On Being Called by God

We've all heard it, and many of us, including me, have said it. God has called me into ministry. I've often said that I'm called to make disciples in Cameroon. It's easy to talk about the tasks and ministry we feel led to be involved in as a calling, and sometimes we mean that God has told us directly (whether audibly or within our own spirits) the specifics of how we are to serve him. But does the Bible speak of the ministry God gives us as a calling?

God Hasn't "Called" You, But He Has Called You
The New Testament rarely describes someone receiving a call directly from God to engage in a particular ministry. Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit for ministry, but that was in the context of the local church and not on their own (Acts 13:2). Later, when on his second missionary journey, Paul saw a vision of a man urging him to go to Macedonia, which he did (Acts 16:9). But this was hardly a call to ministry; Paul was already engaged in missions. The normal pattern of Christians assuming ministerial roles in the New Testament did not include a call from God.

Conversely, the overwhelming thrust of God's will in the New Testament focuses not on individual occupational or ministerial decisions, but on obedience to him. We are all given the objective calling to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness, and to love him and neighbor (Mt 6:33, 22:37). Paul writes that God's will for our lives is our sanctification (1 Thess 4:3). God gives us biblical parameters in which we are to live, and as long as we do so, we are within his will. The Bible doesn't tells us to search for his will regarding where to live or work.

We are only able to trace God's specific, individual calls in our lives as we look back on how circumstances in our lives have unfolded. Matt Chandler, speaking on how he knows he is called to be married his wife Lauren, said, "You know how I know I'm called to be married to my wife? I married her. She said Yes." This is the only sure way I know of to discern God's call as it pertains to particular tasks and circumstances in our lives. Under God's sovereign providence, things comes to pass. And that confidence comes on the back end, not the front. Even if you experience a strong inclination in your spirit that God wants you to do something, it is only confirmed afterward. When we are living in the new heavens and the new earth, we will be able to trace all of God's calls on and purposes for our lives. Until then, just seek his kingdom and love him and others. It's that simple. Don't try to be more spiritual than God is. It's time to hang up on "the call."

My Story

Do you want to know how God "called me" into missions? Through the preaching of his Word in the local church. Through simple, expositional preaching, God began stirring in me a desire to serve him overseas. I went on a two week trip to get my feet wet and came home knowing God wanted me to pursue foreign missions. That's it. Not a very exciting story, is it? No voice from heaven or writing in the sky. No dreams or visions. Just his Spirit using his Word to guide me. Some people are led by God in more dynamic ways, but that's not my story. And it doesn't have to be yours.

I do think that Tabitha and I are called to serve God in Cameroon. But we're still in the support raising phase, and we can't go until we're done. So, I don't know for sure that we are called. I fully believe that God will provide all we need and get us to Cameroon, but until it comes to pass, I cannot know with absolute certainty. But I do know with absolute certainty is that he calls us to trust him and lean not on our own understanding through this rigorous process.

My Call Is Better Than Yours
One problem with saying one is "called to ministry" is that it implies they are better or more signifiant than those who "aren't called." When's the last time someone told you they're called to be a plumber or a software engineer? Probably never. Yet the pastor or missionary who has received the "calling" is surely more spiritual and important than the faithful factory worker, right? Wrong. The Bible never exalts one occupation over any other. Nor does it say that pastors or missionaries have a more prestigious ministry than the man with the 9-5 job who serves faithfully at his church on Sunday, or the tired Mom seeking to share the gospel with her kids in word and deed day in and day out at home. So let's stop making other Christians feel inferior just because they're not being paid for ministry. We all have equally significant work to do for God's glory.

Sometimes I'm treated as if I'm special because I'm planning to be a cross-cultural missionary. I've been told that I'm doing "the Lord's work." Well, yes, I am doing the Lord's work. But so is every other Christian that does their work for God's glory. To be a missionary is to simply use one's gifts in a cross-cultural context. Sure, moving overseas will bring unique challenges, but at the end of the day, I'm no different from anyone else who is walking by faith and trying to please God. I'm only going where I think God's leading me and my family.

So, what now?
You may be thinking, "This all seems great, but I still don't know what to do with my life!" World Team taught me a helpful way to answer this question. When deciding where and how missionary candidates will serve, World Team will ask them to consider their skills, knowledge, abilities, and gifts. God uses our life circumstances to mold us into the kind of persons he wants to be in order to lead us into in the good works he has already prepared for us (Eph 2:10), and along the way we often acquire the abilities he wants us to have for later use in service to his kingdom. Are you skilled at exegeting Scripture, applying it to yourself and others, and public speaking? Maybe you should be a preacher. Do you find it easy to understand engines and machinery? You should consider being a mechanic. Do you have medicinal knowledge and a love for animals? Maybe you should be a veterinarian. And as long as you are loving God and others, and seeking to advance his kingdom in your work and decisions, you are free to do what you want!

I would add two more things to consider when figuring out which direction your life should take: character and circumstances. No matter how skilled you are at pastoring, if you do not have godly character, you should NOT be pastoring! A seminary degree does not qualify anyone to shepherd God's people; the Bible gives clear qualifications for elders and deacons (1 Tim 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). If you do not meet them, God does not want you serving in that capacity until you do.

Also, if your circumstances do not allow you to take a course of action, you should redirect your course. The saying is true: when God closes one door, it's so he can open another. Tabitha and I are planning to spend our lives serving in Cameroon. By God's grace, we have the right skills, knowledge, abilities, gifts, and character. And God has thus far opened the doors for us go. But if we're unable to raise the support we need, we may need to consider doing something else with our lives. We may need to listen to God telling us not to go to Cameroon through those circumstances, should they arise. Of course, God often tests us to see if we will persevere through hardship. Difficulties are no reason to immediately give up. But we should hold our plans loosely and allow God to send us wherever he chooses, even when we don't see it coming.