Stone Speak A symposium on worship, arts and the prophetic,
here and across the pond...

Christian Vocation
Following the notion of a personal call to a specific profession is the broader concept of a Christian Vocation.  There is actually rather little biblical evidence to support the idea that one would be called to a specific career field.  When we look to the Old Testament concept of calling, we see many patriarchs and heroes who are called through circumstances that unfold around them.  People who are called are brought forth to fulfill God’s greater purpose, and not often a sensation of being guided toward a specific position or office.  In the Old Testament, we see many miracles unfold and dramatic stories surrounding individuals, but these occur only because of the individuals absolute submission to the Almighty. 

When we look to the New Testament, we do see a transformation occur within the disciples where they leave secular jobs to follow Christ.  I must question the right-ness of basing the way we should live our lives off of the dramatic encounters with a physical Christ and a personal teaching that these first disciples encountered.  When we consider the twelve, they all had other jobs prior to meeting Christ and they abruptly left them to follow Him and learn. These close apprentices to Christ were more or less prototype disciples that Jesus was establishing to spread the good news.  Jesus knew his time on earth were short, and he therefore called upon these to continue the good work after the crucifixion and resurrection.  When we look at the words kalon who is God, the one who calls, and then keklemenoi, the called ones, then it seems to fit that the act of kalein, to be called, is a general call to salvation and commitment than it is to a specific ministry.  This essentially levels the playing field that all Christians are expected to be equally committed to discipleship. 

What does a disciple look like in scripture?  There is a threefold image that can be rooted.  First, belong to God.  Identify yourself as a member of the heavenly family and and recognize others as brothers and sisters.  Second, be a member of this family in life.  Pray and commune regularly, live a life of holiness and recognize God’s sovereign and providing hand in all situations.  Third, do God’s work.  Consider the things we’ve discussed in this article, as well as the previous one.  Your natural talents, abilities, circumstances, background and passions and embrace these through the lens of holiness.  This can be accomplished in virtually all career fields, save those professions that are in direct contradiction to living a life in accordance to scripture.

Calling. This is something that I've heard thrown around since coming to Christ.  It seems as though there is a rift created between those “called into the ministry” and those everyone else. I’d like to unpack this sense of calling for a few minutes, and explore what could be viewed as three vocations or callings to which all Christians are called. Over the next weeks, we will be exploring the Personal and Christian Vocation, and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Personal Vocation.
 It is with the Puritans in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that we first encounter a systematic distinction between the call placed on all Christians and a specific call which God places on an individual. In the New Testament, there is no specific doctrine of calling to a particular task but rather, it is out of Greek dualism that we see a differentiation between the Marys and Marthas. From the dawn of Christianity through the middle ages, Christians did not seek any sort of divine revelation to determine calling, but rather it was out of economic status or generational vocation that calling was established.  It was assumed that people were actually called into royalty, serfdom, wealth or poverty and people of faith were to operate within those capacities in accordance to the manner all Christians are expected to operate. Later, Luther embraced a bold and new translation of 1 Corinthians 7:17 and applied it to all occupations and applied the call to all Christians. Luther stressed that calling is the duty of serving God by faith according to the Word in one’s situation. Note this does not point to a career, but rather something that everyone should do no matter their place in life.

John Calvin later established two forms of calling, the call of salvation and the call of ministry. The Puritans then built on Calvin and emphasized calling as “the particular dutie [sp] which God requires of us in our estates." There was a balance achieved between duties and occupation. In that culture, though, the concept of family business was heavily engrained, and the only avenue by which one could escape following in the footsteps of a family trade was to pursue a vocational call in the church. This has essentially led us to our current understanding that there is a unique call wherein people feel led to pursue a specific role; more often than not leading to being a pastor or missionary.  In our modern culture, the sense of calling to a profession has spread to other professions, such as medical professional, care-giver, school teacher, and other positions of influence where our culture can assume to clearly do God’s work.  

This notion is an interesting one, as it seems to limit what professions one may feel called. This leads to the question of, "Does everyone receive a call?"  After all, if everyone receives a call, and yet a calling is usually attributed to select professions, then what is a Christian to do who is not inclined toward these fields?

There are four different calls which can emerge in our lives that will determine the path by which we serve.  The first is the “The Effectual Call of Christ to Become a Disciple.” This is the process of discipleship and deepening of our relationship with Christ. Within this call, some might arrive at the realization in an instant and never look back. Others will take their time, growing in a slow eb and flow motion, and slowly work into a rhythm, embracing the spiritual disciplines. It is however, a fundamental call that applies to all healthy, growing Christians.

The second is our “Providential Calling.” It is here we look to discern the providential hand of God in our lives, background, education, personality, and the opportunities that unfold in our lives with the Almighty to discover our calling. 

The third is “The Charismatic Call.” The Charismatic Call is geared toward the gifting and talents we possess.  These can be skilled trade abilities, leadership skills, anything that we have an overwhelming natural aptitude to do. As long as these skills can be done in unison with a healthy progression of discipleship, then these skills are of God and may very well be pointing us to the calling that God has ordained us to pursue.

Finally, there is the “Heart” call. It is this call which many people speaking about when they feel a burning desire to do something. This calling requires the most prayer and guidance, as it is one that will often make the least sense. Obedience to God is essential, but if one does not see any inherent skills that would support the calling, nor see God’s hand guiding them through life toward that destination, then prayer for discernment, guidance and confirmation should be sought.

In the next post in this series, we will explore the nature of the Christian Vocation, and then the fufilment of the Great Commission.

Have you ever been really excited about worship? This is one reason why our fall conference is going to be unlike anything you have experienced before. We thought our readers would like an inside look at the upcoming Band, Kevin Prosch and The Black Peppercorns, who will be leading worship for the Kingdom Transformation Conference September 22-25. The following is a history of Kevin and the band taken from Kevin Prosch’s website...


Kevin grew up in the deep south with a love for music early on. His father loved country music and stayed up all hours of the night playing records, his mother loved classical music and played the Piano. His childhood was a troubled time and music became a great encouragement for him. He listened to the likes of, Motown Artists, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Hank Williams and Ron Woods, and the Mystic Moods Orchestra. He began to travel playing gospel music from county to county and eventually began to do larger events.

Kevin had a fresh new sound and loved the spontaneous element of music. Along with many ethnic instruments, long time friend and drummer Martin Neil had played a big role in encouraging him with this sound, himself also playing several of these instruments, such as log drums and didgeridoos.

Kevin has influenced more worship artists than any other worship leader in this decade such as Martin Smith of Delirious, Matt Redman, Darrell Evans, and many others.

Kevin then in 1993 formed a club band, The Black Peppercorns produced by Ethan Johns (Kings Of Leon, Emma Lou Harris, Ray LaMotayne) with the likes of Counting crows and Peter Gabriel as his influences and began to travel to different countries and play shows from Albania, Switzerland to New Zealand.
He now resides in Amarillo Texas and owns and operates a recording studio Third Ear Music which specializes in old tube equipment and an unusual array of old instruments and amplifiers. He also pastors a church.

His hobbies are helping other musicians with their music, Engineering, Fishing, lots of camping, and a good glass of Lagavulin.

He also has a not for profit organization that sends musical instruments to young musicians in need around the Globe.



I hope you will join us for an outstanding time of spontaneous and engaging worship with Kevin Prosch and the Black Peppercorns during the Kingdom Transformation Conference. We thought you might like a sneak preview of a call to worship that translates the mundane into the realm of God’s presence. Enjoy! (insert Music video)
For more information about Kevin and his latest projects, check out this web address:
http://www.themusiccoope.com