When God Calls Your Name

“Thank you, Bob.”

Church family, can we take a moment and thank God for what we’ve just heard this morning?

We’ve heard the Word of God preached with truth and conviction. We’ve heard the story of a man who loves Jesus, loves people, and loves students.

And before we go any further, let me speak to you not just as your pastor but as someone who’s had the privilege of knowing Bob and Becky for a long time.

I’ve known them for about seven years now through our time together at Providence.

Bob teaches robotics — a subject that’s way beyond my skill set — but I’ve watched how he uses it as more than a class. He uses it as a ministry.

He teaches those students about gears and coding, sure, but more than that, he teaches them about perseverance, teamwork, and integrity and points them to Christ every chance he gets. He’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t just build machines; he builds young men and women of character.

And Becky — many of you may not know this — teaches 8th-grade English and actually works right alongside my wife, Blair.

And I’ll just tell you, I am so thankful for these two and their son, Wes. When I first started at Providence, she was my team lead. And she did everything to make sure I was successful and welcomed. They’ve been such a blessing to me and to my family.

Together, Bob and Becky have modeled what it means to serve the Lord with humility and faithfulness. They love people, they love students, and they love the local church.

So when I first heard that God might be calling him into ministry, my heart just said, “Yeah… that makes sense.” Because that’s who they are — people who say yes to God.

And if you’ve listened closely to Bob’s message today, you’ve probably noticed a theme running through it: God calls, and His people respond.

That’s the story of Scripture. It’s the story of Bob and Becky’s life. And church, it’s got to be the story of ours too.

1. God Still Speaks

From the very beginning, God has always been a God who speaks. When you open the first pages of Scripture, before there was light, before there was land, before there was man — there was a voice. “And God said…”

That’s how everything began — not with noise or chaos, but with the Word of God cutting through the darkness.

He spoke, and creation listened. He spoke, and life came into being. He spoke, and everything that exists began to move at the sound of His command.

And He hasn’t stopped speaking since.

God spoke to Noah and told him to build an ark when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. He spoke to Abraham and told him to leave everything familiar and go to a land he’d never seen. He spoke to Moses out of a burning bush — on the backside of the desert, to a man who thought his best days were behind him — and said, “I’m not done with you yet. Go and set my people free.” He spoke to Jonah and told him to go to Nineveh — and even when Jonah ran the other way, God didn’t give up on him. He chased him down, not to crush him, but to correct him, and then used him to bring revival to a whole city. He spoke to Matthew, sitting at his tax collector’s table, knee-deep in greed and guilt, and said two words that changed everything: “Follow Me.” He spoke to Sarah, whose laughter was full of doubt, and said, “By this time next year, you will hold a son.”

Every one of those people had excuses. Every one of them had reasons to say no. But when God spoke — when they finally listened — everything changed.

And here’s what I want you to know this morning: God still speaks.

He hasn’t gone silent. He hasn’t retired. He hasn’t gone off to the great by and by to leave us fending for ourselves.

He still calls people. He still calls families. He still calls churches.

He calls the broken. He calls the ordinary. He calls the ones who think they’re disqualified, and He says, “I’m not looking for perfection — I’m looking for obedience.”

And church, I believe He’s calling Cedar Bay right now. He’s calling us to move forward in faith, to love our neighbors, to reach our community, to disciple our students, and to raise up the next generation of kingdom leaders.

He’s calling us to stop standing still and start stepping out. He’s calling us to trust Him when we can’t see the whole plan, because the One who calls is faithful — and He will do it.

2. Don’t Wait Three Times

We just have to be obedient to the calling.

1 Samuel chapter 3.

Think of th boy Samuel, serving in the temple under old Eli.

One night, as he’s lying down to sleep, he hears a voice: “Samuel.” He jumps up, runs to Eli, and says, “Here I am — you called me.”

But Eli says, “I didn’t call you, son. Go lie back down.”

It happens again. Then again. Three times God calls Samuel’s name, and three times Samuel mistakes it for something else.

Finally, Eli realizes what’s happening. He says, “That’s not me calling you, son — that’s the Lord. The next time you hear that voice, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”

And when God calls again, Samuel answers exactly that way.

Now, let’s be honest, church — some of us are on that third call. God’s been stirring something in your heart for a while now — to serve, to give, to lead, to forgive, to go deeper in your walk with Him — but you’ve been waiting for a more convenient time.

Maybe God’s been prompting you to get involved in ministry, or to disciple someone, or to step out in faith, and you keep rolling over spiritually saying, “Maybe later, Lord.”

Listen, we don’t need a fourth call. We don’t need another sign. When God speaks, our response should be immediate.

Delayed obedience is disobedience.

When He calls, we don’t debate; we don’t delay; we just say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Because the longer you wait, the quieter His voice becomes. But when you respond the first time, that’s when obedience turns into blessing.

Doesn’t mean its going to be easier but its going to be worth it.

Think about when God called Isaiah to be a prophet to the nation, it wasn’t during a peaceful time. It was a time of loss, confusion, and transition. The Bible says, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” In other words, when the throne of Israel was empty, Isaiah discovered that the throne of heaven was still occupied. God hadn’t left. He was still in control.

And in that moment, Isaiah was overwhelmed by the holiness of God. He said, “Woe is me, for I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.” Before Isaiah could ever say, “Here am I, send me,” he first had to say, “Woe is me.”

