Making Sense of the Call

Romans 1:1–7 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for our ears to be open to receive the Call of the Lord.

Pray for understanding of the call.

Pray for each of us to be receptive of the call.

Pray for courage, strength, and ability to step into the fullness of the call

In the Assertion being Designed for Greatness there is an underpinning that must be made clear to each one of us; (no one is excluded)

There is a reference made to the CALL, the ANOINTING, and the APPOINTMENT

THESE THREE (3) ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS

While sin presents an ever present danger in our Spiritual Walk there is a greater assault on the Christian body that undermines the very essence of our being.

In the unpacking of scripture we will come to understand the gravity in

Knowing that each one of us is Called

There are General Calls (declared for everyone)

There are Specified Calls (declared for the individual)

The Call resolves an existential dilemma of “Why, was I even born…” (Purpose for being)

The danger in continued disregard for the call

The greatest threat to our Spiritual Walk is the abject denial of our Call. We must become willing receptors to the divine call on our lives.

Discerning the Call

What does it mean to be Called?

Divine purpose (General or Specified)

God’s initiative (God-said); Not the invention of a man (Man-said)

Plan for Salvation (General)

Plan for your Existence (Specified)

Intentional setting apart

Components of the Call

Rom 1:1-7 is a powerful and effective articulation of the response needed to understand what it means to be called.

Servant of Christ ( General Call to Salvation)

Where or who you serve is up to you… the call to Salvation remains

Called (Kletos) (invitation) to be an Apostle (Specified)

Set Apart for the Gospel of God (reason for call) (God initiative)

Promised by Jesus Christ our Lord (not earned but gifted)

Apostleship to “…Bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations…” (Function)

Including you who are Called (have received the general call) (Audience)

Each piece is a necessity before we can move on from this step

Reason for the call being spoken multiple times through various modalities

Your lens from which you see the world changes as the call becomes clearer

Everyone without exception is Called

The Call on your life cannot:

Be earned

Be lost like a set of keys

Be exchanged for another

Any attempt to exchange it leads to death

The Call on your life can:

Can either be accepted as the God-initiative in our life or;

Can be perverted and abused as the Man-said in our life

it is being used for purposed other than how God intended

YOU ARE BORN WITH as much of the grace for the call (it is up to you to step into the fullness of the call)

Born with the Specified Call

No man can take the glory of the God-initiative in your life. It is no one’s effort or investment; it is no one’s intellect or strength but it is the Power and Grace of the Holy Spirit in Christ

From Birth

Is 49:1-3

Called from the womb

In the womb (first time you heard the call) He named (made known) my name (proper designation; specific title; function)

Made my mouth like a Sharp Sword (Equipped with what you would need)

In the shadow of His hand He hid me (Protection of the call)

He made me a polished arrow (Formation and Reaffirmation)

He said to me you are my servant (He gave it; it belongs to Him)

Jer 1:5

The work of equipping began when He Named your Name

The Lord consecrated (set you apart) you

The Lord gave you your function

Let none of us who hear these words go on pretending that our God has not called us when His word makes clear that from our mother’s womb we have been called.

Types of Call

In the vein of calls (God Initiatives) they can be summed into various categories

Belong to Christ (Salvation)

Participate in the Redemptive Work of Christ (Spiritual Maturity)

Work (Inside/Outside Kingdom)

Call to Life (Promise/Hope)

Some break it down a bit more theologically

Salvation

Holiness

Service

Suffering

Witness/Discipleship

While I would like for us to understand generally what each of these are I want to emphasize the Call that is Irrevocably yours

This God-initiative (Specified Call) is with you from birth even before you give your life to Christ.

Romans 11:29 ESV

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

The name (proper designation) He made you known by and the grace thereof are irrevocable

How and where you use it you will decide… This however will be what the Lord will ask an account from you on

5 Specified Callings

In everyone of us we will find one of these 5 specific callings… and in them we will see how we must develop their function (These are the irrevocable calls)

Ephesians 4:11 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Who you serve with the Call remember is up to you (General Call)

Declaration of Proper Designation (First time Spoken in the Womb)

Apostle

Prophet

Evangelist

Shepherd

Teacher

Reason for the Call Eph 4:12

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Designed for this very reason

Why He holds us accountable

d. Promise of the Lord Eph 4:8

Ephesians 4:8 ESV

Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

These God-initiatives were promised to us according to the measure of His grace in us.

e. Function of the Call Eph 4:13

Ephesians 4:13 ESV

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

i. Not just the why but the impact it will have

f. The Audience Eph 4:16

Ephesians 4:16 ESV

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

i. The God-said in your life was not made for Egypt (the world) it was designed for the Body of Believers

The greatest assault in our faith walk is not so much about how much or how little we sin… It is my contention that greatest assault for our walk is the distortion of the Proper Designation God declared before we were ever born.

Many of us will try with all we have and all we are to do “good” we will overcome depths of sin that others are still wrestling with. Not that we should not seek to be Holy as that it a general call on our lives

What scripture declares is our Spiritual Worship in Rom 12:1 is our bodies as a living sacrifice. Renew your mind… set aside the Designations others have given you.

Micah 6:6-8 declares a priority for us… Before we sacrifice… we Obey… and what is the most important thing to obey but to fulfill the God-Initiative in our life

Heb 10:7-10 declares we are no longer sacrificing to earn brownie points… rather Jesus does away with the first and makes clear what our priorities need to be.

To do the Will of God

In our doing His will we are sanctified

We must hear the God-initiative in our life.

We must ask the purveyor for His guidance

We must be willing to accept the call

We must be willing to step into the call

We must abandon any Man-said in our life to pursue the God-said.