This Week in The Word
November 3 -November 7
Leaders
Calling, Gifting, Character
Calling
"To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a "called one" and so to become "a follower of the way." The Call, Os Guinness, p. 31
Calling
“We emphasize the priesthood of believers, affirming that through Christ each believer has direct access to God, and that all Christians share equally in this privilege and responsibility.” -Herschel Hobbs, Baptist Faith and Message, 1963, preface
Gifting
"God normally calls us along the line of our giftedness, but the purpose of giftedness is stewardship and service, not selfishness... Instead of, "You are what you do," calling says: "Do what you are." The truth is not that God is finding us a place for our gifts but that God has created us and our gifts for a place of his choosing, and we will only be ourselves when we are finally there." Os Guinness, ibid. pp. 45-46
Character
"The called-out assembly of God's people, which is subordinated to Christ as its head and coordinated with its fellow members of the body, lives its life by its practical obedience to God's call in Christ." ibid. p. 96
Character
Among themselves, the preferred term for disciples was followers of Jesus or followers of the Way. ibid. p. 105