So, maybe God is leading you. You feel the tugging of God in your heart. Maybe there is need that  has turned to a burden in your heart. Either way, God is calling you. What do you do when God has called you? Here are some thoughts to help you answer the calling of God in your life:

Let Your Pastor Know

This is key. As mentioned, the local church is God’s institution. Christ is the head of the body, but He has given pastors to be the under-shepard to guide the flock. Let him know. Ask his advice. Let him pray with you. Let him rejoice with you. Seek his council. Let him guide you and train you. Let him seek the Lord on your behalf as to how you can operate with this calling. Let him see if you are serious about your calling. God gave you a pastor for a reason, and that is for him lead you as he follows Christ. Therefore, he is the next in authority after Christ.

What if my pastor thinks differently? You may not understand if you pastor doesn’t give you complete blessing or a position, but you don’t need to. He is God’s man, and it is our responsibility to follow. Just love him and take his advice and follow it. Your day of ministry will come. Don’t get disgruntled and leave the church. Don’t start gossiping. Don’t rebel against him. Don’t get bitter at him. Don’t undermine his God given authority as an ordained minister of the Gospel. He may see something in you that you don’t see. It may be that he is waiting to give you a position once you have proven yourself. Just trust his judgement as he seeks to follow the leadership of God.

Regardless of what you think, God has given you a pastor. He may not be perfect, but he is following a perfect God. If God is calling you, then let your pastor know. Follow his leadership, and trust God to do the rest.

Let Your Family Know

Your family is important in the calling of God. What if your family doesn’t want to be involved 100%? How can they help you fulfill your calling? Can you spouse and children have a part in helping you fulfill your calling? Will the load be to hard for all your family to carry? Will there need to be changes in your home as a result of your calling? These are all questions one needs to consider when answering the calling of God in your life.

I heard that Billy Sunday’s own son commited suicide. It was said that his father took time to win America to the Lord, but left his son out. I heard a quote from a great pastor in regard to your calling to your family:

If I win the whole world, but lose my own family, then I have lost it all.
~ Pastor Tim Ruhl, Pleasant Valley Baptist Church – Chico , CA

I don’t want it to be said that I won others to the Lord, and my own children are lost. Therefore it is important that your family be involved with your calling. It is also important to balance your family and ministry calling. Consider using your ministry to enhance your family. But always make sure that your family knows you love them, and that you will have just as much zeal for your family as you do your ministry.

Bring It Before The Church

After you have prayed with your pastor and your family, you need to make it public. If you are called to ministry, then it will be among people, so you might was well tell the people in your church. They love you and will encourage you in your calling. The way I answered the call to preach like this: I felt God leading. I asked God to confirm it. When He did, I went forward during the invitation time and told the pastor (God was convicting me the entire church service because I hadn’t fully surrendered.) After praying and fully surrendering, the pastor told the entire congregation. After church, people came to me to encourage me and pray with me.

Why should a person tell their church? I thought we don’t serve God for people to know. Yes, that is true. So when you do tell your church, don’t do it in a proud way. Here are some reasons to tell you church about your calling:

• People will be encouraged to see God working in the church and in your life
• It may encourage others to surrender to the calling of God
• Other members will start praying for you
• You have made it public, so you are now accountable to God, your family, your pastor, and your church
• People will help encourage you in your calling

Live The Christian Life 100%

Now that you have been called, you prayed, surrendered, and made it public, God has placed a mark on you. Though it’s not a physical marking, you are now one of the called for special ministry and service. This means that you have a testimony to keep for the Name of Jesus Christ, your family, your church, and Christianity as a whole. You don’t want to bring shame to the name of Jesus Christ, therefore you have to make, keep, and protect your testimony.

This means you need to step it up. You want to be a Holy Man of God, well….live Holy. Holy means to be separate from sin. One though to keep in mind is the list of qualifications of a bishop/man of God:

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
~ 1 Timothy 3:1-7

This is long list. Why would God put a list together for His pastors? Because the office represents God. God is Holy. The Bible states that He is Light. Light doesn’t have a relationship with dark. As His ministry, you too should keep your life unspotted from the world. I know all Christians need to live holy, but when you are a called man of God, you need to get on board 100%.

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A revival, then, really means days of heaven upon earth.
- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Does God have a purpose for my life? Yes He does. He has a calling for every born again child of God. This is something every believer must consider in their life if they are to be the person God created them to be. Consider this Bible verse about being called:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
~ Ephesians 4:1 (Emphasis Added)

The idea of a vocation doesn’t mean a job. Rather, it has the idea of a specialized job. A job or purpose specific to an individual. God has a specialized position to serve Him that He designed according to His purpose for you. Think about that for a while. God has made you special and has a divine purpose for your life. His purpose and plan is far greater than we understand. When we walk in our own plan outside of  the will of God, we are not walking worthy. His plan is best. It is our job to follow His plan for our life.

Simply put, God is calling. Consider these Bible verses about being called:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
~ Romans 8:28

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
~ Philippians 3:14-15

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
~ 2 Timothy 1:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
~ 1 Peter 2:9

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
~ 2 Corinthians 5:18

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
~ 1 Corinthians 1:26

So, how does one find their calling?

You Must Be Faithful To Church

The local church is one of three institutions that God ordained, the home and government being the other two. It is the local church that is the body of Christ. Being faithful to His body, you may find your place of service, or your specific function as part of His body. Also note, a pastor calls on people that are faithful. Why should he, or Christ, entrust you with responsibility when you are not responsible and faithful to church? Being faithful to church, tithing, giving, helping, getting involved all lead to other tasks, which could lead to a specific calling. Just remember, God will not reveal His unknown will until you are faithful to the known will of God, and serving in the local new testament church is the will of God.

You Must Let The Preaching Stir Your Heart

As you are faithful to church, God will speak to you. He speaks during preaching. Any church worth its salt will have preaching that challenges the hearers to serve and fulfill God’s will in their life. As the preaching takes places, ask God, “What do you have for me in this sermon?” Don’t be looking around and thinking the sermon was for someone else. Every time we go to church, He has  something specific for all in attendance. It can be salvation, surrender, or service, but He is calling. So, the next time you sit under a Sunday School lesson, testimony, song, or sermon, ask God to speak to you. And don’t stop asking Him either, just let Him work in your life every time you go to His house.

Pray And Ask God For Clear Direction From His Word

If God hasn’t directed you through your pastor and his preaching, then you should start to seek God through prayer and the Bible. I do not believe you will hear a voice from heaven, but if God is dealing with you, it will be as  clear as day. As you approach this sacred time of prayer, make sure that you have a clean heart before the Lord. It could be that God hasn’t spoke to you because you are not ready. You may need to get right with God or right with people in your life. You may need to get rid of some sin. Either way, God wants to use you, but He uses a clean vessel. Therefore, as we seek Him in our prayer closet and in His Word, we should strive to be right with Him and others.

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Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
~ 2 Timothy 1:9

The calling of God is the most important calling an individual can have. It is higher than any other calling because the calling comes from the Highest of all, The Lord God Almighty. Considering callings from earthly individuals, one would be honored, yet people think a calling from God is a sacrifice. It is not a sacrifice, it’s more honoring then the calling of the highest of world leaders. The reason is because of the One that is calling, and the reward He gives for following the call.

The amazing thing is that God doesn’t call the equipped, rather, He equips the called. Every born again child of God has a calling, a place of ministry and service for our Lord in the form of serving those around us and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my personal conviction that every calling has an operation in the local church Jesus established during his earthly ministry. I believe that people can see man-made results operating outside the local church, but they will not have the divine blessing of the institution that Jesus loved and gave Himself for, the Local Visible New Testament Church. I will explain more about the “Church of the Man of God” in another post. Just trust that Jesus has a church that He started during His earthly ministry, and that it is alive and well today, and it’s not the result of protestants nor is it universal or invisible.

