Several years ago, we were living in a community that had a population of less than 10,000 people. Because of the nearby lake and the numerous campgrounds, it was fairly common to have thousands of people visiting in our community on the weekend. However, most of these people did not feel comfortable coming into town for church. They were camping and didn’t feel comfortable coming to church in their camping clothes.

As I thought about the several thousand people on the lake and in the campgrounds each weekend, I decided that maybe we ought to do like John Wesley did and take the gospel to where the people were. So, working with the Corps of Engineers, we received permission to hold worship services in one of the camp sites at the state park every Sunday morning.

Since I had responsibilities at the church on Sunday morning, I invited six or seven men and women to participate in the project. I invited them to a meeting at the church and explained what I wanted them to do.

1. I wanted them to visit the camp sites each Saturday evening and invite the campers to a 30-minute worship service the next morning.

2. I wanted them to hold the worship services, lead in singing and to give a 10-minute sermon on Sunday morning.

3. I wanted each person to take turns and no one would have to do it more than three or four times during the summer.

As I outlined the proposal, I told these individuals that they were capable of doing this ministry and I believed that they could do a fine job of preaching. One of the men listened to the proposal very carefully and he said, “It sounds like a good idea, but I don’t think I’ve been called to preach.”

“John,” I said, “I’m calling you to preach.”

“Well,” John insisted, “God hasn’t called me.”

I looked at John and smiled at him and said, “Maybe God has called me to call you. I’m calling you to go and preach.”

And you know, he did and they did. The Lake Ministry by our church became a very successful ministry. It was not uncommon for us to have 100 campers attend the worship services along the shores of the lake. And all of the services were conducted by these men and women.

Now, when we look at the Scripture I read for today, we are introduced to Elisha. He was considered one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. As you read about him in the Bible, you will notice that there are several stories associated with him. One of the stories tells about how he made an axehead float on the surface of the water.

Another story emphasized Elisha’s power by describing the day when a group of children began teasing him about his bald head and he was so upset by these insults that he used his power to summon two bears out of the woods to attack the children.

Another story, and perhaps the greatest story, involving Elisha, was the story of Naaman going to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy.

One other story tells of a woman who owed a great deal of money and had no way to pay the debt. Elisha had her collect all the jars and vessels she could find and he performed a miracle and filled them with oil. When they were sold, she had enough to pay her debts.

The whole idea of these stories was to show the power of Elisha as a prophet of God. He was called to be a prophet. The mantle of the prophet Elijah was passed on to Elisha while he was plowing his father’s field and Elisha was called to the ministry of God.

There is something intriguing about being called to the ministry. We listen with awe and reverence at the stories of men and women being called of God to the ministry. Whether it is Elisha of the Old Testament or a person today, we expect religious leaders to be called.

However, the call to ministry is not confined to religious leaders. I believe that God is calling each of us. God is calling the doctor and the lawyer and the teacher. God is calling the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. God is calling you and me to ministry.

Today, as we deal with the call to ministry, I don’t want to focus on the call to be a preacher, or missionary, or evangelist. I want to focus on God calling each of us to ministry in our world. I believe you are called to ministry, right where you are. I want to suggest three things which I believe are important in dealing with the call to ministry.

I. The Call To Ministry Is A Call To Believe You Can Make A Difference.

Imagine the difference that could be made in the world if everyone believed that he or she were important enough to make a difference. We could help bring about world peace. We could help to eradicate prejudice. We could help feed the hungry and starving. But the sad problem is that so many of us do not believe we can make a difference. But, you can make a difference and God is calling you to ministry to make that difference.

A Story in the July 1988 Reader’s Digest tells about a 12-year-old black boy in San Francisco in the early 1960s that was headed for trouble. Orenthal belonged to a gang called the Persian Warriors. They were involved in fights with other gangs, petty crimes, and anything else that children of the ghetto could get involved in.

Like many young black boys in the San Francisco area, Orenthal had a hero. His hero was Willie Mays, the star center fielder of the San Francisco Giants. Orenthal became interested in sports. He imitated the way Mays caught the ball. He even knocked his hat off when he ran the way Willie Mays did when he ran.

