“No Regrets”: The Call on the Life
of the Believer
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Martyrdom of Kim Sun-il The Ministry of William
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87. Yah! Yah! Yah! Ps 68 6.
Yahweh Saw to That
Ps 124 13. This Day I Have Begotten Thee Ps 2
25. You Shall Arise PS 102
45. O Elohim, Do Not Be Silent Ps 83 67.
Seek My Face Ps
27
66. I
Sought my Sovereign
By the light of burning martyrs, Son, thy bleeding feet we
track.
Toiling up new
New occasions teach new duties; time makes ancient good
uncouth;
They must upward still and onward who would keep abreast
of truth.
Though the cause of evil prosper, yet ‘tis truth alone is
strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold and upon the throne be
wrong –
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim
unknown
Standeth Yahweh in the
shadows, keeping watch above His own.
-- The
Poems of James Russell Lowell
“Elohim judges now, but for those who abuse his children,
He will pass judgment later.” – Leonard Ravenhill
The Calling of Elisha: 1 Kings
19:13b. A voice came to Elijah, which said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14. He replied, “I am full of jealous zeal for Yahweh Sabaoth, because the
Israelites have abandoned your covenant, have torn down your altars and put
your prophets to the sword. I am the only one left and now they want to kill
me.” 15. ‘Go,” Yahweh said, “go back by the same way to the
19. Leaving
there, he came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with
the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. 20. Elisha left his oxen and ran after
Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you,” he said.
Elijah answered, “Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?” 21. Elisha
turned away, took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the oxen’s
tackle for cooking the meat, which he gave the people to eat. He then rose and,
following Elijah, became his servant.
Various Callings: Luke 9:51. When
the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to
57. As they were going along the road, a man said
to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58. And Yahshua said to him, “Foxes
have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to
lay his head.” 59. To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said,
“Master, let me first go and bury my father.”
60. But he said to him, “Leave
the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the
The Fate of Martyrs: Revelation 6:1. I
saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four
creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, “Go!” 2. And
I saw a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and
he went out conquering and to conquer.
3. When he opened the second
seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Go!” 4. And
out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from
the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great
sword. 5. When he opened the third seal, I heard the
third creature say, “Go!” And I saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance
in his hand; 6.
and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of
the four creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a [a day’s pay], and three
quarts of barley for [a day’s pay]; but no oil and wine!” 7.
When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth creature
say, “Go!” 8. And I saw a pale horse, and its rider’s name
was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of
the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild
beasts. 9. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under
the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of Yahweh and for
the witness they had borne; 10. they cried out with a
loud voice, “O Sovereign, set-apart and true, how long before you will judge
and avenge our blood upon those on the land?”
11. Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little
longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be
complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Elijah Succeeded, Elisha
Called
Elijah was the greatest of the prophets of
Yahweh. We pick up his story at the end
of his career, soon after he’s defeated the prophets of the Master Ba’al on Mount
Carmel. (You can read about this in 1 Kings 18.) He’s been hiding in a cave because he’s
earned a death sentence. Despite the
great show of fire falling from heaven and devouring the priests of Ba’al, the people of Israel still haven’t forsaken the
national “church” and returned to true worship
Then as now, the leaders give lip service to Yahweh while worshiping
others – and the people continue to follow their leaders in matters of faith
rather than the true prophet. Why? Because national religion
is fun and entertaining and requires so little commitment.
Elijah was a very serious, authoritarian
prophet. Through faith, assertiveness
and his close relationship with Yahweh, he was able to accomplish powerful
works. But Elijah was so
results-oriented that, even when signs abounded, if the people didn’t turn, he
considered his ministry a failure.
Elijah was a perfectionist, looking for results as the measure of his
success. Because of his perfectionism,
Elijah was susceptible to deep depression.
That’s why he’d been in the cave: he wasn’t as fearful as he was
depressed over his perceived failure. He
wallowed in the stink of this foul haunt of demons until Yahweh commanded him
to get out of there and go up the mountain for further instructions.
He’s there given his orders: Go anoint Hazael as king of
This mantle is something of a
uniform. Those who see it know that the
man who wears it is a prophet of Yahweh.
