CALL TO GOSPEL MINISTRY

THE MEANING OF MINISTRY:

When the disciples were arguing on the subject of greatness, Jesus asked them: “Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves him?” To most people, it is the one who sit down. But Jesus said “ I am among you as the one who serves. Lk.22: 24-27. His disciples knew that he was their master, and they were his disciples, yet he was serving them.

The Greek word used here is the verb “DIAKONE” meaning to “to serve”.

A “Diakones” is a servant; “Diakonia“ a closely related word sometimes translated “Services” is the word which t5he New Testament rightly used for ministry. CHRISTAIN OFFICIALS ARE “SERVANT OR MINISTERS”

THE CHRISTAIN FAITH IS THE ONLY RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN THE WORLD. In which religious officials are described as servant or ministers. This is because Jesus, Who is the Master, made Himself a servant. He demonstrated this when he washed the feet of his disciples, (Jn.13: 13-16). He took the role of a servant and told his disciples to do the same.

All Christians are call to the ministry. This is because the command of Jesus to do likewise does not apply only to the leaders in the Church of Christ but to all Christians. Paul explained this to the Corinthians. (Cor.3: 5; 4: 5).

A. We are servant of God.

B. We are servants of our fellow Christians.

C. We are servant of the world.

We are in every relationship to follow the examples of our Lord Jesus who thought He always had the nature of God…gave it all up and took the nature of servant. He became like man…He was humbled and walked the path of obedience to death. (Phlip.2: 6-8).

All God’s people are to be prepared for the work of Christian services to build up the Body of Christ. (Eph.4: 12). But within the body of Christ which is the Church, different people are given different services or ministries to perform so that all God’s people may be prepared for Christian services.

INTRODUCTION TO CALL

Call or the call of God has its root in almost all the books of the Bible. If it is critically considered, call or call of God can be divided into two broad ways

A. General call

B. Special call

This is the first and basic experience available for everybody in the world. After the creation of man by God, the devil came to tempt man and man fell into the hand of the devil. Since this fall, man has been following the attractive deceit of the devil and thus sold out the purpose of God for his (Man’s} life, the condition which led man out of the presence of God. This situation brought Jesus Christ into the world to die for the sins of humanity on the cross God is holy and man is essentially sinful. This sinful nature of man created a mighty “GULF” between God and man.

This gulf made it practically impossible for the sinful man to go to Holy God. But Jesus on the cross-stood in the gap (gulf) and stretch forth one of His hand to man and the other to God, creating a bridge in

between and said, “ I am the way, the truth and the life: no one cometh unto the Father but by Me”(Jn.14: 16). Therefore, General Call implies the call to the kingdom of God: Repentance from and out of the world of sin. Acts.3: 19; 2 Cor.5: 19.

As it is very important to give our children primary education before they can proceed to other institutions higher learning, so also is the general call. It is the foundation on which the word of God stands.

Looking at the lives of Levites who work in the temple as a test case, we will discover that they have a record called GENEAOLOGY.

This is the record of their birth. Before anyone is ratified as qualified to work in the temple, his name must be properly checked in the birth record n ad found there. Those whose names were not found in this record were counted or regarded as polluted. Ezra7:16; 2:58-63.

Therefore, before anyone could receive the special call from God, he or she must have been called initially into the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His name must have been written in the book of life

CALL TO GENERAL DUTIES

It is important for all to know that all believers irrespective of his or her age, sex, and educational or social status are called to what are tagged general duties. For example, sharing one’s faith in Christ with another person is the work of soul winning and it is for every Christian. The fact that we are called generally to work for God does not mean each individual does not have his\her unique task to accomplish for God.

It is a fact that we can not all be pastors, evangelist and so on, but it is completely wrong altogether to think or say that if one is not called to be a pastor or a preacher then it means it is not called into the work of God.

If we all live to the expectation of God and we have a stead walk and relationship with the Holy Ghost, we shall discover that every believer has his \her unique work he\she is called to do for God in order to fulfill the general assignment.

All we need to do in order to discover this fact about our lives, is to sit back, check our lives and pray to God asking Him to tell us which area does He wants us to work or function in His vineyard.

SPECIAL CALL

Special call is a particular call to do a particular work, which no one else can do. This is no other thing but the expectation of heaven concerning a particular Christian. The record of heaven is what we know as SPECIAL CALL.

