The Calling
Link to Audio: The Calling
Transcription:
Shalom! Today I want to talk about the calling - what does it mean? When God calls us, what do we do? We see different examples in the Bible, the people God called. First, God called Adam to be in charge of everything; God called Moses; God called very many people. God called Jonah to go and preach the gospel to the Ninevites. God called Paul. Those are very many examples about calling.
But today I'm going to share my story about calling. In 2019 God called me to go to an unreached people group. They are found in Uganda. These people are unreached and unengaged. They believe in their traditional beliefs - they worship trees and mountains. They don't know God. But the vision God gave me - because whenever God calls you, he confirms with something - so he gave me a vision of that place. This is what I told him: I'm not going. I cannot go, because the vision was a picture of the setup of the village - it was very primitive, very rural, deep in the village. And for me, I grew up in an urban setup, and I told God I cannot go there, I'm not going. And I remember that night I shared with my friends, the people who were praying with me, I told them I got this vision, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go. So I said no to Jesus, that I’m not going.
But that night he reminded me of every race, every nation, every tribe, every language, how they must be represented in heaven. And that broke my heart, and I'm like if I don't go it will be on me, yeah, it will be on me. And I got reminded of the story of Jonah when God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, he ended up saying no, going somewhere else. But guess what happened - the fish, the whale, swallowed him. So I told myself I cannot be the one to carry this. I don't want these people to be on me, that I refused to go. So I submitted, I said, Okay, God, I'm ready to go, use me. I went, we went - I'm going to cut the story very, very short - we went, two people, me with my colleague, two of us as it is indicated in the Bible. I looked in it that you go two by two, so we went as two. And guess what happened - something happened and my colleague told me, Hey, we need to go back, we cannot be here, here is not safe, we need to go back.
This is my point of the calling. Of course, in actual sense everything, whatever he was telling me, it was true. And I had all the chances of saying, Okay, let's go, it's not safe, let's go back. But because I had God calling me, because I had a vision of the place, I was a vision bearer that I need to reach out to these people, I said no, I'm not going back, for me I'll stay. But where am I staying? I'm a girl, at that time I was still very young, I'm a girl, a girl living in a community where they accept, they honor, only men. And me, look at me now, staying alone, don't know what to do next. But because God called me for those people, I decided to stay back, to endure whatever comes along the way. Because of the call which I had.
This is an encouragement to you, my brothers and sisters. Whenever God calls you, please obey. Because remember there are the consequences of disobeying God. The Bible indicates very many people who disobeyed God and the consequences they got. So for you not to face those consequences you need to obey. I know some of you God has been talking to you to do something - not even maybe to go somewhere, to an unreached people group, but maybe to do something small, maybe to greet your neighbor or to show love to someone. But you keep on resisting, saying no. You are disobeying!
The best way of worshiping God, it's not going to church, it's not raising up our hands and saying hallelujah. The best way of worshiping God is to obey him, to obey whatever he tells us to do. He tells us to love one another - do we really love one another? If we don't do that, that means we are disobeying. You can bypass your neighbor without saying even hello. That’s not showing love, that means we are disobeying the command of God!
Brothers and sisters, let this be encouragement that we have a calling, each one of us on this planet Earth. We have a calling, we have a purpose to accomplish towards the kingdom of God. If you have not discovered it yet, try to get time and ask God, What's my purpose, what's my calling, what's my value, what am I supposed to do towards the kingdom? I believe God will answer you in the language you'll understand. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord may be upon each one of you and whoever hears the voice of the Lord, may you just wake up and do what the Lord is telling you to do, in Jesus’s name. Amen! Shalom!
About the author: Emma is an All Nations fieldworker serving God among a neglected people group in Africa.
Staying Connected or Learning More
Help share this and other blogs with your friends and ministry leaders! It would also be a huge help if you could please follow us on social media via the links below! Thank you!
If you would like to receive leadership updates, link here to stay current on All Nations International’s news and prayer efforts! To learn more about All Nations today, visit: www.allnations.international!
Are you wondering if you are wired to go? This area on our web site will help you!
We have plenty other resources (devotion, book club, events) and a monthly global prayer for the neglected! You are welcome to join us.
Give today to see the neglected globally reached — the least, the last, and the lost!
Reaching the neglected globally — the least, the last, and the lost since 1993.
