Preview

Gordan Smith

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1666 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gordan Smith
The thesis of the book is that each person is created by God with a calling to serve God in the world. God calls and enables His children to be his kingdom agents within every sphere of life and society. Each vocation is an avenue by which God is accomplishing the establishing of His kingdom. Likewise, each believer “has worth and significance…Christians are not merely “channels of God, they are to be co-workers with God”. The book’s purpose, therefore is to “help people achieve their potential in God’s service, to encourage them to “fan the flame of the gift of God” so they can make a difference for God in the world”. Vocation is not synonymous with a career or job or position. It is “living a life congruent with who we are, how God has gifted us, graced us and thus called us.” “As a married couple, each one needs to answer the questions of self-knowledge. But he calls readers to rethink particularly the woman’s role. It is not just to support her husband. “Husbands need to come back to the extraordinary words of the apostle Paul (Eph.5) that the husband is to give himself for his wife so she can flourish – i.e, to enable her to discover, enhance and fulfill her vocation, a vocation that will certainly be a compliment to mine but which will have an internal and inherent integrity and focus of its own”.
When we embrace God’s unique calling for our lives, we are freed to accept our limitations, move beyond illusion about who we are and take responsibility for our own giftedness. We are freed to do everything as unto the Lord (Col3:23). That includes excellence, truth, diligence, generosity and rest which gives balance and perspective. We are freed from the misguided sense of duty and expectations that often pressurize people into compliance, and the temptations of power, material security and prestige that sidetrack us from our calling. “The need doesn’t constitute the call” so we have to be able to say ‘no’. We are to get our direction from

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Youth Min

    • 3196 Words
    • 13 Pages

    1. According to Ministry Is, chapter 12, "It is helpful to think of a calling as “a compelling invitation.” (be able to fill in the blanks)…

    • 3196 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Papers

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages

    NOTE: When interviewing, first, thoroughly summarize the teachings of this book (Gutierrez, “Living Out the Mind of Christ”) for the one being interviewed in case they have not read the book for himself/herself. Then, ask interviewee to respond to the question as some phrases, words, concepts are explained in a particular way by Gutierrez.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The idea of vocation has grown throughout Christian and world history in order to feed society’s constantly growing desire to find every person a calling or career. The evolution of this term is the result of a steady shift in balance from deciding vocation based on a divine call or impulse to choosing a job based on secular interests. Distinct eras during the past two millenniums have created religious and secular values for citizens that largely determined their vocation. The era that arguably saw the biggest change in vocational identity was following the Reformation.…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    This mission reminds us that for the Kingdom of God to continue to break in, individual lives need to be changed, while being motivated and equipped for transformation. Our Book of Discipline offers this cue: “God has used our church to save persons, heal relationships, transform social structures, and spread scriptural holiness, thereby changing the world.” When we change lives and introduce people to the all-loving nature of God, we indeed transform the world. When making disciples, the Church welcomes people into community, educates them on God’s call for Christians, and equips them toward using their spiritual gifts to serve as change agents playing a role in bringing about the Kingdom of…

    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Final Project

    • 7850 Words
    • 32 Pages

    For this project, I am placing myself in a hypothetical context as a staff pastoral counselor at my home church in Valley City, ND, serving a congregation of approximately 200. I have chosen as my overarching goal for life to serve others in the capacity for which the Lord has gifted me and prepared me to counsel and minister to them. 1 Peter 4:9 tells us that, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” I believe that serving in a counseling role is my gift, and that it is my calling to use that gift to serve others, and in doing so, to obey God.…

    • 7850 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we saw in Samuel's case, a vocation is formed when God calls. Indeed, His call is…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Leadership Assessment

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shapiro, B.. "Let go of the past: The benefits of forgiveness." Washington Jewish Week, September 22, 2011, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed April 5, 2012).…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. DAVID WHEELER IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT TO THE COURSE EVAN 565 – CONTEMPORARY EVANGELISM…

