THE CALL OF GOD 1

"Therefore,... I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
Acts 26:19 (NKJV)

• Every minister must understand his or her calling, be sure of it, and such should know their offices as well.

• As you understand your calling and know the ministry office that God would want you to stand in—you should abide in it.
• It is not enough to be sure of your calling, you must know your message also.
  AND the message which God has given you must have a purpose.
• These things have to be settled as you are walking with God and working for Him.
• Inability to understand these two important things could make you to be perambulating—trying to do things that others are doing, and that makes you going round in a cycle without any significant progress.

• Examples:

1. Isaiah: the Call, the Mandate, or the Message given to him: “Then I heard the voice of Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”And He said, “Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive" (Isaiah 6:8,9).
2. Jeremiah's Call, the Mandate, or the message that was given to him (Jeremiah 1:4,5,17-18).
3. Ezekiel's Call,the Mandate, OR the Message given to him (Ezekiel 2:3,9; 3:1-5).
4. Jonah: the Mandate or the Message given to him (Jonah 1:1-2).
5. Zechariah: the Mandate or the message given to him (Zechariah 1:1-3).
6. Paul: the Call and the Mandate or the Message given to him (Acts 22:14,15; 26:16-18).

• Note:Some of these Prophets mentioned above, the accounts of their callings were not recorded, but how they received their messages were recorded.

• When God gives you a message, it means you are already called.
• If you claimed that you are called but do not have any message to give to those whom you claimed God has sent you, it means you need to go back and receive clearly.
• The essence of a messenger is the message he or she bears.
• You have to know the message given to you for the people you are sent.

• Examples: We could see the record of Isaiah's, Jeremiah's, Ezekiel’s calling and the messages given to them.

• But in the cases of some others, we only have the record of the messages given them to proclaim.

• A peculiar case

• Amos was not a prophet but a farmer, God gave him a message to the Northern part of Israel:
  14 “But Amos replied, “I certainly never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees.
  15 BUT THE LORD CALLED ME AWAY FROM MY FLOCK AND TOLD ME, GO AND PROPHESY TO MY PEOPLE IN ISRAEL" (Amos 7:14,15).
• So, if you are called by God, He will give you a message.
  EVEN when you are not sure whether there is a call of God on your Life, if He has given you a specific Message to tell people, it equally means you have been assigned or called.

• You should know there is a purpose why God has raised or assigned you, and whatever message given you is to fulfil THE purpose.
Examples:
(a) Haggai's purpose and message was to spur the PEOPLE in order to complete the rebuilding of the Temple when they returned from the Babylonian captivity.
(b) Malachi was raised to confront the people with their SINS of insincere worship, corruption, and to restore them back in their relationship or fellowship with God.

• When God called you and given you a message, it is for a group of people.
• Isaiah was primarily sent to the people of Judah.
• Jeremiah was also raised and sent to the people of Judah.
• Ezekiel was raised to minister to the Jews in Babylonian captivity.
• Hosea was to the Northern kingdom.
• Amos was also to the Northern kingdom of Israel.
• Obadiah was raised and given a message to the Edomites.
• Jonah was to Nineveh.
• Paul was sent to the GENTILES, while Peter to the CIRCUMCISED, the Jews:
  7 But on the contrary, WHEN THEY SAW THAT THE GOSPEL FOR THE UNCIRCUMCISED HAD BEEN COMMITTED TO ME, AS THE GOSPEL FOR THE CIRCUMCISED WAS TO PETER
  8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
  9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, PERCEIVED THE GRACE THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO ME, THEY GAVE ME AND BARNABAS THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP, THAT WE SHOULD GO TO THE GENTILES AND THEY TO THE CIRCUMCISED."
  Galatians 2:7-9 (NKJV)

• Other things to note is that some of these prophets were used in different
geographical locations.
EZEKIEL was raised in Babylon, his prophetic ministry started when he was in Babylonian captivity with other Jews—he received his calling and the Mandate when in Babylon.
HE was not raised before the captivity, It means he performed his assignment in the midst of Jews in the Land of Babylon.
JEREMIAH was in Jerusalem before the captivity.
ISAIAH also was raised in Jerusalem before the captivity.
PAUL was not PERMITTED to operate his ministry in Jerusalem, he was not sent to the people there:
17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 "and saw Him [Jesus] saying to me, ‘MAKE HASTE AND GET OUT OF JERUSALEM QUICKLY, FOR THEY WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR TESTIMONY CONCERNING ME.’ 21 Then He said to me, ‘DEPART, FOR I WILL SEND YOU FAR FROM HERE TO THE GENTILES’ ” (Acts 22:17,18,21).

• Another thing is the TIMING: the time to start your ministry and the number of years which the LORD would want you to do the work.

• Some of these prophets were raised for different purposes and times and seasons in the history of the Nation of Israel.
  HAGGAI was raised after the Babylonian captivity with a message for the completion of the Temple.
  MALACHI was raised when they returned from captivity, with a message for correction about the sinful life and the unfaithfulness to worship—their failures to tithe and lack of concern for God’s commands.

• Summary

• You have to get these things right:
  ~ The call
  ~ The message
  ~ The people you are sent to
  ~ The Geographical location—where God wants you to operate your ministry.
  ~ Timing, when to start: season and period

• Note:
You may not be able to receive and know everything He wanted you to do when you received the Call, that is, at the onset of the work, you may not know the details.
BUT as you started to go about the WORK, progressing in it, and studying the Word of God and praying, you will begin to understand the details of the assignment.

• At every point in ministry, you must have an order Or a command given by God to you.
  YOU must receive a word before you started running, that makes the work
  stress free, and it makes you not to be a prey in the hand of the devil.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED