An Undignified Calling
Charles Faupel
We are
living in a time of unprecedented turmoil.
We see chaos at the border; unprecedented war and rumors of war; and
havoc and unrest within our own lives and the lives of those precious to us. There has never been a time in my remembrance
when the level of fear has risen to such a level as we see today due to the
upheaval that we are witnessing throughout the world. Commentators and podcasters are providing
their spins on what is taking place and what we should do to prepare for the
inevitable doom that awaits us. Some are
making a lot of money selling “prepper” supplies of guns, ammunition, vacuum-packed
food supplies, satellite phones, and a thousand other things to prepare for
every situation that the human mind can possibly imagine.
We must
understand the times that we are living in from the perspective of God’s
purposes and His time table. What we are
witnessing is NOT the end of the world as many end-time preachers would have us
believe. We are, in fact, experiencing
the birth pangs of the dawning of a new age in the plan of God for the ages,
that being ultimately to restore all of creation and reconcile it to Himself. The
transition from one age to another always involves chaos from the perspective
of the natural mind. We have become
comfortable with the current order of things, and many of us have invested
heavily in that order. This was also the
case during and after the time of Jesus’ ministry here on earth, as God was
bringing about a transition from the age of the law to what we now call the
church age, or some call “the age of grace.”
Jesus Himself brought it, and gave testimony to it when He said that He
is the very fulfillment of the law! He
was crucified for it as the religious leaders wanted to stamp out anything that
would challenge their authority in their world.
Jesus’ crucifixion only furthered the very plan of God to usher in this new
age. Some 40 years later, Solomon’s
(rebuilt) temple was destroyed. We must
understand that the temple was the very center of Jewish life in that
time. Its’ destruction signified the
destruction of just about everything that gave meaning to the Jewish people. Fierce battles with the Roman army took place
as zealous Jews desperately tried to preserve the way of life of the former
age.
We find
ourselves at a time in history very similar to those Jews in 70 AD. We are transitioning from the church age to
what I (and others) characterize as the “kingdom age.” Like the former transition, this is a chaotic
time, as hostile forces are attempting to jettison long-held cherished values
and institutions that have been a way of life from the very founding of our
country. Zealots of various stripes in
our day are calling for every response imaginable to defend and protect the old
status quo, just as the Jewish zealots did at Masada when they attempted to
wrest control of their homeland from the Roman army. As understandable as these motives are, we
must not be taken in by these zealots. It
is imperative for those whom God has called apart from the systems of Babylon, that we understand the times in which we live from GOD’S
perspective, and that we respond in radical obedience to His call upon us as
His sons whom He is even now bringing to maturity.
The
specifics of this call will vary with each one, as God has a unique calling on
each and every one of us. The way
forward often is unclear as we are forerunning a reality in the Spirit to be
brought to pass over the coming days, weeks, months and years. There are no detailed roadmaps. Indeed, we are constructing these roadmaps
for others to follow, just as those faithful forerunners before us plotted out
their portion of the roadmap for us.
There are, however, some general features that the Lord has been
revealing over the past years and decades that are instructive for us today. We have written about some of these in prior
articles, and I shall simply highlight them here briefly.[1]
Those on this journey of maturing unto sonship must
understand that we will be cooperating with God in the ushering in of this new
age which is only now dawning upon our consciousness. We will ultimately be ruling and reigning
with Him, not through political or military power, nor
through charismatic persuasiveness of our natural abilities, but by His Spirit
being manifest in and through us in self-denying love and service. The economic system by which we will
accomplish this will not be one of buying or selling, but by giving and receiving.
The administration of God’s Kingdom will not be done primarily through church
or parachurch organizations, but by individuals and groups of individuals
connected in the Spirit, responding obediently to the call of God in their
lives. It will not be paid pastors or
evangelists overseeing His Kingdom, but servant-sons whom He will recruit from
the most unlikely places. They will not
be pedigreed with academic degrees or grooming by high-profile preachers and
teachers. They will not ask for money or
donations, but will be provided for through tent-making opportunities provided
by God, by others being moved by the Spirit of God to give, or a thousand other
ways that God will miraculously provide.
The message proclaimed by these called out ones, this ecclesia of the Kingdom Age, will not
sound much like the message we are hearing in the churches today. The Word spoken forth will be His Word,
bringing life, restoration of relationships, healing and freedom at their very utterance. It will be a message proclaiming the plan of
God for the redemption of all mankind and indeed, the reconciliation of ALL
creation. Those who are called to herald
this age of the unveiling of His Kingdom will, in short, be chartering an
unfamiliar path, a path that will be rejected and despised by those who are
committed to preserving the status quo.
A Clarion Call
God is
calling forth His sons in this hour.
This calling is not necessarily for those who are especially gifted in
music, oratory, or fund-raising abilities.
It is for those who have a heart for God, and who are willing to pay the
price required to respond obediently to that call. Period. I am confident that those who are reading
this article have been enrolled in God’s curriculum preparing you for the part
that you will be playing—and are even now playing—in His plan for the age that
we are now entering. The price will be
great, as many of you have already learned.
Sons of God are those who are being purged and stripped of all self-life,
being brought to maturity and reflecting Christ within themselves
as this disciplining process takes place.
They are those who are willing to participate in the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made comformable to His death. The process of humiliation that He would take
us through is the very means that will equip us for the awesome task that He
has set before us.
