An Authentic Calling: Representing Christ and His Kingdom through the Church

F O U N D A T I O N S

M I N I S T R Y S E R I E S f o r

Urban Mission

A N A UTHENTIC C ALLING : R EPRESENTING C HRIST AND H IS K INGDOM THROUGH THE C HURCH

D r. Don L . Da v i s

U2-401

T h e U r b a n M i n i s t r y I n s t i t u t e , a m i n i s t r y o f W o r l d I m p a c t , I n c .

© 2010, 2012. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved. Copying, redistribution and/or sale of these materials, or any unauthorized transmission, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher is prohibited. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to:

The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 E. 13th Street Wichita, KS 67208

The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bible, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

Contents

About the Author

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Preface

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Session 1

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Discovering Your Place of Service in the Covenant Community of God Introduction

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Session 2

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Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Salvation A Call to Salvation Session 3 Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Holiness A Call to Holiness Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Freedom A Call to Freedom Session 5 Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Community A Call to Community Session 6 Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Service A Call to Service Session 4

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Session 7

Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Suffering A Call to Suffering

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Appendix

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Bibliography

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About Us

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About the Author

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis is the Director of The Urban Ministry Institute. He received a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, an M.A. in Systematic Theology from the Wheaton Graduate School, and holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics from the University of Iowa School of Religion. Dr. Davis has taught as professor of religion and theology at a number of colleges and seminaries, including Wheaton College, St. Ambrose University, and the Houston Graduate School of Theology. Since 1975, he has served with World Impact, an interdenominational missions agency dedicated to evangelism, discipleship, and urban church planting among the inner cities of America. A frequent speaker at national conventions and conferences, Don also serves as World Impact’s Vice President of Leadership Development. He is a Staley Lecturer and a member of the American Academy of Religion. Over the years Dr. Davis has authored numerous curricula, courses, and materials designed to equip pastors, church planters, and Christian workers for effective ministry in urban settings, including the Capstone Curriculum, The Urban Ministry Institute’s comprehensive sixteen-module seminary-level curriculum designed specifically for developing urban church leaders.

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Preface

The Urban Ministry Institute is a research and leadership development center for World Impact, an interdenominational Christian missions organization dedicated to evangelism and church planting in the inner cities of America. Founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1995, the Institute (TUMI) has sponsored courses, workshops, and leadership training events locally for urban leaders since 1996. We have recorded and reformatted many of these resources over the years, and are now making them available to others who are equipping leaders for the urban church. Our Foundations for Ministry Series represents a significant portion of our on-site training offered to students locally here in Wichita. We are thankful and excited that these materials can now be made available to you. We are confident that you can grow tremendously as you study God’s Word and relate its message of justice and grace to your life and ministry. For your personal benefit, we have included our traditional classroom materials with their corresponding audio recordings of each class session, placing them into a self-study format. We have included extra space in the actual printed materials in order that you may add notes and comments as you listen to the recordings. This will prove helpful as you explore these ideas and topics further. Remember, the teaching in these sessions was actually given in class and workshop settings at our Hope School of Ministry. This means that, although the workbooks were created for students to follow along and interact with the recordings, some differences may be present. As you engage the material, therefore, please keep in mind that the page numbers on the recordings do not correspond to those in the workbook. Our earnest prayer is that this Foundations for Ministry Series course will prove to be both a blessing and an encouragement to you in your walk with and ministry for Christ. May the Lord so use this course to deepen your knowledge of his Word, in order that you may be outfitted and equipped to complete the task he has for you in kingdom ministry!