This “anointing” comes as a complete surprise to Elisha – but he knows
exactly what it means. Yahweh is calling
him to prophesy – to be his mouthpiece – to kings and potentates – and to
reform the tribes and lead them back to true worship.
By the time Elisha realizes what’s come upon
him, Elijah is a block ahead. Elisha
runs after the older man and shouts as loud as he can,
“Wait for me to kiss my folks goodbye.”
Elijah replies (in effect), “Do what you please; I don’t care.” Elijah’s a loner; he doesn’t want a successor
or a slave – he’s just doing what Yahweh said.
But Elijah’s bad attitude only makes Elisha more eager to go. He doesn’t kiss mother goodbye. Instead, he gets his crew together,
sacrifices oxen and hosts a feast. Then
off he goes to catch up: to become the slave of a man who doesn’t even want
him.
Comparison and Contrast
There are several points of contrast between
Elijah and Elisha worth mentioning.
Elijah was a poor man, but Elisha a wealthy man. Elijah was a solitary, unfriendly man, but
Elisha was outgoing and amicable. Elijah
was a country man, but Elisha was comfortable in the city. Elijah was often out-of-favor while Elisha
was in favor. Elijah performed great
miracles of judgment, but Elisha did deeds of grace and kindness. Elijah’s first recorded supernatural act was
to prophesy a famine. Elisha’s first recorded supernatural act was to purify
water. Elijah was the voice of
condemnation; Elisha healed the sick.
Like Gufus and Gallant, Elijah and Elisha were
opposites, but both valiant servants of the Most High.
It’s to Elisha that Yahshua refers when a
man tells him he’ll follow him if he can say goodbye to his mother first. Yahshua tells this man, “No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the
Yet Elijah and Elisha were also similar in
that they recognized who they were in Yahweh and followed him immediately and
irrevocably. Elisha killed his oxen – he
couldn’t come back to them. As in the
Gospels, John the Baptist gave up his birthright – to become a Levite of the
temple and be set for life. And Yahshua,
who had a legitimate claim to the throne of
Why were these men of promise so willing to
give all for such a rough and thankless life?
And why are so many people with gifts, talents and wealth – favorable
commodities that could be put to use to further their own purposes – willing to
“slaughter their oxen” to follow the will of Yahweh? Well, because of the call.
The Call
Today when someone in our group starts
exploring the ministry, the first matter of discussion with his mentors is “the
call.” After months of further
exploration and discovery, and the ministry candidate goes
on to new mentors, again, the first discussion is in regards to the potential
minister’s call. Then, if the candidate
gets so far as being assigned a place in professional ministry, the first thing
he or she will again examine, I assure you, is the call. “What am I doing here?”
Even those who have a strong call on their
lives find it hard to explain. It’s
almost too spiritual to put into words.
It’s a feeling that words haven’t the capacity to describe. This is because a person isn’t called by
circumstances, events, career goals, knowledge, education, parents or peers, or
any person or human situation, but by the Spirit of Yahweh in the inner
man. How can you explain that? You can, but your explanation may differ
every single time you do. In the Bible,
there’re many callings described in some detail – especially the more
miraculous callings. I think of the call
of Isaiah (YeshaYahu):
Isaiah
6:8. I then heard the voice of Elohim saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go
for us?”
or Jeremiah:
1: 7. “Do not say, ‘I am only a child,’ for you must go to all
to whom I send you and say whatever I command you.”
or Paul, when:
Acts 9:4. He fell to the ground, and then he heard a voice saying, “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
And we see the resulting
actions from the call; deeds of courage, love, sacrifice. But we never have anyone in Scripture
explaining what it feels like. Never. The effect of
the call of Yahweh upon the inner man is never actually described. This is because the call is, in many
respects, indescribable – and it’s always very personal and unique.
Those times I’ve tried to speak of my own
calling, I go back to circumstances rather than feelings. As for the feeling of it, I have great
difficulty finding words. However, one
aspect of the call that all the called have in common
seems to be the almost desperate drive to do something for the poor or
the poor in spirit – something Kingdom-style – something like Yahshua or Elisha
or Paul might do. And to be something
– set-apart, as Yahweh is set-apart; humble, as Yahshua is
humble; honest, as a James or an Elijah.
