ISSACHAR ZOOM MEETING – Discerning Who Is Calling

ISSACHAR ZOOM MEETING
BISHOP DR. ETHAN W. OGLETREE SR.
January 9, 2021 @ 9a

Our mission is to disciple people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ motivated
by loving, learning and living with purpose – Exalt the Savior, Equip the Saints,
Evangelize People and Extend Love Missions.

Discerning Who Is Calling

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.
9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is
listening.” ~ 1 Samuel 3:7-10

“The voice we should listen to most as we choose a vocation is the voice that we might think we should listen to least, and that voice is our own gladness. What can we do that makes us gladdest? I believe that if it is a thing that makes us truly glad, then it is a good thing and it is our thing.” – Frederick Beuchner “The Hungering Dark”

As Fredrick Beuchner reports that our Hungering Dark faces contemporary beliefs challenged by doubt. The Hungering Dark invites us to discover the hidden face of God and to experience the manifestation of his grace to the call. It invites us to say yes to the possibility of God. While our future belongs to God.

“Grace equals ability. God gives us grace to match our call. When we do our own thing, we do it
on our own. When we follow His leading, He always supplies the grace and the energy to do what He’s
Calling us to do.” – Joyce Meyer

“It [vocation] comes from the Latin vocare, to call, and means the work a man is called to by God. There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than Society, say, or the Super-ego or Self-interest.” – Frederick Beuchner “Wishful Thinking”

I. Verse 7- Samuel did not yet know God.

A. On one hand we see Eli losing the knowledge of God. (No order, lackadaisical worship, self-centered, greed.)

B. On the other hand, we see Samuel working in church but not clear of ministry. (Working
mentality not serving mentality vs duty not out of Devotion for God.)

• “We have to know God with conscience and spiritually.”

• “We have to hear God’s voice and know when God is calling.”

• “We have to know the word of God in theological language.”

II. Verses 8-9

A. To hear God, we must be committed to Him.

B. To hear God, we must remain calm.

C. To hear God, we must be clear with His message.

D. To hear God, we must remain in covenant alignment. (Call expresses growth)

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” – Harvey S Firestone

• Remember “speak” acknowledgement.

• Remember “Lord” humility.

• Remember “listening” attentively and appropriately.

III. Consider the depth of the call:

A. Called from labor to rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

B. Called from death to life. “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each
other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” ~ 1 John 3:14

C. Called from bondage to peace. “But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.” ~1 Corinthians 7:15

D. Called from bondage to light. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” ~1 Peter 2:9

• First Fruit Sunday – January 31, 2021
• Food Giveaway – January 16 @ 10a {Keyword = Food16 to 77411}
• FGBCF South Texas Pastor Zoom meeting w/Bishop Ogletree – January 16 @ 11a
• Church Zoom – January 17 @ 6p [Devotions: Deacon Oscar White & Deacon Monique Veal]
• New Beginnings Morning Glory Zoom – January 18-19 @ 6a
• Church Prayer & Fast Begins January 18 – January 31
• Men’s Zoom – January 23 @ 10a [Devotion – Elder Wallace Trammell]
• New Beginnings Morning Glory Zoom – January 25-26 @ 6a
• FGBCF International & Regional Zoom Calls – January 26 @ 11a
• Food Giveaway – January 30 @ 10a {Keyword = Food30 to 77411}
• First Fruit Sunday – January 31 [Seed Offering]
• Small Group Classes (1-hour) – Beginning Saturday, February 6 @ 9a; To Register text Keyword to 77411
o Bishop Ogletree – Play The Man (Men only – 2 weeks) {Keyword Man}
o Elder Latrice Gardner – Fighting For Relationships (Millennials – 4 weeks) {Keyword Fighting}
o Elder Avon Randle – God Encounters (4-weeks) {Keyword Encounter}