David Diga Hernandez - Knowing Your Calling

So, this message is going to greatly benefit those who are in ministry and want to become more effective in their ministry. This is also for those who want to be used by God. There are keys to effectiveness in ministry, and one of those keys is finding your specific purpose. Now, you may say, «Well, I don’t know if I have a specific purpose» or «I don’t know if there’s anything unique about me,» or «I don’t think God really planned anything special for my life.» I’m going to show you that that’s not the case, and I will demonstrate, biblically speaking, that you have been given a role to fulfill that God has designed specifically for you. I’m going to show you that this is the truth, and then I’m going to share what I do in ministry to focus on what God has given me to do.

I want to start with this quote: «In order to become dynamic, you must first become specific.» What does that mean? It means that if you want to truly be effective and see real growth in the ministry God has given you, and if you want to see true growth in the future ministry that you will one day have, it’s important that you learn the power of focus. Focus comes when you know your purpose. God has given you a purpose; He has given you a problem to fix; He has designed you uniquely to reach a certain people, a certain culture, a certain nation. There are people that you could reach that I could never reach, and there are people that I could reach that others wouldn’t be able to reach. God has done it this way because He has set a purpose for each and every one of us.

Think about the creation account in the book of Genesis. God separates light from darkness. Why? Because they serve two different purposes. God separates the waters from the land. Why? Because they each serve different purposes. God creates the birds; their purpose is to fly. God creates the fish; their purpose is to swim. God creates man; his purpose is to rule. God has created you with a purpose. It’s easy to accept this in a general sense; we know that God has called us all to do certain things, but the frustration comes when we don’t know what to do specifically.

So, let’s set a foundation here. First, I want to show you a few things that every believer is called to do, no matter what. Every single one of us should be doing these things, and this is by no means an exhaustive list; it is not every task that all believers have been given. These are just some of the main ones that I see.

So, number one: You’re called to live holy. That’s for every believer. 1 Peter 1:16 says, «For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’» Every single one of us is called to evangelize. Mark 16:15 says, «Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.» Consider John 4:24: «For God is spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.» Only believers can truly worship because only believers have spirit and truth; therefore, every believer is called to worship. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, «Never stop praying.» Every believer is called to pray. You have to have a prayer life if you want to be used by God. We’re all called to know God’s word. Colossians 3:16 says, «Let the message about Christ in all its richness fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.»

We are also all called to demonstrate love. Luke 10:27 says, «You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.» Love is one of the hallmarks of a true believer; they love God and they love people. All of us are called to demonstrate love. All of us are called, believe it or not, to serve in a church. 1 Peter 4:10 says, «God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.» We’re all called to serve in the church. How are we supposed to use our spiritual gifts to help one another if we’re never together? We must serve in the church.

So, we’re all called to live holy; we’re all called to evangelize; we’re all called to worship, pray, know God’s word, demonstrate love, and serve in the church. All of these things are for all believers. So then, has God truly given us specific tasks aside from these general commands that have universal applications for all believers? Yes! Ephesians 2:10 says, «For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.» In other words, His plans were for us to do certain good works, and He planned this long ago.

«You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous; how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God; they cannot be numbered.» I can’t even…