It's Your Call!

Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle.

We

Our Faith Needs Works

James 2:20 The Living Bible

20 Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.

Christian & Salvationist are verbs

The word Christian or Salvationist is not a noun. It’s not a name. It’s a verb. It’s active. It describes what we do. As Christians, we try to live out our calling to be like Christ. As Salvationist, we try to live our lives unapologetically, intensely and passionately for others.

Scripture emphasises an active faith

The whole of Scripture emphasises an active faith. We are called to do justice, to show compassion by helping others and humbly seek to know God and allow him to know us. The Holy Spirit motivates and empowers us, working in and through us to fulfil our calling and enabling us to act out our faith.

A Church with its sleeves rolled up

The Salvationist’s motto is, “Do Something”! We are the church with its sleeves rolled up. That’s God’s calling for The Salvation Army, and for each one of us.

God

1 Timothy 6:11-21 CEV, (p.1194)

1 Timothy 6:11–21 (CEV)

11 Timothy, you belong to God, so keep away from all these evil things. Try your best to please God and to be like him. Be faithful, loving, dependable, and gentle.

12 Fight a good fight for the faith and claim eternal life. God offered it to you when you clearly told about your faith, while so many people listened.

13 Now I ask you to make a promise. Make it in the presence of God, who gives life to all, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, who openly told Pontius Pilate about his faith.

14 Promise to obey completely and fully all that you have been told until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

15 The glorious God is the only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. At the time that God has already decided, he will send Jesus Christ back again.

16 Only God lives forever! And he lives in light that no one can come near. No human has ever seen God or ever can see him. God will be honored, and his power will last forever. Amen.

17 Warn the rich people of this world not to be proud or to trust in wealth that is easily lost. Tell them to have faith in God, who is rich and blesses us with everything we need to enjoy life.

18 Instruct them to do as many good deeds as they can and to help everyone. Remind the rich to be generous and share what they have.

19 This will lay a solid foundation for the future, so that they will know what true life is like.

20 Timothy, guard what God has placed in your care! Don’t pay any attention to that godless and stupid talk that sounds smart but really isn’t.

21 Some people have even lost their faith by believing this talk. I pray that the Lord will be kind to all of you!

Paul Encourages An Active Faith

1 Timothy 6:11–12 NRSV

But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Fight is not a military metaphor

Paul says “fight the good fight of the faith”. At first glance, this seems right up The Salvation Army’s street! After all, we were born to fight. But here, the phrase is not a military metaphor. It could be more accurately translated as “contest the good contest”. It’s an athletics metaphor. Keeping the faith and living it out day by day required the energy of a good athlete. If you don’t believe me, then look at the verbs Paul uses!

Shun

Paul tells Timothy to shun, keep away from, even flee from evil things. Sometimes the best way to avoid evil or temptation is simply to turn our backs and run away as fast as we can in the other direction! Some things are just too tempting for us, and we need to engage in sanctified flight!

Pursue

Paul encourages us to follow hard after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. You and I both know that takes the energy of an athlete trying to keep up with the leader of a race. Our spiritual maturity never stands still. It’s either going forwards or it’s going backwards. We need to keep pursuing good to ensure we are moving forward. We have to think about pursuing good and then give our time and energy to it.

Take Hold

Paul says we must take hold of the eternal life that Jesus has already given and promised us. Grab it for all its worth and live life to the full. We must do all we can to know God for who he is, to ensure that his Holy Spirit is living in and through us, grow the fruit of the Spirit, experience the joy of service and open up to the love of God, until we arrive in heaven.

You

Answer the Call

Holiness is strengthened by Christian Service

The life of a Christian and the life of a Salvationist is a call to action. Each one of us is called to an athletic life of faith. Holiness must be pursued. It requires total commitment. And it is strengthened by doing something. Many of you can testify to that. Your faith is strengthened by playing or singing music, by preparing a meal, by helping someone find a job, by visiting the lonely and the sick, by teaching, and so many other activities.