This calling is not just for a pastor. In fact, I know of some people in church that are just as much a man of God as their pastor. You don’t have to be a pastor, preacher, deacon, or in full time ministry to be a Man of God. It is also my conviction that God wants every man in a local church to be a Man of God, regardless of position or title. If you are a man, then God wants you to be His Man. If you are a lady, then God wants to use you to help His men. It can also be said that a woman can make or break a man of God. Therefore women are vital to God calling and using His Men.

As I mentioned above, every person has a calling. This calling is a three-fold calling that all have a responsibility to live up to:

1. Glorify God
2. Spread The Gospel of Jesus Christ
3. Serve Both The Lost & Saved Alike

We too are in a battle, a spiritual battle. The enemy, Satan, is real. He is taking as many people to Hell as he possibly can through blinding people with religions, traditions, false beliefs, science, new age, and on and on. Hell is real. It is enlarging every day. The flames are real. The battle is going on. Just as Aaron “stood between the dead and the living”(c.f. Numbers 16:48), we need God-called men to lift the Cross of Christ to a lost and dying world.

And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
~ 2 Kings 4:9

As I travel and preach, people say many things. Some good, some bad. I have had people write of sermons because of disagreement. Yet, I have had people make great comments. One of the greatest comments I have received was from a white haired lady in her 80′s. She said I preached the way she remembers as a young lady and that I reminded her of the Old Time Bible Thumping @#!*% Fire Evangelists. Praise the Lord! That’s what works.

Yet, being dramatic, expressive, loud, or whatever else is considered “hard” does not make one a man of God. Men of God are all different, and it is the Lord that uses a man that is yielded to the Holy Ghost. Not personality, but the Power of God.  To be a man of God means that we have our dependence and strength “of God”.

There are many things that one expects a man of God to be and to have. Yet, God alone makes a man of God. It’s not a college, fellowship, degree, position, or things of this of world. Yes, God can use these things to help, but remember, it’s God that uses them. Having preached in different churches through out the Southwest and West of the USA, I have found that some of the greatest men of God had very little of what the world looks for in a man of God. I have been in church services where God stepped in and did a great work. When you look at the pastor and the people, they are not “much” in the eyes of man, but they are HUGE in the eyes of God! I believe that any born again man can become a man of God.  It simply takes someone that is surrendered to God and the God given authority placed in life.

Why did I write all this? Because I have a man in the church God has called me to that I believe is becoming a man of God. I have had two teenaged young men surrender to preach. It was a blessing to see one of them go to Bible college. Since they are young, it seems easier to mold them. But the man I am talking about is past his teen years. Therefore, I believe that he should be trained and taught rather than being molded. There is a difference. My desire is that God uses this man in a great way.

Understanding this great task God has given me, to mold His people through the Word of God, I came up with a study about being known as a “Man of God.” Just as the lady knew there was a Holy Man of God present (in the above Bible verse), I want to be known as a Man of God and teach others to be a Man of God as well.

This study will be broken up into 10 posts. Eventually, this series will become an e-book. This entire series is being written to help a man to become a Holy Man of God. I hope these topics will also be a help to those who read. I don’t claim to know it all, and being a human, I too need to work on all the areas I will be posting, but the message and examples come from the Bible. We all know we can trust the Word of God, so enjoy the next few posts as I examine the Bible and try to help someone become a Holy Man of God!

What are the topics about becoming a man of God?

• The Calling of a Man of God
• The Communion of a Man of God
• The Character of a Man of God
• The Conduct of a Man of God
• The Communication of a Man of God
• The Church of a Man of God
• The Contending of a Man of God
• The Compassion of a Man of God
• The Challenges of a Man of God
• The Crown of a Man of God

People want revival, they just don’t want it bad enough

That’s exactly right. I don’t know of a true born again child of God that would say, “I don’t want the power of God”. So if, God is all powerful, have given His Spirit, and never loses His Power, then why don’t we see great works for God?

What Keeps Us From Seeing Revival?
Please note, Revival is for people that have a New Life In Christ. If you have not experienced the Life Christ offers, then how could you be RE-vived? Learn how to be born again HERE.

