Study Guide

Called of God

2,763 words, about 14 min read

GIFTS AND SACRIFICES

I want to take the next few lessons to discover the mind and heart of the Father concerning the calling of the believers. I want to go beyond our being called into the body and go to the calling into the ministry . . . into His service.

Hebrews 5:1-4

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Those of us who are chosen to work the ministry are appointed as priests for the world. Our sonship has given us access to God. We are therefore, able to take petitions before Him on behalf of those who do not know him.

I Timothy 2:1

1 I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men:

THE GIFTS OF PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION

We know that prayer is inclusive of petitions, praise, adoration, exaltation and commendation. However, supplication lends itself more to an asking, a wanting or a need. IT IS A CALL FOR AID.

IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Both prayer and supplications must be offered in the name of the Lord Jesus. This means that prayer must be in accord with His character and must be presented in the same spirit of dependence and submission to the will of the Father. A spirit of arrogance and presumption is in opposition to this character.

St. John 14:12-14

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;

13 because I go unto my Father.

14 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.

St. Matthew 6:25

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, What ye shall eat...

Note that Jesus lays a premise for asking and receiving of the Father:

First of all, that which is asked for must be a "work of righteousness," not vanity. In no way are we to use this platform for material gain. It is a platform for ministry. For the Father already knows what material things we need.

Your "works of righteousness" must bring glory to the Father, through Jesus Christ. This is not the season for the glorification of the sons. This is the time of the Holy Ghost working through the believers to bring glory and honor to the Father. This glory is to come through the power of the name of Jesus Christ, not your name.

This is important because many are desirous of doing great spiritual exploits, and there may also be a secret hidden desire to be glorified by the fame of these exploits. This can be deception, if you are not looking for material gain. Nevertheless, to seek fame among men is a defect in your character. It is true that men will come to know of you if you walk in the Jesus ministry.

However, you must always see yourself as a living epistle fashioned for the purpose of revealing Christ. Anything else is vanity.

St. Matthew 6:30

30 Shall he not much more clothe you…

YOU MUST THINK OF YOURSELF AS AN UNPROFITABLE SERVANT. You must see yourself as a slave to Christ. This is His season. Whatever works you accomplish are simply defined as your duty or reasonable service.

This means you seek no personal gain. Therefore you must stand in the character and Spirit of Christ in your asking. You must ask only those things found inside of God's eternal purpose.

Your heart must be pure in the matter. Your motive, intent and hope must be for the glory of God to come forth in the situation, without any personal aspirations at all. Then and only then will you be able to answer with a good conscience toward God.

Romans 12:1…

present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

PART B: THE MASTER KEY

I truly believe the Lord gave us a master key to serving Him. I think this is the most significant, yet simple, answer to our lack of true servitude. Study the outline of the script below carefully to unlock the heart and mind of the Master toward those in His service (St. John 15:1-5).

St. John 15:1-5

1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. It was so amazing the way the Father opened this passage to me. This can be clearly seen in the act of supplication.

SUPPLICATION

"Hiketeria" (^2428^) is the feminine form of the adjective hiketerios, denoting "of a suppliant," and used as a noun, formerly "an olive branch" carried by a suppliant (hiketes), (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words).

Note the meaning here. An olive branch is carried by a suppliant. Jesus is the supplicant and we are the branches in which He supplies the substance of life. He gives us all things freely. These nutrients of life are called the RICHES OF HIS GLORY.

Ephesians 3:16-19

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

These riches of His glory transform us into sons of God. They bring us into the royal powers. Within us is the fullness of God. We are His ambassadors not only in the sense that we represent Him to the world, but we present Him to the world. We can be very Christ, even as Paul was called. If we walk in the supply of the supplicant, we can work the works of righteousness and glorify the Father.

The supplicant will supply all our spiritual needs. He will strengthen us through every trial. He will also supply us with the help we need to fulfill our ministry here on the earth. He knows the things we need. He knows what will glorify the Father and will only move to supply us with those things that will be used to bring glory to God.

The riches of glory transforms us into the sons of God.

Let us look closer at the picture the Lord is trying to paint here. Remember, He was talking to His apostles. He said, they were the branches of the vine. Now picture the vine with twelve branches. Each of the branches extend directly from the vine itself. This is important. EACH BRANCH IS AN EXTENSION OF THE VINE.

Therefore, within each branch is the power of expansion of the vine. In other words, each branch has the power to become a replica of the vine as long as it is attached to the original.

I Corinthians 12:28

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

The branch is the first extension of the vine.

Notice that Paul sets the order of the church in place here. He uses terminology that can not be mistaken, first, secondarily and then thirdly.

FIRST - Refers to being superior in rank and before all others in order. These are the apostles or the apostleship.

SECOND, SECONDARILY, SECONDLY - "Deuteros" (^1208^) denotes second in order with or without the idea of time; e.g., from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, these are the prophets.

THIRDLY - Third in order these are the teaching ministries of the evangelists, pastors and teachers.

AFTER THAT - Note after the primary gifts are set in their proper order then the body is developed into a functioning entity. For the rest of the body can participate in the governments, healings, miracle working or helps.

This is the order of God. This is the way the husbandman designed the vine to grow in His garden. Until the body experiences the order of God, there can be no true expansion of the true vine. The oil cannot flow properly until the branches are attached to the vine.

It is the branches that bring forth the fruit. They are the ones that carry the oil to the other parts of the body. They are charged with producing sons and perfecting them in the character of Jesus Christ. The branch is the first extension of the vine. If it is not in place, then how can the rest of the body receive the nourishment’s needed for spiritual growth.

Much deformity exists in the body today because leaves and stems are trying to function as branches. Every branch is also purged that it might bring forth more fruit.

PURGE

"Diakattharizo" (^1245^), to cleanse thoroughly, is translated will thoroughly purge (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words).

St. John 15:6-27

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

I believe the above scripture is the key to the master plan of servitude. I am also amazed at the conflict that exists within the sons as we endeavor to enter into this plan. Notice there is a driving force within us to serve the Master the way He desires to be served. It is important to take note that God has given us the option of choice, so we have the ability to choose to serve him or to serve ourselves.

THE CONSCIENCE IS RENEWED along with the body and soul of the man when an individual receives the Holy Spirit. Therefore he is totally equipped to remain upright all the days of his life on earth.

He is created in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and he knows the mind of the Father. He also knows that the Father has subjected him to the vanity of the flesh for an appointed time. Nevertheless, with the aid of the Word and the Spirit, the renewed body, soul and conscience fight desperately to stay in submission to the will of the Father.

Our souls remember the heart we had before we were changed. We recall our old desires and aspirations that once ruled our hearts. We are convinced that living unto the will of the father is much more rewarding than serving our own will. The power to remain convinced is found in the "truth".

Truth is powerful enough to make lasting impressions. Truth is powerful enough to change the disposition, desires and aspirations of the mind. The knowledge of God and godliness is the power of change. For to know Christ is to love Him and to love Him is to keep His commandments. When we keep His commandments, we abide in His love and in the love of the Father.

St. John 15:7-8

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

To serve the Master, we must abide in Him. We must have genuine sonship. We must live in the character of Christ. The Word must be alive in the servant of God. You must understand and submit to self denial, meekness and lowliness in the face of God's purpose for your life.

You must not seek reputation or gain. Your “meat and raiment” must be to do the will of the Father. If such is the case, you can ask for anything that will bring forth the fruits of righteousness. We, the sons of God, are branches and must produce fruit; and the fruit must be of the seed within the vine, which is Jesus Christ.

To serve the Master we must abide in Him.