes beyond personal pleasure and where we think we ought to be. It goes beyond what we believe our ability to handle a situation is. It’s serving God. It’s allowing God to be praised for the victories over sin. It’s actually listening, waiting and most importantly loving God.

If we have the spiritual wisdom that only God can give, He will give us, “Calmness in face of storms. Encouragement in the place of frustration and humility in the face of success.” (Words of Franklin Graham)

Come to the cross of Christ and give your burden to Him. Release it into His care and as Psalm 23 says,

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord.”