And then we consider from where we’ve come – then how far we’ve yet to
go.
Home and Abroad
Your call might be to a ministry of some
type, or to a vocation, or out of a vocation. Vocation, in fact, doesn’t mean “job” but “calling”
(L. vox, “voice”; vocare,
“to call”). A believer might be called
to another, or to many; called to be a bookkeeper, a
nurse or a helper in the assembly – many are called with many callings. In its very definition, “calling” implies a “caller,”
and for the believer, the caller is Yahweh.
His call is to be one’s first consideration. ¿Has Yahweh called you to this (for instance),
or is this just what you ended up doing or had an aptitude for? There’s a big difference. There’s a distinction between being
trained for a job and being called for a ministry; there’s a vast differentiation
between caring for people because you have to and being called by
Yahweh to care. Being called might
even mean you’re to care for those you least like, or to love the
unlovely. Thousands have been called to
be the spiritual fathers and mothers to those of different cultures, races or
economic statuses. And they fulfill
their callings not out of altruism or fond feelings or human compassion, but
because they’ve heard from the heavenly Father.
Go! Do! Be!
Many are called away from home and family
for years or forever. On the other hand,
many are called back to their earthly home.
After a revival meeting, a mother of nine went up for prayer. She told the evangelist she thought she was
being called to be a pastor. “That’s
wonderful,” said the evangelist. “Elohim
is not only calling you, but I can see he’s already provided you with your
congregation.” The ex-demoniac was
called to: “Go home and tell what Yahweh has done for you.” Peter was called with the words: “(Leave home
and) follow me!” Sometimes you’re called
to leave and sometimes to stay: sometimes for short-term duty, sometimes on the
long – but always for a lifetime.
The call never quits – if you choose not to follow the call, it follows
you like a ball and chain: Yahshua never lets you
forget that you’re his slave.
Out the Window
The call can be immediate or can take years
to set in. It can be dramatic or, as in
the case of Elijah, the still small voice.
It’s never the same twice. In my
life, I’ve seen hundreds called and some follow. I’ve also seen a few actually fulfill their
calling.
Years ago, I ministered a revival at the
Then there’s Paul Wilson (O.B.M.), who
received his call to be a missionary when he was young and, dragging it around
for a lifetime, answered the call at age seventy-nine, spending five productive
years on the foreign field (though his body was wracked with pain). Here in this church a year and a half ago, we
witnessed the call on the life of a dying man.
His service on this earth only lasted a few weeks before he entered
eternity, but he went forth in fulfillment.
This week I heard that a seventeen year-old
thinks she is being called to become an apostle – for that’s what a missionary
is. If it’s a true call, she can say yes
or no – but if she says no, she will regret it the rest of her life.
The Call Not An
Escape Mechanism
The call isn’t heard because it’s
convenient or because someone’s trying to escape a bad situation. Once upon a time an
Philippians
3:13,14. I don’t
consider that I’ve made it on my own.
But one thing I do: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward
call of Yahweh.
And regarding your upward
calling, whatever it is, he commands you,
1
Timothy 1:8,9.
Do not be ashamed of testifying ... but share in suffering for the good
tidings in the power of Yahweh, who saved us and called us with a
set-apart calling.
How seriously have you taken your calling
and mission? Do you as yet know what it
is? Where you’re to go? I can’t tell you. You’ve got to get on your knees until you
hear the voice of Yahweh! Then you
choose. Have you said yes or no? My friend, as Francis Schaeffer wrote early
on in his calling, “There are no little ministries; no little missions.” There’re no insignificant callings,
either. Listen again for what Yahweh
wants of you. When you hear his voice or
feel his call, devote your life to whatever it is, realizing that this
vocation is a set-apart thing. Start
today. If you’ll take up your call
zealously and totally and be serious in your mission; he’ll see that you
accomplish what he sets you to doing, and you’ll one day find that you’ve made
a measurable difference in the quality of the future.
If not, I warn you: you may live a
full life, a gracious life, an exciting life.
But you’ll never live a fulfilled life; and at the end of it, you’ll
have regrets that you didn’t press toward the goal of the upward call.
