The Call
Seventy-three years ago today, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed. He has influenced a lot of the way I live out my faith.
One of my favorite quotes of his:
In thinking about him, some recent talks I’ve had regarding “gifting,” and my current life situation with kids getting ready to leave home; I have been thinking once again about the nature of the missional “calling.” Here are some of the ideas bouncing around my skull:
1. We are all ultimately called as followers of Jesus.
When in doubt; we know that much. I feel this aspect of calling supersedes, but also can include, the “sent out” calling. If ministers of any sort somehow think we are above the basic disciplines, or that our vocation puts us in another category of believer, we need to rethink that understanding. Being a “sent out” disciple still means being a disciple.
2. The “sent out” aspect of calling is not ultimately just ours.
It is God’s, of course, but it is also just as much the church’s. In Acts, we see the Spirit telling the church to send Paul and Barnabas out. An article from Radical just last week talked about this. (http://radical.net/articles/the-missionary-call-is-not-a-private-matter/)
In my 34 years of being a part of missions, I have seen calling used to justify a lot. (i.e. To avoid any kind of work. To avoid tasks people were scared of. Or to define the job as whatever they wanted to do.) A lot of missions is playing the “God tells me what to do and no one else has a say in it” card.
In my own experience, God used churches, other believers, and sending agencies every step of the way. On my own, I would have never considered ministry, Germany, Church Planting, or Team Leading. God always used other people to prepare me for each of those aspects of His calling before He called me. He continues to use others to shape me and strengthen the call all the time.
3. Much like every other God-given task, and Gifting, the Call is never easy or something we could do anyway, or on our own.
The way this tends to be overlooked is the classic “open door” theology. Say God has called you to reach a people group. You travel half-way around the world to their country. Then, once here, you find that you keep meeting friendly Americans and other internationals, but not very many locals who will give you the time of day. Obviously, God must have sent you there to reach Americans, right?
The truth is that what we have been asked to do is beyond us. If we could handle it without God’s help, He probably would have sent somebody else to do the job. We need to be faithful to the call, and obediently follow Jesus as His disciples doing the thing He has asked us to do. Even when we can’t see the next step. Even when it is painful. Even when we would rather be doing easy, fun, or the what-we’ve-always-dreamed-of-doing thing.
4. True joy is found living in and through God’s call on our life.
It may not always be a happy place, but we also know that there is no such “always happy” place. And “kicking against the goads” is no joyful place to be for sure. Ultimately, living in our calling fulfills not just who we were meant to be, but who we were meant to be enhanced by the power and Spirit of our Creator!
One of my favorite quotes of his:
“…grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
In thinking about him, some recent talks I’ve had regarding “gifting,” and my current life situation with kids getting ready to leave home; I have been thinking once again about the nature of the missional “calling.” Here are some of the ideas bouncing around my skull:
1. We are all ultimately called as followers of Jesus.
When in doubt; we know that much. I feel this aspect of calling supersedes, but also can include, the “sent out” calling. If ministers of any sort somehow think we are above the basic disciplines, or that our vocation puts us in another category of believer, we need to rethink that understanding. Being a “sent out” disciple still means being a disciple.
2. The “sent out” aspect of calling is not ultimately just ours.
It is God’s, of course, but it is also just as much the church’s. In Acts, we see the Spirit telling the church to send Paul and Barnabas out. An article from Radical just last week talked about this. (http://radical.net/articles/the-missionary-call-is-not-a-private-matter/)
In my 34 years of being a part of missions, I have seen calling used to justify a lot. (i.e. To avoid any kind of work. To avoid tasks people were scared of. Or to define the job as whatever they wanted to do.) A lot of missions is playing the “God tells me what to do and no one else has a say in it” card.
In my own experience, God used churches, other believers, and sending agencies every step of the way. On my own, I would have never considered ministry, Germany, Church Planting, or Team Leading. God always used other people to prepare me for each of those aspects of His calling before He called me. He continues to use others to shape me and strengthen the call all the time.
3. Much like every other God-given task, and Gifting, the Call is never easy or something we could do anyway, or on our own.
The way this tends to be overlooked is the classic “open door” theology. Say God has called you to reach a people group. You travel half-way around the world to their country. Then, once here, you find that you keep meeting friendly Americans and other internationals, but not very many locals who will give you the time of day. Obviously, God must have sent you there to reach Americans, right?
The truth is that what we have been asked to do is beyond us. If we could handle it without God’s help, He probably would have sent somebody else to do the job. We need to be faithful to the call, and obediently follow Jesus as His disciples doing the thing He has asked us to do. Even when we can’t see the next step. Even when it is painful. Even when we would rather be doing easy, fun, or the what-we’ve-always-dreamed-of-doing thing.
4. True joy is found living in and through God’s call on our life.
It may not always be a happy place, but we also know that there is no such “always happy” place. And “kicking against the goads” is no joyful place to be for sure. Ultimately, living in our calling fulfills not just who we were meant to be, but who we were meant to be enhanced by the power and Spirit of our Creator!
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