Separation, isolation, and alienation from God is the greatest horror in the universe. No person alive is stuck in this dreadful predicament. Total separation from God is only for the dead and then, only for those bound for hell. Only then are people completely removed from God’s presence (2Thess. 1:18). As long as people are alive, God keeps calling them. I have discovered seven major calls of God that are available to everyone. One call follows the other and only after a person responds to one, will they discover the next. Whether you are an atheist or a minister—God is calling you.
The seven-fold call of God is always upward. Each call is a treasure. There is a new world to be discovered when an individual responds to the call of God. Then there are no limits to that person’s partnering with God because the Holy Spirit is not given to us in measure; we only receive in measure (Jn. 3:34). We limit ourselves because we lack faith. Paul learned to press through. He said, “Forgetting what is behind and straining … ahead, I press on … to win the prize for which God called me heavenward” Phil. 3:13-15.
Most people don’t hear well, but God keeps calling. I have known sixty-year-old people who have ignored, avoided and refused the call of God on their lives. I have also known children who kept answering the call and by the time they were teens they had already grown beyond the spiritual capacity of many seniors.
Every soul receives the first three calls of God. Each person must answer the third call—before they can discover more.
1. The first call of God is the call from eternity.
It is the call to life. No human life is accidental or inappropriate. Every life is a call of God from the womb of the morning—to the womb of their mother. There, each is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s likeness. Each baby is made for blessings and none are made for hell. Every person is unique and great right from the beginning—from the first sounding of the call of God. At conception they are greater than any non-human creature outside of the Trinity, for no other creatures are made in the image of God.
2. The second call of God comes to every child.
Christian children have an advantage because of the blessings that come from godly parents. Prayer also opens the heavens so we may hear the call of God more clearly. Even non-Christian children have a head start if someone prays for them. When there is no prayer and no Christian heritage, children will still be called—for God who made them will call them.
Most adults can recall amazing times during childhood when they should have died or been hurt, but something almost supernatural happened. Most remember a moment of magic when their hearts were touched with the wonder of a star-filled sky, the crackle of a campfire or the roar of the sea. Many recall a moment when they think they saw an angel. God leaves his fingerprints on all children. Although many do not respond, God does not fail to leave his calling card with them.
3. The third call of God is for salvation.
It is the call of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. Answering this call secures one’s place in the family of God. They leave the kingdom of darkness and enter the kingdom of light. They are saved from the judgments of hell and rescued from the devil. Their spirit comes to life and they receive the ability to fellowship with God. “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” Jn. 1:12.
4. The fourth call of God is to discipleship.
A disciple is one under the discipline of Christ. Many believers are not disciples because they have not answered the call to yield every part of their lives to God. When we embrace this call we learn to receive the character of Christ. Discipleship will bring us into a close friendship with God.
It requires a life of obedience and consistent courage to always step forward in faith. This is a willingness to trust God completely and to follow wherever he leads.
Disciples enroll in the school of the Spirit; they are taught of God.
5. The fifth call of God is for service.
The call of God is not for salvation alone, but also for service. The Lord said, “Come to me all who are weary—Take my yoke on you” (Matt. 11:28-29).
The yoke is an instrument of work. Our first place of Christian service is often in a church or with a ministry. We serve in another man’s house
(Lk. 16:12). Here we find function and purpose and are bonded in fellowship with God’s people. This releases joy, unity, and direction for our lives. Unless we become workers we will not be bonded together with God’s people and we will not discover the best blessings. Whatever good service your hands find to do, do it with all of your heart.
6. The sixth call of God is to your own ministry.
If you are faithful in another person’s ministry such as a church, an apostolic work or a mission, God will, in time, give you your own ministry (1Ti. 3:12-13). This is the call to take what you have learned and then to become an original. This is a partnership with God. You will be connected to other Christians and ministries, but not governed by them. The call is for you to receive an anointing from heaven that is unique. It is tailor-made just for you.
This ministry may be large or small, but it belongs to you.
7. The seventh call of God is for greatness.
Eventually, all Christians will answer the call to greatness. In eternity, all in God’s family will be great. We will be like the angels, even like Jesus himself (1Jn. 3:2). We will be free of every curse, we will see the Almighty, have his name on our heads and serve him throughout eternity (Re. 22:4-5).
People who press into God, like Paul, experience greatness. He pressed forward and kept answering the call of God. He was used to touch the whole world. He became a great preacher, he saw miracles and wrote the Holy Scriptures.
Do not think that the service or ministry that you currently do is all that Christ has for you. Press into God and ask for the kind of faith that leads to greatness.
There are seven major calls of God available to you. The first ones have passed and you have received them. The rest are still yours to discover. There are no shortcuts to discovering them, and there may be curses, sins, and distractions that must be removed first, but the call of God is still available. Those who hunger after God, deal with their problems, receive on-going vision and obey the Lord in faith will find the seven-fold call of God. Do not limit God. Take hold of that which belongs to you.
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