The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon " God Calling."
The creed, “I believe I am a steward of God’s resources and have been redeemed to participate in his kingdom purposes for his glory,” describes the Life Purpose of people as Christians. But the concept of Life Purpose also pertains to people as human beings as well as to people as individuals. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says the Life Purpose of human beings is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” The Life Purpose of individuals is the most difficult of the three to define because each person’s “calling” is unique.
When people hear that word, they normally think in terms of divine appointment to a special ministry of some sort. The Bible provides plenty of examples of calls of this type. In the Old Testament, God said to Moses, “‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey . . . So now, go I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt’” (Ex 3:7-8, 10). To the prophet Jeremiah, God said, “‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’” (Jer 1:5) and to Ezekiel, he said, “‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me . . . Say to them “This is what the Sovereign Lord says”’” (Eze 2:3-4). The call to other Old Testament prophets is often tersely implied in these words, “The word of the Lord that came to” (see Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; Jnh 1:1; Mic 1:1; Zep 1:1).
In the New Testament, the Gospels tell us that Jesus “called” his original disciples. To Simon and Andrew, he said, “‘Come, follow me . . . and I will send you out to fish for people,’” and then without delay he called James and John (Mk 1:16-20). And the book of Acts tells us that this same Jesus, following his resurrection and ascension, called the apostle Paul on his way to Damascus. To him Jesus said, “‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? . . . Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’” (Ac 9:4, 6).
The calling and related Life Purpose of Moses, the Old Testament prophets, Jesus’ twelve disciples, and Paul are all distinct, but that does not imply that others are not called as well. One author writes: “Another issue often raised in regard to career selection is the concept of calling. The idea is that God somehow has a special plan or purpose for some workers, and that He indicates it via a ‘call.’ Normally, we think of this call in connection with a call to some ministry. For that reason, many workers feel that while it is easy to see how a missionary or a preacher might be called, it is much less certain whether God’s call extends to a plumber, a doctor, or a salesperson. Of course, this has unfortunate implications for the dignity of everyday work and workers. For if only clergy are called, that implies that ‘secular’ workers are not called—that somehow, they did not make God’s ‘first team.’ A related idea is that all believers are called, but that clergy have a ‘special calling’ or ‘higher calling.’ The result is the same” (Doug Sherman and William Hendricks, Your Work Matters to God, 135-36).
Few would deny that there is a calling of God to Christian ministry, and few would deny that this calling is different from that of Moses, Ezekiel, Peter, and Paul. But there is also a calling of God, albeit less dramatic, to vocations deemed “secular,” like nurse, carpenter, teacher, welder, financial advisor, truck driver, etc.—we’ve recently gained a new appreciation for “essential workers.” This vocational calling generally dawns on people through reflection on such things as their innate abilities, spiritual giftedness, personal passion, formal education and practical training, what they enjoy doing, how successful they are at doing it, and what others think—not to mention what they discern to be God’s will for them. All believers are gifted with abilities and spiritual gifts; that giftedness is expressed through the particular vocation to which they are drawn, namely, what God has designed them to do—their consecrated vocation.
Central Message of the Text
Accept God’s call and pursue it enthusiastically, knowing he will be with you to accomplish his purposes through you.
Family Talk
Names define a child and are so important. I love hearing stories about how parents select their child’s name. Some parents choose old school names to honor relatives. I’ve heard of parents who fell in love with a name from a movie, TV show, or book. (I can always tell which parents watch Star Trek.) Some names are given because they just fit; you know when you know. My husband and I very specifically chose biblical names from some of our favorite Bible heroes; there’s a lot of “prophets and apostles” in our house. At the burning bush God told Moses his name was I AM WHO I AM, or Yahweh, which means he is the Eternal One as well as Israel’s Redeemer. Though this is the most familiar and significant name for God, it barely scratches the surface of all that he encompasses. There are many facets of God — Creator (Elohim), Provider (Jehovah Jireh), God of Peace (Jehovah Shalom), Lord (Adonai), and Healer (Jehovah Rapha) to mention just a few. As parents we can disciple our children by introducing these names of God to help them understand his infinite and aweinspiring character. If you don’t know where to start, pick up a Discipleship Challenge from your child’s area coordinator. This supplemental tool is published with each series and is a great way to spend time in the Word with your child. In this series, we are focusing on a few names of God. What better way to step into an abiding relationship and highlight his character as you marvel at God with your child?