The Call of God
Luke: Well friends, I was privileged to grow up in a Christian home, but I also had Christian influences in my greater family. And very inspirational to me are the lives of Uncle Howard and Aunty Pam, who spent many years as mission workers and doing other great things for God.
Uncle Howard has written a book called "Living Parables." And I've got him here today to tell us some of the stories and to just share some of his experiences with us. And I hope they will bless you. Thanks for being here, Uncle Howard.
Responding to God's Call in Crisis
Howard: Thank you very much. It's lovely to be able to speak about the things that are closest to one's heart. When Pam and I got married, at first we were very involved in our church. But then the time came when there was a rebellion in Congo.
As a young people's group, we were invited over to the Duncan Hall, and there were missionaries who had fled from Congo because of the Vietcong, the communist element that was trying to take over Congo. And many of our missionaries were murdered or martyred, I should say.
One of the missionaries came to speak at the town hall, and my wife Pam and I were really convinced that God would have us to go and be missionaries there to fill in and help where there were so many losses.
Discovering God's Perfect Timing
We had decided that maybe this is the way that we will be going, and we left it at that. And it seemed to cool down, and we seemed to have forgotten. But God didn't forget!
And I distinctly remember coming home one day after work at about 5:30. I was going past the Benoni railway station, and as I went past there, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Lord spoke to me, and He said, "Now is the time that you need to start doing something for me." And I knew that the Lord was telling us to get ready for the field that He was going to call us to.
I got home to my wife, Pam. I said to her, "The Lord definitely spoke to me today," and my wife turned around, my young wife. She said, "What? He didn't say anything to me. If He doesn't say anything to me, I'm not interested." And I thought to myself, now what do I do?
A week or so later, she came back to me, and she said, "You know, the Lord told me that it's the time."
Luke: Oh, wow. So how would you counsel people who are trying to discern God's call on their lives? Like you heard His call quite clearly, how can people hear God's call on their lives?
Howard: One of my spiritual fathers, maybe the first, he said to me, "God doesn't call me, He commands me to go. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” It's a command, eh?
There's no fancy light that tells me that. He has commanded me in His word to go. Jesus also said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." He didn't say He's going to call me to do that. He says He's commanded me to do that.
It's not whether I want to go, it's because He told me to go. And that's why I knew that one day I would become a missionary because I've been commanded to do that. And the moment you respond, then God calls you to a particular place and opens the way for you all the way. One step at a time.
Luke: Amen. So there it is, friends. We're all commanded to go and make disciples of Jesus. Once you say yes to that, God will reveal to you where He has called you to do it.
I'm so grateful for people like Uncle Howard and Auntie Pam who answered the call and made such an impact in people's lives. Hope you and I will do the same.
