What was taught in this session
This summary is taken from the recording above, a short message of about 35 minutes.
- The call comes before the mandate. The mandate is the assignment Jesus gave His disciples: preach the gospel, win souls, heal the sick and cast out devils. But God must first call a person to Himself, as Jesus went up a mountain and called to Him whom He would (Mark 3:13).
- Not everyone hears the call. The hearing ear and the seeing eye are both made by the Lord (Proverbs 20:12). Many are satisfied simply to attend church and never become workers or soul winners.
- Not everyone who hears responds correctly. He warned against answering God’s call for financial gain, pointing to Gehazi and Judas Iscariot, who were called but ended badly.
- The call costs something. From 1 Kings 19:19-21, he taught that those who answer must be willing to let go of everything that would distract them from the mandate. He closed by inviting people to surrender and answer God’s call.
Main scriptures
Mark 3:13, Proverbs 20:12, 1 Kings 19:19-21, Isaiah 6:1 and Philemon 1:23.
Related: Day Two Morning Session, Day Two Evening Session, The General Assembly 2025 overview. AJS Messages is an independent site, not affiliated with Apostle Joshua Selman, Pastor E.A. Adeboye or Koinonia Global. See our Disclaimer.
More from the message
Hearers, but not workers. Pastor Adeboye observed that many church members are satisfied to attend, shout a little and give their offerings, but never go further to become workers or soul winners. Hearing the call of God, he said, takes a step beyond the ordinary, because God Himself opens ears to hear (Proverbs 20:12).
Wrong motives. He warned that anyone answering God’s call for financial gain is headed for failure sooner or later, and gave the example of a man who started a church after failing at other ventures. Gehazi and Judas Iscariot were both called, but both ended badly.
Ready to pay the price. Answering the call means being willing to let go of everything that could distract from the mandate, as in the call recorded in 1 Kings 19:19-21. He ended by inviting those who wanted to be empowered for their assignments to come forward in surrender, and prayed for them.
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