Jul
14
Written by:
Bob Flynn
7/14/2009 1:04 PM
“Every minister should make much of his calling and impress upon others the fact that he has been delegated by God to preach the Gospel. As the ambassador of a government is honored for his office and not for his private person, so the minister of Christ should exalt his office in order to gain authority among men. This is not vain glory, but needful glorying.
Paul takes pride in his ministry, not to his own praise but to the praise of God. Writing to the Romans, he declares, ‘Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office,’ i.e., I want to be received not as Paul of Tarsus, but as Paul the apostle and ambassador of Jesus Christ, in order that people might be more eager to hear. Paul exalts his ministry out of the desire to make known the name, the grace, and the mercy of God.” Dr. Martin Luther
Slave (SLAVE, n.)
1. A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another. In the early state of the world, and to this day among some barbarous nations, prisoners of war are considered and treated as slaves. The slaves of modern times are more generally purchased, like horses and oxen.
H7121 qārā’: A verb meaning to call, to declare, to summon, to invite, to read, to be called, to be invoked, to be named. It can also mean to summon, such as when God summoned Bezalel to build the Tabernacle. A Complete Word Study, Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D, General Editor
Vocation – VOCA'TION, n. [L. vocatio, from voco, to call.] (Noah Webster)
1. Among divines, a calling by the will of God; or the bestowment of God's distinguishing grace upon a person or nation, by which that person or nation is put in the way of salvation; as the vocation of the Jews under the old dispensation, and of the Gentiles under the gospel.
2. Summons; call; inducement. What can be urged for them who, not having the vocation of poverty to scribble, out of mere wantonness make themselves ridiculous!
3. Designation or destination to a particular state or profession. None is to enter the ecclesiastic or monastie state, without a particular vocation.
4. Employment; calling; occupation; trade; a word that includes professions as well as mechanical occupations. Let every divine, every physician, every lawyer, and every mechanic, be faithful and diligent in his vocation.
Recognize Your Calling
Every believer since the beginning has a calling! We often think that only vocational clergy have such a calling but this could not be further from the truth. The reformers understood this doctrine of vocation (See Martin Luther’s quote to left from his commentary on Galatians). There are not two layers of holiness within Christendom. There are not “full-time” and “part-time” believers! Being a member of the clergy is not somehow elevated above other professions. This doctrine of vocation or calling is not a new idea:
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I have H7121specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! Exodus 31:1-5 NLT
The importance of this is twofold: First, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has called you!; Second, you have been placed in your vocation so that you will be a kinsman to those with whom you serve. In our modern world, we call this peer ministry. In the original sense, it is kinsman ministry or indigenous ministry! By using the modern vernacular, we have lost the providential concept that empowers the believer with “great wisdom, ability, and expertise.”
Your calling is not compartmentalized, but rather it is homogeneous! The fact that you are a believer and a member of the military is no surprise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was by design! Your calling is not secondary or subordinate to any other. It is supremely important!
Check Your Attitude
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” (Romans 1:1 NASB)
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,” (Romans 1:1 KJV)
“This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach His Good News.” (Romans 1:1 NLT)
The concept of being a slave or servant is rather foreign for this American mind to grasp (see definition to the left). Somehow, at a visceral level, there remains the rebelliousness to any such thoughts. Yet has not the bond-slave or bond-servant chosen this state? Was I not purchased from the marketplace of my own sin with the blood of Christ? How is it then that I find in my being such an opposition to being “wholly subject to the will of another?” This “another,” after all, is the Son of God! Yet here is Paul (perhpas the poster child for rebelliousness against the Gospel), who is “called,” and “set apart” for the eternal purpose of the Gospel.
According to Dr. Alva J. McClain, there are seven words that allude to slavery in the Greek and this one, “doulos,” is the most severe. When a person chose to be a bond-slave, the master pressed his earlobe to the door post of the house and pierced his ear with an awl. A piece of his ear thus became a permanent part of the house. In a similar way, Christ was pierced for us so that we would become a permanent part of his house. The question that remains is, “who has your ear?” If Christ has our ear, then our will is gladly surrounded by His and we are able to serve His divine purposes in the midst of those whom He died to save!
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Philippians 2:13 NLT)
Participate
A “Right Calling” and a “Right Attitude” leads to “Right Service!” Part of the Membership Agreement when you join CMF is: “As an expression of my commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the objectives of the Fellowship, I intend to participate actively and prayerfully in the ministry of the Christian Military Fellowship with my time, talents, spiritual gifts and financial resources.” All of this is necessary for success! All we are, and all we have comes from Christ and belongs to Christ. Our time, talents, spiritual gifts and finances become the opportunity for us to express our calling!
Pray and Plan
However, giving ourselves to His service would be arrogant if we first did not seek His will! That is why CMF is built upon the concept of “Pray and Plan” as a way of life. This is our active participation in the Faith where we seek the leading of the Lord Jesus Christ for our daily lives. If we wait for a plan to arrive like a holy lightening bolt before we begin service we have fallen into the ditch of passivity. If we begin service without His leading, we will have fallen into the ditch of arrogance. If we are actively seeking to see what the Lord is already doing and ask Him if we might be made useful then we are yoked with Him in service.
Partnership
Perhaps now you begin to see the reasoning behind the CMF operating principles. Each of these core principles was a result of one of the many “Pray and Plans” held by those who have carefully and prayerfully walked the way ahead of us. After all, red blood cells act in partnership with all the others in bringing oxygen to the body. Would we expect that life in the “Body of Christ” would be different?
- Encourage and help individual members to establish and maintain personal Bible study, prayer and obedience to God in every area of their lives.
- Foster in all members a primary concern for the spiritual well-being of their own families, and the recognition in God's economy of the family as the basic worshiping community.
- Encourage members to perform their military duties in a professional manner consistent with obedience to God's commands.
- Encourage and assist members to form and maintain local fellowships consisting of regularly scheduled Bible study, prayer and personal sharing.
- Motivate members to support local chaplains by prayer and personal encouragement, and to participate actively in the chapel program.
- Conduct conferences in order to teach Scriptural truth, impart training in the practical application of spiritual principles, and encourage and enjoy fellowship with one another.
- Evangelize every segment of the military society by any means which honors Christ.
- Encourage individual members and local fellowships to minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of the allied military society.
- Foster throughout the fellowship the practice of ministering to individuals on a personal basis.
- Promote "pray and plan" sessions among the local leadership in order to seek God's guidance in directing the local CMF ministry.
- Encourage participation by friends and relatives in support of the activities of the fellowship through associate membership.
Obedience
The toughest part of daily Christian living is obedience. The eternal design is that faith and obedience are toes on the same foot. They act together! The Christian Military Fellowship provides you with an opportunity to give feet to your faith in the very society in which you live and find fellowship with other like-minded believers. If you are not already involved in a local CMF fellowship group, why not start one? Check out our helpful briefs on the "Become a Leader" page in our Members only section of this website.