The Call of God
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Turn to Ephesians 4
The Call of God
Turn to
Today is a special day for Adam and for our church family. We’re not exalting Adam, he is no more special than anyone else - but we are celebrating with him and we’re celebrating what Christ has done in him and what Christ is calling Adam to do.
What we’re celebrating fits perfectly into where we are as a congregation and where we are heading - that God is calling us to be the best church we can be. God is calling us to excellence. As we seek God’s direction and vision for this church, I believe we will see more people called into specific areas of ministry.
Our Nazarene denomination, as do many others, believes that all believers in Christ are called to minister. All believers are to be actively engaged in ministry. I’ve said this before, that
“Every Christian is a minister and every minister has a ministry.”
Every Christian has a skill or talent they should use for the Kingdom of God. Furthermore, God has provided spiritual gifts to each Christian for works of service. This is what I call “Doing what you can with what you’ve been given.”
We also recognize that God calls some men and women into specific and public ministry. We see many examples of this throughout Scripture. For example, God called all Israelites to freedom, but He specifically called Moses to lead Israel; God ordained Aaron and his sons of priests; God anointed David as king; Jesus appointed His 12 disciples and then sent them out.
Understand that God has not stopped calling and sending. The problem, however, is not that God is calling less people; the problem is that less people are responding to His call. They are putting other things before God … but that’s another sermon.
Now Adam, we believe, has received a call to fulltime ministry. Which means, God-willing, he will move on to a district license and eventually ordination. That process is a 4 to 6-year journey of education, interviews and gaining experience. So let’s talk about this Call of God.
Turn to ’m using the NLT this morning. Captures the essence of the passage.
I think it’s important to note that chapter 4 starts with the adverb - therefore. This is a significant turning point in the letter. Chapters 1-3 are largely exposition - they’re doctrine and theological. Chapters 4-6 are exhortation and application. Chapters 1-3 are what God accomplished through Christ – that Jew and Gentile alike are saved by grace through faith - chapters 4-6 are then how we live in Christ. This is what God has done - therefore - this is how we ought to live.
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
We need to stop there and identify the “who” – to whom is Paul addressing?
We need to stop there and identify the “who” – to whom is Paul addressing?
Most scholars agree that Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus? However, not all early manuscripts include “to Ephesus,” leading many scholars to believe that Paul was writing to the churches within the vicinity of Ephesus - about a 30-mile radius. That includes a lot of people. So this is what we call a circular letter – the intent was to circulate the letter among multiple congregations. Of course, we can now extend that audience to include us as well.
So Paul is writing to Christians. “Wow! Thanks a lot Captain Obvious! You went to Bible college just to tell us that!” Yes, but let’s take it a step further – what kind of Christians?
In chapter 1, Paul calls them Saints, or God’s holy people. If you’re in Christ, you’re a saint. Now, turn to . Paul says this to these saints:
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
So who is Paul writing to? Not just Christians, but former pagans, heathens, sinners - people who used to indulge the flesh - drinking, drugging, carousing, lying, cheating, cold dead-beating, two-timin’, double dealin’ mean mistreatin’ … people. People who once walked in darkness - doing things that people shouldn’t do. He’s writing to people who used to live that way BUT, who have been transformed by the Spirit of the living God.
So who is Paul writing to? Not just Christians, but former pagans, heathens, sinners - people who used to indulge the flesh - drinking, drugging, carousing, lying, cheating, cold dead-beating, two-timin’, double dealin’ mean mistreatin’ … people. People who once walked in darkness - doing things that people shouldn’t do. He’s writing to people who used to live that way BUT, who have been transformed by the Spirit of the living God.
Now notice only once does Paul say, “You people!” Then he expands it - “All of us used to live that way.” He includes himself, but the broader context of God’s Word includes us as well.
He’s not just writing to Christians, he’s writing to saints who used to be sinners. So when we talk about God’s calling, we must remember that
Every sinner is called to salvation and remember, Every saint used to be a sinner.
Go back to 4:1. Paul exhorts them to live a life worthy their calling. This is a general or comprehensive calling to all believers to live the same Christ-like lifestyle. We call that holiness, and holiness is a one size fits all.
Every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to sanctification …
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified ….
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
The pursuit of holiness is living a life worthy of the calling. And verses 2-6 provides an overview of holiness.
Eph. 4:2-6
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Eph. 2:2-6
You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
The pursuit of holiness is living a life worthy of the calling. And verses 2-6 provides an overview of holiness. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Of course, we can add many other Christian characteristics – such as love, peace, forgiveness, service, prayer, integrity, purity, compassion etc. And that is the purpose and progress of sanctification – that the sinner sins less and exemplifies holiness or Christ-likeness.
2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Of course, we can add many other Christian characteristics – such as love, peace, forgiveness, service, prayer, integrity, purity, compassion etc. And that is the purpose and progress of sanctification – that the sinner sins less and exemplifies holiness or Christ-likeness.