God purified him, touched his lips with a coal from the altar, and then gave him a commission. When God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah didn’t wait. He didn’t bargain. He didn’t make excuses. He simply said, “Here am I! Send me!” Immediate obedience. No hesitation.

But here’s what’s interesting. God told Isaiah right away that the people he was being sent to wouldn’t listen. They would hear, but not understand; they would see, but not perceive. God was sending Isaiah to a stubborn, hard-hearted nation—and Isaiah still said yes. He obeyed even when the outcome didn’t look successful. He preached faithfully even when the people refused to change. That’s what obedience looks like.

And church, I don’t think we always respond like Isaiah. Too often, we respond like Israel. We hear God’s Word, but we don’t let it take root. We nod along on Sunday, but by Monday we’ve moved on. We know what God’s asking us to do, but we drag our feet until the moment passes. We treat obedience like an option instead of a command.

But if we want to see God move in our church—if we want to see revival among our students, our families, and our city—then we can’t respond like Israel. We’ve got to respond like Isaiah. When God says go, we say yes. When God says give, we give. When God says serve, we serve. When God says forgive, we forgive. When God says love, we love.

That’s the kind of obedience that brings the presence of God. That’s the kind of faith that changes a generation.

3. When God Calls, He Changes Everything

Then there’s Paul. When we meet him in Acts 9, his name is still Saul, and he’s on a mission to destroy the church. He’s not searching for Jesus — he’s trying to stop Him. But here’s what’s so beautiful about grace: God doesn’t wait for Saul to clean himself up. Jesus meets him right in the middle of his rebellion.

A light from heaven flashes around him, knocks him to the ground, and a voice says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And Saul says, “Who are You, Lord?”

And that’s when Jesus says, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

That one encounter changed everything. The man who was the greatest enemy of the church became one of its greatest missionaries. The one who tore down churches began building them. The one who once hunted Christians began helping them.

Because when God calls your name, He doesn’t just adjust your path — He changes your purpose.

That’s what God does. He turns persecutors into preachers. He takes those who’ve been running from Him and gives them a reason to run for Him.

4. Our Calling as a Church

So what about us? What’s God calling Cedar Bay to do?

He’s calling us to go. To keep moving forward in faith. To reach one more student, one more family, one more neighbor with the gospel. To make strong disciples who know God’s Word, live God’s way, and fulfill God’s mission.

And part of that calling, I believe, is what we’re experiencing this morning.

Because this morning, the call of God has a name attached to it — Bob Holcomb.

We’ve been praying for someone who could help us reach and disciple the next generation — someone who would love our students, point them to Jesus, and equip them to live out their faith.

And I believe that’s exactly who God’s brought before us today.

This isn’t about adding a position — it’s about fulfilling a mission. It’s about joining what God is already doing and saying, “Yes, Lord, we’re listening.”

5. Transition to the Vote

So now, church family, we’re going to move into a very special and sacred moment.

This isn’t just business — this is ministry. This isn’t a vote about hiring someone — this is a moment of obedience, of unity, and of faith.

If you’re a member of Cedar Bay Baptist Church, this is your opportunity to affirm what you believe God is doing in the life of Bob and Becky Holcomb and in the life of this church.

In just a moment, our ushers will go around and distribute ballots. If you are in favor of calling Bob Holcomb as our Student Minister, please mark “yes.” If not, mark “no.”

As you do, I want you to pray — not just for the decision, but for what God wants to do through this decision. Pray for Bob and Becky. Pray for our students — that revival would begin in their hearts. And pray that Cedar Bay would always be a church that listens the first time God calls.

Let’s pray before we vote.

“Father, thank You for calling Your people. Thank You for calling Bob and Becky, for their faithfulness and their heart for students. And thank You for calling Cedar Bay to advance the gospel in this community. We ask now that You lead us in unity, in faith, and in wisdom. May this moment bring glory to Your name and fruit to Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

(Ushers distribute and collect ballots.)

SONG HERE

6. After the Vote — Commissioning

(Once the vote has been counted and Bob is confirmed.)

Church family, I have some wonderful news. The vote is in, and I am thrilled to announce that the members of Cedar Bay Baptist Church have officially voted to call Bob Holcomb as our Student Minister!

(Cue applause and celebration.)

Bob and Becky, would you come join me up front?

Church, as they come, I want to remind us — what we’re doing right now isn’t a ceremony; it’s a commissioning. All throughout Scripture, when God set someone apart for His work, His people gathered around them, laid hands on them, and prayed over them.

And that’s what we’re going to do right now.

So I want to invite our deacons, the ministry leaders, and any of our church family who feel led — come on down and gather around Bob and Becky. Let’s lay hands on them and pray together as one body.

(Pause until everyone gathers around.)

Let’s pray:

“Father, we thank You for this moment — for Your faithfulness, for Your calling, and for Your church. Thank You for bringing Bob and Becky into our lives, for the years of faithfulness You’ve already worked into their story, and for the ministry that lies ahead. God, we pray that You would fill them with Your Spirit, strengthen their marriage, protect their family, and anoint their ministry to the students of Cedar Bay. May every conversation, every lesson, and every moment of leadership point young hearts to Jesus. And may this church stand behind them with prayer, encouragement, and love. Lord, use this partnership to reach the next generation and advance Your kingdom here in Jacksonville. In the strong name of Jesus we pray, amen.”