Christian Calling and Vocation
Christian Calling and Vocation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Christian leaders need continual Prayer to remain faithful in their calling
Christian leaders need continual Prayer to remain faithful in their calling
INTRO: The qualifications for being a leader in the world and a leader in the church are extremely different. To be a leader in the world, one need not be honest, of high moral character, or committed to doing what is best for others.
But all of these are extremely important for being qualified in sight to be a leader in the church.
The first qualification for being a leader in the church is to have a divine calling from God to lead, and to follow that calling from as a God given vocation . The requirements for leadership in the church are fouind in the Bible, the Word of God.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams
“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.”
Why Did Paul write this to Timothy, perhaps he was passive and easily intimidated, Paul was encouraging him to stand firm in his faith and make good use of the divine calling and gift he had received from God.
PRAY FOR SECULAR AND CHURCH LEADERS
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Be Continually in Prayer
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Supplications Intensely earnest prayers for specific needs, urgent cries top God for help.
General Prayers Prayers during public worship, over our food, family devotions and other occasions with particular spiritual significance
Intercessions Prayers for others
Giving Thanks Gratitude to God for answered prayer, and for all he provides to sustain our lives, spiritually, physically and materially.vs
for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Why pray for our leaders, so that they will govern in such a way that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
These things are good and acceptable in the sight of God.
God is in charge, He desires for all to be saved, to come into the knowledge of truth.
One God who created all that we see and don’t see, He is sovereign.
Proclaim Christ as Mediator
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Mediator one who mediates, one who stands in the gap between two, to reconcile them one to another.
We can now understand how Christ is our mediator, He is between us and God the Father, and He is the only one through whom we can be reconciled to God.
GUARD YOU CALLING AND VOCATION
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
Neglect Not the Gift Calling: God’s call to you to do ministry
Vocation: doing the ministry to which God has called you
Stir Up the Gift
when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Paul was simply reminding him to continually use, put into practice the spiritual gift he had received to do the ministry God had called him to do.
FIGHT TO BE FAITHFUL
1 Timothy 6:12–16 (NKJV)
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Paul had encouraged Timothy to “war a good warfare” .
When we keep the faithfully serve Christ is automatically calls us into warfare against the forces of evil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We are accountable to Christ for the conduct of our lives and ministry. Remembering Christ is coming back. Living for Christ in this world is a serious responsibility, but faithfulness results in our having eternal life now and forever.
Hold Fast to the Faith
Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Keep and guard carefully.... to sound doctrine
Closing: