I thought I would let you know why I have "Following His Call," at the end of every post. It seems rather hyper-Christian at times. Why don't I just put, "Yours truly?" Why don't I put a signature at the bottom at all?
Well, for one, I can never spell "truly" right. The autocorrect always fixes it for me. (Thank God for spell check! I would not be a blogger if it was not for spell check! I would be too embarrassed to write for fear I would spell something wrong and then everyone would laugh at me.)
Secondly, I have had a very radical encounter with God that changed my life forever. Well, actually two encounters, but I will tell you the later. (You can read somewhat about the other one in Holy.)Do you want to hear it? Of course you do! Or you wouldn't be on this blog right now.
Between my eighth and ninth grade year, we went to a summer camp. The camp emphasized worship: what is worship and how do we do it? It was pretty intense. One night, they had a 3 hour service with music, videos, skits, and a message. After the music played for a while and started to die down, I could see the speaker walking on stage to start to speak (I was in the front row). Rather than starting to pray like he normally did to start off his message, he motioned for the band to keep playing and told the light-guys to keep the lights off. He started to speak:
"I have to admit, this is probably the weirdest thing I have ever done as a minister. I felt a very strong urge from God telling me that I don't need to speak tonight. So I am not going to. I had this message prepared, but I realized that it is not needed. The Holy Spirit is so present tonight in this room, that if you feel the urge to come forward and accept Christ, come forward."
About a dozen people walked forward (out of about five hundred people present). I sat down; I was overwhelmed by all the people going forward from just the worship. I put my elbows on my knees, cradling my head with my hands, emotionally overwhelmed. I was so joyful, thanking God for this miraculous event.
About a dozen people walked forward (out of about five hundred people present). I sat down; I was overwhelmed by all the people going forward from just the worship. I put my elbows on my knees, cradling my head with my hands, emotionally overwhelmed. I was so joyful, thanking God for this miraculous event.
After he got counselors for each of those who walked forward and ushered them out of the room to talk to the counselors, he started to address the crowd again:
"And I normally don't do this either, but I really feel God pressing this on my heart, so I will say it: If you feel called to the ministry, go ahead and come on to the front. I won't explain what that is exactly, just know if you are called, come forward."
"And I normally don't do this either, but I really feel God pressing this on my heart, so I will say it: If you feel called to the ministry, go ahead and come on to the front. I won't explain what that is exactly, just know if you are called, come forward."
I was hearing him, but I wasn't really listening. You know what I mean? Have you ever heard someone say something but not really comprehend what they said at the time? I mean, I could hear him enough to remember what he was saying, but at the moment it didn't process.
As I sat there, I felt the urge to walk forward. Having not really listened, I said in my mind, "No, God. I have been saved. Why do I need to go forward?" I felt it again, an urge in my chest and stomach to stand up and walk forward. "Why?" I asked Him again. "I don't understand. I have been saved. I know this. What is up at the front for me?" Finally, it felt like someone gently lifted me off my rear; as if they had placed their hands on my lower back and pushed me up.
I stood up and looked around to see if anyone was behind me. (I was at the end of a row, so I thought someone came down the isle and was pushing the back of my chair where there was a hole, trying to get my attention.) I distinctly remember looking into empty folding seats behind me and being very confused. But once I was up, I walked the very short distance to the front, where several dozen people have gathered. Two of my friends were up there. I stood next to one of them; he put arm around me, tears in his eyes. I started to ask him what was going on, but the speaker continued:
As I sat there, I felt the urge to walk forward. Having not really listened, I said in my mind, "No, God. I have been saved. Why do I need to go forward?" I felt it again, an urge in my chest and stomach to stand up and walk forward. "Why?" I asked Him again. "I don't understand. I have been saved. I know this. What is up at the front for me?" Finally, it felt like someone gently lifted me off my rear; as if they had placed their hands on my lower back and pushed me up.
I stood up and looked around to see if anyone was behind me. (I was at the end of a row, so I thought someone came down the isle and was pushing the back of my chair where there was a hole, trying to get my attention.) I distinctly remember looking into empty folding seats behind me and being very confused. But once I was up, I walked the very short distance to the front, where several dozen people have gathered. Two of my friends were up there. I stood next to one of them; he put arm around me, tears in his eyes. I started to ask him what was going on, but the speaker continued:
"If you all will follow these gentlemen through those doors back here and divide into different groups by church and sit together, I will be with you in a moment." As we started walking back, he addressed the crowd, "Youth leaders, if you see students from your church heading back there, could you follow them and join their group."
We entered the back conference room and I found seven other members of my church. When two of our leaders came in, we sat in chairs in the very back. The speaker came in and stood at the front of the room and addressed us again. He spoke about how God had called us to the vocational ministry, meaning we were going to be the next generation of missionaries, pastors, youth pastors, children's pastor, music ministers, etc. He made sure to let us know we were not an elite or different from other people, we were simply called by God for a particular task. He told us to go around the circle now and talk about it; let everyone from our church know what was going on in our heart. Our youth leaders were supposed to guide the conversation and let us talk.
We turned in our group and went around discussing what we experienced. People from my church were like, "God has called me to be a children's minister!" "I feel God has called me to the mission field." "I'm going to be an evangelist!" "I love working with youth, so I think I am to be a youth pastor." "God wants me to be a senior pastor."
And then it gets to me... "I..." I started," I... I don't know why I am here. I don't know what God has called me to... I like working with youth?" That was the hardest thing for me to come to grips with, not knowing what to do. My mentor was in the circle, and for the next few months, he was very patient with me as he helped me to work out my calling.
And then it gets to me... "I..." I started," I... I don't know why I am here. I don't know what God has called me to... I like working with youth?" That was the hardest thing for me to come to grips with, not knowing what to do. My mentor was in the circle, and for the next few months, he was very patient with me as he helped me to work out my calling.
My youth pastor was also working with me. He went through a study with us about the calling experience to make sure we weren't acting out of emotion. That was the biggest help for me more than anything else. I definitely didn't want to just act out of emotion. Even though I had no idea what I was going to do in the ministry, I knew I wanted to serve God with all my being.
The single question that I felt solidify what I was wrestling with inside was this: "Adam, could you see yourself content doing anything else other than being in the ministry?" It took me a while to really think about that, because there were several other things I really wanted to do--like go into film, for instance. However, the more I thought about it, the more I could not get my mind off the ministry concept. I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing, but I honestly couldn't see myself doing anything but serving God.
It took me several months to understand my calling fully. Finally, after a conversation with my mentor, I think I finally got it. My call isn't to one specific field. As my mentor suggested, "Maybe you already have your answer to the question you have been asking. You have been asking, 'What am I supposed to do, God?' And maybe his response is just that: 'What.'" What he was saying is that my call is "What": I need to be available to do whatever God would have me do wherever he places me. Instead of one ministry, I am called to literally be "all things to all people." Wherever there is a ministry position to be filled, I am there to fill it. I can be anything, and He will equip me for each work.
The calling experience isn't something that can really be described.... It is like a sixth sense... or a feeling one has. A person can't just decide to be a minister one day. Because if they do, they will leave the ministry in a few years after their first experience. Ministry is hard! You deal with really dumb, thickheaded people who will not yield; you have to extinguish fires between two warring people; you have to listen to people's problems and counsel them, even when sometimes you want to just tell them to get over it; you have to organize a budget and plan for a source of income that totally depends on people's willingness to give; you have to publicly speak every week about topics that could offend people. It's like having twelve different jobs all merged into one. Nobody picks that for themselves.
The best way I can describe the call is that you are constantly thinking about it in some way; you are literally being pulled to it. When I worked as a meat cutter, I found myself naturally counseling, witnessing, and loving on people I worked with. It was like I had my own mini-church in the meat department. No matter what field you are in, if you are called, you will constantly be pulled towards whatever God wants you to do. in that field
The best way I can describe the call is that you are constantly thinking about it in some way; you are literally being pulled to it. When I worked as a meat cutter, I found myself naturally counseling, witnessing, and loving on people I worked with. It was like I had my own mini-church in the meat department. No matter what field you are in, if you are called, you will constantly be pulled towards whatever God wants you to do. in that field
The call is one of the best experiences in the world. You feel like you are fitting exactly in place, like all is right in the world. When financial troubles come your way, you can work through it, because you have this peace that you are in the right place. When people start to accuse you and belittle you, making your question everything you believe, you still pull through (speaking from personal experience here).
I think it is very important to note that the Calling is not for everyone. And it doesn't mean those called are more special than those who are not. God calls EVERY person to a task; EVERYONE experiences their own call in some way. To some He calls to be teachers; to others, construction workers. He calls some to be accountants or marketers, and others soldiers or farmers. Everyone has their own calling, but for some it is vocational ministry.
So what have you been called to?
Following His Call,
Adam
Isaiah 6:8
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