The Calling vs. Commissioning
Romans 11:
21
For if YAHVEH
spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of YAHVEH: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in his
goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. This scripture reveals the nature of YAHVEH and
His dealings with His own children; His goodness and mercy are shown in Him
sovereignly calling us into the Royal Priesthood, a holy nation.
It was YAH’S love for the world and The Messiyah's
love and desire to have a Church, consisting of multi-millions of members that
reveal the goodness of YAHVEH. All of His members are to work together to
fulfill The Messiyah's divine will for His church. The scripture clearly
teaches that the members of The Messiyah's Church do not choose their
membership, ministry within the body of The Messiyah. Nor do ministers call
themselves to a Five-Fold ministry of their own choosing. Yahushua told the
twelve Apostles: John 15:16
"Ye have
not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you" a powerful statement
to say the least.
The gifts and calling of YAHVEH
are based on His sovereignty, not on human worthiness or persistence in
requesting a specific position. Fasting and praying will show our desire,
dedicated and determination to be whatever YAHVEH has called us to be. It will
not procure a position in the Body of The Messiyah. The principle that Apostle
Paul revealed when he said, "Behold
therefore the goodness and severity of YAHVEH," applies to all of YAH’S
children who have a membership ministry in His corporate Body. It also applies to His ascension gifts given
to those who are to stand and minister in His office of apostle, prophet,
evangelist, pastor and teacher.[1]
To whom much is given, much is
required. Yahushua has an incredible love for all members of His Body. But
there seems to be a special love and dedication to those whom He called to
represent Him in His Five-fold Ministry. Our Lord Yahushua The Messiyah has
invested much of Himself into His twelve. He gave of His very nature, grace,
gifts, and ministry.
Luke 12:46 YAHVEH of that servant will come in a
day when he looketh not for him, and
at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint
him his portion with the unbelievers." Those of us, who are called to this realm of the
ministry, will go through a greater process of severe training and testing,
before YAHVEH commissions us to His Five-Fold ministry office. They will also
be judged by a much higher standard and more strictly than the regular members
of the body of The Messiyah. James 3:1 "My brethren, be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
"
This principle seems to apply
especially to those called to be Prophets and Apostles. Those in ministry whom
Adonai has called to be His special ambassadors for Him, and the prophets whom
He chooses to speak directly in His name with a "Thus saith YAHVEH"
are given a greater responsibility. Apostles and Prophets have the dual
ministry of laying the proper foundation for The Messiyah's Church.
Ephesians 2:20
"And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahushua The Messiyah
himself being the chief corner stone." In the same way much more
is required of them in obedience, integrity, righteousness and The Messiyah’S
likeness in all areas of their life. They are also required to minister more
accurately and reveal YAH’S specific word, will, and way more precisely than
any other ministry.[2]
There is a key scripture that
the entire Body of The Messiyah’s members must embrace into their disposition,
if they are to make it through YAH’S process from calling to commissioning from
saved to son ship. This is a special
application to those with the high calling of the Five-Fold ministry. They must
never assume they have received several supernatural confirmations of their calling
and are ministering some in that calling. After many years of ministry, the
Apostle Paul made the following statement to YAHVEH and a charge to the other
Five-Fold ministry.
Philippians 3:7
"But what
things were gain to me, those I counted loss for The Messiyah. 8Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of The Messiyah Yahushua my Lord: for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win The Messiyah,
9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of The Messiyah, the
righteousness which is of YAHVEH by faith. 10That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being
made conformable unto his death;
11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of
the dead. 12Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which
also I am apprehended of The Messiyah Yahushua. 13 Brethren, I count
not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those
things, which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things, which are
before,
14 I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of YAHVEH in The Messiyah Yahushua. "
Paul emphasizes here that those
who are going to make it from calling to commissioning must do these things.
First, count everything as loss that would promote self-glory, self-recognition
and self-preservation. Second, never assume you have already attained to
everything that YAHVEH has called you to. And finally, forget all the successes
and failures of the past, present and press. With all that is within you move
toward the mark for the prize of the Higher calling of YAHVEH.
It is very
interesting to observe that the two occasion when Yahushua made the two ensuing
statements in Matthew 20:16 "Nevertheless, whereto we have already
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing."
And 22:14 "For many are
called, but few are chosen."
He was talking about the people’s attitude or disposition and the other was a
lack of proper preparation time. The first was a wrong disposition in relating
to how YAHVEH rewards His ministers who work for a different duration of time
in His vineyard. The next statement was made after His parable about the
person’s preparation to fulfill that calling. I comprehend from the context
that the word chosen is synonymous with the word commission and it would therefore
be hermeneutically correct to make the following statement: Many are called but
few are commissioned.
