Your Calling

Imagine if you will that you have a unique job which you perform on a laptop computer that you carry with you in a case wherever you go.

Without the laptop and the programs loaded on it, you cannot do your job, but with it you can do your job anywhere, anytime, anyplace. 

Now let’s imagine that this case, in which you keep your valuable laptop locked safely away, is rendered invulnerable even to you because you lost the key!

Suddenly the briefcase, the laptop and you are worthless when it comes to doing your job.  Without access to that laptop, the job can’t be done.

Our faith can be just like that, because within us everything we need to do the work that we are to be about is available.

The question is, how often is our faith kept locked away within us?

Locked away our faith and the work it should be about is meaningless.

Now you know without much thought, if for no other reason than the name of this blog, what the work is that we are to be about: The Work of the Gospel.

Many Christians have it in mind that the work of the gospel is for certain called people to do, but they would be wrong!

We should all know that God calls us to different positions among which are those that get the most attention when we think of the called: those that teach and preach.  To some these would be known as priests, others as pastors and still some as preachers.

Everyone thinks that it is these that are to do the work of the gospel, and it is.

So if we agree that it is the work of a pastor or a priest to do the work of the gospel, then let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:1-9

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
   "See, I lay a stone in Zion,
      a chosen and precious cornerstone,
   and the one who trusts in him
      will never be put to shame."Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
   "The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone," and,
   "A stone that causes men to stumble
      and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We are all, to paraphrase, chosen to be priests and you agreed with me already that their work was the work of the gospel and the scripture says you are right!

So if we are all called to this priesthood but we are not all called to preach or teach, how do you do this work?

Paul tells us in Romans 12:4-5 that just as we have bodies made of individual parts, so are those of us in Christ forming a body.  And as Paul said our body’s parts serve different functions, so also do we serve different functions.

Further along in that same chapter of Romans 12 we see some of the parts or functions that people can play.  I believe this to be a very limited partial list, because yes, there is teaching and some of the others more familiar to us and if we have received one of these from God we should be using them.  But if you think that none of these apply to you and you leave it at that, you are selling God short in the gifting department!

Do you think the person with a gift of musical talent can’t use that or how about an artist?

I know many who have a gift with languages and there are others who are mechanical.  The bottom line again is that as a called and chosen priest, you are to “declare the praises of Him who called you.”

The mechanic could work on cars privately on one Saturday every month and have the freedom to give a surprise discount and when asked why, they could share the gospel with an anything but hostile recipient.

The linguist could translate a blog or website for a ministry that is long on desire for spreading the Good News but short on funds.

The artist could donate the funds from every 10th painting or design logos for churches.

How you “declare the praises of Him who called you” is as limitless as those gifts He has given us.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” 1 Peter 3:15a

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.