By Ladi Ayodeji
Greetings to all my readers, wherever you are at this moment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today, my teaching centres on the call of God upon His servants, both within and outside His vineyard.
God’s call operates in two realms, basically: inside the vineyard or outside it. The call could also be full-time or part-time, depending on the nature of the assignment and the individual called to fulfil it.
In this teaching, I will be sharing with you on the TIMING of the call, especially for those called to serve in the vineyard. I will deal substantially with ministers in the vineyard in this writing.
THE TIMING OF THE CALL
The Bible says that the vision is for an appointed time. Everything in life answers to time and seasons. This is very important to note.
Since God is the only accurate timekeeper, and He is the One who calls us, we must learn to work according to His timing, instructions and agenda.
I have used a metaphor in the title of this sermon: The Call and the Apple.
When an apple is not ripe and you eat it, the taste will be unpleasant because it is not yet ready to be eaten. So also, the experience can be unpleasant when you step ahead of God’s call upon your life, whether in ministry or in other areas of life, away from the mission field.
If you step ahead of your call, the consequences could be unpleasant because you would struggle, most times in vain, because you would not enjoy divine backing.
It means that you are operating in your own strength without the covering, presence, power, empowerment and requisite anointing that come with a legitimate calling.
BENEFITS OF A CALL
- A call to serve in the vineyard comes with an anointing, which gives you the empowerment to carry out your assignment.
- God will send you helpers to help you fulfil your calling and actualise the vision.
- The financial support required will be supplied by God.
- God’s presence will follow you in the course of fulfilling your assignment.
- You will enjoy the level of grace you need to overcome any obstacle along the way.
Jesus was one of the guests at a wedding ceremony in Cana of Galilee. When the host ran out of wine, Mary, the mother of Jesus, told Him about the situation. However, the Lord gave her a mild rebuke, saying that His time had not yet come. John 2:1–11
Although He still went ahead to perform the miracle of turning water into wine, we learn something about timing from that event.
Any individual who steps ahead of their call would struggle because they might not enjoy the benefits of the covering, anointing, financial support, a good team and all the accrued benefits they ought to enjoy. It is very much like eating an unripe apple. The taste will be unpleasant to the palate, and it could cause discomfort in the stomach.
That said, what happens when you step out too late?
The issue here is this: what happens if you fail to respond to the call at the right time, or if your obedience to your call comes too late?
Whoever fails to respond to a call to serve in the vineyard at the right time but heeds the call nevertheless might either not be able to fulfil the assignment or may record only partial success if the call has not expired.
Since a vision is for an appointed time, if you fail to heed the call, God could raise someone else to do the job if it is urgent. In that case, God may no longer need you for that particular assignment. You have missed it.
Now, let’s look at some issues surrounding the call.
ISSUES AROUND THE CALL
- The call may have a specific timeframe.
This means that it has a tenure and an expiry date or period within which God’s purpose is to be carried out.
- A call may have a jurisdiction.
Paul was called to the Gentiles, while Peter was called to the Jews. Jesus said that He had been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. At that particular point in His earthly ministry, His assignment was specifically directed towards Israel.
However, Jesus later sent His disciples to go into all nations and spread the Gospel.
- You may be called to a generation.
In the dispensational dealings of God with humanity, He sends people according to His purpose for a particular time.
Jonah was sent to Nineveh, but because he disobeyed, he was swallowed by a great fish. When he cried for mercy, he was delivered after he decided to comply with God’s instructions.
This, however, is a unique occurrence. It depicts outright disobedience to a call, which could come with afflictions for the servant involved. Yet, God will not compel anyone to obey His call. However, every act of disobedience has its consequences.
The unique case of Jonah, including the strange phenomenon that occurred in his life, belongs to the biblical account of the Old Testament.
Back to the point being made: a call can be to a generation. Prophets, priests and kings, as well as individuals like Jonah, were given assignments to execute during the specific generations in which they lived.
- You may be called to serve a personage.
This could mean serving a leader or another person who has been assigned a particular mandate. Examples include the disciples serving Jesus, Joshua serving Moses, and Elisha serving Elijah. These men later succeeded those they had served.
Some Christians may be called to serve their pastors for a season and undergo training before they launch out to answer their own calls and start their own ministries.
The point here is to walk according to the timing of God.
THE CALL IN THE SECULAR WORLD
There is an erroneous belief that the call is restricted to the servants of God in the vineyard. That is not true.
In the secular world, people who are called to do certain things, engage in particular vocations, are given gifts for inventions, are assigned leadership roles, or operate in certain offices also serve God.
We are all servants of God in different capacities, offices, vocations, roles or assignments that shape the destiny of humanity. God can raise a leader to accomplish His purpose in a nation, region, continent or the entire world. He does this in every generation.
In all of these cases, the calls are regulated by virtually the same principles outlined above as they apply to vineyard ministers, particularly with regard to timing, empowerment, anointing, grace, jurisdiction, place of service, tenure and all that. God rules in the affairs of men.
He is the Governor of the nations. He determines the jurisdiction of nations, the period of their existence and how they fare.
This is stated in Acts 17:24–26.
Therefore, Elon Musk, Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, and all the billionaires in the creative industries worldwide, in the tech revolution, banking and finance, space exploration, aviation, food and beverage, internet and social media, robotics, artificial intelligence and other fields, were all inspired and enabled by God.
All the ancient inventors, writers, wisdom teachers, scientists and all the rest of them served God by improving human existence in the various spheres in which they operated during their generations. They laid the foundations for much of the progress we enjoy today.
All of these people, Adam Smith, Kepler, Hippocrates, Faraday and many others, acquitted themselves brilliantly, to the glory of God. Every good gift comes from God, and every good success comes from God to serve His purpose. We should always remember that.
Finally, let me talk about this once again for clarity: what if you are called to serve but refuse to heed the call, like Jonah?
God has millions of alternatives.
At a time of exhaustion in his life, the great prophet Elijah thought he was the only faithful one remaining in Israel, but he was quickly reminded that 7,000 knees had not bowed to Baal!
As far as God is concerned, nobody is indispensable. If God calls you, it is a privilege and an honour that you should obey, for your own good. Otherwise, you could face consequences for disobedience, as Jonah did, because God is sovereign and is the Father of creation.
Next week, I will address the Different Kinds of Calls and how to know whether you are called to vineyard ministry or to serve in the secular world.
Thank you for reading.
References
Genesis 12:1–3; Exodus 3:10–18; Genesis 6:8–22; Isaiah 6:8–10; Jeremiah 1:4–10; Matthew 4:18–22; Romans 1:1–2; John 2:1–11.
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Ladi Ayodeji, marriage counselor, author, media expert and philosopher, can be reached on 09059243004, WhatsApp only.