Your Calling!

last SG · 2006-08-14T11:50:51+00:00

Are you specifically asking about Full-time ministry? Or Is it personal ministry onto people?

babyys SG

Would like to know how to know if God is calling you into a certain area of ministry? hmmm.....i wonder if its the same as how would i know if God is talking to me.

Wat are the signs & messages that one would receive? or is it purely by faith & conviction?

skyfoo SG

u're a christian and u dunno. my god

twiggies SG

your house will rock.

Ironside SG

Actually, we are saved to minister my friend. A christian is a minister. Our ministries vary though. How do we know the particular ministry God has called us unto?

it is determined by your spiritual gifts. What your gifts is or are, determines your ministry in the body of Christ.

First you must know the gifts available [Study Romans 12, 1 Cori. 12]

Second, give your time trying on these gifts. Do them and you will realize what particular area or activity you are good at through the results and the comment of others in the church.

[note: spiritual gifts are different from talents]

Mystix SG

Not necessary.
I would not discount spiritual gifts from the possibity of being 'sanctified' talents. (which i believe is of the case most of the time)

vince69 SG

sis,
its quite easy to find your calling, 2 main criteria for chosing a ministry, you must have the desire, and you will already have the ability to serve there.
reason is very simple, If its God's calling for you to serve in that ministry, He will have given you the skills/talents to do it, and also the desire to serve there as well.
(ps. never serve in a ministry just because of guilt or peer pressure)

hope this answer your question.

God bless. Smile

Ironside SG

actually, the lists in 1 cor. 12 and Romans 12, Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Peter 4:10 are not talents. No man [unsaved] on earth has anything like that. It comes from the Holy Spirit at salvation. They never had these gifts before they were saved.

Ironside SG

and yes, as brother vince also states, desire also counts.
but be careful that these desires are really from the Spirit for the flesh in us could desire also.

many Christians who are obviously not called into the teaching and preaching ministry [for they had no gifts obvious to himelf and others] desire the pulpit ministry.

They desird the 'sensational' ministries. But these guys would have been wonderful counselors and encouragers since it is pretty clear and obvious that they were so gifted by the Spirit for this kind of ministry [one to one ministry], but carnal and fleshly desire was mistaken for God's.

be discerning.

Mystix SG

I guess it boils down to what you would define spiritual gifts as.
Perhaps our thinking of spiritual gifts these days in the church today has become all too shallow.

We know that spiritual gifts come from the Holy Spirit.
But the overemphasis of thinking God gives Christians gifts that seemed they were incapable of before conversion has blinded most of us to the fact that very often the most significant gifts in the church's life (preaching, teaching, leadership etc) are ordinary natural abilities sanctified.
We tend to think of spiritual gifts in terms of "giftedness" or of supernatural novelty and we have neglected the Christ oriented perspective of defining them in terms of Christ the head of the body working thru us in our midst.

Paul asserts that the use of gifts edifies the body of Christ.
Therefore they should be defined in terms of Christ, as actualized powers of expressing, celebrating, displaying and so communicating Christ in one way or another, either by word or by deed. (J.I Packer, Keeping in Step with the Spirit)

ben1xy SG

wahh

wait wait.. dun go into theological debate first!! help the poor girl understand her calling! then debate over spiritual gifts

ben1xy SG

i wondered across a few ministries, anyway it's good to have more exposure... even if it comes to nothing, at least u get to know more people in church. but i realised i am most effective among teenagers. so that's why i am mostly working with the youths

Mystix SG

Vince summed it up very nicely.

Another thing to add would be to maybe try out first in different ministries.
Sometimes we contemplate too much and forget that the best measure is still actually to start doing it. You never know if u may have a particular gifting unless u try.

ben1xy SG

i definitely agree with this

Icemoon SG

Reformed vs. Evangelical.

Interesting.

Icemoon SG

Have you tried MOS? I think it is at Clarke Quay.

vince69 SG

the one at clark quay? nope...

if talking about the one in church,
I had served in it before, the Tech ministry (which include the sound team and video crew) Smile

actually true, me also been involved in many christian ministries before (bith church based and non church based), now settling down in one (or maybe two). Smile

Icemoon SG

what are examples of non church based ministries?

vince69 SG

non-church based ministeries are those that are organised privately, by the own accord of the believers.

for example: like Bible study group, need not be church based, a few friends from different churches can also organise one (not sure if the one one Ben is setting up falls into this category), a charity event to minister to others (like visit to old folks home ...etc, can also be organised in this manner).
Very Happy

*edit to correct spelling error

Icemoon SG

post edifying articles in EH counted? Mr. Green

vince69 SG

different people will have different view on this, my personal view is that if its edifying, if its build up and encourage another person, and the right attitude, its a ministry on its own.
Very Happy