Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
one of the more popular TV shows
everything years has been Seinfeld I
don’t know how many Seinfeld Watchers we
have here today but it broke all kinds
of records as a TV sitcom what was
interesting about Seinfeld is that it
was noted not to have a plot that is
nothing connected with anything you know
he would show up and start off with this
kind of gag routine and go onto the show
and nothing seemed to have much to do
with anything it was a blackness sitcom
and it went to the top of the charts
they were analyzing why Seinfeld was so
popular and it was concluded that
Seinfeld was popular because the folk
watching it were in the same situation
as a sitcom plotless no clue aimlessly
going from situation to situation sitcom
going from one day to another day one
job to another job one place to another
place without rhyme or reason
unconnected most Christians today are
living decaffeinated lives all the
letters gone and like a hamster on the
wheel ever moving never arriving
anywhere I don’t know how many Sunday
drivers we have here people who simply
like to get on the road and just drive
you know really you don’t really going
anywhere you just want to drive it’s a
pretty day let’s go riding
well I’m a driver I love to drive but
but even I must admit after a while that
gets all cuz you’re not going anywhere
you’re just out there far too many of us
are living lies like the flicker of a
candle rather than the blazing of the
noonday Sun meandering no brilliance no
significance
we don’t really feel that we matter that
much because there is no sense of
ultimate purpose destiny or the word
we’re going to use in our series calling
your calling may be defined as the
customized life purpose God has ordained
for you the customized life purpose God
has ordained for you to accomplish in
order to bring him the greatest glory
and the maximum expansion of his kingdom
you’re calling your reason for being is
your customized life purpose which God
has ordained for you and you alone to
accomplish which is designed to bring
him greatest glory and the maximum
expansion of his kingdom there are three
things I want to say about this
definition of calling which has to do
with your purpose for being first of all
it is a creative purpose purpose calling
it’s your reason for being
it’s the reason why you were made you
were made to fulfill your calling a car
is not fulfilling its calling if it
doesn’t run a piano is not fulfilling
its calling if all the strings are broke
and there is no tune coming out it’s not
fulfilling the purpose for which it was
produced it’s there but it’s not doing
anything or certainly not doing its
ordained thing to live life without
purpose for calling is to be like the
Dead Sea over in Israel in no life there
its death
fish can’t swim in it you can’t swim in
it you get the salt in your eyes it’ll
burn you it is a lifeless existence
because it is not fulfilling its purpose
you see you can’t flow out of the Dead
Sea it’s the lowest point on planet
Earth and and the water runs in it it
just has nowhere to go far too many of
us are living dead sea kind of lives no
outlet no progress perpetual stagnation
no calling God did not create you for
fun he created you for purpose he didn’t
just look up one day and said oh I’m
bored let me come up with something to
do today
why don’t I make folk no you were made
with a purpose
you see this at the very beginning of
the Bible this created purpose and we
could go through the whole first chapter
but let’s just look at a couple of items
here verse 14 of Genesis 1 says then God
said let there be lights in the expanse
of the heavens to separate the day from
the night and let them be for signs and
for seasons and for days and for years
and God verse 16 made two great lights
the greater light to govern the day the
lesser light to govern the night he also
made the Stars God didn’t just wake up
one day and says her boys lonel and I
just throw something up there to shine
he said no no let me make two great
lights one that will govern the day it
will determine how bright the day gets
the other one will govern the night and
it will have a supporting cast of stars
in other words he made the Sun he made
the moon and he made the Stars for a
reason not just to do it not because he
had nothing better to do it was an
intelligent thought through reason verse
20 that the waters teem with swarms of
living creatures that birds fly above
the earth and open expanse of the
heavens well if he’s going to create
waters it’s natural that he’s going to
create sea monsters he says in verse 21
that is the fish of the sea the big ones
he didn’t know it fish were made to swim
you show me a fish that’s not in the
swimming and I’ll show you a depressed
beast because it was made to swim the
beast on the field in the field they
weren’t made to swim and if they try to
live in the water they live dead sea
lives because they’re not fulfilling
their purpose that’s not their sphere of
operation that’s not
they were called to do he says about man
in verse 26 let us make man in our own
image according to likeness and let them
rule over the fish of the sea birds of
the sky the cattle of the earth and all
the creeping things that God created man
in his own image he says in verse 28 be
fruitful to multiply fill the earth and
subdue it he doesn’t just say let us
make man he says let us make man because
we have something for him to do not just
be there not just meander around not
just go around and notice how beautiful
the animals are and how wonderful it is
to float on the water there has got to
be more delight than this most of us
spend a lot of time making a living not
a lot of time making a life and so we
suffer for what I call the same-old
same-old disease every day you get up
out of that same obey and you go to that
same o bathroom to look in the same old
mirror at that same old face go to that
same old closet to look at those same
old clothes and put it on that same old
body to go to that same our breakfast
table Eve that same old breakfast cook
buy that say my wife you know you get in
the same old car and go to the same old
work down that same old road work mixing
them same old people for that same ol
pay doing that same old job then you go
back down that same old road into that
same old house here that same old noise
from those same old kids pick up that
same old remote sit down and go over
those same old programs go to the dinner
table need that same old dinner from
that same ol cook
you know go to bed and wake up the next
day to rehearse that same ol routine and
there’s nothing wrong with routine if
it’s tied to purpose but if it’s routine
tied to nothing you wind up like deal on
a Warwick raising the question what’s it
all about Alfie no manufacturer designs
and markets a product until he is
determined what is for you know you know
you don’t go make something and market
it and not be able to answer the
question what you do with it
but when you live your life raising the
question why am I here that question
however you phrase it that’s a question
of purpose it’s a question of calling
when God created he created with a
purpose now let me tell you a secret the
created thing cannot tell you what’s
this its purpose until it’s create or
tells the created thing what its purpose
is come on do an exercise
everybody here sitting on a pill right
ask that peewit is here for good don’t
look at me ask the Pew what is here for
that pew has no knowledge of its reason
for being that’s determined by somebody
else I’m talking to you over a
microphone right now if I were to ask
the Mike Mike why are you here the Mike
couldn’t tell me it was the creator of
the mic that says why the Mike is here
one of the reasons we can’t find out
calling is because we’re trying to tell
ourselves while we were gone
that was beaten and I think about we’re
trying to self define our calling a
calling assumes a caller if the phone is
ringing somebody else is calling you god
is the caller you are the colleague he
is the manufacturer you are the product
that’s why you can never discover your
calling apart from God it’s impossible
to discover your calling from God but
far too many of us are functioning
outside of our divinely ordained a
reason for being or we’re not
functioning in it at all which means we
are existing and when you exist you have
to create callings you have to make
stuff up now when you get a bunch of
folk who don’t know that calling living
in the same house
you got a miserable place to live
because he don’t know what he’s there
she don’t know why she’s there so that
already enter frustration you put on top
of that just the regular trials and
tribulations of life there is nothing
that is calling them that is bigger than
who they are the successful single
versus the defeated single is the
distinction between the cold one and the
one who does not know their calling
the one who does not know that calling
things all of life is wrapped up in that
man or woman they have not yet found and
God is not yet supplies the one who is
not frustrated still desiring but not
frustrated is because they have been
called to something
bigger that no other person can fix for
them they’re into something so much
bigger let me show you a great verse
Acts chapter 13 verse 36 what a
wonderful verse the book of Acts it’s in
the New Testament after John chapter 13
verse 36 listen to this for David after
he had served the purpose of God in his
own generation fell asleep and was laid
among his father’s and underwent decay
what a great verse you say I almost
think I’m great about that verse ever
said a man died became worm food under
winter came why he didn’t die until he
had completed his purpose what a
horrible way to die never knowing why
you showed up in the first place what a
horrible thing to do till we have 75 80
85 years and all you can talk about is
your job in fact we got poked into 30
and 35 years old who all let you talk
about is retiring from their job cuz you
hate to get up in the morning you hate
where you’re going when you get up in
the morning you hate the people you’re
going to see when you get there cuz they
got up in the morning like you did it’s
just one miserable thing what is missing
your calling
proverbs 29:18 says that without a
vision without a word from God people
perish what he’s saying is that when
people have no direction in life they
wither they die so this is not a small
subject this is not an insignificant
subject God said of Jeremiah in Jeremiah
1:5 while you were in your mama’s womb I
called you boy that’s great news that
God calls in advance so calling is
critical but it’s tied to your creation
you were created with a calling
everybody in here who is saved who has
accepted Jesus Christ by faith alone who
has been born in the God’s family has
been called once you receive the call to
salvation God now gives you the call to
life’s purpose secondly it’s not only a
creative purpose it is a customized
purpose nobody has your call but you and
they say that’s good news nobody and I
mean nobody has your call but you
nothing else matters anymore than
knowing that you’re fulfilling the
purpose for which you were placed on the
earth nothing once you get that then you
can sing like one great song person you
can’t touch this because once you have
that you are now alive you
I am never more alive than when I stand
up here I had a sister tell me she said
you sure come to life up there I was
thought now what you’re trying to say
I’m a boring person down there maybe
that’s because this is my colleague I
used to preach on street corners
in front of bus stops in Atlanta Georgia
so I wait for folk to gather at the bus
stop and I stand up in front of the bus
stop and stop preaching you must be born
again every Friday night I’d lead a
group of students out in college and I
pre you must be born again
same sermon cuz that’s all I knew but I
was called let me tell you what’ll
happen if you do not pursue your calling
you’ll spend your life wishing you with
somebody else and then think about that
kid that was a little deep too you’re
not happy with who you are that’s cuz
you’ve met yet discovered who you david
says in Psalm 139 I am fearfully and
wonderfully made coz I am distinct in
fact this principle is is biologically
solidified your fingerprint is not like
your neighbors free fingerprint every
fingerprint in this room and in the
world is distinctly different it’s hard
to commit a crime cuz where they
discovered how to get DNA off everything
that’s another subject but they can get
DNA now I can track you that way because
your DNA is uniquely you what is true of
your fingerprint what is true of you
DNA is true of your calling nobody has
your calling but you because nobody is
you but you so the the beautiful thing
about it is it’s customized calling its
calling with your name on it
Jesus says I finished the work which my
father gave me to do he gave me my old
job my own special reason for being and
I completed that task that is I
fulfilled my purpose for being my wife
wrote a book her first full single book
seasons of the woman’s life and some of
its drawn from Esther and of course
Esther Keith’s statement is in chapter 4
where the Esther is a beautiful woman
she’s a fox she’s a bad mamma jamma
she’s you know she’s got it all together
and her beauty causes her to be selected
by a has you eros as his new breath he
saw her and said oh shoot whoa and he
takes her so she gets all comfortable in
the king’s house because she now living
large she in the big house she’s got
money
she’s got cars she’s got clothes Wow the
Jewish people were in trouble and about
to be extinguished genocide her uncle
Mordecai says well aren’t you the
helpouts
cuz I can help y’all
because me and the King we kind of knock
talking for the last 30 days
he might get irritated so you know I
pray for you Mordecai Lee writes her
back and that’s the chapter for and it’s
the zinger
he writes her back Evans translation
girlfriend don’t think that you’re gonna
escape just cuz you two moved uptown so
don’t think just cuz you moved uptown
now you you not in the hood no more
you’re not living with the rest of us
anymore that somehow you have escaped
all this cuz when the hammer comes down
and they find out who you are you’re
gonna be just like the rest of us
secondly don’t think that God can’t do
this without you cuz if he can’t use you
he’ll call somebody else alright but
then after Hitler with the negative
stuff he answer with this positive line
the positive line is this have you ever
considered girlfriend that you have been
called to the kingdom for such a time as
this have you ever considered God made
you pretty so that a had you errors was
falling in love with you because he knew
the Jews were going to be in trouble and
so he wanted to have one of his people
in a strategic position at the right
time to fulfill their calling for a
greater purpose than you just being able
to shop and customise your wardrobe
in other words esta was to look at hang
night in terms of her calling not merely
in terms of her money her status her
cars her houses and her stuff she was to
look at it in terms of her reason for
being called to the kingdom for such a
time proverbs 25 20 verse 5 says the
purposes of man of a man’s heart are
deep waters but the man of understanding
draws them out in other words a person
who Sirius searches for their calling
wants to know their calling then that
satisfied to exist they want to know why
their existing great verse you all know
it Romans 8:28 all things work together
for good to them that love God now watch
this and are called according to his
calling and purpose are linked watch
this now calling and purpose are linked
and for the purpose personal knows their
calling so they’re fulfilling their
purpose everything that happens is