And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
~ Genesis 26:18

In the above passage of Scripture, we find Isaac coming to a place where he needed refreshing. He thought he’d go back to where his father, Abraham, had dug some wells. When he arrived there was some contention. But when it was all said and done, they cleared the way for water to flow again so they could drink and be refreshed. To a Christian, this is a picture of revival. We come to places in our life when we are thirsty and seeking for refreshing from God. The water is there, but the earth, or world, clogs the flowing.  If we are to have that flow again, then we need to get the world out of the way and unclog the source of water (Holy Spirit) in our life so God can send His refreshing Power into our lives as He intended. So, what things keep the water from flowing?

Hidden Sin

There is nothing more quenching to the Spirit of God than hidden sin. These are the little or big sins that we keep to ourselves so no one else can see. It’s amazing, if people can find out our hidden sins, then we wouldn’t don’t do such sins, but when we think no one else knows, we commit these sins. Everyone has them, and it’s amazing to see how the refreshing water is easily clogged by these hidden sins. Sometimes, these sins are even hidden to us! That’s right, yet, God is still Holy, and He won’t allow us to be filled with sin, even if we are ignorant. If we are to ever unclog the hidden sin in our life, then we need to cry out to God as David did:

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
~ Psalms 139:23-24

Worldliness

As mentioned in the passage, the “earth” clogged the water. We know that the earth is our world. Though this particular verse was not mentioning worldliness, the world still keeps us from seeing revival in our lives, and we MUST get it out of we want to see the water flow and have the power of God. I know of many Christians that have one foot in the world and the other with God. Listen, God is a Holy God. There is not darkness in Him. If we are to harbor darkness and try to walk in the Light, we will fall flat on our faces and wonder “why God allowed it”. Yet, God is not at fault, He just wants us closer to Him than the ways of this world. We need to recognize the FACT that worldliness puts us against God. We need to draw closer to God, and that will bring the Power back again!

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
~ James 4:4

Bitterness

If  we can learn anything from Christ, it was not to be bitter. Christ never one time retaliated against His persecutors, nor was He upset with them. When dying on the Cross, He even cried out, “Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do”. He loved people to the end, even while they miss used, abused, and took advantage of Him. Yet, if someone does something against us, we get upset and never forgive. Listen God is in the forgiveness business. If it wasn’t for Him forgiving us, we’d have no hope. Yet, so many Christians claim to be forgiven, but they can’t be a forgiver. When we don’t forgive, we need to remember that God choose to forgive us, therefore we should choose to forgive others. We will never have it worse that Christ, so let’s learn to stop being bitter.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
~ Ephesians 4:30-32

Pride

Pride will ALWAYS bring a person down. Mark my words. Every time there was a proud king in the Bible, God always humbled them. Pride focuses on “ME”. Pride is a self absorbent sin that takes glory away from God and others by looking to self. I have seen pride in the sense that people elevate themselves with their abilities. Yet, I have seen pride in the sense when a person elevates themselves based on their disabilities. Bottom line is this, they are self centered, self dependent, and think that they have no room to grow. A lot of times, you can see pride in people when things don’t go THEIR way. Why? Because they are too focused on self.

There has been many a Christian who’s life could state “I am humble and I’m proud of it”. There has been many Christians that stop growing because they think they have the Christian life down, and no one can challenge their position or teach them. I have personally seen this in older Christians that think younger Christians need to “get a little more mature” to understand why the old Christian knows more. That is a scary place to be in. Just remember, we can humble ourselves, or God will humble us. The choice is ours!

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
~ 1 Peter 5:5-6

Let us examine our hearts and ask God to reveal to us what is keeping revival from happening in our life. If we find that these are areas in which we struggle, then give them to the LORD and don’t look back. It’s better to have a clean slate so God can work in and through our lives.

O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
~ Habakkuk 3:2

Topical sermons are based on a specific Bible topic where a thought is presented, and looked at from several Bible references, and a conclusion is drawn to prove the topic of point. If you want to learn more about topical sermons, then you should read a previous post I wrote about topical sermons.

Expository sermons are normally noted as deep and look into the history, character, and express the exact message God is relating from that specific Bible passage. I will be writing an article on expository sermons in about week, so stay tuned!

