God Is Calling – Part One

 

Have you ever wondered about God’s calling in your life?

Actually and so often, whenever it comes to answering God’s call, we think of seminary or some kind of formal training. Don’t we?

Beginning last Sunday (August 16), we have been exploring all what that means through the series, “God Is Calling” at the United Methodist church in Harris and Lake Park. This is a three-part series as we explore what God’s calling in our lives means.God is calling

Last Sunday, we looked at the first part: “God calls us to follow Jesus.”

[bctt tweet=”To follow Jesus means to walk and live as Jesus walked and lived when He was here on earth. “]

God pursues us behind and before, and lays His hand upon us (Psalm 139: 5, The United Methodist church Hymnal).

[bctt tweet=”What God intends on doing for others begins with how we open ourselves to Him”]

This implies that [bctt tweet=”we are all called to be players or instruments in fulfilling God’s plan of redemption for humankind”].

You may ask: “why me?” Or say: “I do not qualify to serve God.”

Well, here’s how one would answer your questions: “why did Jesus call the first four disciples from Galilee?”

Based on Matthew 4, Jesus goes by the sea of Galilee and calls 4 disciples. They all heard His voice, stopped what they were doing and followed Jesus.

Galilee was known as a place of the Gentiles. The people there were not as religious as the people in Jerusalem. Most of these people were descendants of some other people who were brought in Galilee through the relocation strategy the Assyrians used when they had invaded Israel around the 8th century B.C. But, this is where Jesus went to recruit the first apostles.

Do you begin to see God’s strategy when it comes to calling?

[bctt tweet=”God calls the unequipped in order to equip them for the Kingdom.”]

Also, the people in this region were referred to as the people living in darkness. But, this is where Jesus starts his public ministry by recruiting who would be the pillars of the apostolic church.

[bctt tweet=”God calls the sinners to make them fish for other sinners.”]

Just as you, God can use you.

What we have to do is twofold:

  1. Come to Jesus – we open up to Him by humbling ourselves through daily prayer, Bible study (God’s Word), and communion with other believers; and

  2. follow Jesus – drawing closer through the above spiritual disciplines will help us know Him better. Therefore, we will be able to live a life of obedience and complete submission to God and God’s Word.

To listen to the full sermon, please click here! 

Below is a summary of the sermon on Video. Please, watch!