A still quiet voice.  A bright light shining from Heaven.  A vision from God.   All of these describe methods that God uses to call people into His service.

It is one of my joys to talk to people who feel they are called to officership in The Salvation Army.  I love to hear the passion and zeal they have for going into the world and saving those who are lost in sin.  In doing a little research on how people are called by God to full time service in both The Salvation Army and other churches, I have found that most find it to be a mystery as to how they were called.   Some said that they don’t remember going forward to the altar when they received their call.  Another said that she heard a small quiet voice urging her to become an officer.  And yet another said that he was told by a friend that he was to become an officer.

In looking to how people were called in biblical days, you find the same things happening.   Saul, not yet Paul, was walking down the road in Acts 9 when he received a blinding call from the Lord.   Following the orders he was given by Jesus, Saul went to Damascus to wait for more information and instruction.   There, Ananias was given a vision in which the Lord told him the things that Saul needed to hear.  Ananias was told by God that Saul was to be the Lord’s chosen instrument, carrying His name to the people.  Sometimes people are so blind to what the Lord has to offer that they need a friend to help them along in their calling.

The prophet Isaiah had a respectable career as a scribe in the royal palace in Jerusalem.  He was upheld by many in the land.   Then in a vision (Isaiah 6:1-13), God tells Isaiah that he is the one who will tell the people that they are living sinful lives and are in danger of great judgment and wrath.    Isaiah was told that his message to the people would not be heard because of their calloused hearts, but he was to continue to preach until people came to repentance.  Isaiah listened and obeyed.

A young girl named Mary was approached by an angel who told her of her great calling to be the one to birth the savior of the world.   Her call was frightening, yet clear; and even in her doubt, she accepted her call from the Lord.  

We are all called by God.  No one is exempt.  Once one accepts Jesus as their savior and allows the Holy Spirit to work in their life, the call of the great commission is one that can not be ignored.   Jesus says to all of us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19,20).   Once we are heirs of His Kingdom, we are to reach out into the world and spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  This call is for all, not just a chosen few.

Some are called to a “higher” calling; The Salvation Army Orders and Regulations for Officers uses this terminology when referring to the calling people receive to become officers.   Jesus, during His ministry on earth, called a few to follow Him for service for the greater Kingdom.  He did not use many words, just “follow me.”  In some cases, Jesus explained it a little further, still not using many words, but words that would help the called know what they were being called to; “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

To some, their call from God didn’t contain words; they simply felt it in their heart.   In some further explanation, they said that their soul was stirred, they felt an uneasiness about what they were currently doing with their life and they knew that this “feeling” was from God was something to be listened to.  

Moreover, I think that in The Salvation Army, we have a uniqueness in that other churches do not have.  In most of our larger youth meetings, we ask for the Lord to call people into service in The Salvation Army.    We have designated times in which someone speaks about officership and beckons those who are called to come forward and publicly proclaim their call for all to see.    We encourage those called to speak about their calling and to share with others how they were called by God to become officers in The Salvation Army.   Now, mind you, often we hear about how so and so never wanted to become an officer and how God called them regardless of their feelings toward officership.  This I do not fully understand because when I received my call from God, I was excited!   Maybe it’s due to the fact that I had not grown up in The Salvation Army and had not seen things that others had seen, but to me, I was awestruck that God would choose me.   But I feel that those times that are offered through Youth Councils and Corps Cadets retreats do encourage our young people to listen to what God has in store for them, whether that be officership or local officership in their own corps.

I personally feel a calling to nurture those who are considering God’s call of officership.   I enjoy speaking with people about the realities of officership and the blessings that one received when one follows God’s call on their life.   It is such a blessing to my heart to see those who are called, find relief in just saying, “Yes” to God.  

In closing, I have been overjoyed to rediscover the truths found in our co-founder’s word in her sermon, “Will You Obey?” spoken by Catherine Booth in 1883.  It’s amazing to me how true her words are 123 years later.  And she says,

“He wants you.  He wants your gifts.  He wants your influence.  He wants your money.  He wants all that you have, but He wants most of all you! You!  Every one of you!  I don’t know where you sit, and I don’t know to what He calls you; but the question to settle is, Will you obey?  Will you rise and follow?  Will you face whatever it is He calls you to face?”

And the question is:  Will you?  Will you listen to the call God has on your life and heart today?   If that be officership, then praise the Lord!   Tell someone about your calling!  If it be local officership at your corps, then praise the Lord!  Tell someone so that you can begin to do what the Lord wants you to do.   If the Lord has called you to be a doctor, a lawyer or even a manager at a local store, do it to the glory of God.  Make known that you are a Christian, called by God to do the work in which He has called you to do, in whatever it is that He calls you to do.

I pray God’s peace, mercy and grace upon you today.  May God bless you, as you bless Him in your ministry.