The main purpose of this study is to explore together what the Scriptures teach on the elements and responsibilities associated with

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the call of God, both on the Church and her leadership. Further, we will closely examine what it means to fulfill one’s special calling by representing with honor and integrity Jesus Christ and his Kingdom through the Church. As a result of taking this course, each student should be able to: • Quote, interpret, and effectively use select scriptural texts which outline and explain the elements and responsibilities associated with an authentic call of God. • Distinguish between the concepts of the general call over against the special call of God to leadership in the Church. • Recite and explain the nature of the call of God related to salvation, holiness, freedom, and community. • Provide Scriptures and arguments to explain the dual responsibilities of servanthood and suffering associated with the call of God. • Give outline to the steps to understanding and authenticating a true instance of a special call of God. • Discuss and give evidence of your personal call to ministry, and specify what you now believe God’s call on your life to be, whether in the Church or in a particular leadership role in the Church as an official representative. • Memorize a selected Scripture passage on the call of God. The decisive factor in discipleship and ministry is identification of one’s call in Jesus Christ. As Lord and Master, he and he alone is calling men and women, boys and girls from every country, culture, and clan to himself, to be separated unto him and his Kingdom, to be used as a slave and prisoner for his glory and Gospel. To give one’s all to Christ is to simultaneously receive his all from him, and with that call, eternal life. May the Lord grant you his grace and ears to hear his clarion voice, and his bold and inviting call to a life of discipleship, service, and witness to him and his Kingdom.

~ Don Davis

Preface

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Assignments and Grading For our TUMI satellites, all course-relevant materials are located at www.tumi.org/foundations . Each course or workshop has assigned textbooks which are read and discussed throughout the class. We maintain our official Foundations for Ministry Series required textbook list at www.tumi.org/foundationsbooks .

For more information, please contact us at foundations@tumi.org .

Session 1 Introduction

Discovering Your Place of Service in the Covenant Community of God

Real leaders are in short supply. Constantly people and groups search for them. Throughout the Bible, God searches for leaders, too. “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people” (1 Sam. 13.14). “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city” (Jer. 5.1). “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall” (Ezek. 22.30). The Bible shows us that when God does find a person who is ready to lead, to commit to full discipleship and take on responsibility for others, that person is used to the limit. Such leaders still have shortcomings and flaws, but despite them, they become spiritual leaders. Such were Moses, Gideon, and David. And in the history of the Church, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, and many others [ including Deborah, Esther, Mary, and in the Church Sojourner Truth, Elisabeth Elliott, Mother Theresa, and Aimee Semple McPherson , italics mine]. To be a leader in the Church has always required strength and faith beyond the merely human. Why is our need for leaders so great, and candidates so few? Every generation faces the stringent demands of spiritual leadership, and welcomes the few who come forward to serve.

~ J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Leadership . 2nd Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. p. 18.

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I. Narrative Theology and the Exodus Story: Finding a Credible Theological Method to Understand the Call of God

Moses and the Call of God Exod. 3.1-10 (ESV) – Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. [3] And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” [4] When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” [5] Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” [6] And he said, “I am the God of your

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father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. [7] Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, [8] and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Periz zites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. [9] And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. [10] Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

A. The prophetic call of God: An 80-year-old shepherd, a flame of fire in a burning bush, and a God’s desire to save a people for himself, Exod. 3.2-10

2 Cor. 4.6 (ESV) For God, who said,

“Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1.15-17 (ESV) But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; [17] nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away

1. The sign of disclosure: the flame of fire out of the bush, Exod. 3.2

2. The address of the LORD, Exod. 3.4

3. The response of the called one, Exod. 3.4

4. The identification of God to the called one, Exod. 3.5-6

5. The Commission of God, Exod. 3.7-10

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into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

Note: this pattern is repeated in many of the prophetic calls in the Old Testament ([i.e., apparition, double address, response, revelation, commission], cf. Gen. 22.1-2, 11-12; 31.11-13; 46.2-3; Exod. 3.2-10; 1 Sam. 3.4-14 see Gerhard Lohfink, The Conversion of St. Paul: Narrative and History in Acts . Chicago: Fransciscan Herald, 1976, pp. 61-69).