A call to everyday action

Your faith can be strengthened, and your call answered in many other small ways too:

l was giving a friend a lift in my car, and we got to talking about life.‘I don't know what God's calling me to do,‘ he confessed, and asked me to pray about what it might be.

‘Why?’ I asked. ‘l already know what Jesus wants you to do!'

'You do?' he gasped with excitement. 'So what is it? What's my call?'

I paused, enjoying the suspense. Drums rolled. String quartets tuned up. My friend held his breath.

'Your call,’ I said slowly, ‘is to be a worship leader ...'

He looked pleased, really pleased, so I continued: ‘...but not necessarily with a guitar in your hand.'

‘Okayyy,‘ he murmured.

'Your call is to befriend that funny little lady at the end of your street...'

He seemed less pleased with this prospect.

'Your call is to feed the hungry and to spend yourself on behalf of the poor...’

By now he was looking distinctly troubled.

‘...and to otter hospitality to strangers who just turn up in town needing, a place to crash.'

Consternatlon.

'And it's to fast.'

He was starting to look furious.

‘And it's to pray so long and hard that you run out of words and tears’.

There was no going back.

'Your call,' I continued, ‘is to preach the good news of Jesus to every person who will listen and a few who won’t. Your call

is to go somewhere, anywhere, wherever, whenever, tor Jesus, and never stop. Your call is to love people no one else loves and to forgive them when they treat you like dirt - or worse. Do your job to the very best of your ability without grumbling about your boss or whining about your colleagues. Your calls is to pray for the sick, and they are healed, to dance all night. And when they aren’t, to weep with them and love them even more.’

I glanced across at him and was relieved to see that his expression was beginning to mellow.

'Your call is to honour your parents. pray for your leaders, study the Scriptures and attend plenty of parties. Be a peacemaker in every situation; when the fight breaks out on the bus home late at night and when the gossip starts to circulate at church. Your call is to pick up litter in the street when no one else is looking, to wipe the toilet seat. to pull gum off from under the desk. It's to get to meetings early to put out the chairs.'

By now he was smiling,

‘Your call is to make disciples and to teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. And don't forget to minister grace to them when they sin. Which they will. Your mission is to baptise and to cast out evil spirits. Your call is to bind up broken hearts wherever you find them, and you will find them wherever you look. It's to visit prisons. And hospitals. And to ...'

‘Yeah, yeah,‘ he interrupted good-naturedly, trying to shut me up, but I was on a roll — and I knew he couldn't leave, because I was driving the car.

'Your call,' I continued resolutely, 'is to listen more than you talk and to listen with your eyes as well as your ears.’

He was shaking his head in mock despair. I carried on: ‘It's to do the chores again and again without grumbling. It's to buy ethical coffee and to recycle your bottles. And while you're at it, don't forget to leave anonymous gifts on people's doorsteps.'

By now we were both laughing, and I was finally running out of steam: 'And when you’ve done all that,’ I grinned, jabbing him in the ribs at each syllable, ‘come back see me, and we can spend a little time praying about Phase Two!’

The Vision and the Vow, Pete Grieg.

You know what you believe. That faith must lead to action. I have a calling. You have a calling. Knowing what you believe, will you answer that call? Will you continue to pursue the “with God life” and live out your calling day by day?

Let’s fight the good fight of faith together!

Next Steps

SB 979 - Soldiers of Christ, arise

Soldiers of Christ, arise, And put your armour on, Strong in the strength which God supplies Through his eternal Son. Praise ye the Lord, hallelujah! 2 Strong in the Lord of hosts And in his mighty power, Who in the strength of Jesus trusts Is more than conqueror. 3 Leave no unguarded place, No weakness of the soul; Take every virtue, every grace, And fortify the whole. 4 To keep your armour bright Attend with constant care, Still walking in your captain?s sight And watching unto prayer. 5 That, having all things done, And all your conflicts past, Ye may o?ercome through Christ alone And stand complete at last. 6 From strength to strength go on, Wrestle and fight and pray; Tread all the powers of darkness down And win the well-fought day. Charles Wesley (1707-1788) (verses) Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 30158 Copied from The Song Book of The Salvation Army Song Number 979

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