This process
will look anything but “spiritual” much of the time. It may involve physical suffering. It will probably involve emotional
upheaval. It often involves rejection
from family and friends, even and especially those who we have regarded as
spiritual mentors. There will be times
that it feels that we have gone astray because of the loneliness and sense of
alienation that we are feeling, even alienation from God Himself. He is doing a deep work within us during
these times.
We cannot
possibly prepare ourselves for this
calling through any rite or vain attempts at self-discipline. I vividly recall being in a prayer group as I
was just beginning this journey of coming into a deeper spiritual walk—a walk
that I would later come to understand as the journey of maturity unto sonship. A member of
this group, who was much more mature spiritually than I, was calling for
intercessors to share the heavy burden that she was experiencing for the heart
of God for His church which has gone the way of a wayward bride. I remember so clearly responding, “I am
willing, but I don’t know how.”
I thought at the time that intercession was praying in a certain way,
maybe marching around the city to take it for God, etc. Of course, these were ideas that I had
learned from the church, the very wayward bride that I was being called to
intercede for! I didn’t realize it then,
but all that God needed from me was my willingness. The years that followed were tumultuous. I was called out of the church. I lost my marriage, and not long after,
called out of my comfortable career. I
found myself feeling more isolated from people and from God. I would become frustrated and even
angry. I was experiencing feelings that
were anything but “spiritual” and uplifting.
It felt like I was backsliding—to use a word that the preachers like to
use. Yet I knew that my heart was more
set on my love for the Lord than it had ever been during the early days when I
“felt” so much more spiritual. It was
then that I was reminded that the very person who was calling for intercessors
in those early years of this new journey that I was experiencing in Christ,
spoke over me that I would carry the very anger of God. I suddenly realized that this was HIS anger
that I was carrying, and it was HIS frustration that I was experiencing. All this time He had been forming me and
molding me to carry His heart. This was
a lesson in what it means to intercede, a lesson that is only now coming into a
clearer focus for me. I had nothing to
do with it, except to be available and willing to be used by Him in whatever
way that He would use me. This is seldom an elegant or desirable calling by any
worldly or even spiritual standard.
Indeed, it is not understood, and I know that I must look like an
apostate, especially to those in the church world. But it is incredibly humbling to know that He
can trust me with this calling, the purpose of which even I do not fully
comprehend.
Each one of
us is uniquely called to a distinct purpose.
What we must expunge from our minds, however, is that our calling must
somehow look “spiritual,” and especially that it will look like the stereotyped
images that the contemporary church has presented of the pastor, evangelist,
prophet, or any of the so-called five-fold ministries suggested in the book of
Ephesians. The church today has used
these descriptive callings as titles of offices that are to be held by elite
individuals at the top of an organizational hierarchy. In Western Christianity, for example, the
pastor is the CEO of an organization called the church, and that title carries
with it a sense of honor and dignity, commanding the respect and admiration of
a large category of people called the “laity.”
The evangelist is understood to be one who travels across the country
from church to church with impassioned messages so as to “bring revival” to
spiritually anemic congregations. The
“offices” of prophet and apostle have been especially distorted in our day, too
often being occupied by self-appointed gurus with a lust for power and
recognition.
The truth of
the matter is that the “five-fold ministry” identified in Ephesians 4:11 is a
beautiful description of the giftings of God given to
His many-membered body enabling it to function effectively in the face of
opposition from a hostile world. As we
transition into a new age in the time line of God’s glorious plan, we must
understand that this five-fold ministry will look very different than what it
has looked like in the organized church world.
Indeed, God will be calling individuals to tasks and purposes that might
even appear to be unseemly. A poignant example
of one acting as an “evangelist” took place some 20 years ago in a little
church in the deep south. The church had become quite self-satisfied,
even rather proud of their spiritual life and heritage. They had just (rather ignominiously) ousted a
pastor who did not fit the stereotype of a good southern pastor and who had
offended the sensibilities of some people in leadership in that church. A guest minister was delivering the message
on this particular Sunday, tickling the ears of the parishioners with praises
of what a spiritual church they were.
There was a visitor in the church that day who
was not familiar with the history of the church, nor was he too concerned about
proper protocol. After listening to this
ear tickling sermon for several minutes, he could take no more. He got up from his pew, walked to the back
door and in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, pronounced “This is a
bunch of shit!” I do not know what the
long term effect of the message of that rather rude evangelist was, but it was
an unsettling word that the people (and the preacher) in that self-satisfied church
needed to hear at that particular time. That is the role of an evangelist in
this day. I use this illustration to
emphasize the unconventional and even sometimes unsavory nature of those tasks
that the ecclesia of God will be called upon to do in this time. Our calling in this appointed time will
require a people who are willing to appear as the scum of the earth in our
obedience to the call of God on our lives.
This time in
which we find ourselves is indeed unique and unprecedented insofar as God is
now bringing forth a new age and is using people and strategies that do not
look like the familiar ways of the past.
The clarion call is the same as it has always been: for a people who are simply willing for God
to use them in whatever way He chooses. As
you are so willing, He will take you there, regardless of how unconventional or
scandalous the path that He takes you may appear to be. There will, of course, be rabbit trails and
futile efforts. These are all a part of
His training program, and even our setbacks will be
used to accomplish His ultimate purpose.
What a freedom it was for me to discover that all that He is asking for
is my willingness. I have learned and am
still learning that He will do the rest.
The ride will certainly be bumpy at times, and we will feel like we want
to jump off. But like Peter we can only
say, “to whom
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). There will almost certainly be more times of
agony than times of triumph, but He is in it all. And the ultimate triumph is His—though us!