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B. From the proto-evangelium to the New Jerusalem: the universe is at war, Gen. 3.15; 1 John 3.8

1. The call rooted in the very person of God, Dan. 4.34-35 (ESV) – At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his Kingdom endures from generation to generation; [35] all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

a. The LORD as the Sovereign, Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Ps. 83.18 (ESV) – That they may know that you alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.

b. The LORD God as Creator and Maker of all things, Ps. 24.1-2 (ESV) – The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, [2] for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

2. The devil and humankind in voluntary rebellion against his reign and will, defied God’s perfect and good will, Gen. 3.15

3. The result: the chaos of the curse, the entrance of evil, alienation, and death, Rom. 3.23; 6.23

4. God’s redemptive will: to reestablish his Kingdom rule in the universe

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a. To defeat the powers of rebellion and chaos, Col. 2.15

b. To reclaim his creation for his glory, Isa. 43.7; Rev. 4.11

c. To redeem a people for his own, Titus 2.11-15

d. To reveal his glory through his Son and the Church, Eph. 1.13–14

C. The importance of the Exodus story as a model for the singular call of God

1. As a biblical framework for understanding the elements of God’s call

2. As a narrative portrayal to help “feel” the power of the call

3. As a working model to help us analyze and appreciate our call today

4. As a connecting point in the ongoing work of God for his people

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, qara’

Meaning “to call, call out, recite.” This root occurs in Old Aramaic, Canaanite, and Ugaritic, and other Semitic languages (except Ethiopic). The word appears in all periods of biblical Hebrew. Qara’ may signify the “specification of a name.” Naming a thing is frequently an asser tion of sovereignty over it, which is the case in the first use of qara’ : “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Gen. 1.5). God’s act of creating, “naming,” and numbering includes the stars (Ps. 147.4) and all other things (Isa. 40.26). He allowed

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Adam to “name” the animals as a concrete demonstration of man’s relative sovereignty over them (Gen. 2.19). Divine sovereignty and election are extended over all generations, for God “called” them all from the beginning (Isa. 41.4; cf. Amos 5.8). “Calling” or “naming” an individual may specify the individual’s primary characteristic (Gen. 27.36); it may consist of a confession or evaluation (Isa. 58.13; Isa. 60.14); and it may recognize an eternal truth (Isa. 7.14). This verb also is used to indicate “calling to a specific task.” In Exod. 2.7, Moses’ sister Miriam asked Pharaoh’s daughter if she should go and “call” (summon) a nurse. Israel was “called” (elected) by God to be his people (Isa. 65.12), as were the Gentiles in the messianic age (Isa. 55.5).

~ Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, Old Testament wordsearch software edition

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D. The Exodus story as a story of war: Yahweh is a warrior.

1. Jesus Christ as Christus Victor : the Lamb who conquers

a. Heb. 2.14 (ESV) – Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.

b. 1 John 3.5 (ESV) – You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

c. 1 John 3.8 (ESV) – Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

2. God’s covenant people engaged in spiritual warfare against God’s enemies

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a. The world: the external enemy of God’s person , 1 John 2.15-17

b. The flesh: the internal enemy of God’s person , Gal. 5.16-23

c. The devil: the infernal enemy of God’s person , Eph. 6.10-18

3. The weapons of our warfare, 2 Cor. 10.3-5

4. Wrestling against the rulers of the darkness, Romans 13

5. Deputies and ambassadors of the Kingdom, 2 Cor. 5.18-21

E. The Call and the Covenant : the Exodus story outlines God’s design for a people.

1. He calls, empowers, and sends a special representative to engage his enemy.

2. He displays his power and wonders in judgment on his enemies.

3. He calls, delivers, and renews a covenant people – he empowers them that they may glorify and worship him.

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, kaleo

Derived from the root kal-- , whence Eng. “call” and “clamor” (see B and C, below), is used (a) with a personal object, “to call anyone, invite, summon,” e.g., Matt. 20.8; Matt. 25.14; it is used particularly of the Divine call to partake of the blessings of redemption, e.g., Rom. 8.30; 1 Cor. 1.9; 1 Thess. 2.12; Heb. 9.15; cp. B and C, below; (b) of nomenclature or vocation, “to call by a name, to name;” in the Passive Voice, “to be called by a name, to bear a name.” Thus it suggests either vocation or destination; the context determines which, e.g., Rom. 9.25-26; “surname,” in Acts 15.37, AV, is incorrect (RV, “was called”). ~ Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, New Testament wordsearch software edition

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F. The Sufficiency Principle of the call of God

1. The principle stated: God never calls a person or a group to be or do anything without providing them with the gifts, resources, provisions, and opportunity to accomplish that call, Phil. 2.12-13 (ESV) – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

2. The principle applied to God’s leaders: Moses and Joshua and leaders of the New Testament

3. The principle applied to God’s people: the nation of Israel and the Church

4. Everyone in the Church of God (members and leaders) has been called together to represent the reputation, interests, and purpose of God in their lives.

