How to Recognize The CALL

[Behold]

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At some point all Christians are curious about a certain aspect of Christianity.

"how does a person know if they are called into the ministry".

So, let me first tell you, that if you are born again, you definitely are called into the ministry, as all believers are ministers of and for The Lord Jesus The Christ.

We are all in His service, and because Jesus is God, we are of course talking about being enlisted by new birth into the work of God.

God's work for us has only 2 parts.

1.) "the work of God is that you Believe on the One whom He sent"

2.) Lead people to Christ.

Discipleship, is not a work, its a lifestyle..you are called to do as soon as you are born again.

You are called to pray, teach, witness, and if need be......... die for your Lord.

Believers in this world, died for Him today.....They die for him everyday, but you don't hear about this in your News Media, ........but you can know its a fact.

You are called to let the Light of God, which is the Truth of the Gospel, shine through you so that all who are in darkness can find their way out.
You are a living transmission device, and God is the transmitter.
You are an arrow that points to the "way" to Heaven.. and Jesus is THE Way...not "a" way. John 14:6
You are the only :body: of Jesus The Christ that an unbeliever is ever going to meet., as you and Christ are One, and Christ is in you, and you are God's body on this earth.

You are a living extension of God Himself, if you are born again.
But........what about that other thing. ??? That "5 fold" ministry thing......yeah, that one... are you that? Is that you?... How would you know?

Well, i'll show you a way to think about it, and to discern it for yourself.... or for someone else who has not quite understood it about themselves, just yet.
First, it will be God who chooses you for this, and if He does WILL this for you, then without a doubt and absolutely, He will confirm your "call" with circumstances and opportunities.
You will see them happen in front of your eyes , in your life. BUT, what God wont do, is step into your call for you. You have to do that. You have to take a baby step, and then another......... and allow the progress to keep confirming the reality of God's call in and on your life.

I was called into the Ministry when i was 26.
I was not looking for it.
I was not actively involved in "church going".
I was saved when i was 17, and i was your basic generic carnal christian.
I sang in church in the Choir and in a Trio, and i had played music all my life, but i didn't study the bible. In fact i hardly read it.
One day when i was 26 i was sitting in my living room looking at my senior yearbook and God started causing things to happen in front of my eyes.
This same happened for over a year. Signs, confirmations, miraculous things happening in front of my eyes.
I had studied Communication and Broadcasting in college and the next thing i knew... God opened a door and there i was suddenly working in a Christian Radio station as the Station Operator.
This happened, "out of the blue".
Saint....I had never even thought about doing this.....and suddenly i have this 18 months of miraculous occurring in my Life, and now i find myself working in Christian Radio.
And during this time...God gave me a very strong desire to witness and teach....but He had to enable me to do it.
That's the thing about a Call .... if God Call's you, He then has to enable you to do it.
This took time, study, and the working IN of the Gifts so that i could do them effectively.
This took time.

I have a younger Brother who is in charge of World Missions for a big denomination.
He was called to be a missionary over 2 decades ago, one Sunday morning, during a church service. There was no doubt in his mind or heart that while he was listening to a missionary's story that morning, He was prompted by God the Holy Spirit, to become a missionary. Just like that. And just like that He went to Hewlett-Packard in Texas, the next Day, where he was a highly successful and highly paid manager, and gave them his "2 week notice", and left.
And i dont have to tell you that some of the Christian's who knew him were pretty much telling him that he was ether crazy, or just "emotionally caught up" or the usual stuff you hear when you decide to leave the world behind and really devote yourself to God and The Christ.
And now over 20 yrs later, he has built churches in Odessa Ukraine, Preaches, Teaches, has trained many missionaries, and became the head of the Mission to the World for his Denomination, and also met his wife on the mission field and had 3 children whom He raised in the Ukraine..
And all because he responded to God and surrendered in a pew, sitting by himself, on a Sunday morning, 20+ yrs ago.
He had no idea what was going to happen when He obeyed the call.
20+ yrs later, He's built churches, trained hundreds, Is The Director of Missions for his entire denomination, met his wife on the Mission Field, raised 3 girls, and it just keeps going and going.

Now, what if he had listened to his Step Dad when his Step dad was telling him...>"well, i think this is maybe kinda crazy, and im not going to support you with $$$$$$, so, you do what you want, but you do it YOURSELF"""""""" blah, blah, blah,...>.
Yeah, that's how it can be when you know what you know, and God is not telling everyone else what's He's shown you......just yet.

But see, God didnt call the Step Dad, .. he called my willing and dependable Brother.

If God calls you, He will confirm your call. He will open doors, create situations, and produce opportunities, and you will SEE IT HAPPEN.
God does it. It will be miraculous.

 

[Tolworth John]

It is far simpler than all that.
A Christian attending church hears there is a need for a helper, they volunteer and work eagerly and industriously.
Someone suggests that young Christian is keen so another youth leader ask if he/she would help with his group. Again a keen and hard working assistant who is given more tasks, responcibility and whose name regularly troops up when suggesting possible helpers or junior leaders.
The church leadership try him out in various roles and eventually recognise he has a gift so they help him develop it.
The church at a meeting formerly decided to support him in theological college and either offer him a position afterwards or help him find a position elsewhere.

We have done this six times with people in our youth group or students who have attended our church.

 

[Tolworth John]

If you are talking about an adult, the question is what has he been doing?
Is he active in the church, what roles does he fill, how is he recieved?
I was at one church where a young man felt called to the ministry, he would not go to college, he relied on the training the church had given, did very little independent reading ndcwas a dreadful preacher. A nice person. Sadly there was a need for preachers and he got to become, but the church attendance dropped every time he was scheduled to preach.

