Page 2 - Is God Calling You

Is God Calling You?
Have you wondered what it means to be called – to actually receive a prompting from God, a motivation from the Creator to ask the basic questions about life, its purpose and meaning? Jesus Christ stated, “No man can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44, NKJV). This clear statement tells us that coming to Christ must proceed from the Father.
But how does that “calling” take place? It takes place in the mind. First, a person who is being called begins to see that this is not God’s world, not His civilization. The world around us is not of God’s making but rather, it is a system founded on false values, on customs and traditions based on a rejection of God’s laws, which is sin (1 John 3:4). A person who is being called begins to have his mind opened by the power of God’s Holy Spirit!
When one is called, he or she believes that God is, that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). Then, the person who is being called comes to see that he has been wrong, that his way of life has been wrongly directed and that God’s way is the only right way – the way that is based on obedience to His Word and His laws as revealed in His Word, the Bible.
The natural, normal mind of man cannot understand the things of God, His purpose. As Paul wrote, “But as it is written, ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). Furthermore, we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). So, God is the initiator. If we are being called, He starts the process. He opens our minds to understand His great purpose. Then, the Father brings you to Jesus the Christ to be trained.
Once we understand and accept that we have been part of this deceived world, including perhaps our parents or extended family, and need to change – repent – then, upon repentance and baptism (which is the outward expression of our repentance and commitment to begin living a new way of life – Rom. 6:4), God actually places His Holy Spirit within a person’s mind. Through His Spirit, God grants repentance to the candidate (Romans 2:4) giving the person the ability to understand and obey the will of God. Those who are called and have received God’s Holy Spirit are drawn to seek the things of God, as they are led by His Spirit (Rom. 8:14).
The Holy Spirit separates one from those who are not Christ’s (Rom. 8:7-9). Those with God’s Spirit have a different attitude toward God’s law, no longer being defiant and opposed to it (Rom. 8:7). So then, having received God’s Holy Spirit, what are we called to do? Is there a specific job or work that true Christians are commanded to carry out? Most certainly! Jesus Christ, the Founder and Overseer of the Church of God (Matt. 16:18), instructed the members of his Church
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