THE Call WITHIN a CALL

The Call within a Call

We all have been called to live a life pleasing to God, for we are all made in His image. But there is something interesting to note as we live this call on earth. The call just doesn’t just end there. He has a remarkable desire for each of us. He never restrains from coming forward in voicing out His Heart’s desire for us. Yes, let’s listen to His voice as He extends a much personalised open invitation for each of us. The Call within a Call! Based on who you are and where you belong, it could be a call to do a Prophetic function, a Priestly function or a Pastoral function. Most of us lay people fit into this order of Pastoral function, where we tend to counsel, console, lead and show the right path. The Priestly function belongs to the Church, and the Prophetic function is mostly identified only with those who deliver The Word of God.

We will take a look into the Biblical Calling of 7 persons and understand it on the basis of certain stages, namely, Context, Calling, Commission, Omission, Sign / Assurance and Surrender / Acceptance.

a. Context - God calls each individual in a particular context or when a particular situation existed.

1. Moses was called at the time of Egyptian Captivity.

Ref.: Ex. 3:7 - And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

2. Gideon was called when people were slaves under Medianites.

Ref.: Judg. 6:1 - Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years.

3. Isaiah was called during Babylonian Captivity - The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a number of people from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. People were taken from their soil Jerusalem and taken to Babylon. The people were thus uprooted from Jerusalem and forced to live in Babylon.

Ref. Ps. 137 - [Opening verses of this Ps. 137 - We may remember this beautiful song, sung by the people under captivity. ‘By the rivers of Babylon’. (Refer the video gallery for the song)]

4. Jeremiah was called when there was lots of moral decadence - Immorality became the order of the day. People at all levels were very corrupted.

Ref.: Jer.18: 11 - “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.”

5. Mother Mary was called at a time when there was the Messianic Expectation – People were waiting for Messiah as to when He would come

Ref.: Lk.1-28 - The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

6. St. Peter was called when Jesus’s Public Ministry was to start.

Ref.: Mt.4:18-22 - ¹⁸ Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. ¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” ²⁰At once they left their nets and followed Him.

7. St. Paul was called at a time of persecution of Christians. In other words to allow the Birth of the Church.

Ref.: Acts9:3-6 - ³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The second stage is:

b. Calling - People do not volunteer by themselves here. God takes the initiative and calls the people whom He likes. He does not care anything about them, be it a sinner, qualified or not, … .

1. Moses was called in the burning bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’

Ref.: Ex.3:4-5 - ⁴So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

2. Gideon was called by an Angel of The Lord, saying that he is a mighty warrior.

Ref.: Judg.6:12 - And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, The lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

3. Isaiah was called, asking whom shall I send, to which he replies ‘Here I am’

Ref.: Is.6:8a - ⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

4. Jeremiah was called by God before he was formed in his mother’s womb. He was consecrated, which means he was set apart from the people. God had taken the initiative, He has chosen Jeremiah.

Ref.: Jer.1:5 - “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

5. Mother Mary was called by Angel Gabriel with the acclamation ‘Hail Mary, Full of Grace.’

Ref.: Lk.1:28 - And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

6. St. Peter was called by Jesus, to follow Him as He started His Ministry. A Ministry that He calls of us to take to.

Ref.: Mt.4:19 - Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

7. St. Paul was called by Jesus on his way to Damascus, to turn from his sinful ways.

Ref.: Acts9:4-5 - ⁴Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” ⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

c. Commission - Commission for a particular job would mean that we are entrusted with a particular job or given the responsibility towards a particular job.

1. Moses was commissioned to liberate people from Pharaoh. Moses was asked to go and liberate the people and bring them to the Promised Land. A clear cut commission is given, a clear responsibility is given. Moses was called for a responsibility to be given.

Ref.: Ex.3:10 - Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

2. Gideon was commissioned to liberate people from Median. The angel tells to Gideon to go with same courage.

Ref.: Judg.6:14 - Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”

3. Isaiah was commissioned at a time when people lost hope, they were in Babylon. They were in a foreign land. They lost their temple, no priest. So Isaiah was commissioned to give the message of hope to these people. Give the message to the people that God will not abandon His people.

Ref.: Is.6:10 - “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”

4. Jeremiah was commissioned to tell the people that unless they repent they will be taken to exile. He was appointed as a supervisor over the people to turn to God. Warning about the Captivity.

Ref.: Jer.1:10 - See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

5. Mother Mary was commissioned to bear God The Son and that she shall name Him Immanuel.

Ref.: Lk.1:31 - And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

6. St. Peter was commissioned to make him fishers of men - serving the humanity.

Ref.: Mt. 4:19 - Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

7. St. Paul was commissioned to minister to the Gentiles.

Ref.: Acts9:15 - But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

d. Omission - Whenever a commission is given, its human tendency to omit by finding some excuses.

1. Moses excuses by quoting speech impediment, and claiming the Pharaoh to be more powerful than him.

Ref.: Ex.4:10 - Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

2. Gideon excuses by saying that in the clan of Manasseh, his family is the weakest family - don’t have faith, are poor, the most neglected family.