Mark 3:13-15. The people that were called in this passage were not called out of the world but out of the congregation. Jesus went up into the mountain and he called those He would and He chose twelve; that they may be closer to Him than the multitude that might send them forth- out to preachy and that they may have power to heal the sick and drive out demons.

Therefore, special call is the call out of the general call to fulfill a unique purpose in the body of Christ. His call always comes with specific instruction or with what we can call “TERMS OF REFERENCE”.

Text Box: PURPOSES OF SPECIAL CALL OR DUTY

Special call comes to fulfill a specific purpose of God. God is not of anyhow, He is a God of purpose.Eph.3: 11-12.

2. To take over from a man who has retired or about to retire.

3. To fill a gap or rescue some lives

4. To do a new thing with unique dimension. (1Cor.2: 9)

5. For the work of ministry: For the perfecting of the saints, for the edification of the Body of Christ. (Eph.4: 11-12)

DEFINITION OF CALL: Webster defines call as summon to a particular duty, office or employment. We can therefore define call as the inner conviction about a particular assignment which heaven has prepared down for a particular man\woman.Gal.1: 15-16.

THOSE WHO ARE NOT CALLED BY GOD

Those who are not called by God usually recognized by one or more of these traits:

1. Inability to endure hardship as good soldier.

2. Demonstration or manifestation of rivalry or competition

3. Starting a ministry as a result of parental pressure.

4. using the ministry as a retirement engagement.

5. Unchecked passion for money.

6. Taking the work as a professional engagement.

7. Starting a ministry or working for God as a result of ambition or emotion.

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S CALL

The first step to fulfillment of God’s call on our lives is the understanding of it. Many ministers\ministries have missed it here. Missing it here is missing it forever. The Call of God becomes more effective in our live the moment we understand what exactly the heaven demands concerning our lives. All the live Jesus lived was to fulfill what heaven has written concerning Him. Matt.26: 22-24.

HOW CAN ONE KNOW THAT HE IS CALLED OF GOD INTO CHRISTIAN SERVICE?

1. Call into God’s service is a spiritual conception. Therefore, only the regenerated ones can hear the inaudible voice of God clearly. (1Cor.2: 14;Jn.10: 27; 1kg.19: 12; Lk.22: 31-32)

2. The Lord Himself takes the initiative in a call to service. (Jn.15: 16;Eze.34: 23-24)

3. The approach, manner and method the Lord uses in calling to service may be different.

a. Elijah cast his mantle upon Elisha. (1Kg.19: 19).

b. Samuel anointed David with oil. (1Sam.16: 11-13)

c. Amos heard the commission of God (Amos 7:14-15)

d. Paul received his call through a heavenly vision. (Acts.26: 15-19)

e. God called Timothy and Titus through the instrumentality of the Apostle Paul. (Acts.16: 1-3,Tim.1: 3; 2Cor.8: 16-17; Titus 1:5)

The Lord call each person as He deems fit. We should not therefore seek to receive or confirm our call according to certain standards or patterns used before. Each person is a distinct creature of God and may be called by God in a way, which is distinctively His.

STEPS TO DISCOVER CALL INTO THE MINISTRY

1. Through the impression of the Holy Spirit, one may become conscious or aware of an interest in and having affection towards God’s service.

2. This desire will soon be overshadowed by the sense of our own unworthiness. (2 Cor.3: 5,Phlip.4: 13)

3. However, a high estimate of the office will dawn on us and we will be persuaded that the life and work of the ministry are the most important ones to us. (Phlip.3:7-11).

4. These gifts and ministry will later find their means of development will begin to manifest. (1 Tim.4: 14, 2 Tim.1:6, Acts.13:1-37)

5. The Lord will confirm our call in numerous ways and there will be a general approval of our longing to serve as the minister of the Lord.

The ordination of the church through its appointed leaders will only confirm the initial ordination, which the He has given us. (Acts.9: 15, 13:2). There is a time for ordination\anointing and also a time of sending forth\coronation, after your discovery about the call of God on your life, you need to wait till God sends you. Remember these people:

1. DAVID

2. JOSEPH

3. ABRAHAM

Do not forget that disobedience to God’s call is a sin. Understand that you will not only fail God, but you would have also disappointed your generation.

