This is the full video from “The Call” taught by Pastor Jeff Jackson at the 2016 Calvary Chapel Central Bucks Missions Conference. What follows below are Pastor Jeff’s notes and links to Bible verses referenced.

The Call

• What the call is that He has given to ALL of His people
• Why all of His people should obey The Call
• What obedience to The Call looks like

What all of His people are called to do: Psalm 96:1-3

• Sing to the Lord
• Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day
• Declare His glory among the nations—ethnic groups

Why all of us should obey The Call

• He seeks worshipers (John 4:23)
• Those worshipers are from the ethnically diverse people that He created (Gen 11:7, 8; Psalm 86:9,10; Acts 17:26)
• They are a gift from the Father to the Son (Psalm 2:8)
• He created two entities as His vehicles to declare His glory (Gen 12:1-3; 26:4; 28:14; Exod 19:5, 6; Isa 49:6; Matt 16:18; 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8)
• The birth of the church was a “taste” (Acts 2:8-11)
• Paul took this exhortation seriously Rom 15:18-24
• Jerusalem to Illyricum was covered (19)
• He “aimed” for where Christ hadn’t yet been named (20)
• He didn’t believe he had any further “place in these parts” (23)
• Invited churches to “help him on his way” there (24); 1 Cor 16:6; 2 Cor 1:16; Phil 4:15-17

What obedience to The Call looks like for every follower of Jesus:

• Proclaim the Good News day to day (Psalm 96:2)
• Proclaim His praises to those still in darkness (1 Pet 2:9)
• Make disciples as you Go about life (Matt 28:18-20)
• Sending and caring for those called to GO (3 John 5-8)

What obedience to The Call looks like for those who have heard and heeded His call to GO…they will:

• Say goodbye to everything familiar and comfortable
• Cross geographic, national, cultural, linguistic, and religious boundaries… and begin living incarnationally
• In most cases, they will entrust themselves to God’s provision through fellow believers for their financial and material needs to be met

“But how do I know if He is calling me to GO?”

Biblical examples of those He called to GO

• Abram-Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3)

1. Challenged to leave familiar and comfortable
2. Blessing promised for obedience
3. Opportunity to not only be blessed but to be a blessing
4. Call spoken directly by God—to leave, with a blessing promised to you and those you will come in contact with

• Joseph (Gen 37:26-28; 39:1-5)

1. Knew God himself, despised by brothers
2. Sold as a slave, but permitted by God for a greater purpose
3. To be the provision for his own family later
4. To represent the creator to those serving the creation
5. Learned new language, lived for God in a total cross-cultural environment, in spite of MANY obstacles.
6. Circumstances permitted by God to take you across geographic and cultural boundaries… with Him knowing your capacity to represent Him properly.

• —Jonah (2 Kings 14:25 and Jonah)

1. Used by God to demonstrate God’s grace to his own people, (recognizing God’s grace and mercy from first hand experience.)
2. Spoken to by God directly to go cross-cultural (Jonah1:1, 2)
3. Not just speak to foreigners, but to GO to them
4. Given the message to speak: judgement ahead, but implying and Jonah knowing it’s a plea for repentance.
5. Call spoken directly by God… to go to people you despise, knowing He wants to use you to show the same grace to them that He has shown to you, and serious consequences for not obeying Him!

Biblical examples of those He called to GO

Jesus with a few of His disciples

• Relationship with a purpose, (Matt 4:19)
• Special title given to them: apostles (Luke 6:13) full access to Him
• Kept them focused outward (John 4:35)

1. Matt 5:3 Kingdom entrance not ethnic
2. Matt 6:10 The prayer model He taught…”His kingdom come, His will be done, ON EARTH,” not just in and for Israel!
3. Matt 9:37, 38 Reminder of the harvest and the need for workers
4. Matt 10:5 Sending them as harvesters, (training purposes too!)

• —Their commission expressed in at least 4 different ways:

1. Matt 28:18-20 …go therefore and make disciples of all nations; Mark 16:15 go into all the world and preach the gospel
2. Luke 24:46-48 preached His name to all nations…..
3. John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, I also send you!
4. Acts 1:8 Not permitting them to think of Israel, but re-focusing them on what His desire was for them…for the nations to have a witness of Him!!!!

A model to follow to determine if you’re called to GO! Acts 13:1-4

• While “Ministering” to the Lord (vs. 2)

1. SERVING! leitourgeo (li-toorg-eh’-o); from 3011; to be a public servant, i.e. (by analogy) to perform religious or charitable functions (worship, obey, relieve): BUT ALSO USED as basic servanthood in Rom. 15:27
2. Being “called” while serving: Joseph, Gideon, David
3. Are you currently serving others, especially in your local church?
4. FASTING….seriously pursuing God’s will and glory at cost to self
5. Prayer implied? Fasting and praying go together—for others, for the nations? Mark 11:17
6. Are you growing in your intimacy with Him, using your relationship with Him for the good of others, especially those who have never heard?

• The Holy Spirit spoke to GOERS and SENDERS!
• It’s a call to a “WORK”

1. Not necessarily a people or a place…from your existing inventory;
2. Vocational experience
3. Ministry experience
4. Spiritual giftedness already observed, even if in embryonic form—which is crucial to gather support as you actually prepare to GO
5. The call is to a “work”….what do you already possess that can further His kingdom some place in the world?

• Further fasting and praying by the leaders (and probably the church)
• Sent by the Spirit, through the local church

10 Confirmation of The Call is usually four-fold

• To those He calls to GO
• To those in leadership they serve under
• To those they serve alongside
• To fellow believers they have meaningful relationships with