But it looked like life in the ghetto had too strong a hold on this young boy. One evening when he came home, the police were waiting to arrest him for his part in ripping off bottles of liquor from a liquor store. He was arrested and spent the weekend in Juvenile Hall. When he was released to his mother’s custody on Monday, she took him home and there in his living room sat Willie Mays.

“You want to come out with me this afternoon?” Mays asked.

Orenthal was awe-struck, he could only nod. They left together and Orenthal expected a lecture, but it never came. Instead, they talked about Willie’s new Chevy, they talked about sports, they talked about what ballplayers do on their day off. There was nothing special that happened when Orenthal James Simpson spent the afternoon with Willie Mays. But, years later, O.J. Simpson, as he is known today, said, “That day with Willie Mays made a difference in my life. It made me realize there was a chance for me.”

I believe God is calling you and me to make a difference with our lives. We may not be called to stand in the pulpit and preach or cross the oceans to a mission field, but we are called to make a difference in our own little corner of the world. How are you answering the call to make a difference?

II. The Call To Ministry Is A Call To Caring.

If there is one ministry to which I am absolutely certain that God is calling us, it is caring. There is no doubt in my mind that God is calling you and me to care about other people.

God is calling you and me to show our care by being kind and loving to others. God is calling you and me to show our care for others in unselfish ways. A call to care is not simplistic. It is simply putting love into action.

Recently, I watched a television re-run of a movie based on an airliner crash in Washington, D.C., a few years ago. You probably remember the story about the plane that sat on the runway so long during a snowstorm that ice formed on its wings. When the plane tried to take off, it could not climb or gain any altitude. It hit one of the twin spans on the 14th Street bridge and crashed through the ice into the freezing waters of the Potomac River. Most of the 78 passengers lost their lives in the crash. However, a handful of dazed survivors struggled to the surface and held on to an ice floe.

A rescue helicopter was on the scene in a matter of minutes and the pilot and paramedic began trying to rescue the six survivors. They dropped a rope right into the arms of a middle-aged, baldheaded man. Instead of tying the rope around himself, he passed it to a woman near him. The chopper lifted her to safety.

Then the chopper flew back to the middle of the freezing river and dropped the rope again. Again, the baldheaded man passed the rope to his companions and four of them hung on as they were dragged to safety.

When the chopper headed back a third time to rescue the baldheaded man, who had twice passed the rope to others, he was gone. The freezing water had claimed another victim. Gene Windsor, the paramedic on the helicopter, said, “I’ll never forget his pale, upturned face as he watched us moving away with the others. He knew that he probably would not be there when we got back and all I could think of were the words of Jesus: ‘Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…’ ”

You and I are called to a ministry of caring. We may not find ourselves in a situation like what happened that tragic afternoon in Washington, but we can care about what happens to others. We are called to be caring people. Individually, we cannot bring about world peace, but we can care about those who are being hurt and dying in wars. Individually, we cannot feed all of the hungry people in our world, but we can care about those who are hungry. Individually, we cannot provide a job for everybody who needs a job, but we can care about those who need a job to support their families. We can’t help everybody who needs help, but we can care. The call to ministry is not a call to help yourself but to care for others. Caring is the ministry that God is calling us to in today’s world. Will you hear that call? Will you care?

III. The Call To Ministry Is Personal.

A drunk had been out carousing in the neighborhood bars. When he finally came home, he could hardly stand up. His wife helped him up to bed and he said to her, “Helen, I’m sorry! Would you pray for me?”

Helen bows her head and prays, “Dear Lord, I pray for my husband, John, who lies before you drunk.”

“Hey,” John interrupts, “don’t get so personal. You don’t have to tell him I’m drunk. Just tell him I’m sick.”

As much as we would like to hide some things, God sees us and knows all about us personally, and he knows the number of hairs on our head. Just as God sent Elijah to Elisha and called him forth to be a prophet, just as Jesus called out to some fishermen, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men,” I believe that God is calling to you and me in a very personal way. God is calling your name this very moment. You always hear with your own name. You always hear with your own experience. You always hear personally. This does not mean that God stops the whole universe and speaks directly to you. It simply means that the presence of God in Jesus Christ is always calling. Can you hear him calling your name? Listen! Listen very carefully and you will hear your personal call to ministry!

Prayer: Our Father and our God, we pray that our hearts will be open to your call in our lives. Give us ears to hear and courage to follow wherever you lead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.