CALLED

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For thousands of years the Lord has called people not only to follow and obey Him, but to serve Him with their entire lives.

Marketplace ministry, and each of us grabbing hold of who we are in Christ and identifying what we are doing for the KINGDOM OF GOD in our workplaces is a vital step for ALL CHRISTIANS to make themselves aware of and engage in.

Each person is called to make their work the Lord’s work and see it as HIs plan in their lives to be used for His glory.

But throughout Scripture and for hundreds of years, there has ALSO been a vocational call to serving the Lord… He has always called pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists and apostles (missionaries).

SO, why do we have a shortage of all the above in our current age???

Are we recognizing the voice of God when HE CALLS?

1 Samuel 3 NLT

1 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. 2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” 7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back to bed. 10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” 15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” Samuel replied. 17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” 19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

This morning I would like to share elements of God’s calling me along with this passage of Scripture to talk about answering the phone when God calls!

After all, God is not deserving of voice mail, ghosting, or even a text — He deserves an answer!

1. Maturity Brings Clarity

I say that with a different perspective..

God’s voice can call out to us, but sometimes we are too young either physically or even spiritually to recognize it!

The Lord called out to Samuel multiple times but Samuel thought it was his spiritual mentor speaking because he was still INEXPERIENCED at hearing the voice of God.

1 Samuel 3:4–5 NLT

4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

I first had an interest in ministry and sensed something calling me when I was a younger child and a missionary came and told stories about his wife killing an intruder and showed slides of the gory event, and had monkeys in jars…

This peaked my interest, but something spiritual was actually happening.

In fifth grade, while sitting in church on a Sunday night listening to the pastor was when I first heard the Lord’s voice — but thought it was just me...

The Pastor, an older gentlemen, very monotone in speech was speaking on the Psalms - possibly. This was over 40 years ago...

I distinctly remember the sense that I should be doing what the Pastor was doing - preaching the Word - when I get older, it was a pretty clear impression...

I then told myself - I could never get up and speak in front of people, and I wouldn’t know what to say...

Well, duh! I was like 10 or 11 maybe, I wasn’t even in Junior High School, let alone able to publicly speak...

I hear the voice, but did not recognize it yet!

Because I was still immature I did not know the clarity

Did that mean the Lord wasn’t calling me? NO

It just meant He would have to speak a few more times for me to figure it out.

Perhaps today the Lord has been calling you, but your spiritual maturity was struggling to understand, or maybe it was when you were younger, or you may be hearing His voice for the first time now… LISTEN, RESPOND

Say Yes, Lord, what do you want to say to me?

2. Distracted by Other Voices

As a teenager I had a desire to be a minister, I remember clearly sensing the call - especially after I had been filled with the H0ly Spirit shortly after I turned 12.

It was a seeming fit in my heart for what I desired to do. until my Dad talked me out of it!

He had been in ministry before I was born and then left and wanted me to pursue a vocational career that made decent money as he had found his pursuit of ministry to be a financial loss to his further adult vocations.

Eli, Samuel’s mentor, did not at first help him to recognize God’s voice, perhaps he wasn’t always hearing the Lord’s voice clearly, we know his sons were sinners seeking their own gains and abusing the ministry they had.

1 Samuel 3:5–6 NLT

5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. 6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

My mentor encouraged me to not listen for the Lord’s voice at first. That led me through most of Junior High and High School pursuing my own interests.

I remember even voicing my goals to succeed in banking or being a lawyer and doing missions work on the side in my spare time. I would serve Jesus, but not follow His call or voice. The need to impact the Kingdom was on my heart, but pulling away from discouraging voices and even my own desires to pursue success dissuaded me.

Someone here today might be feeling the same thing. Your caught between success, money, or discouraging voices that have told yo to ignore the voice you are hearing, or THEY HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD WHO THE VOICE WAS YET!!!

Their advice is not aligning with the Lord’s call!

Maybe you have spent a lifetime running from what God has wanted you to do because of other voices that did not recognize the Lord’s calling on your life and did not encourage it, yet you still feel the pull.

Will you say, “Speak Lord, I am listening!”?

3. Surrendering to His Call

Eventually when God calls we have to answer the phone!

We can hang up on Him, or we can ask what He wants and be ready to respond.

Eli finally told Samuel - it is the voice of God, ask Him what He wants to tell you...

1 Samuel 3:8–9 NLT

8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back to bed.

The message was pretty powerful, and not good at all for ELI --- in fact, the message would change his own future.

1 Samuel 3:11–14 NLT

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

At that moment in time it would have been hard for Samuel to figure out the path forward and all that God was going to do in His life, He had to start by listening and obeying what was spoken to him

We cannot begin to be used by God if we will not listen and obey - and start taking one step at a time and watching the Lord unfold His plan.

In March of my Junior year of High School, a traveling choir from a nearby Bible College that trained vocational ministers came to our church.

I was an usher that night, which meant I spent most of it in the foyer behind a glass wall listening through speakers.

Every testimony, every song, I distinctly remember being drawn by the Holy Spirit to SURRENDER and OBEY.

When the altars opened up that night - I RAN FORWARD and began weeping at the altar surrendering all my own dreams and ideas of my future and gave them to the Lord.

I said - “Speak, your servant is listening?” I clearly heard the call to forsake my plans and go to Bible College.

That night two of the students in the choir stayed at our home, and the next day they took me around and helped me sell candy to go to youth convention.

Right there I saw another picture of ministry - not just the Word side, but the caring for others lives. I knew what I was to do, and I applied to the Bible school and was accepted even before I was a Senior.

I remember having to tell my Dad, and I thought he’s is not going to like this, but with tears in his eyes he recognized the Lord’s call on my life, said he always saw it but he wanted me to be sure. Said, he should have never left the ministry. My Aunt, his sister would tell me my Dad’s calling fell on me.

Not sure about that, but I do know - I could not reject the call.

I did not realize what my future would hold, where I would go, what I would do.

I never imagined myself pastoring a church in COLORADO or even having lived out west as I have for 22+ years as a minister.

I do know I have said the hard things, even like Samuel having to tell Eli what the Lord said to him.