Worth of the Calling

Transcribed from Beth Moore's Sunday School Notes (lproof.org).


Live worthy of the calling you have received. Ephesians 1 Those who know Christ have a calling not just pastors and teachers . . . to ALL in Christ Jesus.

Not just hear, but respond. Do something with what you hear from God's Word. Applying the word of God becomes power and life.

Why do we think the calling always involves someone else. Have you realized that it's you, you have a calling, not just them.

"walk worthy of our calling" The word called is defined as a divine invitation to participate. We are to impact our immediate world, circle of influence, in this day, in this time, in this area of technology.

worthy means bringing up the other beam of the scales and hence it indicates equivalence. The balance between calling and character. There should not be a balance in your life He wants it all! The whole heart the whole life. Spiritual is practicle, many think it's not but it is.

Live in such a way that your lifestyle is balanced out with your calling liveing our authinticity. This is the stongest testimony we will ever have. We have a weighty callling and we should give it weightiness in our lives.

VS 2 how do we live out our calling
1. live the life
Would you characterize what your doing as really living? Is there satisfaction in your life, not saying it's not hard work or painful. If we're plugged in we're going to feel some of these things. Are you living? This is the only chance we have, what keeps us from living.

I don't get to interact with the people at the conferences anymore except for those getting saved.

What keeps us form living
fear, shame, guilt, insecurity, . . .

These things have been pulled off of us by the work of the cross. Dare to live as a forgiven man!
It doesn't matter if someone else thinks you have the right, God is the one that matters.

It's time to come to life, if we're too busy to live then we need to quit some stuff! It's time to stop just talking about it.

2. Understand the call of God is always for people. We have recieved a calling of God for people. Whatever your ministry is will always be for people. People are the part of the calling that drives us the craziest. The people is the church!

The very people who drive us the craziest have been assigned to us. We think we are to help them but really all these frustrating people are to help us. We learn and grow b/c of these frustrations.

We all have frustrations but if we are forced to live in a household with frustrating people we will either run away or be sandpaper for eachother. We can have sandpaper and never change, but God will use it if we allow Him, to change us. People are the entire point, our calling is people.
We need people skills, we have to learn to work with people. If we think everyone is difficult the common denominator is probably really us. More than skills, we need to learn how to use people gifts. people skills without God is deception. flattery, miniputlation, control thats not the people skills we're talking about. These things are sin as far as God is concerned.

Galatians 5:22-23 People oriented we're not meant to live in isolation. One way to know the enemy is up against you is when you are prone to isolation.

3. calling and character is balanced by a few things

a. humble-be completly humble any part that isn't will be slaughtered. We will be so much wiser to take on humility. We will be humbled by life and by God. If your taken down a peg, recieve it so He can teach you and use you. Humility is lowliness of mind. Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking of yourself less! Thinking truely. Gettin a clue. Realizing we have problems.

As a prisionor of the Lord, then . . . (Ephesians ch3 vs 170) we can be humble because we're seated with christ. Sometimes we won't lower ourself with people is b/c we're afraid they won't know who we are. If we would know how loved we are by Christ, we would not need others to build us up. We can know who we are in Christ no matter what others think. b/c we've been reedemed, and noone can take that away from me. There is power in this. Do you know who you are in Christ?

b. gentleness-NOthing takes more strengh than what this word really means. The definition out of the complete word study is this, an inward grace of the soul calmness toward God in particular. the acceptance of God's dealings with us as the enhancement of relationships. the truth of circumstances. does critisism fit accept it if it doesn't understand where it came from and just recieve it. Just take it. considering things as good for the enhancement of relationship. It takes stregth to bow down when you want to be the one in power. This is real power. The power not to react!

"The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender" Oswald Chambers. That's power! Power is not how mad we can get or manipulating someone with our anger. That's weakness.

c. patience- the same as found in the fruit of the spirit. This is patient is in respect to persons. (Pulmina is found for things or circumstances. This in not Pulmina, it's greater) A supernatural ability to be patient with people. Self restraint. The ability to keep your mouth shut. To bear one another to put up with faults and indios. knowing that you too have your own.

James tells us to confess our faults to one another. Faults (weaknesses) is not the same word in the greek as sins. it can be synonomous. ex. insecurity, distrust, pride, selfishness, control, fear false These are false thoughts from our own nature if not given to the control of the Holy Spirit it will give way to sin.

Love is the key. It covers a whole multitude of sins. We should be crazier for that person than we are crazy. It's all about people. Sometimes we think people get in the way of our calling. Just remember that's not true. People are our calling!