Today we are looking at something important and I want you to be very attentive. We are considering by the special grace of God, Responding to The Discreet Call of The Lord into The Ministry. Certain keywords are worthy of note and I want us to meditate on them even as we go on into the discussion. A few Scriptures we will read to build a background for what the Lord has prepared for us.
Of course, one thing is very clear. There is a call of the Lord hanging on many of us. However, due to the nature of the call, many of us live in denial of the call. There are so many people that the Lord has call, yet, they are yet to come to terms with the reality of the call of the Lord that is hanging on them. In this piece we are going to meditate together on certain Scriptures that will open our minds to how discreet the call of the Lord is into the ministry.
I want us to read the book of John 11 and I will start my reading from verse 22. The Bible says:
“But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
May the Lord bless the reading of His word in our hearts in Jesus’ name. Amen!”
Now if you read the first few verses that we just read, especially verse 23, Jesus made a profound statement that declared the intention of the Lord Jesus Christ for the family of Mary and Martha and for their brother, Lazarus. Jesus said “your brother will rise again”, and that gives a clear picture of the call, the immediate call that the Lord Jesus made on the life of Mary. Don’t forget we stopped in verse 28 with a specific call of the Lord to Mary. The question is: why was Mary beckoned unto by the Lord Jesus Christ? It is towards fulfilling the desire and the goal of the Lord.
In verse 23, the Lord made it clear that the reason He had come into their family was not to mourn or to weep. The reason was that their brother should rise again. And towards making that happen, there was a need for Mary, there was a need for Martha together to have the right faith that is required for the Lord to intervene on their behalf. Don’t forget, Bible says “heaven belongs to God but the earth He has given to the children of men.” And so, for the will of God to be done in the lives of men, men must invite God and allow Him to intervene in their cause.
From verse 23-27 that we read; Jesus built up the faith of Martha. Now, for what Jesus intended to do to succeed, the faith of Martha was not the only requirement, Mary also needed to have faith. And so, Mary was called by the Lord towards raising up their brother Lazarus. But let us see how Mary was called so that we can have an idea of how God calls people. If you notice that this calling is different from the manner that you have been expecting, then maybe, you need to change your expectation so that you can even be conscious of your realities.
John 11:28 says: “And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.” Those two things we want to meditate on. The Bible says “secretly she called Mary.” And so, the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ on Mary through Martha was a secret call. That is why we call it in this title “The Discreet call of the Lord into the Ministry”, how do you respond to it? And verse 29 says: “As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.” And that is important for us to understand the pattern that the Lord has instituted and is expected of us, lest we miss out of our calling and great things that the Lord wants to execute on the earth through us.
I want us to read Matthew 4:17 to have a background of what it means by the phrase “the teacher has come and He is calling for you.” The Bible says: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” When Jesus began His ministry, He began by saying “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And again, in Matthew 6 from verse 9 downward, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. See what Jesus said to them.
“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.”
Don’t forget that Jesus began His ministry by declaring to the people “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now, He now says “Our Father in heaven (the king of the kingdom of heaven), hallowed be your name. Your kingdom that is in heaven come. And in Luke 17:20-21, Bible says “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Understanding that, we must realize the embodiment or the implication of what it means by “the teacher has come and He is calling for you.”
I believe the kingdom of God has come upon us has a people of God, the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ upon us and He is within us, and by the Spirit of the Lord, greater works can be done by us on the earth. Remember, Jesus said to the disciples “it is to your advantage that I go because if I do not go, the helper will not come. However, when I go, I will send Him to you.” In another place Jesus said “the works that I do you will do and greater works than this because I go to the Father.” At that time, Jesus came to them and because Jesus came to them; they were called by the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were not called so that they will gist and just continue to have fun. They were called so that they will do great works. The work that needed to be done at that time was that Lazarus, their brother would rise again. I am sure there are many things in our lives that are not doing well, or not doing fine. Many things that are sleeping, many things that are dying around us. Yet, the Lord has a plan to resurrect them, the Lord has a plan to bring them back to reality. However, if that must be done, we have a role to play. And if we must play that role, it must be because we have fully and positively responded to the call of the Lord upon our lives.
