The Call Of God: It Is Almost Supper time

And to her was granted that she should be 

arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the

 fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

 And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed they 

which are called unto the marriage supper 

of the lamb. And He saith unto me, 

These are the true sayings of God.

Revelation 19:8-9

     God calls His children, the bride of Jesus Christ, the temple of God where the Holy Spirit resides to come to the marriage supper. The white unspotted garment, clean and fine linen is not cloth, it is righteousness of God's saints. How often we hear of the call of God and many run to things which they believe is the call of God. What is the call of God? The most important feature is the nature of the One Who calls. The call of God is the expression of God's nature, not our nature. Yes, it is true that we alone find at times strands of God's providentially call at work and no one else sees or even understands that call. What it is is the threading of God's voice to us in some particular matter, and we are not to consult others about it for it is a matter of our profound relationship between our souls and God. 

     This is most important to remember: the call of God is not an echo of our nature, yours or mine affinities and personal temperament, that which we take about ourselves as to be fitted for this, and if this is so, then it is doubtful you or I have heard the call of God. So, how do we come to understand the call of God? You will understand the call of God when you or I have come into a right relationship with God. Here is a problem: for many of us have no ear for anything but ourselves, we cannot hear a thing God says. If you do hear the call of God in the way of righteousness you will be profoundly altered. 

     Let us get this one thing straight: the call of God is not a call to any particular service. Now, you interpretation of the call of God may be, and should be, your contact with the nature of God for in this you will realize what you, or I, would like to do for Him. Here are two facts: 1. The call of God is essentially expressive of His nature. 2. Service is the outcome of what is fitted for your nature. Now, if you nature is that of the nature of God, your right relationship to Him then what you have interpreted as the call of God for you will be the call of God for your service to Him. 

     Service is the overflow of a superabounding love and devotion: but profoundly speaking, there is no call to that, it is to be the echo of your identification with the nature of God. What is your relationship with God? God is calling you to be obedient, not to become some foolish euphoric example of self be aggrandized, nor to do things which God is never in, but you feel godly by doing them and not out of sheer love of God. You see, to serve God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service then, is expressive of that which is fitted to our nature, and that nature is to become the nature of God, our relationship determines this nature. It is when our nature conjoined to God's nature is when we will hear the true call of God, both work together. 

     Jesus Christ, the Son of God, reveals Himself to us, and we serve Him in the ordinary ways of life out of devotion to Him. 

     As I commit to you the men of the early Church who led the early Church admonishing them to remain in the faith that the apostles had taught we see that their call of God is one whereby there nature is the nature of God, and their relationship to Jesus Christ. Next, I will write and give account of Clement of Rome who lived [a.d. 30–100.]. Clement was probably a Gentile and a Roman. He seems to have been at Philippi with St. Paul (a.d. 57) when that first-born of the Western churches was passing through great trials of faith. This Epistle was held in very great esteem by the early Church. The account given of it by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., iii. 16) is as follows: “There is one acknowledged Epistle of this Clement (whom he has just identified with the friend of St. Paul), great and admirable, which he wrote in the name of the Church of Rome to the Church at Corinth, sedition having then arisen in the latter Church. We are aware that this Epistle has been publicly read in very many churches both in old times, and also in our own day.” 

      Look forward to his writings, those writings that were almost included into the canon of Scripture. Let all this aid us to grow into Authentic Christian Faith.

He that is our God is the God of salvation;

     and unto God the Lord belong the issues

from death.

                   Psalms 68:20

Come before God and hear His call

Richard L. Crumb