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a. The call includes people from all nations and races , 1 Cor. 1.24 (ESV) – but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

b. Demands spiritual enlightenment to fully understand, Eph. 1.18 (ESV) – 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.

c. We must strive to know our calling in order that we might walk worthy of it , Eph. 4.1 (ESV) – I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

d. Ultimately, our calling will involve the very glory of Jesus Christ , 2 Thess. 2.14 (ESV) – To this he called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

G. The unchanging nature of God’s call, Rom. 11.29 (ESV) – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

1. The calling and gifts of God are irrevocable ( God will not take away from his called person the work he has for them to do ).

2. God’s call is the decisive issue in all spirituality and ministry, Isaiah 11.

3. “The call of God is irrevocable, not irresistible.”

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II. One Call, Many Expressions: A Multi-perspective Approach in the Study of an Authentic Call

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. ~ 2 Thessalonians 1.11 (ESV)

How do we discover our particular call in the body of Christ?

A. Identify and understand the elements of God’s authentic call

1. The call of God to salvation : an authentic call expressed in repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

2. The call of God to holiness : an authentic call expressed in being set apart to the Lord for his possession, purpose, and pleasure

3. The call of God to freedom : an authentic call expressed in liberation from bondage to sin and religion to radical love for God and others

4. The call of God to community : an authentic call expressed in belonging to and representing the covenant community of God

B. Identify and understand the responsibilities of God’s call

1. The call of God to serve : an authentic call expressed in using one’s gifts, resources, and opportunities to build up the Church and win the world

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2. The call of God to suffer : an authentic call expressed with a willingness to sacrifice, struggle, and persevere at any cost in order to fulfill God’s will

C. Identify and understand God’s call on all of our lives , as well as his special call on those called to equip and edify his people

1. The special call of God and the five-fold equipping ministry of Ephesians 4 : apostles, prophet, evangelists, pastors and teachers

2. Men and women of God’s own choosing and revelation

3. Endowments and gifts of God’s own provision and presence

D. The Sovereign Lord of the universe is calling a people to himself, and calling persons to be his representatives.

1. He purposed this calling before the world began , 2 Tim. 1.9 (ESV) – who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

2. It is a shared and heavenly calling , Heb. 3.1 (ESV) – Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

3. Our responsibility is to so live as to make our calling and election sure to our own hearts , 2 Pet. 1.10 (ESV) – Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

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Prayer and Affirmation to God

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. ~ Micah 7.18-20 (ESV)

Session 2 A Call to Salvation Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Salvation

Rom. 8.28-30 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 2 Thess. 2.14 (ESV) To this he called you through our Gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 1.2 (ESV) To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

What can we learn in looking at these elements of the call of God?

• They are universal in the sense that they touch upon everyone within the covenant community (i.e., individuals, families, and the entire people) in a full, holistic way.

• They are integrated in the sense that they condition and define everything else connected to the fulfillment of God’s call.

• They are universal in the sense that they apply to all individuals and families equally, regardless of the particular call God has for their individual lives.

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I. Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Salvation

Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. And the Lord of the universe commands every person to follow Him. His call to Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4.18-19) and to James and John (Matt. 4.21) was a command. “Follow Me” has always been a command, never an invitation (John 1.43). Jesus never pleaded for someone to follow Him. He was embar rassingly straightforward. He confronted the woman at the well with her adultery, Nicodemus with his intellectual pride and the Pharisees with their self-righteousness. No one can interpret “. . . Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” as begging (Matt. 4.17). Jesus commanded each person to renounce self-seeking pursuits, abandon his sin and obey him completely. When the rich young ruler refused to sell all and follow him (Matt. 19.21), Jesus did not run after him trying to negotiate a compromise. He never watered down his standard. Jesus simply said, “Whoever serves me must follow me . . .“ (John 12.26 NIV). . . . So when do you become a Christian, a disciple of Christ? When you walk down an aisle? When you kneel at an altar? When you weep sincerely? Not necessarily. Christ’s original followers became disciples when they obeyed Him, when they “immediately left their boat and their father, and followed Him” (Matt. 4.22). Obeying Christ’s command, “Follow Me,” results in self-death. Christianity without self-death is only an abstract philosophy. It is Christianity without Christ. ~ Keith Phillips. The Making of a Disciple . Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981. p. 16-17.

