Vineyard Church | Weekly Update October 4, 2023

What does it mean to be called by God? And why on earth am I asking that question on a beautiful fall morning? As we navigate through our Sunday series together, allowing Jesus to show us the “how” to abide in Him, it is important to consider the larger context of what we are travelling through. From a big picture context, we are observing that the story of creation is more about God than it is about us but that we are invited into the function of creation because God loves us, chooses us, and ultimately desires community with us. 

That love and desire of God lead to what we experience as His ministry of reconciliation, calling us back to an order that defeats chaos, an order that reestablishes right relationship with Him. Over the past two Sundays, we have seen Jesus teach three parables that demonstrate the reckless, extravagant love of the Father that results in joy when the lost are found. This finding of the lost is one stage, not the stage, of the reconciliatory process.

In the parable of the extravagant Father in Luke 15, we saw three characters that are almost allegorical… They are fictional to the story, but the two sons certainly resemble me at different points of my life. As I mentioned on Sunday, after being saved out of the experience of the two sons, the outcome of true repentance is the ability to love like the Father. This is another piece of the plan of God, that after being called into His plan for the world, we would become reconciled reconcilers. Back to the point of this intrusion into your Wednesday, what does it mean to be called by God, and how do we know what that looks like?

To answer this question, let’s focus in on a word that is destruction to relationships: Ambiguity. It is frustrating enough to ask someone, “where would you like to eat?” and receive “I don’t know” as a response. It is another level of frustration to not know what someone expects of you, or to have conflicting data, or to not have a clear method of communication available. If that defines your relationship with God, that ambiguity attacks faith. 

Where might you be feeling ambiguity? Are you clear on the call God has for you presently (we will define “call” on Sunday!)? Are you struggling to hear His voice or wondering if He hears yours? Are you unsure of how to accomplish what He is asking, feeling unprepared, ill-equipped, or not sure where to begin?  Think about these questions and be ready to respond to ministry on Sunday!

For now, I offer you this for preparation…. Consider this verse, Jeremiah 29:11:  

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

We need to be careful not to take this out of context. This was a small piece of a letter Jeremiah wrote to the leaders and people of the nation of Israel that were exiled to Babylon, certainly a more stressful time than we are experiencing as we prepare for Sunday. 

For us, we can read this scripture and notice two things. First, God is sovereign. He is over all things. You matter to Him; He knows you; He knows what He is calling you to. Second, it is His will that is active. This means that “our” calling is for His glory. Knowing these two points can establish (or re-establish) faith and get the focus off ourselves. So read the verse, pray the verse, and sit with the verse in silence… Let God deal with you through this verse.

My prayer for you this week is that the Extravagant Father would connect with you about mission. Not ‘go to another country’ mission, but His mission and the role He has for you in the sphere of influence in which He has placed you. I pray peace over you, and I pray that you would see yourself not as an individual seeking after God but as a community asking, “how can we help?” Please pray for me and know that I am praying for you, and I will see you on Sunday!

Adam Greenwell
Pastor  |  Billings Vineyard Church
www.BillingsVineyard.org