God-Called People

Is that you?

As I was walking into work this past week I ascended a stairwell, where around a corner and affixed to a large glass display are the words of Truett Seminary’s mission. It reads:

Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary exists to equip God-called people for gospel ministry in and alongside Christ's Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This reminded me of my ordination. The people of the First Baptist Church of Allen, Texas affirmed my gifts and calling, prayed for me and consecrated me during a service of worship, conferred upon me a recognized title of “reverend,” and gave me a commission to go and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations. During that service, Paul W. Powell preached from Jeremiah 1:1-8, a portion of which says:

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

While considering Truett’s mission, I thought of ways I have understood myself to be a “God-called” person. And I thought of the ways that even now I seek to serve other “God-called” women and men, people who come to the seminary in order to be equipped for service to Christ and his people, the church.

If you’re like me, my first thoughts of “God-called” persons are of those who are ordained. And yes, there is a special calling that rests on those who serve as teachers, elders, pastors, and ministers of the church, those who hold an office and are so designated by the body as leaders of the community.

But there is a call that precedes the call. There is the call to all people to follow Christ. There is the first call to become his disciple. That is a shared calling, one that is open to all people. Two-thousand years later that call echoes across the ages. People from all walks of life, all races, all stations, men and women, the rich and the poor, those of high and low and no reputation, continue to hear and respond to Jesus as he looks over his shoulder and says, “Come, follow me.”

In a sense, we’re all God-called people. We’re all called to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. We’re all called to love and to know love, because God is love. We’re called to glorify the Father, and walk by the Spirit. We’re called to live in fellowship with God and to enter the reality of reconciliation, which has been opened to us through the cross of Christ. That call is shared, the calling of those who have an “office,” and those who do not. We are all servants in God’s temple, all citizens in his kingdom, appointed to do good works, sent as ambassadors of Christ.

Are you a God-called person?

Yes, you are.

Book Notes

Louis Markos’ From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith is a really good book if you’re interested in Plato, the history of philosophical thought, and the ways Platonic though shaped the Western world in ways that made it receptive to Christianity. I really enjoyed this book.

I finished reading a book by Voddie T. Baucham, Jr. called Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe. At times, I choose to read authors that are not in my normal stream. Baucham falls into that category. Baucham is a conservative Southern Baptist who now serves as the Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. He grew up in the United States, mostly in Texas. His undergraduate studies were in the field of sociology; he has been thinking about, and aware of, and warning others concerning Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Critical Justice Theory for many years. Baucham argues against these ideas and offers warnings for those in evangelicalism. I found it to be a challenging book, both in considering the issues he raises, and in the unsettling ways Christian people have debated questions of race and justice.

There are three books on my stack: Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, Peter Brown’s Augustine of Hippo, and James K. A. Smith’s latest collection of essays, The Nicene Option: An Incarnational Phenomenology.

Sights and Sounds

This week I watched Parker, a 2013 action movie starring Jason Statham, Michael Chiklis, and Jennifer Lopez. It is a bad movie with a silly plot, but the worst element is Statham’s accent when posing as a Texan. It’s terrible!

I’m searching for some new, good music. If you have any recommendations I’m open to suggestions.

Last Words

On the blog: I wrote about things the Bible says about suffering, answered someone’s objection to “unanswered” prayers, shared J’s art, and offered a perspective on education as “drawing out.”

Before I go, standard copy.

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Be well this week. Bless others.

Best,

BAS

P.S. - With cooler weather arriving the home gym has been a much more pleasant place to be.