This is the follow up post to last Saturday's article by Cory Nikkel. The issue of how a man is called to preach the gospel is central to the beliefs of the Followers of Christ. The FOC has been waiting since 1969 for God to supernaturally call a preacher to lead their church.
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Cory Nikkel: from my last
post , I left you with my “seeking” mentality to find more of Jesus whether
it was in or outside of church. Before and after this process of discovery I
was uniquely called by God to be a minister of his word for the advancement of
his Kingdom, especially within the eighteen- to twenty-nine-year-old generation.
Calling #1
In
high school I had a lot of success in athletics. I played varsity sports as a
freshman and was scouted by colleges to be a top athlete in basketball,
baseball, and football. Sports were my life. My sophomore year I broke my foot
for the third time in my life and had to miss an entire football season. I was
devastated. I remember being so mad at God I told him to f-off numerous times
and didn’t want anything to do with being a Christian—it was his fault that I
broke my foot, or so I thought.
One
day after chapel I sluggishly crutched my way to Bible class and as I was about
to enter, my theology teacher popped out, “Cory, what are you doing?”
“Sorry
I’m late.”
This
time shouting in my face, “Cory! What are you doing with your life? God has
called you to be great among this generation and you are standing here
flat-lined on your death bed! Rise! Become who you were meant to be!”
I
was immobile, shocked, confused. But I knew then that all these tools that God
had given me in my life were meant for a greater purpose, and I felt for some
reason that it was for ministry.
Calling #2
For
two and a half years in college I was the spiritual leader for many. I led
Bible studies, worship services, spoke at churches, youth groups, and
evangelized whenever an opportunity arose; but something wasn’t right. I was
faking my spiritual life—I could walk the walk and talk the talk but nothing
was real for me. I was lost in myself and the personal pleasures behind the scenes
that I adored but the spiritual community I lived in couldn’t know about.
Little
by little I lost my calling, my heart for ministry, and my spiritual life. It
was then that God called me to drop out of college and go to Australia to do
mission work. I battled with this for a long time. This meant I had to leave my
football team which I was captain of, school where all my friends were, and the
comfortable life I knew. But the persistence of God was unbearable, so I went.
While
in Australia I found myself in the middle of a Eucalyptus forest, in front of a
group of thirty-seven believers from seventeen different nations, being
questioned by a man I just met about my life’s calling.
“Will
you really let go of your desires to pursue God’s will, Cory?”
“I’m
not sure if I can do that. How do I know what’s his idea and what’s mine?”
“It’s
simple, will you stay here and do missions for the rest of your life if that’s
what the Lord has called you to do?”
My
mind raced as I thought of all the things back in Iowa that I wanted, needed,
and didn’t want to leave. How could I give that up for life in missions? The
inner battle continued and then God spoke to me, “If you have submitted your
heart to me and only me, you will do whatever I ask you to do.”
It
all made sense now, “Yes, I’ll stay and do missions if that is what God wants
me to do.”
A
big grin crossed the man’s face, “Good. The Lord told me this morning if you’d
submit your life to him and deny what you want for yourself, he’d bless you to
return home and equip you with gifts to rise you up as a leader in your
generation.
Present Day
It
wasn’t a pretty process, but I’ve accepted the call. These two instances bring
weight to God pulling me towards a ministerial vocation, but I also can’t deny
the set of skills he’s blessed me with either. I have a natural ability for
speaking, writing, and being creative. I thrive under pressure and being in
front of crowds of people and the Lord has blessed me in those moments, too,
almost as if to say, “Thank you for doing what I asked you to do.”
Os
Guinness once wrote, “The secret of seeking is not in our human ascent to God,
but in God’s descent to us. We start out searching, but we end up being
discovered. We think we are looking for something; we realize we are found by
Someone.”
This
is exactly what happened to me. I searched for God and answers to the big
questions of my life, but in that search he found me and planted me exactly
where I need to be—preaching, writing, and equipping the children of God,
especially the eighteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds.
I
am twenty-three years old and being a minister is what makes sense to me. God
called me to it and preaching as well as studying the Bible is what gives me
the most joy; it is what fills me up and I long to do it day after day. I don’t
always get it right and I’m learning a lot in this journey, but God’s unique
call in my life is one that I will never be able to deny.
