God's Call - Part 2

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."

- I Corinthians 1:9

What is God's call for your life ? When most people think of the words "God's call", they think of when God calls someone to be a pastor, or a missionary, or to some job or task. It is not entirely incorrect to think this, because God certainly does call us to join Him in His work (notice I did not say that God calls us to do something for Him). But when we only think like this we miss out on God's main call for our lives, which is to have close fellowship with Jesus our Lord and Savior. The word that is translated to fellowship in the English language is "koinania". The best definition of koinania that I have heard is that it is "the closest possible intimacy, fellowship, and friendship with God, and it is also a partnership with God where you join Him in what He is doing in the world."

God has a heart's desire and a passion first to have a reconciled personal relationship with all people through Jesus Christ, and then to have intimate and close fellowship with us. You were created to have this close fellowship with God, and He longs for you to be close to Him. Receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and committing your life to Him is only the beginning of what God wants for you. According to John 17:3 eternal life is more than just living your life and waiting for your chance to go to heaven. It is about knowing God and having fellowship with Him. The word "know" God means much more than just reading the Bible and knowing about God. It means to have a growing personal knowledge of who He is, and to see and experience Him in your life.

And having close fellowship with God is all about having passion for Him, and passionately seeking to know Him more. When we have a passion for God we will gladly obey and follow Him, wherever and however He calls us. It will not matter where God calls you to serve Him or how, when you have a true love and passion for Him you will go anywhere or do anything, as long as you can be with Him. The person who has this kind of love and devotion and passion for God is the one who God can use in great ways for His Kingdom and for His glory. The closer you are to God the more He can use you and the greater impact you will have for His kingdom. In the next post we will talk more about the 2nd half of having koinania fellowship with God - where we have the great privilege of having a partnership with God and He "calls" us to join Him in what He is doing in the world.