Let us understand the purpose of the callings that God has given us to do.
Enjoy the video!
Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/purpose-ministry/#.VbzkVfNViko
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Callings
Attention: Now Accepting Applications For Spiritual Leaders
I first would like to clarify in a very silly way that this is in no way directed towards Heart of Grace Ministries actually taking applications. I am writing this today for what I feel God is leading me to give some direction on about spiritual leadership.
When it comes to the everyday hometown spiritual leaders, most of them have put in many wonderful years of service. The examples of people that I have had the privilege to meet and know has blessed me and helped me beyond words I could explain today. The part that alarms me is that how we are starting to not match up or miss with the word of God. All through the times you read in the scriptures the anointing and wisdom of the older generations was written and passed down, purposed for the up and coming seed that was growing to be the new leaders after them. There were multiple cases of this you can study to, and how the ministries and works only multiplied!
Today I am striving with all that is within me to be a spiritual leader and to use what had been passed down to me. I cannot say that when I received all of the wisdom that I saw myself as ‘ready’, but God sure did! Even at a younger age God has already given me a work and a purpose. If I were to waiver or give up on this purpose, I would not only be hindering the work God had intended for me but the works that were passed down to me!
So as God leads you each and every day, learn to take in each and every good work and wisdom from your elders. Give respect and honor and understand their purpose to better help you find yours! God is surely looking for those of us in the current generation to begin to rise as the new and next leaders of God! How do we apply? Prayer and continual seeking before Him! Finding your calling is the easy part (just like your dream job), but sticking with it with dedicated passion and purpose will prove you as a leader to others and a follower of Christ!
Find A Good Place Inside And Out
When it comes to having a fruitful life in God, one of the key pieces is the environment that you are surrounded in. We have wrote about this a lot lately and spoke on this topic it at multiple churches. It’s something we need to do, and do each and every day. I want to expand out on that a little bit to talk about the surroundings of you and your life.
I’ll just be honest with you today. If you are not in a spiritually fruitful church, you will definitely find it harder to grow in your personal life than it should have to be. Having a church with a good spiritual foundation and a willingness to work and reach out will produce a multitude of blessings and impacts upon people’s lives. However, more often than not, we are speaking with people that are in environments that are not providing that fresh spiritual revival that should be happening each and every time the doors open.
I’m not one to recommend that people go “church hopping” to be satisfied, so please let me make this clear. If you find yourself in a church where you are not able to grow due to the environment surrounding you, pray first for another place to go! Don’t just start visiting every church that you know; for sometimes our irrational actions will send the wrong messages to people. Ask yourself first in an honest way if you are doing everything you can to promote growth for yourself and for your church. If we can answer that with certainty and hindrances still prove to be in front of you, seek God for somewhere that you can grow (not somewhere you can go). Find an environment where the love of God is fluent and that you are able to be who God has called you to be.
Don’t let tradition and religion destroy your gifts and callings. Continue to strive to do the best that you can, and seek God in a way that when you feel the call to go and be a help to a new church that you are not going based on your emotions but upon the leadership of the spirit. And when the time is right, God will move for you. It won’t be a forced thing, but something that you know that God has performed. If God opens the door for another place for you to grow, God certainly wouldn’t make it a hard situation from where you are going from.
My whole point is this: Seek God first before we act out of ourselves! Find a place where you can grow and not just exist!
It’s All About…What?
Love! It’s all about love!
Everything that you ever read in the bible that was centered around Jesus Christ was centered around love! When I think about trying to put on the frame of thinking and have the “mind of Christ”, it makes me think about love. The list goes on and on: love for my church (and giving to my church), love for the people in church (and out of church), love for the gifts and callings that God has placed in our lives (and using them), and a love for the desire to do what God is calling! It’s short and sweet today. I love God because He first loved me. I love God because of the many outpourings and blessings that always come so undeserving. I love the mercy and grace that we walk in, for without it we would just be lost in life without hope.
Remember to love those around you and to do those things for them in love. Anything that we do otherwise that would be in wrath or not in Godly character cannot be the full and complete witness that God had intended for your life. Make the most of an impact by being in full demonstration of the love of God! It’s fullness within you will pour out and rub off on others and people will not be able to resist it! They will either join in with the fellowship of what you bring or will have to get away! The love bug will get them one way or another! In other words, the spirit of God through conviction by the demonstrated love of your witness is a very powerful thing today!