working that thing out everything that’s
happened is working that thing out I
know some of you are thinking you know
whoa whoa whoa if I miss my calling then
you need what I had to do today I had to
go up to this place I bought my car from
because they had a recall
right someone right on the door so they
recalled it it’s called grace grace is
when God recalled you but that’s a whole
nother message whenever I get to that
thirdly finally it is a comprehensive
purpose it is a comprehensive purpose
it’s a creative purpose you were created
for your calling it’s customized it’s
yours and yours and nobody else’s you
are unique as you are you don’t have to
be somebody else why do you want to be
somebody else by the way God already has
one of them
duh he already has one of them if you
become then them then he doesn’t have
one of you I think it’s deep your
purpose his web his while many people
don’t find their calling because their
calling is not linked into anything
bigger than themselves once you live
life with a mindset of me myself and I
once you take this independent view of
life God will not show you your calling
cuz he has called you to something
bigger than you if you have a piece of a
puzzle
it is therefore incomplete if you only
have one piece of a puzzle and don’t
have a puzzle
it’s incomplete because that piece
belongs to something bigger until that
individual piece of the puzzle can be
related to something that is bigger it
loses its significance you got a piece
of puzzle over here and it’s not tan to
the puzzle that piece no matter how
pretty the picture is on the cardboard
it’s insignificant
why are so many of us feeling
insignificant because we’re pieces
without a puzzle and we get all hype
because we are pretty piece my piece is
pretty it in your piece you know what
matter what does it matter but all these
pieces of a puzzle sitting out in front
of me if they never connect you still
don’t have a picture it leaves the
significance many Christians are like
puzzles
they’re beautiful cardboards
but they don’t see the picture what’s
the picture
what is this bigger thing God has called
all of us to all of us to a third in the
definition it is the maximizing of God’s
glory and expansion of his kingdom
that’s it that’s it if you are a
Christian whatever you are called to do
will achieve those things let me say it
again whatever whatever whatever
whatever whatever God calls you to do
we’ll give him greater glory and we’ll
expand that his kingdom in history the
Bible says in Romans 11:36 that all
things are to him and through him and
for him to him be the glory that men may
see your good works and glorify your
father who is in heaven I can tell you
that if you’re a secret agent Christian
God won’t tell you your calling because
that means he won’t get more glory from
your life and if your purpose is not
tied in to the expansion of his kingdom
now what is God’s kingdom God’s kingdom
is his master plan God’s kingdom is this
comprehensive rule over all of his
creation to be involved in your calling
means that the presence of God is being
manifested to a greater degree because
you are fulfilling your calling now let
me tell you here’s where we get mixed up
and it’s preachers fault on this one is
it’s a preacher fault because we have
limited the word calling to professional
ministerial occupation in other words
called to preach or call God has called
me into the ministry okay
that language messes stuff up because
you have been called into his kingdom
Colossians 1:13 says you have been
transferred out of the kingdom of
darkness into the kingdom of his dear
son every Christian is part of the
kingdom that means all work for becomes
Kingdom activity even if it’s
quote/unquote secular ok
in fact it’s technically incorrect to
make the distinction between secular and
sacred because if you’re a kingdom
person it is sacred even if you’re
washing dishes you wash them sacredly
even if you’re producing a widget you do
it sacredly
because you’re fulfilling a calling if
that is happens to be your calling and
we’ll talk about that because calling
may not necessarily be your occupation I
was talking to a young lady a couple of
years ago and she works for Billy Graham
world famous evangelist dr. Billy Graham
and she inputs data been doing it for
years
she said oh I love what I do
yeah yeah but I love it you like sitting
I love it why she said because this is
my calling how is that your calling God
called me she said to help expand the
ministry of dr. Billy Graham using my
computer background of skills so I don’t
just sit down and input I know that a
name I put in to that computer bank has
just been led to Christ in one of those
Crusades and I understand that the
letter and the book that I’m sending out
to them has eternal value and
gives me purpose not because she was
called to input in the computer
that’s not her calling that was a job
her calling was to support the Ministry
of Billy Graham and in that calling she
does that job the calling is always
bigger than you because it’s always
expanding God’s kingdom and bringing God
glory whether it’s in a medical field
whether it says a lawyer whether it says
the doctor whether it says a janitor if
you are called it has eternal
repercussions and God will always be
