Living a Transformed Life
Written By Me for a Class I took
Consider how the call to be a Christian led to a transformed and informed you
perception of the other two callings (vocational and immediate)?
I think to answer this. We need to look at the three callings Smith (2011) states:
The first call to become a Christian came to me when I was seven. Family life was horrible, so I took my brother, six years old, to church. I did not understand everything, but I wanted to know more. That was our last trip to church as I got in trouble for being in a church with my brother. Years later, I tried several churches, searching for the right one for me. It took 50 years, but my cousin took me to her church back home. The church in Morrison, Illinois, and Spring Valley Reformed Church was the one! I walked in, and the love just flowed from everyone, and I wanted to know about it too. My Pastor was great, and he worked with me to learn more. I was baptized in our little church and became part of the family within a short time. The Pastor moved back where he and his family had lived before. I was lost, as I was so hungry to learn and help others.
The second calling is a vocation I received from Jesus last year (57 years old). Jesus woke me up in my sleep one night. He told me I needed to get back to school, as I need more knowledge to do what I do. I have been involved in Cross-National Ministries for about a year now, helping my nephew in Baltimore, Maryland, rescuing women from rape, mental and physical abuse, and often held against their will. I used to be one of these women, and if I can help, then that is what I must do. Without the calling to become a Christian, I would not have been able to help much. It would help if you had the first calling to understand when the second calling comes to you.
The third calling is as important as the other two in that according to this week’s Biblical perspective, the term for “evangelical” is “An aspect of evangelicals’ understanding of conversion is that it is a faith transaction. God converts people by His grace and through His Holy Spirit.”
As a child, I felt the call of God, but it was years later, I could finally become a Christian, which transformed me into someone who not only loves God and my neighbors, but I became hungry for more knowledge. With the second calling, I took the transformation of hunger, and Jesus finally told me why I was here. I am working hard here at Colorado Christian University to learn as much as possible while I still help my nephew, James. The third calling is easy as I have a huge family, and they all need something, even if to say hello. My verse comes from our Biblical Perspective, as it fits very well. (Ephesians 2:8-9). “Or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is by works so that no one can boast.”
Love your sister in Christ,
Deborah
References
Smith, G. Book “Courage & Calling” Revised and Expanded Edition (2011).
Holy Bible, New International Version. Zondervan. Originally Published 1984 (2011).