He accepted Christ as his personal savior at age five. He first felt God’s call to ministry at age twelve after leading a playmate to Christ. Instead of answering God’s call, he ran away from God for four years.
At 16-years old he planned to go into politics, and he had even secured an appointment to be a congressional intern over the summer. However, the internship was delayed, so meanwhile, he took a job as a lifeguard at a Christian camp. That’s when God reminded him of his calling, and he finally surrendered his life to God’s call.
Thank goodness this 16-year old responded to God’s call in his life!
That boy is Rick Warren, who planted Saddleback Valley Community Church in 1980. Since the modest start as a bible study with seven people, the church has grown to over 25,000 in weekly attendance at one of 20 locations spread across five continents. Thousands have come to faith in Christ, and over 50,000 have been baptized.
When Rick started, he had no idea where God would lead him, but simply trusted that God would equip him for the work He had planned.
And this is exactly what happens when God calls you or I. God equips us for the ministry, He has planned for us. Most of us will never be known around the world like Pastor Rick. We will be more like Bezalel.
God calls Bezalel
Bezalel’s story is recounted in Exodus 31 and 35. The people of Israel had escaped Egypt and were on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. God gave Moses instructions to build a Tabernacle and a vast array of tables, basins, and altars to be used in the Israelites’ worship of God.
Then God said to Moses,
2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3 “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,
5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship” (Exodus 31:2-5 NASB).
The Calling
God calls specific people to do specific work.
God called Moses to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land, but God called Bezalel to oversee building the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. God specifically called Bezalel by name. Besides, God specified exactly what work He called Bezalel to perform.
The Capability
God equips those He calls.
For building the Tabernacle, God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God in understanding, wisdom, and knowledge in much craftsmanship. So, God equipped Bezalel with all the knowledge he would need to complete the work of building the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
The Companion
God doesn’t expect those he calls to do all the work alone.
God didn’t expect Bezalel to do all the work himself. God appointed Oholiab as an assistant to Bezalel and filled him with wisdom as well (Exodus 31:6). God also filled all the workers to help with constructing the Tabernacle with all the skill they needed to complete the work.
The Completion
The work is completed just as the Lord commands.
It took the Israelites nine months to finish the work of building the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. When they completed the work, just as God instructed, all the elements were brought before Moses, and he blessed the people (Exodus 39:42-43).
Lessons for Leaders
Moses is most well-known for leading the people of Israel to the Promised Land. However, a man named Bezalel was specifically called and appointed by God to do a great work of ministry. Oholiab and hundreds of unnamed others contributed to the work.
Leaders, we are all called to specific ministry work. God calls us by name to do specific work. God did not call Moses to build the Tabernacle; he called Bezalel. God called Rick Warren, not me, to plant a church.
God equips us to complete specific work. Whether we know everything about what we are called to do is immaterial. God gave Bezalel the knowledge he needed when he needed it. God gave Rick Warren the knowledge to build a bible study into a church, then into a large church, and then into a megachurch affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
Finally, God will bring other workers alongside us to help complete whatever work He has called us to do.
We should never think God can’t or won’t use us. We should never think we don’t have a specific calling. We should never think we don’t know enough to do what God has called us to do. So we should never think that we must do it all alone.
God, who called you is faithful and will bring it to pass (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Is there anything God has called you to do that you haven’t done? What is holding you back?
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Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God