seen in it and through it and it’ll be
so natural that’s a whole nother subject
how do I know most of you know you’re
calling but don’t know you know it and
I’ll give you a little down payment
right now it is one of the ways you know
you call it is that you were doing
anyway if nobody paid if nobody ever
gave you a dime to do it you’d still do
it because it’s like Paul woe is me if I
don’t
or like Jeremiah it’s like fire shut up
in my bones and I can’t shake it it
burns me it sets me a flame now watch
this now watch this my time is running i
watch this now because it’s kingdom it
always involves discipleship the kingdom
of God is God’s comprehensive rule the
process of discipleship is bringing
people in line with their comprehensive
rule so therefore if you are a kingdom
person fulfilling your calling those
around you who you affect you will
infect with this kingdom worldview
because it’s gonna it’s gonna rub off on
them to some degree now watch this when
this happens you will be part of the
greatest coup d’etat in history and the
reason you will be part of the greatest
coup d’etat in history is that when you
fulfill your calling in the kingdom
rubbing off on other people so that they
are investigating this Kingdom – you are
now confiscating the goods of hell and
bringing them them into the realm of
heaven your job is to go out there into
the world with your calling representing
the kingdom and confiscating that which
has been stolen by Satan so he can be
used by the kingdom of God that is what
your job is
do you know why the kingdom doesn’t have
more because we have people who leave
the kingdom with no calling and
therefore do whatever they do out there
and it stays out there
it never is harnessed for the kingdom of
God that’s why Paul says in chapter one
of Ephesians that God has done this that
he might bring all things the sum of all
things under the authority of Jesus
Christ we are his body and we are sent
to be the fulfillment of all things that
is everywhere he calls people in every
direction you don’t have to feel bad if
you’re not called to be a preacher if
you’re not called to be a missionary
certain people should be called and you
won’t be fulfilled unless you respond to
that call but God is also calling people
to be entrepreneurs and he’s called
people to be doctors and lawyers and
engineers
he’s calling people to be politicians
and actors and actresses he’s calling
people to invade hell with the kingdom
so that helping grows that’s what the
Lord’s Prayer is all about you know we
went over there our Father who art in
heaven I know who you are you’re my
father I know where you live way up
there and so because I know who you are
where you live hallowed be thy name
so since your name is gonna be hallowed
I got a reverse my plans so that thy
kingdom comes which means I got to redo
my life’s plan so that thy will is done
now if I’m a hollow your name service
your kingdom and do your will that I’m
gonna need you to supply me the goods
the carbohydrates the starches and the
fats so that I have enough physiological
energy the howl of your name service our
kingdom and do you will so why don’t you
give me the day to daily bread I need to
pull at all
and then because you want a pure vessel
forgive me for the things I’ve done
against you as I forgive those who’ve
done things against me because if I
don’t forgive those who doesn’t things
against me you won’t forgive me you’ve
done things that gave you and if you
don’t forgive me who’s done things
against you you will not accept me
handling your name servicing your
kingdom or doing your will then lead me
not into temptation because if you leave
me in anything I can’t handle I’m gonna
embarrass your name embarrass your
kingdom and embarrass your will and the
only reason I’m praying any of this
anyway it’s cuz it has absolutely
nothing to do with me that is the
kingdom behind is the power behind of
the glory for ever and ever amen
you’re part of something bigger
something bigger
and so we close every few months we
ordained a minister here in Auckland
Bible fellowship we have an ordination
meeting and the young man who’s gone to
seminary or studied comes up and he sits
down ready to be bombarded with all
manner of theological biblical practical
ministerial questions he’s nervous he’s
sweating he’s wondering whether he will
make the orden deigning cut but that’s
never where the process starts I always
open it up with one simple phrase tell
me about your call cuz I don’t care how
much Bible you know if you haven’t been
called then folk gonna run you about it
show you right then folks go run you
love you every color if I wasn’t card I
will deal you’ve got to be called to
deal with folk soca kill you and Jesus
already died for you want to hold me to
die for you too you got to be cool
you’ve got to know this is the word God
wants you to do cuz when the hard time
comes sometime all you have is your call
all you have is your car and when they
pass the exam they get the title
Reverend
they are now identifiable as duly
appointed duly call ministers while the
reverend’s are not the only ordained
folk around every person who names the
name of Jesus Christ has been all day
and you have the call of God on your
life or as the old folks put it a charge
to keep I have under God to glory