Answering the Call

Daniel J. Dugan

In this presentation, I will review four vocational categories, describing each one. After detailing them, I will identify

which I believe fits my God-given design.

There are four callings that encompass all occupations.

There is the calling to…

1.

Business and Commerce

2.

The Arts

3.Education, Teaching,

and Scholarship

4.

Religious Leadership

Business and Commerce

As Gordon T. Smith says, in his book Courage & Calling, people who have been called to the

vocation of business and commerce are known for the

following:

Economic Intelligence

A Respect for (not a love of) Money

A Longing for Excellence

A Commitment to Economic Justice

Making a Difference Through Their Giving

The Arts The Arts

© Google Images© Google Images

According to Gordon T. Smith, people called to the

arts are necessary for Christian worship, as well

as our everyday lives.

© Google Images

Whether they are musical or visual artists, people skilled

in the arts help us immensely to understand both the

inexplicable love and the indescribable majesty of our

great God.© Google Images

People who have been called to education, as Smith says, are some of the most important

people in our lives.

The following is a quote from pastor and author, John Piper, in which he

defines people who have been called to education:

You have to believe in the value of thinking.You have to be a good explainer.You need to feel an inner drive to solve intellectual problems.You need to be what the Germans call a “Menschenkenner”.You need the discipline to sit at a desk and think and write for 10–14 hours a day.

Religious Leadership

© Google Images

The call to pastoral

leadership is not characterized

simply by being

Rather, it is distinguished mainly by a desire to help others

find their God-given callings.© Google Images

able to preach or having good

administrative skills.

Pastor, author, and theologian John MacArthur states in his sermon entitled, “The Highest Calling,”

“The church needs spiritual leaders; leaders who are willing to endure and suffer

for the sake of objectives great enough to demand their wholehearted obedience.”

© Google Images

In conclusion, I believe that my

God-given vocation is…

Over the past year, I have strongly felt the Lord calling me to youth ministry. During this process, He has given me a heart for the next

generation. I believe that God can do mighty things

through young people. Since the youth of today are becoming the adults of tomorrow, I

want to do all that I can to make sure that those who do not know the depths of God’s

love and grace would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Religious Leadership

Works Cited

Gordon T. Smith. Courage & Calling. Downers Grove. IVP Books. 2011.

John Piper. “The Goal and Difficulty of Teaching Biblical and Theological Studies and the Personal Traits That Fit You for It.” Desiring God. Desiring God Foundation. 1 Dec. 1977. Web. 4 Sept. 2014.

John MacArthur. “The Highest Calling.” Grace to You. GTY Resources. 9 Sept. 1990. Web. 5 Sept. 2014