Articles From Church On The GO

www.churchonthego.ca

Pastor Rev. Stephen Coates

ARE YOU CALLED OF GOD?

Were You Called Before The Foundation Of The Earth?

What Was That Call?

Ephesians 1:4 (English Standard Version)

⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

1 Samuel 2:7-9 (English Standard Version)

⁷The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low and he exalts.
⁸He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
   and on them he has set the world.
⁹ "He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
   but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
   for not by might shall a man prevail.

Psalm 11:3 (English Standard Version)

³if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"

Luke 11:50 (English Standard Version)

⁵⁰so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may becharged against this generation,

Isaiah 49

The Servant of the LORD

¹Listen to me, O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The LORD called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.

Isaiah 49:5

⁵And now the LORD says,
   he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
   and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD,
   and my God has become my strength—

Jeremiah 1:5
⁵ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

Luke 1:15

¹⁵for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Galatians 1:15 (English Standard Version)

¹⁵But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

1 Peter 1:19-21 (English Standard Version)

¹⁹butwith the precious blood of Christ, like that ofa lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Simply The Pastoral Call

Written here are seven basic and simple steps for fruitful pastoral or shepherds ministry, some may be applied to the other gifts and callings in Ephesians 4:11

Ephesians 4:11 (English Standard Version)

¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, theevangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

Romans 11:29 (English Standard Version)

²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

1) The Call Of God

· Do you hear the call of God?

· Do what God has called you to do!

· It is not what you say – but what you do!

James 1:17-18 (English Standard Version)

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down fromthe Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

2) Get In The Flow

· Go the way God is going!

· Go with God!

· Go in the leading of the Holy Ghost!

James 4:4-10 (English Standard Version)

⁴… Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? ⁶But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." ⁷Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

3) The Wisdom Of God

· Ask God For Wisdom

· Act upon His Word

· Apply His Ways

James 3:17-18 (English Standard Version)

¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, thenpeaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

4) Blessings For Being Steadfast

· Be At Your Post

· Be Early

· Be Steady

· Be Truthful

James 5:7-12 (English Standard Version)

Patience in Suffering

⁷Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹²But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

5) Be Prayerful

· Let him pray

· Let him sing

· Let him call

· Let him be fervent (passionate)

James 5:13-18 (English Standard Version)

The Prayer of Faith

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And⁽ if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

6) Be Shepherds or Pastors

· Be what you are called

· Be awake

· Be attentive

· Be assertive

James 5:19-20 (English Standard Version)

¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

7) Good Service And Teaching

· Good Spirit

· Good Service

· Good Doctrine

· Good Teaching

1 Timothy 6:2-4 (English Standard Version)

²Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they arebrothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

Teach and urge these things. ³If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, ⁴ he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

Conclusions:

Were You Called Before The Foundation Of The Earth? What Was That Call?