It’s all about…love!
Every Contribution Counts!
When we look around and consider how many things are going on in the world that we live in, one thing is obvious to me: there are needs to be met. People are sick, people are lost, people are hungry, people need direction, people are depressed, people are fading in the church, etc, etc, etc.
I couldn’t begin to tell you how that if I began to pray in the morning and kept on resolving every thought that came across my mind in prayer that I could never conquer it in a day, week, year, or a lifetime. And yet, in our everyday lives, we count ourselves so small to have no power to help to do anything anymore. Let me be one of the many in this day and time to remind you: Every part counts!
Every person that God created was special. Every person that God made has a given purpose, and something to offer for someone out there. Don’t feel like you come short simply because of the people you are around or the church you go to. If people push you in a corner and don’t make you feel like you can do anything great where you are, do something spectacular on your own. The efforts of one that is willing are sometimes far greater than the efforts of ten thousand that have an attitude.
Be obedient in the gifts and callings of God! Reach out and speak an encouraging word of love today! Don’t forget, and remind yourself of how wonderful that God has been to you, and simply return that selflessness in some way to others! You will not regret it!
Answer The Call
1st Samuel 3:1-10
[1] And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
[2] And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
[3] And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
[4] That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
[5] And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
[6] And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
[7] Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
[8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
[9] Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
[10] And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Samuel was sure that he was hearing someone call him. He simply just didn’t know who it was. Each and every time he was called on, he was ready and answered the call. This is very important for all of us who listen for God’s voice to lead us and guide us. We need to be careful to listen to when God speaks. Most of the time we pretend like we do not hear anything at all. God is calling us to be a ready people to do his work and follow his will. We need to serve one another, and let others observe that. If we use our talents with purpose together, then we can draw strength from one another. Samuel was a very young individual when he heard the call of the Lord. And with that said, this goes out to each and every one that is out there that believes they are too young for God: WE HAVE TO ANSWER THE CALL! God has so many things that he can speak to us even daily, and all we need to do is tune in and listen. Sometimes what God says may not be to our liking, but it is by his guidance and counsel that we can improve our lives and be a more established servant for him. Always remember to answer when God speaks! You won’t regret it!
Where have you all been?
Hello everyone! God bless each and every one of you out there who has been supportive and encouraging to our ministry. We want you all to know that these past few months getting off of the ground have been super easy with God at the forefront and the support of everyone! I personally feel encouraged each and every day from someone at some point, so it does NOT go unnoticed. We thank you all very much! You are in our prayers always.
So what has been up lately? Well, we have been here and there, visiting and supporting all of our local churches in our town. With the birth of Rebekah’s third child Maddox (YAY) we have had to sort of put the brakes on our collaborative effort as “Heart of Grace”. That’s not to say that we all haven’t been doing our individual callings, we just have a hard time putting all of our schedules together to work for each other.
I have been personally growing as a minister of the word of God, as well as taking time away from the music aspect of my ministry, to help and allow myself to grow as one of the many people out there trying to make a difference. No worries though, I am sure that when the Lord is ready to give me a new song, I will be ready!
Lately we haven’t been doing our traditional “Devotionals” theme on the radio show. Better yet, we have been starting to incorporate live material into our lineup, and has gotten great feedback. We are making it our goal to personalize our show a little more, to allow people to get to know us in a way that they never have before.
We hope in the weeks to come as things get less crazy, that we are able to take more group appointments. In the meantime, I will be doing some personal appointments, to which I will start posting on the site here.
Some new features to come:
* New featured songs
* Live messages online
* Testimonials page
* About us with personal bios
* Calendar of scheduled events
And not to put out any spoilers too early, but we will be going live on iTunes pretty soon as well! Well, okay I just spoiled it! 🙂 However, we will offer the same songs on our site for free. It will be on iTunes for download if you feel led to donate to our ministry. We do not ever want people to think it’s about the money. It never has been, nor will it ever be. It’s about helping others, and leading people to a better way of life through Jesus Christ!
Stay tuned! Love you all! Pray for us!