Of course, we can add many other Christian characteristics – such as love, peace, forgiveness, service, prayer, integrity, purity, compassion etc. And that is the purpose and progress of sanctification – that the sinner sins less and exemplifies holiness or Christ-likeness.
Let me add this -
Just as a sinful past does not exclude us from the gift of salvation, our salvation does not excuse us from sanctification.
What does that mean? In short – it doesn’t matter who we are or what we’ve done – we all have the same calling to salvation and the same calling to sanctification or holiness – without exception. Being saved is not the end of the journey - the pursuit of holiness is a lifelong process.
The greatest proof of salvation and sanctification is expressed through the greatest command - (Matt. 22:37-40).
- to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind - and - to love your neighbor as yourself.
Every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to sanctification … and service.
Look at verse 7.
However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.
That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
7 However …, [even though we have the same general calling to salvation and sanctification], he has given each one of us a special gift (grace, charis) through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
In , we know that we are saved by grace (charis). Here, Christ has given us gifts or grace (same word - charis) for the purpose of serving. We have saving grace, but we also have serving grace - meaning that just as we are saved by grace – we are to serve because of grace.
In , we know that we are saved by grace (charis). Here, Christ has given us gifts or grace (same word - charis) for the purpose of serving. We have saving grace, but we also have serving grace - meaning that just as we are saved by grace – we are to serve because of grace.
The NIV reads, “… to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” The Greek word there is metrōn – it’s where we get our word metrics or measurement. It means to measure out. So, Jesus divvied out to each person the gift he wanted each person to have, and each person has been given a different grace or gift. So we’re are called to live the same way in Christ, but we’re not all called to serve Christ the same way.
Now, this is an undeniable truth of Scripture – Jesus Christ gave you a gift! He gave you talent, He gave you the ability to acquire skills and He has given you the ability to receive and use spiritual gifts. The God of Heaven has given you something to do and He gave you the means to do it! Every Christian should be doing what they can with what they’ve been given.
We’ll talk about spiritual gifts later this year, but know this -
The reason Jesus gave me a gift, is so I can help build up the church.
This is where it gets a little tricky, and again, we’ll cover this in more detail in later sermons, but we need to ask ourselves an initial question:
Am I actively using the gifts, skills and talents Christ has given me to build this church? I’m not asking if you are busy or if you are helping in the church. Busyness is not necessarily the same thing as using what God has given you to help build His church. We’re all busy, but that doesn’t mean we’re building up the church. This is why it is so important that we just don’t do stuff, both in and out of the church, but that we strategically and prayerfully serve where God has called us to serve. He’s called some of you to serve inside and some of you serve outside - to build the Kingdom. And being a servant of Jesus Christ is a 24-7 occupation.
So far, we’ve been speaking in general – every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to salvation and service. But as we mentioned at the beginning, there are some who are called to a specific and public ministry - not because these people are any more special or holy than anyone else. These people are called to specific offices of ministry simply because God chose them ().
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip (coach, train) God’s people to do his work (diakonia - ministry, help), and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to sanctification and service; but some are selected to equip the saints.
Eph. 4:11-13
Every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to sanctification and service; but some are selected to equip the saints. Let me rephrase that – Every Christian is called to be a minister, but some Christians are called to equip the ministers.
Let me rephrase that –
Every sinner is called to salvation; every saint is called to sanctification and service; but some are selected to equip the saints. Let me rephrase that – Every Christian is called to be a minister, but some Christians are called to equip the ministers.
Every Christian is called to be a minister, but some Christians are called to equip the ministers.
John Stott put it this way -
The former expression about equipping God’s people is of far-reaching significance for any true understanding of Christian ministry. For the word ministry (diakonia) is here used not to describe the work of pastors but rather the work of so-called laity, that is, of all God’s people without exception. Here is incontrovertible evidence that the New Testament envisages ministry not as the prerogative of a clerical élite but as the privileged calling of all the people of God.
Of pastors, he adds,
Of pastors, he adds, [The pastor is] but of one who helps and encourages all God’s people to discover, develop and exercise their gifts. His teaching and training are directed to this end, to enable the people of God to be a servant people, ministering actively but humbly according to their gifts in a world of alienation and pain.
[The pastor is] but of one who helps and encourages all God’s people to discover, develop and exercise their gifts. His teaching and training are directed to this end, to enable the people of God to be a servant people, ministering actively but humbly according to their gifts in a world of alienation and pain.
The biblical role of a pastor or the other offices listed, is not that of a counselor, therapist, a real-estate agent, lawyer or medical doctor. The biblical role of a pastor is that of a spiritual overseer. The pastor does not govern the church, but oversees its spiritual health and direction. The role of a pastor is not to build or grow the church. The primary role of a pastor is to help the congregation build the church, to help the congregation to be the best they can be for Christ.
I don’t know if this is the best way to say it, but I think you’ll know what I mean -
The real ministers are sitting in your seats.
The real minister wears your pants and shoes. The real minister works where you work and drives your car, and hugs your children and grandchildren.
Adam has received a call to a specific area of ministry and for that we celebrate. However, every saint has a call to minister - what’s yours?