Lesson 1: Discipleship 103 (God Calls and Equips & Why God Calls Us)
"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3 New Living Translation)
"God Calls And Equips"
I. God Calls
All Are Called
- All Christians are called to a saving faith, and in this call, all must release their lives to God for His purposes.
- There is no separation or distinction in the call of God between those recognized as leaders and other Christians.
- God will call the foolish, weak, base, and despised to use as His instruments. (I Corinthians 1:26-31).
- Every believer is called of God and is to function before God and a watching world as an example to the world.
Please write the answers to the Focus/Challenge questions on a separate sheet of paper. It is important that you write your answers down so that you can later meditate on them and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truths.
Focus/Challenge
- Have you ever excluded yourself from service to God because you did not feel qualified? Based on this teaching, do you think that God could and does desire to use your life in His kingdom?
- Spend time praying that God would open your eyes, ears, and heart so that you can clearly recognize His voice when He calls.
II. God Equips
And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
God has equipped all believers with the Holy Spirit which:
- Allows us to know the will of God for our lives
- Lives out the call of God on our lives
- Provides all that we need to follow Him'
- Allows us to recognize and experience all the provisions of God for our lives
- Enables us to effectively share the gospel with others
- The key is not our talents, but the cultivating of our heart so that when God does work through us, we can turn and praise Him and let others know that it was God who accomplished the work.
- Remember God will call ordinary people (like you and me) and He will use us in extraordinary ways to advance His kingdom!! A few of those people are listed below. Read about their experience, how they were willing vessels, ready to be used by God.
- David - Psalm 78:70-72
- Amos - Amos 7:14-15
- Rahab - Joshua 2:1-14, Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25
Focus/Challenge
- Look over the past year and write down specific ways that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has been equipping you. How has He trained you:____________, guided you: ______________, encouraged you: ______________, empowered you ______________.
- You are important to God! You can never fully estimate the value of your life to God! Your obedience to God releases the fullness of God in accomplishing His purpose in redeeming a lost world!
III. Spiritual Inventory
A spiritual inventory is necessary for every believer to evaluate how he/she is doing. It requires transparent honesty.
God must take each of us aside regularly, remind us of His call on our life, remind us of all He has done for us (John 14:26), and help us see how we are responding to His guiding and shaping of our lives.
When we come before God there is an automatic "inventory" taken by Him for Christlikeness. We become very aware of our own lives. We must allow God to cleanse our lives by the "washing of water by the Word of God." (Ephesians 5:26-27). That happens by regularly reading, studying and obeying God's word. Also by praying, which brings us into God's presence. In His presence God will change our ways into His ways and prayerfully, we will cry out as Jesus did, "Not my will but Thine be done." (Luke 22:42).
Focus/Challenge
- Consider this: When the Holy Spirit reminds you of some "unfinished" business (something you have known that God wanted you to do, but never adjusted your life to obey), write it down and make a commitment to quickly adjust your life so that you can obey in this area.
"Why God Calls Us"
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Colossians 3:23 NLT)
I. God's Word Reveals God and His Ways
- Throughout the Bible we see God used ordinary people to be the instruments to carry out His purpose. People such as Noah (Genesis 6-10), Abraham (Genesis 12-22), Moses (Exodus 3), and Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Luke 1).
- God uses people He can trust with His work. Those who are willing to get to know Him and are prepared to let Him shape their lives through:
- Daily Bible study (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:11; Psalm 119:105)
- Daily prayer time (Mark 1:35)
- Worship (Psalm 95:6; Psalm 100:4)
- Fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:25)
- God especially wants to save those who are lost. God has placed us as watchmen in our families, workplace, church and neighborhoods to share the good news of His Word as well as to share the danger of rejecting God (Ezekiel 33:1-20).
Focus/Challenge
- Ask God to show you the people He has placed in your life that desperately need a relationship with Him and then consistently pray for them.
- Are you living in a way that God could trust you with His work?
- Can you see how God has placed you as a watchperson in your home, workplace or neighborhood?
II. The Call of God Requires Character
- God's goal for every believer is to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). God is perfecting the characteristics of Jesus in each of us (Psalms 138:8). As God shapes our character, we become better instruments to be used for His purposes in kingdom work!
- Faithful obedience to the Father is one of the characteristics of Jesus. The Scriptures state:
- While Jesus was here on earth, He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard His prayers because of His deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. In this way God qualified Him as a perfect High Priest, and He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Live out the call of God on our lives. (Hebrews 5:7-9 NLT)
- Jesus obeyed the Father in every area of His life. God wants to create this same attitude for obedience into your life. (Philippians 2:5).
- God also wants us to be "set apart" for Him (John 17:17-19; Romans 8:28-29). This is the "why" of our being called of God. This is developed through our relationship with God.
- The process of developing Christ-like character is the goal of God for every believer. The Father places His Son in us (Colossians 1:27-29) and Jesus begins to live out His life through us (Galatians 2:20).
- We cannot build these "characteristics" into our life on our own. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. We partner with God as He develops our character.
Focus/Challenge
- Are there areas of your life where obedience is difficult? How? Why?
- In what circumstances do you currently find yourself? Could God be preparing you for something He will use your life to accomplish in the future?
Hallelujah!! Praise God for calling and equipping you to do His work for His purposes! Remember who God calls, God equips! Remember, God is interested in your relationship with Him more than in your skills and abilities. Do not let the fear of failure prevent you from responding fully to the call of God!
This concludes Lesson 1. Please follow the instructions below to review the lesson.
PLEASE GO TO THE LINK BELOW TO REFLECT ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED:
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DON'T FORGET TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS IN THE SECTION BELOW.
AFTER SUBMITTING THE QUIZ, YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL CONTACT YOU VIA EMAIL WITH RESULTS. YOU MAY MOVE FORWARD IF NECESSARY.
DON'T FORGET TO RETURN TO THIS PAGE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS IN THE SECTION BELOW.