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The question above is one that everyone asks themselves at some point in their life. It is a question that haunts many older people who are full of regret, and one that puzzles many young people who are full of anxiety in regards to what the future holds.
How can we discern the answer? Where can we look to find direction on this?
Below, I will seek to answer this question biblically and practically, rephrasing the question in the title into a simple word: calling.
A preliminary word
While this may seem like a divergence from the previously mentioned direction of this post, I do want to make a quick distinction between two different types of callings.
There is the general and the specific calling of God for your life.
The general calling is found in Matthew 28:18-20, a.k.a the Great Commission:
"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
This is the calling for everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, you are to go out and make disciples wherever you go, teaching them the word of God and helping them to see the necessity of an obedient faith.
The specific calling of God is related to the profession or occupation that God sovereignly leads you into as you seek to fulfill God's general calling for your life. Many times, Christians scratch their heads wondering what their calling is or isn't, all the while neglecting the clear revelation of God's calling on their life to go and make disciples. A wise move would be to settle down on your worry over what job you have (for now), and focus on how you can begin fulfilling the Great Commission at the job you already have. A full-length treatment of specific callings is much needed, so a future blog will deal with that. For the purposes of this one, however, we will be dealing with the general calling of God. More below.
Called by who?
To break this passage down a bit, let us first recognize the person issuing this charge to us. It is no small thing to stand up and tell someone what the MUST do for the rest of their lives. Who is allowed to command something like that? Why are they allowed to say that?
The one saying this is Jesus. He is the risen Savior of the world, the eternally-begotten Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords, the Suffering Servant, and the ascended King of Kings, at whose feet "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord."
If you do a quick search on the meaning of each of these titles, you will find him more than qualified to command you to do whatever he wishes.
The ground of our calling
This calling by Jesus that is placed on our lives has a magnificent grounding, or foundation. By grounding I mean the reason why we are permitted and able to go and do the thing commanded.
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." - Jesus
This is why we can go and do. This is why we can trust the results to God. This is why we can rest in the midst of what seems to be failure or setback. It is because ALL authority in both the heavenly and earthly realms belongs to the risen Christ. He is sovereignly ruling and reigning, increasing his Kingdom by means of spiritual transformation and redemption. This increase in the spiritual has direct bearing on the physical as well, but that is a topic for another time as well.
When you step into this calling, as all Christians must, you need to recognize that you are walking in a divinely appointed calling that has guaranteed success, because the one issuing the call has already secured the victory.
The means of fulfilling our calling
When discussing the primary means of fulfilling this weighty calling placed on our lives, it is a rather simple phrase: make disciples.
Notice how I didn't say discipleship. That is because, as I have elaborated on in other places, disciple is a noun, not a verb. It isn't something you do, it is something you are. Now within that word disciple is a whole world of things you do and don't do, but in essence, a disciple is simply what you are.
The way we fulfill the calling of the Great Commission is by making disciples. Disciples are those who have, in keeping with the passage in view, have been baptized in the name of the Triune God, and have been taught to do all the things that Jesus commanded. This may seem like an oversimplification, but I assure you there is a lifetime of work included.
"If you are a Christian, you are to go out and make disciples wherever you go, teaching them the word of God and helping them to see the necessity of an obedient faith."
This is where the practical application of our calling comes into play, where the proverbial rubber meets the road. It is here in the teaching of men, women, and children how to observe all that Jesus commanded, that we learn how to actually do this calling of ours. Now, a few tangible examples.
I. You yourself must be taught.
It is not enough to simply attempt to go and do the work of the Great Commission. You must first be one who has been Great Commissioned. Get a bible. Read it often. Find a mentor. Listen more than you speak. Hit your knees and pray daily, asking God to mold you into an effective disciple-maker.
II. Men, you must teach your wife.
In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul exhorts men to "love their wives as Christ loved the church" (Eph. 5:25). In an illustrative way he tells men that Jesus washed the church in the water of the word. For us to properly love our wives in a Christlike manner, we must be washing our wives with the pure water of the word of God, making every effort to lead our wives to greater holiness of life and purity of heart. The reality is that we must be focused on our wives first and foremost in our disciple-making efforts.
III. Women, allow your husbands to teach you.
For many women, the regularly scheduled program for their lives is not one of being taught the ways of God by their husbands. This will cause friction when a husband begins to try and do this because on one hand, the wife will not be accustomed to being taught and the sin that remains in us will rise up and rebel, and on the other hand, the husband will be prone to fail early on in his attempts to lead and teach. A surefire way to avoid both of these ditches is simple humility. Realize the calling of God on your life to be led by your husband and recognize the tremendous blessing it is to mess up and get corrected by the Father. This will go a long way.
IV. Parents, teach your children.
This one seems like a gimme, but you would be amazed at the confusion around this point. It is not the church's calling to fulfill the teaching and discipling of your children. It is not the public school's calling to fulfill the teaching and discipling of your children. It is not the grandparents calling to fulfill the teaching and discipling of your children. It is your calling, parents. If you are looking around for the specific calling of God on your life while neglecting the general calling to make your children into disciples, don't expect the Lord to look down and zap you with a sign from heaven of what you are to do. Just do the clear thing: baptize your kids and teach them daily to do be like Jesus by doing what he commanded.
V. Christians, teach those that God has put near you in life.
This is the practical application for the boss, employee, teacher, student and citizen. In every Christian's life, there is a sphere of influence. That simply means that there are people that God has put in your life, usually in close proximity, that you can have a direct influence on. Take some time to identify these people and focus your most intense efforts on them. That doesn't mean browbeating them with the gospel every second of every day, but that does mean bringing the word of God to bear on your interactions with them, teaching them the way of Jesus. God will surely honor this. A right view here frees you from the bondage of looking constantly for the specific calling of God for your life and enables you to fulfill the general calling of God no matter what you are doing for a vocation.
In summary, the calling God has for you is to go into all the world, your world specifically, and teach others what it is to be a disciple. This is non-negotiable. It is not predicated on ability, charisma, or gifting. It is possible, and required, for everyone who calls Jesus Christ their Lord. This should't scare you; it should actually free you. You don't have to scratch your head anymore. The calling is set. The instructions are clear. The victory is won. Now simply obey.
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