When/How You Felt Called

[jesus_freak_for_life]

I wanna hear your stories

 

[ZiSunka]

I once read, "An ability and an opportunity to do a ministry should be considered a call to do it." It was in a magazine from 1881.

I wonder if Christians put too much emphasis on receiving a message from God, and not enough on the truth that we are all called to a ministry.

 

[vinsight4u]

...

 

[GirlForChrist]

I really don't know when I was called to minister I think it was around Christmas of last year. I had recently got in contact with a good friend of mine, and he was telling me of his plans to minister. The Lord spoke to me and told me to go with my friend when he goes into the mission field. So that is what I'm doing, I'll be going with my friend (who is now my boyfriend) and helping him improve others lives through the light and glory that is Christs.

 

[Uncle Joely]

This is a good thread, too bad more people don't post here.

I would have to agree with what Lambslove quoted "An ability and an opportunity to do a ministry should be considered a call to do it."

I was asked to be part of the Singles Leadership team for our singles group. Later I saw a need in the Children's Ministry and had the skills to fill it.

Going back further than that though, the circumstances that brought me to this country (other side of the world from my home country) can only be attributed to God. There is no way I had the skills to pull that one off

Praise the Lord

___________________________________________________
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for doing it, but what they become by it."

 

[kingzjewel]

i got called to music ministry when i was 9 and the call expanded after i rededicated my life to Christ when i was 21 and accepted the call i had rejected for so long. God has always either spoken or prompted in the Spirit.

it is shame more ppl arent posting here.

 

[Mavrick]

Are you still around here?

I think it's fantastic that she's still here! We should be praising God for this!

Jesus Freak, I am so GLAD that you are still here! I know things seem hard, but like I said, you are a wonderful and beatuiful young lady, NEVER forget that!

Mav.

 

[Mavrick]

I wanna hear your stories

Ok, Jesus Freak, here’s my story for you. Now I will tell you the only reason I am telling this is because you had said that you were interested in entering the ministry.

I was a sheriff for three years, having felt that was where God wanted me to be. But after seeing so many kids in trouble with the law, having to arrest them myself sometimes, or even worse, having to tell their parents their child was dead, I felt that God was calling me to enter the youth ministries.

I started by taking correspondence courses for a year, then went to college for the remainder of the time, doubling up on the classes to finish as soon as I could. During this time my wife was very supportive.

Then I returned home and entered the ministry full time in my hometown. It’s almost thirteen years since then. There have been good times and bad times, joys and heartaches. But through it all there has been one thing that has been constant: God has NEVER let me down.

One thing I will tell you: If you do decide to enter the ministry, no matter what it is, expect things to be a roller coaster. And if you enter the youth ministries, the biggest and best piece of advice I can give you is this: Be realistic. Don’t expect every youth that you work with to like you. That was the hardest thing for me to get past, but once past it things were a lot easier to deal with.

If there is anything I can help you with, let me know.

God Bless you, in all you ways, through all your days!

Mavrick

 

[joyfulwomyn]

Parker Palmer's book, "Let Your Life Speak" is a great one on this topic. I give it as a graduation gift.

Borrowing from his Quaker tradition, Palmer suggests that the notion of calling is really about the "authentic self." He suggests that instead of us asking what we want to do, we ask what life/God wants of us and then live out from there.

Has anyone else read Palmer and his books? He also has a great one for teachers called "The Courage to Teach" where he expands on this notion of authentic self and talks about teaching and learning as a very spiritual process.

 

[jesus_freak_for_life]

i guess the only reason i wanted to post this was because.. i think i feel called. im not sure though because i doubt myself in everything. i think He's just making me into who He wants me to be first.

 

[joyfulwomyn]

Have you done any reading about calling and vocations?

 

[jbarcher]

^

Does reading a biography about Oswald J. Smith count?

Er...

I think I'm called to pastor. So I'm praying. And asking.

As someon said..."We can find out where we're called to by discovering our spiritual gifts."

 

[Casey]

Hey SweeySoul,

Thouhgt I'd send along a reply to your inquiry. I've been a christian for nine years. Been actively involved in ministry on several ministry teams, pastoral, mission and evangelism teams. And I am still working out my "Calling".

My understanding of the term is very specific and biblical. I believe that often the church culture uses it in an unhealthy way. In that we say, "your called to pastoring, your called to full-time ministry, your called to missions." I think that these are giving us a real bad focus. We need to alway focus on Jesus, not where we are going.

The first time the word 'call' is used in the scriptures is when, "The Lord God called out to Adam and Eve in the Garden". The call was essentially a call to relationship. We are called to relationship with the Lord, not a position, or fuction. Position and function stem out of relationship.

