--Starting with scripture, in typical IV style! :)
1 Samuel 17 (David and Goliath)
David exhibits fearlessness and comfort with himself, and is able to discern his calling in some ways we might not necessarily think of.
- He steps up because there is a void (nobody else will do it)... and it is perceived as arrogance!
- Living courageously for God draws criticism.
- He is not altogether inexperienced-- he has experience of facing great foes, and of God coming through for him.
- He focuses on the problem at hand, and not on other peoples' fear and criticisms.
- Takes this as an opportunity!
--When everything is against you, and there is still success... you KNOW it is because of God!
David is indignant in the face of a great bully who was against his God and his people.
David's identity in God is incredibly strong!
David believes that he is truly called.
He looks like a shepherd, but he is more. His connection to God obligated him to confront the great bully he encountered!!
--What really makes YOU mad in this world?
--This may help reveal what your calling is... we will come back to this later.
General revelations can answer many of our specific questions!!
--What are some scriptures that define what we, as followers of Jesus, are called to do?
--Knowing these scriptures, we can see some general guidelines that define our calling:
- The Great Commandment: "Love God, love people" (Mat. 22:36-40)
- The Great Commission: "Make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching..." (Mat. 28:18-20)
- Jesus' first act of ministry: "The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor..." (Luke 4:16-21)
- There are more, but these are some of the main examples.
- Western churches are primarily "pastoral"-- led by Pastors (and also Teachers). Pastors guard the safety of the "flock."
- But ALL 5 are supposed to lead!!
- A team of all 5 types of people looks a lot like Jesus!
- By relying on ONLY the pastoral people to lead, we create a church body who feels that the church exists for them to be comfortable and taken care of.
- This is part of the church's purpose... but definitely NOT all of it!
--It is listed first, which stresses its importance.
--We should strive to be more missional leaders!
- Lead as cultivators of creativity-- create environments where people can be released to mission.
- Teaching people and sending them out...
- And also teaching those who aren't here yet by going TO them!
- Whatever we do should serve the Kingdom. Whether you are a doctor, a teacher, a manager of a restaurant... you should be able to say how the path you are on is enabling you to follow God's call!!
- We should not rely solely on church leaders to accomplish God's mission-- the whole body needs to be involved!
--Explosive growth in China, India, the Philippines, Latin America, Africa...
--Our megachurches create the illusion that the church is growing... but it's not.
What are some tools we can use to discern our calling??
Discern your bully-- what makes YOU mad? You may think this thing (AIDS epidemic, sex slaves, poverty, hunger, inner-city violence) makes EVERYONE mad... but really, we each have certain things that we feel a special passion for.
Discover your gifts-- Try everything you can! Take ANY opportunity to lead (Bible study, worship, a prayer meeting, whatever!). Some people will find that they're pretty good at everything, and they might need to pursue full-time ministry.
Nurture your relationships-- with God, and with each other. We need kingdom leaders, not just church leaders. Think big. Also, many discoveries about ourselves come from community!!
Develop your vocabulary with God-- We don't have enough words to hear God in prayer... so read his word and get familiar with his voice! This generation has an especially high amount of risk-taking ability, and a high concern for each other, but we have an especially low knowledge of God's word.
