"Receiving a Call
A Waiting Faith is a faith that continues to believe after others quit. One of the foundational concepts of the New Testament is the ministry of the believer. We believe that the Spirit-filled Christian is not a quitter, but a faithful and fully authorized agent of the Kingdom of God. Inherent in this concept is the recognition that all believers see that they have been called to continue to believe in order to manifest His love and life.
Mark wrote, 'These signs will follow those who believe' (Mark 16:15). In other words, those who are waiting on Jesus and believing in Jesus will reflect His life and power and authority. Luke wrote in Acts 1:8, 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall witness Me... to the end of the earth.' Simply put, we are all witnesses of something. Jesus declared if we would allow there to be a constant waiting and refreshing of the Holy Spirit's fullness in our lives, we would present an accurate witness of Him.
We mistake the nature of discipleship if we think it excludes a call to share Christ with our world. In Acts 8:4, following the outbreak of persecution in the early church, we are told '...these who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.' They (people like you and me) preached the Word... everywhere they went. Now, don't get anxious; preaching simply meant 'declaring.' God is simply looking for lives and lips that will declare by deed and by word His love for the world.
Jesus has already taken the initiative of calling you: 'You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and your fruit should remain' (John 15:16). The question now is, 'Will you wait on the Lord and make yourself available to the call of God that is already upon your life?'
Ron Mehl"