It was funny for me in discovering my "call". I decided that if God had wanted me to give of my time, talent, and treasure, I now needed to begin togive it away. So I made a conscious choice to begin to befriend three people in my church that I thought needed friendship. Those three people and I began a wonderful christian journey together. Soon, the leaders in the church saw what we had, and one of them said to me you have "pastoral giftings". I soon began to allow my circle of influence to grow and within a few years I was an "unofficial pastor" in the church. "Unofficial" in that to be ordained in the denomination I was part of, I needed five years of college! I wasn't going there, so I just continued to love the people I thought needed loving. I was part of the pastoral team there for two and a half years.

I recently changed churches and cities. As I began to connect with the new church. The leaders there spotted the gift and my character and asked me to be on the pastoral team! There is a proverb, "The gift makes way for the giver."

Develope your gifts, explore, learn as much as you can. God will do for you what you can't do in your own strength.

Blessings
Casey D

 

[jbarcher]

Thank you Casey very much.

I've been a Christian for 6 months. And being a pastor isn't talked about, actually. Focus goes on to small group ministies and missions.

And yes, our focus should always be on Jesus Christ. God rocks!

 

[Waterhouse]

I thought you're suppose to walk by faith, not by what you 'feel'?

 

[ElElohe]

Started with working summers at a Bible camp.

When it came to deciding on college, after long hard prayer I felt led to NOT go into ministry. And went into architecture (and graduated with an art degree ).

I wouldn't give up my college years for anything, even though some were hard (particularly early on). God used them to prepare me for what He did have in the future.

I met the girl I would marry at the same camp (while visiting during college. I still had friends there). The year after we met she took Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, a class put on by the US Center for World Missions. That fired her up, gave her the appropriate "Planning to go, willing to stay" mentality.

After we started dating we talked a lot about the class. She almost led one (different story) and would still like to some day. I still had it in the back of my mind half way thru college that I'd be in youth ministry. But God took that off my heart, without my asking or NOTICING.

I knew of her intent to "Go" when we wed. But I was still in college. After college, I looked at Short Term trips doing design work, but they weren't real feasible at that point in time (oh ye of little faith).

At about the same time I graduated, just after we married, we were in a Missions Bible Study led by a couple who were on furlough. Partly thru that, we became interested in mobilizing. Others thought that fit us as well.

We joined a small group Bible study (in "Big Church;" ie not the college group) that happened to be led by someone on the missions committee. We were assigned a mentor that happened to chair the missions committee. The mentor was specifically for people on the chruch's mission's Hot List. We didn't know we were on that list.

Long and short of it is: My wife knew a couple from college that started a small organization in NW Arkansas with the goal of "Bringing people and missions together using internet technology." Mobilizing, in part. I had learned some of the ministry, and like what I heard, just a few months earlier. I went to the website and found they had some staff positions, one of which fit me.

We are now in the support raising process!

I wanna hear your stories

 

[jesus_freak_for_life]

well.. here's me..
i just recently started attending church.. and i've felt called to go into the ministry for quiet some time.. just not so sure which area. (thinking youth ministry right now?)
it's so totally confusing. either im not getting the answer i want or im not being answered. or maybe He just hasn't answered me yet. whatever it is, i wish i knew what it was so i could just figuire it out. bleh. i wish i knew! :-/
nobody's come out and said anything specific. it seems God is bringing people in my life and saying "God is going to use you in some awesome ways!".. but they never get specific about it. and they always say that God told them to say that, which is even stranger..
i dont know if that made any sense whatsoever. im so totally confused.
<3
thanks for all your replies.

 

[IKTCA]

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[New Creation]

I once read, "An ability and an opportunity to do a ministry should be considered a call to do it." It was in a magazine from 1881.

I wonder if Christians put too much emphasis on receiving a message from God, and not enough on the truth that we are all called to a ministry.

My pastor told us the same thing this summer and it stuck with me.

All my life, kids have been following me around. I used to coach gymnastics for a while and was pretty good at it so when it became apparent this fall that there was going to be no Sunday school because no one was going to volunteer to do it, that was call enough for me.

I have to say though, I am a new Christian, just 10 months old so I really didn't feel "qualified" to teach children about Jesus. It's kind of cool though because we "teach" each other.

It's funny, my first lesson was about the lame man outside of the temple that God healed through Peter and one of the four year olds knew the story better than I did. Talk about humbling!!!!

I also feel in the distance that I will be ministering to exotic dancers, my former profession. I know the need and I want to help but I'm going to need a lot of preparation to reach these broken women.

 

[askme4theway]

I am only 16 and last year I came to a point where I felt God was calling me to full-time vocational ministry. For months I was struggling. I had been a Christian for years but I knew I would be giving up some very important things for ministry and it was a hard decision for me to make. Finally on Febuary 2nd, 2002 I walked down the isle of my church with two of my best friends arm in arm. Together, without looking back we made a decision for full-time vocational ministry. It has cost me my girlfriend, it has been a huge spiritual battle. I feel like a marked-man with Satan but it has been so worth it and I cannot wait for the day that God shows His place for me!