 

[Behold]

It is far simpler than all that.
A Christian attending church hears there is a need for a helper, they volunteer and work eagerly and industriously.
Someone suggests that young Christian is keen so another youth leader ask if he/she would help with his group. Again a keen and hard working assistant who is given more tasks, responcibility and whose name regularly troops up when suggesting possible helpers or junior leaders.
The church leadership try him out in various roles and eventually recognise he has a gift so they help him develop it.
The church at a meeting formerly decided to support him in theological college and either offer him a position afterwards or help him find a position elsewhere.

We have done this six times with people in our youth group or students who have attended our church.

My Thread is not related to the board choosing a worker.

Notice my Thread's title.

 

[Behold]

If you are talking about an adult, the question is what has he been doing?
Is he active in the church, what roles does he fill, how is he recieved?
I was at one church where a young man felt called to the ministry, he would not go to college, he relied on the training the church had given, did very little independent reading ndcwas a dreadful preacher. A nice person. Sadly there was a need for preachers and he got to become, but the church attendance dropped every time he was scheduled to preach.

In the USA they call that type...."mama called and papa chosen".
Its a person who probably was "raised in the church" and is pretty much useless, unless you count "church attendance" as "a mighty work for God".
I can hear God yawning....

Im seminary trained, but i was called long before i did all the studying and received all the enabling.
My Brother, who is building churches and training thousands by now, (tho i wrote hundreds in the previous post), has a degree in Business and Music.
He has not been to seminary (no need) , and just like me, he has been schooled in God's Spirit.
I was seminary Trained , but ....so what...
Here he is in Jeans.. in a church he built in Odessa.
Below is one of his groups. He is on the first row, on the left...blue shirt.
See, its not about how smart you are, or how good you are...
its about your availability and your dependability and your honesty.
God is not looking for the perfect, He's looking for who He can get the most milage out of..... for life. He is looking for the person who will get out of the way and Let God do HIS work through you.
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[bekkilyn]

It's basically the story of an even more stubborn Jonah.

God calls you into a direction, and you decide to go to Tarshish. God continues to call and turns you back into a direction, but you decide to try going to Tarshish again. Shipwrecks, green peas, enslavement, and all sorts of other miseries seem to occur or threaten but for some stupid reason, you keep thinking you belong in Tarshish. In fact, most people even agree that Tarshish is the appropriate place to go and so you keep trying and trying and wondering why God keeps slamming doors shut and making all the lockpicks break.

Then one day, years later, you sit there thinking, "Maybe I'm not supposed to be in Tarshish. What do YOU think God?"

A few months later, you're in Ninevah, and a huge magical fish even helped you get there.

 

[Behold]

It's basically the story of an even more stubborn Jonah.
God calls you into a direction, and you decide to go to Tarshish. God continues to call and turns you back into a direction, but you decide to try going to Tarshish again. Shipwrecks, green peas, enslavement, and all sorts of other miseries seem to occur or threaten but for some stupid reason, you keep thinking you belong in Tarshish. In fact, most people even agree that Tarshish is the appropriate place to go and so you keep trying and trying and wondering why God keeps slamming doors shut and making all the lockpicks break.
Then one day, years later, you sit there thinking, "Maybe I'm not supposed to be in Tarshish. What do YOU think God?"
A few months later, you're in Ninevah, and a huge magical fish even helped you get there.

Well, .......

I think Jonah was already "called"...as He was a Prophet.
So, that was the "call of God" that put him into the Spiritual Work.
Later he was a stubborn prophet, but His spiritual call was in place, already.

If you read The Acts of the Apostles, that many think are the deeds of the common Christian, then you'll note that in Acts 10 Peter finally finds out that Gentiles can be saved.
Took him about 10 -12 yrs to learn this reality, after Christ was already ascended back into Glory.
Till then he was still preaching John the Baptist's, "repent and confess" that he was preaching to the JEWS.
Paul meanwhile, was teaching "justification by faith".

Its interesting to note that not all the Apostles had all the same "up to date" information, at the same time, regarding what God was doing "in the Time of the Gentiles".
Eventually they all understood the Gospel of the Grace of God, that Paul was given by Christ.
He had it first, and the other's got the revelation later on.

 

[Tolworth John]

As you are aware in acts it was the local church who set aside men known to be serving God.
Equally you will be aware of plenty of deluded Christians going to theological college with no church support and with little hope of finding one.

You might dispose the workers in local churches, it is they who run them after star evangelists have moved on.

 

[Behold]

As you are aware in acts it was the local church who set aside men known to be serving God.
Equally you will be aware of plenty of deluded Christians going to theological college with no church support and with little hope of finding one.
You might dispose the workers in local churches, it is they who run them after star evangelists have moved on.

There is the fact that someone who has a really strong anointing will "hatch" the same type disciples.
Pastor's spiritually hatch, Pastors, and someone like me is going to hatch Evangelist-Teachers., and often missionaries.
I hatch "doers". I hatch people who need just a little touch of God to get them to catch on FIRE for Him.

A Clue....
If your church is full of young men, and none of them are finding the call of God there, no one is becoming a missionary, a Pastor,....in other words, there is no Spiritual LIFE IN THAT PLACE that is defined as people wanting 2 serve God and climbing the walls to do it.......if its just a calm place full of dead wood, where everyone is looking at 12:03p, knowing the Minister is about to let you go EAT..
Then get out of there. You are wasting your life in that lifeless spiritual ditch.
Listen to me... Reader.
Christianity is YOU and GOD. Its not sbout church and forums, and groups...Its about God living His Life THROUGH = YOU.
Understand?
FIND THAT PLACE.
EXIST THERE ALWAYS.