What truly then constitutes our call to ministry? As we see it, four elements come together to produce a valid, and obedient call (that counsel of God mentioned in Psalm 32):
- A strong personal conviction or a motivation felt by an individual to engage in something very specific that enters and impacts the life of others. It’s important here to realize that this isn’t a single instance, but it’s likely that we will have more than one call during our life.
- The second element is something we refer to as effective enablement, which can come through general life experiences, education, or very specific personal events and occurrences. In some cases, the enablement is obtained during a relatively brief time period, while in others it may take decades. It can involve such things as skills (including healing art and speaking), knowledge (foreign languages and biblical knowledge, for example), attitudes (like mercy and courage), and personality traits (such as gentleness and boldness).
- The third key element is opportunity to perform the ministry to which we are called. An opportunity can be spontaneous and short lived, occurring as an encounter on the street, in a store, or in a tragic emergency. It can also be long-term, o the point that a particular life path opens up one situation after another to impact individuals in on-on-one encounters or with large groups. God knows when and where our motivation and enablement come together, and puts us in the right place at the right time to serve others’ needs. It is the Holy Spirit that whispers in our ear to “go and do.”
- We are to surrender to God’s leadership in general and to each specific prompting God and His Holy Spirit delivers. This is the fourth element and it clearly rests on each of our own shoulders. Specifically, it does no good to have motivation, enablement, and opportunity it we don’t step up and do what’s needed right then, when and where it’s needed. The surrender might be just a few moments, an interruption to our day to address a person in need. Or it can be a long time – maybe, even an entire lifetime – that willingness to be devoted to a singular cause of type of ministry.
We have been exploring the personal perspective of “calling”, but there is also a larger perspective, the 30,000 ft view. In God’s special plan for the Church to be Jesus’ hands and feet, His messenger and service provider, each of us play a personal role and in the aggregate play a part in His universal plan.
The adage that the total is composed of more than the sum of it’s parts is true. God leverages the unique capacities of each to carry out his redemptive plan for the world. When we examine the parable of the vine and branches from the book of John, the visualization of the branches spreading and growing in support of the vine connects us to the the result of our individual preparation, call, and response.
It is surprising to witness God’s wisdom as He crafts the unique and distinctive skills into His creative delivery of service, support and ministry.
I encourage you to head over to www.futurefundedministry.com and download a free copy of my newest eBook: Live with Meaning: Understanding the Power of Future- Funded Ministry. The book will challenge the way you view retirement and give insight into why it’s important to plan for the years ahead where the paycheck stops but the call to ministry continues.
Discovering our future together,
Bruce