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How has your denominational or theological background shaped your understanding of calling?
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Scripturally based understanding of what Christ said, ” I send you…..”, The real question is to do what? and how ?
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I don’t know if my background shaped me for my understanding of what calling is. I have to wonder if even my church leaders understood what calling was. I can remember being told that “there is a call on your ” life. But nobody ever took the time to explain what calling is or how it worked. So sadly to say I spent a lot of wasted years not understanding “calling “.
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I haven’t looked at my calling as much as I’ve tried to discern my God given gift and have done what He has guided me to do…..I believe I have the gift of service and as such do a lot of volunteer work in the church and community. But as I listened to your first lesson it presents the question of whether service is my calling…..
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Aggh, this is such a tricky answer! I have a feeling I’ll offend half the world :/ but the truth is, I was raised in several Presbyterian or Baptist churches in the southern USA, mostly (one Coptic Orthodox church during Grad School) who never even said the word “calling” at all. I’m not sure if I just happened to not be there that day, or if I was in La La Land and they DID say it, but I’ve always ALWAYS been obsessed with the notion of calling and purpose; I’m a polymath, and one of my hugest probs was always deciding which thing to purse *this* afternoon, but more so, which one Did God Want me to pursue? (And not for an afternoon but a lifetime, or at least a season or three.)
I’m sad to say also that even though I’ve been walking In The Spirit these past ten years (saved at four, wannabe preacher on the picnic tables at 10, then into the occult approximately three years later. LOTS of drama ensued, lol, but Praise Be To Him For Fixing my wagon, lol. More drama than ever now, but at least it’s always fun With Him! <3<3<3Well, despite the past ten years, I’d NEVER heard the term “wilderness” before… until I heard a Pentecostal sermon online last year. After which I realised that I’ve been in an actual wilderness season for ten years now, everything is shut down in my life but not because I’m a failure, but because it’s being blocked. And 6ish months ago, I realised that God HAD called me while I was driving with my border collies about five years back, He’s Like “Yo, you get to create music For Me.” And I was all, Huh?? I get to be a rock star??!?! But My voice is ruined now and I forgot how to play these 12 instruments by ear, and…” and He Was All “Um, yeah. And you forgot about the 2800 songs I Gave you, and the AWESOME parodies that were NOT a bonus but the main event! Go buy that one vocal training program on the double!” and I did. And… I forgot all about it! Until He Reminded me when I heard this SUPER-awesome song from Elevation, and He Was Like “I wasn’t joking about that music thing, btw. Just coz you’re worse than a noob now doesn’t get you off the hook, I want My Musical, grrl! No more teaching, no more writing books or online courses or anything until you get started, already!”
I took oodles of Spiritual Gift testing and listened to 12 sermons per day, and did everything He Told me. I started getting Vision Dreams (aka ministries that I have no connections and less budget to make happen) for marginalised populations and people who fall through the cracks at mainstream churches). Some of the Charismatic folk I’ve chatted with put titles on some of my childhood tales, “word of knowledge,” “prophetic art and worship” and other such things. I’m humbled and floored by this, because all I’ve ever wanted to do is serve Him and rob Loser Hell of dear, precious souls.
The Baptists and Presb. I’ve mentioned my now-daily spiritual attacks and supernatural “stuff” and “God Wants me to do this” (even my mom and some therapist chums) as “just real life, hon, and you’re a magnet for the worst possible situations, all day, every day!” and “are you sure that wasn’t the devil? Are you a scientologist?… Should we get you a shrink??” (But no unclean spirit or figment would tell me to give several months of wages to a church I’d never heard of. And the truth is, I’ve seen two actual miracles in my life–experienced them, actually–and… if they hadn’t happened to me, *I* might wonder if the person in front of me had ACTUALLY gotten rescued supernaturally or was exaggerating or telling tales or “in need of pharma.” But they happened, and because I’m constantly reminded of them, I find it IMPOSSIBLE to doubt Him about anything, ever again. He Is HERE And He Is MAGNIFICENT! Praise Be To HIM! :):):) <3<3<3 -
Unfortunately, my early years in the church seemed to emphasize calling as a specific call to “professional” ministry.