ANSWERING THE CALL

JOHN 1:35-51 AMP
“Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, “Look! The Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following Him, and asked them, “What do you want?” They answered Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went [with Him] and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard what John said and [as a result] followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first looked for and found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means the Christ). Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated Peter).”
The next day Jesus decided to go into Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher, and walking the same path of life that I walk].” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the son of Joseph [according to public record].” Nathanael answered him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor duplicity!” Nathanael said to Jesus, “How do You know [these things about] me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered, “Rabbi (Teacher), You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Jesus replied, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe [in Me]? You will see greater things than this.” Then He said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man [the bridge between heaven and earth].”

JEREMIAH 1:5 TPT
“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew you intimately.  I had divine plans for you before I gave you life, and I set you apart and chose you to be mine.  You are a prophetic gift to the nations.”

ROMANS 8:28-30 NIV
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

MATTHEW 22:14 NLT
“FOR MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.”

3 STAGES OF GOD’S CALLING
—CALL TO BELIEVE IN JESUS (SALVATION)
—CALL TO SURRENDER TO JESUS (SANCTIFICATION)
—CALL TO OBEY GOD’S WILL FOR THEIR LIFE (CALLING, SERVICE)

1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-29 NLT
“Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in HIS PRESENCE!”

CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO ANSWER THE CALL
1. HUMILITY

JOHN 3:30 NKJV
“HE MUST INCREASE, BUT I MUST DECREASE.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO ANSWER THE CALL
1. HUMILITY
2. FAITH

THEY BELIEVED GOD when the majority of people around them didn’t!

HEBREWS 11:1-3 NKJV
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

HEBREWS 11:6 NIV 
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to HIM must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

BIG QUESTION IN LIFE: “Can I step out in faith and trust in God to do something that is beyond my ability?”

CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO ANSWER THE CALL
1. HUMILITY
2. FAITH
3. SURRENDER

BIG QUESTION: “How much am I willing to sacrifice for the call?”

You GROW into your CALLING little by little.

Luke 14:25-27 NIV
“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said, “IF ANYONE COMES TO ME AND DOES NOT HATE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, WIFE AND CHILDREN, BROTHERS AND SISTERS—YES, EVEN THEIR OWN LIFE —SUCH A PERSON CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. And whoever does not carry their CROSS and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

MARK 4:19 NKJV
“…and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

BIG QUESTION: “What area in my life does the enemy attack me with the most to keep me from fulfilling my call?”

CARES OF THE WORLD: 
WORRY/FEAR—RELATIONSHIPS—CAREER PATH
DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES:  LOVE OF MONEY
DESIRE FOR OTHER THINGS: ENTERTAINMENT—SOCIAL MEDIA—LUSTS

Maybe you made a decision to follow Jesus today, or maybe you’re curious what life with Him is all about. Wherever you are on your journey, we invite you to share with us so we can help you discover your next step.