The Call

Ephesians 4:1-3

Paul, in this letter to the churches at Ephesus, was reminding them of his place in the body of Christ, he is an apostle of Christ Jesus and he is an ambassador in chains, a prisoner for Christ Jesus.  The apostle Paul is reminding us of the fact, that we were called out of darkness into the light.  Jesus is the light, and many did not receive Him, but to all that did, He gave the right to become children of God.  Paul is addressing those who have been called out of darkness into the light and life of Christ Jesus, and he is urging us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.  In the first part of this letter, Paul is asking the Father to give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18).

In my past, I had a pastor instruct me to make sure that when teaching on the subject of calling, that I taught that his calling, (the calling of a pastor) was above anyone else.  That instruction caused me to spend many hours in the Scriptures and in prayer, and then I found a word that gave clear meaning to what the pastor said; the word is “baloney”.  What nonsense!  No where in Scripture can you find the individual calling of a pastor, it is a call of the Spirit on a man’s life, and no where in Scripture is one person exalted in his call above another in the church.  In no way am I saying pastors are not called and chosen, and I am not saying that we should not follow the leadership of our pastor.   But it is a wise person who looks into the Scriptures and makes sure that the pastor is teaching truth, and not some “nonsense” that is designed to exaggerate his importance in the body of Christ.  Never forget these words, “The ground at the cross is level,” the call is to whosoever will come.  Look only to Jesus, all men are liars, and I did not say that, Jesus did.

It has been very helpful to me to understand what God got when He called you and me out of darkness into the light of His Son, Jesus Christ.  “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.  But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)  Well, so much for thinking that God was really blessed when He got you and me, but look at verse 30, “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 

So we the called, must renew our minds, not a fleshly mind like that pastor, but a mind and heart, guided by the Spirit, walking “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice