Pastor Randy Furushima
March 8, 2015 - W1510

Today’s message is about “A Greater Calling.”  The story is about Eli, the high priest.  People have said that Eli was not a good priest; however, he had the discernment to speak into Samuel’s life to have a listening heart.  Does that make sense?  I’m here to suggest that God saw something in Eli and His grace in Eli allowed him to speak into Samuel’s life.  Eli had discernment to invest his life into Samuel, a little boy.  One night after Samuel had gone to bed, he heard a voice calling his name and he went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, you called,” but Eli said, “Go back to bed.  I did not call you.”  This happened three times.  “Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy.  Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down and…if He calls you then you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears,’” I Samuel 3:8-9.  There was “a greater calling” for Eli, also “a greater calling” for you and me, and, I believe, “a greater calling” for New Hope Oahu.

When I came to New Hope, I had already been in ministry for 20 years as a pastor in an administrative position, overseeing about 124 churches in Hawaii.  I was in my mid-40s, well set, but something inside me was stirring “a greater calling,” and I knew that God did not want me to stay where I was.  When I got up one morning I heard God saying, “Today, you will give your notice as I have another assignment for you.” 

Long story short, I turned in my notice and two weeks later, nothing happened, so I prayed, “Lord, please speak to me now.”  He did and said something strange.  Often God says something you don’t want to hear.  He said, “I want you to go for more training to Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago.”  I had no income and wondered about the airfare, hotel, car rental, registration, tuition, etc.  The timing was not right, but I had to trust God.  When I got there, I said, “Now what?”  God actually told me, “There’s someone that I want you to meet, a servant of mine.”  I said, “Really? And who would that be?”  He said, “He is sitting at the table right back there.  His name is Wayne Cordeiro.  I want you to go up to him.”   When I did, Pastor Wayne said to me, “Randy, what are you doing here?  I know you’ve been in ministry for a while.”  I said, “I don’t know.   I’m just waiting on the Lord.”  Pastor Wayne said, “When we get to Hawaii, let’s talk.”  When we got home we met in his office and he said, “This is what I want you to do if you have the time.”  I said, “I have lots of time.”  He said, “Why don’t you spend a week with us at New Hope, the church just started.  Go to every service, any meeting, any small group, talk to every leader, anyone in church and ask questions, and walk into any meeting.  After that week we will meet in my office and you will tell me what God has been telling you, and I’ll tell you what God has been telling me.”  After that week, my heart just opened up to what God was doing in New Hope. 

After a year at New Hope, I told Pastor Wayne, “I believe New Hope needs a school.  We need to train men and women to plant churches, to disciple people, and to have them know what leadership principles are so they can change the world.”  That was the humble beginning of New Hope Bible Institute, 19 years ago.  I thank God for what He has done since then.

THE CENTRAL IDEA OF A GREATER CALLING:  “There is a greater calling for each one of us to build and strengthen the Church, to serve and love the world.”  That, in a nutshell, is what this is all about.

MYTHS ABOUT CALLING:

• That it applies to only a select group of religious people.  (That is absolutely not true.  It is for everyone—everyone has a calling.) 
• That I need special spiritual hearing aids.  (I have had people come to me and say “I don’t hear God like other people hear God.”  I tell them we do not have special hearing aids.) 
• That I need to be in full-time Christian ministry to be called.

THREE STEPS TOWARD A GREATER CALLING:

1. A Greater Listening.   Let’s turn to Luke 5:1-3, “One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God.  He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.  Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water.  So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from here.” 

Jesus was preaching and the crowds pressed in and were listening to the Word.  It’s difficult to hear Jesus from afar.  Jesus saw two empty boats, meaning that they had caught no fish because they were washing their nets—not mending them.

Principle:  To find “a greater calling” is to not be so consumed by the work in front of me that I miss the voice that’s trying to speak into me. 

How often are we so busy with what we are doing that we miss the greater picture of what God is saying?  We need greater listening skills if we want to experience “a greater calling.”   What kind of audience do we give God as He speaks to us through prayer, through the Word of God, through our devotions, and through the people He sends to speak into our lives?