The Lord is calling you so that God can through you raise up the dead. The Lord is calling you so that the Lord can through you, heal the people, heal the sick. The Lord is calling you so that through you He can chase away ignorance from the lives of your people. However, if you must respond to God, if you must respond to the call of God into ministry, you must be able to discern the discreet call of the Lord upon your life. If you are expecting God to call you in the midst of the crowd so loud that everybody will know that God has called so, so and so. That may not happen!
You see, the fear of many people is to tell people “do you know God has called me?” We don’t want to tell people God has called us; we want people to know God has called us. How do you expect them to know God has called you when the call of God is actually a discreet call that comes to you personally, privately, and quietly? How do you expect people to know that you have been called when they were not aware that you were indeed called? So, you have a responsibility to announce to the people, just like Jesus did. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me.” They were not there when you were anointed, you have the responsibility to declare it to them. Jesus said “this day, this Scripture is fulfilled in your presence.” Why? The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
I believe the Lord has a plan for you, I believe the Lord has a plan for your nation. I believe the Lord has a plan for your kindred, for your generation, for your lineage. However, if that must happen, it must be because you have aligned with the will of God and that you have responded positively to the call of God, just like Mary who rose up very quickly to respond to come to God. You must respond quickly. You cannot continue to dillydally and still think that God will use you for greater works. If God will use you for greater works, it is because you have responded positively for the work that He has to do in your life, in your family and in your nation.
I don’t want you to forget how it all started. Lazarus who as the brother of Mary and Martha got sick and eventually died. When Jesus came to the scene, Martha realized it and she went to meet with Jesus. Now when Jesus helped the faith of Martha to a point that it was enough for a miracle to take place, Jesus requested for Mary also. And when Mary was called, Mary was not called loudly but discreetly by Martha on behalf of Jesus. I believe strongly that the Holy Spirit has come upon us as a people, I believe strongly that the Lord Jesus has come for us as a people, and He is calling for you. There is a work He wants you to do, there is a work He wants you to join Him to do.
Don’t forget, ultimately, it is God that works. Jesus was the one that came to do the miracle. He only needed the faith of the sisters to be brought to a good level for the hand of the Lord to come upon them. You must not forget, that it is God that works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. However, for God to work in you and through you, you must respond to the call of God on your life. You cannot continue to say “I have not been called when indeed you have been called.” The fact that your call was discreet does not mean it has no merit or it lacks credit. The call of God on your life could be quiet, but it is potent. The call of God in your life could be quiet, but it has great power, it is an effective call.
If you respond to it, you will begin from this day forward to see the glory of the Lord in your own life. Many things God intend to do in your family that your response is delaying. You must rise up at this moment and yield to God. When Mary was called, she went straight to the Lord. I am sure you remember the story of Samuel in the book of 1 Samuel. When Samuel was called, he thought it was Eli that was calling him. On several occasions he went to Eli when he heard the call, until Eli discerned that it must have been the Lord calling him. Eli said to him, “when the Lord calls you again, say “here I am.” I believe at this moment, you will be like Samuel that will say to the Lord “your servant is here, I am listening.” You will be like Paul that was encountered by the Lord Jesus Christ and said “Oh Lord, what would you have me do?”
I believe there is something that the Lord wants you to do, it is important that you respond to the call positively and say “Lord, your servant is listening. What would you have me do? I am listening, I am attentive, I am discerning your voice. I know this call is quiet, but I know it is potent. I am discerning your voice, I am responding quickly to the call of God upon my life, I am rising up from my mediocrity, challenges and the things that have held me bound. I am responding to the call of God upon my life, in the name of Jesus.”
Father we bless your name for your word that you have sent to us, I believe very strongly that your power is at work in us right now. I believe your light is shinning upon our hearts and it is awakening us to the reality of the call that is hanging upon our lives. Lord we thank you for the grace that you have given unto us to discern the secret call that is hanging on our lives for greater works on the earth. Lord, we are responding to your call positively, here we are Lord, please use us for your glory here on the earth and let your name be glorified in our nation, in our generation, in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thank you for the gift of your time, I am so glad that you are part of this broadcast and this moment, I believe the Lord has released His word into your heart. The Lord send His word to them, the word healed them and delivered them from their destruction. The destruction that is hanging on many of us can be taken out of the way by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ, He is calling you, the Lord is calling you, it is a discreet call and you must respond to it. I hope to connect with you again next week by the special grace of God. Till them, I want you to respond to the will of God, and the call of God with a positive answer and God will be glorified in your life.
Thank you for the gift of your time, God bless you.
