The Calling, Part One

"If you open the door...?"

  A long time ago, my wife’s grandfather passed on a bit of wisdom. He did this by telling me a story that was a major turning and learning point in his life.

  Shortly after a logging accident where he nearly died (a log rolled over onto him), he turned his life around, and to Christ.  Later an opportunity came along to buy the logging company he was working for. Excited, he moved forward until the Lord spoke to him about becoming a pastor. The decision was his and his alone in the end. This forced him into an uncomfortable place that made him back out of the purchase of the company. This eventually became one of the root problems that caused divisions between one of his sons and himself.

  He told me this because he perceived that there would be times in my life I would have similar decisions in my life, and he was correct. As a result, I have turned down several opportunities. Now, I would not call what I have learned a Spiritual law or even a rule, but a strong spiritual concept to be aware of.

The Concept of First Things:

  We Christians live as spiritual people in physical bodies that are influenced by counter-opposite spiritual forces. Because of this, we must remember that the devil will offer you what you want, but the Lord will give you what you need. The purpose of this is simple, we live in the process of becoming who He is recreating us to be. While the devil seeks to interrupt this process with anything he can find.

  Typically, in my observations, the first thing that comes along that looks so “perfect” for us does not always have God behind it, but it is totally designed to grab onto your emotions. And if you accept it, it is hard later to remove it because your emotions are attached.

  In nature, consider the first thing that pops up in your garden when spring comes...weeds. And first shoots of weeds often masquerade as something good, like a carrot. This is sometimes a struggle for first-time gardeners as they struggle with, “what if,” questions of do I pull it or not.

  So many times in my life, while waiting for some promise from the Lord to manifest a “perfect” solution would show up. Ready and eager I would start to move forward to hear the Holy Spirit quietly whisper, “No Ishmael’s.”

  This bit of whispered caution would definitely mean more waiting. It also meant sometimes dealing with people around me who think differently from me because I “did not move” on the opportunity. And like the problem that arose with my wife’s grandfather in his own household, misunderstanding is an ever-present, uncomfortable reality.

  There have been people connections, friends, jobs, and ministry opportunities that have all presented themselves. Looking back, many of these could have been Ishmael’s that I would have now been bonded to like some people's bad marriages.

The Process

  “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” Romans 8:19. This scripture is often waved around like a banner at various Charismatic gatherings to bring people’s emotions up. I’ve seen this happen several times and each time the greater context of what Paul is speaking about is left out.

  The greater context is, that Paul is using this scripture to encourage people through the hard times they are enduring. This is kind of the cheerleader moment in the Bible where he is saying, “Hey, you can do this, there is a reason you're going through this mess!”

  How many times have we wrongly interrupted the process of maturity the Lord was trying to walk us through? I’ve known several people who received strong prophetic words about their destiny. Many do not want to walk the road, or once the first troubles arrive they declare all this to not be of God and walk away, thereby failing the first test in their journey.

  By failing this very first step you are proving that you are unworthy of the calling he is laying on your life. The good part is you are still alive and he is willing to give you another try. However If you're expecting the second round to be like the first then you're going to be waiting a long time. Rarely does the Lord open the door to a second destiny like the first.

  Put simply, you missed the bus and now you're going to need to wait for the second Bus. And this bus may not be going to the same destination as the first. You may still need all the same tools, gas cards, clothing, and backpacks. But who you are ministering to may be different. That is because once you missed the first bus, God found a replacement for that bus.

  I’ve talked with a couple of pastors with similar stories. They were all planning to go to a certain place to do ministry. But then the Lord came along and offered them a completely different assignment. Each time the Spirit told them the same message. “You were not the first or the second choice for this ministry, but you are now my perfect choice.” What this means is the other leaders missed the Bus.

  Don’t get “stuck” in how you think things should happen, be flexible and allow for the Holy Spirit and his ways. If you become inflexible, then it is only going to delay the next step as the Spirit will need to soften your heart. For your eyes have darkened and can not see the new opportunities in front of you. (John 3:8, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Psalm 51:10)

Paul

  How do you think it felt for Saul of Tarsis, later known as the Apostle Paul? He was a man with a powerful reputation, strong, stern, and unbending. With everything he had, he followed the way of the Lord as he understood it. This led him to start killing anyone he considered to be a danger to the Law of the Lord.

  Killing Christians, he tore many families apart, most likely leaving a wake of crying widows and orphans. All this of course crashed to a halt with a face-to-face encounter with the very God he claimed to be serving.

  Think about it for a moment, after he realizes the real truth. How uncomfortable he must have felt. How awkward, and grief-filled his heart must have been. And then in later years, all the awkward moments with people he had when he walked into the places Christians gathered.

  I wonder as he traveled his missionary journeys just how many times he ran into Christians who remembered his past and refused to forgive. Think about this for a moment, say you were a child of twelve years old and you watched this man drag your parents off to be killed. You are the oldest of the family so now you have a younger sister perhaps barely old enough to walk that you must now care for. Years later in your late twenties, you see this man come into the small town you are now living in. What do you do? If you had a chance to kill the man who killed your parents what would you do it?

  I give this idea because it’s clear from Paul’s own words not everyone accepted him. “Even though I may NOT BE an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 9:2.  “Others,” did not consider Paul an Apostle. This means some people within the Christian family opposed him.

  Misunderstanding and Jealousy from those closest to you will always stand in the doorway of your calling. It floats in the air, ready to land on you or anyone else it can tempt. The priority for forgiveness grows as you walk out of your destiny, and in each step, you hope you are leaving a drop of grace somewhere.

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FYI; “The Calling, Part Two,” will post on Oct 2 a week after the 100th. post, “The Good, The Bad, and the Unqualified” on September 25th. Also, the next post is really long as I will be talking about hard issues concerning the American Baptist and recent events with Morningstar Ministries.

I’m going to step on some sacred cows.

“If we can reach
Beyond the wisdom of this age
Into the foolishness of God”

~ from the song “Let Mercy Lead” by Rich Mullins.