스크랩 하나님의 부르심을 확인하는 방법 - Call

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Call

Assembly of God, brean school 교육책자 중, 책 제목은 (PASTORAL Ministry 같음) 13page, The considerations of a pastor, lesson 1.1 에서

A call to ministry was important to the prophets and apostles. Through their call came in various ways, it was always the basis for their becoming ministers. Moses heard a voice speaking to him from a burning bush (Exodus 3); Isaiah saw a vision in which the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”(Isaiah 6:8); Jeremiah was chosen even before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5) and God called him into the ministry as a young man (Jeremiah 1:4-10); and Ezekiel was told, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites… You must speak my words to them… I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel…”(Ezekiel 2:3,7;3:17)

The Call of God is a Minister’s Anchor

Hebrews 6:19 describes hope as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” An anchor keeps ships in place despite storms or high winds. The call of God is the minister’s anchor. When tempted to give up hope ministers often return to the moment of their calling for faith and strength.

The Call of God is Like a Mirror

                Not only is God’s call like an anchor, but it is also like a mirror. When ministers look at their calls of God, they see the persons God has called them to be. Many years ago, the apostle Paul defined himself by his call of God. In fact, he anchored his soul and identify in this call. In Romans 1:1, he refers to himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” In 1 Corinthians 1:1, he says he is “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by will of God,” then he declares, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me…” (Philippians 3:14). The call of God was the driving force and anchor in Paul’s life.

                My own call to the ministry came when I was 13. It continues to be the event that defines my life. I was kneeling between the first and second pews at the South Houston Assembly of God Church, praying alone. In the background, I could hear soft music and people praying. There was not a vision or a voice, yet I have never doubted that God called me. That Sunday evening in 1960, I surrendered my life to God’s will. Later, at home, I told my father who encouraged me to keep this experience between the two of us, for there was really no reason to announce it until I was ready to start preaching.

                I took my father’s advice that evening on blind faith, but now, many years later, I am more fully aware of his wisdom. Keeping my call to myself gave me freedom to confirm‎ it. Time proved that the call was real, that it was not just an emotional experience. Other people did not influence my decision; instead, it was God’s will that set the course for my life. When I was sixteen, I began to preach in youth services, nursing homes, jails, and I held a few revivals. When I was twenty, I became the pastor of a small, rural church. I have served as a minister for thirty-seven years, and have continued to fulfill God’s call that came on a Sunday evening years ago.

The Call of God Must Pass the Time Test

              Many students have asked me how I knew God called me into ministry. How could I be sure that I did not imagine it? Is there a way to know that they have been called? Well, there are some tests that can help us determine whether God has called us to ministry.

                First, there is the time test. An emotional experience will fade with time. When the excitement of the moment grows cold, so will one’s sense of call. On the other hand, a genuine call to ministry will deepen. Author and preacher David Wilkerson (1967) writes that God’s call will fasten itself onto you. It will lose interest-but the plan of God will never die: “The thing God wants you to do will become stronger each day in your thoughts, in your prayers, in your planning. It grows and grows!”(34).

The Call of God Must Pass the Door Test

                Second, there is the open door test. God will make a way for those whom He has called to the ministry. He will open a door of opportunity. The first door may be a chance to serve in the local church. If the novice minister is a faithful in small things, then God will open a bigger door (Matthew 25:21). God may also open doors for ministers to train. Finally, there will be an open door into full-time ministry.

                If all the doors are closed, it may be wise to rethink the call. A closed door does not mean that one is not called, but it does require some time of prayer. Some spiritual issues may need to be dealt with before one is ready for ministry, or it may be a matter of timing. Waiting for God to open a door can be very difficult, because it may appear like others are moving forward in ministry while others are left behind. However, forcing a door open is not a wise decision. There is great risk in getting ahead of God’s plan. Walking with God means walking at His pace, not too slowly nor too quickly. Walking at God’s pace keeps us beside Him.

                Consider what happened to Moses. His first call was not when he was 80 years old, taking care of sheep in the desert. His first call came while he was in Pharaoh’s palace. The Bible does not give us a direct account of this, but both Stephen (Acts 7) and the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 11) refer to it. Moses had an inner awareness that his destiny was with the people of God. That inner assurance, that sense of destiny, became his call.

                For most people, the call to ministry is more like Moses’ first call. Few ever hear a voice or see a vision. God usually speaks to people through an inner witness of the Holy Spirit or a growing desire to be a minister. All of the ways God speaks are however are equally valid.

                It was not easy for Moses to give up the palace and choose to live as a Hebrew. Imagine how many nights he lay awake wrestling with his conscience. What right did he have to enjoy wealth, power, and learning while his people suffered as slaves? On the other hand, he may have reasoned that one man could not do much by himself. Perhaps his thoughts went back and forth for weeks, even months or years. The struggle must have been hard; yet little by little, he came to see that his training had prepared him to fulfill his calling. For “[He] and action” (Acts 7:22). His call likely began as a sense of unrest, but in time grew into a passion that filled him with the desire to act. Stephen describes what happened next:

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian. So he went to his defense, and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. Then next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard this, he fled to Median, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. (Acts 7:23-29)

                What Moses did was violent and senseless, but it did not just happen. He did not plan to kill the Egyptian; however, he did not just wander into the neighborhood either: “He decided to visit his fellow Israelites” (Acts 7:23). Hebrews 11 tells us that he “refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated… He regarded disgrace… as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Did you notice all the action words? Moses decided, refused, chose, and regarded. In this mind and heart, Moses had already accepted the call of God. He was ready to deliver his people, but his zeal outran his judgment. Moses made a terrible mistake, and it affected him and all of his people. He was right about his call, but wrong in his timing and methods.

                Several things can be learned from Moses’ calling to be God’s servant.

First, God calls people in different ways. He may also speak to people in different ways. Moses’ first call in Egypt was not dramatic like the burning bush experience. In the palace, Moses was not living as a failure or as one who had fled. Exodus 3 and 4 must be interpreted in light of Moses’ failure forty years earlier. His failure in Egypt affected his self-concept. As a prince in Pharaoh’s palace, he was “powerful in speech” (Acts 7:22). Yet, in the desert, he stopped believing in himself. In fact, he saw himself as “slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). It was not easy to convince Moses that he was the right man for the job. So in the desert, God spoke to him in a special, dramatic way.

                Second, the life of Moses teaches the faithful to wait for God to open a door.

Moses got ahead of God. He had zeal and passion, but they were not rooted in the knowledge of God’s purposes (Romans 10:2). In the work of the Lord, it is just as wrong to run ahead of God, as it is to run away.

                The third thing to be learned from Moses is that people should not take matters into their own hands. God’s purposes should never be fulfilled in unbiblical ways. Spiritual goals cannot be achieved in the strength of the flesh. Remember that God’s work is best accomplished in His way and timing!

                God calls whomever He chooses, and people’s desires do not affect His decisions. If Christians accept His call they will become partners with Him. He will consequently open doors of ministry for those He calls, as they do His work in His way.