Now, it’s time to look at Textual sermons. Just as Topical sermons are topic based, and expository sermons expose what God is teaching, textual sermon are based on a particular Bible text, and normally don’t stray much from the text. Textual sermons have a great balance in portraying a specific topic in the text while not “jumping around” in the Bible. This type of sermon is great for an average crowd with average to little Bible knowledge for these reasons:

• New converts have a hard enough time finding books of the Bible, so it keeps them in the same place
• It normally has a lot of meat, but is very easy to understand
• People have an easier time following along in specific text of Bible verse
• It’s hard for people to argue the point since it comes directly from the Bible
• Textual sermons have a balance between topical and expository sermons, which makes them easy for new converts and seasoned believers to appreciate
• A preacher is confined to the context, so they can’t try to prove something that’s not in the Bible

Of all the sermons I preach as a pastor and evangelist, I find textual sermons seem to hit home more than the other two types of sermons. I believe it is because one must stay within the context of Scripture, giving the preacher the opportunity to rightly divide the Word of Truth and feed the people. For this reason, textual sermons are my favorite. Please note, you may have a different style that God has used for you. Always remember to preach the way God leads you.

So, how does one preach a textual sermon?

Find A Bible Text

Well, I find that a systematic approach to preaching is the best way to let God give you a message. For instance, we have completed a series in our church where I preached one sermon from each book of the Bible. It took over one year, since there are 66 books in the Bible. This approach allowed our people to get into the Word of God, while not “bogging down” in books that are laborious to preach through.

As we went through this process, I would read the entire book before preaching it. As I read, I would make notes and see ask God to show me a passage that He would want me to preach. God never failed! I would read and read until God spoke to my heart about a particular passage. Normally, the passage met the needs of situations in our church, so I knew that God was leading.

Study The Bible Text In It’s Context

So, after I found a text that God had led me to, I would read it again and again, until I could almost quote it. As I read it, I would ask myself “Are my thoughts about this passage really the same thoughts God had when He inspired the text?” This would lead me to studying key words in the text by looking up their definition, finding illustrations that use that word, and some times even looking in lexicon to get help. These passages were normally 4-10 verses long, but there have been times when I preached just one verse, and broken it into sections.

Prepare To Preach The Sermon

After I have saturated myself with the text, I normally don’t need a written outline. I only use written outlines when I have stats, quotes, or multiple verses I want to read. If you find yourself needing an outline, then use it. Every preacher is different, and some people have different ways to prepare a sermon. The reason I normally don’t use a written outline is because I have saturated myself in the passage I am about to preach.

So, I have saturated myself, but does that mean I walk to the pulpit with nothing? Yes and No. Yes in the sense I just have a Bible, but no in the sense that I have a LOT on my heart and in my head. I also underline specific words I want to elaborate on and sometimes write 3 or 4 points in the margin of my Bible. Sometimes these points as alliterated, meaning that all the point I use to preach the text start with the same letter. Just like in the sermon “The Touch Of God“.

Delivering the Sermon

After much time in prayer and in the text I am about to preach, I am ready to preach. One thing to note, is that I know I am ready, but I always feel like I need a little more time. I think the reason for this is because one could never spend too much time in prayer and the Bible.

So, it time to preach! What are the steps to actually preaching a textual sermon? Mine are:

• Ask everyone to turn to the passage
• Read it out loud as the hearers follow along
• Pray one more time for God to Work and Bless
• Explain who is involved and what is going on in the text
• Explain what God is teaching
• Proclaim each point by
• Stating the point
• Reading the verse that applies
• Explain how it applies in the context of Scripture
• Use a Bible verse that helps illustrates the point
• Give a personal illustration
• More on to next point
• After all the points have been given, I proclaim the message God is teaching (from the beginning statement)
• Based on the sermon, I ALWAYS compel people to make a choice to follow God with an “invitation” or “altar call”

As I mentioned, these sermons seem to be the most useful because they have a lot of text, so it feeds people of all levels in their Christian walk. I trust this will help you to be accurate in the preaching the Bible and letting it saturate your life.