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After feeling the call to ministry, one may ask where God means for them to be. The answer is quite simple: in His will. As long as a Christian is in the will of the Lord, and walking in the Light (Christ himself being in the Light [1 John 1:7]), we are where we need to be. God's will is different for every Christian, for some, being in His will means being on the mission field, for others it means being a pastor or witness in the neighborhood.
Over time, more of His perfect plan may come apparent to us and we may feel the call to move further in our ministry or to another kind of ministry. This does not mean God is constantly changing his mind about what he wants the Church to do, but that he has special plans for each and every one of us. God's will does not change, but the way we interpret, understand and view it changes as we change.
We are all unique beings created by an infinite God, fearfully and wonderfully made to serve Him. He has given us the talents and abilities, experiences and relationships that mold us into who we are today. It is our duty to use these abilities and experiences to touch the lives around us.
If we are willing to be passive-once-a-week-Sunday-Christians, we might as well be candles without wicks. If God enables us to share the Gospel yet we would rather serve ourselves, what good is it? We are clearly called to be lights in this dark world as stated in Matthew 5:14-16. But if we are not willing to go through the process of letting God take hold of our hearts, we are simply going through the motions.
Does an unlit candle on the shelf do anyone any good? Of course not, but a lit candle in the darkness makes a tremendous difference. We are called to be lights not only as a whole as the church but on an individual basis. For example, a bonfire brings much light, but to someone who does not have access to it, a candle could make as much as an impact in the darkness. We are not called to be the brightest light, or the biggest light, but a constant light.
As human beings, we were made to need something to fill the void inside--a hole only God can occupy. Once that need has been fulfilled, we cannot claim Christ and do nothing. To do nothing would be to prove that there was no true inner change after salvation. We must stay aware of the Holy Spirit's direction as the Lord reveals His will to us.
God is not a God of confusion, and he will not veil His plan in some mystic pattern or impossible puzzle. He will plant a desire to serve Him in your heart and it will flourish daily as you strive to please Him. You will not doubt what is His will and what is not when he reveals it to you. He is not a God of mystery.
In light of Christ's great sacrifice for us, giving of ourselves to further the kingdom is the least we can do. The way I see it is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to live life in these modern times, but none is more meaningful or worthwhile than serving Jesus. What an honor to be able to personally serve Yawah, the Great I Am, Creator of the universe and Author of Life. In him we place our trust and loyalty, for he has paid our ransom with his own precious blood.
Perhaps you, like I, feel God's call to the mission field. You may not be sure of the where, the when or the how, but He knows. He will reveal more of the plan as He sees fit. Perhaps you have an interest in a people group, or country, or a certain type of ministry, or something even more specific, or perhaps you don't have any idea of where he wills you to be.
It all comes down to the question, how specific does the missionary call have to be? The supposed 'missionary call' is never mentioned in the Bible and is therefore something we have created over time. It simply describes the pull of the Holy Spirit to service, overseas or right where we are. There is no minimum or maximum amount of information to the call, I believe God gives us enough to convince us as individuals. Maybe you know where God wants you already, or perhaps you aren't sure. He will make everything clear in own His timing.
Like the Christian speaker Jay Wolf once said, "Put your yes on God's altar and He will put you on His map". This message, given at a missions conference I was attending, greatly inspired me. Throughout the week I had felt a strong calling to missions, and this reassured me of the fact that God would show me where to go. In the days and weeks following, I became increasingly interested in a ministry in east Asia. Since then, He has strengthened my desire to serve him there, day by day. I am excited to see how he will use me for His work in the future. It is my prayer that I will be able to diligently prepare for whatever lies ahead.
God doesn't just show us the road map of His plan for our lives for a reason. We would try to redirect ourselves out of the rough terrain, regardless of the lessons that could be learned, relationships that could be strengthened, invaluable experience gained. We would begin to question if the end was really worth what was between. We might even be angry at the direction in which he chooses to take us, because it doesn't fit with our finite plan. Instead, being the all-knowing, all-powerful God he is, He chooses to lead us step by step. If we are willing to follow where he leads us by faith, we will find ourselves exactly where He wills us to be, no matter the location.