Kim Sun-il
Let me finish with the stories of two
extraordinary calls. Kim
Sun-il was born in 
the port city of
Mr. Kim was offered a job with Gana General Trading, a company that supplies goods for the
The next time his family saw Kim Sun-il, he was on Korean television June 23th. He was videotaped in the process of
fulfilling his calling to the fullest degree – upon his knees before the mass
murderer Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi
and his Al Qaeda henchman – where, after their usual demonic rantings, they executed this Lamb of Elohim in a horrible
manner. The whole world witnessed
Brother Kim Sun-il, aged 34, martyred for the Sovereign
Yahshua Messiah.
Some wonder why a man educated for the
mission field would die at the beginning of his “career,” and in such a public
and gruesome way. Some even ridicule him
now, after his death. Wasn’t that a
waste? Wasn’t he a foolish man? Couldn’t his god stop these terrorists? Cast fire down upon them? No, you see, brother
Kim was called to be a public martyr.
That was his destiny and mission.
And the world was watching.
I’ve been very disturbed about Kim’s
martyrdom all week. It’s set me to
examining my call. It’s put me to
prayer. And it’s brought to my
remembrance what the Revelator beheld and wrote about in,
Revelation 6:4.
I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was
committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their
testimony to Yahshua and for the word of Elohim, and who had not worshiped the
beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their
hands. They came to life, and reigned with Messiah a thousand
years.
Maybe Brother Kim was
called out to be the judge of the Arab world rather than their savior – for the
one who was beheaded for his testimony is the one to whom judgment is
committed. In this light, I prefer to
see Brother Kim alive and white-robed, at the judgment bar, using his education
and experience to meet out equitable justice to those who’ve been assigned
him. In the meantime, I pray Yahweh
rains fire on his murderers.
William Borden
It’s surprising how many Believers in this modern
world are called to be martyrs – over a quarter of a million every year. Martyrdom isn’t the highest calling in our
faith, as it is for Muslims. The highest
calling for a believer in Yahshua is whatever she’s called to
do – and the highest honor is that she simply does it. It’s just as Paul said to the fellow named Archippus,
Colossians
4:17 “See that you fulfill the ministry which you have received in Yahweh.”
After all, we’ll all
be martyrs one day – on the day of our redemption.
William Borden was the heir
of the Borden Dairy estate – he was a millionaire. As a high school graduation gift, his parents
sent him around the world. Yahweh called
him to the Muslims during his trip. He
wrote home, “I’m going to give my life to prepare for the mission field,” and
at the age of eighteen, he wrote in the back of his Bible, “No Reserves.” After graduating from Yale, he entered two
more words in his Bible: “No Retreats.” After finishing Princeton Seminary,
Borden sailed to
This is what I mean when I say that you can
do anything in your life you want. But
if you don’t follow your heavenly call, your life can never be one of no
regrets. You’ve already outlived Kim
Sun-il and William Borden. You’re not called to be that kind of
martyr. Nevertheless, you are
called. See to it that, like Archippus, you fulfill the ministry to which you’re
called. If you fulfill it, it’ll fulfill
you. Amen
Sermon Checkoff
[ ] 1 Kings 19:13b.
A voice came to Elijah
[ ] 1 Kings 19:20.
Elisha to Elijah: “Let me kiss my father and mother ...”
[ ] Luke 9:60. “Leave the dead to bury their own dead ...”
[ ] 1 Kings 19:15. “Go
anoint Hazael as king of
[
] 1 Kings 19:20 “Do what you please; I don’t care.”
[ ] Isaiah 6:8. “Whom
shall I send? Who will go for us?”
[
] Jeremiah 1: 7. “Do not say, ‘I am only a child’ ...”
[ ] Acts 9:4. “Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
[ ] Vocation: “calling”
(Latin. vox, “voice”; vocere, “to call”)
[
] Mark 5:19 “Go home and tell what Yahweh has done ... “
[
] Philippians 3:14. The
upward call of Yahweh in Messiah Yahshua.
[
] 1 Timothy 1:9. Yahweh saved us and called us with a set-apart calling ...
[ ] Kim received an
advanced degree in Arabic.
[ ] Revelation
6:4. I saw the beheaded. They came to
life and reigned with Christ.
[ ] Colossians 4:17
“See that you fulfill the ministry
[ ] Borden was a
millionaire.