Phil. 3.14 (ESV) I press on toward

the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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A. Definition of the call to salvation in the story of the Exodus

1. The special call of Moses, Exod. 3.10-12 (ESV) – Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” [11] But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” [12] He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 2. God’s confrontation with Pharaoh through Moses, Exod. 7.15-18 (ESV) – Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. [16] And you shall say to him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness. But so far, you have not obeyed.’ [17] Thus says the Lord, ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. [18] The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.’” 3. Pharaoh’s hardness of heart leads to God’s judgment upon Egypt through divine miracles, signs, and wonders, Exod. 5.1-2 (ESV) – Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” [2] But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

4. God’s deliverance of his people to himself for the purpose of worship and service, Exod. 3.19 (ESV) – But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.

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B. Principles for the people of God today

1. Outline of God’s redemptive purpose

a. God alone is the Maker and Sovereign of the universe.

(1) Ps. 92.8 (ESV) – but you, O Lord, are on high forever.

(2) Isa. 54.5 (ESV) – For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

b. God has determined to defeat the rebellion of the devil, 1 John 4.4.

c. God has willed to reclaim and redeem his creation, Rom. 8.19-21 (ESV) – For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. [20] For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

d. God will reestablish his reign by saving a people for himself, Titus 2.11-15.

e. God will sum up all things in his Son, the Messiah and Lord, Eph. 1.9-10 (ESV) – Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10] as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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2. Salvation’s clear promise

a. The Story of God’s Glory and the person of Jesus of Nazareth, Luke 4.16-18 cf. Isa. 61.1-4

b. The Gospel of the Kingdom, Mark 1.14-15 (ESV) – Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God, [15] and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

c. Repent from your sins and believe the Good News.

(1) Acts 2.38 (ESV) – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (2) Acts 20.21 (ESV) – testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Discipleship’s radical response, Luke 14.26-33

a. Immediate, Matt. 4.19-22 (ESV) – [19] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” [20] Immediately they left their nets and followed him. [21] And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. [22] Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

b. Unconditional, Luke 9.23-26 (ESV) – And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny

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himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [25] For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? [26] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

The call to salvation is simultaneously a call to receive God’s forgiveness through the grace of Jesus Christ, and to respond to that grace as a disciple, confessing Jesus as Lord. Rom. 10.8-13 (ESV) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); [9] because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. [11] For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. [13] For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

c. Transforming, John 8.36 (ESV) – So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

C. Case studies illustrating the call to salvation

1. The Apostles John and James: the call stories of the Gospels, Matt. 4.18-22

2. Zacchaeus the tax-gatherer, Luke 19.1-10

3. Saul of Tarsus, Acts 9.15-16 (ESV) – But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

D. Unique insights for spiritual leaders: Who issues the call?

1. God issues the call, both to salvation and to service. Neither the individual nor the Church are the source of the call of God, 1 Cor. 1.24-28.

2. While the call can come in as many ways as there are ministers to receive it, an authentic call to ministry will always include the Spirit’s presence, power, and gifting.

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a. The living presence of God, the Holy Spirit, Acts 13.2

b. The Spirit’s gifting and power, Acts 1.8; 6.3

3. God is the author of the call to every person whom he calls into ministry.

a. Ezekiel, Ezek. 2.1-8

b. The apostles, Matt. 4.18-22

c. The high priest, Heb. 5.4

d. Paul

(1) Acts 13.2

(2) Rom. 1.1

(3) Gal. 1.1ff.

4. As Lord of the harvest and head of the Church, Jesus Christ alone apportions and appoints leaders to their task among the people of God, Eph. 4.7-11.

