DAY FOUR: ASSURANCE OF A CALL TO MINISTRY

Review:

• We are not called to a position, a place, a livelihood, a category or a
  title. We are called to Jesus!
• Every believer that wants to be used by God for something significant should
  prioritize staying intimate with Christ.
• Jesus calls ALL sinners to HIMSELF, because in HIM we find ALL that we need:
  Salvation, Guidance and Purpose in Life and Ministry.
• The three-fold calling of Christ must be viewed as such.
• Though we may not fully understand the magnitude of God’s gift to us through
  Jesus Christ and the responsibilities that come with it when we accept Christ,
  all of it is ours at salvation.

Christianity is more than the assurance of heaven through salvation, more
than the promise of a personal relationship with Christ and more than a life of
fulfilling servitude and surrender. It is all three. We cannot divide the
calling of Jesus Christ into smaller pieces that we may pick and choose,
selecting what suits us and what we feel we can commit to. Throughout scripture,
all three areas of God’s call are mentioned as indivisible parts, each dependent
upon and necessitating the other.

Study the following examples:

Romans 8:28

God desires for us to bring glory to Him through service or ministry. In
order to do that, we must constantly become more like Christ through
discipleship. In order to do that, we must be justified through salvation.
Salvation is not the end, it is the beginning of God bringing glory to Himself
through us, a plan that He had in mind before He created us.

Romans 1:5-7

Through Jesus and for Jesus, we received salvation and discipleship
so that God can accomplish His purposes in the world through us!

God has indeed called you to ministry! He called you to ministry when Jesus
called you to Himself! It was part of His plan for you before He ever created
you (Psalm 139 , Jeremiah 1:5 ). Your journey toward ministry
did not begin the day you chose to surrender to it. It began the day you
accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; and through discipleship, you
have now discovered part of your purpose! What an exciting time in your life!

Take a few moments and write your thoughts, concerns, and questions in your
journal. Allow the following thought suggestions to guide you.

How does it make you feel to know that God’s call on your life has always
existed?

Think of your personal spiritual journey to this point. What clues can you
see now that prove God has been leading you to this point all along?

What feelings and emotions are you experiencing as you look toward a future
that has been planned for you since before you were born?

What is God teaching you about calling?