2. A Greater Trusting.  Luke 5:4 says, “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.’  (Let’s pause here—here’s the key to “a greater calling.”  Jesus is inviting His disciples to go deeper because He has something planned for them.  Let’s say you’re Simon Peter, bemoaning the fact that Jesus is telling you what to do.  You’re thinking, “We’re professional fishermen.  We know what we’re doing.  We fished all night and did not catch any fish.  You work with wood in a carpenter’s shop, you don’t work with nets and fish.  Besides it’s too late, the sun is up—it’s not the right time.  But Peter senses something is going. Luke 5:5-6 says, “‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing, but if you say so, we’ll try again.’ And this time their nets were so full they began to tear!”

When Peter obeyed and set the boat out, the results were beyond anyone’s expectations.  Sometimes, our greatest expectations do not measure up to the ordinary grace of God; His ordinary grace is so abundant.  I want us to use these five words, “but if you say so.”  Can you imagine how our relationships would change if one of us said, “but if you say so”?  It will create trust. 

When Samuel was asleep and heard a voice calling him, he thought it was Eli and went to him.  Eli told him, “I didn’t call you, go back to bed.”  Samuel probably thought to himself, “O.k. Eli, if you say so.”  This happened three times.  These words can change your life with God for there is a greater trust that will deepen in your heart. 

At this time, I want to call on one our 2014 graduates from New Hope Christian College (NHCC) who received her bachelor’s degree in Theology.  In 2010 she graduated from University of Hawaii (UH) Manoa, majored in Speech Communication and minored in Religion Studies.  Allison Oshiro will share her story of her response to “a greater calling” and trust in her heart.  

“…After graduating from UH Manoa in 2010, I was sure that graduate school was next on my agenda, but God had other plans for me—to trust Him.  A year after graduating from UH, I made the decision to attend Bible college instead of graduate school.  I enrolled at NHCC, trusting God and surrendering my own ways to His ways, as never before.

“At NHCC I was surrounded by students who had left their full time jobs, trusting only in God’s provisions and dedicating themselves to school and ministry.  There were also students who had decided to leave the practical, in order to follow God’s calling.  I’m currently planning to pursue my master’s degree in Marital/Family Therapy.  Being at NHCC helped me to discover my calling.  In addition, I am on staff at NHCC as the student services manager.  This college is unique.  We don’t just invest in students’ minds.  We invest in their souls.  We invest in their “greater calling.” 

“My decision to attend Bible school over my own aspirations to attend graduate school was incredibly difficult—trusting God and surrendering to His plans when nothing made sense.  However, this decision caused my relationship with God to grow greater than ever before and I have never regretted it.”

Principle: To live “a greater calling” is to venture into the deep. 

That’s what Allie did, and that’s what God is calling all of us to do.  The third step is as Allie mentioned in her testimony…

3. A Greater Surrendering.   Let’s finish the story of Jesus and Peter.  The conclusion, I believe, is absolutely incredible.  The nets are now filled with fish and the nets break.  Luke 5:8-9, 10-11), “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around You.’  For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him…Jesus replied to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid!  From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’  And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.” 

Principle:  To invite “a greater calling” means to have a lesser grip on things.

Jesus realized that Peter was afraid, for God had turned his entire world upside down—everything that was comfortable for him, his business, the security of his possessions, his expectations, his career, even his understanding of God.  Peter falls down on his knees and worships and asks Jesus to leave him because he is not worthy to be in the same company with Him.  Peter is overwhelmed by the size of the catch.  God is not here to simply amaze Peter, He wants to move Peter from the focus of his own life to what God wants. 

The same thing happens to us when we answer “a greater calling.”  There is now no fear of the future.  As our passion moves towards God, our hearts are moved so that God can work with us.  Jesus said, “Peter, from now on you will fish for people.”  “A greater calling” in life is people—people, who have lost relationships, lost their joy for living, hope and trust.  Jesus was telling Peter, “These are the people I want you find and rescue.”  Jesus is saying the same thing to us today.  He is calling us to go out into the deep and to listen to Him, to risk ourselves, to remove our fears, and focus on what He wants.  Loving God and others go together.  When you find a passion for God, you will find a passion for people. 

This experience was life changing for Peter and the others, because when they got to shore they left everything and followed Jesus!

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. What was the initial purpose of NHCC 19 years ago?

2. What is the central idea of “a greater calling,” in a nutshell? 

3. What are the three steps toward “A Greater Calling” in life?  Name the principle for each step.

4. What will you find when you find a passion for God?