5. While God alone issues the call to ministry, an authentic call to leadership will be demonstrated by experience and confirmed by legitimate spiritual authority .

a. Paul, Gal. 2.6-10

b. Timothy, 2 Tim. 1.14

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The Fifth Gospel

I call this the fifth gospel. We have the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John, and now a fifth, the Gospel of St. Evangelicals. The Gospel according to St. Evangelicals is taken from verses here and there in the other four Gospels. We take one verse here, one verse there, all the verses that offer something, all the verses of the promise like John 3:16 and John 5:24, putting all these verses together to form a systematic theology on salvation. Then we forget the other verses, the demands of Jesus Christ. This is the fifth gospel, the gospel of the offers, the gospel that presents Jesus as a personal Savior – only. Who authorized us to present Jesus as this or as that and not as he really is? Suppose a young couple is getting married. And when the pastor asks the groom, “will you take this woman to be your wife?” the young man says, “Pastor, I accept this girl as my personal cook, dishwasher, and maid.” What would the girl say? She would say, “Wait a moment. I’m going to cook, yes. And I’m going to wash dishes. I’m going to clean the house. But I am not a maid. I’m going to be your wife, and you also have to give me your love, your heart, your home – everything.” That’s marriage! It’s the same with Jesus. It’s true he is the Savior. Then we get spiritual and accept him as healer too. Wait a moment. He is what he is. We cannot cut Jesus into pieces and take the piece we like the best. We are like children who are given bread with jam. They eat the jam and give you back the bread. Then you put more jam on it and they lick off the jam again and give you back the bread. That’s the way we want to do with Jesus. We want to take the jam and give the bread away. We have to eat the bread with the jam. Heaven may be the jam, but the Lord Jesus is the Bread of Life.

~ Juan Carlos Ortiz. Call to Discipleship . Plainfield, NJ: Logos International Press, 1975. pp. 55-56.

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II. Responding to the Call

A. Implications for urban ministry

1. God is in control, and is working out everything for his own sovereign purpose. No address, neighborhood, community, city, or region is intimidating to him , Isa. 44.6-7 (ESV) – Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. [7] Who is like me? Let

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him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.”

2. People are lost and will perish without the deliverance that God alone provides through Jesus Christ, John 3.16, 36.

3. God calls all people everywhere to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, Acts 17.30-31 (ESV) – The times of ignor ance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, [31] because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man

whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

4. True urban ministers, like Moses, have had a “burning bush” experience; they will have responded to the call of God in personal repentance and faith ( you cain’t give what you ain’t got; you cain’t lose what you ain’t never had ).

5. The call to be saved is simultaneously a call to discipleship: immediate, unconditional, and transforming response to Jesus as Lord.

B. Connections to your life today

1. Do I acknowledge the LORD as my Maker and Creator of all things?

2. Do I understand and believe in the biblical outline of the Story of God’s glory?

3. Have I repented and believed in Jesus Christ as Messiah and Lord of all?

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4. Am I ready now, right here and right now, to yield all that I am and will be to obey Jesus Christ as Lord of my life?

Prayer and Affirmation to God

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ~ Isaiah 55.1-3, 6-7 (ESV)

Session 3 A Call to Holiness Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Holiness

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

~ 1 Thessalonians 4.7 (ESV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

~ Ephesians 4.1 (ESV)

We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2.12 (ESV)

Spiritual leadership requires Spirit-filled people. Other qualities are important; to be Spirit-filled is indispensable. The book of Acts is the story of people who established the Church and led the missionary enterprise. It is of more than passing significance that the central qualification of those who were to occupy even subordinate positions of responsibility in the early Church was that they be persons “full of the Holy Spirit.” These officers were to be known for integrity and judgment, but preeminently for their spirituality. A person can have a brilliant mind and possess artful administrative skill. But without spirituality he (sic) is incapable of giving truly spiritual leadership. Behind all the busyness of the apostles was the executive activity of the Spirit. As supreme administrator of the church and chief strategist of the missionary enterprise he is everywhere prominent. . . . Selection of Kingdom leaders must not be influenced by worldly wisdom, wealth, or social status. The prime consideration is spirituality. When a church or missions organization follows a different set of criteria, it essentially removes the Spirit from leadership.

