召命人生 (輔讀講義)

召命人生 (Life with Calling)
1. 何為召命? (What is calling?)
「呼召/Calling」的舊約希伯來人原文是「ar'q'」、新約希臘文原文是「kale,w」，都有「呼叫、命名、邀請」的意思。
「呼召」、「召命」與英文「Calling」相通。前者多些呼叫的意思、後者則較多使命的意思。
英文「Vocation」一字又是由拉丁文「Vocatio」而來，也是「呼召」的意思，但多譯作「召命」。
除字面意思外，「呼召」在聖經中有「救贖」的意思 (save/salvation) 。
呼召是先對神後對事，先指關系後指工作。
神是呼召整個群體（子民）而不只是某些人。
Discerning Calling requires high self and God awareness

2. 召命對生命的影響？

2.1. 召命與成敗得失 (Calling and Stewardship)
We do not “Own” anything that we have. It is all a gift of God.
Being faithful to God means following our call faithfully. The result (good or bad) is not our own.
This is also one reason people are stressed out in ministry. Success and failure matters too much to them.

2.2. 召命與自我價值 (Calling and Identity)
Human Uniqueness – Three options
constrained to be – Therefore, we are not unique.
courage to be – Therefore, we make ourselves unique.
constituted to be – Therefore, we are unique because we are made unique for a purpose.
Human Responsibility – “Each human identity assumes and requires responsibility. As Havel says. ‘Responsibility does establish identity but we are not responsible because of our identity; instead we have an identity because we are responsible.’ On the other hand, the notion of responsibility and talk of ‘callings’ remain bafflingly hallow unless there is something or Someone to whom we are responsible, or response-able, to whom we are able to respond. There is no calling unless there is a Caller.” (also try to quote Charles Handy)

2.3. 召命與工作意義 (Calling and Work/Life Purpose)
Many people are stressed and frustrated at work (irrespective of compensation); Some people can not even find work; Some are enjoying their work thoroughly (irrespective of compensation) What makes the difference? Calling!?!
Example 1: Lay Brick example (Benny):
1st (lay bricks = lay bricks)
2nd (lay bricks = feed family)
3rd (lay bricks = building a wonderful church where people can worship)
Example 2: Taking care of Sick or Alzheimer’s disease family members.
召命帶來的新態度
長遠目光 (Long-term thinking)
在艱苦中堅忍 (Persistence in difficulties)
忠心，責任感 (Loyalty/Accountability/Responsibility – committed to what you have chose to do; Michael: going to fight in front line)

2.4. 呼召與堅忍 (Calling and Perseverance)

2.5. 呼召與曠野 (Calling and the Desert)
People often received their calling in wilderness. Often times God has spoken but we failed to hear. Wilderness is a place where external distractions ceases and where we can listen to ourselves and to God. Unfortunately, the devil knows this too well. So, it is also a place that we can expect severe temptation from the evil one.

2.6. 呼召與勇氣 (Calling and Courage)
Hearing one’s calling is only the first step. Sometimes the big tests are the temptations and challenges that follow. We often find that we lack not knowledge but courage.
There is always ambiguity in calling because our relationship with God is dynamic not static and because God only lets us know what we need to know. There is always a step of faith when we response. There is always risk.
Calling is not a point but a process with many discernments. There is only one call to be disciple of Jesus Christ and as we live this call, it becomes clearer what we are called to do. Calling to be precedes calling to do.

2.7. 呼召與創意 (Calling and Creative)

2.8. 呼召的尋塑過程 (Discovering one’s calling)
Discovering one’s calling is a process and not a single event since the relationship between you and God is dynamic and not static. There are times when your calling does not map nicely to a job or even a set of jobs. Likely, we are in a time of transition or bounded by some limitations (support a handicapped parent).

3. 聖經中的召命 (Biblical understanding of “Calling”)

3.1. 舊約 (Old Testament)
The Calling of Abraham, Moses and other prophets
Calling and its relationship with “Mission”
The Calling of Israel (Exodus 19:1-6)
Calling and the Caller (the relational nature of calling)
The “corporate” nature of calling: We are saved by participating in the “Chosen People of God”. The way we participate is through having faith in Jesus Christ.
A Paradigm Case (Daniel 1)
Studying secular or even marginally ethical knowledge such as astrology, divination
He worked a administrator and politician all his life.
Daniel never returned to Jerusalem to rebuilt temple

3.2. 新約：福音書 (New Testament: Gospel)
The Calling of John the Baptist
Jesus’ Calling in the desert and temptation
The Calling of the Disciples (Mark 1:14-20)
Simon Peter in Transition (Luke 5:1-12) and reaffirmation of his call in John 21 (The progress of our experience of our call and our task).

3.3. 新約：書信 (New Testament: Letters)
Calling means in Paul’s Letters (1 Corinthians 7:17-24)
A Calling is first “to be” and then “to do”.
Romans 1:1
Romans 8:28-30
1 Peter 2:9

cf. Romans 8:28-30
Os Guinness, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (W Publishing Group, USA, 1998), p20-24.
Ibid, p23 2nd paragraph.
Ibid, p19.
Gunniess, The Call, p188-189 (on John Calvin)




<講義載自Stephen Siu的「召命人生」研經課程>