Who Does God Call and Use?
By Dr. Ken Matto
(1 Cor 1:26 KJV) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise
men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
It seems one thing which hamstrings Christians from getting involved in ministry
is the idea that one must be called into the ministry in an official capacity.
Too many believe that they must hold an official title in a church to do any
kind of efficient ministry or they must be seminary trained. This is the
farthest from the truth. When God saves a person, they are automatically placed
into the ministry. Of course, there is a time for study and preparation for
ministry. Now this article is not about being called into a specific ministry
such as preaching or teaching but is about being called into the ministry in a
general way. What I mean by that is that the majority of Christians in this
world are never moved out of their vocations and into specific ministry. For
example, a person who is a Chemist becomes saved and they never leave the
business world to go out into the world in an official ministry capacity such as
missionary or pastor.
If they remain in the business world, are they to be any less effective as
Christians? The answer is no. Another great mistake is dividing their lives into
two parts: The secular and the sacred. They view the secular as their job and
the other parts of their life which are not “officially religious.” Then they
view the sacred part as doing ministry such as going to church on Sunday or
maybe getting involved with a church function. The reality is that once we
become saved, everything in our life goes from the secular to the sacred and
that is because we now have the Holy Spirit living within us and we are a child
of God. From the point of salvation to our home going, everything we do reflects
upon the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. There is no more secular because
we are no longer secular. (Eph 1:13-14 KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, {14}
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory. According to the 1828 Webster’s
Dictionary, “secular” means “pertaining to this world or things not spiritual or
holy.” (1 Pet 1:16 KJV) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
When we became saved, we became holy and therefore everything we do has eternal
results. (Eph 1:4 KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in
love:
What I would like to do is to take a number of examples from the Scriptures of
people whom God used in positions other than officially religious ones and how
they impacted their particular time. These will be both from the Old and New
Testaments because both are relevant.
AMOS - He was a herdsman and never rose to the status of
prophet like Isaiah or Jeremiah and was never in the order or school of the
prophets. He was called to prophesy in the days of Uzziah and Jeroboam. He was
the first prophet to prophesy the captivity of Judah which was about 200 years
in the future. (Amos 7:14 KJV) Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I
was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a
gatherer of sycamore fruit:
EBEDMELECH - He was an Ethiopian eunuch in the house of
Zedekiah. He became a friend to Jeremiah and helped deliver him from prison
after the king allowed him to be subject to his counselors. He was never
elevated to a high position but God promised him that he would be safe from the
enemies. (Jer 39:16 KJV) Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying,
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words
upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in
that day before thee.
DANIEL - He went from being a captive in Babylon to the third
highest ruler in the kingdom because God gave him the ministry of interpreting
dreams. He wrote the book of Daniel as a political ruler and not as an official
prophet because not to much is known of his early life. We do know that when he
was brought to Babylon, he had much wisdom and knowledge on many different
subjects. (Dan 1:4-6 KJV) Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured,
and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science,
and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they
might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. {5} And the king
appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he
drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand
before the king. {6} Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
LUKE - Luke was a physician and penned the books of Luke and
Acts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. His name is mentioned only twice
in the New Testament and not even by himself, yet he was used of God to pen two
of the largest books in the New Testament. (Col 4:14 KJV) Luke, the beloved
physician, and Demas, greet you. (2 Tim 4:11 KJV) Only Luke is with me. Take
Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
JOB - Job was called of God to be a testimony for God in times
of calamity. Although Job did not know it, he became a testimony of the
faithfulness of God to Satan and to his friends. He showed that when someone is
truly born again they will never lose their true testimony because of external
calamities. After God had restored Job, it seems he remained as he did before
his trial and that is a farmer and business man. (Job 42:16 KJV) After this
lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even
four generations. (Job 42:12 KJV) So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more
than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels,
and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. Job’s faithfulness
to God has caused him to be a household word when linked with the word
“patience.”
JOEL - Nothing is known of him outside of verse 1. (Joel
1:1 KJV) The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. No one
knows who Pethuel is and nothing is written about the early years of the prophet
Joel, yet God used him to pen a very important prophetic book which foretells
the day of Pentecost. Here is truly someone who is known but to God yet used
mightily of God.
OBADIAH - Here is another mystery. He penned the book of
Obadiah but not a thing is known about him, whether he was a prophet, priest,
king, or laborer. We don’t even have his genealogy, yet God called him to pen
the book carrying his name.
JOSEPH - Joseph was the second youngest of Jacob behind
Benjamin. He was mistreated by his brothers, sold into slavery, and for thirteen
years was made a slave and prisoner. Then one day he interprets two dreams and
they both come true. Then Pharaoh has a dream which none of his wise men can
interpret and Joseph is brought up to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Now here is an
important principle that we must glean from this part of the narrative. Joseph
interprets Pharaoh’s dream and is then made Governor of Egypt which is the
second highest position in their government. Joseph had no formal schooling, he
did not run so much as a village, he spent almost half of his life as a slave
and prisoner. What was Joseph’s secret to his success in this matter? Joseph had
the wisdom of God and that gave him all he needed to rule and to put into place
a system of food growth and collection, and then later distribution. This should
be an encouragement to those who have no formal education that if God calls you,
He will empower you to perform that duty. Even those with a formal education,
without the wisdom of God you will not be able to perform what He asks.
PETER - Here was Peter who was a fisherman by trade and no
doubt was probably well known for being a rough guy. Jesus chooses him to be one
of His disciples and he then becomes the unofficial spokesman for the apostles.
Peter probably just had the basic religious upbringing in the temple and then it
was off to work. Peter penned two of the books of the New Testament, 1 and 2
Peter.
ONESIMUS - Onesimus was the slave of Philemon who had run away
to Rome where he met the Apostle Paul. Onesimus then became saved and went back
to Philemon to continue his duties. In his later years, he became Bishop of
Ephesus after Timothy had probably died. Ignatius, in 110 A.D. referred to
Bishop Onesimus.
Summation
These ten biblical examples will suffice to show us that God calls those who
seem to be obscure in the world’s definition. There is no such thing as an
obscure Christian in the Kingdom of God. A person who drives a fork lift and has
a pack of tracts with him, can have a mighty impact on people. It does not
matter what a person does for a living here on earth as long as they are
faithful in the work of the Lord. Don’t feel that you have to go to a foreign
mission field to be used of God. He planted you right there so you would be used
of Him right where you are. If God wants to send you somewhere else, He is more
than capable of making that known to you. Until that time, be faithful right
where you are and you will not have a disappointing Christian walk.