~ J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Leadership . 2nd Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. pp. 79-80.

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I. Understanding an Authentic Call as a Call to Holiness

A. Definition of the call to holiness in the story of Exodus

1. The consecration of the people to God himself

a. Lev. 11.44 (ESV) – For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am

holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.

b. Lev. 19.2 (ESV) – Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

c. Lev. 20.7 (ESV) – Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

2. The consecration of the firstborn (along with the observance of the Passover), Exod. 13.11-16 (ESV) – When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, [12] you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. [13] Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. [14] And when in time to come your son asks you, “What does this mean?” you shall say to him, “By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. [15] For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.” [16] It shall be as a mark

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on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.

3. The giving of the Law on Sinai: God’s covenant with his people , Exod. 19.3-6 (ESV) – While Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: [4] You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

a. Their own identity and community

b. Their own discipline, order, and governance

c. A new destiny: the people of Messiah giving witness to the surrounding nations of the covenant faithfulness of God

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, hagios

A term derived from the same root as hagnos (found in hazo, “to venerate”), fundamentally signifies “separated” (among the Greeks, dedicated to the gods), and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred. (a) It is predicted of God (as the absolutely “Holy” One, in his purity, majesty and glory): of the Father , e.g., Luke 1.49; John 17.11; 1 Pet. 1.15, 16; Rev. 4.8; Rev. 6.10; of the Son , e.g., Luke 1.35; Acts 3.14; Acts 4.27, 30; 1 John 2.20; of the Spirit , e.g., Matt. 1.18 and frequently in all the Gospels, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, 1 Thessalonians; also in 2 Tim. 1.14; Titus 3.5; 1 Pet. 1.12; 2 Pet. 1.21; Jude 1.20. (b) It is used of men and things (see below) in so far as they are devoted to God . Indeed the quality, as attributed

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to God, is often presented in a way which involves Divine demands upon the conduct of believers. These are called hagioi , “saints,” i.e., “sanctified” or “holy” ones. This sainthood is not an attainment, it is a state into which God in grace calls men; yet believers are called to sanctify themselves (consistent with their calling, 2 Tim. 1.9), cleansing themselves from all defilement, forsaking sin, living a “holy” manner of life, 1 Pet. 1.15; 2 Pet. 3.11, and experiencing fellowship with God in his holiness. The saints are thus figuratively spoken of as “a holy temple,” 1 Cor. 3.17 (a local church); Eph. 2.21 (the whole Church), cp. Eph. 5.27; “a holy priesthood,” 1 Pet. 2.5; “a holy nation,” 1 Pet. 2.9. “It is evident that hagios and its kindred words . . . express some thing more and higher than hieros , sacred, outwardly associated with God; . . . something more than semnos , worthy, honorable; something more than hagnos , pure, free from defilement. Hagios is . . . more comprehensive. . . . It is characteristically godlikeness.”

~ G.B. Stevens, in Hastings’ Bib. Dic . Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, Old Testament wordsearch software edition

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B. Principles for the people of God today

1. God reveals his person as holy and set apart, 1 Pet. 1.14-19 (ESV) – As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, [15] but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, [16] since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” [17] And if you call on him as Father who judges impar tially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, [18] knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

a. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is a holy God.

b. God’s purpose is to reestablish his holiness in his universe.

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c. God’s kingdom rule is set apart from the world system with its greed, lust, and pride.

2. God has redeemed to himself his holy people; we are called to be saints , 1 Cor. 1.2 (ESV) – To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

a. Purchased as God’s own special possession, Titus 2.14

b. Set apart from the world unto God himself for his pleasure and purpose, Rev. 4.11; 2 Tim. 1.9

c. Charged to reflect God’s glorious holiness through its life and its prophetic presence and proclamation, 1 Pet. 2.9-10 (ESV) – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his mar velous light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

3. God’s people are to embrace the prophetic and apostolic traditions upon which our faith and practice are built.

a. 2 Thess. 2.15 (ESV) – So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.