Ref.: Judg.6:15 - So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

3. Isaiah excuses by saying that he has unclean lips and how can he deliver a message of hope to the people.

Ref.: Is.6:5 - So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”

4. Jeremiah excuses by saying that he is a little boy and thereby how can he be a supervisor to these arrogant people. That he will be unable to do what God instructs him.

Ref.: Jer.1:6 - Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

5. Mother Mary excuses by saying that she is unmarried and how can that be possible?

Ref.: Lk.1: 34 - Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

6. St. Peter excuses by saying that he is a sinner.

Ref.: Lk.5:5, 8 - ⁵But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

7. St. Paul - Here we find Ananias voicing not in favour of St. Paul’s commissioning.

Ref.: Acts 9:13-14 - ¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

e. Assurance - In spite of the excuses, God did not leave them. He gave them assurance that He will make it possible for them.

1. Moses was given the assurance that God will be with him when he goes to liberate the people from Pharaoh and was thereby given the sign of rod changing to a serpent and back to rod.

Ref.: Ex.3:12 - So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

2. Gideon was given the assurance that God will be with him when he goes to battle.

Ref.: Judg.6:16 - And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

3. Isaiah was given the assurance through a sign of purification.

Ref.: Is.6:6-7 - ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

The coal from the altar symbolises the very cleansing and purifying power of God’s forgiveness of sin. It was a sign for him. Isaiah had his lips refined by fire, so that gave him the assurance that God had prepared him by removing his sins completely.

4. Jeremiah was given the assurance that God will be with him to deliver them.

Ref.: Jer.1:19 - They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you.

For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

5. Mother Mary was given the assurance that Holy Spirit will overshadow Her.

Ref.: Lk.1:35 - And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

Ref.: Lk.1:36 - ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

6. St. Peter

Ref.: Lk 5:9-10 - ⁹ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

7. St. Paul

Ref.: Acts 9:17 - And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

f. Sign - God out rightly comes forward with His signs to show, that He is not just there to invite us to do things, but in Him lies our dependence, He is to do it through us, before we even make our mind to accept His call.

1. Moses was given the sign of rod changing to a serpent and back to rod.

Ref.: Ex 4:2-4, 6-7 - ²So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”³And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. ⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand).

⁶ Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. ⁷And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.

2. Gideon was given the sign, wherein he was supposed to prepare food with given directions, which was later consumed by Fire from Heaven, when it was poured onto a rock as stated by the Angel of God.

Ref.: Judg.6:20-21 - ²⁰The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. ²¹Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

3. Isaiah was given the sign, wherein his mouth was touched and his sins were cleansed by live coal.

Ref.: Is.6:6-7 - ⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

4. Jeremiah was to see certain signs in the form of almond tree and boiling pot tilting towards a particular direction, and in accordance to it the fulfillment of God’s word thereafter.

Ref.: Jer.1:11-15 - ¹¹ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” ¹²The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” ¹³The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?” “I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.” ¹⁴The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

5. Mother Mary was given the sign of her aged cousin Elizabeth, who was conceived and was in her sixth month.

Ref.: Lk.1:36 - ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

6. St. Peter had a great catch of fish like never before.

Ref.: Lk.5:6 - ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

7. St. Paul had received the sign of God’s call, on the arrival of Ananias to house where Paul stayed and got back his eyesight.

Ref.: Acts9:17-18 - ¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

g. Surrender / Acceptance - Being engulfed by the Divine understanding, presence, etc., through sings and assurance, the surrender or acceptance takes place, wherein a believer completely gives up his own will and surrenders to the will or call of the Supreme God.

1. Moses steps out to fight with the Pharaoh.

Ref.: Ex.5:1 - Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”

2. Gideon built the altar to the Lord.

Ref.: Judg.6:24 - ²⁴ So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

3. Isaiah

Ref.: Is.6:8b - ⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

4. Jeremiah accepts God’s call by declaring what God wanted him to declare to the king.

Ref.: Jer. 2:1- onwards - The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: “This is what the Lord says: …..”

5. Mother Mary surrendered to the will of God.

Ref.: Lk.1:38 - Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

6. St. Peter left behind everything and followed Jesus.

Ref.: Lk.5:11 - ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

7. St. Paul started to proclaim about Jesus.

Ref.: Acts 9:20 - and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

To conclude, we learn from the Bible, the harvest is plenty, but labourers are few. Each of us has been called, like these seven powerful biblical heroes. We have been brought into this world to fulfill His purpose. He has chosen us to bear that everlasting fruit. Are we available to attend to this call to build His Kingdom on Earth? It doesn’t matter how many, even if we could save the soul of a single person that is what we can term as The Calling. We should learn to use our gifts for the common good of the people. Never withdraw. Do something to somebody each day. In Jer. 29:11, declares the Lord, “For I know the plans I have for you,” “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Let’s adhere to His Call, for The Lord to delight in His saying, for us The Chosen! (Jn.15:16)