The Work To Which I Am Called

"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."--Acts 13:2

In the weeks leading up to Missions Conference at my church last October, I began listening to messages online that would prepare my heart for what God might do either in my life or in my church during the conference. In the process, God began convicting me of areas in my life that needed to change, if I was going to fulfill His will for my life. However, all of my thoughts were in the context of what I should change while remaining in Marinette, WI.

When Adam and Heather Brandt presented their call to work with international people in Boston, MA, during the conference, I found myself asking, "Why am I not doing what they are doing?" Now, I should point out that this was by no means the first time that I had asked a similar question at Missions Conferences, but through prayer I had always been convinced that God wanted me to remain in Marinette. Sometimes the answer had come as God obviously closed the door to whatever opportunity I was considering, while at other times He simply gave me assurance that I was to remain where I was. This time around, however, the question did not go away.

A week later, when the next couple was presenting their call to Korea, the lady mentioned that she had not at first been open to going to the country where her husband was called. Immediately I thought of a burden that I had held for some time for Spanish-speaking people in Green Bay, WI. To my knowledge, there are no conservative, gospel-preaching churches of any stripe reaching out to them, though they now make up almost one tenth of the population of Green Bay. In addition, though I am aware of a solid church in the NW corner of Green Bay, clear Bible preaching is sadly lacking throughout much of the rest of the city, which is growing to the east. I wondered what Emily would say if I mentioned my burden to her in connection with the lady's testimony, because I knew that her burden (as it related to non-English speaking people) had always been for the French. In the end, I decided that it did not matter what Emily would think until I determined whether God was in the process of changing this burden to a call, or whether He would once again show me that I was to continue ministering in any way I could at Twin City Baptist Church.

In the succeeding days I spent significant time in prayer concerning the matter. I would pray as often as I thought of it throughout the day, and spent my lunch breaks alone with my Bible. I wanted to be careful that I did not make a rash, emotional decision in the excitement of the conference, so I attempted to think of every reason why God might not be leading me to do it. Against each argument that I presented, there quickly arose a verse of Scripture that contradicted what I was saying. At the same time, thoughts in favor of going to Green Bay were quickly confirmed by passages of Scripture that are well-known in the context of missions. Perhaps the most significant text that God used in my heart was Matthew 9:36a, "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them . . ."

Just before I finally decided that I must obey what I believed God was calling me to do, Emily asked what I had been doing on my lunch breaks. (Normally, I call her every day, but I had not been doing that during this time of prayer.) Though I did not give her specifics, I admitted that God had been working in my heart that week. She quickly realized that since Missions Conference was going on at the time, God must be working in my heart regarding missions. Fear shot through her as she imagined that I was going to be called to Africa, where we would live in a grass hut, with a mud floor, surrounded by bugs and snakes. However, God quickly used His Word to comfort her heart. One of the verses that came to mind was Joshua 1:9, which says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." In a sense, Emily was called at the same time I was, simply in the fact that she is my wife. In another sense, though, God gave Emily a special call in that He assured her through His Word that He would give us the strength to do whatever He was calling us to do. Having already worked through the issue in her own heart, she was still relieved to hear that I was called to go to Green Bay--not Africa.

Since the time that God called us, He has confirmed that call over and over again through our devotions, messages that we have heard, and books that we have read. We are excited to follow through on what God has for us. If everything goes according to our plans, we will move to Green Bay in the summer of 2010, and will spend the time between then and now learning and growing as I serve on the deacon board of TCBC.