The call of God part 6.

     I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
     Philippians 3:14(NASB)


     We have, like the Apostle Paul, have been called to know Christ. This is not mere knowledge about Him, nor is it about saying a sinners prayer, or making a one time commitment. This is a life long pursuit of Jesus, the lover of your soul. It is a pursuit to know Him in an ever increasing intimate way. It will cost you everything. Paul counted everything loss for the sake of knowing Christ, so must we.
     This is not something we can add to a list of things to do in an already crowded life. It must be the one consuming passion of our lives. Paul said "One thing I do" (13). Paul did a lot of things. He planted churches, wrote major portions of scripture, preached, travelled, etc, but in reality he only did one thing, not "This is one thing I do among many other things". The one thing he did was to passionately pursue Christ. He was consumed by this goal; to know Christ. This is the call that God is sounding out to us, deep calling unto deep, the call to deep intimacy. Out of this pursuit Paul planted churches, wrote scripture, preached and travelled. He also suffered persecution, hunger, shipwreck, and travail of soul. It is a costly call, but all that matters is Christ, knowing Him, pleasing Him, fellowship with Him, being formed into His image.
     Count the cost, and pursue Him with total abandon!

The call of God part 5.

     For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many bretheren.
     Romans 8:29(NASB)

     The world has its ways of doing things, and sadly, multitudes blindly conform themselves to its ways without even realizing what they are doing. Standards of right and wrong are blurred, and even mixed up. Good is called evil, and evil is called good.
     The good news is we do not have to be shaped by this world! We can rise above it, and live lives that bring glory to God. He has chosen us, from the very beginning, to be conformed into Christ's image. We are called to be like Christ! As He is, so are we in this world (1John 4:17).
    As we yield ourselves up to the word of God, trusting in Him, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be transformed. Our lives will take on more and more of Christs likeness.

The call of God part 4.

     Who are chosen according to the foreknoweledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.
     1 Peter 1:1b-2 (NASB).

     God has a wonderful plan for your life. It is not however the plan that so many pastors and teachers preach today. His plan is not material success, ease of living, or even happiness. His plan for you is to be obedient to Jesus Christ! Only in obedience can true happiness be found. To be living in the will of God is the true place of freedom and peace. God's standard of success is not how much money He sent your way, how much stuff He blessed you with, but this: Did you stand strong for Him? Did you obey without compromise?
     As lost sinners, we were once disobedient rebels. We lived for ourselves, wanting whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it, not caring who we hurt along the way. We had no regard for God. Now as redeemed, set apart (holy) people, we are submissive to the lordship of Jesus Christ with a loving devotion. This means we obey Him because we love Him. We live for Him, His will is our one goal in life.
     To obey Jesus Christ and be sprinked with His blood. If we walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7 NASB). The life God has planned for us is one of following Christ, As we follow Him in obedience to His call, we have peace with Him, fellowship with one another, and victory over the sin and temptations that assail us in this life.
    

The call of God part 3

     For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
     1 Thessalonians 4:7,8 NASB

   "Therefore,come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me," says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
     2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1 NASB

     These two passages of scripture expand upon the first two aspects of God's call to us.
     1. We are called to be holy.
     2. We are called to adoption as children of God.

     The first passage makes it clear that holiness is not an option. God has not called us to remain in sin.
He has called us to be separate from sin, and to serve Him with all that we are. This passage contains a warning to those who think that holiness is not required by God. To reject holiness is to reject God.
     The verses in 2 Corinthians link holiness (separation) to adoption. The context of these verses deal with the Corinthian believers who were dabbling with immorality, selfishness, and idolatry. Paul tells them that there has to be a separation. Light and darkness do not mix. Righteousness and lawlessness do not mix. there is no harmony between Christ and the devil. Since Christians are the temple of the Living God, it stands to reason that they must come out of all unholy alliances, they must turn their backs on sin, and be separated unto God.
     This passage contains a promise. If they would come out of the sinful life they were dabbling in, if they would avoid immorality, God would be a father to them, and they would be sons and daughters to Him.
     God will not have His children unequally yoked. He will not have His children playing with sin. God calls each one of us to live lives that are dedicated to Him. Without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).






    

The call of God part 2.

     He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.
     Ephesians 1:5 NASB

    We were once children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), but God in His mercy has chosen us to be adopted sons, through the offering of Jesus Christ. We were once sons of disobedience (2:1), children of the devil (John 8:48), but now we have received the spirit of adoption testifying that we are children of God (Romans 8:15,16).
     Most children when asked what they want to be when they grow up, will desire to be like  their parents. A little boy will say "I want to be just like my dad". A little girl will desire to grow up to be like her mother.
     Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1). It is the same for the child of God. They desire to be like God. To have the same attitudes, desires, and actions. The child of God does not want to do anything that would bring sorrow or reproach to the name of his heavenly Father.
     We are told in Romans 8:14, that it is those who are led by the Spirit of God, who are the sons of God. It is also those who walk in the Spirit (order their lives by) that do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
     Can you say that you are a true son? Does your life imitate your heavenly Father? Does the Spirit bear witness with your Spirit that you are indeed a child of God?

    

The call of God part 1.

     Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.
     Ephesians 4:1 NASB

     We have been called by God with a holy calling (1Timothy 1:9). This calling is a vocation, a way of life. This calling requires us to walk in a manner worthy of it. This is no different than an employer hiring a qualified individual for a job. He would have every right to expect this individual to do the job to the very best of his ability. A doctor is required to be thorough in examining his patient. He must then prescribe the proper treatment. A doctor who is careless, neglecting important tests, or treatment, would soon loose his job, license, and face malpractice suits. Likewise we are under obligation to walk in the call of God upon our lives in a manner that is worthy of Him (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
     Just what is this call of God upon our lives? What does it consist of?
     1. It is a call to be holy (Ephesians 1:4). To be holy is to be set apart for the service of God. It is to be separated from ordinary use, and devoted to God. We are called to separate ourselves from sin and self, and to give ourselves to the service of God. Even our everyday ordinary tasks are to be done in the name of Christ, and for His glory. This is not dealing with a positional standing before God, but with how we live out our lives on a daily basis. We are to be holy because He is holy, holy in all of our conduct (1 Peter 1:14-16). We are called to live a holy, blameless life, to be above reproach.
     I will expand upon this idea of the call of God, and what it means to us, in the next several posts. I hope that it will challenge each one of us to pursue God in a deeper way, to become more intimately aquainted with Him, growing in His grace.