thoughts to the called

Got to reconnect with a friend from Bible College this week and it made me begin to think back to our college days and the fervor we had for serving the Lord in ministry.  Our college was an independent (then) charismatic/Pentecostal college, with a strong focus on living the life of faith and giving all we have for ministry.  I am so glad that I went there.  I’ve never regretted going to Zion Bible Institute (now Zion Bible College, with the Assemblies of God).  It gave me foundation of love for ministry and a willingness to serve in whatever capacity God has for me. 

 

At the same time, there is a naiveté that comes to Bible College students I think, especially in settings like ours.  You have a dream, you’re preparing for your call, you know that it’s going to be hard “out in the real world.”  But it isn’t as we have always dreamed and ministry life can be hard.  Harder than we thought. 

 

I guess if I was to address a group of Bible College students today, I’d say something like this:

 

Never stop dreaming, but realize that life and ministry will not be easy.  This is not to say it’s not fulfilling.  To fulfill the call of God on one’s life is the greatest fulfillment of all, but there will be obstacles to those dreams. 

 

Yes, some of them will be the devil.  He is real and he will try to take you out.  Therefore you have to have the armor of God on everyday, and stay in constant connection with God.  The faith you have in God will defeat every fiery arrow that comes your way. 

 

But the other obstacles may be more detrimental.  The devil can use them, but most of the time, he’ll just let them happen to you.  These are the plain circumstances of life.  Everyday will present new challenges with family issues, children, bills, mortgages, church squabbles, secular work issues, money, etc., etc., etc.  Grace is the only answer to these problems.  You must rely on the grace of God to give you wisdom as you navigate these waters.

 

Then another obstacle is one that we don’t expect, but it is there:  it is God himself.  There are times when the angel of the Lord will stand in your way and you’ll beat the donkey you’re riding to try to get where you think you’re supposed to be, but it won’t move, and so saves your life, your ministry, your call.  Even Paul had an experience where he was not permitted to take the Gospel where he thought he should, because God had another assignment.  What would have happened if he would have went anyway??  Listen to that still small voice.  That means you have to be quiet, shut up.  Stop talking so much, we don’t know as much as we like to think we do.  We must listen.  God will speak.  He is not mute. 

 

Lastly, we ourselves are the greatest obstacle of all.  Our desire to do and be can sometimes stand in our own way, because our motives are really about what “we” can do and who “we” will be, and not who God is and what He desires.  James said, “you don’t receive because you ask ‘amiss.’”  Nice way of saying, “hey, idiots, you’re asking for the right things, but you’ve got the wrong motives!!  Wake up and smell the coffee.”  We must have a heart like David to say to God:  “Search me and try me and see if there is any wicked (wrong, misdirected) way in me, and lead me in the way eternal.”  It’s that attitude that will bring us through all the obstacles of ministry and life. 

 

Don’t be discouraged when ministry doesn’t look like you thought it would.  Realize that God is doing something greater with every change of the wind.  You are called, you are chosen, just stay close to God.  The Jews had a phrase:  “May the dust of your rabbi fall upon you.”  This meant, may you walk so close to your teacher that the dust he kicks up on the road will fall on your clothes.  May the dust of Jesus fall upon you.