Parkside Mission

Five misconceptions of calling  [Trent McEntyre] This is a continuation of my previous post on how to know your calling to missions. Here five misconceptions that can keep someone from confidently hearing their personal calling, especially to full time Christians service. 1.       Individualism – The major tendency we face in discerning God’s call on our life, particularly if we are thinking about global missions, is to place inordinate emphasis on our personal judgment. For example some students may have struggled for almost a year about what to do when they finish college without opening up to their closest friends, seeking wise counsel, or pursuing direction from pastors or ministry leaders. We privatize the question of our calling and separate ourselves from the means that God has graciously given us to discern and confirm our calling. 2.       Romanticism – Another misconception I find is that a call to missions equals an un...

“Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?”  How to know your calling to missions [Trent McEntyre] A common and difficult question facing many Christians is, “What is my calling? Should I stay and serve God here or go overseas?” Currently this question is approached in a variety of ways, most of which can quickly become uncertain and frustrating. Some people have essentially given up and decided that they cannot expect to have adequate assurance of their particular calling in life, especially if it is directly involved in global missions. The classic teaching on discerning God’s call The classic teaching on discerning God’s call for your life is four dimensional, primary and secondary, internal and external. The primary call of all believers is as followers of Christ “by him, to him, and for him.” [1] The secondary call is how we each respond to God by living our entire life for Him. The answer to the question, “Should I stay or should I go now?” is a matter of determining our secondary...