CALLING

The Christian’s Call

Bible basis: Romans 1:1-7
1 Corinthians 1:2
Galatians 5:13
1 Thessalonians 4:7
1 Peter 2:21

All Christians are called by Christ:
to holiness (1 Thess 4:7)
to freedom (Gal 5:13)
to peace (Col 3:15)
to light (1 Pet 2:9)
to suffering (1 Pet 2:21)

It is certain that all Christian are called by Christ, but it does not mean that all Christians have to leave their secular job. The calling of Christ did not cancel out social obligations and expectations.
The view of Luther and reformers was that the calling of the Christians should be expressed in secular work. The Christian has to do his or her work ‘wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord’ (Eph 6:7). The outcome of this view or secular work is that it is an opportunity to demonstrate consecration to Christ.

THE MINISTER’S CALL

Bible Basis John 1:35-42
Mathew 4: 18-22
Acts 8:1; 9:1-6

The reality of a ministerial call is accepted by nearly all Christian’s denominations, though they
express their understanding of it differently. In most instances the ministerial call stems from the
minister’s own experiences. It is something that comes from inner certainties and conviction rather than something that comes from external human authority.

Calling is personal and individual. It is not a calling for isolation, but for the service to people especially to the believers.
In the Biblical references, we find two stages of call.
Preparatory period of time when the disciple is learning about Jesus and his mission.
Example : John Ch.1.35 onwards Two disciples talking about Jesus. Andrew introducing Peter to Jesus.

2. Jesus said “come and follow me”. This is the second stage of call.

The call is authoritative, radical and demands all that the Christian has and can give. Everything changes for the man or woman who accepts the call of Christ. The boats and nets that provided livelihood to them are left behind.

Paul’s case: He had been present during the stoning of Stephen. Paul knew the preaching of the early church. He was not a man in complete ignorance about Jesus and church. It was a preparatory stage for Paul

The revelation of Jesus on the Damascus road was sudden and dramatic and unique to Paul. It was here that Paul understood who Jesus really was. Paul counted this as his call by Jesus.
The call contains an indication of task to which the Christian is directed. For example- Jesus said to Paul ‘I will send you far away to the gentiles’ (Acts 22:21). Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, ‘I will make you fishers of men’ (Mt 4:19). The call of Christ is a new beginning. Paul left behind his old friends, values, aims, and expectations. For him, as for everyone who accepts it, the call of Christ is a new beginning.

Recognizing Christ’s call

Since the call is individual, we respond to God in ways appropriate to our characters and circumstances. In trying to analyze the elements of a call objectively we would expect to find :
a sense that God is speaking personally to us;
a desire on our part to serve God;
overriding circumstances and timings;
some indication of our general qualification for being called

All these points can be illustrated from the Biblical examples. All the New Testament ministers felt that God was speaking directly to them.
In case of Andrew there was a clear desire to serve God (which is why he became a disciple of John the Baptist)
In case of Andrew and Simon Peter, we may be sure that the preaching of John the Baptist, and the preaching of Jesus Himself assured them that the time was right, ‘the Kingdom of heaven is near’ (Mt 3:2). The nearness of the kingdom indicated that other priorities should be put aside. In case of Paul, circumstances were overriding in a particular way. He fell to the ground (Acts 9:4).

In case of all three men we are considering, there were qualifications of experience, intellect and character. The hard and disciplined work of the fishermen prepared them for hard and disciplined work as ministers of Jesus Christ. While Paul, sitting at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem, received a thorough grounding in the Scriptures, over and above that received by most Jews of his day, which prepared him to engage in the full intellectual content of Christian Theology

The young minister

Complications occur if a man or woman feels a call to ministry after marriage. For example- the woman who expects her husband to find a steady job will find herself bitterly unhappy with the results of a sense of ministerial call. The called spouse will begin to sense new priorities and this can produce a deep sense of insecurity in the uncalled spouse. Therefore, young ministers must be sure to carry their partners with them into ministry. Without this assurance, the ministry will anyway fail. The danger is that the young minister, in a determination to follow Christ, will brush his or her partner aside and damage the intimate relationship which needs to be maintained in the course of a demanding pastoral ministry.

The older minister

During mid-life there is a chance of facing crisis such as health problems, marriage breakdowns or death of loved ones and so on. What happens in such situations is that the older minister believes that the skills he has learnt in the workplace will be directly transferable to the pulpit and the congregation. The call of Christ is always radical and demands everything we have and, those skills learnt in a secular context will often be valuable.

Implication for ministers

First, the call of Christ is an important safeguard against ministerial failure. There are times when the minister feels confronted by adversity and overwhelmed by trouble. When this happens, it is vital to remember the call of Christ. The Christ who called us, will not fail us, especially when our difficulties arise from a faithful discharge of our ministry. Without a strong sense of calling, problems may become innumerable.
Second, every minister enters a major decision-making zone occasionally. There are two or more lines of action that might be pursued. Which is the right one? Often it is helpful to think carefully about the original circumstances of a calling to understand the way forward. The call usually contains an implicit direction and entails a number of logical steps for its fulfillment. Paul knew he would eventually go to the Gentile. Peter knew he would be casting evangelistic nets and catching shoals of people. Without a strong sense of calling, times of decision may become causes of distraction
Implications for those who feel called to ministry
First, if you feel called to pastoral ministry, you need to find a context in which this can be expressed. The best place is the local church. The existing leadership of your church should accept your ministry/ call.
Second, if you feel called to full-time Christian ministry, then you need to test this calling against the opinion of other Christians in ministry. If the opinion of other Christians confirms your own sense of calling, you are ready to consider the next stage. If the opinion of other Christians contradicts your sense of calling, you need seriously to question the nature of your calling. Perhaps, you are being called to serve but perhaps, in a way that you did not at first realize. You have a great deal to lose if you mistake your enthusiastic desire to serve Christ for a radical calling to long-term ministry
Third, if you have an inner sense of calling and this is validated by the opinion of other Christians, you probably need to receive some form of training.