In other words,
there are many in the Body of The Messiyah who receive a high ministerial
calling in The Messiyah Yahushua, but because of their attitude and lack of
preparation, never press all the way through to their commissioning to the high
calling. Therefore, it would be the same to say, many are called but few ever
reach their intended commissioning to their high calling in The Messiyah Yahushua.
The over comers are not those who start the race of their calling, but are
those who finish the race to their commissioning and remain faithful until the
end. Those that are with Him are Called, Chosen ,
and Faithful.
Revelations 17:14 "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are
with him are called, and chosen, and
faithful."
Another example would be the five wise and the five foolish Virgins; the wise
ones moved on to full maturity and the other five did not.
There are numerous
examples of YAH’S process in calling a person to the ministry. Almost all the
time there is a long period of apprenticeship, training, testing and molding
before He commissions them. If there was a greater understanding of this
principle by those called to the five-fold ministry, it would take much of the
confusion out of those who are called, but have not fully fulfilling what they
know they are called to be and do. Before anyone is chosen for any of the
five-fold minister, we should first ask to see their scars.
When an individual
receives a divine call from YAHVEH it is usually by revelation knowledge such
as, a vision, a dream, a deep conviction or a personal prophecy from a prophet.
The natural assumption is that if YAHVEH sovereignly reveals what we are called
to the Five-fold ministry, the tendency is to immediately start trying to
fulfill our concept of our Five-Fold ministry. This always brings much
confusion and frustration to the individuals trying to be what they are not yet
prepared for. It not only affects them but their spouse, family and anyone
associated with them. A person trying to fulfill a ministry before YAH’S timing
is like an engine trying to run smoothly with the timing gear completely out of
sync.
We must remember that YAHVEH is
the one who gives the divine calling. The Five-fold ministry gifts of the Holy
Spirit and other ministries in the Body are not set out on YAH’S smorgasbord
table for us to pick and choose, as we will.
I Corinthians 12:18 "But now hath YAHVEH set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. "
I Corinthians 12:11 "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every
man severally as he will."
Ephesians 4:7 "But unto every
one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of The Messiyah.
"; 11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
We cannot expect a
positive response from YAHVEH if we choose what ministry we want in the
Fivefold ministry. YAHVEH does the choosing and appointing, we are only
responsible to say yes or no, acceptance or rejection. However, if we reject,
then YAHVEH starts the process of making us willing to say yes. He will
continue that trend for a period of time until He determines that we are not
going to respond. At that time He transfers the calling and anointing to
another vessel, which is more willing. There are examples in the Bible of this
happening, as it did with Saul and David, or Esau and Jacob. If the person
gives a positive response, then YAHVEH directs the Holy Spirit to start the
process of transforming him or her from the state of Called to be to
Commissioned to being.
The scripture even declares that the angels are
assigned to help those who will be heirs of this great salvation and those who
accept their calling to demonstrate their special anointing of YAH’S grace and
glory to the world.
Hebrew 1:14
"Are they
not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs
of salvation?
Ephesians 1:11
"In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will:
"
There are biblical
examples of YAH’S process, for taking a person from calling to commissioning.
David, the shepherd boy, with a prophetic Minstrel anointing, was called to be
a King over all Yisrael. Elisha was called to be a prophet to Yisrael. Joseph
was called to be a ruler and a Savior. Abraham was called to be the father of
many nations. Yahushua The Messiyah was called to be Redeemer, Head of the
Church, and King of the Universe. The Twelve Apostles was called to establish
the New Testament Church; The Apostle Paul was called to reveal the Body of The
Messiyah to the Gentiles.
YAH’S preparation
process is for all that are called to be His. I have found in the Old and the
New Testament that YAHVEH has a preparatory process for taking His chosen
servants from calling to commissioning. It can be a period of time from three
to thirty years. If the called one is faithful to submit to all of YAH’S
dealing and passes all the tests YAHVEH gives, then the day will come when that
calling becomes a commissioning.
The full
manifestation of our ministry will not be manifested until we complete the
progress from the state of being "called" to fully "being"
that which YAHVEH chose and ordained us to be. After divine commissioning the
minister should have several decades of successful ministry. Joseph had eighty
years of successful ministry, David had forty, Elisha had fifty, Paul more than
thirty, and Yahushua The Messiyah three and a half years on earth and an
eternal ministry as Head of His Church and the universe.
If we could
communicate with this great cloud of witnesses concerning the value of going
all the way through the process from calling to commissioning, they would say,
"It is worth everything you have to go through on earth to fulfill YAH’S
destiny for your eternal reward in The Messiyah Yahushua." There is an old
gospel hymn that expresses how we will feel on that glorious day.
It will be worth it all
When we see Yahushua
Life's
trial will seem so small
When we see The Messiyah
One
glimpse of His dear
Face all sorrow will erase
So
bravely run this race
Till
we see The Messiyah
It
will be worth it all
Worth it all
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