Are You Answering the Call?

                This past Sunday, one of our pastors preached a sermon entitled, Grace in Action, which focused on our need as Christians to respond to God’s call in our lives.  It was a challenging message where our family began to think about more ways that we could respond to God’s call in our lives and help build our local church along with God’s Kingdom.

            As I was listening to one of his illustrations I was reminded of my own “call story.”  I was sixteen and had followed a pretty girl to church camp that summer.  It was the first time that I had decided to go to camp but I have to admit that my motives were not in the right place.  I thought I could spend a week with my girlfriend and everything would be alright, however God had others plans for me during this week.  Shortly after arriving I formed a good relationship with another student in my cabin, Andre, who helped me through this week in several ways.  One evening he told me about the commitment night service that would be happening the next day.  We would be given opportunities to accept Christ for the first time, make a rededication, or accept a call to ministry.  As he shared these thoughts I began to think through what my response would be the following evening.  I had accepted Christ two years previous, wasn’t sensing a call to ministry so a rededication was where I landed.  I knew that I had made some poor decisions in my faith journey and felt like I could solve those with a rededication.  The following evening something happened to me that I still can’t explain any other way than an act of God.  The time in the service came for us to make our decisions but when the opportunity for a rededication hit, I could not stand up from my seat.  I found myself trying to get up but I couldn’t move.  I began to become uneasy but then thought, “Well maybe I’m alright with everything so I’ll just hang out here.”  However, the next words that left the speakers mouth pierced my heart, when he said, “If you feel like God may be calling you into ministry, please stand.”  I was the first one who stood up in the auditorium and I remember looking down at Andre who was sitting next to me and said, “What the heck did I just do?”  He looked back at me and said, “I don’t know but I’m glad it’s you and not me!”  I made my way to the chapel to pray with a pastor and everything in my life changed from that point on.  I found myself giving up on some personal dreams that I had to follow God’s leading.  I found myself learning more about my faith, God, and the Bible so I could teach the next generation.  I found myself amazed that God provided for me throughout my collegiate journey both financially and with my studies.  I found myself sure that God was leading me into full-time youth ministry.  After seven years of serving students that same dream that hit me in North Webster, Indiana years ago is still driving my life and forming who I am in Christ.

            As I began to tie these items together in my mind, I wondered about how many of our church members feel when they begin to serve in ministry or sense a “call” to ministry.  If you are anything like me you might feel unprepared, ill-equipped, or just plain nervous.  There are numerous apprehensions that drive us away from serving and growing in our own faith.  But here is the amazing thing about having these feelings, they are perfectly normal!  If you turn through the pages of the Bible you will discover several examples of when God called the ordinary, uneducated, or “lacking” people to serve Him in a mighty way.  God guided them through many tests and trials, all the while seeking to bless others through their work.    I was reminded of this as I recently read the words of Andy Stanley in his book Deep and Wide as he talked about God’s response to our feelings of inadequacy.  “In other words, ‘Just bring me what you do have and I’ll work with that.  Bring me your limited education, your lack of experience, along with your fear and insecurity, and watch what I can do.’”  If you feel as though God could not possibly use you to serve in the church think about the blessings that you can receive or others can receive through you.  I promise that you will be truly amazed at what God can accomplish through you if you follow the call. 

            One final thought is that as you serve in ministry, you will see your own personal relationship with God strengthened.  Andy Stanley states, “Ministry forces us to be consciously dependent on God, and thus our faith is strengthened.”  As we lean into God to guide us through our service our own faith will grow and mature.

            So my challenge this week is how is calling you to serve in ministry?  What opportunities or gifts have you been trying to hide that you could use to glorify God more?  What steps can you take this week or month to begin serving God in a new and fresh way?