Jesus is the only One who can fully satisfy us. When you follow Him, you walk in your true calling and purpose. But if you only connect with Jesus a couple times a week while spending the rest of your time immersed in the world, you’ll likely miss out on what God truly created you to do. Pastor stated, “To know your calling, Jesus must be the center of your life. This doesn’t mean full-time ministry or praying 24/7, but acknowledging Him in all your ways and keeping Him at the heart of everything you do.”
Your Heavenly Father has your best interest at heart. He knows you inside and out and has uniquely gifted you. Just as no parent wants their child to remain a baby forever, God desires us to grow and mature in Him. Childish actions that may be cute as a toddler aren’t so endearing when your child turns 30. God’s plan for us is that we mature, gain wisdom, and apply it to live impactful lives that are not easily offended, moving on from bottle feeding to devouring the meat of the Word of God.
Pastor Ben emphasized that we are meant to grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and others, just as Jesus did. (Luke 2:52) Our ultimate purpose is to reflect Him and do what He did. As we seek the Lord and keep Him at the center of our life, we naturally grow into our calling.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Verse 14 goes on to say, “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
Pastor Ben shared a brilliant example of an accident scene described through the eyes of the 5-fold ministry gifts of the pastor, prophet, apostle, evangelist, and teacher. This highlighted how each role has a distinct focus and gifting, yet all work together to create a complete and effective body of Christ. He reminded us that it’s a mistake to compare ourselves to others or try to imitate someone else’s gift. God created us uniquely to fulfill our place in His body. We mature by daily living in awe of God and seeking what pleases Him.
There is room for every gift. Pastor shared that not all gifts are for full-time ministry—most are meant for the seven mountains of influence, such as business, government, education, or media. You may be called to pastor at your office, be prophetic in government, or evangelize at your school.
He challenged us not to put God in a box, or limit Him. Stay close to God, remain curious, and keep hungry for His infinite possibilities. When God is at the center of your life, you’ll naturally walk into your calling and be surprised at what He can do through you! Click here to watch the entire message! And don’t miss next week, as Pastor continues teaching on spiritual gifts.