Calling

Soooo, my pastor preached his sermon last week from Luke 9:1-6, entitled "Christian Discipleship - Part 1." Pastor Todd Johnson taught how Jesus did 3 things for His disciples:
1 - He called them.
2 - He equipped them.
3 - He sent them.
First, Jesus called them. Pastor Todd described "calling" as an overwhelming drive and passion that God wants you to do something very specific with your life. Then, there are 2 parts to the calling, the inward call and the outward call. The inward call is the call that you personally feel and come to realize, with no input from anyone else. For Pastor Todd, it was the overwhelming call to be a pastor, even at a young age. The outward call comes from others, as a kind of confirmation of that inward call. Again, for Pastor Todd, that came when a youth worker asked him if he had considered the ministry. He also noted that training does not mean calling. He used Paul as an example.
Galatians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead)
Ephesians 1:1a - Paul, an apostle of jesus Christ by the will of God,
Colossians 1:1a - Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the willl of God,
Paul could have listed all his credentials from his Pharisee background, but he didn't...He could have said, "I've had all the training from all the best teachers." But he recognized that his calling did not follow his training.
Second, Jesus equipped His disciples: "...gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases." He didn't just say, "Okay, guys, you've seen Me do it, it's your turn!" No, Jesus gave them what they needed. Because if Jesus calls you to do something, He will equip you to do that same exact thing. He gives the power and authority, the might and the right to do what He has called you to do, in the spiritual and the physical sense. This is something I fall in a lot, trusting Jesus to care for me in the things He calls me to do, whether it is being kind to someone, working on a bad habit, or being confident in intimidating situations. As Pastor Todd said, it will not always be easy; it will be hard. But comfort comes in the fact that you know that God called you to this very thing, this hard situation, this time of trial. He got you into, and He is going to get you out of it, because He called you to be in this hard place. That is the comfort: He called you there and He will care for you there.
Third, Jesus sent His disciples. The disciples had had the privilege of learning under Jesus for about 2 years so far. Now it was their turn. Jesus sent them to take care of both spiritual and physical needs. The Church needs to be the same way, caring for both the spiritual and physical problems of the world. Also, about the "shaking off the very dust from your feet", in Bible times, the Orthodox Jews, when they would return from a foreign land and re-enter the Holy Land, they would scrape the dirt off their feet before coming into contact with Israel's soil. (Hmmmm, reminds me of certain things I saw in Israel.) Pastor Todd said that in doing this, the disciples would be telling the Jews they were preaching to that they were seen to be the same as Gentiles by God, because they had not accepted the message of Christ. In the same way, we need to present the truth in a loving way while making sure that others understand that there is a penalty for rejecting Christ.
This was a very good message. I don't believe in woman pastors (meaning me, haha), but I hope that this helps you like it helped me. Not that I have it figured out any more than I did before... =)