Click on following for earlier article: Part 1.
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. (Matthew 9:9)
Matthew (also known as Levi) was a tax collector. Because of his profession, the Jews considered him a guttersnipe, an outcast, a reject and probably one of the last persons in the world God would ever choose to be a disciple.
None of this deterred Jesus. Why?
It states, Jesus saw a man named Matthew. By this, scripture indicates the Lord saw who Matthew was at that time and who He could become in the future. Thus, Matthew’s calling was based on his upside potential, not on his then present spiritual condition.
Bingo! This is the basis on how the Lord calls people to be His apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers…on their upside potential.
As for me, my calling from the Lord came through a nighttime vision. In it, I was standing at the rear of a packed auditorium. I had trouble at first seeing why there was such a crowd because of the tall people standing in front of me. Finally the people sat down, and I was able to see the stage and the person standing upon it. It was me; I was ministering to the crowd.
Okay, I knew I was called to preach or teach or something. But how? I had no clue!
At the time, I was a two month old Christian, living in a small Iowa town and attending a Catholic Church. I listened to Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, R. W. Schambach, Marilyn Hickey, Malcolm Smith and others on the radio and read piles of books as fast as I could.
But there were no strong prophetic voices nearby. No one who could understand and encourage me with the problems I was encountering on an almost daily basis. I felt like a sheet hanging on a clothes line, blowing whichever way the wind blew.
Thus, I made mistakes. Yikes! Lots of them!
One morning, I was jogging outside on the streets of the town where I lived. As I ran, I said, “Lord, why didn’t you call Bill instead of me? People like him and he doesn’t make the mistakes I do.”
Have you ever seen a New York Stock Exchange ticker tape, where a corporation’s symbol and number of shares move across a narrow screen? Usually, it’s in black letters on a white background. This is how the Lord spoke to me.
The message ran from right to left across my mind. It said: “I called you because you are enthusiastic, zealous, determined and have a big mouth.”
Now, if you think about it, the Lord’s four reasons for calling me would also be the same reasons He would call anyone. Right?
(Continued in Part 3.)
Larry Who 
Funny!
I don’t know exactly when the Lord first called me. I can recollect lots of bits of stuff which have all added together over the years.
I remember one early meeting in particular. I was struggling with a difficult prophetic word which God was pressing me to give. I had already been giving such, very unwanted, words for a while, and they would eventually lead to me being thrown out of the church and denounced.
On this occasion I was crunched down in my seat at the back weeping in self pity over the loneliness and the responsibility. I really didn’t want to prophesy, the repercussions were too painful.
I bewailed, “why me Lord”.
Very quietly the response flooded through my spirit. “Look at Christopher Columbus!”
I was shocked out of my self pity for a moment at the seeming irrelevance of the answer.
As I contemplated it, I realised that Columbus was a born pioneer. Although he was convinced of other lands across the ocean, he had an almost impossible job of convincing those in authority to countenance any change from their traditional views. They threatened him and drove him away. However he had to stick his neck out and persist. He eventually succeeded of course!
I know through many words and revelations that my calling is also as a pioneer or a forerunner of the hidden things of the kingdom.
Being a pioneer makes life really uncomfortable to be comfortable! The only place I can be at peace is when my wife and I are exploring the areas of kingdom life that others ignore or just can’t see.
Now that I know for sure that it is God’s calling for my life, it is an exhilarating roller coaster ride, and I am no longer concerned about the rejection and insults from other believers, its par for the course!
Frank,
An enlightening comment.
Just the other day, the Lord reminded me of a verse: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)
I sometimes forget the truth of this verse.
Dear Larry,
I can totally relate to what you are saying in this post and although I am only on the early stages of what you have experienced, it is encouraging and comforting to recognise the signs of a specific calling in others’ experiences, feelings and personal accounts, so thank you for that.
I specifically relate to the content on Frank’s comments. I love the example of Christopher Columbus. It is an inspiring one which encourages me to never give up.
Thank you both and God bless you
ransom33
ransom33,
Thanks, and I agree about Frank’s comments, too.
Hopefully, you can learn something from my mistakes, and not make them yourself. Then, your can leap ahead to your destiny.
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