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Theo 104 Reflection Paper

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Within this paper I will be reflecting over the first part of Theology 104. This class has addressed many topics that have given me a better understanding on Christianity, the Bible and most importantly Jesus Christ. I will be addressing two topics that I feel are very important to Christianity the first topic being the Importance of Personal Testimony and the second topic covering the Importance of Maintaining a Christian Lifestyle. Both of those topics I think help lay a foundation for an individual’s walk with Christ.…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Man is born to sin; expect no release of it in this battle we call life. A clear example of one man’s struggle stands out among the rest. Setting aside the human condition of sin, Job stood as a supreme being still only being a man; who in spite of his troubles, questioning, and doubts, held fast in his devotion and love to God. In the end, Job is vindicated for his faith and devotion. Within this brief paper I will attempt to tell of Job’s story and its meaningful example to be followed by us all. As devote Christians our trails and sufferings should be viewed, as seen in Job 's experience, as a witness not only to God 's sovereignty but also as a witness to His goodness, justice, grace, and love to the secular world which awaits our fall. Let us now turn to the book of Job, always remembering that sometimes the lesson to be learned is much easier heard, than it is to actually bear.…

    • 3160 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Winthrop Dbq

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages

    We resolve to approve our selves to the Lord in our particular callings; shunning idleness…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When one hears the term servant, it is usually associated with the Bible since it clearly indicates that all Disciples of Christ or believers are servants. Servant is defined as “a person working in the service of another”. When Robert K. Greenleaf first defined the phrase “Servant Leadership” he pointed out that the difference between it and leader was “a servant aspiring to serve and taking up leadership as result” (Greenleaf, 1977). Leader is defined as a person who rules or guides or inspires others. Being considered as a servant first, a servant leader’s priority is to lead in a way that they are serving others by developing them as well as giving their undivided attention to their colleagues and those they serve (Spears, 1998). Taking into consideration Greenleaf’s characteristics of servant leadership and the Biblical doctrine as well other philosophies, we will explore the idea that the Servant Leadership is “compatible with most religions and theories of philosophy.”…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Christian Ministry

    • 1677 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Another activity of Christian ministry is discipleship. Dr. Rod Dempsey defines discipleship as, “the process of guiding individual disciples to grow in spiritual maturity and to discover and use their gifts, talents and abilities in fulfillment of Christ’s mission.”3 In the original Biblical texts, “the term used for disciple refers to someone who is a learner or follower who serves as an apprentice under the tutelage of a…

    • 1677 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Men of God’s calling have spent years studying scripture and spent thousands of dollars at universities and colleges attempting to learn the truth of God’s word. They study to not only validate their own faith but to have that boldness that the apostles demonstrated as they followed the last command of Jesus, to spread the gospel thought all the world. Their mission is to counsel, to instruct, to teach, to explain and to lay the foundation of belief for the eternal reward of salvation. Their integrity is laid on the line, one slip and all the good they have produced with sincere intentions and devotions could be lost in the twinkle of an eye. What motivates a man to do good and what tempts him to turn from the truths that he teaches and believes in himself? We will examine a few ethical and moral traps that have snared many of God’s servants in today’s society.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    No Title

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Making all the amazing changes in who who we are and how we feel about ourselves, and change, we can embrace our human capacity to make the right choices (ch. 2 pg. 62). Making a firm commitment to personal growth: If I say that I am going to finish my degree in the field I am in, its simple phrase to say that. What has to be done is I have invest energy and effort to bring about the change that I have to take to fulfill the dream that I have to be a social worker. Gain and use knowledge to support personal growth: Gaining the knowledge I need to support my personal growth is hard for me to do, I cant always just jump to the words that I need to say that make my statements true to the test, for example, I have to go to a job interview and the employer asks: why are you seeking a position with our company, I cant find the words to say to answer the question, although I answer it to the best of my ability. Set goals that are realistic and fair: The goal I have set for myself that I know is realistic and fair is to enroll in college and…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics