Vision - 3: Connected to your call

7 August 2011

Brent Brading

Raising the bar

Eph 4:1Have you ever wondered in life if there is a bar that you need to clear? Like a high jump bar. Or a morality bar for getting into heaven? No Jesus did that for us. Col1:10 but we can lift up our lifestyle to be worthy of Jesus. Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Jesus is the bar for us and so is our calling. But God does not set the height of our bar we do. Phil 3:16 we must live up to what we have already attained.

How do we live up to the calling we have received?

Eph 3:7-9 the heart of calling is service, by God's grace, and empowered by Him. What grace has God given you to serve Him? We are first called to BE something, our character, remember the bar is Jesus. God to has given us specific grace. Eph 4:11-13 it is to build up the body for the King and His Kingdom. 1 Peter 4:10 each one should use the gift he has received to serve others faithfully administering the gift received.

How does calling work with the work we do?

Around our calling is a boundary fence of things we needs to take care of.

1) God has called us into salvation. 1 Cor 1:9, 1 Peter 2:9 called to take care of our relationship with Jesus. We need to be growing in the relationship.
2) We are also called to stewardship 1 Tim 5:8 over everything that we have to look after.
3) We are called to mission Mat 4:19 from fishermen to fishes of men. Mat5:14-16 let your light shine to bring glory to God. We are to be urban missionaries. Bring glory to God even when under pressure.
4) Ministry- all called to minister full time. It is not just a Sunday thing. All week we are called to be minister of Christ. There should be no distinction between the clergy and the laity 1 Cor 12:7 for each one the working of the Holy Spirit has been given for the common good.

We are to mission out there but also to minster to each other. But there is a danger that can slip into our lives. What happens if something else becomes a focus? Like career then calling is excluded. But when calling is the focus everything else like career and family fit. When anything other than calling is the focus then things get out of kilter.

Statements to fulfill calling:

1) I believe that Jesus is passionately in love with His church.
Are you?
2) Jesus wants to display His glory through the church. Eph 3:10.
Do you?
3) We all have a role to play in building the church. Eph 4:16.
What are you doing?