Over time, more of His perfect plan may come apparent to us and we may feel the call to move further in our ministry or to another kind of ministry. This does not mean God is constantly changing his mind about what he wants the Church to do, but that he has special plans for each and every one of us. God's will does not change, but the way we interpret, understand and view it changes as we change.
We are all unique beings created by an infinite God, fearfully and wonderfully made to serve Him. He has given us the talents and abilities, experiences and relationships that mold us into who we are today. It is our duty to use these abilities and experiences to touch the lives around us.
If we are willing to be passive-once-a-week-Sunday-Christians, we might as well be candles without wicks. If God enables us to share the Gospel yet we would rather serve ourselves, what good is it? We are clearly called to be lights in this dark world as stated in Matthew 5:14-16. But if we are not willing to go through the process of letting God take hold of our hearts, we are simply going through the motions.
Does an unlit candle on the shelf do anyone any good? Of course not, but a lit candle in the darkness makes a tremendous difference. We are called to be lights not only as a whole as the church but on an individual basis. For example, a bonfire brings much light, but to someone who does not have access to it, a candle could make as much as an impact in the darkness. We are not called to be the brightest light, or the biggest light, but a constant light.
As human beings, we were made to need something to fill the void inside--a hole only God can occupy. Once that need has been fulfilled, we cannot claim Christ and do nothing. To do nothing would be to prove that there was no true inner change after salvation. We must stay aware of the Holy Spirit's direction as the Lord reveals His will to us.
God is not a God of confusion, and he will not veil His plan in some mystic pattern or impossible puzzle. He will plant a desire to serve Him in your heart and it will flourish daily as you strive to please Him. You will not doubt what is His will and what is not when he reveals it to you. He is not a God of mystery.
In light of Christ's great sacrifice for us, giving of ourselves to further the kingdom is the least we can do. The way I see it is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to live life in these modern times, but none is more meaningful or worthwhile than serving Jesus. What an honor to be able to personally serve Yawah, the Great I Am, Creator of the universe and Author of Life. In him we place our trust and loyalty, for he has paid our ransom with his own precious blood.
Perhaps you, like I, feel God's call to the mission field. You may not be sure of the where, the when or the how, but He knows. He will reveal more of the plan as He sees fit. Perhaps you have an interest in a people group, or country, or a certain type of ministry, or something even more specific, or perhaps you don't have any idea of where he wills you to be.
It all comes down to the question, how specific does the missionary call have to be? The supposed 'missionary call' is never mentioned in the Bible and is therefore something we have created over time. It simply describes the pull of the Holy Spirit to service, overseas or right where we are. There is no minimum or maximum amount of information to the call, I believe God gives us enough to convince us as individuals. Maybe you know where God wants you already, or perhaps you aren't sure. He will make everything clear in own His timing.
Like the Christian speaker Jay Wolf once said, "Put your yes on God's altar and He will put you on His map". This message, given at a missions conference I was attending, greatly inspired me. Throughout the week I had felt a strong calling to missions, and this reassured me of the fact that God would show me where to go. In the days and weeks following, I became increasingly interested in a ministry in east Asia. Since then, He has strengthened my desire to serve him there, day by day. I am excited to see how he will use me for His work in the future. It is my prayer that I will be able to diligently prepare for whatever lies ahead.
God doesn't just show us the road map of His plan for our lives for a reason. We would try to redirect ourselves out of the rough terrain, regardless of the lessons that could be learned, relationships that could be strengthened, invaluable experience gained. We would begin to question if the end was really worth what was between. We might even be angry at the direction in which he chooses to take us, because it doesn't fit with our finite plan. Instead, being the all-knowing, all-powerful God he is, He chooses to lead us step by step. If we are willing to follow where he leads us by faith, we will find ourselves exactly where He wills us to be, no matter the location.