SOME OF THOSE WHO UNDERSTOOD THEIR CALL

1. Jesus our lord. (Mk.8: 31-33, Lk.23: 12,18)

2. Samson. (Judg.13: 1-5)

3. Paul (Acts.9: 3-16, Gal.1: 15-16)

If you do not diligently find out, what exactly the divine administration assigned to you to do, you will become a borrowed vessel in the hand of a master who is not the original one.

Mr. Judas Iscariot did not understand his call, he forgot his Bishopric, Apostleship and the anointing to cast out devil. He valued money more than all these things. And just because of 30 pieces of silver, the money he never spent, he gave out our Lord Jesus and a long with it he gave out his heavenly call.

If you do not prayerfully tail your call and face it, you will become a borrowed vessel in the hand of the devil and it will be said concerning you that “ It were better you are not born”. In Nehemiah 7:62-65, some of the children of the priest went and polluted themselves with the women, therefore they were put aside from priesthood.

GOD’S PROVISION FOR HIS CALL

To every great vision there is a “Pro-vision”. The word “Pro” means support or assistance t6o that vision. If your call is a genuine one, God will never deny or starve it with resources. No soldier goes to war at his own expenses.

GENUINE CALL:

Genuine call needs not to beg for money or other material things. Unfortunately many ministers have turned to beggars today, instead to wait upon He who called them. The problems of many ministers today are:

1. What they call ministry is found out to be ordinary ambition or emotion and God will never sponsor your ambition or emotion.

2. Many people are not ready to bear responsibilities and after the call there is responsibility. When God called Abraham, He gave him promises and responsibilities. (Gen.17: 13, 18:16-19). God is not ready to mobilize you except you are ready to bear the responsibilities.

3. Another one is planning. God will never give out His resources, if there is no adequate preparation. Before any government can award contract to a contractor, the contractor will first give his estimate and time to finish his job.

The same thing happened in Nehemiah 2:1-8, when the king asked him two questions, which you also need to answer if you have a genuine call, and if God is going to mobilize you:

I. Vs 4 The King asked, “For what doest thou make request?”

II. Vs 6 The King asked, “For how long shall thy journey be?”

The call of God can never be a taken away; you must give detailed plan before He provides for your ministry. Don’t just go into ministry without receiving God’s mobilization. This is why many ministers become beggars before they can live and that is why their ministries are not progressing.

One thing is to be called by God and another one is to be sent by God. If you go without been sent by God, soon you will turn your back. Please settle this before you go.

After Ezra the Prophet and the teacher of the law has got all these requirement, he did not ask for money before God gave it to him. (Ezra 7:10-27)

1. Ezra did not gain freedom until he was ready to do the work.

2. When Ezra was ready, the king gave out letter to support the work financially.

3. The King released those who desired to go to Jerusalem with him.

4. He gave out money and other things to mobilize Ezra.

5. The King made decree to all treasurers to release money to Ezra anytime he needed it.

If your call is genuine, the support of the work by God will be by decree, not by begging, advice or by pledging, it shall be by decree.

In 1 Kg.17: 2-4,8-9, God told Elijah to go eastward for: “I have commanded the ravens…”.After that .He said, “go to Zarephath for I have commanded a window to sustain you”.

In conclusion, wait for God to send you before you go, and don’t forget to answer all the above questions. God will never mobilize you until you have found answer to the questions .God bless you as you go to pray.

MEASUREMENT OF FULFILMENT

If we are to talk about being successful in the ministry, some may be looking at their achievements. But the fact is, achievement is not success and cannot be success.

But you are a successful man when you fulfill your call i.e. the things the heaven is demanding concerning your life. When you do it to the satisfactory of Him who called you, then and only then you are successful. 1Kg.10: 30.

KNOWING THE MARK: Knowing the mark means knowing where to start and to stop. When to start and to stop. It is very important for a good contractor to know what to do and where to do it.

If the Government wants to tar a road, a good contractor will ask for the kilometers involved, the starting and ending point. It has breadth, length, height and depth.

This is what is known as DIVINE BOUNDARY, which God has preplanned. Therefore, as a minister, you will be foolish if you don’t know it.

HINDRANCES TO FULFILMENT

1. SATAN

2. DOMESTIC NEEDS

3. BRETHREN

SOME PROTO TYPE:

1. JESUS

2. SAMSON

3. PAUL

4. JOSHUA

In conclusion, you need to wait for God’s approval before you start the work. Jesus and John the Baptist waited for about thirty years before they started.

God bless you.